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Health and Politics – Hui to further raise awareness on health woes – NZNO

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

NZNO’s Ōtautahi/Canterbury members will join local leaders and politicians to talk about the dire state of their local hospitals and the public health system at a hui on Thursday.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) will be supported by their Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) and E tū colleagues at the event to raise public awareness and place further pressure on the Government to increase funding for health.
Included among the evening’s speakers is long-serving and long-suffering enrolled nurse Debbie Handisides who says the Government needs to immediately plug the sinking ship that is health care.
“I’m concerned for patient safety, and their health outcomes due to the shortage of doctors, general practitioners, nurses, physios, occupational therapists, pharmacists, midwives and surgeons.
“Our patients are getting delayed health care with longer wait times to see GPs so they report to hospitals more unwell.”
Like virtually every part of the country, Ōtautahi is struggling with under-resourcing and understaffing, and our communities are all feeling the impact, she says.
“Every sector of the health system is crumbling around health workers’ ears. The Government is not providing adequate funding for safe staffing, and they are disguising their frontline hiring freeze.
“Every day, health workers are burning themselves out while compensating for the Government’s refusal to fund a safe and effective health system.
“Patients are at serious risk of harm and are even dying on waiting lists. This is not good enough and we demand action.”
Other speakers include Patient Voice Aotearoa’s Malcolm Mulholland, Councillor and mayoral candidate Sara Templeton, an ASMS spokesperson, Spinal Trust National Programme manager Andrew Hall, and a nursing student representative.
Interview and photo opportunities available
WHEN: Wednesday, 15 May 2025
TIME: 5.30pm-7pm
WHERE: Aldersgate Centre, 309 Durham Street North, Christchurch
Community members are welcome.
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Marine Environment – Attenborough’s Ocean highlights horrors of bottom trawling – Greenpeace

Source: Greenpeace

Greenpeace is welcoming the release of David Attenborough’s latest documentary Ocean, which shines a spotlight on the scale of bottom trawling destruction, and issues an urgent message to turn the tide.
The veteran broadcaster’s latest documentary turns its attention to the brutal realities of industrial fishing, and the damage it’s doing to the global oceans. With never before seen footage of trawling across the seabed, Attenborough attests:
“The idea of bulldozing a rainforest causes outrage, yet we do the same underwater every day.
“Surely you would argue it must be illegal.”
Greenpeace Aotearoa and allies have been campaigning for decades to restrict this damaging fishing practice from where it does the most harm, but has faced continuous pushback from the NZ industry and a lack of ambition from successive governments.
“Despite the NZ fishing industry’s desperate attempts to greenwash itself and claim their activities are sustainable, there is no such thing as sustainable bottom trawling, especially when it happens on sensitive habitats.
“Bottom trawling is destructive by nature. Dragging heavy nets across the seabed destroys coral and sponge habitats on seamount areas, and releases carbon stored in the seabed. It has huge biodiversity and climate impacts. This destructive method also catches and kills huge numbers of non-target species, with anything from dolphins, fur seals and seabirds becoming collateral damage.”
A government report released in 2023 showed that 99% of coral bycatch was attributed to bottom trawling methods over a thirteen year period – 200 tonnes of it having been observed coming up in nets.
“This is only the tip of the iceberg,” says Hooper, “given that most of the coral destroyed by trawlers does not come up in the net.”
“Many fish stocks in New Zealand are also data deficient, meaning we actually don’t know how they’re doing. Signs from some orange roughy populations that have been assessed in recent years do not paint a good picture. They’re showing signs of decline, and breeding groups of fish have disappeared from where they once were.”
“In the middle of an ocean and biodiversity crisis, bottom trawling is too destructive to continue. The industry can try to split the issue any way they want – but the writing is on the wall. And the footage from this documentary really says it all.”
At the end of Ocean, Attenborough encourages world leaders to propose global ocean sanctuaries at the UN Ocean Conference in June.
These sanctuaries, made possible under the hard-won Global Ocean Treaty, would be a critical part of protecting the world’s oceans, including in the Tasman Sea.
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Timaru’s MyWay service is here to stay

Source: PISA results continue to show more to be done for equity in education

Date:

Timaru’s MyWay by Metro on-demand public transport service has been made permanent.

The service was first introduced in June 2020 and now forms part of our continuous programme for public transport in Timaru.

“After a successful trial, we’re proud to make MyWay a permanent service for the Timaru community, and I want to acknowledge the Timaru community, our partners and both the councillors and staff who worked hard to make this possible,” Chair Craig Pauling said.

Ritchies to continue providing the service

We have appointed incumbent trial operator Ritchies until 2032, after a successful tender to provide public transport services in Timaru. Councils are required to periodically test the market for public transport services, to ensure they deliver the best possible service at the best value for ratepayers.

Chair Pauling said that in addition to MyWay becoming permanent, the Council was proud to be able to increase capacity on school and Temuka routes.

“The new contract gives us the ability to increase capacity on the school and Temuka routes and also comes at a decreased cost to our ratepayers.”

“The MyWay fleet will be zero-emissions, excluding when spare vehicles are required, with improved emissions vehicles that will be used for the school and Temuka routes. All of the vehicles being used by the operator will also be equipped with copper-free brake pads,” Chair Pauling said.

“This is fantastic news and reflects on the passion and efforts of our Timaru team and Ritchies commitment to our national zero emissions journey,” said Ritchies Transport CEO Michele Kernahan.

“The innovative thinking behind MyWay and the local team’s willingness to embrace change has played a huge part in the programme’s success.

“MyWay is a great example of putting the customer first, of adapting a traditional model to the consumer’s needs, and we’re proud to have been chosen to continue the MyWay journey,” she added.

MyWay breaking records

Councillor Joe Davies said that the community had strongly supported MyWay, and that the service had reached an exciting milestone, recording the city’s highest level of patronage for almost a quarter of a century.

“We recorded almost 267,000 passenger trips in Timaru over the 2023-24 Financial Year, which is fantastic given where we were before MyWay was introduced,” Councillor Davies said.

The previous record was 263,000 trips recorded in the 2001–02 Financial Year.

Community support key to success

Councillor Peter Scott said the service enabled people to get to where they needed easily, and on demand, which is something he was proud the Council could provide for the community.

“This service has been popular due to its convenience and simplicity, and we are pleased that it can continue into the future,” Councillor Scott said.

“We want to take this opportunity to thank Timaru residents for their ongoing support which has helped make this service such a success,” he added.

Find out more about the MyWay by Metro service.

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In Gaza, nearly every single child is at risk of famine – Save the Children

Source: Save the Children

More than 93% of the children in Gaza – about 930,000 children – are at critical risk of famine, said Save the Children, as new data from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the leading international authority measuring hunger crises, reveals a spiraling hunger catastrophe [1].
The war in Gaza and Israeli authorities’ total siege on the entry of aid and goods have pushed families to take unimaginable measures to survive, says Save the Children. Without urgent action to end the siege and to allow food and medicine into Gaza, one million children are at risk of starvation, disease and ultimately death.
Save the Children staff members have received reports in recent days of families in northern Gaza resorting to desperate measures, including eating animal feed, expired flour and flour mixed with sand, out of desperation to survive.
A 30-year-old father, living in northern Gaza with his pregnant wife and two-year-old child, said:
“I don’t know how to feed my family. There’s no food. I have no choice but to eat things you would never imagine. It’s unfair. She’s weak (his daughter), constantly sick, and can’t get up. She has diarrhoea. She’s in pain from hunger. My wife is going to lose our unborn child.
“It’s desperate here – chaos. We don’t know what awaits us. No one is living a dignified life. Why is this happening to us?”
A 25-year-old mother of four in northern Gaza, whose children were receiving treatment for malnutrition at Save the Children’s healthcare clinic during the brief pause in fighting, said:
“We know what hunger feels like – we’ve tasted death. Our children are just waiting their turn to die.”
Nothing has been allowed to enter Gaza – no food, water, fuel, or medicine – since Israeli authorities imposed a total siege on 2 March 2025. Almost everyone in Gaza depends on humanitarian aid, but with supplies cut off, people have been pushed to desperate measures to survive, while trucks loaded with food sit rotting at the borders. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and community kitchens across the strip have run out of food and been forced to halt operations.
Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, Ahmad Alhendawi, said:
“This is a deliberate humanitarian catastrophe. Children are being starved by design, under Israeli authorities’ total siege. We have the food, we have the aid and we know how to treat malnutrition in children – what we don’t have is access. There is food, water, and medical aid ready to go, but it’s being blocked at the border while families are forced to eat animal feed and leaves, taking unimaginable and dehumanising measures to survive. This is not a crisis of supply; it’s a crisis of access. At any given moment in Gaza, a child, someone’s whole world, could be killed by bombs and bullets, starvation and disease. The international community must act now to open the crossings and deliver life-saving aid. We cannot stand by while an entire population is starved in plain sight.”
Starvation as a method of warfare is strictly prohibited under international law and is codified as a war crime. The denial of humanitarian assistance is also a violation of International Humanitarian Law.
Save the Children is running a primary healthcare centre in Deir Al-Balah providing essential services to children, mothers and families. The collapse of the pause on March 18 has made it extremely difficult for our staff to deliver nutrition services to children and families, despite the high levels of malnutrition among children under the age of five. During the month of April, we were only able to screen 574 children for acute malnutrition compared to more than 10,500 children in January during the pause. Of the children aged under two years who were screened in April, more than one in five were found to have moderate acute malnutrition or severe acute malnutrition, requiring urgent treatment.
[1] The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) provides a common scale for classifying the severity and magnitude of food shortage and acute malnutrition. According to the IPC report released today (12 May), almost all (93%) of Gaza’s 2.1 million people are already enduring “crisis levels” of hunger (IPC Phase 3) or worse. Among them, almost a quarter of a million people are facing catastrophic, “famine-like conditions”, while nearly half the population is in a state of “emergency” hunger. 
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Pizza thief can’t outrun city cameras

Source: New Zealand Police

Police had all the bases covered after an offender stole pizzas in central Auckland on Monday night.

At around 9pm, the victim was walking to her accommodation with recently purchased pizzas on Mayoral Drive.

Auckland Central Area Commander, Inspector Grant Tetzalff, says the male offender approached the woman.

“He initially asked her to hand over the pizzas,” he says.

“When she refused, he walked away before returning and presenting a knife, demanding the pizzas.”

The victim handed over the pizzas unharmed, and the offender ran on foot.

“Units responded to the scene and worked in conjunction with Police Camera Operators,” Inspector Tetzlaff says.

“Police Cameras had tracked the movements of the man within the central city and were able to direct in staff who arrested the man.

“It’s a good example of frontline Police resources working together to keep the city safe and respond to any events that occur.”

Police arrested the 28-year-old man without incident.

He has been charged with aggravated robbery and will be appearing in the Auckland District Court on 16 May.

ENDS.

Amanda Wieneke/NZ Police

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Childhood immunisation rates hit three-year high

Source: NZ Music Month takes to the streets

More than 80 per cent of New Zealand children are now fully immunised by 24 months of age – the highest rate since early 2022, recent Health New Zealand data provided to Health Minister Simeon Brown shows.

“This is a welcome step forward. Just seven months ago, 75.7 per cent of two-year-olds were up to date with their immunisations. Now, that figure has risen to 80.2 per cent – a 4.5 percentage point increase toward our goal of 95 per cent coverage by 2030. This is the highest rate in three years,” Mr Brown says.

This achievement comes as New Zealand confirmed a new case of measles in Auckland this week, underscoring the urgent need to protect both children and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases.

“This case is a timely reminder: measles spreads quickly and can be dangerous, especially for young children. Every child deserves protection from serious illnesses, and that protection starts with immunisation.

“Immunisation not only protects you, but also helps protect those around you, including loved ones and vulnerable community members, from becoming seriously ill or spreading disease.

“That’s why improving childhood immunisation rates is a key priority for our Government. It’s encouraging to see that our targeted approach – backed by a record $16.68 billion health investment across three budgets – is delivering tangible results.

“This result shows our health targets in action, focusing the health system on improving outcomes for New Zealanders. By investing in community-based services and growing our frontline workforce, we are enabling our health system to better protect our most vulnerable.

“We still have work to do, but reaching 80.2 per cent of Kiwi children being vaccinated by 24 months of age is a big step forward. After years of decline, we are now seeing the positive impact of dedicated efforts in general practice, alongside co-ordinated and targeted community-led outreach and support. This result is encouraging, and our focus remains firmly on reaching 95 per cent coverage.

“If your child has missed any vaccines, now is the time to catch up. Don’t wait for an outbreak to take action,” Mr Brown says.

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In Gaza, nearly every single child is at risk of famine

Source: Save The Children

The war in Gaza and Israeli authorities’ total siege on the entry of aid and goods have pushed families to take unimaginable measures to survive, says Save the Children. Without urgent action to end the siege and to allow food and medicine into Gaza, one million children are at risk of starvation, disease and ultimately death.
Save the Children staff members have received reports in recent days of families in northern Gaza resorting to desperate measures, including eating animal feed, expired flour and flour mixed with sand, out of desperation to survive.
A 30-year-old father, living in northern Gaza with his pregnant wife and two-year-old child, said:
“I don’t know how to feed my family. There’s no food. I have no choice but to eat things you would never imagine. It’s unfair. She’s weak (his daughter), constantly sick, and can’t get up. She has diarrhoea. She’s in pain from hunger. My wife is going to lose our unborn child.
“It’s desperate here – chaos. We don’t know what awaits us. No one is living a dignified life. Why is this happening to us?”
A 25-year-old mother of four in northern Gaza, whose children were receiving treatment for malnutrition at Save the Children’s healthcare clinic during the brief pause in fighting, said:
“We know what hunger feels like – we’ve tasted death. Our children are just waiting their turn to die.”
Nothing has been allowed to enter Gaza – no food, water, fuel, or medicine – since Israeli authorities imposed a total siege on 2 March 2025. Almost everyone in Gaza depends on humanitarian aid, but with supplies cut off, people have been pushed to desperate measures to survive, while trucks loaded with food sit rotting at the borders. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and community kitchens across the strip have run out of food and been forced to halt operations.
Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, Ahmad Alhendawi, said:
“This is a deliberate humanitarian catastrophe. Children are being starved by design, under Israeli authorities’ total siege. We have the food, we have the aid and we know how to treat malnutrition in children – what we don’t have is access. There is food, water, and medical aid ready to go, but it’s being blocked at the border while families are forced to eat animal feed and leaves, taking unimaginable and dehumanising measures to survive. This is not a crisis of supply; it’s a crisis of access. At any given moment in Gaza, a child, someone’s whole world, could be killed by bombs and bullets, starvation and disease. The international community must act now to open the crossings and deliver life-saving aid. We cannot stand by while an entire population is starved in plain sight.”
Starvation as a method of warfare is strictly prohibited under international law and is codified as a war crime. The denial of humanitarian assistance is also a violation of International Humanitarian Law.
Save the Children is running a primary healthcare centre in Deir Al-Balah providing essential services to children, mothers and families. The collapse of the pause on March 18 has made it extremely difficult for our staff to deliver nutrition services to children and families, despite the high levels of malnutrition among children under the age of five. During the month of April, we were only able to screen 574 children for acute malnutrition compared to more than 10,500 children in January during the pause. Of the children aged under two years who were screened in April, more than one in five were found to have moderate acute malnutrition or severe acute malnutrition, requiring urgent treatment.  

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Officers not horsing around in Flat Bush

Source: New Zealand Police

It’s never a dull day on the beat, and Sunday night was no different in East Auckland.

Police were called by a member of the public after they spotted a horse galloping along Ravello Rise, Flat Bush.

Counties Manukau East Area Prevention Manager, Inspector Rakana Cook, says two officers nearby attended the job.

Officers’ arrival spooked the horse, which went charging down Jeffs Road.

“The horse has failed to stop for Police and was subsequently followed through a number of side streets for about two kilometres before a car was seen narrowly missing the scared animal. 

“One of our staff managed to coax the horse to slow down with a handful of grass, allowing him to take a hold of the horse’s halter.”

Inspector Cook says animal control were called and enquires were completed at nearby rural properties from where he was first spotted, but no owner was located.

“Eventually a very helpful vet from Clevedon was able to attend and sedate the horse to take him back to their facility.

“The actions of these officer’s no doubt reduced the risk to all road users in the area and demonstrates that Police work is more than just catching criminals.”

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

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Politics and Unions – Unions barred from Budget 2025 lock-up – CTU

Source: New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi (CTU)

The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi has sent an open letter to the Government objecting to its decision to block the NZCTU and other unions from attending the Budget lock-up on 22 May.

“We object in the strongest possible terms to the Government’s decision to bar the NZCTU from the Budget 2025 lock-up. The NZCTU represents over 300,000 workers across the private and public sectors and is the largest democratic organisation in New Zealand,” said NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff.

“Workers will be significantly impacted by the decisions made by government at Budget 2025, and it is important that the NZCTU can accurately report on Budget decisions to ensure working people are properly briefed.

“This Government appears to believe the banks, international financial institutions, and consulting houses are more important than working people, and it seems that is why the representatives of working people have been denied access.

“Last week the Government made the highly controversial decision to unilaterally gut the pay equity claims process. It is therefore unsurprising that it doesn’t want working people to understand the rationale and impacts of its Budget decisions this year,” said Wagstaff.

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Update – homicide investigation, Napier

Source: New Zealand Police

Attribute to Detective Inspector Martin James, District Manager Criminal Investigations:

Police investigating the death of 15-year-old Kaea Karauria from Napier are continuing to assess information from the public.

Kaea was found critically injured at an Alexander Avenue address early on Sunday morning. Despite all efforts by ambulance staff, he died at the scene.

We have received a steady flow of information through the anonymous portal and Crime Stoppers, which is being analysed by the investigation team.

We urge those who saw what occurred to come forward and speak to Police.

The scene examination will conclude today and a post-mortem will also be conducted.

No arrests have been made at this stage.

Anyone with information is asked to make a report online, or by calling 105.

Footage can be uploaded anonymously here.

Please quote the reference number 250511/1317.

Information can also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

Media Note: We are aware there is a lot of media interest in the homicide. Police are not in a position to do any interviews at this stage.