Latest news with #whānau
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Almost $365,000 misappropriated by one person at Dunedin school
The board thanked its staff for their willingness to assist. Photo: RNZ / Ian Telfer A Dunedin high school has revealed close to $365,000 was misappropriated by one person over five years. Logan Park High School emailed parents on Thursday "in the interests of transparency" after an external accountant first discovered the missing funds last year. It happened between 2019 and 2024. The school's board of trustees said it was an isolated incident involving one individual and a thorough review had been conducted. "It's important to note that this matter has now been fully resolved, and we want to share the outcome with our whānau to reassure you that moving forward, our systems and processes are robust," the board said. The misappropriated funds had been full recovered along with legal and accounting costs, but the board said it had to wait until after the investigation and audit were completed before disclosing what happened to ensure due process was followed. The audit process had recently been signed off and the total amount of $364,884 (GST inclusive) was published in the 2023 full Annual Report. The board acknowledged the news might come as a surprise, but said the Office of the Auditor-General has been consulted and the financial risk to the school as a result of this issue had been eliminated. "After uncovering the issue, we identified necessary improvements and changes to our processes, which were implemented immediately in 2024 to strengthen our internal policies and ensure that this won't happen again," the board said. "This includes third-party professional support." The board thanked its staff for their willingness to assist, saying their cooperation had been invaluable in helping it to resolve the matter and strengthen the school's financial safeguards. "We have fully cooperated with the audit process throughout and remain committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity in our school's financial management," the board said. "The school has remained in a stable and secure financial position throughout this period." The Ministry of Education's Acting Hautū Te Tai Runga, Andrea Williams, said the ministry was aware of the matter and would be working with the school to better understand the processes they followed. Police would not confirm if they were involved.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Benefit sanctions will mean young parents 'end up on the street', Māori youth service says
they will mean people 'end up on the street'. E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services mana whakahaere (general manager) Cindy Kawana says young parents have been completely left out of this year's Budget. Photo: Supplied / E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services A kaupapa Māori youth service says this year's Budget delivers "nothing" for young parents, and new sanctions on benefits for rangatahi could push them into unsafe situations and homelessness. With a kaupapa Māori framework, E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services provides dedicated support to mātua taiohi (young parents) and their whānau across crisis, employment, health and more. Mana whakahaere (general manager) Cindy Kawana said the whānau it works with have been completely left out of this year's Budget. "There's nothing in it for our young whānau or for rangatahi," she said. "Rangatahi have missed out - but those that are parents have missed out more. All we've seen are punitive responses to youth." On Budget Day, Minister for Social Development Louise Upston announced the government would means-test benefits for 18- and 19-year-olds against their parents' income from 2027. Kawana said this policy would have devastating impacts. "It's just another way of denying their place in society. They're adult enough to join the army, they're adult enough to vote, but they aren't adult enough to get financial support from the government when they need it ... That just seems crazy." E Tipu E Rea run many services offering dedicated support to uplift young whānau - including their Tūpuna Parenting kaupapa. Photo: Supplied / E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services Kawana said the policy overlooks the complex realities rangatahi face and assumes a level of family support that often doesn't not exist. "It's a really privileged position to be able to think that all of the 18- and 19-year-olds, and specifically those our experiences are with, have relationships with their parents, that even if their parents could afford to support them, [they] would support them," she said. "That's a really privileged position for the government to be sitting in." She said the policy also ignores complex whānau dynamics, such as children returning from state care to rebuild family relationships. "At 18 they're told, 'You can't go on the benefit. Your parents have to support you'. We know what will happen to those kids. They will be living on the street." Kawana said the consequences are visible now through the housing crisis. "What's happening right now with housing and emergency housing - our kids live on the streets. Our māmā's with babies live on the streets. These are direct consequences of the government trying to call back money because we have an unfair economic system going on. "And it's always those, the least that can afford it, that are penalised, forgotten and hidden in the statistical data." She said the sanctions would cause more harm to already struggling whānau. "Some of our young whānau are looking for support - not just financial, but a safe place to stay. What happens when they can't get a benefit? We know what will happen. They'll go out on the street, or they'll stay in really, really dysfunctional, unsafe situations." Kawana criticised the government's messaging around personal responsibility, saying it ignores structural inequality and real-life experiences of tamariki in poverty. Minister for Social Development Louise Upston says the government isn't "willing to watch any young New Zealanders get stuck on the benefit". Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone "We don't means-test superannuation. Why is it different for rangatahi at the start of their lives? We have millionaires getting taxpayer money. And yet young people are told they don't deserve support?" She said young parents, especially Māori and Pasifika, are often "talked about, but never talked to". "Youth might be asked to the table sometimes. But young māmā and pāpā with pēpi - they're left out completely." Investment should focus on prevention and support, Kawana said. "As a society, we do have a responsibility for our youth. The state has intervened in many of their lives - and done a terrible job for some. We can't now turn around and say: 'We owe you nothing'. "Recognise our mātua taiohi as whānau in their own right. Support them financially, emotionally, practically - so that their tamariki thrive." In response, Minister for Social Development Louise Upston said the welfare system should support those who need it most - but "we aren't willing to watch any young New Zealanders get stuck on the benefit". "We don't accept that a life on welfare is as good as it gets for any of our young people," she said. "That's why our government is taking steps to make sure work, training or study is the focus for all young people." Upston said the Budget prioritised funding for community coaches, bonus payments, and personalised plans to "hold young people accountable" while supporting them with job coaching and needs assessments. The final decisions on the parental income test will be made later this year, with considerations for hardship and caregiver situations. Minister for Māori Development and Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Minister for Māori Development and Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka said it was "wrong to say the government doesn't care about housing for vulnerable young people". "Our housing policy has lifted hundreds of Māori whānau and tamariki out of dire emergency housing and into better homes," he said. "That can mean a world of difference for young people in terms of better health, regular school attendance or maintaining employment." He said the government wants rangatahi to grow their education at kura or follow their own ambitions through mahi or business enterprise. "The government is investing in rangatahi Māori through the overall increase in education funding as well as extra investment in Māori education specifically, including funding for kura, te reo Māori proficiency and training for kaiako. "Our aspirations are the same as many parents across the motu: we want all rangatahi to make the most of their talents. That's why we're saying 18- and 19-year-olds who aren't working or studying should be supported by their parents or guardians, not the taxpayer." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Māori housing developer not concerned by Budget 2025 funding change
The Te Whakaruru Hau development at Kaingahoa Marae. Photo: Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau A Māori housing developer says if whānau are willing and ready, they can start building their own homes on their own whenua. On Monday, Kaingahoa Marae in Te Rāwhiti, Bay of Islands reopened with a new papakāinga, unveiling 10 new homes for whānau and kaumātua right behind the historic wharenui. The Te Whakaruru Hau development at the marae saw a number of funders come together to build five new homes and renovate five already on the site and significant upgrades to the marae water and wastewater infrastructure. Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau is an iwi housing prototype initially funded through the Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga scheme, tasked with building 80-100 homes and infrastructure for 110 homes across Taitokerau. Funding for Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga was discontinued as part of Budget 2025 and funding moved to the government's new Flexible fund. Speaking to RNZ, general manager Kris MacDonald told RNZ he wasn't worried about the change in funding. "We don't have a lot of concerns. Obviously it has been good that we've been operating under Whai Kainga Whai Oranga strategy and the funding that was set aside by the previous government. "However, we've learned over the last few years since we've been in operation how we can build houses quicker, faster with a lower overhead and with whānau engagement. "When it comes to the contestable flexible fund, I think we have a model to offer that's supported by our iwi in Te Taitokerau so I think we've got a good model to be able to contest, particularly for housing needs in Te Taitokerau." MacDonald said while a funder often looks for high quality and quantity, Māori have a distinct advantage. "When working with whānau, their stake in the game is that they own their own whenua. There's a lot to be said about getting housing on Māori whenua, it's been difficult and has had a long history, but I think we've developed a lot of expertise in being able to do that. That's fair skin in the game, I guess. "We've worked out a model that's affordable. Our model works on the basis of a grant for the infrastructure because we know these shortages of infrastructure, particularly in and around Māori land, but also the cost of the vertical build is a loan, at no interest, just a few upfront fees. We receive repayment for the vertical builds and that's coming to us on a monthly basis, we're able to use that funding to invest in more and more Māori housing." There were also funding opurtunities in the philanthropic sector and Māori housing was not built with only government money, he said. "It's funds and capital that we can raise ourselves if we've got a good functional model and can guarantee that we can get repayment on it. That's more opportunity for whānau for them in terms of addressing their housing needs. "There's been a long history of Māori housing going back at least 40 or 50 years, the tap does get turned on and turned off. However, my advice to whānau, if they have aspirations to build kainga on their own whenua, is start that planning process. Start looking at what it takes to get a consent. "Talk to us, we're happy to help and give you guidance around how you get organised so when the tap is turned back on and even though policy settings have changed, if you're ready, then that's half of the challenge in terms of getting housing." Kaingahoa Marae in Te Rāwhiti, Bay of Islands. Photo: Te Pouahi o Te Taitokerau Kaingahoa Marae signed a contract in August 2024 and within seven months five new houses were built. MacDonald said good marae governance was key to a speedy build. "They've always had a vision for housing and to upgrade their marae at Rāwhiti. Rāwhiti is a beautiful bay [but] they have a number of challenges that they're dealing with up there… the Waipiro Bay Marina, Caulerpa and other conservation issues." "They have a marae there [with] five kaumatua flats, which I think they've built about 20 or 30 years ago. They were getting a bit long in the tooth and we were able to add five new builds. They were designed and chosen in terms of their colour schemes and what they would look like with our building partners Advance Build out of Waipapa - very good company that takes care of the end-to-end process." Developments like Kaingahoa Marae were important because of a growing desire for whānau to return back to their whenua, he said. "Whānau come home for Christmas [and] as families get bigger, they lose connection with their kainga and now they're able to come home. If they're working in the area, there's plenty of opportunity up in Russell and in the Bay of Islands with work and the kaumatua that are living there, keeping the home fires burning need their whānau around them, they need young kids around them." "I recall when I was growing up, my parents got a Māori Affairs loan. They were working class. There was three bedrooms. We had five kids, but that became a strong platform for all of the things that we achieved in our life through education, through our health, through sport, through our whanaungatanga. All of those good things that housing wraps itself around."
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- RNZ News
Christchurch foodbank 'gutted' after thieves steal food meant for hundreds of needy families
Two individuals dressed in balaclavas and gloves broke the locks of Hoon Hay Foodbank's walk-in freezer and chiller on Sunday. Photo: Supplied / Hoon Hay Foodbank via Facebook A Christchurch foodbank is "absolutely heartbroken", "mad" and "gutted to the core" after two thieves stole frozen and chilled food meant for hundreds of families in need. On Sunday night, at 10.20pm, two individuals dressed in balaclavas and gloves broke the locks of Hoon Hay Foodbank's walk-in freezer and chiller. "Do you have a conscience?" the organisation asked in an open message to the perpetrators, posted on social media. "You have completely depleted [sic] all supplies of any meat and frozen and chilled items that were going out to hundreds of whānau [sic] who genuinely need the help to put Kai on the table... all you had to do was send a text and book in for a food parcel to access food if you were in need." The post questioned whether the thieves were actually in need of the food, saying the amount taken suggested it would instead be on-sold. "We have 121 [families] booked in this week already with more to be responded to and you have taken from the mouths of every member of every one of these households." Hoon Hay Foodbank says its supplies of meat and frozen and chilled items have been completely depleted. Photo: Supplied / Hoon Hay Foodbank via Facebook The foodbank asked anyone in the area who saw bulk food listed for sale, or any black and green supermarket crates in an unusual location, to get in touch. Food from a foodbank was not insurable, it said, and so losses would not be recouped. "To those whānau [sic] booked in this week who rely on what we can pack into a food parcels [sic] we are genuinely sorry that the items sometimes needed the most won't be included due to these [two]." The organisation was accepting donations of food to replace what was taken at its McCarthy Street location. RNZ has approached Hoon Hay Foodbank for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- RNZ News
Northland death prompts homicide probe
Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller A homicide investigation has been launched after the discovery of a man's body at Horeke, north of Kaikohe. Police said a man arrived at the Kaikohe Police Station around 8.30pm on Wednesday, who led them to a property on Waikerikeri Road where they found a man with "critical injuries". "The man was provided urgent medical attention but sadly died at the scene," Detective Inspector Rhys Johnston said. The man who led them to the property was being spoken to as part of the investigation, he said. A post-mortem would be held in the coming days. "Police extend condolences to whānau for their loss," Johnston said. Anyone with information that could help police should use the 105 service, online or by phone, and cite reference number: 250522/0155. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
