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PM Must Stop Changes Further Failing Children

PM Must Stop Changes Further Failing Children

Scoop4 days ago

Today's damning report on Oranga Tamariki shows Māori children are being left with little chance of success, or even survival, after their experiences in the state care system, and Minister for Children Karen Chhour is making it worse.
'This report is the first of its kind and reveals a disturbing and urgent problem which can no longer be ignored by the Prime Minister who has overseen dangerous changes to Oranga Tamariki during his term in government,' Labour children's spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said.
'The Government has cut early intervention, continued with botched bootcamps that have never worked, and taken away funding from community-run services that help children and whānau.
'Christopher Luxon has allowed an ACT Minister to recklessly erode the services that have been built up to support children.
'As well as repealing Section 7AA, Karen Chhour has removed a key target for placement of children with whanau, and removed the target for investment for services provided by Iwi organisations.
'The Government has taken away actions specifically put in place to address the significant disparities for Māori children in care.
'Christopher Luxon must step in and cancel boot camps and restore funding to frontline community providers before it's too late,' Willow-Jean Prime said.

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Boris: Is Britain ready for his comeback?
Boris: Is Britain ready for his comeback?

National Business Review

time2 hours ago

  • National Business Review

Boris: Is Britain ready for his comeback?

Political popularity can be as fickle as voters' knowledge of their own best interests. For prime ministers, the rise and fall can be even faster if politicians on their own side have the say. The case of Boris Johnson is instructive. He was overwhelmingly selected leader of the British Conservative Party in a poll of its membership, rather than just its elected members of parliament, to succeed the hapless Theresa May. She had resigned after leading the party to an electoral loss of its majority in the wake of the Brexit referendum. She and most of the party's MPs had backed Remain, putting them out of step with public opinion outside of London; places such as Wales and northern England. Johnson – the country's most popular politician and mononymously known as Boris – had steered the 'Leave' campaign and was the obvious choice to 'get Brexit done' against the forces of parliament, the bureaucracy, the courts, and the business establishment. Against the odds, he succeeded in giving the public what they wanted. He led the Conservatives to a landslide victory in the December 2019 general election, scooping up more votes than any party leader since Margaret Thatcher in 1979. The party gained 80 seats in the House of Commons, and the post-Brexit government could look forward to a full five-year term. It had breached the so-called Red Wall, winning previously safe Labour seats in the de-industrialising north, which had embraced the Brexit rhetoric. Boris Johnson announces his resignation on July 7, 2022. Many enemies But, 20 months after that victory, Johnson's dream of 'levelling up' Britain outside of London and its prosperous environs was over. Faced with resignations from his senior ministers, and fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, he surrendered to his many enemies. Typically, the Eton and Oxford-educated Johnson quotes William Shakespeare's version of Julius Caesar's dying words in Greek – kai su teknon ('you too, child'). 'If Caesar has 23 stab wounds, I ended up with 62,' was a reference to ministers Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak, plus 60 other MPs. As in Rome, the new regime didn't last, losing to a Labour landslide that produced a 174-seat majority, though it was the smallest vote share of any majority government since record-keeping began in 1830. So far, Labour under Sir Keir Starmer looks set for a full term to 2029 and has already demonstrated an ability to govern without attracting the scandals and leadership changes that marred 14 years of Conservative rule. However, the party remains in dire straits, with Nigel Farage's anti-immigrant Reform Party wooing many of those former Labour voters who switched to Johnson but failed to endorse Sunak and his fellow usurpers. It has prompted talk, even in serious establishment media such as the Financial Times and The Economist, of a political comeback. Of course, no commentator thinks this would be a good idea, unless you wish the worst for the Tories. One suggested that approaching 61 on June 19, and with four children under six, Johnson has more than a handful for someone of his age. As an accomplished author, journalist, and public speaker, he would also earn more staying out of politics. Boris Johnson was a cycling advocate as mayor of London. Speaking tour He turned out his memoir, Unleashed, in double-quick time for a retired politician and, late last year, added a speaking tour Down Under. At nearly 800 pages, it is gargantuan but highly readable. It covers all his political life from age 40, when – as editor of The Spectator and an MP – he decided to run for the mayoralty of London. He was fired from The Spectator in 2005 and, three years later, in 2008, was elected mayor, defeating incumbent 'Red' Ken Livingstone. It meant resigning from the House of Commons. Johnson was triumphantly re-elected for a second four-year term but decided against a third. Instead, he returned to parliament in 2015 and was soon fronting the Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum. He had his first taste of betrayal when his close Brexit campaigner, Michael Gove, also decided to run for the party leadership. (Ironically, Gove was the Brutus to Johnson's Caesar, and is now editor of The Spectator.) His leadership hopes dashed, Johnson had to settle for foreign secretary under May, a post where he excelled at being, in his words, a 'prize gaffe-merchant'. Though he might lack a reputation for competence, Johnson has sound instincts for summing up people and policies. He describes May as 'old grumpyknickers' and accuses her of 'school marmy self-righteousness'. 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Revenge of a sort was achieved against Macron when at the G7 Summit at Calis Bay, Cornwall, in June 2021, Britain jointly formed the Aukus defence alliance on condition Australia dump its diesel submarine contract with France and opt for nuclear ones from the US. French President Emmanuel Macron resisted Boris Johnson's Brexit campaign. Words of advice Johnson has words of advice for all embattled democratic leaders who face constant criticism at home: go on a state visit to India, which he describes as 'balm for the soul'. Like Christopher Luxon, who has followed this advice, a British prime minister has the disadvantage of a fully state-paid health service that is a perennial political liability. While other countries have resolved this insatiable beast by opting for private schemes, Britain has continued with its National Health Service, thus providing easy grievance pickings for a hostile media. As Johnson says: 'Big international trips are great, but all politics is local.' 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He has contributed film and book reviews to various publications. This is supplied content and not paid for by NBR.

Letters: The ABC of boys' education needs a reintroduction; should we add Joe Schmidt to the NZ Rugby board?
Letters: The ABC of boys' education needs a reintroduction; should we add Joe Schmidt to the NZ Rugby board?

NZ Herald

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Letters: The ABC of boys' education needs a reintroduction; should we add Joe Schmidt to the NZ Rugby board?

(b) They have a clear focus and structure and know the limits and consequences. (c) There's a real challenge to action of some sort. At the time, we summed up these findings under three headings: Affirmation, Boundaries and Challenge. In short, an ABC of boys' learning. After staff feedback, each of these three vital elements was broken down into practical suggestions for teacher action that would maximise boys' enthusiasm for, and confidence in, classroom (and school-wide) learning. These ideas seem similar to what is being arrived at again in 2025, but it was useful to have them reduced to a clear, simple package that teachers could use on a daily basis. Maybe the ABC needs a reintroduction. Alister Williams, Waikanae. Ferry fiasco Nicola Willis demands accountability from everyone except herself. The cancellation of the Irex ferries project was done with little thought as to how it would affect the country as a whole. First, the Government waits nearly a year after the cancellation to appoint a Railways Minister who occasionally makes an announcement that there will be another announcement in the future. Meanwhile, our ferries, which are the lifeline between islands, either break down or get consigned to the scrap heap. Under Irex, we would have had the new ferries next year, but it is suggested it would be a risk to your life if you held your breath for the now-promised date of 2029. The cost of cancelling the Irex ferries is still a secret and we don't know the cost of the promised new ones. Unfortunately, we got a Toyota instead of a Ferrari when the PM appointed the Minister of Finance. Reg Dempster, Albany. Strategic infrastructure It's easy for people to be critical of the current Government over its decisions on the contract for new ferries. But the real issue goes beyond that instance. Major strategic infrastructure projects have been politicised for more than half a century. Our politicians play their ongoing games of one-upmanship and there are no winners, only losers - the people of New Zealand. The ferries and rail connections between the North and South Islands have been an integral part of the national transport system for how long, 70 years? Maybe more. No surprises, then, that it's a piece of strategic infrastructure that deserves better than the petty childish games our politicians play. It doesn't matter which party they are from, they are all the same. So, people of New Zealand, try not to cherry-pick your political targets when it comes to infrastructure projects. Instead, demand a better deal from all our politicians with respect to major/strategic projects. It's not difficult to identify them, is it? Phil Chitty, Albany. Tagging on and off I fail to understand why AT would charge senior citizens for forgetting to tag off. AT's website says that, if you fail to tag off, you will be charged the full cost of the journey to the end of the route. If you travel after 9am on a SuperGold Card, there is no cost for any part of the journey. So how can charging for a non-concession fare be reasonable? Kathy Simpson, Freeman's Bay. Troubled times for NZ Rugby Gregor Paul's 'Rugby Revolution' (June 8) is an excellent review of the troubled times at NZ Rugby with All Blacks coach Scott Robertson's appointment, the captaincy, selection and game plan questions. Not the hoped-for transition, and we are expecting better this year. A new CEO will help. The great loss to NZ Rugby was that Robertson could not find room for the very talented Joe Schmidt in his coaching team when asked to by NZR. It has not gone unnoticed how successful Schmidt has been with the Wallabies, a tenure ending when he hands over to Les Kiss at the end of the year. Perhaps NZ Rugby could offer Schmidt a seat on the NZR board on his return to New Zealand. It would be a shame to lose this level of rugby intelligence twice. Gary Carter, Gulf Harbour.

‘Why can't Momoa live here?'
‘Why can't Momoa live here?'

Otago Daily Times

time3 hours ago

  • Otago Daily Times

‘Why can't Momoa live here?'

Minister for the South Island James Meager. PHOTO: PHILIP CHANDLER The National-led government's South Island minister believes lifting the foreign buyer ban for $5million-plus Queenstown residential properties makes sense. At the last election, National campaigned on a $2m threshold for overseas buyers — currently only Aussies and Singaporeans are exempt from the ban introduced by the previous Labour government in 2018 — but kept the ban on as part of its coalition agreement with New Zealand First. Visiting Queenstown this week, James Meager, the first South Island Minister, agrees high-net-worth foreigners "bring a lot of investment and opportunities, and they don't really have a big physical footprint in terms of, you know, strains on resources or infrastructure". "I'd be very surprised if any of these people are coming here and using the public health system, anything like that. "So we campaigned on the $2m [threshold], couldn't get that across the line." He says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon's "very public" about looking at that. "It's something we continue to work on in government, and I think it's something if we can't get across the line in this government, we will certainly campaign on." Meager says even if it's a higher limit like $5m for places like Queenstown, "I think people will accept that". "Look at the kind of people who are looking to move here. "I mean, [Hollywood actor] Jason Momoa basically lives here, right? "But wouldn't it be fantastic to have him base himself in and out of Queenstown, flies internationally, brings in so much business and marketing and commerce from his movies and his franchises. "I think it makes sense, and you can do it in a way which doesn't put pressure on the housing for the workers and for the people who have lived here for 50 years and actually want to be able to have a home." Meanwhile, Meager's acutely aware of the limitations with Queenstown's current hospital and how, for example, a high proportion of local women give birth out of town — last year, there were 396 births outside Queenstown Lakes/Central Otago. While in Queenstown he visited friends who'd had a baby five weeks ago, who initially went to Invercargill to get ready. Things didn't move as quickly as they thought, so they returned to the resort. "Then all of a sudden away she went, and then it was a helicopter trip to Dunedin because Invercargill's full. "And then that meant [the parents] were actually separated for the birth." Meager says that "brings home the idea that for a place like Queenstown, that's probably not ideal". "There's a very low threshold in the medical profession here for saying, if it even looks like you're going to get in trouble, we'll call a helicopter in, and that's not ideal because it's stressful, it's time, it's costs." Meager says the Health Minister's aware of it and working on it — "I know there are proposals from a couple of entities around bringing private capital in and just getting a hospital up and running and maybe contract everything out to [the] public [system]". "I think we can get some solutions in the next few years." Supports our regional deal James Meager says he supports the proposal for a regional deal the Queenstown Lakes, Central Otago and Otago Regional councils have put to the government, describing it as "very good". Under a regional deal, the government works with councils to improve infrastructure, which can include public transport and health facilities — in this case a mass transit Queenstown cable car and a base hospital. The government's yet to approve any, but in the South Island "Queenstown and West Coast seem to be well on track", Meager says.

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