Monthly Archives: July 2022

The Monday edition launched a major editorial series on the future of Christchurch. Video / NZ Herald

The New Zealand Herald has hit the streets of Christchurch with a special edition of the newspaper.

The 48-page special Monday edition was printed in Auckland in the early hours of this morning and sent down to Christchurch on one of the first flights out.

It arrived at Christchurch airport and was transported by an NZ Post heavy truck to NZME offices before it was given out at Riverside, Cashel Street Mall and Christchurch Airport.

Today the Herald and NZME launched a major editorial project on the future of Christchurch.

It will debate how the city can best accommodate its growing number of residents and explore whether an amalgamation of councils to create an integrated super city is the right option.

We will examine the issues facing the city, profile the people who make Christchurch tick, give a voice to the region's diverse communities and help voters to choose their future in this year's local body elections.

Today's front cover features red and black livery and the headline 'It's a gamechanger' with an exclusive interview with All Black great Richie McCaw.

McCaw said the latest design for the venue, which has been beset by delays and cost increases was "pretty amazing".

'To take the conditions of the weather out of it... will be a game-changer, especially in the middle of the winter," McCaw said.

Inside the special Christchurch edition were a series of articles, images, and graphics on Christchurch's future.

Senior reporter Kurt Bayer investigates if Christchurch could become New Zealand's newest Super City and warnings from Auckland for Cantabs that the boom is coming, ready or not.

Reporter Will Evans reports on the looming decision on the Christchurch stadium project and Colin Mansbridge, CEO of the Crusaders, warning city leaders not to drop the ball.

Christchurch City Council is set to vote on the yet-to-be-built Christchurch indoor stadium - a multi-purpose arena with 30,000 seats in the centre of the city.

More here:

Special edition of New Zealand Herald hits the streets of Christchurch - New Zealand Herald

Michael P Cameron is an Associate Professor in Economics at the University of Waikato.

ANALYSIS: New Zealands unemployment rate hit a low of 3.2% in the fourth quarter of 2021 and again in the first quarter of this year. Thats the lowest the rate has been since at least 1986, both overall and separately for men (3.1% in both quarters) and women (3.3% in both quarters).

However, that low unemployment rate still represents over 90,000 people without jobs who are actively seeking work. So, why are some commentators starting to talk about full employment when it is clear that not everyone who wants a job has one?

Also, if businesses are struggling to fill positions, does this mean all workers will be able to flex their muscles in negotiations on pay and work conditions?

To understand New Zealands current labour market, we first need to understand the concept of full employment.

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Economists define full employment as the absence of any cyclical unemployment, which is unemployment related to the rise and fall of the economy also known as the business cycle.

As the economy reaches a peak in the cycle, employers increase production, requiring a high number of workers. The availability of these extra jobs reduces the number of unemployed, eventually reaching full employment.

But that doesnt mean that when there is full employment there is no unemployment at all. There will still be some employment that is frictional (because it takes time for unemployed workers to be matched to jobs) and structural (because some unemployed workers dont have the right skills for the available jobs).

Rather than full employment, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) prefers to use the term maximum sustainable employment, which they define as the highest amount of employment the economy can maintain without creating more inflation.

Robert Kitchin/Stuff

Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr. (File photo)

Maximum sustainable employment reflects the RBNZs dual mandate to maintain low and stable inflation (between 1% and 3%) while supporting maximum levels of sustainable employment within the economy.

Clearly, in imposing the dual mandate on the RBNZ, the government believes full employment is an important goal. Work, care and volunteering is one of the domains of individual and collective well-being in Treasurys Living Standards Framework, because these are three of the major ways in which people use their capabilities to contribute to society. Full employment means more people are contributing to their own and societys well-being.

So, what does full employment mean for low-income workers?

When there is full employment, it starts to become more difficult for employers to find workers to fill their vacancies. We are seeing this already, with job listings hitting record levels.

Tom Pullar-Strecker/Stuff

Businesses are feeling the pinch of high employment. (File photo)

A tight labour market, where there are relatively more jobs than available workers, increases the bargaining power of workers.

But that doesnt mean workers have all the power and can demand substantially higher wages, only that workers can push for somewhat better pay and conditions, and employers are more likely to agree.

This shift in bargaining power is why some employers are now willing to offer significant signing bonuses or better work conditions and benefits, including flexible hours or free insurance.

If you look closer at the types of jobs where signing bonuses and more generous benefits packages are being offered, however, you will quickly realise those are not features of jobs at the bottom end of the wage spectrum.

Many low-income workers are in jobs that are part-time, fixed-term or precarious. Low-wage workers are not benefiting from the tight labour market to the same extent as more highly qualified workers.

Nevertheless, a period of full employment may allow some low-wage workers to move into higher paying jobs, or jobs that are less precarious and/or offer better work conditions.

That relies on the workers having the appropriate skills and experience for higher-paying jobs, or for increasingly desperate employers to adjust their employment standards to meet those of the available job applicants.

Overall it is clear that not all low-wage workers benefit from full employment. Those who remain in low-wage jobs may even be worse off in a full-employment economy. If wage demands from other workers feed through into higher prices of goods and services it will exacerbate cost-of-living increases.

The RBNZ is already implementing tighter monetary policies to address high inflation, leading to higher mortgage interest payments for homeowners. Renters will likely face higher rents as landlords pass on the increased interest rates. These higher housing and living costs will hit low-wage workers particularly hard.

Although a full employment economy seems like a net positive, not everyone benefits equally, and we shouldnt ignore that some low-wage workers remain vulnerable.

Michael P Cameron is an Associate Professor in Economics at the University of Waikato. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article here.

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New Zealand has reached 'full employment' but not all workers will benefit - Stuff

A vet vaccinates cattle to protect them from foot-and-mouth in Bandar Lampung, Lampung province in Indonesia where thousands of cattle have already had to be killed. Photo / AFP

RNZ

New Zealand's economy could take a severe hit in the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the country, an economist says.

It comes after the livestock disease was discovered in Indonesia in May, and last week cases were confirmed in the popular holiday hotspot of Bali.

Treasury data from 2018, shows a six-month outbreak of foot-and-mouth in the North Island could result in lost export earnings of $15 billion, and nominal gross domestic product to be $24 billion lower over the following five years.

Westpac senior agricultural economist Nathan Penny said the risk of an outbreak was low, but there would be ripple effects throughout the economy should it eventuate.

"The broader impacts - the macroeconomic impacts if you like - would see the economy go into recession and we would also see the New Zealand dollar fall so the impacts on urban areas would be keenly felt as well.

"The standard approach to foot-and-mouth is to cull stock in many cases so that obviously would have a drastic impact on our ability to export those stocks, that would be removed," Penny said.

He said regional New Zealand, which is dominated by the rural sector, would be particularly hard hit.

"When we think about the provinces, they're heavily exposed to agriculture and their economies are less diverse than the likes of Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch ... those economies would rebound faster than the provincial centres.

"But that said, we do have some experience in dealing with these sorts of things. We had recent experience with Mycoplasma bovis.

"We have got some of the best biosecurity systems in the world and that could mean that there would be the possibility that New Zealand and the rural regions could bounce back from this pretty quickly," Penny said.

Biosecurity New Zealand said while the risk to New Zealand was low, it had boosted efforts to protect farmers from foot-and-mouth including stepped-up inspections at the border and providing more information for travellers.

"Our focus is doing everything we can on the border," Stuart Anderson, deputy director-general Biosecurity New Zealand said.

Listen to Jamie Mackay's full interview with Stuart Anderson on The Country below:

"Our approach is to assess all and any passengers coming through from Indonesia, who have been on holiday in Bali," Anderson told The Country's Jamie Mackay.

"They will be getting further questions from our border by security staff and we will be visually inspecting the likes of footwear or other equipment they may have with them."

If any items looked contaminated, border security officers would remove them and take them to the airport's laboratory space to be disinfected safely, Anderson said.

- RNZ with additional reporting from The Country

Read more:

Warning of recession, currency impact if foot-and-mouth spreads to NZ - New Zealand Herald

New Zealand has recorded two unconnected cases of monkeypox this week and officials say there is no evidence of community transmission.

Monkeypox is endemic to areas of Central and West Africa but an outbreak was confirmed in May, spreading to more than 50 countries with 9624 cases detected as of July 11.

Two tests have been run in New Zealand so far. The Institute for Environmental Science and Research (ESR) has 500 tests in stock and there is likely to be further stock at other labs, officials say.

So how does monkeypox testing work? How long does it take, who needs to get tested, and do we have capacity?

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The first symptoms of monkeypox are usually headache, acute onset of fever (>38.0C), chills, swollen lymph nodes, muscle and body aches, backache, and tiredness.

After a few days, a characteristic rash usually appears and spreads to other parts of the body, such as the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, inside the mouth, or on the genitalia.

Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

Two tests for monkeypox have been done in New Zealand to date, both of which were positive.

The monkeypox rash typically evolves in four stages macular (flat), papular (raised), vesicular (raised and filled with clear fluid), to pustular (raised and filled with opaque fluid) before scabbing over and resolving.

To get infected you need to be in close contact (usually skin-to-skin or shared respiratory droplets) with a case while they are infectious.

At this stage, close contacts are asked to monitor for symptoms for three weeks and to isolate if symptoms develop. They would only get a PCR test if a rash developed, the Ministry of Health said.

The incubation period (from infection to onset of symptoms) is usually from six to 13 days but can range from five to 21 days.

Close contacts are not required to strictly quarantine, however they are advised to avoid high-risk settings such as healthcare, childcare and aged care facilities, as well as indoor gatherings such as at bars, restaurants and places of worship, the ministry said.

Close contacts are also advised to avoid sex and kissing; and to avoid close contact with people potentially at higher risk of infection, such as infants, older people and immuno-compromised people.

While you swab your nose or throat for Covid-19, the recommended specimen type for monkeypox is skin lesion material.

This involves taking swabs of a lesions surface and/or exudate (wound fluid), roofs from more than one lesion, or lesion crusts from the rash itself.

Confirming someone has monkeypox is similar to confirming Covid-19 infection via a PCR test.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method to rapidly make (or amplify) millions to billions of copies of a very small specific segment of DNA, which can then be studied in greater detail.

The test detects DNA at varying concentrations, which indicates whether a result is either positive, negative, or inconclusive, to identify monkeypox.

Abigail Dougherty/Stuff

The test for monkeypox is a PCR, run at laboratories in the same way Covid-19 tests are processed.

From when a sample reaches the lab, initial results can be available within 24 hours.

However, timing can depend on how long it takes a sample to reach a lab.

People with symptoms are encouraged to call ahead to their usual health practitioner to seek advice before visiting a medical centre or hospital if symptoms develop.

Their health practitioner whether that is at a general practice or sexual health clinic will assess their risk and decide whether a PCR test is appropriate.

People with monkeypox are asked to isolate until the scabs from lesions have fallen off.

Supplied

Terry Taylor, president of the New Zealand Institute of Medical Laboratory Science, was confident there was enough capacity to respond to monkeypox testing.

Only a small number of laboratories can process PCR tests for monkeypox but more capacity is being built ESR is collaborating with three other labs to stand up testing.

President of the New Zealand Institute of Medical Laboratory Science Terry Taylor said there was definitely capacity to test for monkeypox in Aotearoa.

We know we are not going to have to mass test, like we did with Covid-19, he said.

The PCR was very similar to the test for varicella (chickenpox), so was nothing new for labs to deal with.

Taylor was not envisaging [testing] being a major problem, because the virus was not very infectious, making it much more manageable for labs, he said.

He said labs could scale up if they needed to but he doubted they would get overrun.

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Monkeypox: What you need to know about testing for the virus in New Zealand - Stuff

Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney will hold her first bilateral talks todaywith the New Zealand Minister for Mori Development, Willie Jackson.

Ms Burney is expected to discuss a range of issues with Mr Jackson, including New Zealand's approach to treaty and reconciliation with Mori people, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and business partnerships.

The ministers will collaborate and share experiences on policy making for First Nations and Mori people, and how to advance Indigenous rights within their respective countries.

Leaders from the Indigenous and Mori business sectors will also be attending, with a view to discussing potential partnerships between the two nations.

The rights of the Mori people in New Zealand have been recognised since 1840, when Mori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi.

The treaty promised to give Mori people self-determination over their lands and resources while giving the British Crown the authority to govern.

Today, the treaty is not recognised as a part of New Zealand law, except where it is referred to in acts of parliament.

In Australia, there are currently no treaties between Indigenous people and the government, but Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory have all started the process of establishing state-based treaties.

The federal government has committed to implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, including a constitutionally enshrined 'voice to parliament' and establishing a Makarrata Commission, which would oversee a truth-telling and treaty process.

In New Zealand, the treaty is now used as part of the Waitangi Tribunal, which acts as a permanent commission of inquiry on Mori rights.

The commission hears claims on Mori business and advises government on language preservation, land rights and cultural protections.

Critics say the protection of Mori rights outlined by the treaty is largely dependent on political will and often inconsistent, and the power of the Waitangi Tribunal is too limited.

The tribunal has consistently advised that Mori people be given foreshore and seabed rights, but successive governments in New Zealand have ignored the recommendation.

The Waitangi Tribunal could be viewed as a model of how a Voice and Makarrata commission might proceed, but Indigenous people are concerned it could also be a model of how it could fail to adequately protect them.

Also on the agenda for MsBurney and MrJackson will be progressing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

The declaration outlines the minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of Indigenous people around the world.

Despite initially voting against the declaration in 2007, Australia adopted UNDRIP in 2009 and New Zealand in 2010.

Last year, Mr Jackson announced a national plan was being developed to implement the UNDRIP framework in New Zealand and monitor improvements.

In Australia, progress on UNDRIP had largely stalled, but two bills introduced by Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe earlier this year have relaunched the push to see the framework fully implemented.

An inquiry into the application of the framework in Australia will be established, and SenatorThorpe has also introduced a bill to ensure the government complies with the declaration.

Ms Burney will also join Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday.

Ms Ardern has been in Australia since Monday as part of a trade mission, visiting Melbourne and Sydney accompanied by a delegation of more than 30 New Zealand businesses.

Friday will be the second meeting between Mr Albanese and Ms Ardern since the May election.

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Australia begins bilateral talks with New Zealand on treaty and reconciliation with First Nations people - ABC News

ROBERT KITCHIN/FAIRFAX NZ

Jordan Hamel (second from left) and his mates Finbarr Noble, Simon O'Donnell, and Matt Russell were the lads behind Aotearoa Puzzles Inc they competed in the 2017 World Puzzle Championships in India.

Jordan Hamel is a Pneke-based writer, poet and performer. He is the co-editor of No Other Place to Stand, a forthcoming anthology of Aotearoa climate change poetry from Auckland University Press. His debut poetry collection, Everyone is Everyone Except You was recently published too.

OPINION: Jeff Wilson, Suzie Bates, Hamish Bond, Jordan Hamel. Pretty standard list, right? You might be wondering why Ive grouped three of Aotearoas most iconic sportspeople and myself together. Its nothing to do with talent or athletic ability (I ran out of breath on the way to the corner dairy the other day).

But we do all have one thing in common: were all dual internationals, representing New Zealand in multiple disciplines. For Hamish it was rowing and cycling, for Suzie: basketball and cricket, for me? Sudoku and slam poetry of course.

Now I know Im not a traditional sporting icon, and it takes mental gymnastics to call poetry and sudoku sports. But after some reflection, I believe I deserve a place in this pantheon. After all, not many people can say they were a part of the worst New Zealand team in sporting history.

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Wait, is my poetry that bad? Luckily not. That honour falls to the 2017 Aotearoa sudoku team.

It was a team that had no right to exist. Myself and a group of friends, none of whom were remotely interested in sudoku, through a series of events discovered the World Sudoku Championships. A competition which, until our arrival, had never featured a New Zealand team.

So, being young and opportunistic, we sent a few emails to the right people telling them we were New Zealands premier sudoku club, ready for the opportunity to compete against the worlds best.

Next thing we knew we were in! Things started happening very fast. We fundraised, found some sponsors (every team needs a uniform, right?), popped up on Seven Sharp and news outlets, enjoyed our 15 minutes. Then it was time to get on a plane to Bangalore.

Ebony Lamb/Supplied

Timaru-raised, Poneke-based poet Jordan Hamel.

Ill never forget turning up to a five-star resort/competition venue, surrounded by a bunch of very serious puzzlers, while we looked at each other in disbelief that a joke we had taken too far had landed us on the other side of the world.

You can probably predict how the competition went for us. We turned up on day one hungover and underprepared. We accidentally missed the pre-tournament information session the night before and had to borrow pencils from the Australian team. The tournament itself resembled an NCEA exam: a cavernous hall with rows of old wooden desks, no sound except for frantic pencils scribbling away through the tension.

It was all a bit much for one of my team-mates, who opened the booklet, realised immediately that he didnt actually know how to do a sudoku, then spent the remainder of the competition in the hotel room drinking cheap wine and watching James Bond movies.

As a result, he is now ranked as the worst sudoku player in the world. The rest of us, despite an overwhelming lack of ability, decided to stick it out, to prove something, maybe to ourselves, or each other.

Needless to say, New Zealand crashed into last place, not that it stopped us using our rankings for bragging rights, or celebrating enthusiastically at the closing gala. Our failure was so spectacular it sparked a viral Stuff article Kiwi lads take on World Puzzle Champs in India, lose pretty much everything.

Aotearoa Puzzles Inc.

We turned up hungover and unprepared... we had to borrow pencils from the Australian team.

I thought for sure the comments section would be riddled with pearl clutchers saying wed soiled the New Zealand name and Colin Meads would be spinning in his grave. But, outside of a few spoilsports, people really got behind us, a ragtag group of plucky underdogs against the world, whats not to love?

This year is the five-year anniversary of our appearance on the world sudoku stage. I dont think Ill ever be a part of something as surreal again. Even though were scattered to different countries now, my friends and I will always have that to bind us, and a reason to keep an eye out for obscure sports in far-off places - cheese-rolling, extreme ironing, snow polo - as the pull of the black jersey gets stronger again.

As for my place in sporting history? After receiving a nomination for Team of the Year, the Halberg Foundation emailed us saying that, while the committee needed to hold further discussions about what exactly constitutes a sport, our exploits were a brilliant example of the Kiwi spirit that is celebrated the world over. I think that says enough.

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How it feels to be part of the worst New Zealand team in sporting history - Stuff

Anupam Nath/AP

The latest mutant has been spotted in several distant states in India, and appears to be spreading faster than other variants there.

The quickly changing coronavirus has spawned yet another super contagious Omicron mutant thats worrying scientists as it gains ground in India and pops up in numerous other countries, including the United States.

Scientists say the variant called BA.2.75 may be able to spread rapidly and get around immunity from vaccines and previous infection. Its unclear whether it could cause more serious disease than other Omicron variants, including the globally prominent BA.5.

Its still really early on for us to draw too many conclusions, said Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. But it does look like, especially in India, the rates of transmission are showing kind of that exponential increase." Whether it will outcompete BA.5, he said, is yet to be determined.

Still, the fact that it has already been detected in many parts of the world even with lower levels of viral surveillance is an early indication it is spreading, said Shishi Luo, head of infectious diseases for Helix, a company that supplies viral sequencing information to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

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The prime minister says the Government anticipated cases would rise in winter.

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The latest mutant has been spotted in several distant states in India, and appears to be spreading faster than other variants there, said Lipi Thukral, a scientist at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology in New Delhi. Its also been detected in about 10 other countries, including Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada. Two cases were recently identified on the West Coast of the US, and Helix identified a third US case last week.

R S Iyer/AP

The quickly changing coronavirus has spawned yet another super contagious Omicron mutant thats worrying scientists

Fueling experts concerns are a large number of mutations separating this new variant from Omicron predecessors. Some of those mutations are in areas that relate to the spike protein and could allow the virus to bind onto cells more efficiently, Binnicker said.

Another concern is that the genetic tweaks may make it easier for the virus to skirt past antibodies protective proteins made by the body in response to a vaccine or infection from an earlier variant.

But experts say vaccines and boosters are still the best defence against severe Covid-19. In the fall its likely the US will see updated formulations of the vaccine being developed that target more recent Omicron strains.

Some may say, Well, vaccination and boosting hasnt prevented people from getting infected. And, yes, that is true, he said. But what we have seen is that the rates of people ending up in the hospital and dying have significantly decreased. As more people have been vaccinated, boosted or naturally infected, we are starting to see the background levels of immunity worldwide creep up.

Anupam Nath/AP

Scientists say the variant called BA.2.75 may be able to spread rapidly and get around immunity from vaccines and previous infection.

It may take several weeks to get a sense of whether the latest Omicron mutant may affect the trajectory of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Dr Gagandeep Kang, who studies viruses at Indias Christian Medical College in Vellore, said the growing concern over the variant underlines the need for more sustained efforts to track and trace viruses that combine genetic efforts with real world information about who is getting sick and how badly. It is important that surveillance isnt a start-stop strategy, she said.

Luo said BA.2.75 is another reminder that the coronavirus is continually evolving and spreading.

We would like to return to pre-pandemic life, but we still need to be careful, she said. We need to accept that were now living with a higher level of risk than we used to.

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New Covid mutant BA.2.75 raises concerns with scientists as it spreads across the world - Stuff

The Government has brought forward places set aside for refugees fleeing the crisis in Afghanistan and has increased the total number of spaces for refugees coming from the Middle East.

In response to the mounting refugee crisis in the Middle East, Cabinet recently agreed to increase the proportion of places allocated to resettlement of refugees from the region.

Now 20% of the annual refugee quota or 300 of the 1500 spots will go to those fleeing conflict or persecution in the Middle East. This is up from 15%.

Meanwhile, in response to the emergency situation in Afghanistan, the Government has decided to bring forward the first 200 places set aside for Afghan refugees.

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The move has been welcomed by a former Afghan refugee, who says it will make life a lot easier for a small group of refugees.

These 200 spots were originally going to be used next quota programme year (starting July 1, 2023), followed by 250 places in 2024, and then 300 places set aside in 2025.

Immigration Minister Michael Wood said Cabinet decided to bring forward the places set aside for Afghan refugees to the current year (starting this month), in order to match the number of refugee referrals being made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Newly minted Immigration Minister Michael Wood says the changes better reflect the current humanitarian need.

The UN refugee agency had signalled it was going to need more help to resettle the high number of Afghan refugees in the short-term.

The first group of Afghan nationals is expected to arrive this month, subject to flight availability and exit procedures.

Regarding the decision to welcome more people from the Middle East, Wood said it better reflected the resettlement needs in the region and the operational priorities of the UNHCR.

The situation of Syrian refugees remains the largest global refugee crisis.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

The situation of Syrian refugees remains the largest global refugee crisis. Meanwhile, the crisis in Afghanistan continues to build. (File photo)

Since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, nearly 6 million people have fled the country and more than 5.5m have registered as refugees in the neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt.

UNHCR figures show that Syrian refugees continue to compose the largest percentage of refugees who have priority resettlement needs at 39% of the total global resettlement needs.

Meanwhile, the crisis in Afghanistan continues to build. And in May, UNHCR announced the number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution has crossed the milestone of 100 million for the first time on record.

Abbas Nazari, former refugee and author, said he welcomed the Governments decision to do more for refugees coming from the Middle East and Afghanistan.

CHRIS SKELTON/Stuff

Former refugee, author and advocate Abbas Nazari says these changes will make life better for a small group of refugees.

The increase is a welcome step in the right direction, and takes some of the pain away for many members of the Afghan-New Zealand community, as well as other refugee communities in New Zealand.

Nazari said people were quick to criticise Immigration New Zealand, but massive staff shortages meant they were under the pump.

While the Government has helped evacuate hundreds of Afghans from Kabul, and has granted them visas, others have been left behind or taking legal action to get their visa applications processed.

More broadly, the Government has faced criticism for not doing more to help resettle refugees during the Covid-19 pandemic. And for what remains a comparatively low refugee quota per capita.

Nazari said he hoped the Government would find ways to address the backlog of cases, and get closure for families whod been waiting for years.

But right now, the changes made by the Government would make life a whole lot easier for a small group of refugees.

Overall, this is fantastic news.

Golriz Ghahraman, the Green Partys refugee and humanitarian issues spokesperson, said the Government should have committed to 200 additional places for Afghans.

Most New Zealanders cared about what was happening in Afghanistan, and they expected the Government to respond, she said.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Green Party MP and former refugee Golriz Ghahraman says New Zealands refugee policy should always respond to the greatest needs.

The Government shouldn't get away with celebrating a response that's actually taking away spots from within our quota. Because actually, New Zealanders expect us to respond with something extra when a new humanitarian crisis happens.

As for the increased slice of the pie for refugees coming from the Middle East, Ghahraman said this was a good thing.

Thats the place with the most need, and with the most displacement, with the most war and violence.

The move comes after the last National government effectively placed a moratorium on refugees coming from the Middle East and Africa, in a policy that was labelled racist by advocates and the refugee community. This was overturned in 2019.

In a statement, National Party immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford said ultimately, New Zealand had a limited amount of spaces it could offer refugees.

But if there are spaces available, we have an obligation to do all we can to help those, especially those who worked with the New Zealand Government/Defence Force, to come to New Zealand.

The Governments refugee policy changes were made as part of Cabinets recent periodic review of the refugee quota programme.

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New Zealand Government does more to help Afghan refugees - Stuff