This story originally appeared on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission
Labour unions are calling on the government to give residency to long-term migrant workers who now call New Zealand home.
People at the Pathway to Residency petition in Auckland. Photo: Supplied / Migrant Workers Association of Aotearoa
Workers who arrived with big dreams say the ever-changing threshold for skilled migrants’ pay and points mean their efforts are in vain. A petition started by Migrant Workers Association, Unite Union, One Union and First Union, “Pathway to Residency”, has collected 15,000 signatures.
It’s almost 10 years since a Bangladeshi man, who doesn’t want his name used, arrived in New Zealand. The cafe worker said he was twice invited to apply for residency in 2016 and 2018, but due to an unsupportive former employer, he missed the opportunities.
He has worked long to meet the rising points requirement, which is 160, but early last year, Immigration New Zealand changed the hourly pay rate threshold for his skill level to $25.5 and he is $1 short.
“At this moment, I can’t apply for my residency because I don’t meet the requirement to apply for residency, and also there’s no application that they’re taking [due to the Covid-19 pandemic]. I don’t know what I’m going to do, my visa is expiring in less than 12 months.”
He said he’s made New Zealand home but didn’t see any future.
“I spent my almost 10 years, half of my youth here. I’m 32 now. I don’t know if I go back home next year, what I’m going to do,” the man said.
Another man from India has been here for almost nine years, working first in retail and now IT. His two children, 2 and 4 years old, were born and are growing up here but he needs to regularly renew his work visa as well as visitor visas for his children and wife.
“Everytime I have to pay immigration fees, sometimes lawyer fees, and supply police clearance and medical certificates,” he said.
He said he doesn’t meet the current requirements for points or salary, and even if he were to finally meet the threshold after a few years, he’s not confident about the ever-rising bar.
“I can’t trust Immigration New Zealand, maybe they will introduce some new thresholds and new points then,” he said.
President of the Migrant Workers Association Aotearoa, Anu Kaloti, said they’re looking at people who have been here for five years or more and those with highly-sought-after skills.
“These would be people who are already here … they contributed to New Zealand economy hugely. We’re not asking for new migrants to be brought in, we’re saying that people who are already here, let’s look after them and let’s allow them to be here permanently.”
There are 189,000 temporary migrants with work rights in New Zealand as of last month.
Kaloti said there are also workers who weren’t even able to return to New Zealand after the border closure in March. She said migrants often fall into the cracks in the system and don’t enjoy the same privilege as residents or citizens.
“We have to remember that benefits like unemployment benefit and other benefits through Work and Income that comes out of our taxation, so these are migrant workers who’ve been working here for years and years and contributing to the the economy and paying their taxes.”
Unite Union national director, Mike Treen, said with borders closed due to the pandemic, new migrants aren’t arriving to renew the workforce, so it makes sense to keep those who’re already here.
He said Immigration has made it progressively harder for migrants to become residents, so there are too many people on temporary visas in the country. He said change is needed.
“I think this is a once in a generation opportunity to fix a broken system so we have made it harder and harder for people who we brought to New Zealand with promises of being able to transition to residency,” he said.
Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said the government’s priority is getting New Zealanders into jobs and encouraging employers to continue focusing on longer-term workforce planning, training, and improving wages and conditions to attract a local workforce.
By Joseph Tanfani, John Shiffman, Brad Heath and Mark Hosenball
The chaos inside the US Capitol on Wednesday local time came after the police force that protects the legislative complex was overrun by a mob of Trump supporters in what law enforcement officials called a catastrophic failure to prepare.
Police intervene as US President Donald Trump’s supporters breach security and enter the Capitol building in Washington DC. Photo: AFP
The siege of the Capitol, home to both the US Senate and the House of Representatives, represents one of the gravest security lapses in recent US history, current and former law enforcement officials said, turning one of the most recognisable symbols of American power into a locus of political violence.
While events such as a presidential inauguration involve detailed security plans by numerous security agencies, far less planning went into protecting the joint session of Congress that convened on Wednesday to ratify the results of the 2020 presidential election, the officials said.
That lapse came despite glaring warning signs of potential violence by hardline supporters of President Donald Trump, who are inflamed by Trump’s baseless claims of a stolen election and hope to block the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
And security initially was handled almost entirely alone by the US Capitol Police, a 2000-member force under the control of Congress and dedicated to protecting the 126-acre Capitol Grounds.
For reasons that remained unclear as of early Thursday, other arms of the US federal government’s vast security apparatus did not arrive in force for hours as rioters besieged the seat of Congress.
The Capitol is a short walk from where Trump in a speech railed against the election just before the riot began, calling the vote an “egregious assault on our democracy” and urging his supporters to “walk down to the Capitol” in a “Save America March”.
The counting of the electoral votes of the presidential election by Congress, normally a formality, was preceded by weeks of threats in social media that planned pro-Trump protests could descend into violence.
Despite those rumblings of danger, the Capitol Police force did not request advance help to secure the building from other federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, according to one senior official. And National Guard reinforcements, summoned by the city’s mayor, were not mobilised until more than an hour after protesters had first breached the barricades.
In stark contrast, those agencies were aggressively deployed by the Trump administration during last summer’s police brutality protests in Washington and elsewhere in the United States.
The Capitol Police did not respond to requests for comment.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump storm the US Capitol during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 US presidential election results. Photo: AFP
The force’s officers are trained to keep protesters off the Capitol’s marble outdoor steps, to protect the complex like a citadel. But there are so many windows and doors in the 19th-century complex that it is difficult to defend them all, said Terrance Gainer, who served as Capitol Police chief and later as the US Senate’s Sergeant at Arms, its chief law enforcement officer.
“Once they lost the steps, they lost the doors and windows,” Gainer said.
As hordes of rioters streamed into the heart of American government, they could be seen on camera roaming freely through the historic halls – swinging from a balcony, rifling through the offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and even sitting in the chair reserved for the Senate’s presiding officer.
One rioter was captured by a Reuters photographer casually shouldering a large Confederate battle flag as he strode inside the Capitol – a searingly evocative inversion of the failed 1861-1865 insurrection against the American republic by Southern states in an effort to perpetuate slavery.
“I truly had to suspend my disbelief because I didn’t think you could breach the Capitol,” former Capitol Police chief Gainer said.
“I have great confidence in the men and women who protect Congress, but there will need to be a full accounting. We’re going to have to have a deep dive into what went wrong.”
Lawmakers inside the building blamed a lack of preparation for the historic security breach.
“I think police did a good job under the circumstances, but there clearly wasn’t enough planning,” said Representative Vicente Gonzalez, a Texas Democrat.
The long-planned protest, Gonzalez said, called for an “overwhelming display of force” by police.
‘It looked like the Keystone Cops’
Some Democratic members of Congress, worried about the prospects of violence, tried for more than a week to press agencies for information about what they knew about threats or countermeasures, according to one congressional source. But there was no sign anyone was gathering serious intelligence about possible disturbances or planning to counter them, this source said.
Typically, law enforcement agencies in the American capital spend weeks or months planning for large protests, one former Justice Department official said. Officials from dozens of agencies, including local police, Capitol Police, the Secret Service and the federal Parks Police, ordinarily gather at the Washington field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the premier national law-enforcement agency, to coordinate their response. But it’s not clear how much of that planning happened for Wednesday’s event.
A senior federal law enforcement official familiar with the planning to protect other federal sites on Wednesday, including the grounds where Trump spoke, said that he was shocked that the Capitol Police were not better prepared.
“It looked like the Keystone Cops out there,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It should have never happened. We all knew in advance that these people were coming, and the first order of policing is presence.”
“The Capitol Police force is essentially a guard force, so it’s hard to understand why they weren’t better prepared.”
The challenges of securing the Capitol have been discussed in hearings and in reports for years. In 2013, Gainer said he proposed a fence, to be called the Capitol Gateway, to stop such a mass assault. It was never built.
“The idea was roundly defeated,” he said, because members of Congress wanted to protect the public’s access, and did not want the complex to look like a fortress.
Trump launched march to the Capitol
Trump on Twitter promised a “wild” event aimed at reversing his loss in last November’s election – and appeared to encourage his supporters to act.
“Our country has had enough, and we will not take it anymore,” Trump said at Wednesday’s rally. “You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.”
The White House did not respond to requests for comment on Trump’s role in inspiring the violent protests or on the collapse of security at the Capitol.
As Trump returned to the White House, the crowd headed to the Capitol building.
Photo: AFP
After a perimeter was quickly breached, Capitol Police officers seemed to be alone in battling the extremists on the building’s steps, according to witness accounts and video from the scene. They were unable to secure all the doors and windows in the sprawling complex.
Protesters surged inside the building, which contains the chambers of both houses of Congress. Video footage showed Capitol Police overwhelmed by vastly superior numbers of intruders as the mob grew into the thousands.
Two US officials said that Washington city officials had hoped to avoid a militarised response in the days before the protest.
The fear: They were concerned about a repeat of the scenes of the harsh federal response to anti-racism protests that took place across the street from the White House in June. They said it was unclear why it took as long as it did for the city police force to arrive at the Capitol.
Whatever the case, they added, the delay was too long.
A US defense official said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser requested National Guard troops at around 2pm. That was about 45 minutes after the rioters had breached the first barricade.
Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller activated the full DC National Guard at about 2.30pm, the official said.
By then, the Capitol was under lockdown. In the rotunda, the iconic circular room under the Capitol dome, tear gas masks were being distributed. Police evacuated Vice President Mike Pence – who was there to preside over the formal counting of the Electoral College votes for the election he and Trump lost – and members of the House of Representatives and Senate.
The police used pepper spray and tear gas on the protesters. They tried to barricade doors with furniture but quickly lost the battle.
One woman was shot and killed by Capitol police inside the building, and pipe bombs were recovered at the offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees, Washington Police Chief Robert Contee said. He didn’t explain what prompted officers to shoot the woman.
Calls to ‘rise up’ for Trump
While the mob invasion of the Capitol was unprecedented, there were ample warning signs in the days leading up to the protests. Many Trump supporters who travelled to the capital shared plans and organised on social media websites such as Parler, a Twitter-like service that has attracted right-wing extremist groups.
Some posters discussed ways to illegally sneak guns into Washington. In a post on the social media app Parler, the leader of the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, promised the group’s attendance at Wednesday’s rally. Tarrio was arrested on Monday in Washington for destruction of property during a protest last month and possession of a firearm magazine. He pleaded not guilty but was ordered to leave the city on Tuesday.
Joe Biggs, a Proud Boys organiser, said more than 65 members of his group attended the protests but that he did not know whether any of them entered the Capitol building. He said he advised other Proud Boys to stay inside and avoid confrontations with police.
On Twitter, starting on 1 January, there were 1480 posts from accounts related to the QAnon conspiracy theory movement that referenced Trump’s rally on 6 January and contained references to violence, said a former intelligence official who monitors extremists on social media.
These included calls for “Patriots to Rise Up.”
In one popular post on the TikTok video app, a man said that bringing guns to Washington is the “entire reason we’re going”.
Neil Trugman, a former Capitol Police intelligence officer, called Wednesday’s invasion of the complex unfathomable. He said the force generally prepares for much smaller groups under rules designed to allow for maximum expression of free speech rights.
“We’re all witnessing something we never imagined,” said Trugman, who recently retired as chief of police for Amtrak, the US passenger rail company. “I’m not sure any chief of police could have handled this any differently.”
He blamed Trump for inciting the riot: “This is no longer just a protest. They crossed the line. This is terrorism.”
Dramatic flooding in Ha’alaufuli, Vava’u this morning sent residents into panic as houses became uninhabitable and the only drain became blocked.
Kaloni’s house in Ha’alaufuli was flooded after a heavy rain this morning. Photo/Screenshot
The water washed away rocks being used to fill the new roads which are being built as part of Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa’s controversial multi-million road project.
Ha’alaufuli residents called on road work contractor, disgraced ‘Etuate Lavulavu to come and work on the roads to help ease the flooding.
They said they had warned about possible problems when the road works began.
‘Asinate Fifita Tu’akalau shared a video of the flooding to social media this afternoon, which was seen by Kaniva News.
Neiafu Town Officer Vāvā Lapota described the rain as “huge” and said it lasted from 7am until 4pm.
Kaloni, a local widow, who spoke on the video, said she had pleaded with Lavulavu to be careful about how the roads were built and was scared any heavy rain might flood her house.
She said Lavulavu did not appear to listen.
“No one listened to me,” Kaloni said.
The video showed her walking on a verandah in what appear to be floodwater.
“Look at this,” she invited viewers to look at the water.
She said there was no flooding like that before to her property.
Kaloni, who appeared emotional, said on the video she went to the estate holder as well as the district officer and complained to them about the road construction.
She invited viewers in the video to see the state of the road works.
“Kovi ‘aupito (very bad),” she said.
She said before her husband’s death he told her that if the road was built it would cause flooding.
She said the road was higher than the stone fence of her property, which Kaniva News estimated from the video as about a metre high.
The Prime Minister’s road project was announced as Tonga’s biggest project.
It was estimated to have cost taxpayers TP$300 million, to be completed in four years.
Critics of the project claimed the contractors did not have enough experience.
There have been repeated complaints about the awarding of the contracts to people with close tie to the government.
In his New Year’s speech the Prime Minister praised the project and said it was built solidly to last for a long time.
The new roads in Vava’u and in Tongatapu have been previously reported to have been damaged by heavy rains and tropical cyclones.
Tensions between both the two major PTOA chapters in New Zealand have been running high this week, as authorities for PTOA Global New Zealand declared they would not support the protest organised for this Saturday.
PTOA Supporters protesting in Mangere, South Auckland in 2019 while PM Tu’i’onetoa was holding a meeting with members of the Tongan community in a church hall from across the road. Photo/Kalino Latu (Kaniva Tonga)
The president of the PTOA Global New Zealand said he declined a request from the PTOA International New Zealand to join the rally.
Vainikolo Tāufa told Kaniva News his chapter saw the protest differently from the organisers and the International.
He said his chapter still believed in democracy and the push for Tonga to be more democratic.
As Kaniva News reported earlier this week, a protest to support the vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa’s government will be held in Auckland this Saturday, January 9.
The peaceful protest is being planned by the PTOA International supporters in Auckland.
The supporters are expected to parade along Auckland Central’s Queen Street if an application is allowed by the Auckland City Council.
It is expected the marchers will end up at One Tree Hill with a barbecue.
“The protest on Saturday is not supported by PTOA Global New Zealand,” the chapter’s treasurer ‘Ilaiasi Lelei ‘Ufi said on his Facebook page.
Supporters of the PTOA International said they respected the response from the PTOA Global.
International vs Global
The two chapters became divided after the Global Chapter publicly criticised the PTOA Party in Tonga known as the Core Team, which included all Party MPs, about the way they operated the Party.
The Global chapter, containing the PTOA Global New Zealand and the US PTOA Global, has repeatedly called on the Core Team to remove MP Mateni Tapueluelu after he was accused of causing chaos within the Party leading to its loss of power in September 2019.
The Global chapter has elected New Zealand Tongan-based Money Lender ‘Ilaiasi Lelei ‘Ufi as PTOA candidate to replace Tapueluelu in the upcoming general election in November, something the International did not support. The Global leaders have often criticised Party Leader Sēmisi Sika and Secretary Siaosi Pōhiva.
The International Chapter still supports Tapueluelu and the Party’s 10 MPs and the leadership of Hon. Sika
Global division
In a bizarre twist, the US PTOA Global frontliner Sharon Sēkona broke away from the US chapter last month and declared she no longer trusted Leader Tilila Siola’a Shumchai.
Sēkona alleged there were serious mismanagement and financial irregularities in the group’s financial management.
She and her followers set up a new group called PTOA Kolope.
President Tāufa told Kaniva News they would hold a meeting this Saturday to decide their future with the US Global.
In May last year Prime Minister Tu’i’onetoa, himself a former member of the PTOA, predicted that the Party would row about who would have the power and end up in disarray.
Prime Minister Tu’i’onetoa has told a radio audience that Tonga’s economic and financial status was fine – “faingamālie pe.”
Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa. Photo/Broadcom (Screenshot)
The Prime Minister, who holds a Doctorate of Christian Ministry from Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary in the United States, said the kingdom’s budget relied heavily on God.
Hon. Tu’i’onetoa made the claim in his New Year’s address, which was transmitted by Broadcom.
He said the projected budget deficit would be less than the forecast TP$60 million.
The nation’s financial status would be better, he said.
Tonga’s financial status had already been badly affected by the damage caused to the tourism industry by Cyclone Gita at the beginning of 2020. The closure of Tonga’s borders, the reduction in income from Tongans working on farms in Australia and New Zealand and the drop in exports were all expected to lead to financial hardship.
The International Monetary Fund has predicted that Pacific Island economies as a whole would suffer from what it termed “deeper wounds than even the worst natural disaster” caused by prolonged loss of revenue.
As a sign of Tonga’s financial health, the Prime Minister said the government-owned Lulutai airline was making money, although he did not provide any figures to show the level of profit being generated.
Hon. Tu’i’onetoa said there were times when the company’s aircraft were full.
Lulutai was created by the government after the kingdom’s previous airline, Real Tonga, shut down its operations after becoming mired in debt. The privately-owned airline had sought government assistance.
Even before Lulutai got off the ground there was considerable controversy over attempts to undermine its first CEO, Captain Maikolo Faasolo, an internationally experienced pilot with a Masters degree in Air Transport Management from City University, London.
The Prime Minister attributed the success of Lulutai to a new economic model he said was recently approved by his Cabinet.
Lulutai is using the same fleet as Real Tonga, including the Saab S340B and the Harbin Y-12. Aircraft. The Saab had to be heavily repaired after a bird strike while flying out of Vava’u in early May last year.
Hon. Tu’i’onetoa, praised his government’s multi-million pa’anga road project and said it was running well. He said the roads were built solidly so they would function for a long time. Roads in Vava’u and Tongatapu have been badly affected by recent heavy rain.
Finally, the Prime Minister said the government was planning to continue repatriating Tongans stranded overseas. A flight from New Zealand was expected on January 14.
More than 5000 Tongans are still stranded overseas including about 1475 RSE workers in New Zealand.
The Tongan government said recently it had to give a fair chance for all Tongans to return to Tonga.
A Tongan man charged with killing a Tongan woman in South Auckland last year is due to appear in court next month.
‘Umukisia Tu’iono. Photo/Facebook
An Auckland High Court spokesperson told Kaniva News this morning the “deceased was ‘Umukisia Fiva who died on the 27th September 2020 at Manurewa.”
It said “the accused is appearing at the High Court on the 3rd February 2021 at 9.00am.”
“The charge is manslaughter.”
Fiva, who was also known by the name ‘Umukisia Tuiono died after being allegedly assaulted by the accused.
Police arrived at the Smedley Street property at 3.20am and the accused was arrested a short time later. .
Fiva died at the scene. Her body was later laid to rest in Auckland.
The accused’s identity is known to Kaniva News and it was shared on Facebook last year while the victim’s death was reported, but we could not release it even at this stage for legal reasons.
It is understood the deceased and the accused were in a relationship and they were visiting families in New Zealand before the fatal incident occurred.
A protest to support the vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa’s government will be held in Auckland next Saturday, January 9.
PTOA Supporters peaceful protest against Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa in South Auckland in December 2019 turned violent after some of the Prime Minister’s supporters launched themselves at the protesters from across the road. Photo/Kalino Lātū (Kaniva News)
The peaceful protest is being planned by the Tonga Democratic Party (PTOA) supporters in Auckland.
The supporters are expected to parade along Auckland Central’s Queen Street if an application is allowed by the Auckland City Council.
PTOA Auckland frontliner Lihai Lui announced the event yesterday.
“I am asking all Tongans who believe in the principle of good governance to march peacefully to support our MPs who submitted this vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister Tu’i’onetoa government,” Lui said in Tongan.
In December 2019 PTOA supporters rallied in South Auckland during a visit by Hon. Tu’i’onetoa. Lui asked supporters to demonstrate peacefully and lawfully.
Unfortunately, events took an ugly turn when some of the Prime Minister’s supporters launched themselves at the PTOA members who were singing hymns and holding up banners on the other side of the road from the church where the meeting was being held.
Several police cars were called to the scene.
The motion for a vote of no confidence uncovered many areas of concern about the government, including the granting of roading contracts to companies with very close ties to the government.
The motion was tabled by leading Democrat Sēmisi Sika and was signed by 10 MPs.
Parliament is expected to reconvene on January 12.
Deputy Prime Minister Sione Vuna Fā’otusia subsequently resigned and criticised the government over what he said was the undue influence of disgraced former MP ‘Etuate Lavulavu on the Prime Minister and the cost of the government’s prayer and fasting excursions to the outer islands.
Among the motion’s other main concerns were the apparent lack of planning for Covid-19.
There were also charges that the government had been extremely selective in its allocation of financial support for business, including money for a boat operation in ‘Eua and the refusal to help Real Tonga Airlines, effectively shutting them down, yet starting a new airline owned and funded by Government.
There were also questions about where the TP$610,600 set aside from the Prime Minister’s Office current budget under the heading ‘announcements for media,’ had been spent.
This story originally appeared on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission
The 16 protesters at Waikeria Prison have surrendered to authorities after a six-day stand-off.
Photo: RNZ/ Riley Kennedy
The news the men had ended the stand-off came in a statement from Māori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi, who said he escorted the prisoners out about 12pm today.
Waititi said the prisoners were ready to come down.
“Naturally, they were tired and hungry but still very determined to see change.
“They have achieved what they set out to do when they embarked on bringing attention to their maltreatment in prison.”
Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis said the men received food and water and will soon be transported to other prisons around the country.
A plume of smoke could still be seen rising from the fire-damaged buildings at Waikeria Prison this morning.
The 16 inmates had been protesting at the prison since Tuesday, when several fires started. Corrections has said there’s been widespread destruction of buildings and property, and the men have acted violently.
But the men had said they were protesting unacceptable conditions at the prison, after complaints about inhumane treatment had not been listened to.
Supporters of the protesters outside Waikeria Prison Photo: RNZ/ Riley Kennedy
Davis said the protesters had done a lot of damage to the part of the prison they were in and it was now unusable.
The arson, violence and destruction carried out by the men were reckless criminal acts, and the responsibility for laying charges was with police, he said.
There are many legitimate avenues for prisoners to raise concerns about their conditions, Davis said.
Five of the men involved in the disorder are deportees from Australia, and three are subject to returning offender orders because of their criminal convictions.
At a press conference this afternoon, Davis said he was involved from the outset, but wanted to give professionals the space, time and resources to do their ob.
He said the “true heroes” were the negotiators who spent six days at this site working with the prisoners.
Davis said he had noted before that he did not like the state of the upper part of the prison, but that did not excuse the actions of the protesting inmates.
He said he had “total confidence” all prisoners across the network were being looked after in accordance to the Corrections Act.
Department of Corrections chief executive Jeremey Lightfoot said there was “no excuse” for what the men did, and there were multiple ways for prisoners to complain, including to the Ombudsman.
“Let me be clear, there are many channels to complain.”
He said it was not appropriate to take this action as a way of complaining, and it was a criminal act.
Lightfoot said he was proud of the collaboration between Corrections staff, police and other emergency colleagues, as it was a very complex matter in a dangerous area that took a lot of effort and planning to ensure it was resolved safely.
Prisoners’ supporters on site
Several family members of the prisoners were outside the gates again today and were calling for a peaceful end to the protest.
One told RNZ that their cousin who was protesting didn’t care if he lives or dies, because he was standing up for his rights.
She said he had become fed up with conditions in the jail, and was determined to stick it out.
“He was agitated, he was hungry, he was thirsty… but he said he’d stick it out… at least he knows he’s standing up for his rights and the rights of others who are going to be incarcerated in this prison.”
The woman said her cousin was only on remand for non-payment of fines and had a 6-month-old baby at home.
Corrections had said the men have been given opportunities to negotiate, and would not be given water unless they surrender.
In a statement earlier this morning, Corrections said the situation remained “incredibly volatile”.
“The prisoners have continued to light fires within the facility overnight, make threats toward our staff and police and throw debris at them from the roof of the buildings.
“Our options for intervention are limited due to the dangers present.”
This story originally appeared on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission
MetService is warning of thunderstorms and heavy rainfall in many parts of the country, and the risk of “large, damaging hail and possibly a small tornado” in eastern parts of the North Island.
Photo: 123rf
Many roads are closed today due to flooding in Otago and Southland, where some campers remain stranded.
MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for most of the North Island, from Northland down to Wairarapa, and for several areas in the South Island, including north and central Otago, Dunedin, Clutha and Southland.
The weather authority said in a statement there was a risk thunderstorms may become severe, resulting in surface and/or flash flooding.
It said there was a “moderate risk of large damaging hail and possibly a small tornado” in the far eastern parts of Taupō, Taihape, Hawke’s Bay and the Tararua District.
There was also a risk of large hail in eastern Otago, and possibly hail larger than 20mm in diameter in South Canterbury.
Campers stranded
About 200 festival goers are stranded at a camping ground in Otago with the main road out flooded.
It is the last day of the five-day-long Whare Flat Folk festival but people might have to stay at the Waiora Scout Camp for another night.
Festivals promotions manager Annabel Roy said there is plenty of food and everyone is safe and keeping themselves well entertained.
The floodwaters in Middlemarch on Saturday night. Photo: Supplied / Robin Thomas
Southland District Mayor Gary Tong said while the region had been spared major damage Waikaia locals were looking after several campers who had to be evacuated.
“They certainly can’t get out of Waikaia yet, but I understand the river is receding rather quickly, so hopefully people will be able to return to their normal life by the end of the day as long as the rain keeps away.”
A helicopter would fly over the area affected by floods today, to search for any stranded campers remaining in the Waikaia valley.
Another severe thunderstorm warning had been issued for the area this afternoon.
Otago’s Waitaki district was hit especially hard by the flooding, with the Otematata River overflowing its banks, after a hasty evacuation of campers there. But there had been heavy local downpours across much of the South Island as well as Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula, eastern Waikato and Taupō.
Risk water system may become contaminated
Boil water notices were in place for many places in Otago due to the flooding, especially for those using a bore water supply, and people should check for updates about water warnings on their local council website before using tap water.
Dunedin City Council said the waste water system may have been affected by heavy rain, so the flood waters should be treated as contaminated.
RNZ reporter Sarah Robson is in the Otago town Middlemarch and says many of the town’s roads remain closed, some with knee-deep flood water, and others covered in mud and silt.
Middlemarch this morning. Photo: RNZ / Sarah Robson
The council is asking Middlemarch residents not to flush their toilets until further notice after a lightning strike cut power to the area. The power cut means the town’s sewerage system won’t operate as usual, and there’s a risk wastewater flooding will occur. Power is expected to be restored about 4.30pm today.
From midday, a tanker would provide water to residents wanting to fill up containers beside the Strath-Taieri Community Centre.
Many roads closed in Otago, Southland
The Transport Agency has closed sections of State Highways 83, 87 and 90 due to flooding, with various detours in place.
The floodwaters in Middlemarch on Saturday night. Photo: Supplied / Robin Thomas
Many local roads were affected, and in Otago, there were still closures on State Highway 87 between Kyeburn and Outram, and between Otematata and Aviemore due to flooding and a washout; as well as on State Highway 90 between Waikoikoi and Tapanui.
In the Bay of Plenty, State Highway 2 was also closed between Nukuhou and Kutarere, and between Opotiki and Gisborne, because of flooding and slips after heavy rain last night.
MetService said 150mm of rain had fallen on some parts of Otago in the last 24 hours, with one weather station in the hills recording more than 200mm between midday on 1 January and midnight last night.
Otago Civil Defence controller Matt Alley said motorists should be particularly careful on the roads today, and should highwaycheck conditions before heading out, as well as the state of local roads, which were posted on local council websites.
Thunderstorms could take place this afternoon that might bring localised downpours and flash flooding, which could be severe from Clutha to North Otago, with Dunedin within the area that could be worst hit.
This story originally appeared on TVNZ and is republished with permission
Pre-departure testing will be introduced from Friday week for all travellers from the UK and US coming to New Zealand, the Minister responsible for the Covid-19 response announced today.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the new measures are in response to a growing number of cases worldwide. Source: 1 NEWS
From 11.59pm on January 15, travellers from these countries will have to return a negative Covid-19 test in the 72 hours before they depart.
Chris Hipkins said travellers would need to have certified proof from a laboratory of their test result, or another form of approved evidence.
“It reduces the risk of infected passengers on international long haul flights infecting other passengers with Covid-19.”
Regardless of the results of the pre-departure test, returnees would still stay in a managed isolation facility for 14 days, he said.
Hipkins said work was also underway to extend the requirement to other long-haul flights to New Zealand.
“We expect to be in a position to provide more details within the next week – after we get a more complete picture of testing regimes and capabilities in overseas jurisdictions.”
Hipkins first signalled the change at the end of last month.
A change will be made to New Zealand’s Air Border Order to enforce the changes.
“We know this will add to the stress of travellers wanting to get to New Zealand and have made this decision carefully,” Hipkins said.
“Whilst New Zealand is in a very fortunate position and we are all enjoying a summer … we can’t ignore the fact that Covid-19 continues to spread around the rest of the world.
“We want to do all that we can to reduce the overall number of positive cases that we have to deal with in our managed isolation facilities, and also reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading on planes and in transit.”
An additional day zero or one test will also apply for those coming from the UK and US, alongside current routine day three and 12 testing.
The early testing would allow people to be transferred to quarantine facilities earlier, if required, Hipkins said.
He said a “very limited number” of people may be exempt from pre-departure Covid-19 tests for medical reasons and if they don’t show symptoms of Covid-19.
The new requirements will come into force on flights arriving in New Zealand after 11.59pm on January 15.
