Category: MIL-Submissions

Auto Added by WPeMatico

Posted on

Fire Safety – Outdoor fires to be restricted in Canterbury and Mid-South Canterbury

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Canterbury and Mid-South Canterbury districts are both moving to restricted fire seasons at 1am on Wednesday 11 December until further notice.
A restricted fire season means anyone who wants to light an outdoor fire will need a fire permit authorised by Fire and Emergency, which can be applied for at www.checkitsalright.nz.
Canterbury District Commander Dave Stackhouse says the large fires in the last couple of weeks are a serious indication that outdoor fires need to be controlled.
“We’ve just had large wildfires at Castle Hill, West Melton and Kirwee, as well as other smaller fires which quickly escalated, like the ones at Hurunui and Dunsandel,” he says.
“Despite cooler and slightly wetter La Niña conditions forecast, the fire season has developed earlier and more aggressively this year, and we are seeing the risk elevate daily.
“We need to impose restrictions on outdoor burning, as we’re expecting to see a lot of days over 25 degrees, and frequent winds above 25kph.”
Dave Stackhouse says the last two years of La Niña rain and cooler temperatures have led to high vegetation growth rates in grasslands and riverbeds – which burn very easily once they dry out.
“I’d encourage all Cantabrians to check their properties and see what vegetation can be cut back to lessen the fire risk around our homes this Christmas.”
Mid-South Canterbury District Manager Rob Hands says his district has also seen the fire season develop earlier than normal this year.
“We are seeing drought indicators rising very rapidly, which means that any fire that starts is going to be difficult to knock down and control,” he says.
“It also takes us longer to fully extinguish all remaining hotspots after a fire, due to deep-seated burning.
“Having a restricted fire season allows us to limit the number of fires in the district which could accidentally spread out of control.
“We know that people in Mid-South Canterbury are aware that wildfires are becoming more frequent, and support our safety measures at this time of year.”
Rob Hands says a fireworks ban is also planned for the Mid-South Canterbury part of the Mackenzie Basin, and the area around Lake Clearwater and Lake Camp.
“And if you’re thinking about lighting a fire, go to checkitsalright.nz , which advises on the fire risk for different types of activity and provides safety advice,” he says.
The only areas which have prohibited fire seasons in both districts are Department of Conservation lands, where fires are banned all year round.
Posted on

Government Cuts and Health – Te Whatu Ora’s workforce plan expects everyone to settle for less – Doctors

Source: Association of Salaried Medical Specialists

Clinicians and patients are being asked to settle for less as Te Whatu Ora concedes it cannot deliver on existing standards of care, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists – Toi Mata Hauora says.
Nothing in the New Zealand Health Workforce Plan 2024 tackles the fact that many New Zealanders cannot see a doctor when they need one.
Te Whatu Ora’s 2024 Workforce Plan is laced with political double-speak which cannot mask the fact our health system is being asked to do more with too few resources.
“This is a political document,” ASMS Executive Director Sarah Dalton says.
“It is vague, six months late and seems more suited to ticking a box than addressing underlying access and system capacity issues caused by generations of underfunding.”
The plan also cites a need to “bolster workforces in public health” as a priority, at the same time as the Te Whatu Ora is slashing $30 million out of the national public health service budget.
“The plan says that in nine years’ time we need to find an additional 3,450 doctors just to keep our heads above water,” Dalton says.
“But it offers no road map for achieving this – let alone meaningful medical workforce growth.
“Doctors continue to leave New Zealand due to poor working conditions, chronic short-staffing, and the lure of significantly better pay in Australia.
“The Workforce Plan acknowledges that ‘our health workforce goes to extraordinary lengths to deliver care to thousands of New Zealanders.’ Meanwhile, Te Whatu Ora is offering our senior doctors and dentists a real pay cut for Christmas.” 
Posted on

“Bait-and-switch” stalking bill would “water-down” protection from harassment

Source: Auckland Women’s Centre

The government is set to “water-down” protection from harassment in a new law supposed to keep people safer from stalking, say violence-prevention experts.
“While we support the bill overall, the government’s plan would make it harder to free some whānau from the terror of serious intrusions into their lives,” said Leonie Morris, chair of the Coalition for the Safety of Women and Children.
The Crimes Legislation (Stalking and Harassment) Amendment Bill would make it illegal to carry out three stalking actions in a year but it would also repeal the related offence of criminal harassment, which is defined as two acts of serious harassment in a year.
“Making it legal for stalkers to harass their victims twice a year in certain ways is counter-productive and uncalled for, and possibly unprecedented internationally,” said Morris. “We are angry at this bait-and-switch move.”
Stalking actions can include harassment, surveillance, unwanted contact, threats, and life damage. Some people stalk their partners or ex-partners and/or their primary target’s loved ones such as children, while others stalk strangers or acquaintances.
“We hope the bill will lead to better awareness and early intervention, both for whānau targeted by stalking and whānau at risk of using stalking behaviours,” said Awatea Mita of the Aotearoa Free From Stalking campaign. “We know early support can be vital, so it’s disappointing the government plans to water down already inadequate protections for harassment.”
Aotearoa Free From Stalking is urging people to make submissions on the bill asking for stalking to be defined as two acts within any time period, rather than three acts within 12 months. AVA (Anti-Violence Action) community organiser Layba Zubair said young women are at higher risk than others of being stalked, and early support is required “to stop this insidious harm from potentially derailing the rest of their lives.”
Similar countries – such as Australia, the US, England and European Union members, who have had stalking laws for years if not decades – require only two provable acts for unwanted, distressing intrusions to be considered a crime, and do not specify a timeframe.
“The arbitrary year limit means victims whose experiences may go over a number of years will find it harder to receive support than others,” said Zubair. “For example a victim who is stalked whenever she moves house by a stalker wanting her to know he knows where she lives regardless of what she does to avoid him.”
Posted on

Government Cuts – Education and Science: Skewing Marsden – QPEC Response

Source: Quality Public Education Coalition (QPEC)

 It is outrageous that Minister Judith Collins has removed funding for humanities and social sciences from the Marsden Fund.  

The Marsden provides basic funding for highly creative, innovative and necessary research into critical and complex areas of knowledge and life in NZ.   This research is often interdisciplinary.   Humanities research can be very wide-ranging and inclusive.

Social science research can span both quantitative (numbers and counting) and qualitative (quality and nature of existence) procedures.  

Given the complexity of NZ life and scholarship, it is not for the Minister to prioritise areas of knowledge for researchers, scholars and academics.  

The Minister focuses on economic benefit from the Fund, which is simply tunnel vision in assessing the needs of the nation.  

Even so, it has long been recognised that the humanities and social sciences add richly to the economy of the country.

But it is just as important to understand that both the humanities and social sciences contribute constantly and necessarily to our understanding of life nationally and around the world.   This is vital in a highly complex, diverse and increasingly dangerous world.    

We should take note of the breadth of research covered in the Royal Society’s response to the change in funding.   Looking back over the 30 years of the Marsden, the Society says:    

Over that time, New Zealand researchers have excelled across the whole range of research disciplines, including the study of culture, indigenous knowledge, history, religion, philosophy, psychology, economics, education, law, classics, linguistics, literature, Māori studies, media studies, art history, and languages.

The Minister’s policy suggests a disturbing Government outlook that seriously undervalues the benefit of critical social sciences and humanities across the range of human activity.  

We urge the Minister to reverse her decision.   And we urge other organisations and individuals to push her to do so.

Posted on

Justice for Greyhounds – SAFE celebrates greyhound racing ban

Source: SAFE For Animals

Animal rights organisation SAFE is elated with the Government’s announcement today that it will ban greyhound racing in New Zealand.
“Today marks the end of an era of exploitation,” says Campaign Manager Emma Brodie.
“We are relieved the Government is finally bringing an end to a practice responsible for the prolonged suffering of thousands of dogs.”
“Greyhounds will finally have the opportunity to live a life full of love, comfort, and safety.”
The Deputy Prime Minister Rt Hon Winston Peters, who also serves as Racing Minister, announced today that greyhound racing in New Zealand will be banned after a 20-month phase-out period.
SAFE believes this outcome reflects a growing recognition that New Zealanders won’t stand for cruelty disguised as entertainment.
“This victory belongs to everyone who has campaigned for better lives for greyhounds,” says Brodie. “The phase-out is a testament to the power of collective action and compassion.”
“Moving forward, the Government must now ensure a smooth transition for greyhounds, supporting their rehabilitation and rehoming into permanent loving homes where they belong,” says Brodie.
Minister Peters also introduced the Racing Industry (Unlawful Destruction of Specified Greyhounds) Amendment Bill, to be passed under urgency. The bill will prevent the unnecessary killing of dogs during the transition period.
“SAFE welcomes this critical measure to protect greyhounds from unnecessary death during this phase-out period. We remain committed to working with our partner organisations to assist with the smooth transition for greyhounds into ,” says Brodie.
“This is a truly historic day for animal rights in Aotearoa. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who stood with us in the campaign to end greyhound racing. Together, we have achieved a monumental step forward for animals.”
Posted on

Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa (VAWA) to develop Code of Ethical Conduct for Virtual Fencing Technology

Source: Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa

VAWA is delighted to announce work has commenced on the development of a Code of Ethical Conduct for Virtual Fencing Technology. The Code will set out standards that ensure animal welfare remains at the forefront of innovative farming practices.
Virtual fencing technology uses GPS-enabled devices to manage farmed animals without physical fences. While acknowledging the potential benefits of the technology such as improved pasture utilisation and the capture of health data, its introduction also raises questions about impacts on animal welfare. As well as ongoing audio and vibration cues, during training, all virtually fenced animals are likely to experience electric shocks. The amount of electricity, the contact area and the length of the electrical pulse used on animals will have an impact on their welfare.
Despite this, development and use of virtual fencing is unregulated and there is no legal requirement for involvement of animal welfare scientists, nor research, on the impacts of the technology. There is no reporting required on matters such as how slow- or no- learners are identified and removed from the herd, or deaths and other injury resulting from use of the technology.
Developers have vastly different levels of product validation and transparency on these matters, despite sentient animals being at the centre of product development. Given this and in lieu of welfare protective regulation, the Code will establish clear, science-based standards that safeguard the welfare of animals while enabling the responsible adoption of this technology.
“Animal welfare must be integral to the design, implementation, and use of any new farming technology,” said Dr. Helen Beattie, Managing Director of VAWA. “The Code will provide developers and users with standards that ensure animal welfare is a non-negotiable priority.”
To shape the Code, VAWA – an independent, science-led animal welfare advocacy organisation – will engage with stakeholders across the agriculture and animal welfare sectors. This will include consultation in New Zealand and abroad, with farmers, developers, animal welfare experts, and regulators to create a comprehensive framework that details best practice.
The Code will address a range of considerations, including the humane use in development and training, increased transparency across the supply chain, and recommendations for regulatory adoption. It is intended to serve as both a voluntary guide for technology developers and users, and a foundation for potential statutory regulations under New Zealand’s Animal Welfare Act.
This initiative underscores VAWA’s commitment to advancing ethical farming practices that prioritise animal welfare while supporting careful innovation in agriculture.
For further details, to get involved in the consultation process or to provide information confidentially, please contact VAWA at info@vawa.co.nz or visit www.vawa.co.nz
Dr Beattie is the Managing Director of Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa, a
veterinary-led group of animal welfare advocates which aims to create better lives for animals.She was previously Chief Veterinary Officer at the NZ Veterinary Association. 
VAWA’s vision is to create “A Good Life for All” by creating influence through advocacy, submissions, education, consultation, and collaboration. 
Led by veterinarians, and as the only group of animal welfare advocates using expertise in veterinary and animal welfare science that is not compromised by commercial or vested interests, VAWA provides a uniquely, independent perspective on animal welfare. 
Posted on

Universities – Twins graduate from medicine on same day – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Identity confusion has been a source of fun for identical twins graduating in medicine today, especially on a hospital placement where it worked to their advantage: “We were both everywhere all at once.”

A pair of identical twins, who just turned 24, are stoked to be graduating on the same day (10 December), with degrees in medicine and plans to specialise in surgery.

Graduating from Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland on 10 December, Greta and Leah Slykerman are unsurprised they ended up on the same career trajectory, as they have similar personalities and interests.
They say being at medical school at the same time has been positive because they have been able to support each other through a demanding course of study.

“It’s quite different from other university degrees, in the way it’s structured. So, I think it’s been a huge plus – having a shared experience,” Leah says.

The twins are close and talk to each other every day even when they are in different cities.
“We tend to chat rubbish for a little bit most days,” says Greta.

There has been identity confusion, especially in the first year of medicine when fellow students initially thought there was only one student rather than two.

“We had an exam around our birthday and someone posted on our class social page, ‘I don’t know what’s going to be harder, the exam or figuring out which twin is which to wish them happy birthday’,” says Greta.
However, mostly they were studying apart, living in different centres and interning in different hospitals and general practices.

There was one exception, however, when they were both at Te Toka Tumai, Auckland Hospital for a couple of weeks in year five, although it worked to their advantage.

The group of students were organised alphabetically into teams, so the twins were on the same team on the surgical runs.

“We were both wearing scrubs with a scrub cap, so virtually indistinguishable, which we had a lot of fun with.
“No one could really tell which one of us was in the operating theatre at any given time.
“I think we just both looked studious, because I don’t think they could really tell which one was showing up. We were both everywhere all at once.”

Even so, Greta says she will be trying to avoid working at the same hospital in future to avoid mix-ups.
There have been other cases of mistaken identity, too, especially in hospitals where they have both been on placements at different times, such as Waikato.

“Sometimes people come up, especially when I started, to say ‘hello’ and ask how I’m doing. Never seen this person before in my life,” says Leah.

“You get quite good at just going with it, because otherwise you come across as rude.”
Greta says she has got used to it. “If someone comes up to me acting like they know me, either I’ve met them and forgotten, or, more likely, they’ve met Leah. So I’m just nice to everybody.”

To Leah, she says: “I’m really glad to have your reputation.”

The pair have enjoyed their training, especially living in different centres and towns around the North Island. After graduation though, they are excited to be starting work as doctors.

Greta says, while the work was good, even without any pay, a salary will be a relief, especially after expensive overseas placements: ten weeks in Amsterdam for Greta and Bristol in the UK for Leah.
The placements were a highlight of their study, especially as they focused on specialties that interest them: Greta on ear, nose and throat surgery and Leah on orthopaedics.

The twins following in the footsteps of their mum, Dr Rebecca Slykerman, a senior lecturer in the School of Psychological Medicine.

Their father also has degrees in engineering and commerce, so they had a sense from early on they would be going to University following school at Carmel College on Auckland’s North Shore.

Their mother says it’s nice to see the twins looking forward to careers in medicine, despite the demands of working in a busy health system.

The promise of what the profession offers and the diverse directions it can take people has been a driver for the twins, Rebecca says.

“It’s a nice opportunity to have a career where they will be engaged and interested life-long.”
The Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences holds a graduation ceremony in December so students going into the health professions can start internships and/or work in the New Year.

Posted on

First Responders – West Melton and Kirwee fires update

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency will look to start scaling down its response at the West Melton and Kirwee fires tomorrow.
Incident Commander Dave Key says the crews on the ground at both fires today have put in a big effort in hot conditions.
“Today has been a hard graft with hand tools, getting in amongst the trees and putting out hotspots,” he says.
“Tonight we will fly drones over both fires looking for hotspots and depending on the information that comes back we will probably look at reducing our crews tomorrow given the bulk of the work will be done by the end of today.”
Both sites will be assessed over the next day or two with the hope they can be handed back to the landowners during that time.
Dave Key thanked the firefighters who had worked across both fires for their effort, and urged the public to fire safe over the coming days to give the crews some respite after a busy seven days.
“We’d like to remind people across Canterbury who have had fires to ensure they check these previous burns. We suggest to extinguish and rake out these areas.
“It doesn’t take too much for the wind to come up and fan those fires and blow those embers causing reignition.
“I’m always proud of the way our firefighters keep turning up to fight these fires. Morale is still high among the crews, but of course everyone is getting a wee bit tired, so it would be good to have a break from fighting these fires.”
Fire investigators are working to determine the cause of both fires.
At Bridge Hill, work has continued extinguishing hotspots.
Further refinements to the two fire sizes have been made as follows:
West Melton: 137 hectares with a perimeter of 13.5km.
Kirwee: 12 hectares with a perimeter of 1.9km. 
Posted on

Economy – RBNZ Stats Alert Business expectations survey: Development update following third pilot

Source: Reserve Bank of New Zealand

10 December 2024 – We would like to thank the hundreds of businesses taking part in the development of the new Tara-ā-Umanga Business Expectations Survey.

The survey is currently in its experimental stages, with regular publication expected to start by mid-2025.

The new widespread survey includes hundreds of businesses from different sectors around the country, from small to large firms.

The new business survey is separate from the existing Survey of Expectations that includes expert forecasters, economists, and industry leaders (Table M14, 1987 – onwards), which will continue.

Business Expectations Survey, Pilot 3:

We continued our development of Tara-ā-Umanga Business Expectations Survey with a third pilot survey in October 2024. A public consultation on the survey was undertaken during March 2024 and earlier pilots conducted during April and July 2024.

Tara-ā-Umanga Business Expectations Survey: Development update following third pilot outlines the lessons we learnt from the latest testing and resulting survey design improvements.

The achieved sample size was 383 respondent businesses in pilot 3 (up from 251 in pilot 2 and 68 in pilot 1).
We report response rates by business size and industry; and explore response patterns for businesses who have completed the survey multiple times.

 
For the first time we present weighted estimates of population mean expectations. We explain the proposed methodology which uses sample design and employment size weights.

Please note that the pilot survey results are based on experimental data.
 

Continuation of parallel testing before full survey implementation during 2025

We plan to run a fourth pilot in January 2025. This will allow us to continue to build the sample size towards our target of over 400 businesses (required for reliable aggregate expectations and an understanding of key industries and demographics). As well as creating longer parallel time-series (to compare with the existing Survey of Expectations), finalise weighting methodology, and build our systems and web tables.

We anticipate regular publication will commence by mid-2025.
 

Background information

Inflation expectations are important because households and businesses reflect their expectations in their price- and wage-setting decisions. Improving the quality of our survey estimates of inflation expectations is part of the wider response to our 2022 review of monetary policy that identified several areas where better data could support high quality monetary policy decision-making.

For further information please see Tara-ā-Umanga Business Expectations Survey: Survey design and development: https://govt.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd316aa7ee4f5679c56377819&id=0bb194d93c&e=f3c68946f8

Posted on

Employment and Gender – PSA demand end to sexist pay discrimination

Source: PSA

This Human Rights Day (December 10), the PSA is calling for the Government and local councils to deliver pay equity for care and support workers and library workers respectively.
The care and support pay equity claim impacts more than 65,000 people – mostly women – across the motu. The library claim covers library workers employed by Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin councils.
Both claims have proven that the employers pay these workers less than the value of their work because most of the workers are women, said Alex Davies, Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi Assistant Secretary.
“Thousands more women employed or funded by government are moving through the pay equity process to address the undervaluation of their work,” Davies said.
“For every day without settlements, the Government and councils are knowingly discriminating against these workers, who are carrying the financial burden of their employers’ discrimination and mismanagement.
“The government cannot continue abdicate all responsibility for fully funding equity across government funded service providers,” said Alex Davies.
“The Government and councils get some wiggle room in their balance sheets while workers are struggling to make ends meet.”
“This Human Rights Day the Government must drop the unnecessary pay equity hurdles and remember this is simply a matter of fairly honouring complex, important work,” Davies said.