Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager has joined the thousands of New Zealanders taking part in the annual game bird hunting season opening. 
He spent the morning at Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau / Sinclair Wetlands, a 315-hectare portion of the Lakes Waihola-Waipori wetland south of Dunedin, hosted by Fish & Game New Zealand.
“It was awesome being out there with fellow hunters as the sun rose on opening day,” Mr Meager says. 
“This isn’t just recreation — it’s about sustainably harvesting food, teaching the next generation important skills, and maintaining connections to our heritage that stretch back for generations.”
The game bird season opener saw an estimated 60,000 people head to wetlands and waterways across the country, many travelling significant distances from urban centres.
“Fish & Game regions across the country do a great job managing the game-bird populations, looking after wetlands, waterways and wildlife habitats, and making sure this tradition stays sustainable for future generations,” Mr Meager says.
“My priority is to make it as simple as possible for Kiwis to go hunting and fishing in New Zealand. What I saw today was people from all walks of life coming together to do just that.
“Hunters understand the effort and responsibility involved in harvesting wild food, and there’s real value in that knowledge. We back our hunters to be part of the conservation solution and will continue to ensure Fish & Game are a responsible, responsive and collaborative organisation providing value for licence-holders’ money.”

Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

Associate Education Minister David Seymour says that new up-to-date attendance data is helping provide fresh insights into student attendance. For example, data for the first week of term 2 shows the effect of wild weather and which regions were standouts.
The average attendance across week 1 is 87.1 per cent.
“The daily school attendance dashboard kicked off this year. It facilitates the daily recording and publication of student attendance, meaning data for week one of term 2 is already available,” says Mr Seymour.
“It’s pretty clear that areas hit worst by the stormy weather had significant drop offs towards the end of the week. For example, Canterbury and Chatham Islands recorded 90.2% on the first two days of term but dropped to 76.9% on Thursday when the storm hit. I expect attendance to increase again with better forecasts next week.
“The dashboard provides region-specific data and insights. Over the school holidays I wrote to all mayors across New Zealand urging them to check out their region’s statistics so they can help raise awareness and spark local action.
“My letter didn’t ask them to spend money, or hire more bureaucrats, or make more rules. All it asked was for community leaders to play a positive role encouraging young people to get to school. 
“My goal is that all of us take ownership of the attendance problem, because in the long term, all of us will pay for it if children aren’t educated and prepared for the 21st century.
“I congratulate students in the Otago region, who were the most eager to return to school. On Monday, the first day of term 2, 91.7% of students were at school. The Nelson region wasn’t far behind them on 91.5%. 
“Thanks to the daily data, we can finally start to see trends in attendance as they occur. This is going to help educators, parents, community leaders, and the Government target areas in need and more effectively support students back to school.
“Green shoots are present, and we need to keep building on them. In every term in 2024 attendance improved on the same term in 2023. The Government will work with students, parents and educators to build on this.
“There is still more work to do. The Government’s attendance target is 80 per cent of students present for more than 90 per cent of the term. To reach this goal, daily attendance rates of 94 per cent are required. No region achieved this on any day this week. I will be announcing more on how we can help progress further towards our target in weeks to come. 
“It will be mandatory for schools to have their own attendance management plan, such as the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) in place by Term 1 of 2026. 
“The basic premise of our flagship STAR is that no child is left behind.  
This means every day at school is important, and interventions will follow if absences build up. This could mean consequences for the most uncooperative parents. I would like to acknowledge the work of the 67 per cent of schools who have already in engaged in some form of STAR.
“Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes. Positive educational outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, better job stability and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves.”
Attendance data can be found here Attendance | Education Counts 

Source: Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)

The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) today issued an urgent call to governments across Australia to engage in genuine negotiations to resolve the pressing issues facing the NSW Health surgical workforce.

Australians are now waiting almost twice as long on average for elective surgery than they were 20 years ago. Workforce pressures and chronic understaffing have contributed to a decline in performance across the country, putting immense strain on both clinicians and patients.

“Our surgeons are dedicated to providing the highest standard of care for patients across NSW Health public hospitals, however, they cannot continue to do so under the current conditions,” said outgoing RACS President, Associate Professor Kerin Fielding.

“We are increasingly seeing bureaucratic overreach and planning without senior clinician input, which has escalated over the past year. This has significantly impacted surgeon work practices, workforce wellbeing, surgical training, and most importantly, patient safety.”

Associate Professor Fielding warned that the current conditions have led to resignations and industrial action across multiple jurisdictions, exemplified by recent strikes in NSW and the resignations in ACT.

“The industrial action reflects the consequences of chronic understaffing, unmanageable workloads, and poor working conditions. These issues threaten the quality of patient care and jeopardise the sustainability of our healthcare system both in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand,” Associate Professor Fielding said.

In addition to advocating for systemic reform, surgeons will come together this weekend at the College’s Annual Scientific Congress to discuss strategies for working with governments to reduce elective surgery waiting lists. The gathering aims to foster collaborative solutions to improve access and reduce delays for patients awaiting vital procedures.

The College’s concerns are backed by a recent national survey conducted by the Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation, which revealed mounting fears of a widespread exodus of medical professionals from public hospitals across Australia.

“Without meaningful reform and collaboration, the system is under serious threat, many surgeons will leave the public sector, costing the government millions in training and support. We must work together now to turn this situation around before it’s too late.”

The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons urges all stakeholders to prioritise dialogue and action to ensure a sustainable, safe, and high-quality surgical care system across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

About the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)

RACS is the leading advocate for surgical standards, professionalism and surgical education in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. The College is a not-for-profit organisation that represents more than 8000 surgeons and 1300 surgical trainees and Specialist International Medical Graduates. RACS also supports healthcare and surgical education in the Asia-Pacific region and is a substantial funder of surgical research. There are nine surgical specialties in Australasia being: Cardiothoracic Surgery, General Surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Paediatric Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Urology and Vascular Surgery. www.surgeons.org

SOURCE: African Energy Chamber

Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

Access to urgent healthcare on weekends will be restored in Tairāwhiti this Saturday (3 May 2025) with the launch of a new service, Health Minister Simeon Brown has announced.
“Improving access to doctors and nurses is a key priority for this Government. We’re taking action to make sure the people of Tairāwhiti can get the care they need – when and where they need it,” Mr Brown says.
“Urgent care and after-hours services are vital for people with non-life-threatening conditions who still need prompt medical attention but cannot wait until the next day to be seen.
“This new service will both restore and expand access to urgent care on weekends and public holidays in the region, with weekday after-hours services to be added as workforce capacity allows.”
The upgraded service replaces the previous arrangements between general practices with extended weekend hours and the addition of public holidays, and will be delivered from Ngāti Porou Oranga at Puhi Kaiti Medical Centre, 75 Huxley Road. It will include: 

A walk-in or phone-first service with access to a nurse, nurse practitioner, or doctor
A local nurse-led phone line operating during the same hours as the clinic
Health navigation services to help patients access the right care.

As always, those with medical emergencies should go directly to Gisborne Hospital’s Emergency Department or call 111 for an ambulance.
“This service is also about easing pressure on Gisborne Hospital’s emergency department during weekends and public holidays. It allows emergency teams to focus on life-threatening conditions, while people with less urgent needs can get timely care in the community.
“Gisborne Hospital has a relatively high number of presentations that are triaged as lower-acuity categories – four and five – compared to other hospitals across the country. Many of these patients will be better served through this new community-based urgent care option.
“I’m pleased that Health New Zealand, in partnership with the Te Rōpū Matua collective through Ngāti Porou Oranga, is able to provide the people of Tairāwhiti certainty and reassurance that after-hours care will be available now and into the future.
“This is all part of the Government’s plan to ensure New Zealanders can access timely, quality healthcare,” Mr Brown says.