Category: MIL-OSI

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government is taking action to lift the quality of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and restore trust and confidence in the governance of the education workforce.

“We are firmly committed to backing teachers to succeed in the classroom. Multiple reports show initial teacher education is not doing that. It’s letting teachers and students down,” Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

“The latest report from the OECD’s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2024 shows 62 per cent of graduate teachers were not confident in teaching content of all subjects they teach. 54 per cent weren’t confident in pedagogical approaches on how to teach them. Last year, the Education Review Office (ERO) found nearly two thirds of principals report their new teachers are unprepared.

“The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand oversees setting teacher standards and setting requirements for teacher training. This isn’t working. We’re progressing legislative changes to ensure stronger oversight and clearer policy direction in ITE. Teachers deserve better.”

All professional standard setting functions for ITE and the teaching workforce will be moved from the Council to the Ministry of Education.

The Council’s current requirements to provide direction for teachers, enhance the status of the profession, promote best practice, will also be removed from legislation as they sit with existing agencies.

The changes will come into force through legislation, to be progressed in mid-2026.

“With multiple investigations underway into the Teaching Council, we’re responding urgently by reconstituting the board so we can ensure good governance and better ensure the Council acts in the sector’s best interests. The teaching workforce deserves a regulator that they can trust.”

This involves:

1. Immediately providing for seven ministerially appointed members and six elected members, removing the requirement for a teacher educator-elected representative.
2. In future, reducing its size from 13 members to between seven and nine members to ensure stronger governance and professional capability. The requirement for representative electives will remain with one from each of the early childhood education sector, the primary education sector, and the secondary education sector.

The first proposal is a small addition to the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No.2) currently before Parliament and is expected to come into effect in November 2025. The second step is expected to be progressed in 2026. The proposed changes bring the Teaching Council’s governance model in line with other regulatory bodies, such as the Nursing Council of New Zealand.

Source: New Zealand Police

Please attribute to Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin:

Police have charged a man with murder after a woman was found deceased in a Central Auckland apartment yesterday evening.

Police were alerted to a possible incident at a Day Street address at around 7.35pm, and tragically arrived at the apartment a short time later where the woman was located.

A 38-year-old man who is known to the victim has been charged with murder and is expected to appear in Auckland District Court tomorrow.

Police are not seeking anyone else in relation to this homicide but would like to hear from any members of the public who have information which may be relevant to our investigation.

You can get in touch with Police by contacting 105 and quoting file number 251101/3740.

Our investigation is under way with a scene examination to continue today as well as other area enquiries.

There are no further updates available at this early stage.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Police

Police can confirm one person has died following a crash in Ardmore this morning.

Emergency services remain at the scene of the fatal crash, with Airfield and Mullins Roads remaining closed.

Police were called to the single-vehicle crash at about 5.50am.

Airfield Road and Mullins Road are closed, with cordons at Clevedon-Takanini Road, Mill Road and Papakura-Clevedon Road.

All road users are asked to avoid the area and seek an alternative route while the scene is cleared.

The Serious Crash Unit is in attendance and enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.

ENDS.

Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Police

Emergency services are attending a serious crash at the intersection of Airfield and Mullins Roads, Ardmore.

The single-vehicle crash was reported at 5.50am.

At this early stage we can advise that one person has been critically injured.

Both Airfield Road and Mullins Road are closed, with cordons at Clevedon-Takanini Road, Mill Road and Papakura-Clevedon Road.

Police are advising motorists to use alternate routes as road closures may be in place for some time.

The Serious Crash Unit is in attendance and an investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the crash.

ENDS.

Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police

Source: New Zealand Police

Emergency services are responding to a crash on State Highway 2, Kaitoke, north of Upper Hutt.

The crash involved two cars and was reported to Police at 8.30pm.

There are no reports of injuries but the road is blocked and motorists should expect delays.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre. 

Source: New Zealand Government

Five of New Zealand’s busiest hospitals will benefit from the Government’s fast-tracked hospital wards programme, which will deliver a total of 140 new beds in 2026, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

“As part of Budget 2025, we expected to deliver at least three wards. A competitive procurement process has now allowed four wards to be delivered within the same funding, alongside the fifth ward at Hawke’s Bay Hospital announced in February,” Mr Brown says.

The new wards will be located at Middlemore Hospital, Waikato Hospital, Wellington Regional Hospital, Nelson Hospital, and Hawke’s Bay Hospital, and are all expected to become operational during the second half of 2026. Operational funding has also been approved, and planning is underway to ensure the workforce is in place when the new wards open.

“This investment is about delivering practical solutions to meet growing demand. By getting these new hospital wards built quickly through modular design and construction, we’re strengthening hospital capacity so patients can get the care they need when they need it.”

The rapid-build wards will be constructed off-site and installed on hospital grounds, enabling faster, more cost-effective delivery, while also providing flexibility to redeploy units to other hospitals if required.

“These new wards will make a real difference for both patients and staff. They will ease pressure on emergency departments, support faster admissions and discharges, and improve patient flow right across the hospital.”

Each hospital’s unit will serve a specific role in improving performance and patient care:

• Middlemore Hospital – The ward will expand general medicine capacity to relieve pressure on the emergency department and help meet the shorter stays in ED target.
• Waikato Hospital – The ward will operate as an assessment and diagnostic area near the emergency department, providing brief observations and treatment outside the main wards.
• Wellington Regional Hospital – The ward will expand in-patient capacity to support acute flow by caring for lower-acuity patients, help meet the shorter stays in ED target.
• Nelson Hospital – The ward will enable services to be relocated while seismic strengthening work is carried out on existing buildings. Once complete, it will provide additional inpatient capacity to help address current bed shortages and improve patient flow until the new inpatient tower is built.
• Hawke’s Bay Hospital – The ward will be used for short-stay surgical patients and surgical assessments, helping to streamline care for this patient group and free up surgical and medical inpatient beds elsewhere in the hospital.

Mr Brown says the investment is part of the Government’s wider programme to deliver the health infrastructure New Zealanders need to access timely, quality care.

“This is about delivering more capacity, quickly and efficiently, while we continue major rebuilds in Dunedin, Wellington, Nelson, and Whangārei.

“These investments are about making sure our hospitals and frontline health workers have the space, resources, and flexibility they need to meet demand and deliver the best care for patients.”

Source: New Zealand Police

Motorists and pedestrians are being asked to avoid the area around Constellation Busway Station and Sunset Road due to a bus fire.

Just after 1pm, Police were advised that a bus had collided with the edge of an overpass as it passed under it.

The bus has subsequently caught fire and there is a significant amount of smoke in the area.

Cordons are being put in place and motorists and pedestrians are asked to follow the directions of emergency services staff.

Nearby residents and businesses are also advised to close their doors and windows to prevent smoke getting inside their homes.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre. 

Source: New Zealand Police

One person has died following a serious crash in Rangiriri overnight.

Police were called to a two vehicle crash on Rodda Road at around 10pm yesterday.

Sadly, one person was located deceased at the scene.

Two other people were transported to hospital in a critical to serious condition.

The road was closed while the Serious Crash Unit conducted a scene examination.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Source: New Zealand Government

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has concluded his official visit to Malaysia and the Republic of Korea.  

On the final leg of the trip, Mr Luxon attended the APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju where the regional economic situation was the focus. While in Korea, he attended an Indo-Pacific Leaders’ dinner and held bilateral discussions with partners, including the United States and Indonesia, to advance New Zealand’s trade and economic interests.

APEC’s 21 economies receive more than 70 percent of New Zealand’s exports; account for over half of global trade; and have 40 percent of the world’s population.

“It’s critical for New Zealand to play an active part in forums like APEC and the East Asia Summit so we can be heard,” Mr Luxon says.

“The Indo-Pacific region is full of potential and critical to New Zealand’s future prosperity. Our Government is deepening ties to realise that potential. That’s why it’s important to be in the room with other leaders, engaging on what more we can do together, and advocating to advance our interests. 

“That is how we create jobs and opportunities, and lift incomes for Kiwis back at home. That’s what these visits are all about.”

In Korea, the Prime Minister and President Lee Jae Myung launched the New Zealand-Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), marking a new era for the bilateral relationship.

Days earlier in Kuala Lumpur, the Prime Minister concluded a CSP with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – a group of 11 nations with a collective population of 700 million people. 

“These agreements elevate New Zealand’s status, making it easier for Kiwis to do business in these parts of the world, and raise New Zealand’s profile as a partner for trade and investment,” Mr Luxon says. 

The Prime Minister arrives home on Sunday 2 November.