MIL-OSI – Page 217

May 28, 2025

Preparing for winter in Kaikōura

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

Kia ora koutou,

I hope everyone has been able to catch that first glimpse of snow dusting our mountains. This autumn I’ve been enjoying tidying the garden, planting and ticking off some DIY around the house.

I’m pleased to introduce two new recruits to Kaikōura.

Jemima Gardiner-Rodden is our new senior biodiversity advisor who has come to us from the Department of Conservation (DOC), where she worked as a community ranger.

She spent the last four years in Kaikōura learning about its unique biodiversity and ecological threats.

Outside of her work, she volunteers with Fire and Emergency New Zealand and is the chairperson of the Kaikōura Search and Rescue.

Cameron Wolting will also be joining the team at the end of this month as our new Kaikōura biosecurity officer. He’s come from the Bay of Plenty Regional Council with a wealth of knowledge.

Tips to help protect our environment this winter

The coming winter months bring a new set of challenges for keeping our environment safe, particularly for our hardworking farmers.

Recycling bale wrap

Preparing for winter grazing means disposing of bale wrap, and there are ways to do that without harming our environment.

Plasback is a nationwide company that collects bale wrap in Kaikōura. Landowners can collect Plasback bins and liners from Farmlands, PGG Wrightson or order them online. Then, fill the bags with clean bale wrap, with the string bagged separately, and arrange for collection through Anderson Ag Kaikōura.

This means rather than burning the wrap, you’re recycling it, and our environment is better protected.

Minimising effluent spills on our roads

Come June, stock will be on the move as they’re transported for winter grazing, which means doing all we can to prevent effluent spills on our roads and waterways.

While stock truck drivers are responsible for managing their effluent tanks and using appropriate disposal facilities, farmers also play a crucial role. Best practice is to stand animals off green feed for four hours, but no more than 12 hours, before transport.

Minimising effluent spillage means cleaner waterways for drinking and recreation.

Avoid tyre dumping

If you’ve got tyres you need to get rid of, remember to take advantage of the free recycling scheme in Kaikōura.

Residents can recycle their end-of-life tyres at Innovative Waste Kaikōura Ltd (IWK), through the national Tyrewise scheme, free of charge.

You can recycle up to five tyres at a time if they are free of dirt, debris and excess water. Bicycle tyres, tyres for non-motorised equipment such as prams, and pre-cured rubber for retreads will come under Tyrewise at a later stage.

Unfortunately, the scheme doesn’t accept commercial loads or tyres on rims.

Being part of this scheme means avoiding the dumping of tyres, which is illegal and poses a risk to the environment through the discharge of contaminants.

Thank you to the Kaikōura Water Zone Committee

To finish, I want to acknowledge the dedicated mahi of the Kaikōura Water Zone Committee as they reach their ten-year milestone. The committee has been instrumental in connecting with the community and supporting local projects that preserve and protect the health of our environment.

Of note is the successful collaborative Waiau Toa/Clarence Weed Control programme, now underway in its tenth year. This project has involved landowners along the awa, Toitū Te Whenua/Land Information New Zealand, Marlborough District Council, Department of Conservation, Runanga, Boffa Miskell and us.

It’s fantastic to see all these partners taking a vested interest in this largely untouched braided river catchment.

Ngā mihi,

Andrew

May 28, 2025

Financial support lights up replacement log burner options

Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

Date: 28 May 2025

Financial help is available to replace log burners with new, cleaner forms of heating as thousands of wood burners around Canterbury are set to expire by the end of 2027.

When Lorraine and Gerald Brown discovered they had to replace the log burner that had kept their west Christchurch home cosy and warm for the past 15 years, they weren’t sure how they were going to pay for a replacement.

But through a home heating subsidy programme, they’ve secured a new ultra-low emission burner (ULEB) for free. Not only has it halved their heating costs, but they’ve had to take the electric blanket off the bed.

Subsidies making better heating more affordable

To reduce home heating emissions and improve air quality, low-emission wood burners are being phased out in Christchurch, Rangiora, Kaiapoi, Ashburton and Timaru, under the Canterbury Air Regional Plan. As existing log burners expire, homeowners are encouraged to replace them with either a heat pump or ULEB.

“We were gutted when we realised we had to take out our old fire,” Lorraine said.

Thankfully, like many other Cantabrians, the couple were eligible to have their expired wood burner replaced with a ULEB, pellet fire or heat pumps. Through the subsidy scheme, homeowners with an expired burner who are either a Community Services Card or SuperGold Combo card holder, or who live in an eligible Social Deprivation Index area 8-10 are eligible for the subsidy.

“The process was the easiest thing we’ve ever done,” Lorraine says of getting in touch with Community Energy Action (CEA), which organised site visits to assess the home’s existing heating and insulation, providing recommendations based on size and layout. “We barely had to do a thing!”

They were rapt to find out their new ULEB would be supplied and installed at no cost. The couple’s existing insulation they had previously installed themselves was still in great condition and didn’t need replacing. However, they were able to access CEA’s curtain bank, a service where good quality, lined curtains that have been donated and are adjusted to fit, are provided to help people create a warmer, more energy-efficient home.

“Both my husband and I were thrilled with the fire and the process.”

Cleaner heat options warm up winter

Lorraine and Gerald were pleasantly surprised by the amount of heat produced by their new, efficient burner. “We got it in our heads that the new fire wouldn’t be nearly as hot. Boy, were we wrong!” Lorraine says.

“We are delighted with the new fire and the huge amount of heat it throws out. We can’t keep the internal doors shut with the fire going anymore. It’s so warm in here we have to open the house up to let the heat circulate. We’ve even taken the electric blankets off the bed.”

The best part? All that efficiency means the couple are using half as much wood and their new fire creates significantly less ash, which means less cleaning the fire out. “We used to go through eight blocks of wood in a night – we’re now down to four,” Gerald says.

“Our old fire was really big and really pumped out the heat, but this is just so much better!”

Team Leader Northern Compliance, Brian Reeves says modern woodburners produce significantly more heat with less fuel. “This makes modern woodburners more efficient, converting much more of the fuel energy into heat in the room,” he explains.

Importantly, he adds, they are designed to burn much more cleanly than older models, and can help to reduce harmful air pollution in our cities.

Financial assistance to get cleaner heating options

Replacing old wood burners with new, cleaner forms of heating can be a costly exercise at a time when simply making ends meet is front of mind for many.

However, the transition is easier and more affordable, with home heating subsidies available to help low-income households living in Clean Air Zones transition to cleaner forms of heating and further improve air quality. Those who meet the eligibility criteria can get up to 100 per cent of the cost of a replacement ULEB or efficient heat pump.

If you have any questions, contact our advisory team on 0800 324 636.

Alternatively, if you don’t meet the eligibility criteria, you may be able to get a loan from your bank or retailer. Some banks allow you to add the cost of home heating appliances to your mortgage without additional fees, while some retailers offer interest-free loans for a certain period. We encourage you to investigate these options.

May 28, 2025

Further drop in cash rate good news for Kiwis

Source: New Zealand Government

Kiwis can look forward to further falls in interest rates following today’s Monetary Policy Statement, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says.
The Reserve Bank today reduced the Official Cash Rate (OCR) from 3.5 to 3.25 per cent, the sixth consecutive reduction since August last year.
“A lower OCR means lower interest rates for Kiwi businesses and households. For families, it means more money in the household budget and for first home buyers it makes servicing a mortgage more affordable. For businesses, it means lower borrowing costs and customers with more money to spend.
“Today’s announcement shows the work done by the Government to take the pressure off inflation by bringing public spending back under control is continuing to pay dividends.
“In the past nine months the OCR has now fallen 2.25 percentage points with more reductions forecast by the Reserve Bank.
“The impact of this on an individual family will depend on the terms of their mortgage. But, as an example, someone repaying a $500,000 mortgage over 25 years will be more than $300 better off per fortnight if their mortgage rate falls by 2.25 percentage points.
“Our economy is now recovering, but that recovery cannot be taken for granted. Global uncertainty remains high and this presents potential challenges to New Zealand’s growth, inflation and interest rate outlook.
“Now, more than ever, the Government must exercise responsible economic and fiscal management. Our recent Budget did just that, with careful initiatives to drive growth while continuing to put the books back in order.
“Kiwi families have paid a heavy price for the previous government’s reckless spending. It pushed inflation up to decades-high levels, drove up interest rates, ate away the value of earnings and savings and battered the Government’s books.
“Our Government will continue the work to secure economic and fiscal recovery so that New Zealanders can get ahead.”

May 28, 2025

New emergency department for Wellington Regional Hospital

Source: New Zealand Government

Wellington Regional Hospital is set for a major upgrade, with a new emergency department and 126 additional beds and treatment spaces to be delivered as part of the Government’s $1 billion Budget 2025 hospital infrastructure investment, Health Minister Simeon Brown has announced.“This is a major investment in emergency and acute care for the Wellington region, delivering a modern, expanded emergency department to better meet the needs of patients,” Mr Brown says.“Wellington’s ED is currently one of the poorest performing in the country, with outdated infrastructure that is no longer fit for purpose. The current layout is contributing to long wait times and people leaving without receiving care.“Our Government is determined to deliver better for patients, including those in Wellington and the wider region, and this investment is a key part of that. The new, larger emergency department will include 34 additional treatment spaces – boosting capacity from 53 to 87 – to reduce crowding and ensure more patients are seen promptly, especially during peak demand.“The redevelopment will also provide 36 new inpatient beds to ease admission bottlenecks and enable smoother transitions from ED into appropriate care. Another 36 new outpatient consult and treatment spaces will improve access to follow-up care and ease pressure on acute services by supporting earlier intervention and faster recovery.”The project also includes critical upgrades to other key hospital facilities:

Refurbishment of the Old Children’s Hospital, transforming the historic building into a modern environment for clinical and non-clinical staff to support service delivery.
Expansion of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) by four beds to strengthen the hospital’s ability to treat the most critically ill patients and enhance its emergency and pandemic response.
Expansion of the short-stay Medical and Surgical Assessment and Planning Units, providing 16 more additional spaces to support efficient and effective patient flow.
Fit-out of refurbished floors in the Clinical Services Block, bringing underutilised areas back into service to support frontline care and reduce treatment delays.

“These upgrades are essential to ensure Wellington Hospital can deliver timely, high-quality care now and into the future. They’ll relieve pressure on services, improve patient flow, and support modern models of care, while also creating a better working environment for frontline staff.”The previously funded $40 million design and enabling works for the new emergency department are well underway, laying strong foundations for the next stage of construction in 2026. The ICU expansion is expected to be delivered by 2027, ahead of the new emergency department becoming operational in 2029.“Improving hospitals is a top priority for this Government. We are committed to delivering the infrastructure needed to support high-quality, accessible healthcare for all New Zealanders.“This project is about future-proofing Wellington’s emergency care – ensuring that as demand grows, the system is ready to meet it,” Mr Brown says.

May 28, 2025

$161 million school property growth plan for Canterbury

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government’s responding to rapid population growth in Canterbury with a $161 million investment into school property, delivering close to 2,500 student places in the region’s growing school network.

“The Selwyn community has been loud and clear, they don’t have enough classroom space to keep up with demand. We are acting decisively to address this through a comprehensive growth plan to provide certainty and ensure more children can flourish,” Ms Stanford said.

A $108 million investment in Selwyn will deliver a new school with 12 classrooms, 52 classrooms at existing schools, and the purchase of a new site for a future new school.

Ten classrooms at Lincoln Primary School,
A 12-classroom expansion for Ararira Springs Primary School in Lincoln, including two learning support spaces,
A six-classroom expansion at Te Rōhotu Whio Primary School in Rolleston,
An expansion at Te Rau Horopito, including 12 classrooms, six outside technology spaces and multipurpose space,
A 12-classroom expansion and admin spaces at the new campus for Rolleston College,
The purchase of a site in Prebbleton for a primary school, and funding to start construction on the first stage, which includes 12 teaching spaces, an admin area and multipurpose space, and
A site in Lincoln for a new primary school.

“We are committing a further $53 million to add 51 new classrooms, including a new school in the wider Canterbury region to meet the growing student population,” Ms Stanford says.

A new primary school on Milns Road, which includes 12 classrooms, admin block and multipurpose spaces,
Eight classrooms at Woodend School,
Two classrooms for Sefton School,
Four classrooms at Addington Te Kura Taumatua,
Two classrooms at Somerfield Te Kura Wairepo,
Four classrooms at Te Kura o te Tauawa Halswell School.
Three classrooms at Wigram Primary School – Te Piki Kāhu,
Two classrooms for Te Kura o Mōkihi Spreydon School,
Four classrooms at Christchurch East School.
Four classrooms for Knights Stream School – Mingimingi Hautoa and,
Four classrooms for Pareawa Banks Avenue School.
Two classrooms for Hinds School in Mid-Canterbury.

“Delivering this scale of projects in Canterbury was made possible by the Government driving efficiencies in school property delivery. The use of standardised building designs, offsite manufacturing, and streamlining procurement have lowered the average cost of a classroom by 28%. This has allowed 30% more classrooms to be delivered last year compared to the year before.

“All Kiwi kids deserve to thrive at school, that starts with warm, safe and dry classrooms. Our priority is getting spades in the ground as soon as possible so schools, families and communities have certainty and benefit sooner,” Ms Stanford says.

May 28, 2025

PSA calls on Te Roopu Taurima to abide by ERA recommendations

Source: PSA

The PSA is calling on the country’s largest kaupapa Māori community disability provider Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau Trust to accept an Employment Relations Authority (ERA) Facilitator’s recommendation to settle a collective agreement.

Te Roopu Taurima operates residential whare in Te Tai Tokerau/Northland, Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland, Waikato, Waitaha/Canterbury, and a residential mental health whare in Whangārei.

Following 11 days of bargaining and four days in ERA facilitation, Te Roopu Taurima is yet to agree to the Facilitators’ recommendations to settle the collective agreement for its Kaitaataki and Poutaakai staff members, says Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi National Secretary Kerry Davies.

Kaitaataki and Poutaaki are the leaders in disability residential whare and are key to ensuring tangata receive the best support to enable good lives.

“Kaitaataki and Poutaataki continue to be subject to a lockout of additional hours, despite how this can affect tangata, kaiawhina (support workers they lead) and their own whānau,” Davies says.

“Our members, many of whom are Māori, Pasifika, and migrant workers, have reported losses in earnings of hundreds of dollars, which as already underpaid workers, they cannot afford.

“At the same time the lockout is resulting in shortages of available staff in some whare. It’s a ridiculous lose-lose situation for Te Roopu Taurima, its workers and the people they care for,” Davies says. “It is unusual and baffling as to why Te Roopu Taurima have not accepted the Facilitator’s recommendations.

“Both parties have a responsibility to seriously consider and accept the Facilitator’s recommendations except in extraordinary circumstances.

“Te Roopu Taurima and its bargaining team, who seem determined to continue a dispute without good cause, are failing the workers and the people who rely on them for support,” Davies says.

May 28, 2025

2024 Tactical Options Report released

Source: New Zealand Police

The 2024 Tactical Options Report (TOR) finds the use of force by New Zealand Police remains low, consistent with previous years.

“It’s reassuring that even with an increase in our interactions with the public, we haven’t seen an increase in the need to use tactical options,” says Assistant Commissioner Sam Hoyle.

Out of the 2,617,486 interactions Police had with the public in 2024, only 0.3% involved the use of force/tactical options. That’s one in every 338 events.

The number of TOR events in 2024 was just under the number of events in 2023 (by 17) while the number of interactions Police have with the public increased (by 1,630).

The number of TOR events and the number of violence offences both increased from 2018, but both stabilised between 2023 and 2024.

“Frontline policing is a dynamic, unpredictable and occasionally volatile environment. We can walk into highly charged situations and sometimes communication alone will not de-escalate the situation.

“While we don’t want to use force, at times we have to in order to protect the public and ourselves. Our staff are trained to use the least amount of force necessary to bring conflict to a safe resolution.

“Police’s Tactical Response Model and ongoing frontline safety training has ensured our frontline is trained, equipped, and supported to keep themselves and our communities safer.”

Gang members accounted for 10 percent of TOR events in 2024 (up 1%) despite making up only 0.2 percent of the national population, Police are 50 times more likely to need to use force in these interactions.

In 99% of events where Police used firearms, they were only presented not fired. And the use of TASER has remained consistent with only the presentation of a TASER resolving most situations, and only one in five events requiring a TASER discharge.

“It’s important that our use of force lives up to the trust and confidence the public place in us.”

The most recent New Zealand Crime and Victims Survey (NZCVS) found that 83% of the public believe New Zealand Police conduct duties professionally and trust and confidence in Police rose 2%.

The information in TOR helps Police to understand patterns in where, when, and how force is used, the factors associated with it, as well as risks to staff, members of the public, and the organisation. This can sometimes identify areas of interest or concern for further investigation and/or research.

You can view the 2024 report and previous ones at: https://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/publication/tactical-options-and-environment-and-response-research-reports

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

May 28, 2025

Historic SDR and IND resources

Source: Tertiary Education Commission

Last updated 28 May 2025
Last updated 28 May 2025

This page contains key resources for Single Data Returns (SDRs) and Indicative Enrolment Collections (INDs) for prior periods.
This page contains key resources for Single Data Returns (SDRs) and Indicative Enrolment Collections (INDs) for prior periods.

May 28, 2025

Transport – Poor roads and ferry delays a major risk to safety and the economy

Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

The road freight industry is warning the poor state of New Zealand’s roads are having a serious impact on the safety of road users.

And there are major concerns delays over replacements for the Interislander Cook Strait ferries could have a big negative flow-on effect for the economy.

Billy Clemens, the Policy and Advocacy Head at Transporting New Zealand, says the vast majority (93 per cent) of respondents in the 2025 National Road Freight Industry Survey agreed poor road maintenance is putting truck drivers and other road users at risk.

As well, a significant number (84 per cent), believed that regional roads and bridges are neglected, and that delays in replacing the Cook Strait ferries pose a major risk (79 per cent). (The survey was done before the announcement that the Aratere is to be retired in August.)

The 2025 National Road Freight Industry Survey of nearly 200 road freight businesses was conducted in March this year by Research NZ on behalf of advocacy group Transporting New Zealand. The survey was also supported by the New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association and Groundspread NZ. It represents the most extensive industry snapshot in over a decade.

“The survey painted a gloomy financial picture for business – only 34 per cent of those surveyed expected their financial situation to improve over the next 12 months, and only one in four respondents reported having sustainable operating margins,” Clemens says.

Health, safety and wellbeing are big concerns for the industry, with 78 per cent of respondents calling for more purpose-designed rest stops for drivers, and 72 per cent saying it was important for drivers to have a good work-life balance.

About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country.

Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.

May 28, 2025

Ukraine: Air raid sirens halted one in every five lessons this school year – Save the Children

Source: Save the Children

Air raid sirens forced children in Ukraine to miss an average of one in every five school lessons during the past academic year that ends this week with pupils preparing the third consecutive summer under war, Save the Children said.

In some regions, pupils missed over half of their classes during the 2024-2025 academic year due to air raid sirens, according to a Save the Children analysis of publicly available data [2] about the frequency of air raid alerts and impact on education from 2 September 2024 to 11 May 2025.

Save the Children’s analysis, using methodology developed this year, [2] found if students had five lessons in a typical day, on average they would miss one due to air raid sirens. This sustained disruption is putting an entire generation’s learning and development at risk, and chipping away at children’s mental wellbeing.

The most significant disruptions to the education process occurred in the northern and central regions of Ukraine – those closest to the frontline of fighting. Children in the Sumy region were the most impacted, missing an estimated 85% of all scheduled lessons, equivalent to about 700 out of 830 lessons. Kharkiv and Donetsk regions had visibly higher losses than most other regions, with students missing over two thirds of lessons over the year.

For the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, territories located near active hostilities, students missed out on over 40% of lessons. The analysis is released in the same week as the 10th anniversary of the Safe Schools Declaration , [1] the inter-governmental political commitment to protect schools, students and teachers during armed conflict. It is based on methodology developed by the Center for Education in Emergencies Research as part of the 2024-2026 Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP Ukraine), funded by the global fund Education Cannot Wait.

Across Ukraine, children live in constant fear of potential attacks that frequently keep them home from school, as air raid sirens often start in the morning and persist throughout the school day. Since February 2022, more than 4,000 educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed, including 229 schools, 110 kindergartens, and 97 universities. Air raid sirens in Ukraine are only activated in case of a real threat or emergency.

When a siren sounds, teachers must immediately stop the lesson and escort children to a shelter. Classes can only resume if the shelter is properly equipped as a temporary learning space which is rarely the case. Even in schools operating online due to security concerns or a lack of shelters, lessons are interrupted as children must still seek shelter during alerts.

Students must remain in a safe place until the threat has passed. With the escalation of conflict coming just a year after schools re-opened following the COVID-19 pandemic, the toll of lost learning has been immense. UNESCO data shows that schools in Ukraine were fully closed for 125 learning days [3] during the pandemic and partially closed for a further 95.

A quarter of children – 24% – are still restricted to online learning only, due to lack of shelters in schools and other security issues.

Halyna-, a mother and a teacher from Mykolaiv, who teaches in person, said:

“Our children have been through such a distressing experience. They constantly read news channels, they understand what ballistics are, how missiles are launched, their potential trajectory, and the different types of explosions. They know what it means when a missile is launched and when it hits. They understand all of it. But understanding doesn’t take away the fear. The psychological stress they’re under is immense.”

Sonia Khush, Country Director for Save the Children in Ukraine, said:

“Children in Ukraine, especially those who live in the East and near the frontline, are under constant stress because of air raid sirens both day and night. “Due to bombs and drones, school is no longer a safe space. All parties to the conflict must protect education – schools, kindergartens, universities – in line with the commitments of the Safe Schools Declaration. While Ukraine has been forced to get used to a new normal, children’s rights must be guaranteed. We call on the international community, governments, and all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety of schools and uphold children’s right to learn in peace”.

May 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the Safe Schools Declaration. A total of 121 states have committed to taking concrete steps to prevent attacks on education, avoid the use of schools for military purposes, and safeguard the right to learn even in times of crisis.

As the Declaration states, ” Every boy and girl have the right to an education without fear of violence or attack. Every school should be a protected space for students to learn, and fulfill their potential, even during war.”

Save the Children has been working in Ukraine since 2014. Since 24 February 2022, the children’s rights agency has dramatically scaled up its operations and now has a team of 250 staff based in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipro, Donetsk and Chernivtsi. Working with more than 25 partners, the organisation has provided essential support and reached more than 3.44 million people, including around 1.4 million children.

[1] In November 2019, Ukraine became the 100th country to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration.

[2] Save the Children broadly followed the methodology adopted in this Center of Excellence of Education study to estimate lessons lost due to air raid alerts that occurred on school days and during school hours, using a publicly accessible database of air raid alerts available here. Only oblast level alerts were considered. Since the length of the school day and the number and length of lessons varies by grade, we took averages to work out estimates across school children of all ages. Given that an alert is likely to lead to learning disruption longer than just the length of the alert, following Vox Ukraine’s methodology, we considered any alert in secondary school of between 5 and 59 minutes as leading to the loss of an entire lesson, while for primary students a lesson was considered lost as a result of any alert lasting between 5 and 54 minutes since primary school lessons are shorter. School holidays vary between schools; however, we followed announcements in local news articles to guide identification of holiday days which with weekends and public holidays were not counted in the calculations.

[3] Excluding holidays