Latest news with #Tokoroa
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Small earthquakes rock Waikato overnight
Both of the earthquakes were five kilometres deep. Photo: 123RF Two small earthquakes were felt near the Waikato town of Tokoroa this morning. Geonet said the first quake shortly before 2am on Monday was a magnitude 3.7. The second, just after 2am on Monday, was a magnitude 3.2. Both of the earthquakes were five kilometres deep. Over 700 hundred people reported feeling them online. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
From All Blacks to Arts Council: Keven Mealamu on what he can bring to board of CNZ
Pacific culture 21 minutes ago Most people will recognise former All Blacks hooker Keven Mealamu for his sporting success but now, a decade after retiring he's gone from the All Blacks to the Arts Council; being appointed to the board of CNZ earlier this year. Mealamu was born and raised in Tokoroa before moving to Auckland for high school and the Samoan rugby player says art has always been a part of his life. During his rugby career he won two world cups, played 132 test matches and although he captained the All Blacks three times, he remained a key part of the leadership group for more than a decade. It's this leadship experience and skill Mealamu is hoping he can apply to his position on the board. Keven Mealamu spoke to Culture 101.
RNZ News
16-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Closure of Toi Ohomai's Tokoroa campus will 'condemn another generation to poverty', mayor says
The Pūkenga Rau building where Toi Ohomai is currently in Tokoroa. Photo: South Waikato Investment Fund Trust / SUPPLIED The mayor of South Waikato says the district will be "condemned to another generation of poverty" if Toi Ohomai's Tokoroa campus closes. The polytechnic provider is to exit Te Pūkenga and re-enter regional governance from the beginning of next year, but said to meet the government's financial expectations the Tokoroa campus may have to go. Mayor Gary Petley said South Waikato already ranked among the five-most deprived communities in New Zealand. "We don't have the luxury of skipping a generation, what do we do with that?" he said. South Waikato's recent long term plan shows 23 percent of 15-24 year-olds were not currently employed or in the education or training system, one of the highest levels in the country. "There is no shortage of research and evidence that tells us a critical factor in efforts to lift people out of those statistical categories, and out of deprivation, is to invest in education," Petley said. Mayor of South Waikato Gary Petley said Tokoroa was a community in need. Photo: Libby Kirkby-McLeod / RNZ Toi Ohomai executive director Kieran Hewitson said the organisation acknowledged the deep concern surrounding the proposed closure of its Tokoroa campus. "This decision has not been made lightly. The proposal reflects a need to ensure the organisation remains financially viable and sustainable, as expected by the Government. "Declining student numbers, rising operational costs, and reduced income have made it increasingly difficult to maintain multiple campuses, including Tokoroa." Petley said if a government-funded education provider could not afford to operate in an area such as South Waikato then it needed more money, not to retreat from a community in need. "This is a short-sighted and lazy decision driven by Te Pūkenga's (the national network for all the country's 25 polytechnics) need to find $9m in savings. "They are taking the easy way out, rather than finding other ways to achieve operational savings and to become sustainable, and it's come at the detriment of the people of South Waikato." Te Hautū Kahurangi Tertiary Education Union branch co-leaders for Rotorua, Santana Ammunson and Ashton Ledger, said in a statement that not having a Tokoroa campus would be devastating for communities within the South Waikato district, undermining years of hard work to establish the South Waikato Trades Training Centre. "It would erect new barriers to learning where progress had been made under Te Pūkenga (e.g. transport, technology-enabled learning, internet connectivity), and significantly reduce locally accessible opportunities for public vocational education and training which provide strong pathways to secure employment." The news of the proposed closure came just weeks after the district lost 150 jobs when the Kinleith Pulp and Paper Mill ceased paper production. The Kinleith Pulp and Paper Mill. (File photo) Photo: Libby Kirkby-McLeod "We're just smashed again," Petley said. Ammunson and Ledger agreed the decision to close the campus would cause significant detriment to a community already reeling from the closure of the Kinleith Mill. Hewitson said Toi Ohomai recognised Tokoroa's unique challenges, including its high proportion of youth not in education, employment, or training. "However, the decision is not a reflection of the community's value or potential. Rather, it is a response to the urgent need to focus limited resources where they can have the greatest impact," she said. Hewitson said Toi Ohomai would continue to support learners in the region, but it might not be through a traditional campus setting. This was unwelcome news to the mayor who said it was only two years ago that the council, government, Trust Waikato, and the South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT) invested heavily in a building to house Toi Ohomai's Tokoroa campus. "You can understand how disappointed we were to find that out after contributing money into that space to help develop that facility that was purposely built for that, and it only just got past two years," said Petley. SWIFT owns the Pūkenga Rau building where Toi Ohomai is currently a tenant. Chief Executive Clive Somerville said the goal of the building was to be a community facility for equipping young people and older residents with valuable skills that support workforce development. "SWIFT's relationship, and our wider community's relationship, with Toi Ohomai is pivotal in delivering on our outcomes." He said as Pūkenga Rau owner and landlord, SWIFT's next steps were to work closely with the Crown, as leaseholder for Toi Ohomai, to understand its intentions for the South Waikato. Ammunson and Ledger from the Tertiary Education Union said the government had generated a lot of 'fuss' around the financial viability of institutions and pushed all of them into a rush to right-size. "The closure of regional campuses was not what we anticipated under a government that claims to be returning decision-making to the regions and shaping a regionally-responsive and sustainable vocational education and training system. It's all dollars and no sense." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
16-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Closurse of Toi Ohomai's Tokoroa campus will 'condemn another generation to poverty', mayor says
The Pūkenga Rau building where Toi Ohomai is currently in Tokoroa. Photo: South Waikato Investment Fund Trust / SUPPLIED The mayor of South Waikato says the district will be "condemned to another generation of poverty" if Toi Ohomai's Tokoroa campus closes. The polytechnic provider is to exit Te Pūkenga and re-enter regional governance from the beginning of next year, but said to meet the government's financial expectations the Tokoroa campus may have to go. Mayor Gary Petley said South Waikato already ranked among the five-most deprived communities in New Zealand. "We don't have the luxury of skipping a generation, what do we do with that?" he said. South Waikato's recent long term plan shows 23 percent of 15-24 year-olds were not currently employed or in the education or training system, one of the highest levels in the country. "There is no shortage of research and evidence that tells us a critical factor in efforts to lift people out of those statistical categories, and out of deprivation, is to invest in education," Petley said. Mayor of South Waikato Gary Petley said Tokoroa was a community in need. Photo: Libby Kirkby-McLeod / RNZ Toi Ohomai executive director Kieran Hewitson said the organisation acknowledged the deep concern surrounding the proposed closure of its Tokoroa campus. "This decision has not been made lightly. The proposal reflects a need to ensure the organisation remains financially viable and sustainable, as expected by the Government. "Declining student numbers, rising operational costs, and reduced income have made it increasingly difficult to maintain multiple campuses, including Tokoroa." Petley said if a government-funded education provider could not afford to operate in an area such as South Waikato then it needed more money, not to retreat from a community in need. "This is a short-sighted and lazy decision driven by Te Pūkenga's (the national network for all the country's 25 polytechnics) need to find $9m in savings. "They are taking the easy way out, rather than finding other ways to achieve operational savings and to become sustainable, and it's come at the detriment of the people of South Waikato." Te Hautū Kahurangi Tertiary Education Union branch co-leaders for Rotorua, Santana Ammunson and Ashton Ledger, said in a statement that not having a Tokoroa campus would be devastating for communities within the South Waikato district, undermining years of hard work to establish the South Waikato Trades Training Centre. "It would erect new barriers to learning where progress had been made under Te Pūkenga (e.g. transport, technology-enabled learning, internet connectivity), and significantly reduce locally accessible opportunities for public vocational education and training which provide strong pathways to secure employment." The news of the proposed closure came just weeks after the district lost 150 jobs when the Kinleith Pulp and Paper Mill ceased paper production. The Kinleith Pulp and Paper Mill. (File photo) Photo: Libby Kirkby-McLeod "We're just smashed again," Petley said. Ammunson and Ledger agreed the decision to close the campus would cause significant detriment to a community already reeling from the closure of the Kinleith Mill. Hewitson said Toi Ohomai recognised Tokoroa's unique challenges, including its high proportion of youth not in education, employment, or training. "However, the decision is not a reflection of the community's value or potential. Rather, it is a response to the urgent need to focus limited resources where they can have the greatest impact," she said. Hewitson said Toi Ohomai would continue to support learners in the region, but it might not be through a traditional campus setting. This was unwelcome news to the mayor who said it was only two years ago that the council, government, Trust Waikato, and the South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT) invested heavily in a building to house Toi Ohomai's Tokoroa campus. "You can understand how disappointed we were to find that out after contributing money into that space to help develop that facility that was purposely built for that, and it only just got past two years," said Petley. SWIFT owns the Pūkenga Rau building where Toi Ohomai is currently a tenant. Chief Executive Clive Somerville said the goal of the building was to be a community facility for equipping young people and older residents with valuable skills that support workforce development. "SWIFT's relationship, and our wider community's relationship, with Toi Ohomai is pivotal in delivering on our outcomes." He said as Pūkenga Rau owner and landlord, SWIFT's next steps were to work closely with the Crown, as leaseholder for Toi Ohomai, to understand its intentions for the South Waikato. Ammunson and Ledger from the Tertiary Education Union said the government had generated a lot of 'fuss' around the financial viability of institutions and pushed all of them into a rush to right-size. "The closure of regional campuses was not what we anticipated under a government that claims to be returning decision-making to the regions and shaping a regionally-responsive and sustainable vocational education and training system. It's all dollars and no sense." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
06-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Security regulator warns against hospital security guards doubling as cleaners
By Jeremy Wilkinson, Open Justice multimedia journalist of Concerns have been raised about hospital security guards doubling as cleaners. Photo: 123RF Security guards at two rural hospitals are doubling as cleaners, leading to concerns about the safety of patients and hospital staff. The integrated model meant ISS Facility Services Limited's employees contracted to do security work at Health New Zealand-operated hospitals in Te Kūiti and Tokoroa could also pick up cleaning and orderlies duties on the same shift. The model was highlighted in a recent Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority (PSPLA) decision in which the head of the authority, Trish McConnell, raised concerns about the dual workload. "...where a security threat arises, the sooner appropriately trained security guards respond, the more likely it is for the situation to be resolved without serious harm," McConnell wrote. "If the security guard is working in another part of the hospital as a cleaner or orderly when a security risk arises, there are likely to be delays in them being able to respond and remove the person or deescalate the incident. "This has the potential of putting staff and other members of the public at greater risk of harm." McConnell's concerns were prompted by a report by Department of Internal Affairs' Complaints Investigation and Prosecution Unit (CIPU) which received an unrelated complaint about ISS and its security licenses. The basis of the licensing complaint was later found to be a misunderstanding by the company and a penalty was not issued. CIPU diverged from the complaint in its report and addressed the dual working model. It said that it wasn't illegal but a legislative change should be made. Echoing CIPU's concerns, McConnell said in her decision that the model reduced the effectiveness of security guards and "has potential health and safety risks". "The integrated model used in ISS's contract with Health New Zealand fails to recognise the key preventative role security guards play in hospital security by merely being present in waiting areas, emergency departments and other areas where pressure can be high," she said. "Just having a security guard visibly on duty can significantly reduce security situations arising and volatile situations escalating." The dual model was a practice the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) also described as being a risk to patients and hospital staff. "Every nurse has the right to go home safe from work, and patients shouldn't be injured in hospitals," NZNO health and safety spokesperson John Crocker told NZME. "Healthcare workers suffer disproportionate violence at work, and Te Whatu Ora has moral and legal obligations to keep them safe." Crocker said in some rural towns, police staffing was often limited, so hospitals relied on the protection of security guards while on shift. McConnell said the PSPLA did not have the jurisdiction to limit the scope of someone's contract. But she suggested HNZ considered her comments in its contracting arrangements. Stephanie Doe, HNZ director of operations for hospital and specialist services in the Waikato, said while the integrated model was still in place at the hospitals, opportunities were being explored to adjust it, particularly around the overnight shifts. "We will actively engage with our teams and unions to support people to feel safe at work, with a view to implementing changes over the next month." Doe said security staff at Tokoroa and Te Kūiti hospitals were on site around the clock and were in the vicinity of the emergency department and ward at night. -This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald .
