NZ Engine

Source: Secondary teachers question rationale for changes to relationship education guidelines

Over the sun-soaked days of summer, a dedicated crew in bright blue shirts was hard at work at marinas, boat ramps, and community events across Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland.

These were the biosecurity champions – nineteen passionate people on a mission to protect the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana and its precious islands from invasive pests.

Armed with knowledge, smiles, and a deep love for nature, the champions clocked over 2,000 hours over the season, connecting with nearly 15,000 boaties, fishers, divers, and curious beachgoers.

Their goal?

To stop hitchhiking pests like rats, plague skinks, and Argentine ants from sneaking onto the Gulf’s predator-free islands, home to rare species like saddlebacks, blue penguins, and kiwi.

“It’s been an awesome summer out at local marinas and boat ramps, chatting with boaties and the local community about our beautiful Hauraki Gulf and the biosecurity risks it faces!” said Anna Moir, a returning champion.

“People really want to help once they know how important it is. I’ve felt empowered and proud to be part of the fight to protect our little slice of paradise.”

Their message was simple but powerful: check, clean, and close your gear. Whether it’s a chilly bin, dive bag, or a kayak hatch, any place a pest can hide needs to be checked before heading to an island; even things like firewood, pot plants, or muddy shoes can carry biosecurity threats.

The champions were vital in spreading the word about new Controlled Area Notices (CANs) and educating the public on marine pests like exotic caulerpa. They brought biosecurity to the forefront at big events like the Auckland Boat Show and the Moana Festival where people not only learned but got excited about helping out.

For Lewis Luo, a first-time champion, the role was more than just a summer job.

“This role has given me a wonderful feeling of community. I feel privileged to work alongside such a talented and like-minded team to help protect our wonderful Hauraki Gulf.”

Inspired by his experience, Lewis is now planning a career in environmental protection.

Thanks to funding from the Natural Environment Targeted Rate (NETR) and support from Biosecurity New Zealand, this was the largest group of champions yet. And judging by the smiles, stories, and new awareness sparked this summer, it won’t be the last.

Want to be part of something meaningful next summer? Join the Biosecurity Champions and help ensure our islands remain pest free for generations to come.

Your bright blue shirt could be the start of something big.

Everyone is encouraged to stay informed and play an active role as a Biosecurity Champion.

Contact us: biosecurity@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz if you have concerns or want to report a pest sighting.

Source: Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment MBIE (2)

These new organisations, formed by merging and refocusing New Zealand’s 7 existing Crown Research Institutes, will concentrate on key areas of national importance to deliver a science system that is more connected, more commercially focused, and better aligned with the needs of New Zealand.  

The new institutes will be:

• New Zealand Institute for Bioeconomy Science – advancing innovation in agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, biotechnology and manufacturing; protecting ecosystems from biosecurity threats and climate risks; and developing new bio-based technologies and products.
• New Zealand Institute for Earth Science – supporting energy security and sustainability; developing land, marine and mineral resources; and improving resilience to natural hazards and climate-related risks.
• New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science – strengthening public health through disease detection and response; and supporting public safety through forensic science services.

To lead this transformation, Barry Harris has been appointed Chair of the Bioeconomy Science Institute, and David Smol has been appointed Chair of the Earth Science Institute. Both bring outstanding leadership and deep sector experience and will be supported by highly capable deputy chairs and directors. 

Kim Wallace has been appointed Deputy Chair for the Institute for Bioeconomy Science, with Candace Kinser, Andrew Morrison and Gray Baldwin as directors.

Mary-Anne Macleod will be Deputy Chair for the Earth Science Institute alongside directors Paul Connell, Paul White, Peter Landon-Lane and Professor Chris Bumby.

Existing governance will remain in place for the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) as they refocus to become the Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science.

See existing governance for ESR:

Our people(external link) — ESR

Read the Minister’s announcement:

Bold science reforms to fuel economic growth(external link) — Beehive.govt.nz

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ACT Justice spokesman Todd Stephenson is disappointed, but not surprised, at the Green Party’s plan to release criminals in order to partially fund their latest socialist manifesto.

“Buried in their proposed budget is a $770 million ‘saving’ from ‘averting increase in prisoner numbers’ – with no further explanation.

“That’s just doublespeak for opening the prison gates and letting thugs and thieves back onto our streets.

“Even taking the most inflated prisoner cost figures at face value, this amounts to 3,850 criminals being released into the community.

“I’m disappointed, but not surprised, that this is the latest wacky idea from the Greens. This is the same party that fundraises for prison and police abolition groups, criticises increased beat patrols and lies about how many people are in prison due to non-violent offences.

“Even then, their soft-on-crime plan wouldn’t pay for more than a third of their $2.5 billion hiring spree for bureaucrats. It’s a dangerous and unserious idea from a party that clearly doesn’t care about public safety.”

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“The Greens’ proposal to blow out the national debt to 54 percent of GDP shows why we need financial literacy in schools,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Anyone with a mortgage understands that when you’re deep in debt, you end up spending so much on the interest that you can’t cover the essentials. We’re already burning through nearly $9 billion a year just to pay the interest on Government debt.

“At last count, our national debt is growing by almost $2 million an hour, or more than $47 million a day.

“Now the Greens want to heap on more than $40 billion in new borrowing compared to 2024 – a staggering figure that will fall on the shoulders of young people and children that aren’t yet born. That means billions more in interest payments, siphoned away from the very services the Greens claim to care about.

“The Greens reckon their numbers will add up by just taxing Kiwis harder – 39% for income above $120,000, 45% at $180,000, a new tax on assets, a higher company tax rate, and an inheritance tax that would force farming families to sell their generational land.

“Anyone with the financial sense the Greens lack would simply take their career, their business, and their money overseas.

“A private jet tax isn’t a serious policy proposal; it’s an empty display of the Greens’ eat-the-rich mentality. They want us to believe all our problems are caused by other people’s success, because they can’t be bothered coming up with any ideas that would generate new wealth to meet our country’s challenges.

“The Left’s ideas are all about telling successful New Zealanders ‘you’re not welcome here’, dividing the wealth we have rather than creating more, and siphoning off more money for the Wellington bureaucracy. It all adds up to a poorer, more miserable New Zealand.

“ACT says we need to put power back in the hands of people, not bureaucrats. That means choosing freedom over control, responsibility over excuses, and aspiration over resentment.”

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ACT Conservation spokesperson Cameron Luxton is welcoming the Hunting and Fishing Minister’s moves toward designating wapiti as a Herd of Special Interest in Fiordland National Park, calling it a win for conservation, regional tourism, and common sense.

“The Fiordland Wapiti Foundation has spent years doing what government departments struggle to do. They manage the herd, trap pests, maintain huts, and protect native species like the blue duck/whio. And they do it all without asking taxpayers for a cent,” says Luxton.

Forest and Bird has opposed the move, comparing it to creating a ‘sanctuary for stoats.’

“That sort of rhetoric says more about Forest and Bird’s eco-fundamentalist ideology than the facts. We’re never going back to a pre-human ecology. Allowing hunter-led management of the wapiti population frees up DoC resources to deal with greater threats to native wildlife, such as stoats and rats.

“Forest and Bird needs to wake up and realise that hunters are conservationists too.”

Luxton says ACT backs the Government’s move to ensure Herds of Special Interest can be recognised in national parks, as originally intended.

“When passionate hunters are already getting the job done, the role of government should be to get out of the way. Or at the very least, provide legal certainty so they can keep going.”

Editor’s note: Cameron Luxton is the sponsor of the Conservation (Membership of New Zealand Conservation Authority) Amendment Bill, which would ensure hunters and fishers are represented on the Conservation Authority, just as Forest and Bird is already. The Bill is currently in Parliament’s member’s bill ballot.

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ACT is welcoming confirmation that public service reform will put merit, not identity, at the heart of what it means to be a public servant.

“If you’re vying to become a public service boss, it shouldn’t matter whether you’re brown, white, or blue. What matters is whether you are competent to deliver the services we expect for our taxes,” says ACT Public Service spokesperson Todd Stephenson.

“A creeping focus on people’s identity over merit in the public sector is corrosive. It distracts from service delivery, elevates less competent candidates, and is fundamentally racist.

“Now, with ACT in government, we’re cutting out the ideological rot. Our coalition agreement commits to amending the Public Service Act ‘to clarify the role of the public service, drive performance, and ensure accountability to deliver on the agenda of the government of the day.’

“New Zealanders don’t care about the identity of the person procuring life-saving medicines, improving the education system, or responding to natural disasters – so long as it’s the person with the best skills and experience doing it.

“Real inclusion means treating people as individuals, not representatives of demographic groups. It’s difficult to convince public servants to treat all New Zealanders equally when their own organisation hires people through a lens of identity.”

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ACT has formally invoked the “agree to disagree” provisions of its coalition agreement in relation to the firearms registry, Nicole McKee says.

“Earlier this month, I asked Cabinet to consider that the recent review of the firearms registry did not meet the commitment in ACT’s coalition agreement. I also asked that a more thorough and independent review be conducted in the 2025/26 financial year. Unfortunately, these proposals were rejected by National.”

“I also sought Cabinet agreement to delay the upcoming ‘activating circumstance’ that would apply to ammunition purchases from June 2025.

“There is currently no clear definition of ammunition in the legislation, creating confusion. Pushing back the date to December 2026 would have provided time to build public trust in the registry and ensure clarity in the law. This recommendation was also rejected.”

The ACT Party’s coalition agreement includes a commitment to review the firearms registry to determine whether it is effectively improving public safety. However, the review that was conducted fell short of that standard.

“The purpose of the review was to establish a clear evidence base, covering public safety impacts, government costs, compliance burdens for licensed firearms owners, and international comparisons. In my view, the review failed to deliver on these objectives,” Mrs McKee says.

“Although the review acknowledged there was limited data available to assess the registry’s impact, it makes only limited use of domestic data, such as enforcement trends prior to the registry, or the experience of the 20 percent of licence holders already registered. Nor did it meaningfully examine international examples that could have provided further insight.

“These are not gaps in available information but gaps in the analysis which was undertaken.  One of the key conclusions – that the registry is justified if it prevents just two fatalities a year – is speculative and unsupported by evidence. Without a clear model of risk reduction or causal link to public safety outcomes, that claim is difficult to defend.”

 “The review focused narrowly on operational costs to government but gave little weight to future changes, such as the inclusion of a dealers registry – projected to cost an additional $20 million – and the ongoing compliance costs for responsible firearms owners.”

“Significantly, the review also failed to account for privacy concerns.  Given past breaches of firearms owners’ personal data, it is troubling that the review did not assess the risks associated with centralising sensitive information in the registry. This despite the fact I am aware of six breaches of data since 2019.”

“Despite these differences on the registry, our coalition partners continue to work constructively together to ensure the rewrite of the Arms Act delivers effective, evidence-based regulation that reflects best practice. As we push ahead with that process public safety remains at the heart of what we are doing.”