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Minister must reverse all Oranga Tamariki cuts after Barnardos u-turn

Source: PSA

The PSA urges Children’s Minister Karen Chhour to reverse all the damaging cuts to community service contracts, and to Oranga Tamariki, in the wake of her u-turn today on funding Barnardos.
The backflip follows revelations that Barnardos’ youth telehealth counselling service was at risk of closing in July along with other services supporting vulnerable families. This followed funding cuts by Oranga Tamariki under the Government’s austerity drive.
“This backflip shows how rushed and reckless her original decision was to order Oranga Tamariki to cut contracts for dozens of community service providers across Aotearoa,” said Duane Leo, National Secretary for the Public Service Association for Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“The PSA calls on the Minister to urgently reverse all the cuts – reinstate the contracts that have been axed and restore the funding to existing contacts that were cut – before lasting damage is done to families.
“She must also reverse the cuts to Oranga Tamariki which has seen 419 jobs axed, nearly 10% of the workforce.
“Last year the Minister accused charities of abusing their contracts with Oranga Tamariki, claiming they had become ‘cash cows’ through the contracts – this was offensive, disrespecting the vital work they do.
“The Minister has tried to wash her hands of these cuts, calling them ‘operational matters’ for Oranga Tamariki, but now that the reality is hitting home, the Minister needs to do the right thing.
“She knows New Zealanders are increasingly alarmed by the cuts.
“The Government promised its cuts would not impact frontline services. The Minister’s u-turn over the Barnardos’ contract shows the Government slowly realising it can no longer get away with this spin.”
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First Responders – Vegetation fire along Bay of Plenty train track now contained

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand received multiple calls to a large vegetation fire burning along the railway line by Wainui South Road, Whakamarama in Western Bay of Plenty at 12.40 today.
Incident Commander Bill Pike says the fire is now contained and six fire trucks from Greerton, Omokoroa, KatiKati and Tauranga are dampening down hotspots. No evacuations were required.
“The fire is in bush and scrub and is approximately 700 metres on either side of the train track,” Bill Pike says.
“There are road closures in the immediate area, but State Highway 2 remains open.
“We ask people to stay away from the area so emergency services can carry out their job safely.”
Bill Pike says Fire and Emergency is working with Kiwirail to establish a cause for the fire.
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Living on orchard and enjoying outdoors fostered love for environment in EIT student | EIT Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti

37 seconds ago

Growing up on a Twyford orchard and living an outdoor life fostered a love for the environment which led Jordyn Campbell to study Environmental Management at EIT.

This has proved to be a good move with Jordyn, who finished the NZ Diploma in Environmental Management (Level 6) last year, currently doing conservation surveying and monitoring work. She is working for SPS Biota| Biosecurity & Environmental Services, collecting data about the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug and Spongy Moth – both serious pests and risks to NZ fruit and vegetable industries. This project started in October and runs until April 2025.

Jordyn, 20, attended Iona College in Havelock North and won a Year 13 scholarship in 2022 to study at EIT. A Year 13 Scholarship, which is offered annually by EIT, covers one year of tuition fees. The Scholarship supports school leavers across the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti regions to study any one of EIT’s degrees or selected level 5 diploma programmes that lead into a degree by providing one year FREE study.

Jordyn Campbell completed the NZ Diploma in Environmental Management (Level 6) at EIT last year and is looking forward to completing her Bachelor of Applied Science (Biodiversity Management).

Jordyn entered the Environmental Management programme in 2023, completing her level 5 NZ Diploma in Environmental Management, and has loved every moment.

“I live on an orchard, too, so I decided to study more about the environment around me, because I’ve been growing up in a rural area.”
She says choosing EIT to study at was an easy decision, especially when she won the Year 13 scholarship.

“It was close to home and easier to study there, especially since I liked the sound of the programme. The scholarship also helped me make the decision.”

Jordyn says that her new job is working on behalf of the Ministry for Primary Industries and involves searching for evasive species of Spongy Moths and Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs in Napier, Hastings and Havelock North.

“We have an app called Field Maps and it has all the locations on it, which are indicated by dots on the map. You complete forms depending on if you get a sample or you’re just doing a trap clearance, and then it will change the colour of the dots on the map. There are 63 traps for the Spongy Moth and six traps for the Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs across Hawke’s Bay.”

This year Jordyn will be completing her final year of study to achieve the Bachelor of Applied Science (Biodiversity Management). As for the future, Jordyn is leaning towards working in biosecurity, but she does not rule out studying further.

She says that wherever she winds up, she will not forget what she has learned from EIT. She has no hesitation in recommending the institute to others.

“I like EIT because you get to know everyone on a very personal level, including the lecturers. You are not just a number to them, you’re an actual person and you get one-on-one help from them.”

Environmental Management Lecturer Dr Glen Robertshaw says: “I think this is a fantastic opportunity for Jordyn, who I know really enjoyed our level 6 Biosecurity course”.

“It is also a real validation of the value of our programme and demonstrates that what we are teaching can lead to employment locally. It’s great to think that one of our students is helping to protect the local horticulture industry from invasive species that could potentially devastate it.”

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A triumph over anti-car ideology

Source: ACT Party

Welcoming the delivery from tonight of increased speed limits – an ACT coalition commitment – ACT Leader David Seymour says:

“Sensible speed limits are a triumph for common sense and democracy. Instead of being dictated to by a faceless bureaucratic minority, the people are in charge again.

“People often asked me where blanket speed limit reductions came from. Who asked for this, whose idea was it, why don’t my views count? The previous Government’s traffic engineering was thinly disguised social engineering that just made people mad.

“The government’s job is to make life easier, if a road is safe to drive 100, 110, or 120 km/h, people should be allowed to drive that fast. It sounds simple, and it is, but the last Government’s ideological anti-car project made life harder than it needed to be.

“The last government had an anti-car, anti-speed ideology. They didn’t care if they made life less convenient for the vast majority who drive to get around, in fact they seemed to relish slowing people down.

“Driving is important for New Zealanders. It liberates us from our homes and opens up the country for ordinary people to explore and do business. If we want productivity, we should be able to use roads we’ve paid for to their maximum safe capacity.”

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Release: Seymour’s school lunch cuts already failing kids

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

It is the first week of David Seymour’s school lunch programme and already social media reports are circulating of revolting meals, late deliveries, and mislabelled packaging.

“This Government slashed school lunch funding and handed the job to a global corporation instead of supporting local suppliers—now kids are stuck with worse meals,” Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said.

“Their choice to prioritise cuts over proper nutrition for our kids is a disgrace.”

Parents and teachers have been sharing stories of inferior meals that kids could not eat, meals arriving hours after they were needed, and mislabelled packaging.

A Cabinet Paper in March 2024 informed the Government that 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. They made these changes anyway.

“Sadly, this was entirely predictable. Instead of investing in children’s nutrition and supporting local food suppliers, this government chose cost-cutting ahead of quality,” Jan Tinetti said.

“Proper nutrition is essential for kids to focus and learn. Rather than showing leadership and prioritising our kids’ wellbeing, Christopher Luxon followed David Seymour’s reckless advice and chose cuts over quality. As an educator, I have heard similar horror stories from my former colleagues, and I am deeply concerned that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

“Children should not have to suffer because of the Government’s poor choices,” Jan Tinetti said.

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Open season on renters begins with no-cause evictions

Source: Green Party

The Green Party says that with no-cause evictions returning from today, the move to allow landlords to end tenancies without reason plunges renters, and particularly families who rent, into insecurity and stress.

“Open season on renters has begun, as this Government for landlords creates more insecurity and pain for renters,” says the Green Party’s Housing spokesperson Tamatha Paul. 

“No-cause evictions mean that renters can be removed from their homes without reason, undermining housing stability and perpetuating insecurity. It’s another cruel step which favours landlords and erodes renters’ rights in Aotearoa. There will be many families who will suffer acutely as a result of the uncertainty this creates.

“No-cause evictions have flow-on impacts for children of families who are plunged into housing instability – it undermines their health and education, and compounds mental health problems linked to inadequate housing and unhealthy homes. 

“Landlords will be able to kick out renters on a whim – it may be because of the renter’s disability or even the way they dress – but the landlord doesn’t have to provide a reason, it’s open season.

“Housing is a human right, but this Government is treating it like a business. Housing forms the foundation for our communities to thrive, it is something we can afford to provide to everyone.

“The Government has ignored the overwhelming public opposition to this Bill. A massive 97 per cent of submitters on the no clause termination provision opposed it, including 53 per cent of landlords themselves.

“Everyone deserves a safe and secure place to call home. The Green Party will continue to fight for stronger renters rights, and that includes removing no-cause evictions,” says Tamatha Paul.

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Art making out west

Source: Auckland Council

We seek applications now, from experienced and adventurous artists for our 2025 park based artist’s residency. The selected artist will live by the sea, in Barr Cottage, Little Huia – an ideal base for exploring the surrounding Waitākere parkland.

The artist in residence will create site-specific art about a habitat, creature, character or feature of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park. The artist’s residency work will be shared with our park visitors in some way – usually through a performance, event, workshop, exhibition, recording, publication or on-park storyboard.

Artists living within parks 24/7, witness things our visitors often miss. For eight weeks they delve into the nature of a place and get a sense of sites or species of significance. Embedded within a park, they serve as our ears and eyes and draw on what they see and hear to create art which reflects these immersive experiences.

This regional park residency offers a two month stay on the shores of the Manukau Harbour from November-December 2005 and is open to innovative, experienced and professional artists. We welcome proposals from writers, filmmakers, composers, choreographers, sculptors, painters, printmakers and other creatives.

View towards Manakau heads.

Applications close 21 February 2025. More information and documents to guide your application are available here. 

Moon and sun prints

Kate van der Drift our 2024 artist enabled us to see ‘her park’, Waitawa, in a new light – with her suite of photos taken by the light of the moon. Some of Kate’s ethereal moonlit photos now grace the gritty façade of Magazine 4 (an old industrial explosives warehouse) at Waitawa Regional Park.

Kate van der Drift our 2024 artist in Residence.

Another tranche of Kate’s residency work, camera-less prints of plants, which harnessed the sun and water as ‘developers’ will be exhibited as part of the Festival of Photography in May 2025. One of Kate’s plant-based prints and interpretation of her experimental process to make it, will stay permanently where it was created – at the bach at Waitawa, for future users of the bach to enjoy.

Over three nights, Kate explored the park in this ethereal moonlight, and some of these photographs are presented here.

To see the range of projects artists have produced and the benefits to both artist and park visitor please visit here.

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SH15 expected to reopen shortly

Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

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NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) advises State Highway 15 is expected to reopen between Maungatapere and Otaika around 2pm this afternoon.

The road has been closed since yesterday morning (Wednesday 29 January) to allow NZ Police to investigate following the unexplained death of a motorcyclist.

NZTA thanks everyone for their patience during the closure.

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Native species compromised by trap vandals

Source: Department of Conservation

Date:  30 January 2025

In early January, high trapping lines between Dart Valley and the west Matukituki Valley were checked by Matukituki Charitable Trust volunteers and Southern Lakes Sanctuary staff, who found the entrances to all 45 traps blocked off by strategically placed rocks.

Staff have since found all the traps from Shelter Rock hut to Dart hut and down the Rees valley have also been triggered or had rocks placed in front of their doors.

“This means someone has made the effort to disarm more than 150 remote traps in total across two locations,” says DOC Operations manager Whakatipu David Butt.

“At this time of the year this line of traps catches numerous predators, including stoats.

“This is a critical time to have protection for native species through trapping. The people who have done this to the traps will be responsible for an increase in the death of many individuals from our taonga species.”  

An introduced species, stoats are the number one killer of many of New Zealand’s endangered native species.

“We have a team of hardworking DOC rangers, Southern Lakes Sanctuary staff and volunteers who put in a lot of hard graft to ensure our trapping network is effective,” says David.

“It is very concerning someone – or potentially several people – covered challenging terrain and clambered through bush to find these traps and block them off so predators cannot enter. It means we will see an increase in predators.”

DOC’s Takahē Recovery Group is working to establish a new population of the birds on and around Mt Aspiring. There are concerns those birds will be at risk if traps in the area are found to be compromised as well.  

Trapping is considered a humane method of removing introduced predators from our National Parks to protect native birds, lizards, and invertebrates.

Nature in New Zealand is unique and special. Most of it is only found here, and evolved without the introduced predators DOC and other conservation organisations strive to control. Once our species are gone from here, they’re gone from everywhere.

If anyone has any information about the traps that have been targeted, we urge them to call call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468).

Contact

For media enquiries contact:

Email: media@doc.govt.nz

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Ministers welcome Kāinga Ora’s revised approach to wool carpets

Source: New Zealand Government

Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson have welcomed Kāinga Ora’s decision to re-open its tender for carpets to allow wool carpet suppliers to bid.

“In 2024 Kāinga Ora issued requests for tender (RFTs) seeking bids from suppliers to carpet their properties,” Mr Bishop says.

“As part of this process, Kāinga Ora specifically excluded woollen carpets from the tender’s scope. While they did so in an effort to be fiscally responsible, unfortunately this meant that suppliers of carpets using New Zealand wool did not have the opportunity to put their best foot forward as a cost-effective option. 

“Although flooring choices for Kāinga Ora properties are operational decisions for the agency, I was disappointed to see woollen carpets ruled out unequivocally. The coalition Government is proudly pro-wool. It’s a fantastic fibre, and we support our wool farmers. 

“I welcome Kāinga Ora’s decision to go back out to market to seek bids from all carpet suppliers, including woollen carpets. While it remains essential that Kāinga Ora delivers homes as cost-effectively as possible, it’s only fair that wool products are given the chance to compete for government contracts on an equal footing with nylon carpet suppliers.

“There is a commitment under the National-New Zealand First coalition agreement to direct government agencies to prefer wool where practical and appropriate. The Government is currently working through the finer details of this and once decisions have been made there will be more to say.”

“I welcome Kāinga Ora’s decision to change its tender approach. This is a great step toward ensuring wool, a sustainable and high-quality product, is given the fair consideration it deserves. It creates a level playing field, supports the wool industry and honours the coalition agreement,” Mr Patterson says.

“We encourage suppliers of wool carpets to consider participating in Kāinga Ora’s tender process.”