Supporting women and young people in Samoa to set up business

Source: New Zealand Government

Headline: Supporting women and young people in Samoa to set up business

Women and young people are set to benefit from $6.5 million in funding for the Samoa Private Sector Development Programme aimed at boosting employment, and helping them get into business. The programme is being announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Samoa today.
“Women and young people are strongly represented in the small and medium enterprise sector so this funding will have a direct impact on their ability to establish sustainable businesses and help Samoa achieve sustained and inclusive economic growth,” Ms Ardern says.
The funding will be focussing on improving the performance of Samoa’s private sector through direct support for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
“Supporting the development of a vibrant and inclusive private sector in the Pacific is one way we can help our neighbours address youth unemployment, and ensuring women have the opportunity to set up businesses,” Ms Ardern says.
“We will partner with the Samoa Small Business Enterprise Centre to provide business development services, mentoring, training, and technical support.
“New Zealand will also work closely with the Samoan Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour to boost export opportunities for smaller and emerging exporters, support the Development Bank of Samoa’s programme of small loans to start-ups, and support the development of insurance products for small businesses,” says Ms Ardern.
 
 

Government to consider recommendations for pay equity principles

Source: New Zealand Government

Headline: Government to consider recommendations for pay equity principles

The Government will consider recommendations to make it easier for New Zealanders to lodge pay equity claims, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Iain Lees-Galloway and Minister for Women, Julie Anne Genter announced today.
The reconvened Joint Working Group on Pay Equity Principles has reported back to the Ministers, recommending clarifying and simplifying the process for initiating a pay equity claim, making no changes to the principles on comparators, and amending the Equal Pay Act 1972 to implement the principles.
Minister Lees-Galloway says the working group was reconvened last month to develop further recommendations that supplement the existing set of principles, developed by the original Joint Working Group in 2016.
“The previous Government introduced legislation that set unnecessary hurdles for women to make a pay equity claim, so we reconvened the working group to investigate how we can provide a fairer deal for women,” says Mr Lees-Galloway.
“This Government is committed to a better deal for women. These recommendations form the strong foundation needed for improving fairness in the workplace for women,” says Ms Genter.
“People on the working group are on the front lines of negotiating pay equity claims, and their agreement on these important issues means a lot,” says Ms Genter.
Mr Lees-Galloway says the recommendations will soon be considered at Cabinet. “We will consider the recommendations and look to introduce legislation mid-year,” he says.
“I’d like to thank the members of the working group, facilitated by Traci Houpapa and led by Business NZ, the Council of Trade Unions and the Crown, for their quick and comprehensive work,” says Mr Lees-Galloway. “This Government believes that a collaborative approach trumps the combative approach of the previous Government.”
The Government has recently agreed to negotiate an agreement to extend the Care and Support Workers Pay Equity Settlement to the estimated 3800 mental health and addiction support workers in New Zealand.
Attached: Letter of recommendations from reconvened Joint Working Group on Pay Equity Principles
 

Humanitarian assistance to Papua New Guinea

Source: New Zealand Government

Headline: Humanitarian assistance to Papua New Guinea

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says New Zealand will make an initial contribution of $500,000 to help with the emergency response following the 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands region last Monday.
“The rugged terrain and loss of communications in the area impacted means it is taking time to build a complete picture of the damage but we know that tens of thousands of people are reported as requiring humanitarian assistance,” Mr Peters says.
“New Zealand is working with Papua New Guinean authorities, the United Nations, donors and aid agencies on the ground to identify how New Zealand can best assist.” he says.
A RNZAF C130 Hercules aircraft carrying emergency relief supplies will depart for Port Moresby on Monday morning carrying family hygiene kits, shelter kits, jerry cans, and tarpaulins.
“Our thoughts are with the Government and the people of Papua New Guinea as they come to terms with the scale of this disaster,” Mr Peters says. 
“New Zealand stands ready to assist Papua New Guinea.”
ENDS
Contact: Alex Masters, Press Secretary, 021 809 186

Synlait welcomed to Manawatū campus

Source: Massey University – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Synlait welcomed to Manawatū campus


Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith, cutting the ribbon to open Synlait Palmerston North, alongside Massey University Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas.


Synlait Palmerston North was officially opened last week on Massey University’s Manawatū campus.

Synlait is a dairy processing company which employs more than 550 people in Canterbury, Auckland, and now Palmerston North.

The Palmerston North team, based in the Riddet Complex, will primarily concentrate on innovative dairy liquid product development, as well as supporting processes and technology.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Jan Thomas opened the facility and highlighted the important new relationship between Synlait and the University.

“The establishment of Synlait’s new Research and Development Centre at Massey’s Manawatū campus is an excellent example of industry and the University collaborating closely to achieve real, tangible outcomes,” Professor Thomas said. 

“Strategic partnerships like these are vital if we are to start and grow new industries, create new jobs, and remain competitive in the global marketplace. Massey University is New Zealand’s premier provider of food research and education, and at the forefront of pioneering such partnerships with the food industry,” she said.

Synlait managing director and chief executive officer John Penno said, “We’re very excited to be opening Synlait Palmerston North today, which is home to our new Research and Development Centre. 

“We have some major opportunities in front of us. With the strong team and partnerships we’ve got in place to lead liquid innovation within our business, we won’t miss a beat,” Mr Penno said.

The team of 35 staff members will work within the Research and Development Team, but this will continue to grow as Synlait Palmerston North ramps-up its operations. 

Among attendees were Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith, FoodHQ chief executive officer Dr Abby Thompson, and Distinguished Professors Harjinder Singh and Paul Moughan of the Riddet Institute.

– –

Council of Trade Unions pleased to report swift progress on pay equity principles

Source: Council Of Trade Unions (CTU) – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Council of Trade Unions pleased to report swift progress on pay equity principles

Richard Wagstaff, CTU President said today he was pleased to be able to formally announce the swift progress made in the tripartite union, business and public sector Joint Working Group on Pay Equity Principles, which reported back to Government last week. “This proves there is solid agreement across the board that 2018 is the year women finally get a clear process to access the wage justice they’ve been denied for over 40 years” Mr Wagstaff said.

“This Government picked up on pay equity as a priority, where the last Government veered off track and undermined what business and unions had already agreed to. The Joint Working Group has swiftly and constructively agreed that claims should be easier to lodge, that the best way to value claims is to find the most relevant male-dominated occupations, and that we should put these principles into the good law we already have.”

“I’m confident that the strength of the recommendations from both unions and the business sector will steer Government to get the pay equity principles into law this parliamentary year. This Thursday is International Women’s Day, and we’ll be presenting our equal pay petition to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner on behalf of all women making claims. I’m proud to be able to tell them we’ve just made concrete recommendations to Government on how 2018 can be the year we end wage injustice for women in New Zealand.”

The CTU will be presenting the ‘Treat Her Right’ petition with over 8.5 thousand signatures to EEO Commissioner Dr Jackie Blue on International Women’s Day, the 8th of March. Further details can be accessed here.

The CTU is now calling on the Government to take the next step by putting the pay equity principles into law before women in New Zealand start ‘working for free’ for the rest of the year, within the next 253 days.

– –

Hawke’s Bay Police investigating man’s death

Source: New Zealand Police –

Headline: Hawke’s Bay Police investigating man’s death


Location:

Eastern

Please attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Marty James: 
 
Hawke’s Bay Police are investigating the death of a man overnight in Flaxmere. 
 
Emergency services were called to the Flax Bar and Eatery (also known as the Flaxmere Tavern) on Swansea Road at 10.45pm last night, after a man was found outside the tavern with serious injuries. 
 
The man was unresponsive when emergency services arrived and attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. 
 
Due to the nature of the man’s injuries, Police are treating the man’s death as a homicide. 
 

Serious crash on Bay Road, West Plains, Invercargill

Source: New Zealand Police –

Headline: Serious crash on Bay Road, West Plains, Invercargill


Location:

Southern

Police and emergency services are at the scene of a two car collision on Bay Road Invercargill, which occurred around 8.30pm this evening.

The road will be closed between Cunningham Street and West Plains School Road, while the Serious Crash Unit investigate.

Motorists are asked to avoid the area while the scene is assessed.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

 

 

Do the census, its good for your health

Source: Tairawhiti District Health – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Do the census, its good for your health

Health in Tairāwhiti needs all the funds it can get.

Census day – Tuesday 6 March 2018 – has a big impact on how many health dollars end up in the district. Health funding is population-based. It’s not just the number of people either; older, younger, rural and people on low incomes attract a higher rate of health funding.

This year the census is online. “If a lot of older people don’t complete it, for instance, that will have a significant effect on how much funding we get to provide health services in Tairāwhiti”, says Hauora Tairāwhiti Chief Executive Jim Green.

“The population count for Tairāwhiti in the 2013 census was 43,653, of which 19,683 were Māori. At the time there were closer to 45,000 people enrolled in a Tairāwhiti General Practice. This suggests that around 1500 residents didn’t complete a census or missed out being included in the count. On average each resident is worth approximately $3600 in health dollars. That equates to $5.4 million Tairāwhiti may have missed out on each year since.”

That is a large amount of money for many services we could have provided in the community, in hospital, caring for so many more people.

At the moment we have 47,700 people enrolled with a Tairāwhiti General Practice. National population projections suggest that our population numbers may be closer to 48,700. We really need the Census figures to confirm that significant increase in population. The increase in demand on GPs and Gisborne Hospital suggest that we are serving more people.

“Census data is not only used to determine funding; it is used to help us plan for the future. Having accurate information about our people helps us make decisions about which services are needed and where they should be.”

So please take time to fill out the census and also please make sure family, friends, work mates, everyone you know also helps us to get what we need to make for more and better health care in Tairāwhiti.

All people staying overnight at Gisborne Hospital will be given a paper copy of the census to complete. “We don’t have Wi-Fi on the wards so it would be difficult for many people in hospital to complete online. There will be help from census volunteers to complete the form but friends and family visiting the hospital are asked to assist where possible.”

Do the census at

UPDATE – Temuka crash

Source: New Zealand Police –

Headline: UPDATE – Temuka crash


Location:

Canterbury

Police and emergency services are now free from the crash which occurred at 2.30pm on SH1 Temuka-Orari Highway in South Canterbury.

Two cars were involved in a collision.  

It can now be confirmed that one person died at the scene.

Another person suffered moderate injuries and was airlifted to hospital while another two people suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

Police will continue to investigate the cause of the crash and no more information will be released until all next of kin have been advised.

Bay of Plenty

Source: New Zealand Police –

Headline: Bay of Plenty

A slip is blocking both lanes of SH2 (Waiotahe Beach Rd), Waiotahe, Opotiki.

The slip has closed the highway between Parkinson Rd and Pohutukawa Drive.

There are diversions in place along Paerata Ridge Rd and Verrall Rd.

ENDS

Police Media Centre


District:

Bay of Plenty


Description of incident:

Slip blocking SH2, Opotiki

Issued by: 
Police Media Centre