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Malachi Subecz,

The Tauranga boy died in Starship hospital in November last year after sustaining months of physical abuse - including being beaten and burnt - by Michaela Barriball. She pleaded guilty to his murder earlier this year and is serving a life sentence. The report by Dame Karen Poutasi was commissioned by the six state agencies that interacted with Malachi and his whānau in the months leading up to his death. “At no time was the system able to penetrate and defeat Barriball’s consistent eff...

'We made our children poorer':

A child born in 2000, will earn on average $50,000 less over their lifetime than someone born 30 years earlier, new research shows. Sense partners economist Shamubeel Eaqub​ said the average overall lifetime income of New Zealanders had been dropping since the 1980s, while the price of everything went up, leaving young people worse off. “It is not just about their ability to get into homeownership, it is also that their ability to generate income and stability in life and retirement is dimin...

Rotorua Salvation Army planning to turn foodbank

The Rotorua Salvation Army is planning to convert its foodbank into a social supermarket to help it better cater to the needs of people experiencing food hardship. The head of a budget advice service says more initiatives like this were needed as the cost of basic necessities such as food continued to climb. It was part of a new Salvation Army food security framework called Te Kai Mākona - a name which was drawn from the scripture Mark 6:42, “they all ate and were satisfied”. Salvation Army...

Theft and damage at Ngāti Uenukukopako housing development

An iwi housing development for homeless in Rotorua has had up to $20,000 worth of items stolen, including a truck, boat and equipment. On Tuesday night, an iwi spokesman for Ngāti Uenukukopako Iwi Trust pleaded on social media for information to find those responsible. “Ngāti Uenukukopako need your ears, eyes or information. 13 out of 15 houses and infrastructure damaged, 10-seater boat, 4WD truck, laptops, high-tech native bird monitoring gear, generators, construction equipment, among many...

ERO research highlights

A new report has highlighted how teacher aides can make the biggest difference for diverse learners. Research carried out by the Education Review Office (ERO) in partnership with NZEI Te Riu Roa, highlighted the importance of teacher aides and teachers working as a team in the classroom. Ōamaru woman Alora Hill​ became a teacher aide to help give students the support and opportunities she lacked at school. “It’s important for people to feel there’s someone out there who r...

Christopher Luxon won't commit

Christopher Luxon won't commit to any Māori health outcome targets but admitted he's "really concerned" about their lagging life expectancy.  Data from Statistics New Zealand for the years between 2017-2019 showed life expectancy was 80 years for males and 83.5 years for females.  When this is broken down by ethnicity, European or other males are 81 years, while European or other females are 84.5 years.Link to video and article: Christopher Luxon won't commit to Māori ...

Jordan Peterson fumes at Qantas

The Australian airline features an Acknowledgement of Country message in the safety video it plays before all flights. Such acknowledgements are standard practice for Australian companies, but in a tweet the visiting Canadian psychologist appeared to be unfamiliar with the custom - and infuriated by it."I could really do without the land acknowledgment propaganda delivered to me by a corporate behemoth," Peterson said. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way. Stick to (1) flying a...

Retirement Commission review suggests

There are significant inequities in how Kiwis experience the later years of life, according to a review of New Zealand's retirement policies. The Retirement Commission said fewer retirees were living in houses they owned, and many struggled to afford food and rent. Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson said a comfortable retirement was not a sure thing anymore. "We're trying to bust the myth of the dominant narrative of retirement," she said, "which is a wealthy-ish person owning their own home...

The Care Collective:

Recent research has found that New Zealanders have reprioritised the importance of caring for others, with kindness for each other being more important than ever during these tough times. Following its success in Australia, the Care Collective, brought to you by Panadol, launched in New Zealand to uncover the remarkable stories of Kiwis who give back to their community and pay it forward by giving them something that will make a real difference to their lives, enabling them to better care for th...

'Just clear out',

“It’s really simple. We just don’t want you here.” That was one of the messages to Kāinga Ora Bay of Plenty regional director Darren Toy at a public meeting in Rotorua on Monday night, as more than 400 people gathered to voice their concerns about plans for more social housing in the Rotorua suburb of Glenholme. The meeting at the Te Arawa Bowling club was organised by former councillor Raj Kumar, who told the audience “we want Rotorua to be a safe place, a better place that what...

Why Schools’ Going Back to ‘Normal’

National test results released in September 2022 show unprecedented losses in math and reading scores since the pandemic disrupted schooling for millions of children. In response, educational leaders and policymakers across the country are eager to reverse these trends and catch these students back up to where they would have been. But this renewed concern seems to overlook a crucial fact: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools were failing to adequately se...

Poor countries are developing a new paradigm of mental health care.

When you look at the numbers, it’s easy to gape in horror. In Ghana, a nation of 32 million people, there are only 62 psychiatrists. Zimbabwe, with a population of 15 million, has only 19 psychiatrists. And in Uganda, there are 47 psychiatrists serving a country of 48 million — less than one single psychiatrist for every million people.These are staggering ratios. To get your head around them, take the US as a comparison. There are around 45,000 psychiatrists for all 333 million Am...

Young New Zealanders want

A nationwide survey of almost 5000 Kiwis has uncovered startling data on our cultural competency – that is, our understanding and application of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles in the workplace. Fewer than half of us understand how Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles can be applied to the work that we do, and we struggle with confidence in this area. Overall, however, there is an appetite for change, with most New Zealanders surveyed indicating they would strongly...

Independent review finds systemic racism at InternetNZ

An independent review has found systemic racism at InternetNZ, which saw it react too slowly to a video that encouraged the slaughter of Māori. The review found not enough was done by authorities to remove the YouTube video, which remained online for nearly 24 hours after being posted last year. Two wahine Māori resigned from the InternetNZ council in protest at how the organisation handled online harm towards Māori. As a result, InternetNZ brought in an independent expert, Dr Hana O'Regan, t...

Principal calls for Govt to scrap reading recovery

A reading programme for children created in New Zealand in the 1980s, and used by schools overseas, is now used by less than half of all eligible primary schools here. It comes as new data from the Ministry of Education was released today, revealing that numbers in the programme is at its lowest point. In the report, the ministry noted that “despite much of the country being in lockdown for the final months of 2021, there is no large impact evident in the data. However, a few Covid impacts d...

Hamilton street and park

The official renaming of a Hamilton street and a local park from old colonial militia names to ones gifted by mana whenua is a historical reset and symbolic redress for the historical confiscation of lands. Ahead of this morning’s blessing ceremony, many non-Māori and Māori alike say it is a heartening “first” for the city. Von Tempsky St and neighbouring Dawson Park disappear - replaced by Puutikitiki St and Te Wehenga Park. “This puts right, in a small way, the wrongs of the past,”...

Te Urewera hut found burnt

A hut in Te Urewera has mysteriously burned down while a court order for no huts to be removed from the area is in place. The Otamatuna Hut in the Waimana Valley was found burned down this morning. Te Uru Taumatua (TUT), the Ngāi Tūhoe iwi settlement entity, was controversially dismantling huts in the area that it said were derelict. But in early November, the High Court put a stop to this. In a statement, TUT said a trapper contracted by them as part of pest control in Waimana Valley saw...

Helping domestic abuse survivors

She's a powerhouse on the rugby field and a hero to legions of fans, but despite being at the top of her game Ruby Tui says she'll never forget where she came from or what her childhood taught her. Tui knows what it's like to pack a bag in a hurry to escape domestic violence, which is why she's partnered with the charity I Got Your Backpack and Bunnings for their annual appeal for survivors of domestic abuse. As a child Tui spent time at a Women's Refuge when her mother fled a violent relation...

Te Whatu Ora chairman

Te Whatu Ora chairman Rob Campbell says a recent visit to Middlemore Hospital’s emergency department gave him a first-hand insight into what it’s like for frontline healthcare workers. He described the visit in a Q and A session after a board meeting on Friday. Campbell said the staff he spoke to in the emergency department outlined their concerns about staffing levels, workplace pressures and their pay during a Saturday night visit to the ED. He said while the ED wasn’t operating at “pe...

Good samaritan 'pinged' by app

A young Waikato mother who had a cardiac arrest in bed owes her life to a stranger out walking her dog who got pinged by an app to help. The little-known app Good Sam is used by emergency services around the world. It alerts anyone within 1000m who has training in CPR or defibrillator use.  Chonnell Tihore 36, who has a hereditary heart condition, suffered a cardiac arrest around nine in the morning whilst asleep in her six-year-old son EJ's bedroom.Link to video and article: Good sama...

Exclusive:

The ongoing challenges for hospitals dealing with acute staff shortages and delays in treatment have been laid bare in The minutes of a meeting between senior clinicians at Hawke's Bay hospital reveal high levels of concern, not only about patients but also the support from health officials - with issues across a range of specialities. Orthopaedics are reporting it is operating essentially as an "acute or semi-acute service" with patients waiting at home for days to weeks with fractures before g...

'Need more out of the box thinking':

ACT is proposing to fine parents of children not attending school as part of their policy to tackle New Zealand's "shocking" attendance rates. ACT leader David Seymour and education spokesperson Chris Baillie unveiled a range of solutions to deal with New Zealand's truancy crisis, including consequences for parents and schools. "A good education is the most important thing kids need if they're to grow up to have a fulfilling life and be contributing members of society," Seymour said. "When ...

Te Arawa Rangatira Tā Toby Curtis

In one of his final acts of service to Aotearoa, the late Tā Toby Curtis penned a memoir which was launched in Rotorua. In the book, he issues a powerful reminder that the work to build an equitable society in Aotearoa must continue. “It is, from my perspective, the colonial shackles of governance that need to make way for the indigenous contribution to our way of life in Aotearoa.” Completed in his final weeks, Tā Toby’s memoir: Toby Curtis — Unfinished Business: Ki Hea Āpōpō was l...

Rotorua Primary Schools Māori Festival

Tears and smiles - it’s a mix of emotions when whānau watch their children performing kapa haka and this year was no exception at the Rotorua Primary Schools Māori Festival.More than 20 schools have taken part in the festival, which has this year been held a little differently. The festival, Te Ahurei o nga Kura ki Rotorua, has been held in Rotorua since the 1970s and each year sees between 32 and 40 Rotorua primary schools put on non-competitive performances for their whānau at the end of ...

Milestone Māori:

Almost 100 years after the institution was founded Massey university is celebrating its first student to complete a bachelor’s degree in te reo Māori. Suraya Goss (Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi) graduated this week in Manawatū with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in mātauranga Māori, the 21-year-old leaving her mark in te ao Māori even before entering the job market. “Within the current BA degree and the compulsory papers that are part of it, I found it essentially hard to write in English what I...