Latest news with #NicolaGrigg
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Pacific news in brief for 17 July
Fiji, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tonga, French Polynesia and American Sāmoa have also declared dengue outbreaks. Photo: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY A dengue fever outbreak in Samoa has claimed the life of a second child. The Sāmoa Observer reports Faith Melchior, 8, died in hospital on Monday night. She is the second child to die from dengue in Sāmoa this year - 12-year-old Misiafa Lene died in April. Fiji, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tonga, French Polynesia and American Sāmoa have also declared outbreaks. Tuvalu and Nauru are on alert for the disease. A meeting of trade ministers from the Pacific Island Forum's African, Caribbean and Pacific States is underway in Suva. New Zealand's Nicola Grigg said it is a timely opportunity to discuss the importance of the rules-based trading system, with the World Trade Organisation at its core. She said the structure is vital for small Pacific island nations, including New Zealand. France is committing around US$20 to new undersea technology linking Vanuatu and New Caledonia, which will better prepare the Pacific for natural disasters. SMART will be the world's first Science Monitoring And Reliable Telecommunications submarine cable. French Ambassador to Vanuatu Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer said the cable will be fitted with sensors to measure sea temperature and seismic activity. He said it will help monitor climate change and - crucially - provide early warnings for tsunamis. The Vanutu Daily Post reported that the cable is expected to be in operation sometime next year. It will link Port Vila with Lifou Island in New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands group, traversing the seismically active New Hebrides Trench. Vanuatu's Electoral Commission says the verification of ballot boxes for the recent Provincial and By-Elections should be completed later today. According to the Vanuatu Daily Post , once that is done, the Commission can officially announce final results. The election was held on 8 July and attracted good voter turnout. The Commission has thanked all who participated - describing the election process as smooth and peaceful. Political parties have already begun lobbying to form new provincial governments. Fiji's HIV prevention taskforce says the country's law enforcement is actively hindering public health efforts. The United Nations reports a massive surge in HIV cases last year - numbers are up 284 percent. Around half of all cases were caused by intravenous drug use. Taskforce chair Dr Jason Mitchell told Pasifika TV there is a concerning lack of cooperation between the health sector and police. Schools in the Northern Marianas are bracing for a possible fiscal cliff, according to the Board of Education. Governor Arnold Palacios is planning substantial cuts to the education budget allocation. The government is proposing a US$40 million dollar grant but the Public School System has requested just over 49 million dollars. Board of Education has testified that if the government's proposal is implemented they could be forced to declare a state of emergency in education.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
Pacific Trade Ministers To Meet In Fiji
Minister of State for Trade and Investment Minister of State for Trade and Investment Nicola Grigg will travel to Fiji this week to attend the Pacific Island Forum's Trade Ministers Meeting (FTMM). 'Trade plays a critical role in getting more money into your back pocket, helping you and your family to thrive. It drives employment, economic growth, and lifts the standard of living in NewZealand and across the Pacific,' Ms Grigg says. The Pacific Island Forum's (PIF) biennial Trade Ministers Meeting will be held in Suva on 18 July. It is a key regional event, bringing together Pacific trade ministers to discuss and shape the future of trade and economic integration. 'The Government is strongly committed to supporting Pacific Island countries to grow the positive impacts of trade. New Zealand's attendance at the FTMM signals our continued commitment to regional cooperation, resilience, and leadership in advancing Pacific trade priorities under the 2050 Strategy for the Pacific Blue Continent,' Ms Grigg says. 'This key regional meeting provides a timely platform to discuss the critical importance of the rules-based trading system, with the World Trade Organisation at its core. This structure is particularly vital for small countries like New Zealand and PIF members. We are best served by a world in which trade flows freely governed by rules. 'I will attend a Fiji NewZealand Business Council event where the Council will launch its strategy to help reach the joint NewZealand and Fiji goal of lifting two-way trade to NZ$2 billion by 2030. 'I also look forward to engaging with my PACER Plus Ministerial counterparts. PACER Plus is the largest and most comprehensive trade agreement in our region. It is helping both large and small businesses — including women-led businesses — to grow; reduce costs through e-commerce and enhance regulatory cooperation between governments, streamline customs processes, paperless trade, and provisions on investment that protect investors; and to promote cross-border investment flows. 'While PACER Plus is a trade agreement, with currently 10 parties, that also speaks to the bonds between our nations, as neighbours, partners, and family, whose interests, prosperity, and well-being are intertwined.' The goal of lifting joint two-way trade with Fiji and New Zealand was set by our Prime Ministers in June last year. The Joint Statement by the Prime Ministers of Fiji and New Zealand can be read here.
Scoop
08-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
First New Water Services Entity Springs To Life
Selwyn has become the first water services entity to be established under the Government's Water Done Well legislation. Local Government Minister Simon Watts attended the formal launch of Selwyn Water Limited today with Mayor Sam Broughton, local MP Nicola Grigg, and company chair Murray Strong. Watts confirmed at the launch that the Secretary for Local Government, Paul James, had formally accepted Selwyn's Water Services Delivery Plan. Selwyn Water Limited will deliver drinking and wastewater services to around 30,000 households and over 8,000 businesses across New Zealand's fastest-growing region. Broughton said the formation of Selwyn Water marked a major milestone for the District. 'After years of talking about water reforms, we're pleased to have moved to give our residents certainty for the future of drinking and wastewater services. 'Selwyn Water will deliver services that enable community and business development and protect environmental health, it will manage its finances prudently and operate independently from rates.' The councillors had voted 6-5 to move the district's drinking and wastewater to a council controlled organisation (CCO). That decision has received plenty of pushback, with 89% of the submissions calling for the alternative in-house model. Broughton previously said those submissions represented 1% of the population. At the opening, he said most of the things that had been raised by submitters had been considered by the council's three waters subcommittee. 'The council decision was already around a preferred WSCCO to set us up for the future.' Established under the Government'sLocal Water Done Wellframework, Selwyn Water Limited is the first CCO of its kind. It combines public ownership with customer services expertise and will be governed by an independent board. Over the next six months, the council will transfer relevant assets, staff, and systems to ensure a seamless transition and continuity of service. In its annual plan, the council has budgeted around $11 million for the transition to the CCO. It had already budgeted, in November, $2m to support the proposed establishment of a CCO and development of the Water Services Delivery Plan. Selwyn Water chairperson Murray Strong noted that the utility is being built on a strong foundation. 'Selwyn Water will be a 'best in class' public utility company, aligned with Council and Government expectations and subject to oversight from the Commerce Commission and Taumata Arowai. 'Our flexible structure also allows for other councils to partner in future, creating efficiencies and further cost savings across districts.' Broughton was confident that any future amalgamation of services with other councils wouldn't require a new CCO. 'This has been set up and designed from the beginning to be able to shape and change itself, and morph into whatever the future requirements are for the districts that want to be a part of collaborating for Canterbury.' Selwyn MP Nicola Grigg welcomed the launch as a practical response to the community's growth and infrastructure demands. 'I'm very pleased to see the council move to enable this ownership model and look forward to Selwyn Water delivering high standards of service for our people.'
RNZ News
13-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
New Zealand falls in latest global gender equality rankings
Parity in ministerial positions dropped from 81.8 percent to 53.8percent over the past two years. Photo: 123rf New Zealand has slipped a spot in global rankings for gender equality, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). The WEF's latest Global Gender Gap Report , which benchmarks performance of individual nations across various economic and social indicators, said New Zealand maintained high standards globally, but that a downward trajectory loomed. Weaker economic opportunities and political representation for women had bumped New Zealand from fourth to fifth. The WEF report measured gender parity across four key dimensions - economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Each dimension was assessed using various indicators and weighted accordingly. In terms of economic participation, New Zealand ranked below 70 percent for the first time since 2007. "The subindex exhibits a downward trend, despite minor fluctuations over time. There is a further decline in executive perceptions of wage equality." The report also pointed to falling political empowerment, setting back "notable progress" from 2019-23. "Parity in ministerial positions has dropped by nearly 30 percentage points, from 81.8 percent in 2023 to 53.8 percent in 2025. "Similarly, parity in Parliamentary representation now stands at 83.6 percent, down from full parity achieved in 2023." Minister for Women Nicola Grigg. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Minister for Women Nicola Grigg told RNZ that, despite the lower ranking, New Zealand remained in a strong position. "While New Zealand has dropped one place in the latest ranking, we remain in the top five globally, including maintaining first place in educational attainment. "This is a strong position, reflecting long-term commitment." The coalition government has not ruled out a mandatory pay gap reporting system, which the previous Labour government introduced in August 2023 . Cabinet has yet to make any decisions, with the focus for now on supporting businesses to build the capacity to measure and report their own gaps. If ministers were to push ahead with a mandatory pay gap reporting system, decisions would first be required around funding and resourcing the system. As such, the government has sought to ramp up data on the gap itself and its causes, Grigg said. "The gender pay gap is complex and nuanced, with around 80 percent of contributing factors being 'unexplained', like hiring bias. "That is why, last year, I launched the first-ever government-backed Gender Pay Gap Toolkit , which was designed by businesses themselves to help them address these complex issues. Since launching the calculator toolkit, we've had great engagement, with over 23,000 visits to the site." Grigg told RNZ that the government's recent pay equity changes, which changed the bargaining system, while scrapping all existing agreements and notifications, supports gender equality. "The changes will identify genuine sex-based discrimination in the workplace. New Zealand's system remains more liberal than many listed in the 2025 Gender Pay Gap Index, for example. "Having a fair-pay equity system and giving businesses resources to reduce the gender pay gap contributes towards achieving gender equality." Dame Marilyn Waring. Photo: Supplied In response to those changes, a cross-party group of female former MPs, led by Dame Marilyn Waring, formed the People's Select Committee on Pay Equity pressure group . Former equal employment opportunities commissioner and advisor to the group Saunoamaali'i Karanina Sumeo told RNZ that the changes would have come about too early to be counted in the WEF report. "The global ranking is something that makes us look great, but we've got to look underneath that," she said. "We know around 38.2 percent of households in New Zealand think that their income is either not enough or barely enough to get by - that should matter to us more." While progress had been made, Sumeo said underlying drivers of gender inequality still persisted. "I wouldn't feel comfortable that we're going to maintain it in the top five. I suspect that we're going to fall back." Sumeo said a mandatory system would be ideal and, while she hoped the government moved it forward, she wasn't holding out for it. "Unless it's mandatory, it won't go on a to-do list, so ultimately we'd like to go there, but also we need to support our businesses, so it's not a scary exercise to do and so we're all doing it for the right reason." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
04-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Fifth Year In A Row Of Equal Gender Representation On Public Sector Boards
Minister for Women For the fifth consecutive year, women's representation on public sector boards and committees has reached 50 percent or above, with women now holding 52.1 percent of public sector board roles, Minister for Women Nicola Grigg says. Ms Grigg announced the results of the 2024 stocktake of gender and ethnic diversity on public sector boards and committees at an Institute of Directors event on Wednesday. 'I am delighted to see that women's representation in public sector governance remains strong, and that women also continue to be well-represented in Board chair positions – at 44.5 percent. 'We know that having more women in leadership not only brings about greater diversity but is better for business with a positive impact on financial performance and better decision making.' Ms Grigg says that Māori and ethnic diversity on public sector boards has also increased since collection of ethnicity data began in 2019. 'There are many great women leaders in New Zealand who have achieved amazing things. A big part of what we need to do now is inspire the next generation of leaders, and this includes identifying, supporting, and growing future generations of women in governance. 'This is a great achievement, but the work is not done. It's taken a deliberate and coordinated effort to achieve this result, and we continue to focus on ensuring we have gender-balanced boards appointed on merit that result in better governance practices, decision-making and financial performance and, ultimately, better outcomes for New Zealanders.'
