Far North mayor launches campaign to keep Maori wards
Nominations have officially opened today for local elections, which will take place on October 11.
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RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
The Panel with Sally Wenley and Simon Wilson Part 1
Tonight on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Sally Wenley and Simon Wilson. With candidate nominations open today for local body elections, the Panel hears from former Whanganui Mayor Hamish McDoull about how local councils really work. They also talk to Nelson Victory Primary principal Dan George about how an after school programme for former refugees and migrants has had it's funding pulled by the Ministry of Education after 20 years. Photo: LDR / Moana Ellis
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
Prime Minister's office only given hour's notice before Winston Peters' speech dismissing 'trade war'
Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The Prime Minister's office was only given an hour's notice of the contents of a speech by the Foreign Affairs minister, in which Winston Peters criticised the language used by politicians regarding a "trade war." While Peters did not name Christopher Luxon in his speech, it was seen as a veiled swing at a series of phone calls the Prime Minister made to other world leaders over US tariffs , and the lack of notice he had been given ahead of a Foreign Policy speech by the Prime Minister a few days earlier. Correspondence first obtained by Newsroom and also released to RNZ show the communications Peters' office had with officials ahead of the speech in Hawai'i, and the notice it gave the Prime Minister's office. On 10 April, the Prime Minister delivered a speech to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, in which he said free trade was "worth fighting for" and raised the idea of CPTPP and European Union nations working together to champion rules-based trade. He also announced his intention to speak to other world leaders about trade, amid the tariffs which had then-recently been announced by US President Donald Trump. The same afternoon, Peters told reporters at Parliament such remarks were "all very premature," and confirmed the Prime Minister had not discussed with him the idea of getting CPTPP and EU nations together. A day later, Peters was in Tonga, and during a press conference advised politicians to "tone down" and wait for the dust to settle. "Markets lose their nerve. Share market speculators lose their nerve. Politicians should not lose their nerve." He also said the Prime Minister should consult with him. "He didn't check it out when he made that speech and made those phone calls. And so I hope that he'll get my message and he'll call me next time." From there, Peters was off to Hawai'i, and delivered a speech in Honolulu. He told a gathering at the East-West Centre the "tendency to hype up a debate about how international trade works into a black-and-white, polarising issue has been unfortunate and misguided" and criticised "military language" like "trade war" and the "need to fight." Peters said such language "has at times come across as hysterical and short-sighted." WhatsApp messages show Peters' senior foreign affairs adviser Michael Appleton informed staff in the Prime Minister and Trade Minister's offices about the quote Peters had given reporters at Parliament about the Prime Minister's idea to get the CPTPP and EU together to talk trade being "premature", as well as the responses he gave reporters in Tonga about the tariff approach. On 12 April, he also gave the group a heads up that Peters would be giving a speech in Honolulu, and that they would get an advance copy once it was finalised. In a separate WhatsApp group with Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, Appleton informed them Peters had "decided" to "deliver brief (5-10 minute) remarks" about the US/NZ relationship in Hawai'i. Appleton said he would work on a draft on the six-hour flight to Honolulu, using the "existing briefing/comms pack" and Peters' instructions as a guide. "But warning you I'll want some reactions to a draft text later today once we have arrived in Honolulu," he said. The responses to Appleton's message were redacted. Via email, Appleton informed senior diplomats and officials of Peters' intention to deliver the speech on US/NZ relations, and sent them a draft. "It has been written to his instructions, and he has signed it off (subject to same [sic] final tweaking tonight). So the scope for further edits is limited." The recipients included the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Bede Corry, the US Ambassador Rosemary Banks, MFAT's deputy secretary for trade and economic Vangelis Vitalis, its deputy secretary for the Asias and America Grahame Morton, Americas divisional manager James Waite, and Pacific divisional manager Sarah Lee. Appleton told the group Peters' office would alert the Prime Minister, the Trade Minister, and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet "to the fact of this speech, and then provide an advance copy one MFA has finished his tweaking. "So no need for you to do any coordination on that front." The advance copy was sent to the offices via WhatsApp an hour before Peters delivered the speech. Following the speech, Luxon said coverage had been a "media beat-up" and insisted that he and Peters were actually on the same page. "We both agree that tariffs and trade wars are bad. We both think cool, calm and collected approaches are what is needed from ourselves and from our partners. We'll continue to build out our US relationship, and we're strengthening our bilateral ones," he told Morning Report . "So from our side, whether it's Winston and I, whether it's the five ministers dealing with it, and frankly, our whole cabinet, we're very aligned on our approach." Asked on Friday about the released of the communications and the notice his office was given, Luxon told reporters he had said all he wanted to say on the matter. "I've spoken about that ages ago, I've got nothing further to say about it. As you know, we're just making sure we're upholding the rules-based trading system." Peters' office did not wish to comment further. "We have nothing to add on this issue, which was well traversed at the time." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
10 hours ago
- RNZ News
Guam nuclear radiation survivors 'heartbroken' after being excluded from compensation bill
Pacific Association for Radiation Survivors (PARS) members at a gathering. Robert Celestial, second left (holding book), says people on Guam are "heartbroken" that radiation exposure compensation is not being extended to them. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon People on Guam are "disappointed" and "heartbroken" that radiation exposure compensation is not being extended to them, the president of the Pacific Association for Radiation Survivors (PARS) says. Robert Celestial said he and others on Guam are disappointed for many reasons. "Congress seems to not understand that we are no different than any state," he told RNZ Pacific. "We are human beings, we are affected in the same way they are. We are suffering the same way, we are greatly disappointed, heartbroken," Celestial said. The extension to the United States Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was part of Trump's "big, beautiful bill" passed by Congress on Friday (Thursday, Washington time). Downwind compensation eligibility would extend to the entire states of Utah, Idaho and New Mexico, but Guam - which was included in an earlier version of the bill - was excluded. All claimants are eligible for US$100,000. Guam Republican congressman James Moylan attempted to make an amendment to include Guam before the bill reached the House floor earlier in the week. "Guam has become a forgotten casualty of the nuclear era," Moylan told the House Rules Committee. "Federal agencies have confirmed that our island received measurable radiation exposure as a result of US nuclear testing in the Pacific and yet, despite this clear evidence, Guam remains excluded from RECA, a program that was designed specifically to address the harm caused by our nation's own policies. "Guam is not asking for special treatment we are asking to be treated with dignity equal to the same recognition afforded to other downwind communities across our nation." Moylan said his constituents are dying from cancers linked to radiation exposure. From 1946 to 1962, 67 nuclear bombs were detonated in the Marshall Islands, just under 2000 kilometres from Guam. New Mexico Democratic congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández supported Moylan, who said it was "sad Guam and other communities were not included". The RECA extension also excluded Colorado and Montana; Idaho was also for a time but this was amended. Robert Celestial, army veteran and Pacific Association of Radiation Survivors president. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Eleisha Foon Celestial said he heard different rumours about why Guam was not included but nothing concrete. "A lot of excuses were saying that it's going to cost too much. You know, Guam is going to put a burden on finances." But Celestial said the cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office for Guam to be included was US$560m where Idaho was $1.4b. "[Money] can't be the reason that Guam got kicked out because we're the lowest on the totem pole for the amount of money it's going to cost to get us through in the bill." The bill also extends to communities in certain zip codes in Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alaska, who were exposed to nuclear waste. Celestial said it's taken those states 30 years to be recognised and expects Guam to be eventually paid. He said Moylan would likely now submit a standalone bill with the other states that were not included. If that fails, he said Guam could be included in nuclear compensation through the National Defense Authorization Act in December, which is for military financial support. The RECA extension includes uranium workers employed from 1 January 1942 to 31 December 1990.
