Latest news with #Durie
NZ Herald
15-07-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Charter schools told to keep enrolment numbers secret
'The first charter schools have had less than one year to grow and reach their establishment roll by the fifth term of their operation.' However, Tipene, a Māori boarding school south of Auckland, told RNZ it had 44 boys, while the Auckland French International School said it would start the third term with 25 pupils. One of Tipene's founders, Nathan Durie, said enrolments were higher than originally planned and it was clear the school was offering a type of education Māori wanted for their children. The Charter School Agency says it is not appropriate to share information about the rolls of the publicly funded private schools (file photo). Photo / Marika Khabazi, RNZ 'Kaupapa Māori, reo Māori are very sought after now in terms of the types of education that Māori people are looking for but they also want the opportunity for these kids to be... global citizens. And then working in particular special character aspects,' he said. Durie said the charter system gave the school more flexibility in its daily schedule. 'We don't deliver between nine and three. Our programme starts early, finishes late. They have breaks during the day, they're out on the farm here, they're out exercising, they're doing manual tasks,' he said. He said making boys sit in classrooms for five periods had never worked. Durie said the school was hoping to retain its current students and enrol a similar number of new students next year, taking its roll to more than 80. The French International School said it had students in Years 0-3 and expected to finish the year with about 40 students. 'The first two terms of the year have been very positive, with some students who did not speak a word of French in February now beginning to understand, write, and speak the language,' the director of the school's board Yves-Louis Dorsemaine said. He said the school was building three more classrooms because it had more than 60 confirmed enrolments for next year. North West College founder Sherida Penman Walters would not disclose this year's enrolments, but said it was 'well on track to achieving what we wanted to achieve'. She said next year's were looking good. 'We are taking enrolments for next year... we have a lot of interest in our school. In fact our Year 9s for next year is probably very close to our declared capacity of 40 students,' she said. Penman Walters said the school's model of academic subjects in the morning and arts in the afternoon is attractive to many families. The Charter School Agency said the charter school authorisation board was considering 52 applications from organisations wanting to set up new charter schools next year, as well as two applications from state or state integrated schools wanting to convert. It said state and state integrated schools wanting to convert later next year should lodge an expression of interest by July 16. - RNZ
Scoop
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Garden Marlborough Welcomes International Garden Design Star Jamie Durie As 2025 Keynote Speaker
Press Release – Garden Marlborough As part of his visit to Garden Marlborough, Durie will share insights from his latest project featured on the hit television series Growing Homea remarkable residence designed with 14 private gardens over seven levels, showcasing seamless indoor-outdoor … Garden Marlborough, in partnership with principal sponsor Bayleys Marlborough, is delighted to announce internationally acclaimed designer and television presenter Jamie Durie as the keynote speaker for this year's festival. Australian-born Durie is one of the most respected names in garden design and home improvement. With over 30 years of experience, the award-winning designer and horticulturalist leads a multidisciplinary team working across landscape, interiors, architecture, and furniture design. Together, they create innovative, inspiring, and sustainable solutions for outdoor living—spaces designed for relaxation, regeneration, and entertaining in style. Durie is the author of more than 12 garden design books and has hosted over 50 television shows worldwide. A Gold Medal recipient at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show, he is also a committed environmentalist, working with global organisations focused on conservation. His impressive portfolio spans projects from Australia to the USA, UK, Europe, Asia, and New Zealand, and includes collaborations with brands like McGuire, Pottery Barn, and Kohl's, as well as bespoke designs for celebrities such as Charlize Theron and Oprah Winfrey. As part of his visit to Garden Marlborough, Durie will share insights from his latest project featured on the hit television series Growing Home —a remarkable residence designed with 14 private gardens over seven levels, showcasing seamless indoor-outdoor integration. 'I've heard wonderful things 'I'm incredibly excited to be joining Garden Marlborough in 2025,' says Durie. 'I've heard fantastic things about the festival—its stunning location, passionate gardening community, and the calibre of talent it attracts. This will be my first time in Marlborough, and I can't wait to connect with fellow garden lovers and share some of the ideas and design philosophies I'm most passionate about.' Festival committee member and programme chair Kaara Wight adds: 'We're thrilled to welcome Jamie Durie to Marlborough as our keynote speaker. His global design expertise and charismatic presence will bring a dynamic new energy to this year's festival. We can't wait to welcome visitors from near and far to share in this unique celebration of gardens, design, and creativity.' Durie will present two engaging talks during the festival: Friday evening keynote – An Evening with Jamie Durie: A lively and inspiring journey through Durie's life and global career, with insights on future-proofing gardens for changing climates. Saturday morning – Transterior with Jamie Durie: Learn how to create seamless indoor-outdoor spaces using Durie's signature design philosophy, with practical ideas for any scale of garden. The full Garden Marlborough programme is packed with inspiration. Alongside Durie's presentations, this year's lineup features a wide variety of workshops and lectures on topics including naturalistic planting in a New Zealand context, soil health, bonsai, flax weaving, tablescaping, stylish entertaining, gin tasting, and BBQ mastery. As always, the heart of the festival lies in its renowned garden tours —with beloved favourites returning and exciting new private gardens opening their gates for the very first time. Experience the beauty of Marlborough at this unforgettable celebration of gardens, creativity, and community. WHO: For thirty-two years, Garden Marlborough has promoted the pleasures and benefits of gardening to a New Zealand and international audience. WHERE: Set in the heart of the beautiful Marlborough region, the four-day festival in November sells over 4,000 tickets to a packed schedule of garden tours, educational workshops and social events. WHEN: This year's event runs from 6-9 November. Tickets go on sale 21 July via the event website
Scoop
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Garden Marlborough Welcomes International Garden Design Star Jamie Durie As 2025 Keynote Speaker
Garden Marlborough, in partnership with principal sponsor Bayleys Marlborough, is delighted to announce internationally acclaimed designer and television presenter Jamie Durie as the keynote speaker for this year's festival. Australian-born Durie is one of the most respected names in garden design and home improvement. With over 30 years of experience, the award-winning designer and horticulturalist leads a multidisciplinary team working across landscape, interiors, architecture, and furniture design. Together, they create innovative, inspiring, and sustainable solutions for outdoor living—spaces designed for relaxation, regeneration, and entertaining in style. Durie is the author of more than 12 garden design books and has hosted over 50 television shows worldwide. A Gold Medal recipient at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show, he is also a committed environmentalist, working with global organisations focused on conservation. His impressive portfolio spans projects from Australia to the USA, UK, Europe, Asia, and New Zealand, and includes collaborations with brands like McGuire, Pottery Barn, and Kohl's, as well as bespoke designs for celebrities such as Charlize Theron and Oprah Winfrey. As part of his visit to Garden Marlborough, Durie will share insights from his latest project featured on the hit television series Growing Home —a remarkable residence designed with 14 private gardens over seven levels, showcasing seamless indoor-outdoor integration. 'I've heard wonderful things 'I'm incredibly excited to be joining Garden Marlborough in 2025,' says Durie. 'I've heard fantastic things about the festival—its stunning location, passionate gardening community, and the calibre of talent it attracts. This will be my first time in Marlborough, and I can't wait to connect with fellow garden lovers and share some of the ideas and design philosophies I'm most passionate about.' Festival committee member and programme chair Kaara Wight adds: 'We're thrilled to welcome Jamie Durie to Marlborough as our keynote speaker. His global design expertise and charismatic presence will bring a dynamic new energy to this year's festival. We can't wait to welcome visitors from near and far to share in this unique celebration of gardens, design, and creativity.' Durie will present two engaging talks during the festival: Friday evening keynote – An Evening with Jamie Durie: A lively and inspiring journey through Durie's life and global career, with insights on future-proofing gardens for changing climates. Saturday morning – Transterior with Jamie Durie: Learn how to create seamless indoor-outdoor spaces using Durie's signature design philosophy, with practical ideas for any scale of garden. The full Garden Marlborough programme is packed with inspiration. Alongside Durie's presentations, this year's lineup features a wide variety of workshops and lectures on topics including naturalistic planting in a New Zealand context, soil health, bonsai, flax weaving, tablescaping, stylish entertaining, gin tasting, and BBQ mastery. As always, the heart of the festival lies in its renowned garden tours —with beloved favourites returning and exciting new private gardens opening their gates for the very first time. Experience the beauty of Marlborough at this unforgettable celebration of gardens, creativity, and community. WHO: For thirty-two years, Garden Marlborough has promoted the pleasures and benefits of gardening to a New Zealand and international audience. WHERE: Set in the heart of the beautiful Marlborough region, the four-day festival in November sells over 4,000 tickets to a packed schedule of garden tours, educational workshops and social events. WHEN: This year's event runs from 6-9 November. Tickets go on sale 21 July via the event website
7NEWS
19-06-2025
- Business
- 7NEWS
Jamie Durie considers $30 million off-market offer for six-storey family home
Jamie Durie described it as the toughest project he had ever taken on. It took a decade of planning and a two-year build for the gardening guru to construct a lavish six-storey dream home for his family in Sydney's Northern Beaches. After facing "huge budget blowouts, rising interest rates, and massive construction costs", Durie and his fiancée, Ameka Jane, and their two young children, Beau and Nash, finally moved into the property earlier this year. Despite living in the home for less than six months, Durie is reportedly considering selling the ultra-luxe property after receiving an offer that could be too good to refuse. According to The Daily Telegraph, the landscaping expert and TV show host received an off-market offer in the range of $30 million for the sprawling Avalon mansion. "We've spent 10 years planning and building our family home, and we love it," Durie, 55, told the publication. "We received an unexpected offer in the mid $30 million and are now warming to the idea of spending some time on our hobby farm with the kids while they are young." The lucrative offer towers above the initial cost of the site, which he purchased in December 2015 for $2.275 million. The 1069 square-metre waterfront block had an existing 1970s four-bedroom beach house, with access to Pittwater and views across to West Head. It was demolished to make way for a sustainable "forever home " built at a reported cost of $3 million. The property is not on the market, but Durie told The Daily Telegraph he is toying with the idea of looking at other off-market offers. "We have not listed or advertised the home but have asked McGrath to manage any off-market offers moving forward, and we remain open-minded either way, as we love living here," he said. Described by Durie as "sympathetic and responsive to the topography of the site", the house takes in vast water views through floor-to-ceiling windows. The home features bespoke joinery with brass fixtures, high ceilings with opulent pendant lighting and a showstopping internal timber staircase in the living room. Wellness features include a home gym, cedar outdoor ice bath, a sauna and an infinity pool. Durie used his green thumb to create lush gardens across every level, with hanging plants cascading down the property's exterior. The project faced challenges throughout the process. An original development application (DA) was rejected over a proposal to remove 17 native trees, and sparked backlash with more than 50 objections to the Northern Beaches Council. This proposal was scaled back to 11 trees. The project was documented on the Channel 7 TV show Growing Home with Jamie Durie, which captured the ups and downs Durie and Ameka went through during the renovation. According to the official site, Durie intended to build the most sustainable and luxurious home for his family. "After 26 years making TV shows all over the world, this is the show I've always wanted to make, and if we're creating a show around sustainability, then my family and I need to do it first and practice what we preach," he said.
Scoop
01-06-2025
- General
- Scoop
Alienation, Control, And Domestic Violence In Aotearoa
Domestic violence, particularly coercive control, is often about the exercise of dominance in environments where individuals feel powerless. Coercive control is not just about isolated incidents of violence but about the systematic subjugation of … Domestic violence in Aotearoa New Zealand is not an isolated or private phenomenon. It is a deeply political expression of alienation and systemic violence, shaped by capitalism, colonialism, and patriarchy. This article argues that the roots of domestic violence lie not merely in individual pathology but in structural conditions of powerlessness, disconnection, and enforced control. By examining the connections between alienation, lack of control over one's life, and interpersonal harm, particularly through the lens of gender and state power, we can begin to imagine pathways beyond punishment, toward collective liberation. Alienation: The Dislocation of Self and Whānau The Marxist concept of alienation refers to the estrangement of individuals from their labour, from others, and from their own human potential under capitalist conditions. In Aotearoa, this alienation has uniquely developed within a colonial capitalist economy that forcibly displaced Māori from their land and reorganised society around wage labour, private property, and the nuclear family. For both tangata whenua and tauiwi working-class communities, this has produced widespread experiences of isolation, disconnection, and despair. Capitalist alienation is not simply economic, it is also emotional, cultural, and spiritual. The loss of communal structures, extended whānau support, and collective responsibility leaves individuals adrift in a world governed by competition and scarcity. Capitalism even commodifies emotional labour, reducing care and affection to transactions in service of the market. In such a society, people are often unable to meet their own emotional needs or to form meaningful, non-hierarchical relationships. Men, in particular, are taught to derive their self-worth from productivity, control, and external validation. When jobs disappear, or when the role of provider becomes unattainable, they are left without any socially acceptable means of expressing vulnerability or failure. Unemployment, poverty, and housing precarity all exacerbate this disconnection. In Aotearoa, working-class men and particularly Māori men are overrepresented in mental health statistics, suicide data, and criminal offending, all symptoms of a deeper social alienation. For Māori, this alienation is compounded by colonisation. The dislocation from whenua, language, tikanga, and traditional modes of collective living is a form of structural violence that has eroded whakapapa-based support systems. According to Durie, Māori wellbeing is rooted in a holistic balance across taha wairua, hinengaro, tinana, and whānau. Alienation disrupts all of these dimensions, creating spiritual and relational wounds that are often reproduced in the home. Alienation, then, is not an abstract or metaphorical concept. It is experienced in the loneliness of a man cut off from his tamariki due to a Family Court order. It is felt in the shame of a father unable to feed his whānau because the supermarket is too expensive and the benefit too small. It manifests in the numbness of someone who drinks until they blackout, just to feel some sense of peace. These are not isolated tragedies; they are the daily outcomes of an economic and political system that fragments human connection. Control: The Illusion of Power in a Powerless World Closely linked to alienation is the issue of control. In a society where most people have little say over their work, housing, or political representation, the need for control often becomes displaced into the personal sphere. The home, and more specifically the intimate relationship, can become a site where individuals attempt to reclaim a sense of mastery they lack elsewhere. Domestic violence, particularly coercive control, is often about the exercise of dominance in environments where individuals feel powerless. Coercive control is not just about isolated incidents of violence but about the systematic subjugation of another person's autonomy. It includes surveillance, manipulation, isolation, and emotional abuse, strategies that mirror the broader structures of control found in workplaces, prisons, and welfare agencies. Men who perpetrate violence often describe feeling out of control in their lives – whether due to unemployment, trauma, or systemic racism – and respond by trying to assert control where they can. This dynamic is not excusable, but it is intelligible within a system that denies people agency and then punishes them for responding to that denial in harmful ways. Neoliberal ideology exacerbates this by promoting the myth of personal responsibility. Individuals are told that success or failure is entirely their own doing. When they inevitably fail due to structural barriers like colonisation, capitalism, and discrimination, they are blamed and shamed. This fosters resentment, entitlement, and toxic forms of self-worth built on dominating others. It is no coincidence that domestic violence often increases during economic crises, when people's sense of control over their lives is most threatened. In the New Zealand context, the link between social control and domestic violence is evident in the way institutions discipline the poor. Work and Income imposes rigid behavioural conditions for access to basic needs. Oranga Tamariki polices the parenting of Māori mothers. The criminal justice system punishes symptoms of trauma while refusing to address its causes. These mechanisms not only fail to reduce harm – they replicate it. Masculinity: Manufactured Strength, Manufactured Violence Masculinity in settler-colonial capitalist Aotearoa is not a neutral construct. It is engineered through institutions and ideology to uphold systems of dominance and accumulation. Hegemonic masculinity refers to the dominant cultural ideal of manhood that legitimises male power over women and marginalised men. In Aotearoa, this has historically taken the form of the 'rugged individual,' the stoic provider, the emotionally repressed worker – figures perfectly suited to a colonial and capitalist economy. As economic security has deteriorated under neoliberalism, these masculine ideals have become both more impossible and more dangerous. Men are still expected to perform dominance and self-sufficiency, but the conditions to do so are vanishing. This leads to a crisis of masculine identity that is often resolved through violence against women, against children, and against other men. Domestic violence is not a breakdown of masculinity; it is masculinity functioning exactly as designed within systems that prize control and repress vulnerability. Māori men have been particularly targeted by colonial constructions of masculinity. The colonial state has produced an image of the Māori man as 'primitive' or 'hyper-masculine,' using this stereotype to justify both their exclusion and their punishment. This has contributed to Māori men being over-policed, over-incarcerated, and over-vilified in public discourse. It also distances them from traditional forms of mana tāne rooted in protection, emotional balance, and collective responsibility. Pre-colonial Māori gender relations were often based on complementary roles rather than rigid binaries. Concepts like mana wahine and whanaungatanga offered frameworks for relational balance. Colonisation disrupted these through the imposition of patriarchal Christianity, private property relations, and legal systems that marginalised wāhine and redefined tāne in Western terms. The result is a toxic hybrid masculinity, both colonised and colonising, that expresses itself in controlling and violent behaviours. Resisting violent masculinity requires more than behaviour change programmes. It demands a fundamental rethinking of what it means to be a man, and indeed whether we need rigid gendered categories at all. Anarchist and decolonial feminisms propose abolishing masculinity as a system of dominance and cultivating new identities based on aroha, accountability, interdependence, and healing. Some community-based programmes like She Is Not Your Rehab and Māori men's wānanga offer glimpses of this future, though they remain on the margins of state policy. State Responses: Punishment Without Healing Despite decades of public concern, the state's response to domestic violence remains overwhelmingly punitive. While legislation has expanded the scope of what counts as family violence, the core response remains centred on police, courts, and prisons. This carceral approach treats violence as an individual failing rather than a structural issue, and in doing so, it often exacerbates the very harms it claims to address. Police are the frontline of family violence interventions, yet policing is itself a form of colonial violence. The New Zealand Police have a long history of disproportionately targeting Māori, using excessive force, and failing to protect victims, particularly when those victims are Māori women. Rather than offering safety, police involvement often increases the danger for women and whānau, especially in communities already over-policed. Corrections-based programmes for violent men are similarly flawed. They are often short-term, one-size-fits-all, and compliance-driven. They rarely engage with the cultural, historical, and social contexts of men's violence. Worse still, imprisonment itself is a violent and traumatising experience that removes people from their support networks and embeds them further in cycles of shame and disconnection. Even non-custodial interventions like protection orders and mandated group programmes function within a surveillance framework. Men are monitored and punished for non-compliance, but rarely offered the deep, relational work needed for genuine transformation. This reflects a broader trend in neoliberal governance: managing risk rather than fostering change. Meanwhile, Oranga Tamariki removes Māori children from their whānau at rates reminiscent of the stolen generations. In 2020, Māori made up 70% of children in state care despite being only 16% of the population. These removals sever whānau connections, reinforce distrust of institutions, and perpetuate trauma. They are state violence masquerading as child protection. Anarcho-communist and abolitionist approaches reject the notion that the state can solve violence through coercion. State institutions like prisons and police exist to manage the consequences of inequality, not to eliminate them. Real safety comes not from more surveillance, but from deeper community ties, access to resources, and collective accountability. There are promising alternatives. Kaupapa Māori justice initiatives like Te Pae Oranga (iwi-led restorative panels), whānau hui, and mana-enhancing programmes grounded in tikanga offer holistic approaches to harm that restore relationships rather than sever them. Feminist transformative justice practices focus on survivor empowerment, community healing, and perpetrator accountability without relying on the carceral state. These alternatives are not perfect, but they point toward a different horizon. One where safety is not imposed from above, but built from below. One where harm is addressed not through punishment, but through solidarity and transformation. Conclusion: Toward Liberation and Accountability Domestic violence in Aotearoa cannot be understood apart from the systems that produce alienation, inequality, and control. It is not an aberration, but a feature of a colonial capitalist society that isolates people, denies them agency, and teaches them that domination is love. Ending violence requires more than reform. It requires dismantling the structures that make violence logical and rewarding – patriarchy, colonisation, capitalism, and the carceral state. It requires building new systems rooted in manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, mutual aid, and collective care. As anarcho-communists, we support and amplify the work already being done in our communities to build alternatives. We must continue to challenge violent masculinities, support survivors, decolonise our relationships, and hold each other accountable, not through shame, but through commitment to transformation. In the words of abolitionist Mariame Kaba: 'Hope is a discipline.' The struggle against domestic violence is the struggle for a world where everyone has power over their own lives, connection to their communities, and freedom from fear. That world is not only possible – it is necessary.
