Government gives itself new RMA powers to override councils
The government has given itself new powers to override councils, if they their decisions will negatively impact economic growth, development or employment. Housing and RMA reform minister Chris Bishop has said the new regulation would stop councils stalling on housing developments. But the opposition said Bishop is annointing himself the chief council despot and it's a massive over-reach. While councils said they shouldn't be blamed for a lack of housing growth. Political reporter Giles Dexter reports.
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1News
38 minutes ago
- 1News
Chinese travellers get easier transit through NZ with visa change
Chinese nationals will no longer need to obtain transit visas when passing through New Zealand airports from November, the Government has announced. Immigration Minister Erica Stanford announced today that Chinese passport holders would instead be able to use the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority. A new air route from China to South America via Auckland has also been teased. Today's announcement appears to have been timed with PM Christopher Luxon's visit to China, alongside a visa waiver trial for certain Chinese travellers revealed last week. "Instead of spending $235 and waiting four days, individuals can pay as little as $17 and can be processed in 24 hours," Stanford said. ADVERTISEMENT "International connections are a crucial part of our plan to drive economic growth. We rely on robust and affordable air connectivity to bring people to our beautiful country, and to get our high-quality products out to the world. Erica Stanford (Source: 1News) "Alongside the announcement of a new route from China to South America via Auckland, we expect this will significantly boost the number of passengers that choose to transit through New Zealand." Tourism Minister Louise Upston said the policy change would help make Auckland Airport a hub for new airline connections. "Every additional passenger transiting New Zealand on their way to South America or back to China will help to lower the cost of a plane ticket, which makes it cheaper for other waves of tourists to come and see what our country has to offer," she said. "More capacity from airlines will make it easier to visit New Zealand and adds cargo capacity, driving economic growth and supporting the Government's goal to double the value of tourism exports by 2034." The Electronic Travel Authority will be valid for up to two years, allowing multiple entries without reapplication, according to the Government. ADVERTISEMENT Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, who has previously lobbied for the change, welcomed the announcement. Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown. (Source: 1News) "At the time, the minister declined my request on dubious grounds. But my continued advocacy has paid off, and I'm pleased to see that wiser heads in government have prevailed," he said. "The transit visa is a significant hurdle preventing the southern link between Southeast Asia and South America. Today's announcement will enable airlines like China Eastern to provide a service linking these two huge economies via Auckland." On Sunday, the Government announced New Zealand would trial visa waivers for Chinese visitors, with certain visas, arriving from Australia. The "visa waiver status" changes would apply to Chinese passport holders with a valid Australian visitor, work, student or family visa, and for stays of up to three months. Stanford said it would help boost the country's attractiveness as a tourism destination. "More than 240,000 Chinese visitor visas were granted in 2024, and we want those numbers to grow," she said on Sunday. "This will make it easier, cheaper and faster for them to cross the Tasman and visit our shores. "The trial will last for 12 months and will be supplemented by further improvements to our immigration processes, making it easier for people applying for a visa."
RNZ News
an hour ago
- RNZ News
Police Minister blames Labour government for police recruit exemptions
Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Police Commissioner Richard Chambers fronted a scrutiny hearing this week. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The Police Minister's office says the use of discretion over police college recruits who had not passed a literacy test was introduced in 2018 under the Labour government. It comes after the minister Mark Mitchell and Police Commissioner Richard Chambers were challenged over revelations an Assistant Commissioner personally signed off at least two exemptions from recruitment standards. Chambers and Mitchell had told MPs at a select committee at Parliament on Monday that there were never any specific orders to drop standards, and that the current administration has been clear what the expectations were. Chambers knew of the approvals when he told the hearing no one in the executive had said applying discretion was allowed. Police in a written statement confirmed Assistant Commissioner Jill Rogers gave at least two approvals in the past year, and records were being checked to see if there were more. "As is already accepted, there had been a practice of discretion applied to some applicants to Police College in relation to the Physical Appraisal Test (PAT)," the statement said. "Assistant Commissioner Jill Rogers can recall two occasions in the last year where she gave approval to be applied to two applicants. There was no directive, instruction, or request issued in relation to this. We are searching available documentation to confirm this number. "As with other recruits, those two candidates went on to pass all the tests required to graduate as constables. "The Commissioner has made it very clear no more discretion is to be applied, and that is in place now. "He has discussed the standards with his Police Executive, and emphasised his very clear expectation that standards will not be dropped for entry to Police College." Police also confirmed Chambers was told in April about Rogers' approvals - the same month concerns about recruits being admitted for training despite failing physical testing was made public . Chambers told reporters this week the decisions had been made by "decision makers" involved in the recruitment process and some others at the Police College, but from now on any decisions of "that importance" would sit with him. Asked whether it was members of the Police Executive who drilled into those decision-makers that using discretion was okay, he said "not that I'm aware of, no". Chambers on Wednesday rejected the suggestion Rogers' approval could be seen as an order that use of discretion was okay. "No. Decisions on when to use discretion to allow an applicant to become a recruit without meeting all components of the testing requirements have been made on a case-by-case basis, with regard to a specific individual's circumstances. They do not amount in any way to a general instruction or "order" around the use of discretion," he said. "There was nothing out of order about Assistant Commissioner Jill Rogers making those decisions at the time, given her role as Assistant Commissioner: Leadership, Talent and Development. "The cases in question pre-dated my request for the audit on recruitment standards and my instruction for any use of discretion to be halted." He said the instruction he gave was the result of the audit showing the use of discretion had become "too widespread for my liking", and it had developed "over a period of years that pre-dated my time as Commissioner. The government committed in its coalition agreements to recruiting 500 more police officers by November - but seems unlikely to meet that target . Labour's Police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said the revelations Rogers was involved raised serious questions about whether political pressure had been applied to the Police College to deliver on that promise. "It's pretty clear that people at the Police College themselves don't make these types of decisions, there's a hierarchy in police. "There's been a clear pattern here of recruits not meeting standards and when the government has promised 500 more police it's pretty clear that pressure has been applied to the college and that's not right. "They've delivered around 30 of 500, and they have until November. It's pretty clear they've failed." She said the minister had not been upfront about the matter with New Zealanders when he fronted at the select committee. "He was asked if there was any direction or intervention from the police executive to the college, and he said that there was not to his knowledge. He may wish to revise those words in light of the information that's come to hand. "This really causes concern whether it might undermine integrity of police." In a statement, Mitchell's office said a draft report showed "that for the delivery of the 1800 new police target, a discretionary pass was introduced where the literacy assessment standards were not met, which has since become common practice". "This does raise questions about political pressure." Labour in 2017 committed to recruit an extra 1800 police officers, marking that milestone in June 2023. RNZ has requested a copy of the draft report the minister's statement refers to. "We have made very clear on discovering this practice that it does not meet our expectations and Police have responded quickly with the Commissioner directing that the practice be ended," his office said. "Labour should be upfront with New Zealanders about the mess they created in order to deliver their well overdue and incomplete 1800 new police target, instead of trying to blame this government that had to come in and clean it up." RNZ sought further comment from Andersen responding to Mitchell's statements. She said the review made it clear "recruits failed physical tests and got through anyway". "This happened in the past year, under their watch. Mark Mitchell needs to take accountability for his failure to deliver 500 more police." The audit covers 1022 recruits between January 2024 and April 2025. Preliminary findings showed a significant number of applicants were allowed into the college , despite failing preliminary tests. Police Association president Chris Cahill has previously said he thought the matter was not a government issue, but an internal police issue. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Taxpayer to foot the bill for cancer drugs for private patients
Taxpayers will soon begin footing the bill for newly-funded cancer medicines administered in private facilities for 12 months, under the so-called "transitional access" arrangement. Photo: 123RF The government's decision to let private patients have publicly-funded cancer drugs is a waste of taxpayers' money, and could even make wait times worse, the Labour Party is warning. From 1 July, taxpayers will begin covering the cost of newly-funded cancer medicines administered in private facilities for 12 months, under the so-called "transitional access" arrangement. In a testy exchange with the Associate Health Minister David Seymour at Wednesday's health select committee, Labour Party spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall pointed out the vast majority of New Zealanders did not have private health insurance. "Wouldn't this money have been better spent on hiring oncologists in the public system so that people can get free care there?" Under the current framework, insurers already picked up the tab for any new medicines that Pharmac funded, so the change did not actually benefit patients in most cases, she said. "So this money that you are spending on this is achieving almost nothing in terms of access, it's just a subsidy for insurers." However, Seymour disagreed, saying one should not underestimate the "inconvenience" of having to shift facilities mid-treatment, and people "should not be disadvantaged by the fact that they have taken precaution of having private insurance". "When you're getting treated for cancer, you just don't want any more problems in your life or inconveniences in your life, you just want to get through it." He dismissed Labour's characterisation of the change as "subsidising private insurers". "Insurers don't have any money other than what's paid to them by the patients," he said. "So ultimately this is also a subsidy for the patients, who are also taxpayers who are entitled to public funding in this country.... "You can always say we could do more if we were prepared to exclude some New Zealanders from care in the public system." "Everyone is entitled to care in the public system," Verrall responded. Private patients who were not covered by insurance would still have to pay "infusion" costs to have the medicines administered. Pharmac chair Paula Bennett said the drug-funding agency had been contacted by patients who were in private care and had insurance before Pharmac started funding more cancer medicines. "One man was eligible for four treatments but actually needed 12 and he was going to have to move into the public system to receive the other eight. "The thought of having to change oncologist just to get access to the extra eight treatments that he desperately needed was incredibly stressful." According to correspondence between officials and the minister's office, which was released to the Labour Party under the Official Information Act, the plan was initially going to be announced in April. Seymour was unable to say why the announcement had not gone ahead as planned. Talking points provided to the minister ahead of the Cabinet discussion on 2 April noted no additional funding was being sought for the proposal, but instead Pharmac would "make some trade-offs within the medicines budget" to fund it. "Numbers of patients that will benefit from transitional access may well be small (likely less than 10 per medicine) but over time this policy will reach patients at a critical time." In a statement to RNZ, Pharmac director strategy, policy, and performance Michael Johnson said the rule change applied "only to newly funded cancer medicines (medicines funded after 1 July 2025). "The number of patients expected to benefit from this change will depend on what cancer treatments are funded in the future. " Labour's Ayesha Verrall said doctors working in the public system feared shifting more resources into the private system would further increase inequities and wait times for patients who could not afford private care. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
