Author: MIL OSI Publisher

Source: New Zealand Government

A new agreement signed today will bolster emergency management cooperation between New Zealand and Fiji, says Minister for Emergency Management Kieran McAnulty.

The Memorandum of Cooperation between New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Fiji National Disaster Management Office will help to strengthen disaster resilience, response, and recovery capacities of both countries.

“Our countries have had each other’s backs during emergency weather situations. Fiji have shared their knowledge and skilled team members with New Zealand through some of our toughest times and we are extremely grateful for their friendship,” Kieran McAnulty said.

“This Memorandum of Cooperation formalises our already strong relationship. I am so pleased to have been able to be in Fiji and meet with the team who have helped New Zealand through some of our worst weather emergencies.”

The visit included a Coin Presentation ceremony in commendation of the efforts and contribution made by a 34-member team deployed by the Government of Fiji to provide support in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

“The Fiji team worked alongside our front-line staff for the safety and wellbeing of affected people, both on the ground supporting the removal of silt from homes in impacted areas and embedded in our National Crisis Management Centre.

“I was pleased to be able to shake the hands and thank the members of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Fiji National Fire Authority and the National Disaster Management Office who assisted our response to the devastating effects of the cyclone.

“The helping hand Fiji extended to Aotearoa during one of our most significant emergency events is deeply appreciated.”

New Zealand will contribute FJD$3.45 million to Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office to support emergency management initiatives in Fiji. This funding is being provided through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade International Development Cooperation Programme.

“This funding will be instrumental in the establishment of a new disaster warehouse in Fiji’s Northern Division and fostering peer-to-peer support between NEMA and Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office,” Kieran McAnulty said.

Source: New Zealand Government

Proposed changes for the retirement village sector balance fairness for consumers with ensuring the sector is supported, Associate Housing Minister Barbara Edmonds announced today.

“Retirement villages play a significant role in meeting the needs of older New Zealanders and are an important part of our housing system,” Barbara Edmonds said.

“The sector has grown substantially over the 20 years since the current legislation came into force. Over 450 retirement villages currently house 48,000 people, with numbers expected to reach over 81,000 by 2033.

“As a Government, we’re committed to ensuring safe, secure and affordable housing for older New Zealanders. And as our population ages, it’s vital we make sure the sector continues to best serve Kiwis.”

Release of the Review of the Retirement Villages Act 2003: options for change paper is the next step in the Government’s review of the Act and builds on work undertaken by the Retirement Commission.

It includes proposals around a number of issues which have concerned residents, including:

• stopping fees after a unit is vacated or shortly after
• introducing a partially standardised occupation right agreement
• replacing the current dispute resolution scheme
• requiring operators to meet the direct costs of maintaining and repairing operator-owned chattels and fixtures
• requiring disclosure documents to include more information on transferring within a village to aged residential care
• introducing a mandatory timeframe for repaying a resident’s capital when they move out, and/or requiring an operator to pay interest if the repayment is not made after a certain time.

“Moving into a retirement village is a big decision and a significant event in a person’s life. It’s essential we make sure the rules guiding the Act work as well as they should,” Barbara Edmonds said.

“The proposed changes strike a balance between fairness for consumers and making sure the sector is supported to meet future population demand.

“With exponential growth expected in the sector, we need to make sure it’s commercially sustainable. That’s why I’m encouraging everyone to provide feedback from operators and residents, to community groups and stakeholders. 

“In announcing these proposals, I want to acknowledge the extensive work the sector and the Retirement Commission have undertaken.

“New Zealand’s housing challenges may have grown over generations but our Government is determined to address them. We are committed to ensuring everyone has a place to call home,” Barbara Edmonds said.

The consultation period is open from 2 August to 20 November 2023.

Source: New Zealand Government

New Zealand has no farms infected with the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis (M.bovis) as the joint Government and primary sector eradication effort moves into its next phase.

Biosecurity and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor announced the milestone today as New Zealand moves closer to a world-first eradication of the disease. The last known infected property in Mid-Canterbury has been destocked and declared disease-free, taking New Zealand to zero confirmed infections. 

“Five years of hard work, sacrifice, and collaboration with MPI, DairyNZ and Beef+Lamb New Zealand have brought us to this milestone on the road to eradication,” Damien O’Connor said.

“I want to acknowledge the hardship which affected farmers and families have felt during this time. I also want to thank the broader sector who’ve stepped up their animal tracing efforts, allowing us to move the programme on to a new surveillance phase.

“Allowing M. bovis to become endemic was estimated to come at a cost of $1.3 billion in lost production in the first ten years alone.

“At the height of the programme there was a peak of 40 infected properties across the country and today we have none.

“While we’ve had brief periods in the past where we had no infections, we still had possible cases being investigated. This is the first time we’ve had no cases and no investigations.

“In 2018 we announced the bold decision with our partners DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb New Zealand to be the first in the world to eradicate M. bovis from New Zealand to protect our national herd, Kiwi farming businesses, and our record export growth.

“Looking at what we have achieved together over the last five years, I am confident we made the right decision. We always knew it wouldn’t be easy, especially for the farmers affected, but when you looked at the impact that living with M. bovis has on animal welfare and on farmers, we knew we had to try.

“We can’t say yet that we’ve reached eradication as we may still detect new cases in the future, however with no confirmed infection from our background surveillance since April 2022, we can be confident that we are moving in the right direction.

“All the indicators – from our bulk milk testing to beef herd surveillance – give us confidence our 10-year programme is working.

“Being the first in the world to attempt to eradication, we have built a playbook over the last five years with immense effort from everyone involved.

“With almost 184,000 cattle culled, including 280 farms depopulated, nearly 3,000 farms subject to movement controls and many more undergoing on-farm testing, the programme has touched nearly every farming community across the country.”

Damien O’Connor said the focus now was on next steps for the M. bovis programme with a move to a national pest management plan (NPMP) – similar to what is used for Bovine Tuberculosis control.

“As New Zealand becomes clear of active M. bovis infection and work centres on background surveillance, the time is right to transition to a new model to continue to build our farming sector’s resilience and strengthen the biosecurity system,” Damien O’Connor said.

“OSPRI has been nominated as the management agency and is well-placed to manage M. bovis. We’ll be consulting with farmers and the public about the exact shape of the NPMP later this month.

“We’re only as good as our detection systems and our on-farm records. It’s vital that we all stay vigilant and diligent so that the herds sacrificed and the emotional hardship of affected farmers wasn’t all for nothing,” Damien O’Connor said