NZ Engine

Source: Radio New Zealand

National and Labour are joining forces to get modern slavery legislation into Parliament, using a new process to skip the biscuit tin for the first time.

National’s Greg Fleming and Labour’s Camilla Belich have agreed to co-sponsor the bill.

The bill strengthens reporting to Parliament, brings in public naming and potential liability for directors and senior managers, along with fines up to $200,000 for companies that fail to report on modern slavery.

The move marks the first time Parliament has used a new rule allowing a bipartisan majority to have a member’s bill progress without being pulled from the ‘biscuit tin’ ballot.

It would also introduce civil penalties of up to $600,000, give the Human Rights Commission a formal role and create a public register of reports.

A capacity for future reviews would include the potential for establishment of an anti-slavery commissioner.

In a statement, Fleming said the issue of modern slavery was close to his heart and he had been working on the legislation since coming to Parliament.

“It’s time that New Zealand has a coordinated framework to deal with modern slavery, and this bill does just that,” he said.

Belich said the legislation would also bring New Zealand into line with partners like the United Kingdom and European Union.

“Workers in New Zealand and around the world should never face the horrors of modern slavery. It’s time New Zealand stood with other countries and acted,” she said.

“When we signed free trade agreements with these partners, we said we would act on modern slavery, and through this joint Bill we are keeping that promise. I’m proud that both sides of the House have come together to stand against exploitation, and grateful to the advocates, organisations and businesses who have pushed for this change.”

Parliament’s internal rules – called standing orders – were updated as part of a 2020 review with a new process enabling the automatic introduction of a member’s bill if it gets formal expressions of support from at least 61 non-executive MPs – those who are not ministers or Parliamentary under-secretaries.

The bill was lodged this morning, and with that rule – standing order 288 – invoked, it will be introduced to Parliament on the next sitting day, 10 February.

Thousands enslaved

One tracker estimated 8000 people in New Zealand were living in modern slavery, comparatively low compared to other countries – placing it 148th out of 160 states for slavery prevalence.

Police in August last year said they had 31 ongoing investigations into the matter.

World Vision found in 2019 that 5 percent of New Zealand’s total imports were shown to be linked to child labour or forced labour.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

National and Labour are joining forces to get modern slavery legislation into Parliament, using a new process to skip the biscuit tin for the first time.

National’s Greg Fleming and Labour’s Camilla Belich have agreed to co-sponsor the bill.

The bill strengthens reporting to Parliament, brings in public naming and potential liability for directors and senior managers, along with fines up to $200,000 for companies that fail to report on modern slavery.

The move marks the first time Parliament has used a new rule allowing a bipartisan majority to have a member’s bill progress without being pulled from the ‘biscuit tin’ ballot.

It would also introduce civil penalties of up to $600,000, give the Human Rights Commission a formal role and create a public register of reports.

A capacity for future reviews would include the potential for establishment of an anti-slavery commissioner.

In a statement, Fleming said the issue of modern slavery was close to his heart and he had been working on the legislation since coming to Parliament.

“It’s time that New Zealand has a coordinated framework to deal with modern slavery, and this bill does just that,” he said.

Belich said the legislation would also bring New Zealand into line with partners like the United Kingdom and European Union.

“Workers in New Zealand and around the world should never face the horrors of modern slavery. It’s time New Zealand stood with other countries and acted,” she said.

“When we signed free trade agreements with these partners, we said we would act on modern slavery, and through this joint Bill we are keeping that promise. I’m proud that both sides of the House have come together to stand against exploitation, and grateful to the advocates, organisations and businesses who have pushed for this change.”

Parliament’s internal rules – called standing orders – were updated as part of a 2020 review with a new process enabling the automatic introduction of a member’s bill if it gets formal expressions of support from at least 61 non-executive MPs – those who are not ministers or Parliamentary under-secretaries.

The bill was lodged this morning, and with that rule – standing order 288 – invoked, it will be introduced to Parliament on the next sitting day, 10 February.

Thousands enslaved

One tracker estimated 8000 people in New Zealand were living in modern slavery, comparatively low compared to other countries – placing it 148th out of 160 states for slavery prevalence.

Police in August last year said they had 31 ongoing investigations into the matter.

World Vision found in 2019 that 5 percent of New Zealand’s total imports were shown to be linked to child labour or forced labour.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have recovered the bodies from a fatal helicopter crash north of Wellington.

The crash happened near Paekākāriki Hill on Wednesday morning.

Both the pilot and a passenger were found dead.

Kāpiti-Mana Area Commander Inspector Renée Perkins said in an update on Thursday that a significant recovery operation took place to recover both victims from the crash site.

“Police are working to formally confirm the identity of those who were recovered, but are unable to do so at this stage of the investigation,” Inspector Perkins said.

“Our thoughts remain with their families and friends at this time.”

A witness told RNZ he understood the helicopter was involved in goat culling in the area.

The man, who was first to reach the crash, said he was checking a body for vital signs as the Westpac rescue chopper arrived.

He said he could not find any sign of life before he made the call to get clear of the aircraft.

The man said the Westpac crew soon spotted another body in thick scrub, on steep terrain some distance from the wreckage.

Cordons remain in place around the Battle Hill campground while police examine the scene.

Civil Aviation Authority investigators have completed their preliminary scene examination.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A crew of volunteers on quad bikes are delivering essentials and doing welfare checks for residents with cut off homes in the flood-hit East Cape.

The volunteers had been dropping off gas bottles and food to residents along with helping clear up rubbish and debris from the area.

Te Hemara Rau-Hihi, was one of those volunteers, he told Checkpoint, Wednesday involved a run to the dump for volunteers who went over to the rural community of Horoera to collect everyone’s rubbish.

He said he didn’t have many words to describe the devastation to the East Cape.

“Some have said it’s a war zone… I think we’re lucky it was only a whole day’s worth [of flooding], and we’ve actually had a lot of sunshine since. Right now it’s dusty.”

Rau-Hihi said many gardens which residents used to grow food had been water-logged and there was stock which hadn’t been accounted for due to fences being knocked over in the storm.

People in the area were used to cutting tracks, he said.

“We’ve got farmers and daredevils to a certain point, but we’re cutting a track as a lifeline to someone who is 90 plus years old needing their medicine and so on…”

Many of the problem areas were the same problem areas from previous storms, Rau-Hihi said, which he said was “not good enough”.

“The money that comes through isn’t enough. I’m no expert on roading but if stuff keeps on happening in the same places there’s something wrong there.”

The East Cape community was however, resilient, he said, and a proud community who had been in the area for generations.

“So regardless of what the weather will bring these people are going to be here for 100 more years, so it’s problem-solving on how we can limit the problems that arise.”

What the community needed most at the moment from the general public was donations, Rau-Hihi said.

“People here are not keen on putting their hand out and saying ‘I need this, I need that’, but donations count, any little resource counts. I know for a fact that it’s just not good enough what our situation at the moment is.

He noted a fund had been set up by Manaaki Matakāoa to help with essential supplies, fuel, recovery efforts and heli-transport for goods and stranded whānau and there was a Givealittle for a family who had to be rescued from their rooftop in Punaruku.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Work is continuing on opening roads in the North Island after last week’s severe weather wreaked havoc on the transport network.

Slips and flooding have significantly damaged State Highway 35 on the East Coast and State Highway 25 in the Coromandel.

NZ Transport Agency regional transport services manager Mark Owen told Morning Report crews were making progress and a section of State Highway 25 at Kuaotunu had reopened.

However, the highway remained closed between Whangamatā and Whiritoa.

“Quite a lot of major work in there and we’ll have an update later this week when we hope to have that section of State Highway 25 open,” Owen said.

Owen said there were dozens of slips through the Waioweka Gorge, which connected Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty.

“State Highway 2 is closed through the Waioweka Gorge between Ōpōtiki and Mātāwai, unfortunately there’s been massive damage in there. Crews are beavering away at each end, they’re doing a full assessment and once we know more we hope to be able to give some indications later this week as to when it may open,” he said.

“If and when it does it will still probably be many sections of one lane, and lots of longer term recovery work required through the gorge.

“Teams are working, we’ve got all the expertise we need, it’s just going to take some time.”

Owen said crews were also carrying out remediation work.

“When we put back we do try and put back better. We do sort of try and factor in the fact that we’re getting more of these intense weather events,” he said.

“The good news is what we’re seeing post Cyclone Gabrielle is a lot of those areas we have repaired have stood up really well. So it’s not now other more vulnerable sections of the highway that have been impacted.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand