Latest news with #Marty
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Tauranga City Council cocktail party: Ombudsman recommends invite list be publicly released
Communications staff were told to tell NZME 'Marty said he won't be releasing the list of invitees, that they can go to the Ombudsman'. NZME referred the matter to the Ombudsman last July. Chief Ombudsman John Allen's June 17 decision recommended the council 'reconsider' NZME's request 'and make a new decision'. While it may have been a privately sponsored event, it was organised and hosted by the council, he said. The invite-only event was held on May 10, 2024, at the Cargo Shed in Tauranga. Photo / Alex Cairns Allen, who began his term as Chief Ombudsman in March, noted the council's assessment of the use of staff time 'as minimal and non-disruptive'. However, 'public money and resources, through the contribution of Council staff's work hours, were still used in organising the event'. Allen said the Privacy Commissioner considered the privacy interest of invitees and attendees to be 'low' and there did not appear to be 'any inherent or immediate risk' that public knowledge of this could create that would heighten the privacy interest. Allen considered the draft list of invitees, 'a fair number' of which held 'prominent public positions'. 'Given these factors, there appears to be a stronger public interest in releasing this information than the low privacy interest in withholding.' Allen noted the council was governed by four commissioners at the time. He acknowledged the council's comments that the celebration was 'partially to farewell the outgoing commissioners'. 'However, it remains that for the past three years, the people of Tauranga were effectively denied their elected representation in favour of appointed governance. 'The Ombudsman is likely to consider that this heightens the public interest in transparency, and also in accountability by way of council time spent on a non-essential celebration.' Section 7(2)(a) of the Act provides official information may be withheld if it was necessary to 'protect the privacy of natural persons'. He said the council 'improperly applied' this section to withhold the names of invitees, attendees, and sponsors from NZME. In an email on July 9, the council's democracy services team leader, Kath Norris, said the council had 'reconsidered' its decision and sent a list of 240 invitees and 10 sponsors. Norris said there was no attendance list or registration at the event, 'and therefore no definitive record of who attended, or whether other people came in place of someone on the list'. The guest list showed 40 council staff and their partners were invited. Other invitees included MPs, business leaders, construction and property development leaders, Western Bay of Plenty District Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council staff, and iwi leaders. The event's 10 sponsors were economic development agency Priority One, Tauranga Business Chamber and property development companies or groups Twenty Two, Willis Bond, LT McGuinness, Quayside, Watts & Hughes, Urban Task Force, Carrus, and Panorama Ltd. Carrus founder Sir Paul Adams revealed last year that the company was a sponsor and said the party was a chance to celebrate the 'long-overdue' revitalisation of the CBD and to thank the commissioners for kick-starting it. New council offices and a $306m civic precinct redevelopment were among projects the commission approved during its four-and-a-half years governing the city council. A newly elected council began its term in August. Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Marty Morrissey says 'everything changed' after death of beloved mother
RTE Presenter Marty Morrissey has become a mainstay on our screens over the past three decades. The much-loved GAA personality is the voice of hurling and regularly commentates on the biggest games of the year, and was the man behind the microphone for last week's clash between Cork and Tipperary. Marty is well known for being a man that is always up for the craic, but he has had to endure tough times as well. An only child, Marty's father passed away in 2004 with his mother passing away in 2021. Earlier this year, Morrissey spoke to RSVP Magazine about struggling with his grief following the passing of his Mother Peggy. "I had mum to myself for 17 years. She was a woman of great strength – small in stature, but big in forcefulness," he shared. "When your second parent goes, it changes everything. Suddenly that connection at home is not there." Now, when Marty returns to his Clare home, the house feels desolate, with memories echoing in every room. He hasn't yet managed to clear out his mum's belongings as he continues to navigate through his grief, four years on from her heartbreaking passing. "When I do go home now, [the house] is very empty," he revealed on the Changing Times - The Allenwood Conversations podcast. "All my mum's clothes are there, and I will in time give them away, but I want to keep some of them. Dad's suits are still there, do you know what I mean? Grieving is not easy." After enduring a difficult few years, Marty now embraces life with more empathy. Speaking to hosts Mary Kennedy and Mary McAleese on the RTE show, he said: "I've so many friends, we've mutual friends, that are sometimes diagnosed with cancer or whatever. And you say to ourselves, 'let's live every day'. "And we need to be more positive. We're so critical. Like, we all want everything to be right. But the criticism that's out there now is so harsh." Marty Morrissey and his mum Peggy Marty further stated: "I'd like people to pull back a bit and not be as angry with each other, and be kind to each other, and empathise. Nobody's perfect. So I would just say, be kind." Away from the camera, Marty likes to keep his private life just that. He has been in a long-term relationship with his partner Liz Kidney having first gotten together in 1995. In a previous interview with the Irish Independent, Marty said: 'We've been together a long time. It took a while to get going but we got going. I remember meeting her at Cork City Council where she works. 'I thought she was a very nice girl, and she is still a very nice girl. I am a private person and so is she. We have always kept something to ourselves and that to us is important. It is important to her. She is extremely private.' Marty Morrissey poses with his mum Peggy
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘I understand the frustration & anger', says RTE star as desperate fans scramble for coveted All-Ireland final tickets
MARTY Morrissey admits he feels for fans scrambling to get coveted tickets to the All-Ireland football final. 6 RTE star Marty Morrissey feels for fans scrambling to get All-Ireland final tix Credit: Garrett White - The Sun 6 Peter Twiss of the Kerry County GAA Board holding what could be some of the last remaining pre-booked tickets for the big game Credit: Domnick Walsh 6 Donegal's ticket allocation for Sunday's showdown with Kerry is just 13,748 Credit: Inpho 6 Young Kerry fans will be roaring their county on Credit: Domnick Walsh A number of clubs in Donegal have taken to social media to highlight how they haven't been able to satisfy all requests for precious passes. And amid the frenzy for All-Ireland final passes, He declared: 'It is difficult to get tickets, and I understand the frustration and the anger. Read more in Sport 'There's 82,300 tickets to go into Croke Park – that's the capacity crowd. 'The two contesting teams roughly get 20,000 tickets each. 'All the teams in the finals, despite it happening year after year, are spoilt when it comes to semi-finals because they can get 40,000 each really. 'But when it comes to All-Ireland finals, there is a process [where] tickets go to every unit of the GAA nationwide and abroad.' Most read in the Irish Sun Around 60,000 tickets are ring-fenced for county allocations, with the remaining tix split between premium and corporate, season tickets, schools, Croke Park residents and even some for overseas. The competing finalists receive the most significant share of that near-60,000 batch set aside for county allocations, with the rest going to all other county boards. RTE GAA pundit embrace Tipperary captain Ronan Maher after his epic display toppled Cork in All-Ireland final The tickets filter down to clubs and club members, many being offered out through a raffle or a draw. Marty highlighted how ticket allocations quickly add up - with the policy of sending tickets to all counties triggering angst from the two teams playing in the final. DIEHARD FANS MISS OUT More than 10,000 tickets in the stadium are nabbed for the corporate and premium sections - much to the fury of many diehard fans. But while the commercial side of the GAA has ramped up, Marty maintained bosses pump the cash back into He said: 'I can understand that argument (over corporate tickets). 'The GAA that I was brought up in didn't have the corporate boxes; this is the world we live in. 'EVERYTHING GOES BACK TO CLUBS' 'For the GAA to survive – or any organisation – it is about 'I will say that the GAA do one good thing: everything goes back to the clubs. 'You drive around from Mizen Head to Malin Head to Kilkenny to wherever you want, and you'll see clubs with sports centres, with astro turf, the pitches are really improved. 'When I was young, I remember togging out from the side of a ditch in Quilty in west Clare, now we have dressing rooms. It's different.' 6 Kerry fans will be hoping the Sam Maguire returns to the Kingdom on Sunday Credit: Domnick Walsh 6 Fans are desperately hunting for tickets Credit: Domnick Walsh With the countdown underway until Sunday's big throw-in, Marty also insisted he believes every GAA fan should get the chance to experience an He told the Behind the Story podcast: 'You don't have to be from Donegal or Kerry on Sunday to appreciate the pride that comes with even the parade, even the cheer. 'I've been lucky in my lifetime to see GOOD ETHOS 'To see your neighbours running on to the pitch is truly historical and emotional. 'The policy is that man, woman or child in 'But generally speaking, the ethos is a good one in the sense of giving everyone, whether you are in Carlow or In response to tickets criticism, the GAA insists the showpiece match is for everyone in the game in Ireland, explaining the policy to send tickets to all counties across the country.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Walmart bets on AI 'super agents' to boost e-commerce growth
STORY: Walmart is deepening its push into AI, unveiling four new "super agents" on Thursday, aiming to improve the shopping experience and better compete with rival retailers. Powered by agentic AI - which needs minimal human intervention - the super agents will serve as primary entry points for every AI interaction with Walmart shoppers, store employees, suppliers and sellers, and software developers. The new agents will replace several existing AI tools, and the retailer hopes they'll attract more shoppers away from Amazon, which has its own range of AI-powered tools. One of Walmart's agents, Sparky, is already available on its app as a Gen-AI powered tool, where it currently assists customers with product suggestions, such as athletic wear or the right ink for a printer. In its "super agent" form, Walmart says Sparky will be able to plan themed parties and offer product recipes by looking at the contents of a shopper's fridge through its computer vision. Another super agent, Marty, is being developed for sellers, suppliers, and advertisers in an effort to streamline the onboarding process, manage orders and create ad campaigns. Walmart declined to say whether the super agents would replace human jobs.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Walmart bets on AI super agents to boost ecommerce growth
Walmart unveiled plans on Thursday to roll out a suite of AI-powered "super agents" designed to improve the shopping experience for customers and streamline operations. The world's largest retailer said the four agents powered by agentic AI - designed for Walmart shoppers, store employees, suppliers and sellers, and software developers - would soon be the primary way people engage with Walmart. The super agents will be the entry point for every AI interaction these groups have with Walmart, replacing several existing agents and AI tools, along with new ones yet to be built, the company said. Walmart is betting on AI to drive its ecommerce growth, aiming for online sales to account for 50% of its total sales within five years. The company reported annual sales of $648 billion last year. By harnessing AI to streamline the shopping process - from discovering new products and helping with returns to improving delivery speeds - the retailer hopes it can attract more shoppers away from Amazon, which has also introduced a range of AI-powered tools for sellers and shoppers. Walmart's push comes as the short-term financial payoff of AI remains uncertain and concerns over how it might affect jobs across the industry. One of the agents, Sparky, is already available for shoppers on Walmart's app as a Gen-AI powered tool. Currently it assists customers with getting product suggestions for an athletic activity, finding the right ink for their printer, or summarizing product reviews, among other options. In its "super agent" form it will be able to reorder items, plan an event such as a "unicorn-themed party" and through computer vision be able to offer product recipes by just looking at the contents of a shopper's fridge, Hari Vasudev, Walmart's U.S. chief technology officer, said at an event in New York. Agentic AI is the next iteration of generative AI, in that it needs minimal human intervention to make decisions and achieve specific tasks. Walmart is also developing an "Associate" super agent, to be rolled out in the coming months, which will allow workers and corporate staff to do things such as submit an application for parental leave or give store managers immediate information on sales data for a certain category or a product with minimal input. Employees now use separate AI tools to handle those queries, a company spokesperson said. For sellers, suppliers, and advertisers, Walmart is developing a super agent called "Marty" to streamline the onboarding process, manage orders and create ad campaigns. It is also working on a "Developer" super agent, which will be the platform on which all future AI tools will be tested, built, and launched, the company said. "Agents can help automate and simplify pretty much everything that we do," Suresh Kumar, Walmart's chief technology officer said. He added that the company chose to launch these super agents now because "customers are ready, they are using AI in pretty much everything they do." The company declined to say whether the super agents would replace jobs. Dave Glick, senior vice president of enterprise business systems, said it would create new jobs without elaborating further. On Wednesday, Walmart had two AI-related announcements: it hired former Instacart executive Daniel Danker as executive vice president (EVP) for AI acceleration, product and design and created a new EVP, AI role that is yet to be filled. While retail has largely avoided AI-related layoffs, the tech industry has been hit hard, even in a historically strong market and resilient economy. In June, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said generative AI and agents will reduce its total corporate workforce over the next few years. Microsoft has emphasized that AI will boost productivity, but it has laid off thousands of employees, while Google has laid off hundreds of employees. Walmart has not linked any job cuts directly to AI, but it has been downsizing its corporate staff and is modernizing e-commerce fulfillment centers with automation, resulting in some workforce reductions.
