Daily Archives: August 9, 2021

The rise and rise of the Indian hemp industry – Mint Lounge

Posted: August 9, 2021 at 2:05 pm

One question commonly posed to entrepreneurs selling hemp-based products is: Will this get me high? The query could be for any producthemp oil, seed, powder, even a T-shirt made of hemp. The answer invariably is no, which may come as a bit of a disappointment to some. But the question is an indication of the confusion that still surrounds hemp, a plant that is currently fuelling startups and e-commerce in India at an unprecedented rate.

At least once a week, someone will ask, Will I get high with this? Even with paper, soap, with whatever we make. Is soap a code word for something? they ask, says Elston Menezes, one of the founders of Bengaluru-based B.E Hemp, which sells hemp-based products such as soaps, food, stationery and accessories. I then send them a picture of the soap.

Yash P. Kotak, one of the six (initially seven) founders of Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO), which sells nutrition and personal care products, and its director of business development and media, has had a similar experience. If I wear this shirt, will I get high, thats their question. Its a great ice-breaker thoughno cotton shirt company will get asked that question.

When we first started, says Rohit Shah, co-founder of Hemp Horizons (their products go under the brand name Health Horizons), we got calls from people who would place an order. Then they would ask, Can I put it in a vape and smoke it? Send in discreet packaging. But the audience has evolved from that stigma. Today we see (people of) ages from 25-60 placing orders on our website.

Also read | What makes hemp a superfood?

Hemp products were one of the few categories that benefited during the pandemic. Entrepreneurs say the lockdown gave consumers the space to focus on health. They looked for better experiences with food, nutrition, alternative curative methods and therapeutic products that would help with anxiety and pain relief. They sought more sustainable brands, shifting to vegetarianism and veganism. Once e-sellers overcame issues with supplies and deliveries in the early days, business started picking up.

Both hemp and marijuana come from the Cannabis sativa family of plants. Both have tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC, the psychoactive component which provides the sense of euphoria or intoxication) and CBD (cannabidiol) with many other compounds. CBD is an oil extracted from the leaves, stem and flowers that acts as a painkiller, muscle relaxant and mood enhancer. Regulated industrial hemp plants in India contain primarily CBD and its extracts usually contain less than 0.3% THC, which does not give you a high. Supply is controlled by the government, with only a handful of companies having an Ayush licence to manufacture hemp thats supplied to retailers.

Hemp products from Health Horizons.

Founded in 2017 as a contract manufacturer that supplies to wholesalers and other edible hemp brands, Hemp Horizons has gone from processing 500kg to 4,000kg (of edibles) in 12-18 months. It recently raised 2 crore in seed funding from Mumbai Angels Network and AngelList. Medicinal startup HempStreet got $1 million (around 7.4 crore) in pre-series A funding in February 2020 led by Pharmacon Holdings, a US-based pharma-tech company, and Romain Barberis, a private investor in cannabis in the US and Canada.

Business blossomed during the lockdown, says Jayanti Bhattacharya, co-founder of Bengalurus India Hemp & Co. The first time (lockdown in 2020) was insanesome factories were looted in the north, material got stuck. We had no control and things escalated so fast. But collectively, a lot of our processes fell into place. We came out shining, with no corners cut.

Since 2019, over 50 firms have registered with the word hemp in their names, says Kotak, while Shah says the number of registered startups rose from eight to over 100 in 18 months. Rohit Sharma, president of the non-profit Indian Industrial Hemp Association, put the number at around a hundred as well. Interest in CBD peaked in September last year, according to Google Trends. A lot of people were waiting for companies like ours to see the resulting effect. The first one out of the door is the first to get shot, you know, says Kotak.

According to Shah, roughly seven-eight years into its modern commercial existence, the hemp industry in India is worth $2-3 million. With entrepreneurs evidently ready to brave the odds that come with low awareness, be it among farmers or consumers, and limited production and marketing avenues, Shah optimistically predicts this will grow to $500-700 million over the next few years.

Its the responsibility of any company making hemp products, such as hemp oil, to sell correctly labelled items.

The global hemp industry was estimated at $4.71 billion in 2019, according to the Industrial Hemp Market Size, Share And Trends Analysis report published in February 2020 by US-based Grand View Research. The market is driven by the growing demand for hemp oil and fibres in the automotive, construction, food and beverage, personal care and textile industries, especially in emerging regions such as the Asia Pacific, the report states.

UP IN THE AIR

Indias complicated and enduring connection with cannabis extends through history, mythology and religion. Its mentioned as one of five sacred plants in the Vedas and is a staple during the festivals of Holi and Mahashivratri in north India. We came across a statistic that shows 60% of districts had wild growth of cannabis, says Kotak.

Yet, though the plant originated in the Himalaya and Central Asia, the modern-day cannabis market is only about 30-35 years young. For once cannabis was classified as a synthetic drug in the US, which made it illegal in 1970 and later banned it, it came under the spotlight in India too. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 bans the flowering or fruiting tops of the cannabis plant (ganja) but excludes seeds, stalks and leaves. Bhaang is a paste made from the leaves, so its not outlawed. The confusion, says Shah, is that bhaang was never illegal. It has a religious association and Ayurveda has 190 formulations that have cannabis as a key ingredient. CBD oil does not come under the NDPS Act either.

Through all the ups and downs, however, the unorganised recreational cannabis industry never really faded away. After the NDPS Act, it just slipped under the radar. Shah believes India has about 38 million active recreational users.

Things began looking up again when the US, in a 2018 Farm Bill, decided to allow hemp cultivation, sale, possession and transfer of hemp-derived products. Now, like yoga and golden turmeric, the moment the US brings it back, India jumps on the bandwagon, says Bhattacharya.

Uttarakhand became the first state to permit commercial cultivation of industrial hemp, in July 2018. The Indian Industrial Hemp Association became the first to cultivate hemp legally there. Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan are expected to follow suit but at present Uttarakhand remains the sole local supplier.

Last year, the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) voted to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. India supported the move, fuelling hope that it would join the global movement to realise the medicinal and commercial potential of cannabis, Forbes reported in April.

Also read | Inside the world of Indian craft chocolate

Sharma says the debate centred on the cases involving actors Rhea Chakraborty and the late Sushant Singh Rajput last year helped revive conversation in the media. Cannabis has been in India for long, he says. The hype is more of an international thing. Cannabis-based homoeopathy and Ayurveda is an age-old practice. Its just an old thing that has been rebranded, like yoga.

However, it becomes the responsibility of any organisation working with hemp and cannabis products to uphold the sanctity of working with this plant by selling licensed, correctly labelled products, emphasises Kotak. Only if you play by the book will you be able to add a moral at the end of the story.

JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN

When India first locked down in March last year, says Menezes, they were thinking of closing B.E Hemp. His two partners had other businesses; he didnt. So he kept going. Soon, with shops shut, they started getting calls for rolling paper. One call turned to five to hundred and a thousand, which kept our company afloat, says Menezes.

They ran out of rolling paper and had to buy from others. That is when they realised it was the best time to pursue the idea of becoming the Amazon of hemp. They developed new products, like a line of hemp soaps. We get a decent number of orders for rolling paper while we have branched to CBD, he adds.

Hemp, which has a short, summer crop cycle and uses just about half the amount of water that cotton does, makes for a sustainable crop. Every part of the plant can be used, for food (nutrient-dense seeds and oils), medicinal use, fibre, paper, fuel, construction (hempcrete), animal food, bedding, even as a biodegradable alternative to plastic, says Bhattacharya.

Hemp seed is supposed to be high in omega 3, 6, 9, vitamin B12, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, iron, protein and zinc.

Hemp powder can be used to make rotis, pastas, bread, smoothies. Hemp seed is supposed to be high in omega 3, 6, 9, vitamin B12, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, iron, protein and zinc. Hemp repairs you internally and externallyfrom muscle, skin to internal organs, claims Alysa Decruz, who co-founded Hempwise in Goa with husband Terence Sequeira in 2018.

Its a superfoodon steroids. It helps with chronic ailments, sleep management and arthritis that dont have simple cures. (There are) multiple reasons why its in the forefront, says Shah over the phone from his residence in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. The company is based in the National Capital Region.

For the three Hemp Horizons foundersShah, Kartikey Dadoo and Kanishk Yadavthe inspiration for their company came from what they saw in the US. When they were studying and working there a decade ago, they initially found yoga studios everywhere. Then cannabis made a comebackfor its benefits, not just as recreation. It was an epiphany for us that bhaang should not be a Western product alone. That had us start this, says Shah.

Convincing parents was the first challenge. They asked: Are you going to be a drug dealer? remembers Shah, laughing. The partners started showing their families videos of Baba Ramdevs Patanjali, which spoke of the benefits of cannabis. They shared information about its uses in Ayurveda and Jatiphaladi churan, which has cannabis powder as an ingredient.

Shalini and Jayanti Bhattacharya, co-founders of India Hemp & Co.

About four years ago, Bhattacharyas sister and business partner Shalini, who shuttles between Bengaluru and Barcelona, Spain, developed back pain. They went through the rounds of MRIs, scans, pursued treatment in Ayurveda, acupunctureit didnt help. She had just decided to live with it when someone suggested CBD. I could see the change in her, says Jayanti, who worked in advertising before she turned entrepreneur. In four months, she was fine, with no needles, machines needed. The sisters lead outdoorsy lifestyles and stick to plant-based diets. India Hemp & Co. was the 10th hemp brand to begin in Indiain November 2019, a few months before the first lockdown.

Menezes, who grew up in Kuwait, thought of weed every time he heard of cannabis. He knew about hemp but his perspective changed when a friend from Nepal brought him a hemp wallet that blew his mindhe had never seen one. One of his first thoughts was a question he now parries himself: Will it get me high?

Thats what people have been asking us for the past eight years, he says, laughing. Cannabis is not as bad as people think, then why so much hatred towards it? This has helped me in college with creativity or depressionit has never given me any negative emotion.

Keen to promote every aspect of cannabisindustrial, recreational and medicalhe started by spreading awareness through their portal. They found people were curious about products, so they added items like key chains, wallets, purses and bags, all made of hemp. We started too early in the cannabis industry. It took us a long time and we are still growing, he says.

For others, like Kotak and Decruz, life and work took them to places where they could see hemp all around them. In 2011, Kotak, for example, was working on a social enterprise rural project of solar electrification, visiting villages in north and north-west India where he saw hemp being used for subsistence, for cattle, for food, just as the villagers forefathers had done. The users found no economic value in cannabis, globally a trillion-dollar super-crop.

BOHECO, set up in 2013, spent the first five-six years aligning science and policy, Kotak says. In April 2017, the countrys first research licence was issued, allowing the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine to collaborate with BOHECO in growing cannabis and studying its medicinal properties. They opened their first store in Indiranagar, Bengaluru, this April.

Yash P. Kotak (standing, left), one of the founders of BOHECO, with his team.

Cannabis comes with a preconceived notionyou have to unlearn and relearn about the crop, says Kotak, whose firm started making products in 2018. We launched a 100% hemp shirt. When we did a survey before, we asked about cannabis clothing and people said what came to their mind was a Bob Marley T-shirt. How do you get rid of the clich?

BOHECO, which employs 28 people, pivoted from fabric to health and nutrition from 2019, with BOHECO Life. This led to nearly 100% growth from year 1 to 2, with 42% repeat customers, says Kotak. Their revenue of 4.5 crore in the last financial year was largely an outcome of this change in strategy.

Decruz and Sequeira ran a bed-and-breakfast facility for five years in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, with hemp growing wild everywhere. In 2014-15, they decided to experiment, so they got an oil machine, pressed oil and used it for everythingfood, bathing products, and more. They used hemp for pizzas, dough, salad dressing and made bullet coffee with CBD oil. Hempwise was born after they moved to the village of Parra in north Goa. Their two-room facility on the ground floor of their apartment complex produces items that they used to sell through Friday night marketstill the lockdown earlier this yearand to some cafs and stores.

KNOWING THE PRODUCT

Most hemp entrepreneurs say that apart from policy, awareness is a challenge. Few farmers grow hemp because science has not kept up with policy. They say that finding the right agencies, buying raw material, procuring licences for retail and knowledge about machinery continue to be problem areas. Marketing is tough. Facebook, for instance, does not allow advertising of hemp products. Amazon does not sell them. Supermarket chains like Foodhall and Big Bazaar do not store them. Social media blocks mention of hemp, says Menezes, even while advertising notebooks and beanies. You have to depend on word of mouth, on influencers.

A customer at a BOHECO store,

We never faced any backlash from authorities or people because it was all legal, he says. Most products are sold online, though some are available in stores as well, like BOHECOs in Bengaluru and Saukhyam in Porvorim, Goa, that stocks India Hemp & Co products.

The expectation is that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will soon classify hemp as food. Once the FSSAI comes into play, everything will open up, says Shah. The Great Legalisation Movement India, a non-profit research organisation, is leading a mission to legalise cannabis. The smaller entrepreneurs know that conglomerates like Dabur, Himalaya, Tatas and Patanjali are waiting to jump in.

With cannabis, people think of one thing, says Menezes. We want them to understand that its multifaceted and can expand into 30,000 different, eco-friendly, sustainable products. Besides food, hemp has found its way into gin (Samsara) and vodka. One firm has made motorbike exhaust mufflers with hemp that absorb more carbon, says Shah. Menezes is planning to produce hemp shortsa plan that has been delayed by the pandemic.

During the first lockdown, when people called me, 20 minutes into the conversation the last question would be, Will I get high? When the answer was no, they would say, I will buy it for my mother, says Bhattacharya, laughing. But the questions she faces most often are whether the products are preservative-free, where they are sourced from, and whether people can grow hemp at home. People want to know how to use it. We were making salads but consumers still needed their sambhar, idli, appam and stew. We have gone south, integrated hemp into Indian cuisine, because you cannot make brownies and souffle every day.

I need to do a mosquito repellent because thats so apt for Goa, says Decruz, smiling.

Menezes has plans for franchises. Sequeira wants to create a hemp hub that has a caf, infused food and a four-course meal with a spa for massages. Shah is aware that he is building a category, not a company. Uttarakhand as a Himalayan state had a cultural and social relationship with the plant, says Shah. Technocrats and bureaucrats have grown up around the plant; they have an idea of its uses and potential. But in five years the industry has not grown tremendously because of lack of scientific precedence. For a crop to be a commodity, there has to be significant plant research and science with standardisation. Nevertheless, he predicts, There will not be a single industry left untouched by it.

Hemp users and sellers praise its properties. Decruz mentions a girl who used expensive steroids for hives. It didnt work. With Hempwise soap, her skin cleared. She has seen it work for acne, with wounds, and on pets. Customers also love Sequeiras pesto hemp pastas, one with sun-dried tomatoes and another with basil and vegan Parmesan. With food, he says, I want a full infused menu. Its healthy eating that takes you on a different journey. Make it an experience. But when you get up, you should be able to walk home.

Almost on cue, Decruz quickly makes it clear what he means by adding the company motto: Soak it but dont smoke it.

Arun Janardhan is a Mumbai-based journalist who covers sports, business leaders and lifestyle.

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National CBD Day: Best-in Class TruZen CBD Softgel with Patented Absorption Technology Now Available to Consumers for First Time – Yahoo Finance

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PITTSBURGH, Aug. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Launching in Fall 2021, TruZen, a state-of-the-art CBD formula previously available only through health care professionals, will provide consumers a category changing, fast-acting CBD supplement made from the highest quality ingredientswith no detectable trace of THC.

TruZen softgels

TruZen is supported by rigorous testing and perhaps most importantly, the first ever human clinical trial for efficacy of a nutritional supplement hemp (CBD) product.

The brand aims to educate consumers on what to look for in a CBD product and help decipher which products are best for them. "As a company, our goal is to educate consumers on CBD standards and practices, as well as introduce them to the scientific research that elevates TruZen among all others on the market today," says a brand spokesperson.

Proactive wellness isn't just a theory, it's a movement and TruZen wants to lead the charge. With the ever-growing number of CBD products available, today's consumers are dealing with a huge amount of misinformation. TruZen CBD is designed for proactive whole-body wellness and daily use.

As CBD continues to boom in popularity, found in almost everything from skincare to food, TruZen delivers a lipid-based, daily-dose softgel that works to improve overall wellness, anxiety and sleep with a patented technology that makes the product more bioavailable and faster-acting than other leading brands on the market.

TruZen users can begin their journey with a free 10-Day Trial that automatically rolls into an ongoing 30-Day subscription. TruZen has created a Personalized Quiz on its website to help each individual identify their most common ailments and recommend most advantageous times each day to take the TruZen softgel. Depending on the time of day taken, one TruZen softgel will maximize efforts to combat the ailment and help the user achieve a higher state of wellness without the high.

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Details on the TruZen product below:

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More about TruZen

To learn more about the brand or for more information, please visit http://www.truzencbd.com.

This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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Global United States THC-Free CBD Oil Market Report Forecast to 2021-2027 Charlotte’s Web, Candropharm, Medical Marijuana, The Manomet Current – The…

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Live: Jacinda Ardern speaks in post-Cabinet briefing – RNZ

Posted: at 9:22 am

Vaccinations will open to people over 50 from Friday, earlier than had been planned.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern accompanied by Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins made the announcement after a Cabinet meeting this afternoon.

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Last Friday, people aged over 55 were able to book for vaccinations, a threshold that was five days ahead of the government's initial plans.

Ardern said the past week had been the best week so far for the vaccination roll-out, with 21 percent of the eligible population now fully vaccinated and more than a million bookings in the government's system.

This very rapid take-up of the offer to be vaccinated is fantastic ... our system is now ready to move - ahead of schedule - to the next age band," she said.

There are about 319,000 people in the 50-55 age group.

Those who have not booked and are eligible should call the Covid-19 vaccination healthline on 0800 28 29 26 between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week, she said.

Ahead of the Reconnecting New Zealand forum on Thursday, Ardern said the government was keen to resume international travel, but had to close borders to keep New Zealanders safe.

She said Professor David Skegg, who led the advisory group that is reporting back this week, would speak specifically about the additional risks posed by the Delta strain.

Hipkins this afternoon said the roughly 300,000 people in the 50-plus age group would be able to book a vaccination from Friday, 13 August.

"This is a great all round response and means we're in position to open the 50-plus age band for vaccinations earlier than planned," Hipkins said.

"Being able to open another age band so quickly is a real confidence booster and shows how well New Zealand is embracing the vaccine."

Asked about the risks posed by the Rio De La Plata container ship off Tauranga, Ardern said the government had always prioritised frontline workers, including port workers, for vaccination.

"They have had vaccines available for some time," she said.

"What we have encountered though are a range of barriers to those individuals having a vaccination and that includes, unfortunately, misinformation, hesitancy and of course from the ports themselves a concern that mandating would destroy, potentially, supply lines."

She said a situation where border workers were not vaccinated was not tolerable however, which was why the government had mandated that workers at the border must have their first dose by 26 August.

"That is in spite of the concerns that are being raised that these are privately employed individuals ... we still nonetheless believe it to be so important to New Zealand's health and wellbeing we are mandating it, and it may mean job loss.

"There's always been urgency, right from the beginning we said 'this is our most important group'."

Hipkins said there were two cut-off dates, depending on the kind of border worker - with one group requiring at least a first dose by 26 August, and the other requiring it by the end of September.

Minister for Covid-19 Response, Chris Hipkins Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The minister said there had been a lot of work carried out to encourage voluntary vaccination.

"The feedback we've had - from some of our smaller ports in particular ... it could potentially mean they have to stop both receiving and sending out cargo," he said.

Even Tauranga, one of New Zealand's biggest ports and where the ship in question has been docked, had concerns about this, he added.

Hipkins said officials would need to take a "good clear look" at the situation around the ship, including whether New Zealanders should have been allowed on to the ship - even while wearing PPE - when there were concerns about Covid-19 being on board.

It was his understanding that there was a four-day period where the ship was berthed in Tauranga, between Wednesday and Saturday last week.

"That is exactly one of the things we will be looking closely at is exactly who knew what and when, and whether earlier action should have been taken."

Ardern said no one who was infected was allowed off the boat.

There were a large number of commercial ships coming in that often had a rapid turnaround of offloading goods, but there were very strict requirements for crew movements for those ships because they were treated as though they have the virus, she added. But she wanted port workers to be vaccinated too, and to not simply rely on infection controls.

Hipkins said part of the government's investigation would be to determine whether there was any breach of the risk mitigation measures like PPE.

Ardern said all the port workers were in isolation "because we need to go through a process of assessing that risk so everyone's getting tested".

"There may be some who may require a second test and longer forms of isolation depending on the level of contact they had over the course of those four days.

"We want those negative results to come back to really give us an assessment of what we're dealing with, I think anything beyond that is speculative."

She said the advice so far had been that public health measures were followed.

The Prime Minister confirmed there may be privately-employed port workers in future who may no longer be able to work in their roles if they were refusing vaccination.

Hipkins said port workers by far fell into one of the groups with the lowest rates of vaccination of any frontline border workers.

"It has been an area of concern for me for some time so it has been something I've been having conversations about including with employers, with unions, with other representatives and it does appear clear there is a greater degree of misinformation here, a greater degree of conspiracy theory, and that has been something we have been working to address."

Ardern said misinformation was still significantly impacting on efforts to tackle the Covid-19 threat.

"I can't emphasise enough how much it puts people's health and wellbeing at risk. It's not just about our economy, yes that's incredibly important, but it's about saving people's lives and to see the lack of responsibility from individuals who post information, let alone the sometimes lack of ownership from those platforms around helping better manage it, is incredibly frustrating.

"We are still up against a battle where people are just being told absolute rubbish, and it's incredibly hard."

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Jacinda Ardern accused of treating politics ‘as a game’ after post emerges of her calling for housing as human right – Newshub

Posted: at 9:22 am

The post has been widely criticised by social media users and was questioned by ACT leader David Seymour.

"Imagine if Jacinda Ardern became the Prime Minister and had the chance to fix all of those problems... oh wait," he said.

"That's why in Opposition ACT proposes practical policies instead of merely posturing."

A spokesperson from Auckland Action Against Poverty (AAAP) said the post from "2016 Jacinda" was "great" but believes Ardern's comments "reflect this very superficial and dangerous sentiment of politics being practised as a 'game'".

"We often hear people talk about politics in this way - to 'play the game' in order to get into power and now that Jacinda Ardern is the Prime Minister with a majority Labour government we'd like to ask where's this same energy from 2016?"

They said the current Labour government has the capacity to treat housing as a human right and urged them to take action.

"Choosing not to perpetuate the notion it's ok to do politics in this way - to treat it as a game in saying whatever's required in competing for power and then continuing to perpetuate existing colonial ideologies that shape our policies when they get it.

"How about we introduce a new way of practising politics - to stay true to what you say. As Jacinda herself says to treat the cause (of all our societal ills), not the symptom?"

When asked if Ardern still stands by the comments, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister said the post "was made when she was in opposition".

"The current manifesto commitment to continue the welfare overhaul is addressing the issues that the Facebook post is seeking to identify.

"In regards to your question around the housing crisis - the Prime Minister has previously said: 'I don't mind what label you put on it. A crisis is a crisis'."

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt praises Jacinda Ardern and New Zealand after moving here during the pandemic – New Zealand Herald

Posted: at 9:22 am

Joseph Gordon-Levitt praises New Zealand during interview with ZM's Fletch, Vaughan and Megan. Video / ZM

Hollywood star Joseph Gordon-Levitt is singing New Zealand's praises.

The actor's new show Mr. Corman, out now on Apple TV +, began production in the US before Gordon-Levitt moved to New Zealand to complete it amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since then, Gordon-Levitt has become somewhat of an honorary Wellingtonian.

He spoke to ZM's Fletch Vaughan and Megan about his move to Aotearoa and his love for our country.

"I can't say enough good things about our time here in New Zealand," he says. He has been in the country since October last year after his producing partners at A24 suggested they move the filming of Mr. Corman to New Zealand.

In fact, Gordon-Levitt says he "hit the roof" with excitement about the possibility of moving here. He and his wife Tasha McCauley had already been discussing New Zealand's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since last October, Gordon-Levitt has been enjoying everything the country has to offer, including the local delicacies.

"Kumara is huge in my house," the father-of-two says.

What's more, the 500 Days of Summer star declared his adoration for our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

"I'm a big Jacinda fan for sure," he confessed to regularly watching her late-night Facebook lives.

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His admiration for New Zealand politics extended to him tuning in to the election debates last year.

"The level of discourse was just night and day," he said, comparing the debates to his country's presidential election.

"These two ladies [Ardern and National Party leader Judith Collins] were having substantial discussions about policy.

"This is how a democracy ought to run and I really take my hat off to this country."

Some eagle-eyed fans may be able to spot some New Zealand landmarks in Mr. Corman. The ZM hosts joked about being able to spot a Bunnings during one of the episodes.

Gordon-Levitt says the show worked hard and used special effects to replicate Los Angeles in Wellington, but some Kiwis may be able to spot familiar scenes of Petone.

The actor spoke to US talk show host Jimmy Fallon in April and shared his praises for New Zealand on the world stage.

The star revealed his children were enrolled in school in New Zealand and that he was been blown away by Kiwis' hard work in keeping Covid-19 out of the country.

"It's the morning; I just dropped off my boy at school," he told Jimmy Fallon, something at the time children around the US had not experienced for months.

"Man it's good, I feel so lucky. I almost feel guilty talking about it sometimes. If you don't know, New Zealand is one of only two countries in the world that has contained the pandemic."

Watch Joseph-Gordon Levitt's full interview with ZM's Fletch, Vaughan & Megan above, and stream Mr. Corman on Apple TV +.

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General arming of police ‘not the answer’, Andrew Coster, Jacinda Ardern, Poto Williams agree – New Zealand Herald

Posted: at 9:22 am

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said evidence showed general arming would not make police safer. Photo / Mark Mitchell

By RNZ

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Police Minister Poto Williams, and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster are remaining firmly against the general arming of police, despite 73 per cent of frontline officers favouring the move.

A survey of almost 6000 Police Association members revealed the statistic this morning - the highest level of support for general arming it had recorded in a decade.

Coster has previously ruled out general arming. He said it was tempting to reach for simple solutions in the face of attacks on police - like the one in 2020 that left Constable Matt Hunt dead - and general arming was one.

However, evidence showed it would not make police safer, he said.

"We want to make sure our people are safe but we do not see general arming as the answer to that," Coster said.

"The evidence that we have available to us suggests that being armed doesn't necessarily improve officer safety but more people are likely to be shot and so we have to select the things that will make the biggest difference.

"For every incident where you can point to where it would have made our people safer, you can point to others where it would likely have made things worse ... we have a lot of incidents we can point to where people have made the right decision to withdraw for their own safety and have apprehended the offender later. Having a firearm in those situations could well lead to escalation."

He said police were independent from politics, and his role was to understand what the community would want and expect from policing, and factor that into the organisation's decision making.

"Our responsibility is to look across all of our settings and decide what would make our people the safest.

"I'm not feeling particular political pressure on this issue, I have my own view of what the right thing to do is and that's what I'm sticking with."

Speaking in Christchurch this afternoon, Ardern said it had been a debate as long as she could remember but general arming was "personally not one that I would want to see occur".

"I've long been of that view and I share that view as the daughter of a policeman.

She said the safety of police was "top of mind" and what was important was that police had good, quick access to arms when they needed them.

"At the same time, general arming would mean our New Zealand police force at all times carrying a weapon on their person. That is a significant step change.

"It's a very big difference to say having them available quickly in their vehicles to them carrying with them 24/7."

Police Minister Poto Williams also opposed general arming.

"I have always been really clear that I do not believe in general arming of police," she said.

"It fundamentally changes our relationship with the police. We have a relationship that's about trust and approachability and general arming will fundamentally change that."

She said she was "absolutely" concerned with the statistic that 25 per cent of general duties staff had been confronted with a gun, and Coster was working on other measures to improve safety for officers.

"It's my role to do everything I can to support them to be safe. It's my belief that there is more we can do in this space before general arming becomes an option and I'm firmly committed to looking at those options to keep them safe."

She would not rule in or out any specific measures at this stage, however.

"We're already quite heavily armed anyway as a service. I'm not going to rule in options or rule out options."

Ardern said it was also a decision for police themselves to make, but said she knew Coster also did not support the constant carrying of weapons as side arms.

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An effective apology for the dawn raids must end with action – Stuff.co.nz

Posted: at 9:22 am

OPINION: What a moving spectacle it was to watch our prime minister, seated and covered in a woven mat, perform the Samoan forgiveness custom of ifoga. She did this in order to apologise for the immigration dawn raids that, in the 1970s, racially targeted members of the Pacific communities.

My immediate emotional response was huge admiration for Jacinda Ardern, whose humility and empathy has already captivated the world.

Many of the headlines, at home and abroad, echoed my initial sentiment by focusing on the prime minister's act of apology without much acknowledgement of perhaps the harder act of forgiveness, without which reconciliation cannot take place.

The same type of misplaced focus was evident during the media coverage of the mosque shootings. Many stories and headlines (not all) which emerged after the attacks were centred around the compassion and empathy of the prime minister and ordinary Kiwis, rather than extraordinary grace and forbearance of the Muslim communities, many of whom had come to New Zealand to be safe.

READ MORE:* Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's father, Ross Ardern, was part of dawn raids as young police officer* Government's apology for dawn raids 'just the beginning', Pasifika youth say* Dawn Raids apology: PM sorry for 'hurt and distress' of racially targeted policy* Once a Panther: The revolutionary Polynesians who stopped the dawn raids

None of the above is of course the fault of anyone in particular, least of all our prime minister. Ardern has no more control over the media headlines than she had over the script of the film, in which she was to be portrayed as the main hero of the Christchurch mosque shootings.

I say this to make it clear that I thought her apology for the dawn raids and the manner in which she delivered it were absolutely right and appropriate for the main purpose it was meant to serve, which was to reestablish trust and respect. In fact, we now know that Ardern specifically wanted the ifoga to focus on Pacific communities affected by the dawn raids.

Chris McKeen/Stuff

The immigration raids of the 1970s caused great intergenerational suffering and diminished the reputation of Pacific communities.

What dictates the media approach, and our own emotional response to these events, comes from an entrenched habit of seeing ourselves as righteous saviours. The media feeds this narrative because we are conditioned to respond more readily with what resonates with us. We are essentially good, we say to ourselves, to soothe our sense of guilt whenever it bubbles to the surface to unsettle and confront us.

For an apology to be effective, it has to be appropriate to the circumstances and be followed by concrete actions to heal and restore justice. The dawn raids were carried out 50 years ago, but painful memories remain fresh in the minds of many. The raids caused great intergenerational suffering and diminished the reputation of Pacific communities whose immigration status, to this day, is viewed by many with suspicion. It is worth noting that subsequent studies showed that, at the time of the raids, Pacific peoples were no more likely to overstay their visas in New Zealand than people from Europe or North America.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Minister Aupito William Sio gets emotional during a press conference as he talked about his dawn raid experiences.

But it wasn't just the reputation of Pacific Islanders that was damaged, the Crown's own reputation as the trustworthy protector of minorities also suffered. This is not a trifling issue. In a multi-ethnic society, distrusting the state and its government could easily lead to societal disharmony and conflict.

The prime minister's apology and her commitment to offering scholarships to Pacific students and incorporating the dawn raids into the school history curriculum should set the groundwork for reconciliation. The Polynesian Panthers have said they expected more to be done to dismantle racism and have vowed to continue their lobbying campaign. But what we witnessed during the ifoga ceremony generally demonstrated the acceptance of the prime minister's apology as sincere and effective.

If an apology is not sincere then it can further harm the relationship. History is full of insincere apologies that read more like preemptive statements of regret designed to deflect guilt. As Oscar Wilde noted, When we blame ourselves, we feel no one else has the right to blame us.

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Donna Miles: I am also proud that our country has recognised that we cannot heal the present without remedying the past.

In 2006, former British prime minister Tony Blair, who, by the way, never apologised for the ruinous Iraq war, expressed his deep sorrow for his country's role in the transatlantic slave trade but stopped short of admitting historical guilt. In fact, no British prime minister has ever issued a formal apology for slavery simply because doing so will inevitably lead to considerable financial liability (likely to be billions of pounds). The general position of the UK as expressed by Blair is that slavery has to be condemned in the present and regretted in the past.

George W Bush's statement on the torture of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib is a good example of a bad apology. He said: What took place in that prison does not represent the America I know, which sounds more like a defence than an attempt to heal and remedy.

I am proud of our Pacific communities for responding graciously to the call for forgiveness. I am also proud that our country has recognised that we cannot heal the present without remedying the past. But for an apology to be truly effective what begins with words must always end with actions.

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More than 85 unvaccinated port workers boarded ship with 11 positive Covid-19 cases, Government urgently investigating – Stuff.co.nz

Posted: at 9:22 am

The Government is urgently investigating how 87 unvaccinated port workers were allowed to board a ship that carried 11 Covid-19-positive crew members.

Health authorities were urgently testing 98 Tauranga port workers on Monday, after they were involved in the unloading the container ship Rio de la Plata, which was cleared to dock at the citys port last week.

Crew members on the boat have tested positive for the more-transmissible Delta strain of Covid-19, and the port workers who unloaded the ship spent days out and about in Tauranga before being asked to self-isolate.

It was confirmed after a Cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon that 23 of the 98 workers had tested negative, and the remaining tests were outstanding. Nine of these workers were fully vaccinated, and two had a single dose of the vaccine.

READ MORE:* Tauranga wharfies angry and scared as crew on container ship test positive for Covid-19* Workers sent home then given all clear at Port of Tauranga after apparent Covid-19 scare * District health board plans show Covid-19 vaccinations could extend to February

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"We cannot afford to have a situation where our port workers are not vaccinated, which is why we have mandated it, Jacinda Ardern said. (File photo)

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern blamed misinformation and hesitancy for the low rate of port workers taking up the vaccine.

Barriers to those individuals having a vaccination and plan includes unfortunately misinformation, hesitancy, and of course from the ports themselves a concernthat mandating would destroy, potentially, supply lines.

"We cannot afford to have a situation where our port workers are not vaccinated, which is why we have mandated it ... that is in spite of the concerns that have been raised that these are privately employed individuals, these are not government employees.

The Government a month ago issued a legal order requiring port workers to get the vaccine, or face losing their jobs. All Government employees covered by the order would have to have a first dose by August 26, while privately employed border workers would have to have a first dose by September 30.

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Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins. (file photo)

Ardern said there had always been a sense of urgency to have port workers vaccinated.

On Tuesday last week, the Port of Tauranga was first alerted by Maritime NZ that the Rio de la Plata, which was at anchor, had been boarded in July by an Australian pilot in Queensland who later tested positive for Covid-19.

Maritime NZ and the local medical officer of health later cleared a local pilot to board the Rio de la Plata.

On Wednesday night last week, the port workers were told to stop working and to go home and isolate. The following morning, the local public health unit gave the all clear for work to resume on the vessel, with no need for workers to isolate.

Health officials later tested the crew, discovering the 11 positive Covid-19 cases.

Ardern said she had asked health officials why the decision was taken to stop the unloading of the ship, then resume it.

She said none of the ships crew were granted permission to leave the boat, and not everyone who has been on a ship is likely to have contact with crew.

There were infection prevention controls, PPE protocols were followed by port workers who may have had contact with the ship during their duties.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said the Government was seeking answers, and health officials would investigate, the who, what, how, and when.

I haven't got a clear picture of exactly what was knownwhen and by whom ... There will need to be a very good clear look at whether things should have been done differently, including whether New Zealanders should have been allowed to go on to the ship if there was concern that there was Covid-19 on it, he said.

National Party Covid-19 Response spokesman Chris Bishop said the Government had for weeks been wringing it hands about the lack of vaccinated port workers, and should have moved quicker to make vaccination mandatory.

"We need to urgently vaccinate as many port workers as possible. The Government's been vaccinated frontline port workers since March, and yet we still have 60 per cent at Bay of Plenty higher, in fact, at other ports who are totally unvaccinated.

The port workers should not have been on the ship prior to its crew being tested for Covid-19, he said.

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Still thousands of border workers unvaccinated and overdue for Covid test – New Zealand Herald

Posted: at 9:22 am

PM Jacinda Ardern and Covid-19 Response Minister on unvaccinated Tauranga Port workers exposed to crew members aboard the container ship Rio de la Plata. Video / Mark Mitchell

Almost 1500 border workers remain without a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine, while a similar number are overdue for their legally required regular test for Covid-19.

The importance of protection measures at the border has been underlined recently with a number of infected people on ships arriving at ports around the country, including one off the coast in Tauranga that has seen 94 port workers being tested.

The Government today revealed that only about nine of the 98 workers who dealt with the ship were fully vaccinated and two had received their first dose.

The latest data, from August 4, shows 12,439 active workers on the Border Worker Testing Register (BWTR); 84 per cent are fully vaccinated, 4 per cent (444 workers) have had one dose, and 12 per cent (1478 workers) are yet to have a single dose.

The Health Ministry also said there were 12,936 active border workers who were legally required to be regularly tested; 88 per cent (11,387 workers) were compliant, while 11 per cent (1423 workers) were overdue for their test. A further 126 workers were shown as non-compliant but their NHI numbers were still being matched with testing data.

Only 18 border workers have been fined $300 for missing their tests.

Using saliva testing instead of nasopharyngeal swabs is hoped to make testing for border workers less invasive, but it isn't ready to be fully rolled out until mid-August. Asia Pacific Healthcare Group, which has the ministry's contract for saliva testing, has only done 15 saliva tests in the four weeks to July 19.

Last week Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said he was "very concerned" about the 44 per cent of port workers - about 1000 workers - who remained unvaccinated.

He has been concerned about the vaccination rate of port workers for over two months, and has said that vaccine hesitancy was higher among port workers.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in April that all border workers would have to be vaccinated or they would be redeployed, but the first vaccination order did not apply to most privately employed border workers.

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The Government widened the vaccination order last month, giving a long lead-in time before all higher-risk border workers had to be vaccinated.

For public sector border workers, the deadline is August 26, and the Ministry of Health said that only a "handful" of them still need to be vaccinated. For the privately employed, the deadline is the end of September.

Yesterday the Health Ministry said there were 11 workers on board the Rio De La Plata, off the coast of Tauranga, who had tested positive.

The proportion of border workers in the Bay of Plenty who are unvaccinated, according to answers to parliamentary questions provided to National MP Chris Bishop, is 60 per cent.

"We have a glaring hole in our border," Bishop said.

The ship is linked to a Covid-infected Australian pilot who was on board the vessel in July, in Queensland, and who later tested positive to the dangerous Delta variant.

Three other overseas vessels were confirmed to have Covid outbreaks as they travelled through New Zealand waters in recent months.

Group manager of Covid-19 vaccination operations Astrid Koornneef said work was continuing to have all privately employed border workers vaccinated by the September 30 deadline, including via one-on-one sessions with health professionals.

"Because these numbers fluctuate day on day and week on week, we never expect to get to 100 per cent fully vaccinated active workers under the BWTR."

She said new workers have to have at least one dose of the vaccine before they can start work.

The Maritime Union admits a high proportion of port workers are unvaccinated with many reluctant to get the jab due to "misinformation".

"You're dealing with a workforce that's not necessarily going to be that responsive to the same messages as your highly educated urban audience," union spokesman Victor Billot said.

Many port workers were younger and more transient, and more likely to get information from the likes of Facebook.

The union encouraged all port workers to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families.

Billot believed public health messaging to port workers would be better directed through one-on-one meetings from the likes of public health nurses.

"It's not going to be a case of just telling people they're being naughty."

And pulling unvaccinated staff off the frontline was also problematic, as port workers handled millions of dollars worth of exported goods.

"We've got to come up with a better solution than losing a whole group of people from the workforce. That would be a disaster for them and the economy."

Billot also said more focus was needed on ensuring international maritime crew arriving in this country had been vaccinated to reduce the chance of more "close calls".

Meanwhile, the ministry said, as of August 1, that 335 primary healthcare sites were part of the vaccination rollout, with a further 80 sites due to be vaccinating by the end of last week.

Royal NZ College of GPs medical director Dr Bryan Betty said there were about 1000 GP practices in New Zealand, and he expected more to be used as the ministry's process for giving them the green light became less bureaucratic.

"In the middle of last week, on one particular day, there were 45,000 vaccines given around the country, which had been the highest number ever. That's a direct result of general practice being involved," Betty said.

There had been frustration among GPs earlier in the year around the lack of communication from the Health Ministry about their role in the rollout, but he said that had since been remedied.

"The quicker ... more general practices can be brought on board, the more successful the programme will be."

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