Parliament suspensions, Ukraine peace talks & NZ migration drop
David Seymour speaks with Mike Hosking about the new $140 million Getting kids in School programme. Video / NZ Herald
NZ drug markets shift online, Covid-born kids face school challenges, and Trump meets Saudi leaders on visit to Middle East.
Reporter Marii is at the World Dance Crew Championships, where hip hop duos from all around the world, including Auckland's En-Locked, are battling for medals and cash.
Reporter Marii is at the World Dance Crew Championships, where hip hop duos from all around the world, including Auckland's En-Locked, are battling for medals and cash.
Released by second-tier English club Hull City, Mason Johnson has now made Napier City Rovers his home. Video / Neil Reid
Police forensics team and detectives continue to comb Onekawa properties in the hunt for Kaea Karauria's killer. Video / Neil Reid
National and Labour accuse each other of lying over pay equity claims. Video / Mark Mitchell
A trailer unit rolled outside Christchurch this morning, spilling hundreds of chickens across the road. Video / George Heard
Principals question $100m maths spend, ex-cop faces porn probe, US and China agree to major tariff reductions.
Chris Hipkins delivers pre-Budget speech at the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. Video / NZ Herald
Reporter Carter is in Whangamatā where car collector Billy reveals what it took to get this custom 2-door 1950 Cadillac back on the road.
Black Power members perform a farewell haka for Manurewa homicide victim Selwyn Robson. Video / Supplied
Education Minister Erica Stanford announcing measures to improve mathematics in schools. Video / Mark Mitchell
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NZ Herald
an hour ago
- NZ Herald
Letters: Council's ‘Robin Hood' rating system verges on socialism
This pattern of rates collection can only be explained by a 'Robin Hood' council that is robbing the well-off to give to the poor, which I label as socialism. Is this the job of a council? No council should adopt this mandate. Its function is to provide quality services to the public at acceptable prices, and not do this via a wealth tax, because that is what our rating system has become. Trevor Smith, Takapuna. The languages of real life I was lucky to have something of a natural talent for assimilating language. When I started school in 1950, Māori was forbidden to be spoken and the small number of Māori kids were forbidden to use their native tongue. When I got to secondary school at the age of 11, I was put into 3L1, and was taught Latin, French, and English, but not a word of the only other language that was spoken by numerous New Zealanders. Now these accursed philistines in charge are winding the clock back again. This is an international humiliation and disgrace, and a terrible blot on our collective copybook. The more language you learn while you are young, the better prepared you are for real life. Real life almost universally includes more than one language. Bruce Rogan, Mangawhai. Not my kind of rugby The letter by Gary Carter (Aug 19) enthuses 'this rugby championship is a must-watch for spectacular, world-leading excitement'. I am not sure if the writer has his head in the clouds or the sand but the current version of rugby is almost unwatchable. Crash-bang dangerous tackles, late TMO rulings, whistle-happy refs, rolling mauls all add up to a stop-start game going backwards. With 10 minutes of running rugby in an 80-minute game, wouldn't there be more 'excitement' watching Donald Trump and our Prime Minister playing noughts and crosses? Graham Fleetwood, Tauranga. Retain the moral high ground The idea that New Zealand should consider losing its moral high ground and its nuclear-free status as contemplated by Matthew Hooton (Aug 15) gets a big Yeah, Nah. How could he suggest such a thing after all the work put in by activists of the past? We should reaffirm our non-aligned status and spend our defence on firefighting drones capable of defending us against any threat. If we can build America's Cup yachts, surely we can do that here, and probably better than elsewhere. We could also take a leadership role in reforming the UN Security Council so we (the whole world) can feel safe with genuine collective security, and put our energy into the real threat to the world - anthropogenic climate change. Dennis Worley, Birkenhead. Performative, not informative Jeremy Coleman (Aug 19) is right. Demands for Dame Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, Aysha Verrall and Chris Hipkins to present in person at the Covid inquiry are pointless. During lockdown, as we silently watched the countless dead being loaded on to refrigerated trucks around the world, as we listened to clear messages from our leaders about what was happening, and as we learned that subsidies were helping people to put food on the table, I for one felt grateful to these people and proud to be a New Zealander. It needs to be understood that these former leaders have already responded to hours of questioning on the Covid response for the commission. Appearances by them would be merely performative, not informative, as others have said. This inquiry runs the risk of becoming less about how to do things better next time, and more of a political witch hunt. The money would have been better spent on social housing and equal pay. Christine Hart, St Mary's Bay. Keeping up with AI Writing is going to be the future for school kids. Really? Having just used AI to transcribe handwriting to text and found it recorded my statement about it being 'absolutely amazing', it is no surprise that Education Minister Erica Stanford needs a distraction. Perhaps our kids could learn a few Māori words like tūī and kererū. Our manu/bird names are part of our vernacular. Steve Russell, Hillcrest.
Scoop
17 hours ago
- Scoop
Prison Inspection Report Released For Mount Eden Corrections Facility
The Office of the Inspectorate today (Wed 20 Aug) released its inspection report for Mount Eden Corrections Facility (MECF). MECF, in central Auckland, housed around 1,100 prisoners at the time of the inspection (October 2024), 95% of whom were on remand. It was a busy site with, on average, 600 prisoners arriving and leaving each month. Chief Inspector Janis Adair said the inspection found: 'Leadership at the site was generally stable and settled. Staff, including custodial and health staff, mostly had the skills and knowledge to do their jobs.' Many staff, however, had less than two years' experience working in a New Zealand prison, and many had English as a second language. Some of these staff struggled to understand cultural differences in New Zealand. The custodial team was also short-staffed and, partly due to this, most prisoners were subject to restrictive regimes, spending around 22 hours a day locked in their cells. MECF was providing opportunities for prisoners to engage with their families/whānau, including regular in-person visits. The inspection team found examples of positive practice, including one unit being run as an alcohol and drug recovery unit, providing a rehabilitation programme and other mental health and addiction focused sessions. The Property Office had a selection of good-quality clothes and shoes, donated by the charity Common (previously known as Koha Apparel), for people being released from prison who had nothing suitable to wear. Adair said the prison was 'a stark and austere environment with no green spaces, limited natural light and few outdoor areas. This makes it a challenging environment for both staff and prisoners.' Most prisoners and staff said they felt safe, but many prisoners did not feel safe in mainstream units. Most prisoners did not have jobs, and there were limited educational, cultural (such as tikanga courses or kapa haka) or constructive activities available. Prisoners told us they were bored, stressed and frustrated. The health team provided good levels of care, generally in a timely manner, although some prisoners waited unreasonable lengths of time to see a nurse or medical officer. We found some good practice in the management of prisoners with mental health issues, but prisoners in the Intervention and Support Unit (including some with serious mental illnesses), were effectively being denied association (that is, being able to mix with others). For some, this likely amounted to prolonged solitary confinement, as this is defined in the Mandela Rules. The report makes 31 over-arching findings. 'I expect the site to create an action plan to address the findings of this report ... I look forward to working with the site as I continue to monitor progress,' said Adair. The Inspectorate is a critical part of the independent oversight of the Corrections system and operates under the Corrections Act 2004 and the Corrections Regulations 2005. The Inspectorate, while part of Corrections, is operationally independent, which is necessary to ensure objectivity and integrity. The inspection process provides an ongoing insight into prisons and provides assurance that shortcomings are identified and addressed in a timely way, and that examples of good practice are acknowledged and shared across the prison network. Note:
Scoop
21 hours ago
- Scoop
New Data Emphasises Focus On Teaching Basics
Minister of Education New literacy and numeracy achievement data reinforces why the Government must continue to have a relentless focus on teaching the basics brilliantly, Education Minister Erica Stanford says. 'The latest Curriculum Insights & Progress Study (CIPS) data was collected in Term 4 2024 and provides a snapshot of achievement prior to the introduction of our education reform programme this year. The data reconfirms why it was mission critical to have a laser focus on reading, writing and maths in classrooms this year.' The results show the Government has stemmed the decline of maths achievement starting with the introduction of an hour a day of reading, writing and maths in 2024. The results also show for the first time, the national level of writing achievement against the new curriculum. 23 per cent of Year 8 students are at the curriculum benchmark for mathematics, up from 22 per cent in 2023. 24 per cent of Year 8 students are at curriculum for writing. 'We are highly ambitious for Kiwi kids. We want them to have the strong foundations they need to do the best they can at school and beyond. Parents can have confidence this Government has and will take decisive and deliberate actions to make this happen by prioritising student achievement,' Ms Stanford says. 'Our Government's major education reforms are now well underway. After learning last year that just 22 per cent of Year 8s were at curriculum in maths in 2023, we swiftly launched our Make It Count maths action plan to transform maths education. 'We delivered quickly on our promise to mandate structured literacy in all primary schools to respond to the decades of decline in reading. 'We've introduced a world-leading Maths and English curriculum, equipped teachers and students with high-quality resources, surged in targeted interventions for students who need extra help and made seismic investments into learning support. 'Early signs show our reforms are making a difference. As they bed in, we expect students are more likely to reach their full potential.' Notes: The Curriculum Insights and Progress Study is the Government's lead indicator for tracking progress toward its target of 80% of Year 8 students achieving at or above curriculum expectations in reading, writing and maths by 2030. Mathematics achievement level for Years 3, 6, and 8 (2023 and 2024) Writing achievement level for Years 3, 6, and 8 (2024)
