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Week in politics: Police Minister under fire as National ramps up law and order campaign

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Peter Wilson, Political commentator*

Analysis – Should Police Minister Poto Williams keep her job? National doesn’t think so and it’s putting the government under increasing pressure over gang violence. Parliament passes health restructuring legislation and gets started on Three Waters as the prime minister heads for Sydney to meet the new Australian prime minister.

Poto Williams Christopher Luxon

Poto Williams and National Party leader Christopher Luxon. Photo: RNZ

National Party leader Christopher Luxon this week called for Police Minister Poto Williams to be replaced. He said it in three different media interviews, citing the spate of gang shootings and claiming Williams just wasn’t up to the job.

“She’s clearly out of her depth, things aren’t getting any better,” he said on Morning Report. “There’s been 23 shootings in two weeks, violent crime is up 21 per cent, gang membership is up 40 per cent – that’s the reality New Zealanders are facing.”

On Newshub’s AM Show the same day Luxon gave a similar interview. “The reality is Poto Williams is struggling and she now needs to be replaced,” he said. “I’m sure she’s a good person but she’s struggling… frontline police don’t feel backed up.”

On TVNZ’s Breakfast it was the same story. Luxon had obviously decided to raise the stakes over gang violence before he went on air that day.

He’s taken over the lead from National’s police spokesman Mark Mitchell, who has also been giving Williams a hard time in Parliament. National clearly thinks it’s a weakness for the government and Williams is a soft target.

The minister rejects claims the government is soft on crime.

“I have just delivered for police a budget of $562 million… it means that we believe, as a government, the police need the resources to do the hard mahi which is in front of them,” Williams told media.

“I have to say to Mr Luxon, it would be really great if he had a few ideas rather than just throwing away these throwaway lines.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern backed Williams, saying she had “every confidence” in her, RNZ reported. That confidence was based on what she had delivered for police.

“An increase in numbers… a doubling of the organised crime unit, firearm prohibition orders, the work we’re doing on criminal proceeds,” Ardern said. “This is all progress that is ultimately making our police force better prepared, albeit in a very tough environment for them.”

Police Minister Poto Williams

Poto Williams. Photo: RNZ

It was a surprise when Ardern appointed Williams to the role after the 2020 election. She was a minister in the previous government but had no experience of that sort of portfolio.

In April this year the New Zealand Herald‘s Audrey Young wrote an article about Williams. In it she said that if Labour was to have any hope of regaining control of the law and order agenda, Ardern needed one of her best ministers in the job.

Young explained why she thought Ardern had chosen Williams, despite the MP not being “a natural fit” for the role.

“In Labour or National, the portfolio has gone to people who are naturally hard-line law and order types,” she said.

“Ardern clearly chose Williams precisely because she didn’t fit the stereotype. Her expertise was in community health and welfare, and tackling family violence.

“For a government that was looking for a culture change in the police, an appointment of a social justice advocate may have made sense symbolically instead of re-appointing Nash (former police minister Stuart Nash).”

Young said what Ardern did not foresee at the time were the dramatic changes in criminal offending and the political flashpoint the portfolio had become.

And that was written before the latest spike in gang shootings.

Young concluded Ardern wouldn’t have much choice about replacing Williams: “For an issue that will be so potent in an election year, Williams staying put would be a big risk for Ardern and she is almost certainly considering the alternatives.”

Young suggested the alternatives were Megan Woods or Chris Hipkins, Ardern’s two fix-it ministers. If they were too busy, then Nash could be re-appointed.

It almost certainly will be a potent issue next year. National has only just got started on gang violence and law and order generally. As the election approaches it’s likely to become a full-blown campaign.

And the government will almost certainly respond, probably before the end of the year. It’s already doing the work, explained in RNZ’s ‘Gang law options considered as shootings continue.’

Williams said all options were on the table.

Ardern Poto Williams

Photo: Supplied

It’s not likely to save Williams when Ardern next reshuffles her cabinet. The Herald’s political editor, Claire Trevett, put it this way: “Of late, one of the National Party’s most valuable assets in its attempt to turn law and order into an election issue has been Police Minister Poto Williams.”

Trevett described Williams as “a liability in a portfolio which is rapidly becoming very political”.

Luxon has overseen a remarkable turnaround in National’s poll ratings since he became leader, and if you want to know what makes him tick read Guyon Espiner’s in-depth RNZ article ‘How Christopher Luxon is rebranding the National Party’.

Here’s a taster: “He’s white, male, bald, rich, but he’s also championed gender pay equity and the rainbow community, worked to halt human trafficking and environmentalists rate his climate change credentials. Can a man some thought might join the Labour Party lead National to victory at the next election?”

Andrew Little

Andrew Little. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Tuesday was a big day for Health Minister Andrew Little. Parliament passed the Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Bill, which is the legislative framework for replacing 20 district health boards with a single agency, Health New Zealand, and the Maori Health Authority.

It comes into force on 1 July.

“This is a landmark reform for health in Aotearoa New Zealand and is key to righting the wrongs of inequity and unacceptable health outcomes that have for too long been suffered by too many,” Little said.

“Removing the postcode lottery to put patients and communities at the heart of our health system is what the reforms are about.”

Opposition parties were sceptical about that.

National’s health spokesman Shane Reti said it wouldn’t do anything for the 360,000 people waiting four months to see a specialist.

“They only see an ideological health reform in the middle of a pandemic, and at a time when New Zealanders are still dying from Covid every single day. The timing is terrible,” he said.

ACT’s health spokeswoman Brooke van Velden said it wouldn’t go any way to addressing better outcomes.

She faced cries of “shame on you” from Labour MPs as she said the legislation was “all to do with co-governance”, Stuff reported.

With that big bill out the way, the government brought the second of its “transformational” pieces of legislation to Parliament.

Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta introduced the first reading of the Water Services Entities Bill, which could be called the Three Waters Bill.

When it has been enacted the water assets held by councils will be transferred to four huge entities which will be responsible for funding and running them.

Mahuta has travelled a hard road getting it to where it is and the bill is still hugely controversial.

And, depending on the outcome of next year’s election, the transformation might never be fully realised. National’s first speaker in the first reading debate, local government spokesman Simon Watts, said his party would repeal it.

Jacinda Ardern and new Australian leader Anthony Albanese. Photo: Supplied / Office of the Prime Minister

Ardern announced at her post-cabinet press conference on Monday that she would fly to Sydney on Thursday to meet Australia’s new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. There was an informal dinner Thursday and formal talks will take place today.

All the questions were about two familiar issues which Ardern described as the cause of “friction” between the two governments – the 502 deportations and the rights, or lack of them, of Kiwis living in Australia.

She said she would raise both with Albanese and hoped progress could be made.

Watch this website to find out how that went.

*Peter Wilson is a life member of Parliament’s press gallery, with 22 years as NZPA’s political editor and seven as parliamentary bureau chief for NZ Newswire

Four arrested after train manager stabbed in Auckland

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz

Four people have been arrested after a train manager was stabbed at an Auckland station.

An Auckland train (file image). Photo: LDR

Police say they were called to the Sylvia Park station just before 3.30pm this afternoon.

The man was taken to hospital shortly afterwards with moderate injuries.

Auckland Transport said Eastern Line services will be running every 20 minutes during the peak period tonight.

Tonga Minister for Agriculture dies in Auckland

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry Viliami Manuopangai Hingano has died in Auckland, New Zealand after an illness.

Viliami Manuopangai Hingano

Manuopangai died today Friday 10 while with his wife and family.

His death has been confirmed by the Minister for Internal Affairs Hon Sangster Saulala.

“Brother Hon Manuopangai no words  can describe how sorry we are for your loss in Auckland,” Saulala wrote in Tongan on Facebook about an hour ago.

Hingano’s death came after Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku said he had visited him during his recent trip to Auckland and Hingano was receiving medical assistance.

According to Hon Hu’akavameiliku at the time, Hingano was in a good condition. We understand Hingano was initially in a serious condition.

According to the law a by-election will be called to elect a new MP for Ha’apai 12.

Dialling 0800 number for ambulance contributing factor in newborn’s death – Coroner

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Tracy Neal, Open Justice reporter of NZHerald. This story appeared in the RNZ.co.nz

Her life was only a few hours long, but she left a legacy of improved processes around critical care of newborns.

Evana-Jade Anarihi Iro-Tulikaki was born three weeks early on 27 February 2017 at Botany Downs Maternity Unit. She died at Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital eight hours and 25 minutes later.

Middlemore Hospital

Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital. Photo: RNZ / Claire Eastham-Farrelly

While there was no clear answer about what medically caused her to die, there were issues that contributed to the “utterly tragic” outcome, a coroner has found.

They included aspects of her immediate post-natal care, and the half-hour it took to get an ambulance after staff at the maternity unit initially called the non-emergency 0800 number.

The circumstances could provide a valuable learning tool in midwifery training, in particular in the importance of following the set guidelines, Coroner Erin Woolley said.

Woolley found a number of factors contributed to the baby girl’s death:

  • The initial temperature of the bath water, at 38C, was too hot
  • Evana-Jade may have got cold in the bath after birth
  • Mother and baby were left alone in the first hour after birth during skin-to-skin, contrary to Ministry of Health Guidelines
  • There were delays in calling an ambulance and when called, a non-urgent 0800 number was rung rather than 111
  • It was not clearly conveyed to St John that there was a life-threatening emergency situation

After Evana-Jade was born, she was placed on her mother’s chest in a birthing pool at the unit.

Mother and baby remained there for about 20 minutes before the mum moved on to a bed to deliver the placenta, still with Evana-Jade on her chest.

The lead maternity carer [LMC] then placed a hat on the baby and got a warm towel for her, and a blanket to put over the pair.

The midwife’s continued assessment of Evana-Jade’s position and colour revealed no cause for concern, so she left the room briefly to prepare a snack for the parents.

After that, when all appeared well, she left the room again to complete some paperwork.

When the midwife returned, the baby’s parents expressed concern that Evana-Jade sounded “wheezy”.

The midwife discovered Evana-Jade’s skin tone had paled dramatically, and that she appeared to be having trouble breathing.

Staff began resuscitation procedures, and an ambulance was called using an 0800 professional healthcare line.

Almost half an hour later, when no ambulance had arrived, the midwife dialled 111.

About 10 minutes later a neonatal team arrived and took Evana-Jade to Middlemore Hospital, where she was treated in the emergency department before being transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in a critical condition.

Around midday, Evana-Jade’s parents were advised that further resuscitation efforts were futile. She died soon afterwards.

The post-mortem report noted Evana-Jade’s vulnerability due to her gestational age of 37 weeks. It gave two possible reasons for her sudden decline, including respiratory problems linked to persistent pulmonary hypertension but this was unable to be confirmed.

The other possibility was an asphyxial event, which may have resulted from the positioning of Evana-Jade on her mother’s chest, wrapped in towels and attempting to feed.

A detailed review by Counties Manukau District Health Board [DHB] into the baby’s death noted that Ministry of Health Guidelines were not followed in that mother and baby were left without medical supervision several times in the first hour after birth.

The DHB’s review also noted that the information displayed at the maternity unit for calling St John Ambulance Service advised calling the professional 0800 number rather than 111.

This led to the non-urgent phone number being used to initially request an ambulance, potentially delaying the transfer to hospital by up to 26 minutes.

Additionally, there was a miscommunication to St John regarding the type of ambulance required, and the use of jargon such as “air puff” and “baby bus” led to the wrong type of ambulance being sent in the first instance, which was designed to provide patient transfer only and not medical treatment.

The coroner noted the ambulance delay was not the fault of St John, as they responded to the information they were given in the first phone call.

“I appreciate that situations such as the one in this case, are extremely difficult and distressing, however, it is critical that health professionals retain the ability to clearly communicate the exact nature of the emergency on hand,” the coroner said.

She commended St John for its proactive approach in investigating the cause of the delay and making appropriate changes to its operating procedures.

The Counties Manukau Health DHB report into the death listed recommendations including that all midwives and lead maternity carers needed to know about its 2015 guidelines on water immersion during labour and birth.

The DHB said in a response to the coroner that the document was updated in 2019 and was circulated to all women’s health clinicians and lead maternity carers.

Counties Manukau DHB now also had guidelines that described the processes and expectations around an emergency transfer from one of its primary birthing units to Middlemore Hospital.

The coroner said because of the action taken by the DHB, it was not necessary to make any further recommendations.

The DHB told Open Justice it would like to offer its sincere condolences to the whānau on the death of Evana-Jade.

“A comprehensive review into the circumstances leading to Evana-Jade’s death was undertaken by Counties Manukau Health and this has been acknowledged by the coroner,” a spokesperson said.

* This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.

Person suspected to have typhus spread by fleas from cats or rodents

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.con.nz and is republished with permission.

A person who works with stray cats in Auckland’s northwest region is suspected to have a typhus disease spread by infected fleas from cats or rodents.

TYPHUS - text is made up of wooden blocks standing on a gray table. In the background is a stack of paper notebooks for writing and tablets. medical concept, gray background

File image Photo: 123RF

In a statement, Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) said other people from the same household are also suspected of having the illness, Murine Typhus.

It is a notifiable disease treated with antibiotics and symptoms include fever, body aches, nausea, and a rash.

Murine Typhus can take up to two weeks to develop symptoms after being infected but severe illness is rare.

ARPHS was last notified of a case of the disease in 2017.

Dairy Flat Veterinary Clinic said it had been notified of the suspected cases and was asking pet owners to keep up to date with their animals’ flea treatments and take care around stray animals.

Former PM “oblivious” to providing evidence of bribery says judge as he confirms second conviction

By
Kalino Latu
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The Supreme Court has confirmed another conviction of former Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa on three counts of bribery during last year’s election.

Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa. Photo/Kalino Lātū (Kaniva Tonga)

This means that his election as member for Tongatapu 10 remains void and a by-election will be called.

Tu’i’onetoa was previously convicted in April and his election was declared void after the Supreme Court found he offered TOP$50,000 to a women’s group as a bribe. The offer was publicly announced but the money was not paid.

That petition was brought to the court by Kelekolio Taniela Kiu, who stood unsuccessfully for the election, challenging the result and alleging that Dr. Tu’i’onetoa committed two acts of bribery.

His latest conviction was based largely on the distribution of a number of water tanks in the period immediately during the election. This petition was brought to the court by Kamipeli Lanumata, who also stood unsuccessfully for the election.

Lord Chief Justice Whitten, presiding, said Dr Tu’i’onetoa had not proved his defence that his actions in handing out water tanks was entirely innocent and simply acceding to a request from his constituents.

He said the former Prime Minister had clearly used his position to have the 50 tanks brought to his constituency for the purpose of him directly or indirectly giving the tanks out to his constituents.

The distributions all happened during 2021 with almost half of the tanks being given in the last three months, that is, the critical period pursuant to Section 21 (3), before to the election.

“In those circumstances, the inescapable conclusion is that, on the evidence, Dr Tu’i’onetoa indirectly gave a valuable gift in the form of a water tank to one Maka Fotu and his wife,” Lord Chief Justice Whitten said.

“In the absence of any evidence of any legitimate basis for the appropriation of the tanks by Dr Tu’i’onetoa for use in his own election, I can only infer that he did so to favour his own electorate. The characterisation of almost half the tanks being distributed in the three months prior to the election as being merely a coincidence cannot be accepted.

“The evidence overall is overwhelming that he used the tanks as gifts at a time when an election was looming.

“I found it troubling that, during the course of his evidence, he appeared oblivious to the fact that what he was explaining amounted prima facie to bribery for the purposes of the Electoral Act.

“In that regard, the Act does not distinguish between naivety (at the lower end of the spectrum), wilful disregard (around the middle), or conscious corruption (at the upper end) when it comes to offences of electoral bribery.”

The judge said the gift of the tank had to be deemed a bribe and the claim that it was just acceding to a request for water tanks could not be accepted.

“I find the water tank claim proven,” the judge said.

“On that finding, I am required pursuant to Sections 32 and 37 of the Electoral Act to certify that Dr Tu’i’onetoa’s election as the representative of Tongatapu 10 is void.”

EU agrees to single mobile charging port in blow to Apple

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Apple must change the connector on iPhones sold in Europe by 2024 after EU countries and lawmakers agreed to a single charging port for mobile phones, tablets and cameras in a world first.

Mobile phones of refugees who arrived from Ukraine are charging at the main railway station in Krakow, Poland on March 8, 2022. Russian invasion on Ukraine can cause a mass exodus of refugees to Poland. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto) (Photo by Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP)

A variety of phone chargers being used. Photo: AFP

The political intervention, which the European Commission said would make life easier for consumers and save them money, came after companies failed to reach a common solution.

Brussels has been pushing for a single mobile charging port for more than a decade, prompted by complaints from iPhone and Android users about having to switch to different chargers for their devices.

While iPhones are charged from a Lightning cable, Android-based devices use USB-C connectors.

The company, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, had earlier warned that the proposal would hurt innovation and create a mountain of electronics waste.

Despite that, its shares were up 0.9 percent in morning trade in New York.

The move could become a sales driver for Apple in 2024, analysts said, encouraging more Europeans to buy the latest gadgets instead of ones without USB-C.

It could persuade consumers to upgrade to a new phone sooner, said CFRA research analyst Angelo Zino.

“Existing consumers can still use the Lightning cable, but maybe there would be fewer purchases of older products on third-party platforms,” he said.

Apple is already working on an iPhone with a USB-C charging port that could debut next year, Bloomberg reported last month.

When Apple releases new iPhones, the older generation phones are usually discounted, leading to millions of customers opting for the cheaper variants.

closeup phone charging white power bank portable devie

Photo: 123rf

If the EU prohibits the sale of older models, it risks upsetting many consumers and the government would be forcing consumers to shell out more, said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager at research firm IDC.

Half the chargers sold with mobile phones in 2018 had a USB micro-B connector while 29 percent had a USB-C connector and 21 percent a Lightning connector, a 2019 commission study showed.

“By autumn 2024, USB Type-C will become the common charging port for all mobile phones, tablets and cameras in the EU,” the European Parliament said in a statement.

EU industry chief Thierry Breton said the deal would save about $US267 million ($NZ412.2m) for consumers.

“It will also allow new technologies, such as wireless charging, to emerge and to mature without letting innovation become a source of market fragmentation and consumer inconvenience,” he said.

Laptops will have to comply with the legislation within 40 months of it coming into force. The EU executive will have the power in future to harmonise wireless charging systems.

That the deal also covers e-readers, earbuds and other technologies means it will also have an impact on Samsung , Huawei and other device makers, analysts said.

“We are proud that laptops, e-readers, earbuds, keyboards, computer mice and portable navigation devices are also included,” said lawmaker Alex Agius Saliba, who steered the debate at the European Parliament.

-Reuters

Supreme Court grants stays of execution in four electoral cases, wants Electoral Act reformed to match Clause 23 of Constitution

By
Kalino Latu
-

The Supreme Court has called for the Electoral Act to be reformed.

Lord Chief Justice Whitten has also suggested that an early court case could be heard to hear all four petitions by MPs whose elections had been voided in earlier decision in which they were found guilty of bribery.

This would align the functioning of the Electoral act with Section 23 the Constitution.

In his summary of the appeal brought by Tatafu Moeaki over the ruling that his election as MP for Tongatapu 4 was void, Lord Chief Justice Whittten said the Act should be changed by adding a proviso similar to that found in Clause 23 and a special, shorter period of filing appeals from decisions on election petitions.

His Honour made a similar ruling in regard to an application for appeal by Poasi Mataele Tai, whose election for Tongatapu 6 had similarly been declared void.

Moeaki argued that the Lord Speaker of the Legislative Assembly has issued a letter advising that Parliament intended to unseat him and proceed with an election.

However, this had occurred before the Appellant had had an opportunity to exercise his Constitutional right of appeal.

If his appeal was successful, but a replacement representative has been elected to Parliament beforehand, his right to be restored to his seat would no longer be available;

In that event, damages would not be sufficient compensation to the reputational and emotional damage suffered by him and his family. Because the Legislative Assembly would be officially opened soon, it was vital that the judgment was stayed until the Court of Appeal was able to hear the appeal.

Evidence was presented to the Court regarding Clause 23 of the Constitution which provides that a person convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to imprisonment for more than two years, cannot hold any elected office unless they had  been pardoned by the king.

However, this rule would be suspended until 42 days after the date of the conviction, or, where  leave to appeal had been given within 42 days after the date of conviction, until the determination of the appeal. If the conviction was quashed on appeal Clause 23 would not have any effect.

The Court was told it could take several months for a by-election to be held for Tongatapu 4 and the results determined.

In his comments on the Tei case, Lord Chief Justice Whitten said neither section 32 of the Electoral Act or section 36 of the Legislative Assembly Act set out how long  a by-election to replace an unseated MP should take.

In his summary of the Moeaki case, Lord Chief Justice Whitten said he had considered the need to balance a number of factors.

“If a stay is granted, the only effect will be that, if the appeal is unsuccessful, his opportunity to participate in a by-election will have been deferred for a time,” the judge said.

“If, on the other hand, Mr Moeaki’s appeal is successful, then he will continue in Parliament and there will be no other adverse consequence to him.

“However, there is another interest at stake. If a stay is granted, so that Mr Moeaki remains an active member of Parliament (and Minister of Cabinet) until his appeal his determined, and his appeal is then unsuccessful, there is a risk that the validity of decisions by Parliament in the interim, while Mr Moeaki was a seated member, may be rendered uncertain. That is not in the public interest.”

The judge said these risks could be reduced by convening a special, earlier session to hear and determine all appeals from the 2021 election petitions. The last of those petitions was expected to be concluded by 27 May 2022. Applying the present appeal periods prescribed by the Court of Appeal Act of 42 days to the last of those cases, a special session could be held in the last week of July 2022.

“During that period, it may be possible for Parliament, the Lord Speaker and the Prime Minister in Cabinet to manage the work of the House and the order of business to be considered so as to minimise the risk of any decisions being rendered uncertain in the event that, in Mr Moeaki’s case at least, his appeal is unsuccessful.

“A stay in this case would produce a result more consistent with the allied provisions in clause 23 of the Constitution.”

Lord Chief Justice Whitten therefore stayed the judgements on Moeaki and Tei, saying this carried a lower risk of injustice than letting the ruling stand.

This meant Moeaki and Tei would  remain in Parliament until his appeal against the earlier ruling is heard.

Kaniva comment: Clause 23

Kaniva News has long campaigned for reform to Clause 23, arguing that it is open to abuse and that it allows the Prime Minister to shelter convicted criminals under certain circumstances.

A private bill to amend the clause was put before Parliament last year.

The private bill would remove part of the Clause 23 re-enactment of 2013 that gives a convicted government representative 42 days in office with full entitlements and salaries while appealing a conviction.

The clause sparked public outrage last month after Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa used it as a justification for doing nothing against his jailed Cabinet Minister Akosita Lavulavu from the beginning of her court appearance until she jailed.

Class cancelled: Staff absences ‘through the roof’ at schools due to illness surge

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By John Gerritsen, of RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Schools around the country have been cancelling classes because of a surge of Covid-19 and winter illnesses among staff.

Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller

Some are rostering particular year levels home or asking families to keep children away because they don’t have enough teachers on site.

Principals are worried that worse is to come if there is a second wave of Omicron cases.

In Christchurch, Rāwhiti School principal Liz Weir said it had its worst day for teacher absences and took the unprecendented step of asking some parents to keep children home.

“In term one we had very high levels of student absence, we had up to 40 percent of our school away on any given day and therefore if we had some teachers away there was a little bit of wriggle room – if you’ve got 240 kids away you don’t need your full complement of teachers. This term the kids are back but it’s the teachers that are getting sick really regularly,” she said.

She said the Education Ministry was covering more of the cost of staff sick leave than usual, but the school had already used up most of its budget for relief teachers and sick leave.

“My staffing deficit is currently looking like it would normally look in December after a whole year of teacher absence and we’re not even halfway though the year yet so there’s a real financial implication here,” she said.

Cashmere High School principal Joe Eccleton said it would roster home one year group each week for at least the next two weeks and possibly the rest of the term.

He said the school did not have any other options.

“It’s not ideal but when you have such large staff absences it’s almost impossible to keep the school going. A couple of Fridays ago we had 29 staff away on the Friday, only seven with Covid, so there’s a whole range of other illnesses that are around the school community at the moment,” he said.

Auckland Primary Principals Association president Wendy Koefoed said staff shortages and a lack of relief teachers were making life difficult.

“You don’t know on any one day how many staff you will have. You could get a text at 8 o’clock the night before to say ‘I’ve got Covid I can’t come in’ or ‘I’m needing to isolate for the next week’ and you know you don’t have a pool of relief staff that you can call into the school. We can redeploy staff from other roles and we have to constantly reorganise our systems and our structures and ways of working just to keep the school going,” she said.

Albany Senior High School principal Claire Amos said staff absences seemed to be “through the roof”.

She said the lack of staff was combining with student absences in a way that made learning messy and complicated.

“None of it’s happening in train with one another so you’ve got one student that might be away and then come back and then their teacher might be away. And then go to another class and a teacher might be away or other students will be away so the teacher’s busy trying to work out how can I best catch everyone up and meet them where their needs are,” she said.

Education Ministry figures showed student attendance in the past couple of weeks was around 83 percent, better than in March, though there were recently about 20,000 pupils learning from home.

South Korea, US launch eight missiles in response to North Korea missile firings

By
Kaniva Staff
-

South Korea and the United States have fired eight surface-to-surface missiles off South Korea’s east coast today in response to North Korea’s short range ballistic missile launches on Sunday, the South’s Yonhap news agency reports.

A man walks past a screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea on 5 June, 2022. Photo: AFP

The action is a demonstration of “the capability and readiness to carry out precision strike” against the source of North Korea’s missile launches or the command and support centres, Yonhap cited the South Korean military as saying.

The militaries of South Korea and the United States fired eight surface-to-surface missiles for about 10 minutes starting around 4.45am today (local time) in response to the eight missiles fired by the North on Sunday, it said.

North Korea’s short-range ballistic missiles, fired towards the sea off its east coast on Sunday, were likely its largest single test and came a day after South Korea and the United States ended joint military drills.

Last month, the combined forces of South Korea and the United States fired missiles in response to North Korea’s launch of ballistic missiles, which the two allies say are violations of UN Security Council resolutions.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office last month, has vowed to take a tougher line against the North and agreed with US President Joe Biden at a May summit in Seoul to upgrade joint military drills and their combined deterrence posture.

– Reuters

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