Category: New Zealand

Auto Added by WPeMatico

Posted on

Release: Labour PR: More clarity needed for homebuyers

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

The Government’s levies announcement is a step in the right direction, but they must be upfront about who will pay its new infrastructure levies and ensure that first-home buyers are protected from hidden costs.

“If we are truly going to address the housing shortage in this country, it will require a bipartisan approach across numerous Governments. Today’s announcement does build on some of the work Labour was doing,” Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said.

“We will be as constructive as we can when it comes to housing policy. We cannot support the Government’s appalling and backwards approach to social and emergency housing, but we are keen to work with the Government in the areas of planning and infrastructure.

“After the Government scrapped a whole lot of reforms, causing massive upheaval for Councils and the construction and infrastructure sectors, we recognise that they are desperate for some certainty and we want to play our part in providing that.

“Developers have told us that new homebuyers are already bearing too much cost. We have some questions that we will work through with the Government, such as who will actually be paying these new levies and whether there is a chance that this will lead to hidden costs for homebuyers. It’s important we get that straight early on.

“Taking away development contributions from councils is a big deal, so we need to be clear on the details to make sure this doesn’t just shift the financial burden onto homeowners and first-home buyers. It is important the Government changes its attitude towards local government and works with them to get these settings right,” Kieran McAnulty said.

Stay in the loop by signing up to our mailing list and following us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Posted on

Police monitoring funeral in Counties Manukau this weekend

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Please attribute to Counties Manukau East Area Prevention Manager, Inspector Rakana Cook:

Police are aware of plans for a gang-related funeral procession heading through Counties Manukau this weekend.

We will have staff in the area monitoring to ensure the safety of the community, to monitor traffic movement and to minimise any disruption to the public.

Antisocial or unlawful behaviour and driving related offending will not be tolerated and any of this behaviour can expect to be met with enforcement action.

While it is not always possible to take action at the time, Police are committed to enforcing the gang insignia legislation and will take every opportunity to not only follow up on these breaches but also any other unlawful activity.

Everyone in the community has the right to be safe and feel safe.

Police encourage the public to report any instances of unlawful activity to us, so we can take appropriate action.

We ask you report any unlawful behaviour to Police on 111 if it is happening now or 105 after the fact.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

Posted on

First Responders – Waipoua River fire update #6

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Saturday will be a significant day in the firefighting efforts at the Waipoua River fire.
Incident Controller Corey Matchitt says numbers on the ground will double to approximately 90-100 crew.
“Crews have put in hard mahi on Friday to strengthen and extend the containment lines and the extra crews tomorrow are to sustain and bolster their efforts,” Corey Matchitt says.
“This means we will be able to make a huge effort to push in from the containment lines to make it safe for the evacuated residents to return as soon as possible.
“This work will also help us to be sure the fire is completely contained, which it currently is not.”
A crew will use thermal imaging on Friday night to identify hotspots for ground crews to focus on tomorrow.
“We will also have a night crew in to monitor containment lines,” Corey Matchitt says.
“Helicopters and heavy machinery will be in use again on Saturday.
“We are making use of all the resources we have available for the next three days to get on top of this fire.”
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has declared a prohibited fire season for the Muriwhenua, Hokianga, Ripiro and Paparoa zones of Te Tai Tokerau Northland from 8am on Saturday 1 March, until further notice.
This includes the area around this fire.
A prohibited fire season means no outdoor fires are allowed and all fire permits are revoked.
This is the final update for today unless significant developments occur.
Posted on

Rare Disorders New Zealand 25th anniversary

Source: New Zealand Governor General

E nga mana, e nga reo, e nga iwi o te motu e huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi nui ki a koutou. Kia ora tātou katoa.

I specifically acknowledge

  • John Forman, founder of Rare Disorders New Zealand
  • James McGoram, Board Chair; and
  • Chris Higgins, Chief Executive of Rare Disorders New Zealand

My warmest welcome to members of the Rare Disorders community, to whānau, and to carers and supporters.

I am very pleased to be Patron of Rare Disorders New Zealand, and to support your work by joining you in celebrating your 25th anniversary with this afternoon’s reception and awards ceremony.

It’s a truism worth repeating that we judge a society by the way it cares for its most vulnerable people. Twenty-five years ago, Rare Disorders New Zealand took up the challenge of representing people who understand what it is to feel alone and isolated, and appreciate the huge difference the right diagnosis and treatment can make to their lives. By helping them and representing their interests, you have helped Aotearoa New Zealand to be a better place.

The concept of an ‘umbrella organisation’ evokes manaakitanga, support and shelter from the elements.

I like to think you will also relate to this whakataukī: ‘Ki te kotahi te kakaho, ka whati; ki te kapuia, e kore e whati’ – which translates as ‘a reed that stands alone can be broken, but it will not be broken if it stands alongside others’.

Rare Disorders New Zealand has enabled people to experience strength and support by standing together in whanaungatanga.

You have been tireless advocates for a more coordinated approach to diagnosis and treatment, and your mahi bore fruit with the launch, last year, of New Zealand’s first national strategy for rare disorders.

The Aotearoa New Zealand Rare Disorders Strategy is a significant milestone, responding as it does to the lived experiences and needs of your community, as revealed through your own surveys.

I appreciate the impact of the Strategy has yet to be felt – and you will be eager to see meaningful progress – whether that be with earlier diagnosis, clearer pathways for clinical care, better access to support and medicines, appropriate training for the health workforce, or the gathering of research data.

With my own background in health and academia, I am delighted to see the establishment of the Rare Disorders Research Network,  based in Victoria University. The Network will enable New Zealand researchers to experience the support of colleagues working in similar fields, and encourage coordinated research programmes.

Their findings will have real-life implications for your community, and contribute to global understanding of rare disorders and their treatment.

I appreciate that as a charitable organisation, Rare Disorders New Zealand is reliant on the tireless dedication of a small number of staff and a large number of volunteers. I welcome this opportunity to thank you all for devoting your time, energy and expertise to such a worthy cause.

Today we are also formally acknowledging award recipients for their steadfast commitment to the rare disorders community, and thanking them, on behalf of all New Zealanders, for what they have achieved.

Once again, I welcome you all to Government House. Please allow me to extend to you all the aroha and manaakitanga you so often extend to others, and are so deserving of receiving yourselves.

Kia ora, kia kaha, huihui tātou katoa

Posted on

Road closed following vehicle fire, Mangawhai

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

Motorists are being advised a section of Mangawhai Road has been closed following a vehicle fire.

The fire, near the intersection of Wood Pigeon Lane, was reported to Police at about 3.13pm.

Emergency services are onsite as the blaze has engulfed a small section of nearby bush land.

There are no reports of injury.

Motorists are being advised to expect delays or seek an alternate route.

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

Posted on

Lifestyle and Health – Making Exercise More Affordable Could Transform Health in Aotearoa

Source: Exercise New Zealand

A new report reveals that reducing the cost of exercise facilities could significantly increase physical activity levels in Aotearoa, delivering major health and economic benefits. The 2024 HFA-Portas Price Elasticity Report identifies affordability as the primary barrier preventing more New Zealanders from joining gyms, despite clear evidence of the health benefits of structured exercise.

Physical inactivity is a growing public health crisis, contributing to preventable chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Alarmingly, the report finds that 53.5% of New Zealanders fail to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended physical activity levels, placing an increasing strain on the healthcare system. Childhood and adolescent obesity rates have also reached unprecedented levels, elevating the risk of lifelong health issues.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • 67% of non-gym members cite affordability as their main reason for not joining.
  • Gym users are 54% more likely to meet WHO exercise guidelines than non-users.
  • A 10% reduction in membership fees could encourage up to 291,000 more Kiwis to join structured exercise facilities.

Increased participation could:

  • Prevent 7,600 cases of chronic disease annually.
  • Save 1,600 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
  • Generate $148 million in annual health savings.
  • Improve life satisfaction for 35,000 people and enhance community trust for 33,700.
  • Stimulate $209 million in additional consumer spending.
  • Create 4,500+ new jobs in the exercise industry.

Richard Beddie, CEO of ExerciseNZ, says the findings present a compelling case for affordability initiatives to boost participation. “New Zealanders recognise the benefits of exercise, but for many, cost remains a barrier. This report shows that even a modest reduction in gym fees could profoundly impact our nation’s health, economy, and social wellbeing. Exercise facilities must be recognised as critical health infrastructure and supported accordingly.”

The report’s release coincides with ExerciseNZ’s upcoming ‘Fit for Office’ initiative, where New Zealand MPs will have their physical activity levels tracked via heart rate monitors and displayed on a competitive leaderboard. “This initiative highlights that everyone, including busy MPs, can stay active and benefit from exercise,” says Beddie.

ExerciseNZ urges policymakers, industry leaders, and community organisations to collaborate on improving affordability through potential subsidies or membership incentives. This is about more than just gyms—it’s about improving public health, reducing healthcare costs, and fostering stronger communities.

Posted on

Healthcare Safety – Staffing shortages putting patient safety at risk at Nelson Hospital

Source: Association of Salaried Medical Specialists

Nelson Hospital is operating with no medical registrar today as ongoing staffing shortages put patients and clinicians at risk, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says.
An email sent to clinicians earlier today (February 28) advised between 1600 and 2200 the hospital will have no medical registrar. As a result, the hospital’s rapid response team – who handle acute deterioration of patients – will be supported by a newly graduated doctor, no ward consultations will be possible and there are likely be flow-on delays to the functioning of the emergency department.
“Compounding the situation further is that the emergency department was also short staffed with no second senior medical officer on duty between 2pm and 4pm,” ASMS Executive Director Sarah Dalton says.
“This is due to the hospital’s refusal to employ enough staff to cover absences.”
Nelson’s emergency department is staffed to see 70 to 80 patients a day, but they regularly see more than 100 a day.
Dalton says staffing issues at Nelson Hospital have been an issue for years and have been left unaddressed by DHB hospital management and now Te Whatu Ora.
“We have advocated for years to get staffing to safe levels, yet the people of Nelson still have an under-staffed hospital,” she says.
“On January 30 we held a crisis meeting with the regional Deputy Chief Executive Martin Keogh and still nothing has been done.
Our President, Dr Katie Ben, has also raised the matter directly with Minister of Health Simeon Brown. She says staffing shortages have become “business as usual”.
“Local managers, regional managers and central government are compromising patient care through continued inaction to resolve the healthcare worker shortages. It is unfair, unsafe and unacceptable.”
Posted on

Monitoring update: April 2021

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

At the TEC, we gather a range of information about common issues through our monitoring activities. We’re committed to partnering with tertiary education organisations, and sharing learnings from our monitoring work to help the sector build capability so we can all achieve better outcomes for learners. 
Hardship Fund for Learners – extension of spending timeframe
The Hardship Fund for Learners (HAFL) was announced in May 2020 to help TEOs provide temporary financial assistance for their enrolled learners who faced hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funding was used to support initiatives from 23 March 2020 (the date the move to COVID-19 alert Level 4 was announced) until 31 December 2020 and was automatically allocated to all eligible TEOs.
An extension to spend the funds on learners in hardship was offered to those TEOs that had funds remaining as of October 2020. If you are a TEO that accepted the extension, please remember you now have until 30 June 2021 to use your HAFL funding.
For those TEOs that accepted the extension, we also remind you that we have added learner fees to the list of items that HAFL funding cannot be used for. This is because this funding is not to be used to subsidise services you provide to learners.
Refunds to Fees Free and Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund eligible learners
As a reminder to TEOs that deliver Fees Free and Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF) programmes or qualifications, you cannot charge fees to an eligible student for eligible study.
Your obligations for receiving Fees Free and TTAF payments are set out in the SAC Level 3 and above and ITF funding conditions (PDF 1.8 MB) and your Fees Free and TTAF agreements. These conditions mean that if we have advised you that we will make payments to you for an eligible learner – you cannot charge that learner.
If a learner has paid fees and is entitled to a refund, as we have advised you that we will pay their fees, you must refund the learner as soon as possible. This includes refunds to any other party that may have paid the learner’s fees including fees covered by the Student Loan Scheme.
If you have any questions regarding refunds to Fees Free or TTAF learners, please contact the TEC Customer Contact Group on customerservice@tec.govt.nz or 0800 601 301.
Previously Completed Qualifications app
Through our monitoring activities, we have identified instances of TEOs enrolling learners in qualifications they have already achieved.
Our funding conditions specify that you must not seek funding for recognised prior learning credited to a student. This does not apply if the repeated learning or training is required to be undertaken periodically by an applicable quality assurance body.
To assist the sector to comply with this condition, the TEC has developed a new app called Previously Completed Qualifications. The app has been created to assist you, at the point of enrolment, to check whether a learner has previously completed a qualification or not. The app should supplement your existing engagement with a learner about their enrolment including checking their NZQA NZ Record of Achievement (NZRoA).
TEOs can enter a learner’s National Student Number (NSN) and qualification codes starting with ‘NZ’ into the app. The app then checks Single Data Return (SDR) data available from 2015 onwards to determine if the learner has previously completed the qualification.
The app will help to ensure fewer instances of repeated enrolments in the future and support the education of TEOs across the sector.
The app is available on Ngā Kete and further information can be found in the app’s quick reference guide (PDF 574 KB).
Expiring qualifications
A number of TEOs have qualifications that are closed off for new enrolments and about to expire. It is important that you ensure a replacement programme is in place for any qualifications you are delivering that are nearing expiry.
As a reminder, TEC cannot fund expired qualifications. Once the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) assigns an expiry date to a qualification, we will not fund any new students that you enroll after the last date for entry of that qualification (i.e. the last date a learner can be enrolled in a programme leading to this qualification).
These conditions apply if you are a wānanga, private training establishment, Te Pūkenga. As of TEC’s 2021 base funding conditions this also applies if you are a Transitional Industry Training Organisation (TITO).

Posted on

Monitoring update: November 2020

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 26 November 2020
Last updated 26 November 2020

Print

Share

This update includes information about: using correct source of funding codes; the new Privacy Act 2020; and reporting and monitoring of the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF).
This update includes information about: using correct source of funding codes; the new Privacy Act 2020; and reporting and monitoring of the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF).

At the TEC, we gather a range of information about common issues through our monitoring activities. We’re committed to partnering with tertiary education organisations, and sharing learnings from our monitoring work to help the sector build capability so we can all achieve better outcomes for learners.
Using correct source of funding codes
Recently instances have been identified of tertiary education organisations reporting an incorrect source of funding code in the first instance and then amending this once study has commenced.
As a reminder, it is important that you are reporting the correct source of funding code at the time of a learner’s enrolment.
The TEC uses source of funding codes to categorise funding to you and to plan our ongoing investment in tertiary education. StudyLink also administers the Student Support schemes as part of this funding. Different funding codes may offer varying access to student support and changing a funding code once study has started may alter or cease a learner’s entitlement to Student Loan and/or Student Allowance, resulting in a debt to the Crown that will need to be recovered.
To ensure that you are complying with your obligations and to avoid potential issues for you and your learners, please ensure you have appropriate processes in place to correctly determine the relevant source of funding code at the point of a learner’s enrolment.
The Privacy Act 2020
New Zealand has a new Privacy Act which will come into effect on 1 December 2020. Now is a good time for your organisation to review the key changes in the new Act and identify those that are relevant to you.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has developed a number of resources to help everyone get ready for the new Act. We recommend you take some time to review the main changes to ensure you are compliant with the new Act when this comes into force.
Reporting and monitoring of the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund
The Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF) helps learners to undertake vocational education and training in targeted areas without fees.
TTAF covers fees from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2022 and is paid directly to TEOs to enable learners to enrol in a range of training and apprenticeship programmes at sub-degree level for free.
In most instances, the TEC will use existing reporting channels to calculate, report on, and pay TTAF. We will also use our existing auditing processes to help you ensure you are meeting the terms and conditions outlined in your funding agreement.
We also intend to undertake TTAF specific audits to further support the sector with implementation of the new fund and to inform improvements where possible. We will contact you to make the appropriate arrangements if you are selected for one of these audits.
For the full reporting and monitoring conditions, please see the TTAF conditions on the TEC’s website.

Posted on

Fire Safety – Total fire ban for parts of Te Tai Tokerau Northland

Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has declared a prohibited fire season for the Muriwhenua, Hokianga, Ripiro and Paparoa zones of Te Tai Tokerau Northland from 8am on Saturday 1 March, until further notice.
A prohibited fire season means no outdoor fires are allowed and all fire permits are revoked.
Northland District Manager Wipari Henwood says a hot, windy summer with minimal rainfall has elevated the fire danger in these areas.
“The frequent hot days we’re experiencing have increased the chances of a fire taking hold that we will not be able to contain quickly,” he says.
“This week we have had multiple helicopters, trucks, firefighters, and support teams working around the clock to contain a large vegetation fire at the Waipoua River.
“Residents have been evacuated and are still waiting to return to their homes.
“This is a prime example of the impacts a fire can have when it gets out of control.”
Wipari Henwood asks people to think about fire risk before doing things that can generate heat and/or sparks and cause fires.
“If you have any pātai about fire safety, there is good advice and guidance at checkitsalright.nz.”
The attached map shows the boundaries of the fire ban. Please note this map is indicative only, and people should also visit checkitsalright.nz to see what fire season their area is in.