Latest news with #GarethMorgan
RNZ News
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Gareth Morgan's new giant public art park set to open in Spring
infrastructure arts 36 minutes ago If you've travelled along Transmission Gully, north of Poneke Wellington - the major motorway section of State Highway One that opened in 2022 - you might have noticed through your side window giant objects starting to pop up on the western hills north of Pauatahanui These are on the property of well-known economist, businessman and philanthropist Gareth Morgan and his whanau. First came a rainbow-painted old New Zealand railway pedestrian bridge. Then, a dramatically scaled-up park bench - big enough for people to walk under - with cheekily a to scale version in front. Plus giant hilltop works by leading sculptors Phil Price and Neil Dawson. With eight sculptures already and six more to come, it's the beginnings of a sculpture trail that Morgan has revealed to RNZ is set to open to the public in Spring. You'll be able to walk, bike or golf buggy the almost five kilometre long trail, which sits alongside The Morgans nine-hole golf course, which the family purchased from Pauatahanui Golf Club in 2019 This significant private estate also features 60 hectares of what was pine forest and is now is being reestablished by the conservationist as native forest. Then there is the intimate live music venue, The Morgans Clubhouse, which has seen public performances by the likes of Vera Ellen, Hollie Smith, Anika Moa and the Phoenix Foundation. Gareth Morgan joined RNZ Culture 101's Mark Amery to play Fast Favourites.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Swansea Bay maternity changes demanded after critical review
Repeated failures in the quality of maternity care and governance at a health board have been highlighted in an independent review was commissioned after complaints by families, as well as concerns about the number of deaths of babies and mothers between 2018 and staffing improvements there remain "further actions to be urgently progressed," according to Dr Denise Chaffer, the chairwoman of the review into Swansea Bay health Morgan, 39, whose son suffered a brain injury during birth, said: "How many more babies and families need to suffer before even small change happens?" Swansea Bay health board previously issued an unconditional apology to the families who had been many women had a "mostly positive experience", the review said, some still have "a considerably poor or traumatic experience".It added: "Some go further and describe instances of severe birth trauma, some of which have occurred in the last year." These included a lack of compassion, feeling ignore and staff's failure to listen, while there were also "language barriers and lack of cultural awareness" for people from different authors want changes to the complaints process in Wales to make it "less rigid and more compassionate" as well as mental health support for women and said funding for rapid access psychological support for women and their birthing partners should be considered by the Welsh weaknesses at Swansea Bay were identified between 2021 and 2024, though it noted "some evidence of improvements", the report said "translating high-level changes into tangible improvements on the ground remains a challenge". Mr Morgan's wife needed an emergency caesarean when their son was born as she was being treated for was treated at Singleton Hospital's neonatal intensive care unit for a brain injury sustained during birth."It was probably one of the worst points of my life as I thought that both my son and my wife were going to die that day," Mr Morgan said.A year after his son's birth, the couple received a letter from the health board following an internal investigation into the care she received that found "several major issues that contributed to what happened to him" and suggested the family contact a solicitor."You go from thinking it was just bad luck to being angry and you want to find people accountable," Mr Morgan added."I'm riddled with trauma. Our family is riddled with the negative experience of what's happened. It's not something you just forget - you live with it."When you hear about it happening to other people it affects you all over again. But this isn't about us as a family, this is about the wider picture and there are things that can be done now that can help change future outcomes and that's on the government to do."Because ultimately if you're not changing something, if you're not instrumental in in resolving this pan-Wales, pan-UK issue, then you're complicit."You're complicit in every negative outcome, every near miss, every bereavement that every family goes through - it's on you."How many more babies and families need to suffer before even small change happens?" The report made a number of recommendations, including:A major focus on improving triage qualityImproving the quality of investigations and involve families and external inputHaving compassionate and trauma-informed careFoetal monitoring training for all maternity staffThere were also a number of recommendations to Welsh government, including the revision of the complaints guidance and mental health support for women and families. Dr Chaffer said: "There is still much to be done to improve maternity and neonatal services and this report serves as a call to action for the health board to do more to rapidly improve the experiences of those who use these services."The work of this review does not and must not stop here. The health board must ensure this conversation continues until all changes are made and sustained improvements are demonstrated for the women and families of Swansea Bay." In December 2023 Healthcare Inspectorate Wales found Singleton Hospital's maternity unit failed to meet safe staffing levels over four years and had insufficient measures to stop baby staff were recruited, but it was placed into enhanced monitoring by the Welsh government.A subsequent independent review was announced but criticism from families prompted the first chairwoman to step May, the body representing patients in Wales, Llais, published its own review after speaking with more than 500 women who had given heard about failings in safety, quality of care and respect at almost every stage of the process, with some women deciding not to have more children as a prompted an apology from health board chairwoman Jan Williams and Health Secretary Jeremy Miles, who added that an assessment of the safety and quality of all maternity units in Wales would be carried out.
Powys County Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Welsh Lib Dems defeat Reform UK in Llanidloes by-election
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have secured a narrow by-election victory in Llanidloes. Fleur Frantz-Morgans, who works for a domestic violence charity, won the seat by just six votes ahead of Reform UK, retaining the seat for the party. The by-election was triggered by the retirement of long-serving councillor Gareth Morgan, who represented Llanidloes for 52 years. Ms Frantz-Morgans, newly elected councillor, said: "I would like to thank everyone from across the community who has placed their trust in me to represent them on the council. "I am looking forward to getting started straight away and ensuring local residents' voices are heard clearly, and that the issues raised with me during the campaign are addressed." The Welsh Liberal Democrats described the result as evidence that, while Conservative and Labour support is shifting to Reform, they remain able to hold their ground and defeat the party. Councillor Glyn Preston, Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd candidate for Gwynedd Maldwyn (Montgomeryshire and Gwynedd), said: "It is fantastic news that Llanidloes will have another hard-working Liberal Democrat councillor to continue the extraordinary legacy of Gareth Morgan. "I am looking forward to working closely with Fleur to deliver for the people of Llanidloes. "As we head into the Senedd elections next year, it is clear that people are fed up with the two old legacy parties. "Whether it was the Conservatives' awful record of cutting public services over the last 14 years or Welsh Labour's poor handling of the Welsh NHS and neglect of rural areas like ours, people are crying out for change. "In Montgomeryshire, the Liberal Democrats have a long and proud history of standing up and being a loud voice for our communities, and I look forward to continuing to build on that as next May approaches." Elsewhere in the vote, Labour finished fifth. The Conservatives, who previously held both the parliamentary and Senedd seats in the area, saw their vote share drop from 21 per cent to just 7.5 per cent, finishing fourth. Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds MS said: "While Labour and the Conservatives continue to lose support to Reform across the country, the Liberal Democrats are holding our own.
Powys County Times
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Six candidates in Powys Council by-election in Llanidloes
SIX candidates will be contesting the Llanidloes by-election next month, including one former council heavyweight. The deadline for candidate nominations was late on Friday afternoon, June 6 and the election is set to take place on Thursday, July 3. Canvassing is already in full swing as candidates and their supporters pounded the streets of Llanidloes looking for votes over the weekend. The election follows the resignation of veteran councillor Liberal Democrat Gareth Morgan last month, after more than 50 year representing the town in both the 1974 to 1996 and current version of Powys County Council. All mainstream political parties in Wales have put a candidate forward with two of them having served as county councillors in the past. Former cabinet member for education Phyl Davies, who represented the Blaen Hafren ward between 2017 and 2022, has thrown his hat in the ring for the Conservative party. His Tory predecessor in the now extinct Blaen Hafren ward from 2012 to 2017, Graham Jones will be standing on the Reform UK ticket. Applications to register to vote need to reach Powys County Council's electoral registration officer by midnight on June 17. Applications for a postal votes need to be made to the council's electoral registration officer by 5 pm on Wednesday, June 18. The deadline for application to vote by proxy is 5pm on Wednesday, June 25. Applications can be made online by visiting –
Daily Mirror
01-06-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Angry Liverpool shop owners ask why roads were open to vehicles before disaster
Despite warnings given to businesses about the expected crowds, not all roads on the route were closed for the parade which ended in chaos and 79 people injured after a car crashed into fans Angry shop owners have questioned why some roads remained open to vehicles for the Liverpool FC homecoming. Despite warnings given to businesses about the expected crowds, Dale Street in the centre of Liverpool was not completely closed. The parade ended in chaos, with 79 people injured after a car crashed into fans on adjoining Water Street. Months of planning went into the event, and a "robust traffic management plan" was in place, Liverpool city council said. But Gareth Morgan, 46, owner of The Dead Crafty Beer Company on Dale Street, outlined how he was told to remove street furniture for the event last Monday. He demanded to know why vehicles were still allowed access. "When you have 800,000 people walking back up to the city centre, it's crazy that any of the main roads in the city centre were open," he said. "Everyone I have spoken to is in agreement that it should not have been open to traffic. The pavements aren't big enough to take that volume of the public, so the only place for them to go is the road." Mohamad Abbar, of A2Z Mobile on Dale Street, added: "There were too many people on this road." Liverpool City Council stressed Dale St had not been completely closed for Liverpool FC victory parades in the past, and the bus had travelled on the same route as in 2019 and 2022. Elsewhere on the 10-mile route, one side of Queens Drive remained open. Again, crowds were forced onto the road at the same time as vehicles, including heavy goods wagons. Eyewitnesses told how 'dozens of HGVs' were on the route at the same time as big crowds. Cllr Alan Gibbons, who leads the city's Community Independents Group, submitted a Right to Know request to the city council regarding organisation of the parade. In an email to council chief executive Andrew Lewis, he wrote: "Based on footage circulating on social media and mainstream news outlets, a number of critical questions arise surrounding the circumstances of the incident, the preparedness of the authorities, and the overall safeguarding of the public. "Why does footage appear to show no visible police presence in the vicinity at the time of the vehicle entering the area? "What was the contingency plan in the event of a vehicle breach, and how was it communicated to officers and stewards on duty?" The city's Lib Dem leader Cllr Carl Cashman has called for a full independent inquiry. Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims told how they worked with event organisers on traffic management. It included a number of road closures throughout the route and the city centre. Former Royal Marine Paul Doyle appeared at Liverpool Magistrates' Court and Liverpool Crown Court last week. He faced seven charges including wounding with intent, causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, attempting to cause GBH with intent and dangerous driving. Mr Doyle faces charges relating to six victims, including two children aged 11 and 17, after a total of 79 people were injured. He will next appear at Liverpool Crown Court on 14 August for a plea hearing.
