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NZ Herald
18 hours ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Kiwis demand public answers from former ministers in Covid-19 inquiry
New Zealanders want answers. Yesterday, the Weekend Herald reported a poll on what Kiwis thought about former Government ministers refusing to give evidence in a public session as part of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic. The results suggested we aren't impressed by their call. of Dame Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson and Dr Ayesha Verrall to not front publicly for the inquiry.
NZ Herald
20-07-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Can you afford to die?
New Plymouth District Council told the Herald this was for a double-depth plot and interment fee, but there were cheaper options. The cheapest burial fee on the list was Taupō's, at $1455. The Weekend Herald also talked to those in the industry, who said one in two Kiwis will now go into debt to cover the costs of a funeral. But funerals are so much more than just where a person is buried. They're a celebration of a life well-lived, or a recognition of one ended too soon. An epilogue to a person's life story. They are a place to share grief with others who feel the same pain of loss, exchange stories and keep memories alive. And all of that, unfortunately, costs money. A 2023 report by the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand calculated the average costs for a 'very modest' funeral, arriving at $7500 for a cremation and $10,000 for a burial. The association's cost guide breaks down where all that money goes. Nationally, burials (plot and interment) range from $1000 to $8000, while cremations are between $600 and $1100, and ash burials $200 to $3000. Other major costs include professional services ($3000 to $6500), body preparation ($700 to $1050) and a casket ($1200 to $5000). Then there's everything else funeral-related – venue hire, hearse, celebrant, flowers and the death certificate, to name a few. The more you add to a service, the more the costs mount. Even those service sheets handed out at the beginning of a funeral, decorated with photos of the deceased and detailing the service order, cost between $2 and $3 per sheet. It's a drop in the bucket compared to the rest, but it all adds up. Where does all that money come from? Work and Income New Zealand (Winz) has a funeral grant that offers up to $2616 for some families, and ACC covers $7990 if the death was the result of an accident. Fourteen per cent of funerals are pre-paid, the funeral association says. Some people's funerals will be covered by their estate. But the remainder will need to have their farewells paid for by their friends and family – another burden to place on people already dealing with loss. They will have to make the hard choices about pine versus MDF, sausage rolls or macarons, newspaper notices or Facebook posts, lilies or roses, and they'll have to do all that while talking to funeral directors, filling out paperwork, informing relevant parties and receiving condolences. It's worth having a conversation now with loved ones to let them know your wishes and come up with a plan for how to fund your final goodbye. Do it before it's too late. Our deaths will be hard enough already for the people we leave behind. We don't need to add to that burden. Sign up to the Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Mediawatch: Ministers' 'Helpful' Handouts Go Multimedia
, Mediawatch Presenter "Dear Prime Minister: the rise in crime and antisocial behaviour since COVID 19 struck is stark and confronting. We ask that you please take urgent action to support recovery and retain our reputation as a safe city and country." That was the message of a full-page ad in the Weekend Herald placed by groups representing Auckland businesses, accusing the government of failing to act on past promises. It was almost identical to a similar plea to a previous PM four years ago. The following day the current PM was the target of another open letter advert in the Sunday papers. This one - placed by electricity retailers, users and Consumer NZ - called on him to fix "a broken energy sector". That campaign also featured on TVNZ's Q+A show the same day, and in a front-page New Zealand Herald story the next day, the Minister of Energy - the aptly named Simon Watts - acknowledged our electricity market was "not functioning as well as it should". But it's not the first time that he's been singled out by a lobbying campaign in public. In June, pro-electrification group Rewiring NZ deployed AI animation to turn him into a superhero in ads that urged the public to make it an election issue - and it used a billboard near the Beehive to make sure that he didn't miss it. TVNZ's Q+A said lobby groups like Federated Farmers and the Sensible Sentencing Trust had used the same spot for the same reason in other campaigns. But do ministers targeted by these ads even notice them? "Yes, I do. On the way to the airport, out of Parliament and down onto the quays there - it's pretty hard to not to," National's Chris Bishop told TVNZ's Whena Owen. But are campaigns singling out individual politicians in public really effective? Most ministers are also lobbied behind the scenes by the same special interest groups. Being hectored publicly as well could make them more inclined to dig in rather than give in. "Lobby groups have always taken out ads in newspapers. Now they're moving it to digital billboards which can be up longer and can be cheaper," said Dr Claire Robinson, the author of Promises, Promises: 80 years of Wooing New Zealand Voters. "They can be located at traffic lights where ministerial cars have to stop. It's probably a really good way of getting something under the nose of a cabinet minister who may not open the newspaper anymore in the morning to see it there." "If you want to lobby a minister now you've got not only print, radio and TV - and you've got your own channels, social media and even LinkedIn posts. There's a complete industry in being able to disseminate your messages, hoping that one of them is going to get through," Dr Robinson told Mediawatch. Politicians going multimedia Politicians aren't shy about getting their own messages out to the media either - and have specialised staff to do it. Journalists' email inboxes are clogged with media statements from ministers and MPs hoping that their comments will make it into the media's coverage. And now they are going multimedia too. Last weekend reporters got video of the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio greeting Winston Peters, along with a media statement, after an ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Malaysia, which was attended by Peters. NZ First posted that footage on Facebook on the day of the meeting - and then there was another version last Tuesday featuring Peters looking statesmanlike, with a TikTok-type soundtrack added. The same day the streaming show Herald Now ran the Rubio footage during an interview with Peters. Should media be wary of airing images hand-picked by ministers' staff? "Yes, because by using it they're essentially using party generated pictures and feeding the beast - and exacerbating the rule-breaking of political parties," Dr Robinson told Mediawatch. "Anything that is generated through party social media channels really needs to be stopped at the door. "But at the same time the media loses all perspective when a PM or foreign minister meets a US president or Secretary of State. In 2014, photos of John Key playing golf with Obama were splashed across the newspapers . . . and nobody asked who took the photos back then." MPs offering mp3s Recently reporters have also received sound bites from ministers along with standard media statements. Last week, Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee announced anti-money laundering law changes to make managing property easier through family trusts. The release included a minute-long MP3 clip of her reading out some of the key points - and 'video on request'. In June her office also sent three separate sound bites about the 'Three Strikes' law coming into force. Why send selected comments rather than allow reporters to record their own in a media conference in the usual way? "Quite often we'll put out a media release, then we get all the phone calls looking for a grab. Why not give a grab ourselves?" McKee told Mediawatch. RNZ's reporters in the press gallery in Parliament told Mediawatch they wouldn't use audio supplied under those circumstances. "I believe it has been picked up by a couple of radio stations but I haven't actually tracked it myself." ACT leader David Seymour has spoken about bypassing the media because they "abuse their power to edit" and refused to allow ACT's ministers to appear on RNZ's Morning Report. He's even appealed for funds from ACT supporters to fund his own online media channels. Is McKee supplying audio comments as a substitute for interviews or media conferences at which she could be challenged or questioned by reporters? "That's not the reason. It's actually realising that our media are quite stretched - for time and for people," McKee told Mediawatch. On that issue of the family trusts and anti-money laundering laws, McKee was interviewed by RNZ news after sending out the statement and audio. "I've always made myself available to the media. Should they want a sound grab directly, I'm happy to give it. We just thought that this would help the media, especially if they do have those tight deadlines. And of course some have less staff now." "It doesn't take me long to add a couple of 10-second sound bites to the media releases we put out. And of course if it is being picked up then it is useful to some. So we'll continue to do it." McKee says she hasn't tracked which media outlets have used the supplied audio. Another minister handing out sound bites with media statements lately is Associate Minister of Transport James Meager. "Now is the perfect time to look ahead toward building a resilient maritime economy for future generations," he said in mid-June, announcing pumped-up investment in navigation services for shipping. One week later, Meager sent out three more sound bites, about a funding boost for lifesaving. Meager credits his press secretary, former Newstalk ZB journalist Blake Benny. "He came to me with the idea that if we include some audio grabs with our press releases, it makes the job of producers and radio reporters so much easier," Meager told Mediawatch. If so, it might mean not having to answer questions about contestable claims made in statements - or confront contradictions? "There's always the option for journalists who want to ring up and press on some of the details in those press releases. I'm always happy to take interviews. The only time I decline would be if it's outside my portfolio or if I literally can't do them." Few ministers ever issue statements on matters outside their portfolio - and Meager declined to say which outlets had broadcast his recorded statements. More to come? Before he became an MP, he set up an online archive of political ads - - with partner Dr Ashley Murchison, an expert who wrote a PhD about responses to political ads. Some of Nicole McKee's recent media statements said video was available on request as well. Meager doesn't offer that - yet. "But if we had the resources and that made people's lives easier then it might be something that we look into. I used to work as a press secretary and I think I wish I'd been smart enough to think of this six years ago," he told Mediawatch. But he says he and other ministers will be offering the media more multimedia stuff in future. "I'm doing a couple (of soundbites) this weekend for a couple of announcements we're making in the top of the South so hopefully they'll be picked up. In the weekend when staffing levels are lower, that might be a little bit helpful too." Exploiting a week spot "Political parties have always used new technology to try and get their messages across - even going back to Michael Joseph Savage in 1938 when he used film, which was a new technology back then," Dr Claire Robinson told Mediawatch. "I think that the politicians hope that the time-poor media will just insert (the content) into coverage. But there's something deeper going on here because they're exploiting the whopping decline in journalism employment," said Dr Robinson, who is also the current chief of Toi Mai / the Workforce Development Council, which published a development plan for journalism in 2024. "That decline is because of government-enabled inaction or policies that have seen that advertising money that used to sustain news media organisations go offshore. In the old days (they) would have more scrutiny and political parties are now exploiting that gap and creating their own media." Bending the rules for funding the ads In a recent piece for The Post, Dr Robinson said the public pays for political parties' digital media messaging - but shouldn't be paying for some of it. "The rules are really clear. You can only electioneer using public funds in the three months prior to an election campaign. The rest of the time parties are enabled to create information, but not to electioneer with social media," Dr Robinson told Mediawatch. She says the NZ First party publishing footage of Winston Peters in Malaysia as foreign minister on social media is an example of the problem. "It has their party logo and is using Peters' role in his capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs for party purposes. It doesn't say 'Vote for NZ First' but the boundaries are blurred. It is really saying our leader is a great leader because he can create amazing relationships with people."
NZ Herald
16-06-2025
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Letters: Does the world really need more weapons?
Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern can take credit for saving lives during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Does the world really need more weapons? 'The War Drums Are Now Beating' was the heading of the letter of the week in the Weekend Herald (June 14). It was an excellently clear letter. The writer commented that Nato leaders may be annoyed because New Zealand is not spending enough
RNZ News
03-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Mediawatch: A war of letters at NZME
The Weekend Herald reports the power play prompted by a billionaire investor. Photo: Weekend Herald / NZME Activist shareholders of one of our most important media companies are trying to persuade others that NZME's future would be better off in their hands. The current directors and the journalists' union warn that would put it at risk, along with the editorial independence of its news. Frustratingly, the battle is playing out behind the scenes and in exchanges of letters. "Concern is now growing amongst journalists and staff over a possible move or a shift in editorial direction," Newstalk ZB reported back in early March when expat Canadian billionaire Jim Grenon's plans to clean out the board of NZME first became clear. Staff were, and still are, concerned about Grenon influencing coverage, especially on subjects such as vaccine safety, co-governance and climate science which pre-occupy The Centrist , an alternative news website which Grenon helped to found. It describes itself as presenting "under-served perspectives while emphasising reason-based analysis, even if it might be too hot for mainstream media to handle." What Stuff called "Grenon's billionaire coup" seemed almost a foregone conclusion back in March. He claimed he had the support of 37 percent of NZME shareholders to ditch the current directors and install himself and three handpicked candidates on the board instead. By late March, he claimed to have the backing of 47 percent of shareholders, just short of the majority needed. But lately, doubts about the business plan and concerns about editorial independence - as well as the management skills of Grenon and his allies - seem to have been chipping away at his support, ahead of the crucial NZME shareholders' meeting on 3 June. While he told the NZME board in April " resistance is futile ," he also acknowledged some of his backers softening their support. Key NZME shareholder Roger Colman has tried to get Grenon to temper his ambitions . He said Grenon should get a seat on the board, but not the three he wants for his allies. Meanwhile, the journalist's union E Tū has kept the pressure on, exchanging open letters with the billionaire. It's first missive on 13 March called on Grenon to guarantee he would not interfere in NZME editorial decisions. Grenon replied with an almost Socratic open letter of his own in late-March which raised a series of further questions. What is editorial independence? Isn't it already limited by things like editors and advertisers? Shouldn't the board have an interest in editorial content given it impacts the company's bottom line? The union wrote back repeating its call for a firm commitment to editorial independence. NZME's current board then said it was also concerned that Grenon's takeover bid was an effort for " control over a newsroom, rather than anything else ". The criticism seems to have prompted a push to tamp down the worry from Grenon's camp. Former Newstalk ZB Plus editor Philip Crump, who Grenon wants to chair a new NZME editorial board, has penned a post on Substack saying his billionaire backer isn't radical, and won't seek to make the Herald serve the same purpose as The Centrist. He argues journalists will welcome many of his own - and Grenon's - proposals, which include restoring the Herald's editor to NZME's executive leadership team. But Crump has also faced criticism of his own. "Having worked in the same newsroom as Philip Crump, we do not believe he has the experience, ability, or mana to take on what would be an influential role," E Tū's union representative Isaac Davison - also a senior Herald reporter - said in a detailed response to Grenon in mid-April. "We're committed to listening, collaborating, and delivering measurable improvements in both financial performance and editorial quality," he added. "I encourage everyone - shareholders, journalists, and readers - to engage with our vision for NZME," Crump said in his recent Substack post. But he declined to discuss the vision on Mediawatch this week. Photo: E Tū organiser and spokesperson Michael Wood is the only player in the process willing to be interviewed on the record so far. He told Mediawatch E Tū remains deeply concerned about Grenon's intentions, in spite of Grenon's recent endorsement of NZME and E Tū's %20for %20truth %20and %20the,to %20ethical %20and %20professional %20standards journalistic codes of ethics . "At the same time as making that statement, Mr Greenon has refused on multiple occasions to make a very clear affirmation that he will respect editorial independence by not intervening in editorial processes at NZME," he said. Wood said E Tu remained concerned at Grenon's stated intention to "act as an owner-operator" and his comments about delving into NZME's operational affairs. He feared an editorial board headed by Crump would be stacked with people who align with Grenon's views. That would clash with E Tū's code of ethics, even if Grenon said he supports it, Wood said. "We don't think that NZME is a perfect organisation, but we do not see the kind of systemic interference in editorial decision-making that there are legitimate concerns around Mr Grenon carrying out." Crump's Substack post last week insisted Grenon wasn't trying to enforce his views on NZME's newsrooms. "Contrary to much of the media commentary, this is not about an individual pushing a political agenda or upending the newsroom - it's about ensuring that NZME's journalism is robust, balanced, and trusted by New Zealanders," Crump wrote. "NZME, through the New Zealand Herald and its other platforms, provides news, analysis, and commentary essential for our democracy to function and thrive." But Wood said that Grenon and his backers should front up to questions from journalists if they want those claims to be believed. He saw a conflict in Grenon criticising the media for having undisclosed agendas - and NZME's own financial reporting under the current regime - while refusing to put his own views on the record in interviews. "Someone coming in and attempting to take over New Zealand's largest media organisation isn't just a matter of private commercial interest - it is a matter of public interest. And the people who are involved in a pretty audacious exercise should be willing to face some scrutiny," Wood told Mediawatch . Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
