Fiji DPM responds to concern over teacher shortages
Fiji's deputy prime minister says Fiji is losing teachers to Australia and New Zealand and can't afford to match pay to bring them back.
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Cooks opposition leader calling for a pause on deep sea mining
Pacific environment 6:01 am today The Cook Islands opposition leader has called for a pause to what she calls the agressive promotion of deep sea mining from government.
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Papua New Guinea's electoral integrity under scrutiny ahead of 2027 polls
Papua New Guinea will hold its National General Election in 2027. Photo: Supplied A new report from Papua New Guinea's National Research Institute (NRI) has called for immediate reforms of electoral boundaries before the 2027 National General Election after identifying significant breaches of law. The central concerns are three glaring breaches of the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Government Elections (OLPLLGE): inaccurate provisional number of electorates, flawed determination of the size of electorates, and overlapping maps of some electorates. The NRI says the integrity of Papua New Guinea's electoral process is at stake as it specifically pointed to the 2021 electoral boundaries review. This review controversially used a provisional number of 96 electorates. This figure, the NRI argues, is a direct violation of the Organic Law on National and Local-level Government Elections (OLNLLGE), PNG's foundational electoral legislation. The OLNLLGE clearly mandates a minimum of 110 and a maximum of 120 electorates. The NRI asserts that this breach of a fundamental legal requirement significantly undermines the integrity of PNG's entire electoral system. "The current electoral boundaries and the review that was done in 2021 is outdated as population has changed over the last 13 years," NRI researcher and author of the report Wilson Kumne said. "The new electorates to be implemented in 2027 should consider the changes in the population of the electorates over the 13 years." The NRI report points to the fact that any change in the electoral boundaries hinges on data from 2024 National Census which is yet to be published. But looking at the data from 2021 is already an indication of the challenges Papua New Guinea faces as a country. PNG's population grew from approximately 7.3 million in 2011 to an estimated 11.8 million by 2021. Photo: Supplied PNG's population grew from approximately 7.3 million in 2011 to an estimated 11.8 million by 2021. This significant demographic shift, represents a more 62 per cent increase in a decade, means current boundaries are out of sync with present-day realities. Adding to the complexity are issues with the physical demarcation of electorates. The OLNLLGE strictly prohibits open electorate boundaries from cutting across provincial boundaries. Yet, the report highlights examples, some in very remote locations, where electoral boundaries straddle multiple provincial boundaries creating administrative difficulties. Delaying any work on this reform could result in another chaotic election in 2027.
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Auckland Council says 100,000 new homes built after planning rule book came into force
Auckland Council says 100,000 new homes have been built in the eight years since its planning rule book came into force . It comes as the government plans to take back power from local councils if their decisions are going to negatively impact economic growth, development or employment. Housing and Resource Management Act (RMA) reform minister Chris Bishop said the new regulation within the RMA would stop councils from stalling on housing developments. Bishop said the provision would be added into the RMA amendment legislation currently before Parliament. The Auckland Unitary Plan has governed what can be built and where since 2016, and the council has crunched numbers to show how many consented houses became reality. The number of homes constructed rose from 10,200 in 2018 to a record 18,100 in 2023, with 17,200 built in 2024. As of December 2024, there were 20,200 new homes in Auckland's housing pipeline - 13,800 under construction and 6,400 consented but not yet started. Taking into account population growth, there were close to six homes per 1000 residents before the Unitary Plan came into force and now there are 9.5 homes per 1000 residents. Auckland Council's chief economist Gary Blick. Photo: Supplied/Auckland Council Auckland Council's chief economist Gary Blick said there had been a boost in new houses with 90 percent of consented houses being completed. "What this data really shows is that the vast majority of building consents become new homes. "It also shows that the changes that were made with the Unitary Plan in late 2016 have created a lot of development opportunities." The housing pipeline is still sensitive to economic shifts, such as higher interest rates which contributed to fewer new projects starting construction from late 2022. The number of new houses consented in Auckland last year dropped 10 percent to 13,939 compared with 2023. The region's median house price of $1 million is 7.5 times the median income, compared to five times that in 2000 which in today's terms would be $680,000. "That's how far we've slipped so what we really need to see is a sustained material improvement in housing," Blick said. This month, the government announced it would allow Auckland Council to scrap its intensification plan change, called Plan Change 78. It was required to develop three storey town houses throughout the city but put on hold due in part to 2023's flooding and cyclone. Council must replace it with a change to the Unitary Plan that permits buildings of at least six stories around the City Rail Link stations in Mount Eden, Kingsland, Morningside, and others. It has until October 10 to notify the plan change. Blick said the focus should remain on enabling housing capacity in accessible places, such as close to town centres and transport options. "That could mean making it easier for people to live and work near major transport infrastructure - like the City Rail Link - giving them faster commutes, better access to jobs and education, and easing pressure on our roads," he said. More than half of the houses built in recent years have been town houses. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
