Monthly Archives: April 2022

The cybersecurity authorities of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) to warn organizations that Russias invasion of Ukraine could expose organizations both within and beyond the region to increased malicious cyber activity from Russian state-sponsored cyber actors or Russian-aligned cybercrime groups.

Joint CSA: Russian State-Sponsored and Criminal Cyber Threats to Critical Infrastructure, drafted with contributions from industry members of the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, provides an overview of Russian state-sponsored advanced persistent threat groups, Russian-aligned cyber threat groups, and Russian-aligned cybercrime groups to help the cybersecurity community protect against possible cyber threats.

U.S., Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and UK cybersecurity authorities urge critical infrastructure network defenders to prepare for and mitigate potential cyber threats by hardening their cyber defenses as recommended in the joint CSA.

According to the Advisory, cyber threat actors from the following Russian government and military organizations have conducted malicious cyber operations against IT and/or OT networks:

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US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand Issue Advisory on Russian State-Sponsored and Criminal Cyber Threats to Critical Infrastructure - JD Supra

Anchor Dairy, the consumer brand of the New Zealand Dairy Co-operative giant, Fonterra, has announced the launch of a new, first of its kind dairy product, Organic carbonzero Certified Butter.

Launching just in time for Earth Day, the product has been audited and verified by Toit Envirocare, an independent certifier that verifies carbon emissions across the product life cycle. To meet the carbon zero requirements, Fonterra calculated the carbon emissions required in the distribution of Anchor butter from farm to consumers' homes, developed a plan to reduce emissions further and supported renewable energy projects to offset emissions that couldn't be reduced.

"We're excited to celebrate Earth Month with the launch of our Organic carbonzero Certified Butter. Not only does it taste great, but our butter can help everyday consumers live a more sustainable life. With sustainability and the environment a core pillar of the Fonterra brand, we're thrilled to be amongst the first companies to offer U.S. consumers a carbon zero butter option," says Megan Patterson, Americas Marketing Communication Manager, who is spearheading the consumer launch.

The product is set to hit New Zealand store shelves this month, but it remains unknown as to if the carbonzero butter will make its way to U.S. grocery stores.

Original post:

First 'Carbonzero' Certified Butter set to Hit New Zealand Shelves - Dairy Herd Management

Significant changes have been made to the New Zealand Rugby board, with the appointments of former Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy and Dunedin-based lawyer Rowena Davenport.

New Zealand Rugby board members Dame Patsy Reddy and Rowena Davenport Photo: Supplied/New Zealand Rugby

NZR confirmed the moves on Friday, lifting the number of women on the nine-person board from two to three.

Reddy and Davenport joined existing member, New Zealand Mori Board Chair Farah Palmer.

It came at a time when issues with the women's game were in the spotlight, in the wake of the damning results of the Black Ferns cultural review.

NZR board chair Stewart Mitchell said the appointments would strengthen the board, but acknowledged the organisation still had work to do around gender diversity in governance.

"It is an area we are committed to, and the introduction of women like Rowena and Dame Patsy will only strengthen and enhance the administration and governance of our game.

"Their influence could not come at a better time as we head into a massive year for women's rugby."

Reddy served as New Zealand's Governor General from 2016 to 2021, following a career as a lawyer, director, and crown negotiator.

Davenport was the chief executive of Dunedin-based law firm Gallaway Cook Allan and recently finished her term as chair of the Otago Rugby Football Union (ORFU).

With the Rugby World Cup in Aotearoa looming later this year, Reddy said it was an exciting time to be joining the NZR board.

"I am sure this tournament will inspire a new generation of women and girls to play rugby.

"I look forward to contributing to a sport that has unified and enthralled New Zealanders from all walks of life for over 150 years."

Reddy was appointed by the Appointments and Remuneration Committee (ARC) and replaced former chair Brent Impey, who was not eligible for reappointment after serving four terms on the Board.

Davenport was nominated by ORFU and also selected by the ARC after Jennifer Kerr chose not to seek re-appointment.

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New Zealand Rugby appoint more women to board - RNZ

On this side of the Tasman at least, many still believe that New Zealand and Australia are joined at the hip. Perhaps it's time for a reality check. By Paul Little

Brothers in arms. Best of frenemies. Cousins. Neighbours. The Australian-New Zealand relationship is often cited as a fine example of nation-to-nation bonding, especially on Anzac Day. But how much do we have in common, really?

At the time six colonies joined together to become the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, it had been suggested that New Zealand should also join the club. But in Wellington, a 10-man royal commission decided against the move, expressing in orotund prose its view that "merely for the doubtful prospect of further trade with the Commonwealth of Australia New Zealand should not sacrifice her independence as a separate colony".

This established a pattern of on-again off-again enthusiasm, which has distinguished the relationship ever since. It was strengthened some 14 years later when soldiers from both countries combined to form the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, which landed at Gallipoli on April 25, an engagement in which 8141 Australians and 2779 New Zealanders died.

The two countries have many other things in common. In both cases, an inhabited nation was colonised by forces from Britain; both have Indigenous populations with strong cultures of their own; both have an abundance of natural resources; British culture was imported wholesale and only slowly adapted in each; both still pay fealty to a sovereign on the other side of the planet; unlike many neighbouring countries, both speak the same language; our populations are clustered around our coastlines. As well, Auckland is a lot closer to Sydney than Perth is. But each country has taken those traditions and moulded them in different ways, without paying much attention to how far we have drifted apart in the process.

"Is that what the NZ in Anzac stands for?" an astonished Australian once asked Tim Woodhouse, when told the shocking truth.

Woodhouse is a film editor, raised in Sydney but resident in NZ for 30-plus years. He is married to writer Stephanie Johnson, who was born and raised in Auckland. The two met in Sydney and their transtasman relationship encapsulates a lot of the complications between the two countries while giving them complementary perspectives on each other's homelands.

"When Steph and I got together in the mid-80s, I would often go to parties in Sydney my own home town and be the only Australian there. And when we came to New Zealand at the end of '89, it was just like changing suburbs."

Johnson thought she had made a big mistake when the pair moved back here: "For a long time I had a sense of another life that was going on in Australia without me."

This hints at the notion that things in Australia are bigger and better than they are here. It's a view held by many New Zealanders, and even more Australians.

"I was desperate to go back to Australia for about four years," says Johnson. "I was miserable. But Tim and I have been glad that we've been here for more than 30 years. I think it's very important to live close to your roots. And my family have been in New Zealand since the 1840s."

Richard Walsh has played a major role in print media in Australia and New Zealand for more than 50 years. Currently a consultant publisher at Allen & Unwin, he previously ran ACP Magazines in both countries. He would agree that the general Australian attitude to New Zealand could be described as benevolent obliviousness. But that doesn't mean we're special.

"It's a weakness in Australia," says Walsh, "not only in our relationship with New Zealand but our relationship with New Guinea and our relationship with the Pacific region in general, that we aren't able to rouse within ourselves a great interest. It's insularity more than arrogance, and let's be brutally frank, it's not entirely unrelated to the realities of the world. Australia is much more engaged with the international world than New Zealand is."

Robert Ayson, a professor of strategic studies at Victoria University of Wellington, wonders if the two countries sometimes resemble "allies, not friends".

"I think we often find Australia to be distracted as it focuses on bigger players," he continues. "For New Zealand, Australia is one of the top two markets, the most important defence partner, the most important diplomatic partner, the most important member of the Pacific Islands Forum. There are just so many aspects where Australia is much more essential to New Zealand than we can ever be to them."

Walsh still argues for a bond that goes beyond trade and politics: "I can't think of any two countries that lie side by side so peaceably. The Scandinavian countries, I suppose. Americans and Canadians don't ever talk of themselves as cousins. But I think that's a very good description of Australians and New Zealanders."

Cultural politics can take those involved by surprise. Johnson wrote a book called West Island, about five remarkable New Zealanders whose careers were made in Australia.

"I submitted the book to Penguin Random House, because they are normally my publishers, and [publisher] Harriet Allen said it wouldn't find a readership. The Australians would say, 'Sod them, they're New Zealanders,' and the New Zealanders would say, 'Sod them, they're Australian.' But it was published by Otago University Press and received very good reviews on both sides of the Tasman and elsewhere."

Walsh is aware of this lack of interest. His company does good business on both sides of the Tasman. But on the Sydney side, "if one of our authors is a New Zealander, we don't go out of our way to promote that too much". On the other hand, "we have a very active and terrific team in the Auckland office who are doing fabulous stuff and manage to produce a lot of books that we're able to sell here, so that is changing a bit".

Also changing, oh so slowly, is the situation of the Indigenous population, which was often referred to, in its infrequent media appearances, in the racist phrase "Australians and Aboriginals".

"When I was attending university, there was only one Aboriginal person engaged in tertiary education," says Walsh. "I knew him. He was Charlie Perkins. [Perkins, who died in 2000, was a prominent and effective Aboriginal activist.] Now, of course, we have Indigenous lawyers and doctors. And their culture is widening. We haven't reached nirvana, but we have got to acknowledge that we have progressed a great deal."

This framing of the situation by listing small gains will be familiar to Pkeh and Mori alike.

In 2008, in what was seen as a watershed, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generation an estimated 100,000 Aboriginal children who were removed from their families in a state-sponsored policy of assimilation between 1910 and 1970. Myriad other abuses and outrages remain to be acknowledged.

"I was moved to tears at Sydney Museum, where they had a 'Sorry Book' after Rudd did this apology," says Woodhouse. "People could write their own regret or apology. I started reading it and was literally crying. It was so moving. Stephanie looked at it and was furious. 'Too little, too late,' she said."

More recently, in a process that echoes one that has been seen for some time in New Zealand, Johnson has observed people taking pride in finding they have some Aboriginal heritage. "That's quite a leap," she says. "Although I don't know what it would be like if you went out to Alice Springs you're probably going to encounter just the same sort of antediluvian racism as always."

She points out that where early Europeans frequently wrote with admiration about the Mori they encountered, "I can't think of one place where you'd see that admiration for Aboriginal culture".

The reality of race in Australia is not just unfortunate in itself, it also feeds the voracious New Zealand appetite for sanctimony. But anyone fancying a bout of indignation on behalf of the Stolen Generation could consider recent activity by Oranga Tamariki.

"I think New Zealanders have to be careful about feeling superior to Australians," says Hannah Ellison, a New Zealand-born Mori journalist living in Sydney. "In terms of how a colonised indigenous group is doing, we are at the front of the race to a better way of coexisting. But that's not because of Pkeh. That's because Mori learnt very quickly that they had to work within a Pkeh world and get into those institutions."

Woodhouse says he gets sick of New Zealanders taking the moral high ground. "The boat people thing is a classic. People going on about how awful it is. But New Zealand was never going to have to deal with it."

Once, when overseas, Johnson got pulled up by another writer for defending New Zealand's record on race against his criticisms. She received some consoling counsel later from Witi Ihimaera: "He said, 'Look, it happens all the time when New Zealanders are overseas.' If you're a whitey skiting about our marvellous race relations, you are likely to be rounded on, because actually, that's not true."

Similarly, there are reservations over the much-lauded recent success in persuading Australia to let us take in 450 refugees boat people from its detention centres.

"I think New Zealand is virtue signalling," says Jim Rolfe, senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, "because New Zealand's record on refugees generally is not generous. Development assistance is nowhere near the 0.7 per cent of gross national income we signed up to."

He points out that while the Ardern government has complained about repatriations of the so-called 501s, "we read of New Zealand doing the same thing to Pacific Islanders. Each country is asserting its rights against a weaker state. I don't criticise Australia for that. I criticise New Zealand for whining about it. When I first travelled between the two countries, you didn't need a passport."

The passport requirement was part of a pattern of diminishing privileges for New Zealanders in Australia that has been going on since it was introduced in 1981.

In 2001, an agreement between the Howard and Clark governments saw welfare privileges withdrawn from New Zealanders in Australia. In return, New Zealand no longer had to keep increasing its contribution to those payments.

Although copious research showed that New Zealanders in Australia contributed to its economy out of all proportion to their numbers, the stereotype of the "Bondi bludger" was strongly entrenched and this move played well with Howard's constituency.

Further emphasising the differences between the Anzac mates is the nexus involving the economy, the environment, natural resources, three uranium mines, media ownership, concentrations of immense personal wealth, semi-institutionalised corruption and race.

"The right have just got their claws into the populace," says Woodhouse. "A lot of it is to do with ripping sh** out of the ground and going, 'Here we are. You can make a lot of money.' Your average left-wing, coffee-drinking, elderly person, whose pension fund relies on mining, is going, 'We don't like mining,' but they are doing well out of it."

"Our wealth is based in the ground," confirms Walsh. "Unfortunately, the people who own the mines are so wealthy that they're able to, in a way, corrupt the political process. Our Liberal-National Party coalition is way to the right of your National Party. We have some mega-wealthy people who have made their money out of dubious pursuits like mining and casinos. They basically own the coalition. Trying to change things, to make our society more equitable, is a hell of a job. When you've introduced that inequity, it's really hard to unwind."

It's complicated by the fact that when people are motivated by money, they can never have enough.

"They do outrageous things and basically many of them are old-fashioned rednecks," says Walsh. "They can say the whole Australian economy will collapse if we listen too hard to Indigenous people, or if we don't mine our black coal. They can make arguments that are basically self-interest and backed by money and particularly by Murdoch newspapers."

The power of capital feeds into the country's legendary levels of corruption, particularly at police and state-government level, but hardly unknown elsewhere. "It goes back to larrikin culture," says Woodhouse, "and there is a kind of grudging admiration for people who get away with it."

Getting away with it won't be made any harder by a February decision not to establish an anti-corruption Commonwealth Integrity Commission, which had been announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2018.

Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index ranks New Zealand alongside Finland and Denmark as the world's least-corrupt nations. Australia was 18th.

The Glebe Island Bridge is one of the lesser-known Sydney bridges. In 1998, it was renamed Anzac Bridge. A statue of an Australian Anzac was erected at one end in 2000. He waited alone for eight years before the long-planned New Zealand counterpart was installed at the other end.

That time lag is an apt metaphor for the Australian perception of New Zealand's enthusiasm for co-operation in military matters.

If there is one area of endeavour in which the Anzac alliance should be functioning to keep the spirit alive, it is surely defence, the one on which it was founded in 1915. And it is perhaps the deterioration in this relationship, driven by Australia's focus on its northern neighbours, on China as a threat, and on the US as the country it would most like to take to the prom, that shows how much the Anzac cousins have diverged.

The revelation that members of New Zealand's elite combat unit, the SAS, were prepared to give evidence against its trans-Tasman counterpart in a military trial is merely one example of the gap.

Another is the announcement early this month that Australia, with its Aukus partners the US and United Kingdom, will develop hypersonic missiles "in the face of a rising China and belligerent Russia".

We are still Anzac friends, on the surface, of course. "The capabilities are complementary, but Australia doesn't trust New Zealand," says Rolfe. In line with its foreign-policy objectives and self-image Australia looks elsewhere and in particular aligns its defence strategies with those of the US. This is not without its problems.

"We do not look to the Pacific," says Walsh, "and that's where we're totally different from New Zealand. It's proving to be a terrible weakness already, with the Solomon Islands and China [the two countries have agreed to a draft security co-operation agreement that could see China deploying police and military personnel in the Solomons]. And with many of the [Pacific] countries likely to sink in the next 20 years, this is going to create migration pressures."

It's probably a mistake to expect a single joint defence strategy, given there has never been one.

"There is no unbroken pattern of sustained defence co-operation ever since 1915," says Robert Ayson. "In his book The Prickly Pair, [diplomat and academic] Denis McLean said that in the lead-up to World War II, the defence relationship between New Zealand and Australia was 'little short of pathetic'.

"There is the Canberra Pact near the end of the war, but then the Cold War takes over. They both attach themselves to the United States, but it doesn't enrich their own relationship that much. And it's really only after the disappearance of Britain as a power, and the decline in America's role, that they look at each other in the early 1970s and think, 'Oh, we need a bit more of a relationship here.' And that takes off. It's not a continuous pattern of closeness."

Ayson concludes with a general warning about legends: "I think one of the real hazards is that Australia and New Zealand get caught up in their own mythologies about each other, rather than thinking about what's really going on."

See more here:

'Allies, not friends': Have NZ and Australia drifted apart? - New Zealand Herald

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission urges anglers, boaters to help prevent spread of invasive New Zealand mudsnails

Updated: 12:28 PM EDT Apr 21, 2022

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is reminding anglers and boaters to be aware of aquatic invasive species and prevent their spread.One species of concern is the New Zealand mudsnails. They have been detected in several popular cold-water trout fisheries in central and eastern Pennsylvania.The state Fish and Boat Commission said the snails aren't harmful to humans but can compete with and negatively impact native freshwater invertebrate species, such as other snails and aquatic insects.The snails are roughly the size of a match head and have the potential to reach densities of hundreds or even thousands of snails per square foot.They can be found on rocks and vegetation and are easily spread to new waters by attaching to waders, fishing gear and boats, the state Fish and Boat Commission said."Because they are so small, these snails can be difficult to notice. They breed parthenogenically, meaning it just takes just one snail to start a new population. It is vital for anglers and boaters to properly disinfect their gear after every fishing or boating trip, especially when moving from one water to another," Sean Hartzell, the state Fish and Boat Commission invasive species coordinator, said in a news release.During 2021 surveys, 16 streams and rivers were found to host populations of New Zealand mudsnails:Big Spring Creek, Cumberland CountyLetort Spring Run, Cumberland CountyTulpehocken Creek, Berks CountyWyomissing Creek, Berks CountySchuylkill River, Berks/Montgomery/Philadelphia countiesPohopoco Creek, Carbon CountyEast Branch Brandywine Creek, Chester CountyFishing Creek, Clinton CountyJordan Creek, Lehigh CountyTrout Creek, Lehigh CountyLehigh River, Lehigh/Northampton countiesPerkiomen Creek, Montgomery CountyBushkill Creek, Northampton CountySaucon Creek, Northampton CountyMonocacy Creek, Northampton CountyWissahickon Creek, Philadelphia CountySigns have been posted at infected waterways.The state Fish and Boat Commission said techniques known to effectively disinfect gear from New Zealand mudsnails include freezing gear for at least six hours, soaking gear in hot water greater than 120 degrees Fahrenheit for at least five minutes or soaking gear for five minutes in a one-to-one solution of water and Formula 409 Cleaner Degreaser Disinfectant. Other Formula 409 products and other cleaning agents are not known to disinfect for New Zealand mudsnails.Boats especially kayaks and canoes should be inspected upon exiting the water, and all vegetation should be removed before leaving the area.More information about disinfection can be found on the state Fish and Boat Commission website.Members of the public who observe suspected New Zealand mudsnails or other aquatic invasive species can report their sightings online.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is reminding anglers and boaters to be aware of aquatic invasive species and prevent their spread.

One species of concern is the New Zealand mudsnails. They have been detected in several popular cold-water trout fisheries in central and eastern Pennsylvania.

The state Fish and Boat Commission said the snails aren't harmful to humans but can compete with and negatively impact native freshwater invertebrate species, such as other snails and aquatic insects.

The snails are roughly the size of a match head and have the potential to reach densities of hundreds or even thousands of snails per square foot.

They can be found on rocks and vegetation and are easily spread to new waters by attaching to waders, fishing gear and boats, the state Fish and Boat Commission said.

"Because they are so small, these snails can be difficult to notice. They breed parthenogenically, meaning it just takes just one snail to start a new population. It is vital for anglers and boaters to properly disinfect their gear after every fishing or boating trip, especially when moving from one water to another," Sean Hartzell, the state Fish and Boat Commission invasive species coordinator, said in a news release.

During 2021 surveys, 16 streams and rivers were found to host populations of New Zealand mudsnails:

Signs have been posted at infected waterways.

The state Fish and Boat Commission said techniques known to effectively disinfect gear from New Zealand mudsnails include freezing gear for at least six hours, soaking gear in hot water greater than 120 degrees Fahrenheit for at least five minutes or soaking gear for five minutes in a one-to-one solution of water and Formula 409 Cleaner Degreaser Disinfectant. Other Formula 409 products and other cleaning agents are not known to disinfect for New Zealand mudsnails.

Boats especially kayaks and canoes should be inspected upon exiting the water, and all vegetation should be removed before leaving the area.

More information about disinfection can be found on the state Fish and Boat Commission website.

Members of the public who observe suspected New Zealand mudsnails or other aquatic invasive species can report their sightings online.

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Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission urges anglers, boaters to help prevent spread of invasive New Zealand mudsnails - WGAL Susquehanna Valley Pa.

Researchers in New Zealand are developing a new warning system that tracks shaking within volcanoes and could one day provide two to four days notice of whether an eruption is more likely.

After the deadly Whakaari eruption in 2019, researchers at the University of Canterbury set out to determine whether patterns in seismic frequency (the shakes felt in the volcano) could help forecast eruptions and prevent the loss of life.

Natural Resources Engineering postdoctoral fellow Dr Alberto Ardid studied recordings from GeoNet seismometers an instrument that measures ground noises and shaking prior to 18 eruptions across six active volcanoes around the world, including three in New Zealand; Ruapehu, Tongariro, and Whakaari.

A machine-learning algorithm allowed Dr Ardid to sift through thousands of recordings and highlight particular frequency patterns that occurred regularly before an eruption.

The findings, which are published in Nature Communications, showed that in the three weeks, and then the few days before an eruption, there were similar changes in frequencies within some of the volcanoes.

The shakes would become slower suggesting there was a blockage in the shallow part of the volcano and that a seal or lid had formed, which traps hot gas, builds pressure, and sometimes triggers an explosion.

This pattern started to emerge, in our experience, around three weeks before the eruption and it peaks around two and four days before the event, Ardid said.

However, it is important to point out that we have observed this sealing mechanism without any eruption related, he said. Sometimes the pressure will passively release, and other times it can explode. Thats when it is dangerous.

The research has picked up that Mount Ruapehu, an active volcano in the countrys North Island, is showing signs of a seal forming, Ardid said. At this point, were able to say that an eruption is much more likely to happen now.

Over the past month, strong tremors are becoming more frequent, hot gas and liquid is flowing into the crater lake and sulphur slicks are appearing on the battleship grey water near Mount Ruapehu. GeoNet, which monitors New Zealands geological hazards, has issued a warning over elevated volcanic unrest, saying the activity in the last four weeks is the longest period of tremor recorded over the past 20 years. It cannot predict if the volcano will blow unrest does not always lead to an eruption.

A tool to definitively predict if a volcano is going to erupt does not exist. As Ardid puts it: the holy grail of volcanology is trying to anticipate when an eruption is going to happen. But what this research does is allow scientists to determine with greater accuracy the probability, or likelihood, an eruption will occur.

The researchs co-author, Dr David Dempsey, a Civil and Natural Resources Engineering lecturer at the University, said once the warning system has been through enough testing, and the scientists are confident enough in its accuracy levels, it could be used across the world.

Dempsey hopes they can get the tool to a stage where scientists can say there is a 10-20% chance of an eruption in the next 48 hours. That would be considered a very, very high level of certainty.

Determining the relative risk of eruption is important for example, determining if there is a one-in-10 chance of eruption versus a one-in-1000. With that information you may or may not decide to delay your visit to a mountain.

New Zealand has 12 active volcanoes and in many cases, including Mount Ruapehu, are popular tourist destinations, or are bordered by residential areas.

Active volcanoes, including Whakaari, Ruapehu, Tongariro, and others around the world where visitors and skiers are likely to be nearby, are unpredictable and sometimes hazardous, Dempsey said. Early warning systems could save lives and avoid debilitating injuries.

Link:

New Zealand scientists find tremor link that could predict volcanic eruptions - The Guardian

The New Zealand sharemarket ended the holiday-shortened week with a whimper, but held up better than offshore markets as the spectre of rising interest rates loomed.

The benchmark S&P/NZX40 Index closed on Friday down 0.3%, or 45 points, at 11,908, following a flat finish on Thursday.

Shane Solly, Harbour Asset Management portfolio manager, said the market had not managed to hit positive territory, following a weaker performance from global markets overnight.

Were actually holding up relatively well, but its all about Air New Zealand and index change today.

READ MORE:* NZX50 Index down 0.1%, recovers after inflation hits 6.9%* NZX50 slips 0.3%, Meridian down 2% after low lake levels affect generation* S&P/NZX50 rises 0.5%, Air New Zealand shares up 4.9%

Globally weve seen airline stocks performing better on the back of better load factors, so planes are fuller and suggestions that ticket pricing is able to pass on the higher fuel price. The Air New Zealand share price has reacted to that today.

Air New Zealand shares were up 4.6% at 89.5 cents while the rights soared 15.3% to 73.8c on volume valued at $5 million.

In the United States, American Airlines gained 3.8% after telling investors it expects to turn a profit in the second quarter as more people return to travel.

AIR NEW ZEALAND

Air New Zealand shares were up 4.6% at 89.5 cents while the rights soared 15.3% to 73.8c.

Travel technology business Serko also had a better day, up 4.1% at $4.80, benefiting potentially from the expansion in travel around the world.

At the other end were electricity generators and retailers Meridian Energy and Contact Energy, heavily traded as their weightings were reset in a global clean energy exchange trade fund.

Meridian was down 1.4% at $4.83 on turnover of 14 million shares, worth $70m. Contact fell 0.4% to $8.11 on turnover of 10 million shares, worth $88m. The shares remained in the index, but their weighting was reducing to make way for other stocks.

Top stock Fisher & Paykel Healthcare was down 1.3% at $22.29, Auckland Airport fell 0.6% to $7.85, Mercury Energy was down 0.6% at $5.91 and Mainfreight slid 1.2% to $80.50.

Retirement village operator Ryman Healthcare was a bit stronger on the day, up 2.7% at $9.20, recovering after a dip below $9 this week.

It has been quite weak, people are taking a bit of a view that it could come out of an index globally as well, so that stocks got to the point where its quite low-priced compared to how the business has normally been priced basically over the last 10, 20 years, Solly said.

A2 Milk continued to slide, losing 1.7% to $5.03 while Spark was down 0.4% at $4.92. Trading in the telco was heavy on Wednesday, worth $22m, but it had returned to a more normal level of $12m on Friday.

Despite the softer day, Spark was trading at the top of its range, with investors attracted to a stock that had relatively solid earnings and dividends they could rely on particularly as economic headwinds appeared, he said.

Definitely the potential sale of the cellphone towers is being seen as quite a positive thing, potentially realising value that had been underestimated by the stock price.

Across the Tasman, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 Index fell 1.5%, or 115 points, to 7477 in late afternoon trading, dragged down by resource stocks.

Solly said recent weak quarterly production updates from miners had prompted a cut in analysts forecasts.

In many cases people are thinking about wheres a good defensive place to be, and that's where our New Zealand gentailers and some of our other stocks come back to the fore.

Shares fell across Asia, including a nearly 2% drop in Tokyo.

Earlier on Wall Street, stocks slipped after United States Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicated increases in interest rates must be faster to fight inflation.

The S&P 500 closed 1.5% lower at 4393.66 after having been up 1.2% in the early going. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1% to 34,792.76 and the Nasdaq slid 2.1% to 13,174.65.

- With AP

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NZX50 Index eases 0.3%, Air New Zealand shares and rights soar - Stuff

Deserted international departures retail stores at Auckland International Airport during the Covid-19 Level 3 lockdown. Photo / Brett Phibbs, File

OPINION

In a recent article (Weekend Herald, April 16) John Roughan wrote that the pandemic has been an anticlimax.

Surprisingly, he acknowledges Covid-19 has killed about 25 million people worldwide, so hopefully he was referring to New Zealand's 600 deaths. He goes on to ask how many lives we in New Zealand have saved and states that it's "not the 80,000 based on modelling from the Imperial College London that panicked governments everywhere in March 2020".

I beg to differ. It is because governments panicked everywhere that the number of deaths so far is "only" about 25 million.

A recent comprehensive assessment of the Covid-19 infection fatality proportion the proportion of people infected with Covid-19 who die from the infection found that in April 2020, before most governments had "panicked", the infection fatality proportion was 1.5 per cent or more in numerous high-income countries. Included were Japan, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK.

Without stringent public health measures, Covid-19 is likely to have spread through the entire population, and an infection fatality proportion of 1.5 per cent multiplied by 5 million (New Zealanders) equals 75,000.

That's close to the estimated 80,000 New Zealand lives likely to have been saved because our "panicking" Government, like many others, introduced restrictive public health measures.

What Roughan fails to appreciate is that public health successes are invisible. Unlike deaths, you cannot see people not dying. Without the initial public health measures and then the rapid development and deployment of highly effective vaccines (unconscionably largely to high-income countries) there would have been far more deaths.

Roughan asks "is this a pandemic?" He states that 25 million Covid deaths are only 0.3 per cent of the world's population ("only" 16,000 New Zealand deaths).

How many deaths make a pandemic? In 2020, Covid-19 was the number one killer in the UK, responsible for causing about one in 10 deaths in every age group, with each person who died losing on average about 10 years of life expectancy.

20 Apr, 2022 05:00 PMQuick Read

19 Apr, 2022 05:00 PMQuick Read

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In the US, more than 150,000 children have lost a primary or secondary caregiver to Covid-19.

So, has our pandemic response been proportionate?

Stringent public health measures were highly effective pre-Omicron, but are unsustainable long term.

We are incredibly fortunate that highly effective vaccines were developed so rapidly.

Even the less severe Omicron variant is a major killer of unvaccinated people, as demonstrated in Hong Kong, where the equivalent of 6000 New Zealanders have been killed by Omicron in the past couple of months, due to low vaccination rates.

Unfortunately, despite our high vaccination rates, we are unlikely to be out of the woods, and it is likely a new Covid-19 variant will be back to bite us. The only certainty is that the next variant will need to be even more contagious to overtake Omicron.

As long as Covid-19 passes to a new host before killing you, there is no selection advantage to a less fatal variant. We are just lucky that Omicron was less virulent than Delta.

Pandemics over the centuries have often taken several generations to change from being mass killers to causing the equivalent of a common cold.

What response will we accept as proportionate to shorten this process with Covid-19 without millions of additional deaths?

As immunity from vaccination or infection wanes, we will need updated vaccines to prevent regular major disruptions to society.

Unlike the flu, which has a natural R-value of less than two (one person on average infects fewer than two others), Omicron appears to have an R-value of at least 10. That means in the time it takes flu to go from infecting one person to two, to four, to eight people, Omicron (without a proportionate response) could go from infecting one to 10 to 100 to 1000 people.

There is no way that endemic Covid will be as manageable as endemic flu.

The only sustainable proportionate response to Covid-19 is for New Zealanders to embrace universal vaccination.

It is likely that vaccine passes will be required again if we want to live more normally and for society to thrive. It cannot be difficult to make the use of vaccine passes more seamless.

Almost every financial transaction today is electronic and it must be possible to link transactions to valid vaccine passes when required.

Almost 1 million eligible New Zealanders haven't had their third vaccine dose, yet few are anti-vaccination. Rather, thanks to vaccination and other public health measures, the pandemic has been an anticlimax for many New Zealanders and the third dose has not been a priority.

As already demonstrated, for the vast majority of New Zealanders, a vaccine pass is sufficient to make vaccination a priority.

Professor Rod Jackson is an epidemiologist with the University of Auckland.

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Covid-19: Rod Jackson - was New Zealand's response to the pandemic proportionate? - New Zealand Herald

The Aloha Dance Club will showcase Polynesian culture during the groups spring semester showcase Saturday. Credit: Courtesy of Selesitila Harvey

The Aloha Dance Club will showcase dances from several Polynesian islands during its spring semester showcase Saturday.

The Aloha Dance Club, established in April 2021, is finishing its first full year as a student-run Polynesian dance club focused on spreading awareness of Polynesian cultures through traditional dances, Devon Harvey, a fourth-year in medicine and co-president of the club, said. The showcase will take place at 6 p.m. at the US Bank Conference Theater in the Ohio Union.

The group aims to spread the Spirit of Aloha the breath of life throughout Columbus in the form of dance, according to its student organization page.

For the showcase, the group will present dances from Hawaii, Tahiti, New Zealand and Samoa, Selesitila Harvey, a graduate student in social work and co-president of the club, as well as Devon Harveys wife, said. According to the groups Instagram, the showcase is called E Tumau Le V Faaleu, or How firm thy friendship in Samoan.

All of our dances are traditional to each of the islands that were representing,Grace Maae, a first-year in athletic training and social media director for the organization, said. In the Polynesian culture, our dances mimic whatever the lyrics kind of like storytelling with the music.

In addition to dances from the organization, the performance will also showcase live Tongan music, Columbus-based Polynesian dance troupe Mahana Productions and a kids class performance, Devon Harvey said.

Its kind of a big collaboration, and were excited to be able to show that and spread the Aloha with everyone, he said.

Aside from its spring showcase, the organization has several performance opportunities for members throughout the year, Devon Harvey said. The dancers held a fall semester showcase in December and also performed at events within the Columbus community such as at Ronald McDonald House in March, according to the groups Instagram.

Due to the number of traditional dances and cultures touched on by the organization, preparations for showcases begin from the first week of the semester, Devon Harvey said. They take each dance in turn, waiting until everyone knows the dance before continuing on to another, he said.

Its been nice to be able to use those dances that [my dad] taught me and to teach it to other people to keep those dances alive, Selesitila Harvey said.

Costuming is another aspect of the showcase that takes much of the semester to complete, Devon Harvey said. The dancers make their own costumes with money from dues, and they learn how to make them together, he said. However, having to ship materials from the Polynesian islands the costumes originate from which involves customs and the potential for added fees makes this feat even more difficult, Selesitila Harvey said.

Although we arent able to get everything we need, we try to keep it as traditional as we can, she said.

Devon Harvey said in addition to traditional garments, the dancers aim to incorporate other traditional costuming elements into their garb in the future, including the kwhaiwhai, which is a pattern that represents a fern, and drawn-on face tattoos.

Anyone is welcome and encouraged to join the club and enjoy its performances, Devon Harvey said. The main goal of the organization is to share and teach others about Polynesian cultures, he said.

We all come from Polynesian descent, Selesitila Harvey said. So this means a lot to us, but we love to share with everyone.

Admission to E Tumau Le V Faaleu is free, and cookies will be provided.

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Aloha Dance Club to showcase island dances from New Zealand to Hawaii - OSU - The Lantern

Demand for travel agents on the rise, RSA turns focus on young veterans and civilians trapped in Mariupol in the latest New Zealand Herald headlines. Video / NZ Herald

A sprawling multimillion-dollar church organisation is facing a string of misconduct allegations from former members.

Churchgoers who interned as part of a ministry course and volunteered their services claim they felt used, underappreciated, overworked and burned out by the church.

Independent journalist David Farrier, today's guest on the Front Page podcast, has been investigating these issues and reporting the accounts of congregation members on his Webworm blog.

Follow the Front Page podcast here.

"For the last six months, I've been hearing from members of Arise saying: 'Look, this church has a darker side and there are people being spat out on the other side that have really been broken by what's gone on,'" Farrier says.

Farrier says it's important not to confuse this with a tiny church group that meets over the weekends to worship.

He says the church has over 10,000 members, spread over 12 campuses across New Zealand. The members are encouraged to tithe, which entails a donation of 10 per cent of your salary to the church.

"It's a multimillion-dollar business. It isn't a small church service on a Sunday. This is like every Sunday putting on a big show, with LCD screens, a whole music team, lights, cameras and everything. It's big business and they won't want this thing to fall over."

Doing that requires an enormous amount of effort, and at least some of the weight of that responsibility fell on the interns working within the organisation.

The personal stories being shared with Farrier paint a troubling picture of people being pushed to breaking point at the church.

21 Apr, 2022 06:00 PMQuick Read

"They have an internship programme that you pay $2500 to do. Interns get a certificate and a small qualification at the end of it, but they are pushed to the extreme. They're working incredibly long hours, while also tithing 10 per cent of their salaries.

"I spoke to an incredible number of people who were just burned out. Some became suicidal."

Farrier says that responsibilities included personal services for the pastors, such as babysitting, chauffeur driving and gardening.

"It's deeply unusual," says Farrier.

The journalist says that it isn't an accident that so many young people are drawn into this specific church.

"A big part of Arise's success is planting new churches in university towns," he says.

"University students are looking for belonging and they're looking for family, and a church offers that to them. It will draw them in with prizes or really slickly made music and performances.

"And then once you're in, the pressure comes. It's spiritual pressure but also other types of pressure. And suddenly you're tithing 10 per cent of your income as a student. And you're sort of trapped in this system that can be incredibly hard to escape."

After Farrier's earlier reports, Arise church founding pastor John Cameron said in a statement that he was broken and devastated after students of the Ministry School alleged they were overworked and overwhelmed.

Arise Church has said it would conduct an independent review of the culture of the church.

John Cameron and his brother Brent have also resigned from their roles on the Arise Church board, but Farrier notes this doesn't mean their involvement has ended.

"When John Cameron put out a press release saying he is stepping aside I assumed he had resigned, but Arise then put out another statement saying he's merely stepping aside and he's still a member of the Arise family," says Farrier.

"So, amid all of these allegations and investigations still going on, John Cameron is still very much involved."

Farrier says that it has taken long for these experiences to come to light because the people who leave the church often feel isolated.

"They've lost their whole church family. They think they're alone in it. They don't know that this is happening to multiple other people with the business."

Farrier says that he currently has more than 500 pages of email correspondence with people who have been associated with the church, and he is currently working on how best to tell more of their stories.

"What I've written so far is the tip of the iceberg. There's so much there. I just need to figure out how to be able to accurately report it in a way that does justice to the people talking about this stuff."

The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.

You can follow the podcast at nzherald.co.nz, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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The Front Page podcast: Inside the scandal rocking Arise church - New Zealand Herald