Auckland dog lovers plan legal action over off-leash dog ban
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Live: High schools close as teachers take to picket lines Striking teachers at Wellinton Railway Station. Photo: RNZ/ John Gerritsen Thousands of secondary school teachers are walking off the job after stalled collective agreement negotiations with the government. Teachers were offered a one percent pay increase which their union, the PPTA, says is insulting. However, the government is highly critical of the industrial action, calling it "a political stunt", "deeply unfair" and premeditated on the union's part. Follow updates with RNZ's live blog at the top of this page.
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National and Labour deputy leaders go head-to-head on Morning Report
Carmel Sepuloni and Nicola Willis go head-to-head on Morning Report's weekly political panel. Photo: RNZ The National and Labour deputy leaders are set to go head-to-head on Morning Report's weekly political panel. You can listen live above, on our app or on the radio . So far this week, there has been plenty to discuss, including buildings, ferries, and a tit-for-tat on the economy. The government has kept its AA+ credit rating, with ratings agency Fitch praising both National and Labour's emphasis on fiscal responsibility . But on Tuesday, Nicola Willis said the reminder of fiscal responsibility was a "warning shot" to Labour. She accused Labour leader Chris Hipkins of pretending the country's debt servicing costs were not something to worry about, despite the bill reaching almost $9 billion a year. "This kind of fiscal innumeracy is dangerous for New Zealand," she said. "Every New Zealander will pay the price if a Labour-Greens government puts our fiscal reputation at risk." In return, Hipkins scoffed at Willis' assessment, noting Labour had not yet released its full fiscal plan. "Nicola Willis is speculating on what our policy may or may not be. We haven't set out a policy yet," he said. "We've got to see how much more damage she'll do in the next 12 months before we can do that." The government began the week with an announcement it will change the liability settings in the Building Act to a proportionate system, in which parties are only liable for the work they carry out. It is a change from the 'joint and several' system, where liability is shared between all parties, regardless of cost or responsibility. Details on consumer protections, including whether the government will require mandatory professional indemnity insurance or warranties, are still to be worked through ahead of the legislation's introduction. Labour has said it is broadly supportive of the changes, but wants to see more work around those consumer protections so homeowners are not left out of pocket. Also recently in the news has been the money spent on cancelling the Cook Strait ferry contracts . A final $144 million payout to Hyundai Mipo shipyards in South Korea brought the total cost to $671m. Willis cancelled the iReX project shortly after the coalition came into power, saying the budget had blown out. New ferries are not due until 2029, with the Aratere sailing its final journey. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
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Solomon Islands marriage age is a children's rights issue
Currently, people can be married at age 15 with parental consent. Under customary law, there is no minimum age for marriage. Photo: Save the Children Solomon Islands Facebook A charity advocating to raise the marriage age from 15 to 18 in the Solomon Islands says it is a children's rights issue. Save the Children's Ellen Kahui spoke to Pacific Waves in following a recent government proposal to review the country's legal age for marriage. Currently, people can be married at age 15 with parental consent. Under customary law, there is no minimum age for marriage. Kahui said raising the age was critical to protecting children and young people vulnerable to "forced early unions". "Even with parental consent, marriage at such a young age can hinder a child's physical, emotional and educational development, and also deprive them of fundamental rights. "Also noting that early marriage of girls severely undermines the rights to …education, health and future prospects, because once married, girls are often unable to complete their schooling and their opportunities for further advancement in life are cut off." Research from a global network of civil society organisations showed one in five girls (21 percent) were married before 18 in the Solomon Islands. Six percent were married before 15. For boys, the survey showed four percent were married before age 18. Save the Children, alongside World Vision and ChildFund, has campaigned to raise the marriage age to 18 in the Solomon Islands. The charities' released a report into their work last year, which said in rural areas teenage marriages were even more common than in urban areas - with one in four girls married before age 18. At the time, Destiny, a 17-year-old who was part of the 'Make it 18' campaign in the Solomon Islands, spoke out about how 15 was too young to get married. "What I see is just that's a hard life, like when it comes to marriage, because marriage is a commitment," she said. "Raising the age of marriage is to ensure that individuals have completed at least a basic level of education and have had time to develop emotionally and mentally." Ellen Kahui said "adolescent pregnancies" posed a serious risk for girls and young women who married before age 18. Children of "child brides" also faced "increased dangers", she said. "They are more likely to be born with low birth weight, suffer from malnutrition, experience poor physical development. There's also the fear of facing high rates of mortality too, compared to those children who are born to older mothers." Earlier this month, local media reported that foreign minister Peter Agovaka told parliament the proposed change to the legal marriage age, enshrined in the country's Islanders' Marriage and Divorce Act, aimed to align marriage laws with other legal matters, such as the voting age. He said the move was in line with international human rights standards and growing calls for stronger child protection laws.
