NewzIntel.com

Category: New Zealand

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government Cuts – Maranga Ake: Why FIRST Union is joining the fight

    Source: First Union

    FIRST Union is proud to be supporting Maranga Ake, today’s nationwide hui of the union movement of Aotearoa, and says that the current National-ACT-NZ First Government poses a significant threat to hard-won workplace rights and threatens the future prosperity and employment protections of workers in all industries.
    Dennis Maga, FIRST Union General Secretary, says that while the union has opposed several of the Government’s “regressive” policies like the reintroduction of 90-day trial legislation and the cancellation of Fair Pay Agreements, the greatest threat to workers’ wellbeing at present comes from Workplace Relations Minister Brooke Van Velden’s planned changes to contracting law.
    “We’re joining the movement today because our country’s sovereignty and working freedoms are being compromised by politicians selling out our lawmaking to overseas companies like Uber,” said Mr Maga.
    “The union movement has not undergone decades of struggle and strife only to have the freedoms we won cast aside in one term of Government.”
    Mr Maga pointed to recent revelations that Minister Brooke Van Velden’s planned principles for “reform” of contracting law appear to have been written largely by Uber lobbyists. Her proposed changes to the Employment Relations Act would weaken employment rights, increase contractor misclassification and sanction continued tax avoidance by companies like Uber, Mr Maga said.
    “It’s not just existing contractors who should be concerned about the Minister’s weakening of employment law – permanent employment could become precarious if contracting misclassification by employers becomes widespread and accepted.”
    Mr Maga said that historically, unions were the answer to problems created by Parliament.
    “The union movement is made up of hundreds of thousands of diverse and unique groups of people and workforces, and an attack on any industry is an attack on all of us,” said Mr Maga.
    “We deserve to be proud of country and proud of the significant victories won by workers, like the forty-hour working week, sick leave, holiday pay and collective bargaining.”
    “This is the time to stand up and fight back together against a brazen assault on workers’ rights while we still can.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Education and Government Cuts – Continuing School Lunches a good first step say principals

    Source: NZ Principals Federation

    “Yesterday’s announcement to continue the Ka Ora Ka Ako lunches in schools programme is a good step forward,” said Leanne Otene, President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF).  
    “The school lunches go some way to addressing our growing equity gap which is already the biggest in the OECD,” said Otene.
    The announcement revealed that schools choosing to deliver lunches internally will no longer receive $8.29 per head. Instead they will be funded at $4.00 per head.
    Externally prepared lunches will be costed at $3.00 per head.
    “Schools wanting to continue delivering lunches from their own school kitchens, will be struggling,” said Otene. “Sadly, if they were forced to opt for the external lunch delivery, the capital investment in school kitchens would be wasted,” she said, “so its a no win for those schools.”
    A second issue is that there will be no funding for distributing lunches to the students.
    “In the case of larger schools, the problem will be distribution of the lunches,” said Otene. “It would be a tragedy to see Teacher Aide hours diverted from teaching and learning to lunch distribution,” she said.  
    Overall, Otene is pleased that the lunch programme is now a permanent fixture and it is hoped that additional funding will be added to address the distribution issues. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: LEBANON: Over 400,000 forcibly displaced children at growing risk of scabies, cholera and waterborne diseases

    Source: Save the Children

    Over 400,000 children forced from their homes by the escalating conflict in Lebanon are at risk of skin diseases, cholera, and other waterborne diseases due to overcrowded, basic conditions in collective- shelters and a lack of water and sanitation facilities, said Save the Children.
    The first case of cholera and cases of scabies have already been reported among some of the 1.2 million people forcibly displaced from their homes. The World Health Organisation expressed concerns that many of those who had fled the violence in the south had no protection from cholera, which thrives in poor water and sanitary conditions.
    With winter fast approaching, children and families sleeping out in the open or in collective shelters that lack adequate heating will be exposed to harsh conditions and forced to endure cold, wet weather without proper protection, warned Save the Children which is working in 194 of the 1,094 collective shelters in Lebanon. These poor living conditions will expose children to a high risk of respiratory infections and other cold-related health issues.
    Fatima, 31, was displaced from the south with her 11-year-old child and is now staying at a collective shelter in Mount Lebanon, sharing a crowded classroom with about eight other families. She said:
    “Everything is difficult. We’re running out of essential medications for chronic illnesses, especially for the elderly. We can’t even find blood pressure medicine. We left our home with just the clothes we were wearing. Winter is coming, and we need warm clothes, blankets, and heaters.
    Can you imagine 30 families per floor sharing a single toilet? It’s a school toilet, so there’s no shower or water heater. We have to fill plastic containers with water and leave them in the sun to heat up, just so we can bathe the children. The elderly and kids are falling sick because they must wash with cold water. These living conditions are unbearable.”
    One in five people in Lebanon have been uprooted from their homes in the past four weeks. Many of those fleeing are already vulnerable, including children and refugee populations who have already been displaced for months.
    Over 190,000 people are now living in 1,094 collective shelters across the country, which are schools, community centres and other public institutions that have been repurposed.
    Kamal Nasser El Deen, Emergency Response Coordinator at Save the Children Lebanon said:
    “I’ve been in multiple shelters where I’ve seen families and children waiting in long lines just to access the bathrooms. The facilities are inadequate for the number of people, and to make matters worse, the water supply is inconsistent. This lack of clean, reliable water creates a significant risk for waterborne diseases. It’s heartbreaking to know that these children, already displaced and vulnerable, face the additional threat of illness simply because basic needs like sanitation and clean water aren’t being met.”
    The health care system is also under huge strain due to intense Israeli airstrikes, with almost half of all primary health care centres in conflict-affected areas now closed, while 11 hospitals have been either fully or partially evacuated. A total of 28 water facilities have been damaged, affecting over 360,000 people.
    Jennifer Moorehead, Save the Children’s Country Director in Lebanon said:
    “Children in Lebanon now have to face not only bombs but also the risk of vaccine-preventable disease. We’re alarmed – but not surprised – by the first case of cholera case given last year we’ve observed a sharp decline in vaccination coverage. Thousands of vulnerable children are now unprotected and with winter just round the corner and temperatures dropping, they will become even more susceptible to diseases such as measles, meningitis and hepatitis A. We have already seen in Gaza how the lethal combination of mass displacement, attacks on healthcare and lack of nutritious food and water can impact children’s lives. We cannot allow this to happen again. The international community must act now to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and exert pressure for an immediate ceasefire.”
    Save the Children has been working in Lebanon since 1953. Since October 2023, we’ve been scaling up our response in Lebanon, supporting displaced Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian children and families, and now have escalated an emergency response throughout the country in 194 collective shelters. Since October 2023, we’ve supported more than 110,000 people, including 47,000 children, with cash, blankets, mattresses and pillows, food parcels, water bottles and kits containing essential hygiene items. 
    – “Collective shelters” are pre-existing buildings and structures where large groups of displaced people find shelter for a short time while durable solutions are pursued. A variety of facilities may be used as collective centres – community centres, town halls, hotels, gymnasiums, warehouses, unfinished buildings, disused factories. Infrastructure and basic services are provided on a communal basis or access to them is made possible. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Emergence Management – Don’t shelter in a doorway – and other ShakeOut quake safety tips

    Source: National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)

    When an earthquake happens, stay where you are and drop, cover and hold – and don’t shelter in a doorway, as you’re far more likely to get injured, says the National Emergency Management Agency.

    The New Zealand ShakeOut earthquake drill and tsunami hikoi is taking place tomorrow at 9.30am, and the NEMA’s Chief Science Advisor Professor Tom Wilson is reminding Kiwis that Drop, Cover and Hold is the best way to stay safe during shaking. (ref. http://www.shakeout.govt.nz/ )

    Tom Wilson says research (Nicholas Horspool, 2022) based on ACC injury data from the 2016 Kaikoura-Hurunui earthquake indicates that you’re up to four times more likely to get injured if you try and move about during an earthquake.

    “Don’t rush to shelter in a doorway when shaking happens. You’re more likely to get injured while scrambling to get to one, or you may get hurt by the door itself.  Research shows that ‘Drop, cover and hold’ is the best general advice for keeping safe in earthquakes in New Zealand.”

    The research also showed that people who moved to protect someone else were more likely to get injured.

    “Earlier this month, many people in central New Zealand were awoken by strong shaking. If you have young children, your first instinct is to rush to their aid. However, you may get hurt in the process. Wait until the shaking stops, and arrive safely. Ideally you’ve already made your home ‘quake-safe’ so you are confident your tamariki will be safe.”

    Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake Chief Resilience and Research Officer, Dr Jo Horrocks says keeping your home quake-safe is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your whānau during an earthquake.

    “If you know your baby’s nursery is secured, for example, you’re less likely to feel the need to rush in during the shaking. Simple actions like securing heavy furniture and removing items that could fall above your bed can make a big difference in preventing injuries.

    “By preparing your home now, you’re helping to keep everyone safe when the next earthquake hits.”

    NEMA and the NHC Toka Tū Ake are encouraging people to practice their Drop, Cover and Hold during the NZ ShakeOut National Earthquake Drill this month on October 24 at 9.30am. You can sign up at http://www.shakeout.govt.nz – over 635,000 people have registered.

    What to do if an earthquake happens:

    If you are outside

    If you are outside, Drop, Cover and Hold.

    Move no more than a few steps away from buildings, trees, streetlights and power lines.

    Then Drop, Cover and Hold.

    If you are in an elevator

    If you are in an elevator, Drop, Cover and Hold.

    When the shaking stops, try and get out at the nearest floor if you can safely do so.

    If you are driving

    If you are driving, Pull over and Wait. Pull over to a clear location. Stop.

    Wait there with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops.

    Once the shaking stops, proceed with caution and avoid bridges or ramps as they may have been damaged.

    If you are in bed

    If you are in bed, Stay, Cover and Hold.

    Stay in bed and pull the sheets and blankets over you. You are less likely to be injured if you stay in bed.

    Cover your head and neck with your pillow.

    Hold on until the shaking stops.

    If you have a mobility impairment or use a cane

    If you have a mobility impairment or use a cane, Drop, Cover and Hold or Sit, Cover and Hold

    Drop by getting as low as you can or Sit on a chair, bed, etc.

    Cover your head and neck with both hands. Keep your cane near you so you can use it when the shaking stops.

    Hold on until the shaking stops.

    If you use a walker or a wheelchair

    If you use a walker or wheelchair, Lock, Cover and Hold.

    Lock your wheels and get as low as possible.

    Bend over and Cover your head and neck as best you can.

    Then Hold on until the shaking stops.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: First Responders – Waikato wetland fire update #6

    Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

    Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews have started the third day of fighting a large vegetation fire near Meremere, which includes the Whangamarino wetlands.
    Incident Controller Mark Tinworth says the fire now has a perimeter of 15 kilometres and has burned more than 1,000 hectares of land.
    “This is a large fire and it could take some days to bring it under control properly,” he says.
    “Peat fires are particularly challenging, as they can continue to burn underground and can be hard to find and extinguish.”
    There are currently more than 50 Fire and Emergency personnel involved in the firefighting operation, supported by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
    Fire Investigators are on the scene, but an origin and cause of the fire have not yet been confirmed.
    “There is a lot of smoke in the area, so we’re advising local people to keep windows and doors closed, and to avoid the area altogether if possible.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Business and Tech – Connecting Kiwi cleantech ventures with global opportunities

    Source: Callaghan Innovation

    23 October 2024 – Fourteen ambitious Kiwi cleantech startups will soon chase global investment and partnership opportunities as part of the 2024 Cleantech Trek to the USA and Europe.

    Estimated to be worth more than NZD$1 trillion annually by 2030, the global cleantech market is growing rapidly due to investment in clean energy technologies like solar and wind, and growing consumer demand for more sustainably produced materials.  

    The 2024 Cleantech Trek is a New Zealand Cleantech Mission initiative to support innovative Kiwi startups to access the multi-billion-dollar global cleantech market.

    Participating companies will attend key industry events to pitch to investors, meet multinationals and make connections as they seek to participate in this market.

    A highlight of the trip will be a visit to leading global steelmaker ArcelorMittal’s commercial flagship carbon capture and utilisation facility in Ghent, Belgium.

    The commercial-scale facility uses Lanzatech’s carbon capture process to capture carbon-rich waste gases from steelmaking and convert these into advanced ethanol.

    Nasdaq listed Lanzatech began as a cleantech startup based in Auckland. “As Lanzatech has shown, we have the world-class science and engineering expertise, and vision, to develop cleantech solutions that can make a global impact,” says New Zealand Cleantech Mission Lead, Callaghan Innovation’s Phil Anderson.

    Because cleantech solutions are addressing the most difficult to solve environmental and sustainability challenges, their commercialisation typically requires more capital, stronger networks, and a longer path to market than is the case in most other sectors.

    “To succeed, Kiwi cleantech startups need to build long-term relationships with multi-nationals and investors to develop and commercialise their solutions on a global scale,” says Phil Anderson.

    The 2024 Cleantech Trek will begin in the USA in late October, and head to Europe, where three participating startups will be recognised on US-based Cleantech Group’s 2024 50 to Watch list, in Paris, at the 2024 Cleantech Forum Europe in early November.

    Cetogenix, Mushroom Material, and Nilo will be recognised on the Cleantech Group’s 2024 50 to Watch list of the top cleantech ventures globally in the early stages of commercialising solutions to global environmental problems and climate change.  

    “Having three Kiwi cleantech startups on this influential list shows that the world is beginning to see just how much potential Kiwi cleantech startups have to offer,” says Phil Anderson.  

    “This country is such a small player it’s really important that we work together when it comes to getting in front of potential investors and partners overseas.

    “That’s why I’m thrilled this year that the Cleantech Trek will be supported by NZTE, Are Ake, Auckland Unlimited and ASB Bank, who have come on board as our Europe leg sponsor, as well as our Verge stand partner Climate Salad,” he says.

    About Callaghan Innovation

    Callaghan Innovation is New Zealand’s innovation agency. It activates innovation and helps businesses grow faster for a better New Zealand. The government agency partners with ambitious businesses of all sizes, delivering a range of innovation and research and development (R&D) services to suit each stage of their growth. Its staff – including more than 150 of New Zealand’s leading scientists and engineers – empower innovators by connecting people, opportunities and networks, and providing tailored technical solutions, skills and capability development programmes, and grants co-funding. Callaghan Innovation also enhances the operation of New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem, working closely with MBIE, NZTE, NZVIF, Crown Research Institutes, and other organisations that help increase business investment in R&D and innovation. The agency operates from five urban offices and a regional partner network in a further 12 locations across Aotearoa.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Activist News – Christchurch City becomes the first New Zealand city to sanction Israel – PSNA

    Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

     

    This morning Christchurch City became the first city in New Zealand to sanction Israel after passing a resolution to amend its procurement policy to exclude companies building and maintaining illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian land. 

     

    “We are delighted the council has taken a stand against Israel’s ongoing theft of Palestinian land”, says PSNA National Chair John Minto.

     

    “It has been the failure of western governments to hold Israel to account which means Israel has a 76-year history of oppression and brutal abuse of Palestinians.”

     

    “Today Israel is running riot across the Middle East because it has never been held to account for 76 years of flagrant breaches of international law,” says Minto.

     

    “The motion passed by Christchurch City today helps to end Israeli impunity for war crimes” (Building settlements on occupied land belonging to others is a war crime under international law)

     

    “The motion is a small but significant step in sanctioning Israel. Many more steps must follow”.

     

    “We are particularly pleased the council rejected the red herrings and obfuscations of New Zealand Jewish Council spokesperson Ben Kepes who urged councillors to reject the motion”

     

    “Mr Kepes presentation was a repetition of the tired, old arguments used by white South Africans to avoid accountability for their apartheid policies last century – policies which are mirrored in Israel today”

     

    Before the vote PSNA National Chair John Minto and University of Canterbury lecturer Josephine Varghese spoke in favour of the motion backed by a packed public gallery displaying a “Stop the genocide” banner.

     

    “It would be nice to think the government would pick up resolution 2334 and show leadership in sanctioning Israel rather than leaving it to local bodies”

     

    John Minto

    National Chair

    Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Lifestyle – The Summer Transition: Body Composition Change During Seasonal Change

    Source: Exercise New Zealand

    As we transition into summer, it’s important to understand how our bodies respond to seasonal changes—both voluntary and involuntary. These shifts can happen to anyone, but the good news is that regular exercise can play a crucial role in managing these changes. 

    Whether you’re looking to boost muscle tone, shed excess weight, or simply feel your best, staying active is the key to unlocking your summer fitness goals.

    Recent studies indicate that seasonal changes impact body composition, particularly in relation to lean mass (LM), fat mass (FM), and overall body conditioning. 

    Research published in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, highlights how seasonal transitions from cooler to warmer months bring about changes in body composition, particularly in the distribution of fat and muscle. 
    During this time individuals, specifically those that have an established exercise routine, often experience shifts in body mass, bone density, and muscle development. While the focus has often been on elite athletes, this research provides valuable insights for anyone looking to optimise their health and fitness goals heading into summer.

    In addition to regular exercise, staying properly hydrated is essential for maintaining peak performance and body composition during the summer months. 

    Recent research published in Nutrients Journal emphasises the importance of a targeted hydration strategy, particularly in these warmer conditions, to prevent dehydration and enhance physical performance. 
    Studies show that individuals who follow a personalised hydration plan are better able to maintain fluid balance, avoid excessive sodium loss, and reduce the perception of thirst and physical effort during high-intensity workouts.

    Lean Mass Increases: The transition from cooler to warmer months can lead to an increase in lean muscle mass, especially with regular strength and conditioning exercises.

    Fat Mass Maintenance: Consistent exercise during warmer months can help manage body fat.

    Bone Density Boost: Increased physical activity during summer, particularly weight-bearing exercises, can improve bone mineral density.

    Hydration: Water and sodium are critical in the warmer months. Commercially available electrolyte drinks can suffice for maintaining hydration.

    ExerciseNZ highlights the importance of making the most of the lead-up to summer by staying active and well-hydrated. 

    Whether it’s hitting the gym for strength training, swimming, or taking a walk around your neighbourhood, summer provides the perfect opportunity to boost your fitness, enhance body composition, and also improve mental health through exercise. 
    By embracing a healthy lifestyle and regular exercise, Kiwis across Aotearoa can enjoy the benefits of lean muscle growth, better bone health, and overall well-being.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: REMINDER: State Highway 6 – Kohatu-Kawatiri repairs begin next week

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    Drivers need to be ready for roadworks State Highway 6 – Kohatu-Kawatiri, with road reconstruction due to begin next week.

    Contractors will be on the job near Tunnicliff Bridge, between Motupiko and Korere, for six weeks beginning Monday, 29 October. The work will continue through to Friday, 6 December. 

    The highway’s pavement has reached the end of its life, and contractor will be carrying out long-term repairs to the road.

    For the first three weeks (29 October to 15 November) the work will be carried out during the day from Monday to Friday under stop/go traffic controls. Drivers will need to factor in around 15-minute delays through the area.

    Between 18 and 29 November, the highway will be closed during the day between Motupiko and Korere due to the narrowness of the Tunnicliffe Bridge section of the road. A local road detour will be available during this time, but drivers must allow an extra 20 minutes of travel time.

    From 2 to 6 December, the site will return to daytime stop/go as road crews tidy up and disestablish the site.

    Temporary speed limits will be in place while the repairs are underway. It is essential  all road users follow them – they are there to keep drivers and workers safe, and also to protect newly laid road surfaces from damage.

    Every effort is being made to minimise disruption for the public,  with the work timed to begin after Labour Weekend be complete before the busy Christmas holiday season. It ensures the road will be roadwork-free when traffic is at its busiest.

    Access through the  closure zone will be available to residents, businesses, and emergency services.

    Works Schedule: 

    • Work is from Tuesday, 29 October, to Friday, 6 December 2024.
    • Working hours: 7:00 am to 5.30 pm, Monday to Friday (no night-time or weekend work).
    • Stop/go controls and a reduced temporary speed limit in place from Tuesday, 29 October, to Friday 15 November. Expect delays of up to 15 minutes.
    • Full road closure in place from Monday, 18 November, to Friday, 29 November between Motupiko and Korere.
    • Detour via Korere-Tophouse Rd, Kerr Hill Rd, Stock Rd, and Wai-iti Valley Rd. Traffic lights and 30km/hr speed restrictions will be in place at Jansens Bridge on Kerr Hill Rd. The detour is suitable for all vehicles but approval for permitted vehicles (e.g. O/W or HPMV) will be required from Tasman District Council.
    • Allow an extra 20-minutes travel time for your journey.
    • The site will reopen outside work hours under a reduced temporary speed limit.
    • Traffic management will remain in place during weekends and nights (between 5.30 PM and 7:00 AM Monday to Friday).
    • Access through the works zone will be available for residents, businesses, and emergency services.
    • From Monday, 2 December to Friday, 6 December the site will return to stop/go and a reduced temporary speed limit between 7.00 am and 5.30 pm to allow crews to tidy up and disestablish the site.

    Works Location:

    View larger map [PDF, 2.2 MB]

    Summer Maintenance Season – Tips and Advice:

    • Drivers need to be aware other summer maintenance and resilience works are happening around the region including on State Highway 6 between Nelson and West Coast. Drivers should check road conditions before they travel as knowing when and where roadworks are happening means you can time your travel to avoid them or allow extra time for your trip.
    • Whenever you come to a worksite, remember that our road workers are doing their best to complete their work and keep you moving. Please be respectful and follow their advice and instructions.

    More Information:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Summer road maintenance Akaroa highway, SH75 – night-times affected

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    People who drive between Akaroa and Little River on SH75 might like to diarise some night work coming up between Little River and Barrys Bay, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

    Work on the Akaroa side of Hilltop gets underway next Tuesday night, 29 October, after Labour Weekend, from 9 pm at night to 5 am the next day. The resurfacing work, taking a fortnight, runs through to the morning of Tuesday, 12 November.

    Detour for light vehicles and general access trucks only

    There is a detour via the higher Summit Road, Duvauchelle Stock Route and Pigeon Bay Road (towards Akaroa – reverse for traffic going to Little River) while this work is happening, for light vehicles and trucks – under 46 Tonne only. However, please note this is a winding and steep route.

    Work with no detour

    There is work on the Christchurch/Little River side of Hilltop also over two nights which has no detour route. This involves renewing the asphalt along this winding route from the base of the hill at Puaha up to Hilltop.

    Tuesday and Wednesday nights into Thursday morning (12, 13, 14 November) are the dates, 9 pm to 5 am.

    Access will only be considered for essential light vehicle travel with prior coordination with the construction team, and for emergency services. No heavy vehicle access will be possible on these nights.  (Email southernlink@downer.co.nz for essential access permissions.)

    Daytimes will be busy also going to and from Akaroa

    With summer maintenance work well underway in Canterbury, expect to see sealing teams and repair crews out and about. On the Akaroa highway in particular, expect to see in the weeks ahead:

    • Hilltop guardrail project road surface remedial work
    • Christchurch City Council side road reseals – possible delays at intersections with SH75 eg Wainui Main Road.

    NZTA thanks all road users for building in extra time on these routes and avoiding SH75 on the nights of major reseals and asphalting.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Waimate to Ikawai, SH82 South Canterbury – change to timing of work and no full closures this side of Christmas

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    |

    This highway reconstruction work was first indicated to start 1 November with a full road closure.

    It is now likely to start Monday, 11 November, under Stop/Go traffic management leading into Christmas, says NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA).

    More work will start in the New Year which may require a full traffic closure through the Waimate Gorge. Fewer days will be affected by the full closure than originally stated, and a detour is proposed for traffic onto High St Waimate, McNamaras Road, SH1, Old Ferry Road and Ikawai Middle Road. (See green line below). This detour will add 12 km to the Waimate Gorge route and add nine minutes to the trip. The detour is suitable for 50MAX vehicles.

    More details in the New Year.

    Tags

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Pule Fakamotu 2024 (Constitution Day Flag Raising) Commemoration

    Source: New Zealand Governor General

    Fakaalofa lahi atu – and my very warmest Pacific greetings.

    I’d like to specifically acknowledge: Prime Minister Tagelagi; Prime Minister Mark Brown of the Cook Islands; Alapati Tavite, Ulu of Tokelau; President Williame Katonivere of Fiji; Ministers and Members of Parliament of Niue; and Members of the Diplomatic Corps.

    Thank you, Prime Minister Tagelagi for inviting Richard and me to join leaders of our ‘Realm family’ and members of the Diplomatic Corps in celebrating this year’s Constitution Day, marking the 50th year of self-government and enduring freedom of association with New Zealand.

    I am honoured to represent His Majesty King Charles III, our Head of State of the Realm of New Zealand, and affirm his best wishes to you all on this very special day for Niue.

    I also wish to convey warmest congratulations from the nearly 31,000 New Zealanders who regard Niue as home. You will be aware of the great pride they take in their distinctive culture, language and traditions, and the strength of their connections to Niue.

    I’m sure those who witnessed that historic moment fifty years ago, on the 19th of October 1974, would be delighted to see what has been achieved in the intervening years: the upgraded roads and airport, the growth of tourism with Matavai Resort and other outstanding new accommodation options, the sea tracks, Niue Development Bank, new government buildings, a supermarket complex, and Millenium Hall.

    Similarly, I hope they would applaud the emphasis on sustainability and the protection of biodiversity, the establishment of a maritime protection area, and modernised waste management systems.

    I hope they would also be pleased to see Niue’s connections to the world, enabled by jet travel and internet access. I’m sure they would be astonished and delighted to see the growth of media and educational opportunities, solar power, electronic banking, an emergency operations centre, and the facilities of a truly modern hospital.

    I was pleased to learn how closely Niue and New Zealand worked to minimise the impact of COVID-19, and I wish to congratulate Prime Minister Tagelagi and everyone involved in keeping the people of Niue safe.

    Nationhood is necessarily an ongoing project, based on a shared understanding of identity, values, and culture.

    All Niueans contribute to this vision, whether they be Assembly Members, Ministers of Cabinet, the Speakers of the Fale Fono, the Public Service Commissioners, Secretaries of Government, the Judges and Judiciary, Niue’s High Commissioners in New Zealand, the Public Service, educators, the keepers of traditional knowledge and crafts, or artists, composers and cultural performers. So too do those Niueans engaged in fishing, growing crops, joining in community and church activities, and hosting tourists – as well as tupuna and spiritual leaders providing wise guidance and counsel across communities.

    I commend the people of Niue for working to sustain and transfer their cultural heritage and traditions. Showdays and Taoga Festivals have brought villages together with the Niuean diaspora to celebrate community, tradition and whanaungatanga. It must be gratifying to see Niueans born in New Zealand choosing to live here, and renew their ties with their culture and history.

    Since 1974, New Zealand has been proud to be Niue’s Constitutional partner, with responsibilities to provide necessary administrative support. The bonds between our two nations have flourished, nurtured by our shared history, language, culture and citizenship.

    The people-to-people links, forged through family ties, friendships, and shared experiences, have created a tapestry of interwoven lives between Niue and New Zealand, and Niue and the Pacific. 

    Today, we are joined by Niueans who have travelled from New Zealand, Australia and beyond to be part of these celebrations.

    Over these past fifty years, Niue has developed its own network of diplomatic, political, trade and economic relationships – and I acknowledge the support and collaboration of such partners and friends who are with us in celebration today. As Niue continues its journey of growth and development, I pay tribute to those partners who have supported those development aspirations, and your vision of a connected and prosperous Niue.

    All of us share in the challenges of our times – particularly climate change – and it is in the absolute interests of all of us to do what is right and what is necessary to build greater resilience and wellbeing for the people of the Pacific.

    This special Aho Pulefakamotu is a time for Niueans to celebrate the legacy of your forebears, and to look forward to how you might shape the destiny of your nation.

    I wish the people of Niue every success with the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead – strengthened by the executive, legislative and judicial processes established by your Constitution – and secure in the knowledge that you will be supported, as always, by your friends in New Zealand.

    Kia moui olaola a Niue. Kia tumau a Niue.  Niue ke Monuina. Niue ko Kaina. Niue ki Mua.

    Now, onwards to the next 50 glorious years. May God Bless Niue. May God Bless you all. Kia fakamonuina mai he Atua a Niue Fekai.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Reception for the Diplomatic Corps in Niue

    Source: New Zealand Governor General

    Fakaalofa lahi atu kia mutolu oti – and my very warmest Pacific greetings to you all.

    I’d like to specifically knowledge: Prime Minister Tagelagi and Tanya Tagelagi; Members of the Niue Assembly; Your Excellency Mr Mark Gibb, New Zealand High Commissioner to Niue; Your Excellency Ms Katy Stuart, Australian High Commissioner to Niue; and Members of the Diplomatic Corps.

    Tēnā koutou katoa.

    As Governor-General of the Realm of New Zealand, representing His Majesty King Charles III, as well as the Government and people of New Zealand, it has been an honour to be here in Niue for this historic occasion – marking fifty years of Niue’s self-government and free association with New Zealand.

    Dr Davies and I have welcomed this opportunity be a part of this proud moment in Niuean history, and to reaffirm the depth and special meaning of the relationship between our two countries.

    On a fundamental level, of course, ours is a relationship underpinned by those constitutional arrangements decided upon and inaugurated 50 years ago, on the 19th of October 1974.

    Of course, in fact, the relationship between our two nations extends back much further than that. We are bound by our whakapapa – our common ancestors – who, hundreds of years ago, guided by the stars, the winds and the currents, navigated their way across Te Moana-nui-a-kiwa with immense courage and skill.

    New Zealand and Niue share Polynesian histories and stories with their origins in those great voyages, as well as the many precious ties of whānau – of family – strengthened over successive generations.

    As I come to the end of my time here, in this beautiful place – the ‘Rock of the Pacific’ – and reflect upon how it has touched my understanding of the bond between our countries, I find myself returning to ‘whanaungatanga’ – a term in te reo Māori which refers to a sense of sacred ties; of kinship; and of deep and abiding family connections.

    As the passing of time naturally alters the relationships within a family, so too the relationship between New Zealand and Niue has naturally evolved over these past fifty years. As one part of that evolution, Niue has developed and nurtured its own diplomatic relationships with countries across the Pacific and around the world.

    I’m delighted to see many of those relationships present here this evening, in friendship and support – bringing to mind, as it does, the whakataukī, or proverb: ‘Ehara tāku toa i te toa takitahi, engari takimano, nō āku tīpuna. My strength is not individual it is collective.’

    Such kotahitanga, such unity of action, is more important than ever in facing some of the most pressing global issues of our time: climate change, economic security, achieving equitable health and education outcomes. I am confident we will find solutions, but it requires that we do the work, and that we continue to share our knowledge, resources, and wisdom.

    I wish to take this opportunity to commend Niue for the work that you’ve done to encourage such collaboration, and the innovation that you’ve shown across areas as broad as food production, renewable energy, and sustainable tourism.

    The Niue and Ocean-Wide Trust is a perfect example of your commitment to initiatives whose ethos extends far beyond self-interest, which encourages collective action, and which seeks the greatest possible benefit to our planet and to broader humanity.

    As Governor-General, I once again reinforce New Zealand’s commitment to be a friend and partner to Niue in facing the challenges and seizing the opportunities of these coming years.

    I finish today by returning to the extraordinary image of those great Polynesian explorers charting their course across the Pacific Ocean. As we leave here, I hope we may all be inspired by the example of those early pathfinders – to be courageous in our actions as in our words, to live with deep care and respect for the natural world, and to work together, in the abiding spirit of whanaungatanga and kotahitanga, to seek a positive future for all.

    Fakaaue lahi. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Health – New Zealand should heed UK concerns with physician associates, invest in growing workforce

    Source: General Practice Owners Association of Aotearoa New Zealand

    New Zealand should heed British concerns with physician associates and invest in growing the number of GPs, rather than spending time and money writing regulations to create a lesser role.

    “It’s telling that the British Medical Association (BMA) committee voted in favour of stopping hiring physician associates in general practice, and for existing roles to be phased out,” said Dr Angus Chambers, Chair of General Practice Owners Association of Aotearoa New Zealand.

    The British vote came on the same day that New Zealand doctors, nurses, practice owners and their professional bodies called on the government to pause regulation of physician associates to fill workplace shortages.

    “Similar concerns are being aired in Britain and New Zealand because physician associates are a distraction from focussing on the root problems in our primary health system – underfunding, which results in under resourcing due to insufficient retention and recruitment.

    That’s why GPs are retiring, general practices are closing, reducing their services, and exiting after-hours care. And that’s why patients are waiting weeks for appointments, can’t enrol with their local GP, and hospital emergency departments have long wait times.

    “Writing regulations to support the establishment of physician associates is a political diversion from tacking these fundamental problems.

    “GenPro doesn’t want to criticise the work of physician associates, many of whom contribute to general practice patient care, but is frustrated by the government’s willingness to support PA regulations when it is doing nothing to help fix the broken funding model impacting patient care in our communities.

    “GenPro supports a multi-disciplinary approach to patient care and recognises the crucial roles that different staff perform. This is not about job patch protection as some claim, but we are concerned at the government choosing to invest now in this nascent workforce, rather than in GPs, which are in crisis.

    “This short-term approach appeals because it gives the appearance of driving down costs, but is instead a diversion from the importance of supporting general practices, which contribute more in the long term through, for example, reducing demands on hospitals.
     
    “The government should focus on properly funding general practice so we can rebuild our depleted and over-stretched work force, rather than wasting time and money on regulating a new profession when there is a fit-for-purpose existing solution.

    “The government must as a matter of urgency increase its support of primary healthcare, overhaul the current out-of-date funding model, and help increase the supply of medical professionals into primary healthcare,” said Dr Chambers.

    GenPro, which represents about half of all general practices in Aotearoa, is ready to work with the Minister of Health and the Health NZ Commissioner to develop the solutions needed.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Environment – Arawhata wetland granted fast-track consent – EPA

    Source: Environmental Protection Authority

    An independent panel has granted resource consent, subject to conditions, to create and maintain a wetland in the Arawhata Stream catchment of Lake Horowhenua.
    Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Council applied for resource consent under the COVID-19 Recovery (Fast-track Consenting) Act 2020.
    The project includes restoration of previously drained natural wetlands on 119 hectares of land in the Arawhata Stream catchment of Lake Horowhenua. It is designed to filter phosphorus that is bound to sediment. It will also reduce the concentrations of nitrogen in the ground and surface water before it reaches the lake.
    The resource consent conditions are in the decision report on the page linked below.
    The decision comes 150 working days after the application was lodged with the Environmental Protection Authority.
    The Environmental Protection Authority is not involved in the decision-making. We provide procedural advice and administrative support to the panel convenor, Judge Laurie Newhook, and the expert consenting panel he appoints.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Defence News – Manawanui update – Two containers successfully removed from reef, work in progress to remove the third

    Source: New Zealand Defence Force

    Manawanui update – Two containers successfully removed from reef, work in progress to remove the third:

     

    • Two containers have been removed, one carrying food and the other empty. 
    • The food was safely buried at a landfill. The two containers were taken to a biosecurity compound at the port for safe disposal. The remaining container is empty.
    • “The teams on the ground have been working since this morning’s high tide to float and tow the third container to shore,” says NZDF Senior National Representative Commodore Andrew Brown. 
    • “However, conditions are challenging, with strong currents and winds making the task especially difficult.”
    • “The container is also damaged, which makes it less buoyant than the others.”
    • “The work will continue tonight, and we are able to work on this tomorrow, if necessary, in agreement with the Samoan authorities.”  
    • “Safety is paramount. We need to proceed with care and keep people safe.”
    • During CHOGM we will continue to monitor the vessel and shoreline.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Federated Farmers – Government intervenes to stop out-of-control councils

    Source: Federated Farmers

    Federated Farmers says the Government stepping in to stop regional councils from notifying new freshwater regulations is a win for both farmers and common sense.
    “Regional councils have been totally out of control pushing ahead with expensive and impractical new freshwater rules,” says Federated Farmers vice president Colin Hurst.
    “It has never made any sense for councils to rush through these rules before the new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) has been put in place.
    “The Government stepping in and intervening is a pragmatic move that will be welcome news for farmers and ratepayers across the country.”
    Hurst says Federated Farmers has been incredibly vocal in calling for the Government to stop councils notifying these new rules.
    “This is a huge win for Federated Farmers and our members across the country,” Hurst says.
    “Councils have been pouring ratepayers’ money down the drain working on these new rules when they know all too well there are changes coming.
    “It makes much more sense to wait for changes to both the NPS-FM and the Resource Management Act to be finalised.
    “Last month we wrote to Environment Minister Penny Simmonds and recommended that Section 80A of the RMA should be amended to prevent councils from notifying new freshwater regional regulations and policy statements.
    “Farmers up and down the country will be breathing a deep sigh of relief this afternoon, because the Government have done just that.”
    Hurst says this means no more unworkable rules or regulations will be imposed on farmers by regional councils until the Government has clarified the law.
    He says the announcement comes just in time to stop Otago Regional Council, who are due to meet tomorrow to vote on whether they will notify a new land and water plan.
    “These changes have arrived just in time to prevent them from doing so.
    “Federated Farmers has led the charge in Otago calling for the regional council to be transparent about the true costs and implications of their plan.
    “That advocacy seems to have been a real catalyst for action that will have far-reaching implications for other communities.
    “This change introduced to Parliament today will prevent regional councils across the country from notifying regional plans and regional policy statements that give effect to the unworkable NPS-FM 2020.”
    In the Government’s announcement today, it said it will move to add an amendment to the Resource Management Act Amendment Bill, currently before Parliament, which will restrict councils’ ability to notify freshwater plans before the gazettal of the replacement NPS-FM.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: First Responders – Waikato wetland fire update #4

    Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

    Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews are continuing to battle a large vegetation fire in scrub and wetlands near Meremere in North Waikato.
    Incident Commander Mark Tinworth says the fire now has a perimeter of 10 kilometres, and has burned through around 477 hectares in the Island Block area, including the Whangamarino wetlands.
    “It’s continuing to spread through the wetlands, but it’s not threatening any residential or commercial properties at present,” he said.
    “Island Block Road is now closed to all except for emergency vehicles and residents, so we urge people to avoid the area if they can.
    “There’s a lot of smoke coming off the burning areas, and we advise people to keep car doors and windows shut if they have to drive near the area.”
    The Whangamarino wetland is a Department of Conservation area of environmental significance. Fire and Emergency is working collaboratively with the Department of Conservation and mana whenua to ensure cultural and environmental values are considered in firefighter tactics.
    “We’re working really hard to contain it as quickly as possible, but we are expecting it to take another day or so to bring it under control,” Mark Tinworth said. “This is a really beautiful part of the country with considerable environmental value, and we’re doing our best to prevent it from being destroyed.”
    Fire and Emergency is also working alongside local businesses to make sure they have plans in place for removing any dangerous material if the fire gets too close to those locations.
    Fire and Emergency New Zealand was alerted to the fire off Island Block Road around 1.15pm on Monday, and fire crews are being supported by eight helicopters, two fixed-wing aircraft, and around 40 personnel.
    Water for the fire trucks and helicopter buckets was temporarily sourced from the local reticulated supply, but is now being sourced from a pond on a local farm.
    Fire investigators are at the site today and the origin and cause of the fire are yet to be confirmed.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Activist News – Will Christchurch become first New Zealand city to sanction Israel? – PSNA

    Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

     

    Tomorrow morning (Wednesday 23 October) Christchurch City Council is due to vote on a resolution to amend its procurement policy to exclude companies building and maintaining illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. 

     

    The resolution was proposed by PSNA in a presentation to council in June and a positive recommendation is finally coming to council tomorrow.

     

    The details of the agenda item are on Pages 13 to 23 here: Agenda of Finance and Performance Committee – Wednesday, 23 October 2024

     

    “We are delighted the council is to consider this motion tomorrow” says PSNA National Chair John Minto. “If it passes Christchurch will be the first city in New Zealand to end Israeli impunity for war crimes” (Building settlements on occupied land belonging to others is a war crime under international law)

     

    The motion would bring council policy in line with UN Security Council resolution 2334 which was co-sponsored by a previous National government in 2016. It will also mean Christchurch will be the first city council in the country to adopt the policy (Environment Canterbury voted in this policy earlier this year).

     

    “Today Israel is running riot across the Middle East because it has never been held to account for 76 years of flagrant breaches of international law,” says Minto.

     

    “The motion is a small but significant step in sanctioning Israel. Many more steps must follow”.

     

    PSNA National Chair John Minto and University of Canterbury lecturer Josephine Varghese will be speaking to councillors in support of the motion at around 9.40am backed up with supporters in the public gallery.

     

    We hope the media will report this important development in holding Israel to account.

     

    John Minto

    National Chair 

    Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Employment Disputes – PSA members ready to support nationwide hui opposing Government’s anti-worker agenda – PSA

    Source: PSA

    PSA members will join thousands of workers to take part in nationwide hui on Wednesday 23 October 2024t o fight back against government policies that undermine workers’ rights and Te Tiriti o Waitangi Hui are being held in 13 centres across the country, and will be attended by workers from across a wide range of sectors. 
    National Secretary Duane Leo says the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi fully supports the October 23 Fight Back Together hui across the motu, alongside other unions. 
    “PSA members have been on the receiving end of attacks from the coalition Government, which have led to mass layoffs, cuts to services we all rely on, and relentless attacks on Te Tiriti and Māori rights,” Leo says.
     The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central and local government, the health sector and community organisations. 
    “PSA members come to work every day to make a difference. We help deliver the community, local government, health and public services that keep Aotearoa running. These services ensure everyone gets the support they need to live healthy, safe and empowered lives – not just those who can afford to pay.
    “Government cuts and unprecedented attacks on the services we provide are doing long term damage and risk eroding public faith in these services. 
    “Workers who keep their jobs are shouldering additional workloads. This has health and safety impacts as well as threats to service delivery. 
    “Cutting the jobs and livelihoods of thousands of New Zealanders, scrapping fair pay agreements, reintroducing 90-day trials, and hiring freezes across the health system make this the most anti-worker government we’ve seen in decades. 
    “It’s time to fight back together against the Government’s cuts and attacks on Te Tiriti and to fight back together for better investment in public health, community and local government services,” Leo says. 
    The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central and local government, the health sector and community organisations.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Significant Police operation targets organised crime around North Island

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Today Police executed over 30 search warrants across the North Island as part of Operation Highwater, a concentrated operation targeting members and associates of the Mongrel Mob Barbarian MC East Bay chapter based in Opotiki.

    NZ Police National Organised Crime Group commenced Operation Highwater in December 2023 following an increase in occurrences of violent crime and other offending in Opotiki, in Eastern Bay of Plenty.

    Today’s search warrants spanned Eastern Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Auckland, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, and Hawke’s Bay, targeting identified people believed to be involved in a North Island-wide drug distribution network, including methamphetamine and cannabis.

    Police arrested a total of 28 people, seized illegal drugs and firearms and restrained assets. Provisional results are as follows.

    Arrests by Police District:

    • Bay Of Plenty – 18
    • Auckland – 3
    • Waikato – 3
    • Wellington – 2
    • Eastern – 2

    Restrained assets:

    • One residential property
    • Four cars
    • One jetski
    • Two trailbikes
    • One Harley Davidson motorcycle
    • Approx. $86,000 in a bank account
    • Approx. $20,000 value of jewellery
    • Approx. $65,500 cash

    Approx. total value of assets restrained of $800,000.

    Seizures include:

    • Six firearms including five rifles and a 3D-printed pistol
    • Quantities of illegal drugs including 12 lbs of cannabis and smaller quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine
    • 13 Mongrel Mob Barbarian Patches.

    The investigation team is now in the process of filing charges and confirming court dates.

    Today’s actions follow the execution of warrants in the Coromandel area over several days in August this year, after the Operation Highwater investigation team identified a flow of methamphetamine into the area. Police completed 12 search warrants in Whitianga and Coromandel resulting in six arrests and the seizure of methamphetamine, cannabis and a firearm.

    This is an example of the “all-of-Police” approach, which has seen several workgroups across Police working together toward a shared goal. The operation has been led by the National Organised Crime Group, supported by specialist groups and District Staff. Staff from the Police Partnership and Harm team will support the community wrap-around process during and after today’s termination.

    Today’s search warrants are the culmination of a 10-month investigation, during which instances of serious violence were detected and prevented by Police.

    One such incident saw Police deploy to Opotiki, after receiving information about a planned drive-by shooting at a local marae.

    Quick action meant Police located and seized three firearms, including a high-powered rifle, shotguns and ammunition, preventing what could have been a serious incident.

    Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Tim Anderson says that today is a good day for Opotiki.

    “The termination of this operation is a clear message to gang members selling illegal drugs across the Bay of Plenty that we will find you and you will be held accountable for your destructive behaviour.

    “We will continue to relentlessly pursue criminals who prey on our communities and cause a huge amount of harm and misery in their own communities with their drug dealing and violent behaviour.

    “From my travels around the Bay of Plenty, the feedback from different iwi leaders and the wider community is that they’ve had enough of this type of criminal offending.

    “I’d like to thank the community members who have reported this type of offending and I encourage them to keep reporting these drug dealers to us via 105 and Crimestoppers reporting lines.

    “I’d also like to acknowledge and thank our organised crime detectives for their tireless work and dedication, as well as all our policing teams across the Bay of Plenty who are making arrests every day to make us all much safer.

    “Yesterday we stood up our district Gang Disruption Unit and this new team is also in the Eastern Bay of Plenty targeting gang members as we speak. They, and all our staff across the Bay, will continue to work hard every day to make our communities safer.

    “I’m proud of the work our officers carry out every day, and results such as we’ve seen today are testament to their hard work.”

    Gang members commit a disproportionate amount of crime and harm in New Zealand, and particularly in the areas of serious assault, robberies, drug and firearms offences, and homicides.

    We continue to have a strong focus on disrupting unlawful activity by gang members and their associates, and holding offenders to account for crimes committed.

    Police is committed to doing everything we can to ensure everybody is safe and feels safe too. We urge anyone who has concerns about criminal offending by gangs in their community to contact Police so it can be investigated.

    Call 111 if there is an incident happening now or make a report via 105 online if it is not an emergency situation.

    Information can also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre
     

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Strategic Intentions 2024–2028

    Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

    Summary

    The Strategic Intentions 2024–2028 is how the Ministry informs Parliament and the public about:

    1. the strategic objectives that the Ministry intends to achieve or contribute to over the medium term
    2. what the Ministry intends to achieve with appropriations
    3. the nature and scope of the Ministry’s functions and operations to achieve or contribute to the strategic objectives.

    There are three main sections.

    • Section one – introduction, including our purpose, functions and responsibilities, and our context
    • Section two – our strategic direction, which includes our strategic priorities and priority activities
    • Section three – how we operate as an organisation to achieve our strategic intentions. 

    The document sets out the Ministry’s own strategic focus, functions and priorities aligned and contributing to, but distinct from those of the Government. 

    The Ministry is responsible for reporting annually on progress against the Strategic Intentions 2024–2028 and what has been achieved with appropriations. Parliament sees information on performance reporting in the Ministry’s annual reports and information supporting the Estimates.

    The Ministry’s Strategic Intentions 2024–2028 also includes the strategic intentions of Te Aho o Te Kahu – Cancer Control Agency. The agency is a departmental agency hosted by the Ministry and is operating within the Ministry’s strategic and policy framework.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Government to appoint Crown Observer to Wellington City Council

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has today announced his intention to appoint a Crown Observer to Wellington City Council, following news that the Council will now be required to rewrite its 2024-34 Long Term Plan.

    “I have been concerned about the Council’s ability to manage their Long Term Plan amendment and adoption process, following their recent decision to rewrite its 2024-34 Long Term Plan,” Mr Brown says.

    “Under Part 10 of the Local Government Act 2002 (the Act), I have powers of assistance and intervention in relation to a local authority that has a problem.  Following advice from officials I have identified there is a significant problem at Wellington City Council that warrants the Government appointing a Crown Observer.

    “Advice provided to me by the Department of Internal Affairs highlights that the Council is not utilising its balance sheet appropriately in order to maintain critical infrastructure like water, and that is failing to manage its insurance risk appropriately. These risks have been increased due to its recent decision to amend the Long Term Plan.

    “The Department advises me that while it is not uncommon for councils to amend their Long Term Plans, it is uncommon for a council to reverse such a critical financial decision that requires such an amendment only four months into the cycle,” Mr Brown says.

    The Department has found that the Council has demonstrated an inability to understand the mechanisms it has available to manage financial pressures it is facing.

    This includes the Council choosing in its Long Term Plan to use rates revenue to pay for its water infrastructure up-front, rather than appropriately using debt financing. Local Water Done Well financing mechanisms enables further debt headroom for Wellington City Council to meet its under-insurance issues.

    “The advice from the Department highlights that the 2024-34 Long-Term Plan shows the Council’s net borrowings for water services increase by just $66 million to fund this investment (6 per cent of the total), with the remaining $1.10 billion of capital investment proposed to be funded by rates (94 per cent of the total).

    “This is an inefficient and expensive way to fund infrastructure investment. The Council is front-loading costs on current ratepayers rather than utilising debt financing to spread the cost over current and future users of the assets,” Mr Brown says.

    “The Department estimates that the Council’s financing approach to water services as set out in the 2024-34 Long Term Plan would overcharge Wellington City residents by more than $700 million over ten years.

    “Recent Council meetings have also seen councillors walk out, refusing to participate in votes, and confusion regarding decisions, amendments, and voting. Councillors have also made repeated public criticism of one another and Council staff.

    “This environment is not conducive to the Council effectively managing the Long-term Plan amendment and adoption process. Not resolving these challenges would likely have adverse consequences for Wellington residents and ratepayers.

    “The Department is of the view that the appointment of a Crown Observer is necessary to better enable Wellington City Council to address the problem and allow me to monitor their progress in addressing it. I agree with their assessment.

    “The Crown Observer would be appointed to assist the Council to ensure that it secures a financially sustainable Long Term Plan that prioritises the capital programme.

    “The Government has written to Wellington City Council with a draft Terms of Reference and has given the Council 10 working days to respond as required under the law.

    “The Government is clear that by proposing a Crown Observer, the Government is not taking responsibility for any of the decisions made by the Council. The Council and Mayor are democratically elected and are responsible for the decisions made by the Council, and will remain accountable to their constituents.

    “By providing a Crown Observer to assist the Council on matters of governance, financial strategy and planning, the Government will be working to ensure that Wellington City Council Ratepayers can have increased confidence in their Council and that the Long Term Plan decisions are finalised in accordance with the Local Government Act,” Mr Brown says.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Ministry of Health Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2024

    Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health

    Summary

    The Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2024 sets out who we are and what we do, how we manage our business, our financial statements and statement of service performance as specified in Vote Health – Main Estimates of Appropriation 2023/24 and (where updated) in Vote Health – Supplementary Estimates of Appropriation 2023/24.

    It provides a detailed breakdown of our achievements for the 2023/24 financial year and the progress made towards our six strategic objectives:

    • Provide system-level leadership
    • Drive system strategy and performance
    • Be the Government’s primary advisor on health
    • Future-proof our health system 
    • Be the regulator of the health system 
    • Transform ourselves.

    Disclaimer: The graph for Figure 10, ‘Percentage of kaimahi who believe te ao Māori perspectives are relevant to their work’, differs from the print version of the Te Aho o Te Kahu 2023/23 Annual Report. This was due to an error where the graph for Figure 9, ‘Explain kaupapa Māori concepts’, was duplicated for both Figure 9 and Figure 10.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Benefits of good effluent management

    Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

    Date:

    Dairy effluent requires careful management

    When managed well, dairy effluent is a valuable resource that can increase the productivity of your pasture and reduce your fertiliser costs.

    Good effluent management means having a well-designed system with proper processes to ensure the right amount of effluent gets applied to pasture at the right time. Untreated effluent entering surface water bodies or groundwater can harm human health and water quality. It is also a breach of environmental regulations.

    “Understanding and adhering to your consent conditions, along with making sound effluent management decisions, will help ensure nutrients and bacteria are not transmitted to surface and groundwater supplies,” Team Leader Central Water and Land Marcelo Wibmer says.

    Managing effluent well protects human health and our water quality

    “We’re here to help support you to stay compliant, as this not only prevents negative environmental impacts, but it also ensures you get the most benefit out of the nutrients from your farming operation.”

    Top tips for staying compliant

    You must comply with local rules and the conditions of your consent and exercise Good Management Practice (GMP) to avoid environmental impacts and get the most value from the nutrients.

    Some of our top tips are:

    • Check soil moisture levels regularly: Applying effluent to saturated soils can result in ponding and run-off so it’s important to understand soil water deficit. Manage your effluent application rates based on seasonal conditions, reducing the rate when soil moisture is elevated.
    • Choose application times wisely: Effluent is best applied to actively growing pastures (ideally straight after post-grazing) at a rate that can infiltrate the soil without ponding or causing run-off, avoids draining below plant roots and is spread evenly. Tools such as the DairyNZ Farm Dairy Effluent Spreading Calculator and Depth Testing Calculator are available to help manage the application of effluent nutrients more precisely and ensure your effluent is evenly distributed.
    • Check soil moisture levels regularly: Applying effluent to saturated soils can result in ponding and run-off so it’s important to understand soil water deficit. Manage your effluent application rates based on seasonal conditions, reducing the rate when soil moisture is elevated.
    • Have sufficient available storage: It’s good practice to ensure you have enough storage to get you through the wet times and help you avoid application on saturated soils. It is also crucial to have suitably sized storage for your farm. Check out Dairy NZ’s resources on storage for more information.
    • Monitor your effluent application: This will help identify issues promptly – for example leaking hoses or blocked nozzles. Consider fail-safe effluent management systems that include features such as auto-shutoff in the case of a fault.
    • Keep good records: As part of your FEP and consent obligations you will need to keep records of all effluent applications, including application depths/volume applied and any equipment repairs undertaken. Regular maintenance of your irrigation application equipment is vital for optimal performance.
    • Educate your staff: Training in operation and management helps ensure GMP is followed, and any issues are flagged early.

    On-farm compliance

    If you have a resource consent to discharge animal effluent, you will have two sets of compliance measures you are responsible for meeting – the conditions of your resource consent, and your Farm Environment Plan (FEP) objectives and targets relating to effluent management.

    Our Resource Management Officers (RMOs) carry out monitoring inspections on farms to assess consent and rule compliance for many farming activities including effluent storage and discharge.

    An independent FEP auditor will visit your farm to verify your farming practices against industry-agreed GMP objectives, check your records and paperwork to assess their confidence that your farm is achieving the objectives and targets set out in your FEP appendix.

    The possible consequences of non-compliance are:

    • A notice of non-compliance
    • A letter of formal warning
    • Cost recovery
    • Requesting an application for a retrospective resource consent
    • An abatement notice
    • An infringement notice
    • An enforcement order from the Environment Court
    • Alternative Environmental Justice (AEJ)
    • Prosecution.

    If you have any questions about effluent management contact our advisory team on 0800 324 636 or email ecinfo@ecan.govt.nz and they can put you in touch with your local land management advisor.

    Environment Canterbury © 2024
    Retrieved: 4:05pm, Tue 22 Oct 2024
    ecan.govt.nz/get-involved/news-and-events/2024/benefits-of-good-effluent-management/

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Time to shut down failed Youth Justice Residences

    Source: Green Party

    The Green Party is calling for Youth Justice Residences to close, following a protest in which a group of young people spent the night on the roof of an Oranga Tamariki justice facility.

    “Rangatahi deserve more than child prisons and military bootcamps. They deserve opportunities,” says the Green Party Spokesperson for Youth, Tamatha Paul.

    “Instead of punching down on our most vulnerable, we should be providing our rangatahi with meaningful life opportunities, healthcare that addresses their needs, but most importantly, the love and care that they have never, ever had in their short lives. 

    “The Greens are calling for an end to Youth Justice Residences and military-style bootcamps. Our young people deserve a system which sets them up to rebuild their lives, not to be confined to prisons which perpetuate trauma, isolation and violence

    “There are young people out there who cannot imagine a life for themselves outside of prison walls, and that is a failure of successive governments, and a moral failure of our society.

    “I have visited these youth justice residences and can confirm that they are child prisons. They are filled with the most vulnerable rangatahi in our country who have come from extreme levels of poverty and family abuse.

    “What’s happened at Korowai Manaaki is not a unique situation. Years of research and experience shows that youth justice residences are re-traumatising and ineffective. 

    “When the Office of the Children’s Commissioner reported on Korowai Manaaki recently, they revealed inappropriate and deeply troubling practices within the residences. Unfortunately, this culture can be seen across the youth justice space in Aotearoa and is a product of politicians who put winning votes above the real needs of children.

    “The young people leaving these residences do not feel empowered or able to turn their lives around which leads to a lifetime of incarceration and a complete loss of human potential. It’s time to close them down.” says Tamatha Paul.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: ACT welcomes Crown Observer in Wellington

    Source: ACT Party

    ACT Local Government spokesperson Cameron Luxton is welcoming today’s announcement that the Minister intends to appoint a Crown Observer to Wellington City Council.

    “The Council is an absolute shambles,” says Mr Luxton.

    “What should be a thriving capital city is being run into the ground by reckless decisions and sheer incompetence.

    “Tauranga has seen firsthand the consequences of stripping away local democracy, and I don’t want to see Wellington go down the same path. Any step that can fix the city while preserving local democracy is one I fully support.

    “A Crown Observer will give the Coalition Government the opportunity to look under the hood of the council, assess what’s going wrong, and assist the council in good governance – something that has been sorely lacking to date.

    “Many of the issues are well-known already. The Council is recklessly wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on ideological projects like cycleways, removing cars from the golden mile, and the wrecked town hall. While this is happening, leaks continue to appear all across the city and wastewater is being pumped into the harbour.

    “But the deeper governance issues and factors influencing the Council’s poor decision making need to see the light of day. At the very least it will expose the poor leadership, ensuring they can be held accountable at the next local body elections on 11 October 2025.

    “The Council must ensure that they have crown observer not a clown observer. That means putting their egos and ideologies aside and for once in their lives put the ratepayers of Wellington first.

    “I urge them to heed the advice of the Observer, and take all necessary steps to cut waste, fix the crumbling infrastructure and keep rates down.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Unreported in New Zealand

    Source: ACT Party

    The Haps

    The Solicitor General backed down on prosecution guidelines that told prosecutors to ‘think carefully’ about someone’s race before prosecuting. It shows New Zealand has really changed. Not so long ago such policies bucketed down and people felt helpless. Now we are getting real change.

    CPI inflation at 2.2 per cent, amidst the 1-3 per cent target band, is the news we’ve been waiting for. Inflation first broke out in 2021, with high interest rates following close behind. It’s taken less than a year of the new Government, one mini-budget, and one budget to get it under control. Now the way is clear for significant further rate cuts at the next Reserve Bank announcement on November 27.

    Unreported in New Zealand

    Last week, the Nobel Prize in economics was awarded to three economists, Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson “for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity.” You won’t have read about this in the New Zealand press, besides syndicated cut and paste jobs, even though it is about colonisation, institutions, and prosperity.

    The official Nobel Citation says: The richest 20 per cent of the world’s countries are now around 30 times richer than the poorest 20 per cent. Moreover, the income gap between the richest and poorest countries is persistent; although the poorest countries have become richer, they are not catching up with the most prosperous. Why? This year’s laureates have found new and convincing evidence for one explanation for this persistent gap – differences in a society’s institutions.

    The economists studied many countries’ histories over the last 400 years, focusing on the influence of European countries that colonised most of the world. They conclude that what kind of set-up, or institutions, those colonising countries left has a strong bearing on the colonised countries’ prosperity today.

    They divide countries into two types. There are inclusive countries, that give people equal rights, to vote, own property, and operate under the rule of law. There are extractive countries, set up to extract natural resources and benefit a small number of people.

    The extractive countries tend to be the ones that weren’t very welcoming to colonisers, for example if there was a lot of malaria. In these cases, e.g. African ones, a small number of settlers arranged to get the wealth out of the ground, and that was about it.

    The alternative is inclusive countries, with free markets, the rule of law and democracy. The United States is the obvious example, along with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. These countries attracted settlers in large numbers and there were too many of them to simply exploit natural resources. Instead they created inclusive institutions.

    There is a twist, an historic reversal of fortunes. The countries that were relatively poorer before colonisation, and ended up adopting more colonial institutions, are now relatively wealthier.

    Another important observation is that history is not static. Over time, countries liberalise. Colonial institutions were not set down in a state of perfection, far from it. But they were capable of improvement, widening voting rights, compensating for past wrongs, and enhancing civil liberties.

    You are probably starting to get a sense of why this work has not been discussed in the NZ Press. It finds that institutions matter if you want people to be prosperous. It doesn’t matter where you start, it’s where you finish that counts, and that depends on adopting the best institutions, democracy, the rule of law, property rights, free speech, and all of those values that allow people to flourish.

    No doubt New Zealand universities will be holding book burnings in case these Nobel Prize winners’ ideas make students ‘feel unsafe.’ The same institutions trained the journalists, which may be why there’s been so little discussion about this.

    Nonetheless, somewhere in our future is a country where free and open debate is not only allowed but cherished. It would be a country where we can discuss what works to create prosperity.

    The central lesson of these economists’ work is really that wealth is not given or taken, it is not ‘owned’ rightfully by any historic group. It can be created, to the point that everyone is richer than 200 years ago, but some people are 30 times richer. The trick is to adopt the right institutions, the policies that work, as quickly as possible, and those institutions are democracy, free markets, the rule of law, and equal rights for all.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Learner component – Unified Funding System

    Source: Tertiary Education Commission

    Last updated 22 October 2024
    Last updated 22 October 2024

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    The learner component is one of two funding components in DQ3-7.
    The learner component is one of two funding components in DQ3-7.

    For information on the other component, see: Delivery component – Unified Funding System.
    About the learner component
    The learner component substantially increases funding for providers to support all learners, particularly those who traditionally have not been well served by the education system. It recognises that there are higher costs involved in adapting education delivery and support to meet learners’ unique needs. The learner component supports providers to put learners at the centre of their organisations and to improve outcomes for learners.
    Providers decide how to spend the funding in a way that supports their learners’ needs while making progress towards the Minister’s priorities.
    Minister’s priorities for the learner component
    The Minister of Tertiary Education and Skills’ priorities for learner component funding are for TEOs to build capability and demonstrate how they will deliver results for all learners (including, where relevant, in supporting employers who deliver work-based learning) by committing to the priorities of the Tertiary Education Strategy.
    Over time, the Minister expects TEOs will develop capability and capacity so that learners:

    are well supported by TEOs and employers to enrol in VET qualifications, and
    have increased completion rates across all VET qualifications.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Release: Govt cuts school lunches even further

    Source: New Zealand Labour Party

    The Government has gone back on its word and cut the full school lunch programme in primary schools after saying it wouldn’t.

    “Teachers, parents and principals across the country were so relieved to hear primary schools would be able to continue serving lunches to their students, despite the ACT Party’s plan to scrap the programme,” Labour’s education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said.

    “Now David Seymour has managed get Cabinet to agree to not only downsize lunches for secondary students, but to do it for all students from years 0-13.

    A March Cabinet Paper told the Government changes to the school lunch programme would risk achievement, attendance, nutrition and wellbeing of children, as well as having wider impacts on reducing child poverty, and it has made these changes anyway.

    “Naenae College reported it won’t be able to deliver the programme next year because the supplier was unable to provide meals under the new per-meal budget.

    “The Ministry of Education also earlier told the Government that $3 a day is not sufficient to feed secondary kids properly.

    “It’s baffling as to why Erica Stanford is letting David Seymour go ahead with these changes, given the evidence, reports from teachers, parents and principals about the benefits of the school lunch programme and all their talk about improving attendance.

    “A full tummy can make a real difference to a student’s learning and whether they are turning up to school.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –