Category Archives: New Zealand

For many, the terror attacks on the Christchurch mosques seemed to come from nowhere. But not everyone was blind to the looming danger. In this seven-part series See No Evil, Stuff investigates how a group of women desperately tried to get the attention of officials and why they failed.

This is Chapter 3: Spies and Brides. The remaining chapters will be published daily.

Parliamentary committees often deal with matters that have far-reaching consequences for peoples lives.

But rarely have just two words uttered in one of Wellingtons wood-panelled rooms where MPs gather caused as much upheaval as those spoken by Prime Minister Sir John Key on December 8, 2015.

Seven years later, those two words still rile people, and cause others to squirm.

Key was chairing the intelligence and security committee, a group of MPs whose job it is to hold the intelligence agencies to account.

He was questioning the head of the Security Intelligence Service, Rebecca Kitteridge, about people in New Zealand being influenced by the terror groups Islamic State or ISIS which at the time were thriving in Syria and Iraq.

Kitteridge replies that one recent phenomenon was the issue of New Zealand women travelling to Iraq and Syria.

Key interjects, and uses those two words: Jihadi brides.

Immediately after he says it, theres a micropause from Kitteridge. Shes sitting opposite Key at the far end of a set of tables arranged in a rectangle. Her eyes look away from him and up to right before she carries on.

Presumably, she says. I mean its difficult to see what they do when they go

Her answer continues, and she waters down the assumption that the reason Kiwi women might be going is to marry terrorist fighters.

But Key has set the tone, and speaks to the media about it after the hearing. Jihadi brides is the phrase that catches on, catches the attention of the media coverage, and lights a fire that still smoulders to this day.

KATHRYN GEORGE/123RF/Stuff

A 2015 Parliamentary committee hearing in which the issue of New Zealand women becoming jihadi brides in Iraq and Syria was raised led to another layer on the pile of discrimination faced by Muslim women in Aotearoa. Information about the issue later needed correcting but damage had been done. (The image above is a posed stock photo.)

Not that anyone in that moment seems to notice what has just happened.

Andrew Little, the Minister in Charge of the Security Intelligence Service these days, was sitting next to Key in the committee meeting, as then Leader of the Opposition; he admitted in a recent interview that, at the time, he wasnt aware of the impact those two words would have but that has changed.

Ive certainly become aware since that the community felt it was marginalising of the community and particularly Muslim women in New Zealand, Little tells Stuff.

There was that flavour of the time because of what we were told were the main terrorist threats at the time.

It was a pejorative statement that reflected poorly on the community, and they really felt that.

The way that Aliya Danzeisen and Anjum Rahman, of the Islamic Womens Council, saw things, the jihadi brides comment was another brick on a pile of prejudice which impacted Muslim people, especially women.

Its the layering, time and time again, says Danzeisen. The fall-out from the September 11, 2001, attacks on America was the first big impact, and things ramped up from there. Racism and blame would be directed at anyone in a hijab after any fundamentalist atrocity.

KATHRYN GEORGE/Stuff

Director of Security Rebecca Kitteridge was being questioned by MPs at a Parliamentary committee in 2015 when Prime Minister Sir John Key used the phrase Jihadi brides in relation to women travelling to Iraq and Syria.

Each time the language keeps getting bigger and bigger, she says.

Rahman: Its like we werent seen as human. We were just a community to be targeted.

Danzeisen says there was a media narrative about Muslims.

The kindling was there, the smouldering ash was there, and ISIS was petrol on the fire. And then you had our Prime Minister bringing it to New Zealand.

Before we go on, theres an important twist to the jihadi brides story that you need to know; a twist that didnt attract as much attention; a twist that certainly didnt reverse the impact.

Those New Zealand women who were allegedly leaving to go to Iraq and Syria? Months after that committee hearing, it emerged that actually, there were no women leaving New Zealand to become jihadi brides.

What the intelligence showed was that women with New Zealand passports had travelled from Australia. The implication that terrorist sympathisers were living amongst us, and then heading off to join ISIS, was wrong.

Kitteridge later apologised in private to the Islamic Womens Council over the affair.

To this day, it remains a sensitive topic for many officials.

Kitteridge declined to be interviewed for the series but said in a statement: I can confirm I offered an apology to the council. In particular, I apologised for the delay in the public record being corrected with regards to media reporting that New Zealand women travelled to Dish-controlled areas in the Middle East from Aotearoa New Zealand, whereas in fact they had travelled from Australia. I said how sorry I was about the way the issue had played out in the media. I acknowledged that the way in which this issue had been reported by the media at the time had stigmatised the Muslim community, and particularly Muslim women.

KATHRYN GEORGE/Stuff

Anjum Rahman, left, and Aliya Danzeisen, right, say the Jihadi brides comment created problems for Muslim women in New Zealand.

For the IWCNZ, in the aftermath of the controversy, there was some progress.

Since 2014, the council has been talking to the police about what was happening to people in their community, and, importantly, working with other agencies to help find solutions.

And by 2016, it seemed, progress was being made.

With other members of the council, Danzeisen and Rahman met Chris Finlayson, then Minister in Charge of the SIS, in Hamilton.

Finlayson says during the meeting he heard from the women about the racism they were encountering.

I distinctly remember one lady saying to me, I was in the supermarket and someone said go back where you came from, he says.

Finlayson remembers the meeting was on a weekend, and on the following Monday, during a regular briefing with senior SIS officials he told them: These people need a lot of TLC, keep in touch [with them].

In other words, he passed on what hed been told, albeit that he does not recall there being any specific threats mentioned.

It was more what you would call Islamophobia.

This is not how the women recall the seriousness of what they passed on to the minister but well come back to this.

Regardless, the SIS did take on board Finlaysons advice to show the women TLC, and in 2016 Kitteridge met with Rahman and others from the council.

The next day, Kitteridge wrote to Rahman to thank her for the meeting and to say that she saw them as partners. In our different ways we contribute to keeping New Zealand safe and secure, wrote Kitteridge.

A partnership things really were looking up.

And certainly, there was one senior official who got where they were coming from.

One autumn afternoon, there was a community picnic in a park. The Race Relations Commissioner, Dame Susan Devoy, was invited along.

It was an informal event, but during it, Devoy approached Danzeisen and said she was hearing a lot of reports about Muslim women getting harassed. Could she help?

I said yes, says Danzeisen.

The women laid everything out to Devoy, Danzeisen sending a detailed email explaining how Muslim women and youth were struggling, and how things could change.

From that moment on, Devoy became a fierce advocate, working within the system to draw attention to what the community was enduring and the warnings they were sounding.

Meanwhile, within various Government departments and agencies, sure, things were happening, but it was scattergun and seemed to meander along like pieces of driftwood.

KATHRYN GEORGE/Stuff

Chris Finlayson was Minister in Charge of the Security Intelligence Service from 2014-2017, under the National Government. He met with the Islamic Womens Council twice.

In fact, by 2016, there had already been 10 years of work to address issues within ethnic communities, including the Muslim population.

Labours Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter took a paper to Cabinet after noticing disruptive events overseas including the so-called Cronulla Riots of 2005 when groups of Anglo-Australians sought to reclaim beaches in Sydneys eastern suburbs, attacking people who looked Middle Eastern.

New Zealand ministers approved a cross-Government work programme called Connecting Diverse Communities. But as one official familiar with the programme put it: Nothing ever really came out of it.

Ministers in the National Government of 2014-2017 had their officials working on a programme with a similar-sounding goal, around strengthening communities.

But there was a bit more to it than that.

A 2015 briefing to Nationals Minister for Ethnic Communities, Sam Lotu-Iiga, plays up the value of making diverse communities stronger. Underneath it, though, was a desire from the Government to ramp up efforts on Counter Terrorism.

In other words: bring these communities inside the tent, quickly.

Because it wasnt just any terrorism that was causing the concern the officials were laser-focused on one particular strand of terrorism.

With the rise of Islamic State [ISIS], there is heightened interest in Countering Violent Extremism internationally and in New Zealand, the briefing explained to the minister.

Countering this threat has become a core security concern for many of New Zealands key security and regional partners. And as the threat develops globally, it is increasingly a concern of our own.

The message was clear: these Islamic extremists are becoming increasingly problematic, and we need to head them off by making sure our communities arent vulnerable to radicalisation.

A Countering Violent Extremism programme was established for the newly-formed Community Strengthening Working Group of officials, to meet the needs of the Counter Terrorism Co-Ordination Committee, chaired by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

KATHRYN GEORGE/Stuff

Key players: Over the years of trying to get help for the Muslim community, Anjum Rahman and Aliya Danzeisen met with senior civil servants and politicians.

Serious stuff: All those programmes and working groups and committees.

But what was being done to meet the needs of the community itself, a community whose members were telling officials they felt unsafe?

At one point, a member of the Muslim community who said he had come up with a way to avert extremism was invited along to the Community Strengthening Working Group. Government-led programmes would not get through to the people they needed to, the man told the group. Initiatives needed to come from the community.

After he presented his ideas, documents seen by Stuff show, officials discussed in private what they thought. It had merit, they agreed, but it was light on detail. Some officials pondered how else the man and his community might help.

One senior official suggested the man who presented to the group be asked: Who are we worried about?

When you think about it, its an odd question. It implied that while, at that time, many in the community were asking for help, asking for protection, the Government's prime concern was protecting people from the community (or at least some individuals within it).

Thats how Danzeisen and Rahman were thinking, anyhow. The vibe they were getting was: Oh, yeah, sure, tell us about dangers you see, but when it comes to solving anything within your community

Theres a thing called epistemic injustice, says Danzeisen. Its a phenomenon in which people are discriminated against when they try to impart knowledge.

We were seen as valuable in the sense of informants, but we were not informed, in their eyes, on community issues.

Rahman: When we present, This is what the issue is, its not taken as, This is someone who knows what theyre talking about.

Someone within the Government was listening to them Devoy, the Race Relations Commissioner.

She took up their case with the State Services Commissioner, Peter Hughes (his position is now Public Service Commissioner), including sending that letter we learned about in Chapter One, the letter in which she lambasted the Government reaction to the communitys concerns.

In response, another meeting was arranged, jointly hosted by the SSC and the Human Rights Commission. Except this was no ordinary meeting. It was an all-of-Government meeting, with representatives from 10 Government agencies high-powered stuff.

And invited along were representatives of seven Muslim community organisations, including the Islamic Womens Council.

Think about that: some of the most powerful civil servants in the country, people in control of huge budgets, people who can effect change real change sitting in a conference room together to listen to people from a sector of the community which has been crying out for help.

On March 23, 2017, Danzeisen and Rahman, stood in front of these senior bureaucrats and prepared to put their case once and for all.

At last, they thought, they were going to be heard.

This is Chapter 3: Spies and Brides. The remaining chapters will be published daily.

Read more here:

Petrol on the Fire: The two words from a Prime Minister that set off a fierce reaction Chapter 3: Spies and Brides - Stuff

Travel

1 Jun, 2022 05:07 PM4 minutes to read

Greymouth celebrates its midwinter Christmas festival over Matariki. Photo / Rachel Roberts

With less than a month to go until Aotearoa marks its first Matariki as a public holiday, add these whnau-friendly events to your calendar.

Although Matariki has been observed since the first lights of ahi k lit during long winter months, it is finally being recognised across New Zealand with celebrations for all. Matariki is about renewal and acknowledging the changing seasons. It is a time for whnau (family), ko (learning), kai (food) and keeping the homefires burning.

Here are just some of the winter warmers and activities to tempt you outside as the temperature cools.

tepoti Dunedin kicks off the Puaka Matariki Festival on Tuesday 21 June. The citywide programme of events includes performances, workshops and krero on astronomy and wellness concluding Sunday 3 July. koranga (learning) and whnaukataka (community spirit) are the guiding lights of the programme. matarikidunedin.co.nz

For three nights only, Chris Jolly Outdoors will be leading a Matariki Dawn Cruise. The first cruise departs over Lake Taup on June 24 before first light. A chance to welcome the new season and the arrival of the Matariki stars, seats are strictly limited. chrisjolly.rezdy.com

Nelson's Theatre Royale is preparing a magical take on Matariki with a giant puppet show for tamariki. Their Matariki Glow Show features glow-in-the-dark characters and sets which promise to be a highlight for whnau. theatreroyalnelson.co.nz

Join guide Willie Huch on a cultural tour of the Whanganui River. This overnight tour of te Awa will explore its prominence to local lore with waiata and campfire stories of Matariki. Owhango Adventures's guided trip takes place on 24 June. It is suitable for adults and children over five. canoewhanganuiriver.com

Those in search of winter warmers will be delighted by Rotorua's Matariki menu. Matariki Food Trail will lead visitors along highlights of the inaugural Matariki Dish Challenge. Some of New Zealand's best chefs have been asked to use traditional ingredients - from pickled pikopiko to cured Kahawai - to create dishes that convey the spirit of the festival.

The food competition is running from 13 June to 17 July with visitors encouraged to vote for overall best dish. waikatofoodinc.com

Waitomo caves are holding twilight cave tours of their glowworm caverns. With a welcoming powhiri and kawakawa tea, visitors will be able to enjoy the underground cosmos and followed by stargazing. Twilight tours are being led from 25 June to 1 July. There will also be a one-off, underground evening concert on the evening of 2 July, with a Matariki meal. waitomo.com

The popular Wintersteller Astrophotography Competition is running at Alexandra's Central Stories Museum between June 18 and August 24, promising some of the best shots of southern stars and auroral glows in Aotearoa. winterstellar.com

Also in Alexandra, the pre-dawn Matariki celebration is taking place at Pioneer Park on July 3. The family-focused event will let kids look at the skies through telescopes if the weather is clear, and there will also be the chance to take some VR headsets for a spin, to experience the stars as they would have been seen from waka voyages to Aotearoa.

Bay of Islands Matariki Festival runs from 17 June through to the end of July. The six-week celebration in the bays is a chance to try titiro ng whetu (star gazing) on a Dawn Cruise out of Russell. Other events on the schedule include astrophotography and bone carving workshops, guest speakers, and a special Matariki dinner at Russell's Duke of Marlborough Hotel. matarikinz.com

Throughout June and July, the Matariki Tauranga Moana festival will explore a range of ways to observe the Mori New Year with whnau and friends. The theme this year is Tupurangi: Heavenly Treasures, with Tupurangi the star that relates to collecting food from the sky. With a lineup of events celebrating stars, birds and winter fruits through food and performance, activities include cooking classes, a film festival and guest speakers.

Other highlights on the schedule include a workshop to make traditional balms from native plants, a family kite day, and a Matariki village market. mytauranga.co.nz/matariki

On Saturday June 11, Parihaka P will be opening its doors to the public for the Taranaki Punga Festival. As the tradition of the local tangata whenua, "Punga" is celebrated rather than Matariki as a high point of the season. This is followed by Parihaka Puanga Kai Rau Festival on Sunday, inviting visitors to help prepare the P gardens for winter and sample seasonal kai. puanga.com

For more travel inspiration, go to newzealand.com/nz.

Check traffic light settings and Ministry of Health advice before travel at covid19.govt.nz

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Matariki celebrations and New Zealand winter warmers to add to the calendar - New Zealand Herald

The strength of NZ Rugby's faith in Silver Lake has been a source of concern, writes Gregor Paul. Photo / Photosport

OPINION:

On Thursday, New Zealand Rugby is expected to sign off on a $200 million partnership with US investment firm Silver Lake. In the fifth instalment of a five-part series, Gregor Paul looks at the potential red flags of the deal.

It is quite the story which Silver Lake have sold New Zealand Rugby and they have done so with the requisite flattery and deference to the brand.

Which is why the national body has gone a little giggly at the thought of being in partnership with Silver Lake the US firm is the real deal, universally seen by Silicon Valley as an investment Svengali for the way they leveraged a buy-out at Dell and triggered one of Wall Street's greatest pay days.

Silver Lake are the guys who can wave a wand and produce money. They are smart and successful, a combination that has proven irresistible to NZR.

Intoxicating even and having a globally renowned investor fawning over the All Blacks while pitching a plan to help them lead rugby's digital revolution, has made NZR think they would be contemptuously stupid to turn them down.

Certainly, those who have cast doubt about the partnership have been labelled by NZR as destructive and almost heretic.

By having a beyond rational, almost fanatical commitment to doing a deal, NZR have, through the force of their conviction, been able to convert plenty of stakeholders into fellow believers.

But the strength of their faith has equally been a source of concern to those who have wanted to see a detailed business case as the basis to support the deal.

And herein lies the first of many red flags NZR are aligning with Silver Lake not to fulfil a considered and aligned strategic goal, but largely out of fear.

NZR began kicking the private equity tyres when they saw the Northern Hemisphere doing it and when the Six Nations committed to a deal with CVC, fears grew New Zealand would be left behind.

But there is not a shred of evidence that CVC are proving transformational in the Northern Hemisphere.

This narrative of New Zealand moving to the back of the pack is classic fearmongering and works as a means of persuasion only on those who lack the acumen to ask for a single tangible example to show where private equity has added value in rugby.

The other motivational driver for NZR partnering with Silver Lake was to use it as a catalyst to lower fixed costs by reducing the professional players' share of revenue.

The new deal has left NZR with the same 36.5 per cent commitment to players and 17 per cent to the provincial unions, but now, also, another fixed cost in Silver Lake whose dividend will be directly linked to income.

NZR have exacerbated the problem they were so adamant last year was at the core of their ongoing balance sheet woes.

Chief executive Mark Robinson says that if the cash floods in, it will pave the way to renegotiate a new pay structure with the players and provinces.

But that is yet another red flag as it highlights that everything about this deal requires those supporting it to do so mostly on trust.

They have to trust that there are millions to be made by embracing digital technology. They have to trust that if there is digital gold, Silver Lake will prove to be exceptional at mining it.

The simple maths here is that NZR revenue, in 2025, will need to grow by 8 per cent, just to offset the impact of Silver Lake and local institutions taking their share of the profits.

NZR have been prepared to overlook that proposition, possibly because for the last two years they have sat with Silver Lake and heard compelling talk of fan-centric decision-making supported by technological innovations and multiple platforms this, data packaging that.

But those who haven't been exposed to Silver Lake's pixie dust fear this could be straight out of the private equity playbook pitch the most compelling story to get in the door and once you are in, sit back, do nothing and enjoy the rising tide rugby may soon be about to experience given its growing popularity globally.

In their independent review of the deal, PriceWaterhouseCoopers note that Silver Lake believe they can double revenue in the next seven to 10 years.

This sounds impressive until you consider that NZR have achieved precisely the same outcome themselves, growing revenue from $133m in 2015 to a forecast $265m in 2022.

NZR appear to be asking their stakeholders to take a giant leap of faith just to land where they would if they did nothing.

And that is arguably the biggest red flag of all with this deal it is being sold as a binary choice between going with Silver Lake and thriving or sticking with the status quo, falling behind and effectively dying, when it really isn't.

NZR have enough money to run the game. This year they will turn over more than $265m and if they implement the measures detailed in the McKinsey Report of 2020, they could add another $30m per annum to their bottom line.

They could find and hire the capability and expertise they need to exploit digital technology ventures and jump their revenue without selling equity.

Their financial problem is not an inability to generate money, it is the convoluted and non-sensical ways it is distributed and NZR do not need to do a deal with Silver Lake, they want to do a deal with Silver Lake, which is why there are red flags everywhere.

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Gregor Paul: The many red flags in NZ Rugby's Silver Lake deal - New Zealand Herald

ANALYSIS: The prime minister has been in the US this week, telling the world that Aotearoa is open. But what about those without money or business connections? Laura Walters takes a look at whether New Zealand is living up to its humanitarian commitments.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is spreading the message that New Zealand is open to the world. But those in the refugee community say this message is inconsistent with Aotearoas recent humanitarian record.

When Covid-19 hit in 2020, the world was already facing a refugee crisis. Now, with the worsening conflict in Ukraine, the situation in Afghanistan, and the continuing crisis in Syria, the number of forcibly displaced people has skyrocketed.

Andreea Alexandru/AP

As the refugee crisis worsens, advocates and those in the refugee community are calling on the New Zealand Government to walk the walk on humanitarian issues.

Earlier this week, the United Nations Refugee Agency (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.

Meanwhile, New Zealand is again preparing to fall short of its commitment to resettle 1500 refugees this year.

In fact, Aotearoa has failed to fulfil this obligation every year since the refugee resettlement quota was raised to 1500 people per year in 2018.

READ MORE:* Refugee 'at home' in New Zealand as one of lucky few resettled during Covid-19 pandemic* Scores of refugees in limbo as quota system in holding pattern due to Covid-19* Government set to remove 'racist' refugee policy, increase quotas from Africa and Middle East * Winston Peters casts doubt on rise in refugee quota

Immigration New Zealands general manager of refugee and migrant services, Fiona Whiteridge, says she expects 800 refugees to be resettled in New Zealand this financial year, ending June 30. With a little over a month to go, the number is currently sitting at 640.

Last year, just 260 of those 1500 spots were filled.

Of course, Covid-19 and the related border closures have had a significant impact on the UNs ability to evacuate and process refugees, and on New Zealands ability to receive, isolate and resettle them.

But as border restrictions melt away, and as the prime minister tells the world New Zealand is a kind, compassionate place thats open for business, there seems to be a question mark around whom that message applies to.

LAWRENCE SMITH/Stuff

Green MP Golriz Ghahraman says if the prime minister is going to tell the world New Zealand is open for business, then that message also needs to apply to refugees.

Golriz Ghahraman, the Green Partys refugee and humanitarian issues spokesperson, says if New Zealand wants to sell that message to the world, then it needs to walk the walk.

And currently we are not walking the walk when it comes to prioritising our humanitarian obligations and human rights, concerns around the world.

New Zealand presents itself as a leader on human rights, freedom and equality, says Ghahraman, a refugee from Iran. If we want to lead on these issues, then we need to be seen to be doing the work as well, and were currency not.

Coming into the next election, the country is facing a raft of domestic challenges, but governments have the ability to focus on more than one thing.

New Zealanders have shown time and time again that we do care about the world around us, we do want to be good international citizens, Ghahraman says.

I don't think it would be wise for the Government or for any political party to assume that New Zealanders only care about our own immediate problems right now, especially with the war [in Ukraine] that's really captured people's imaginations.

In March 2020, the UNHCR and the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) suspended resettlement departures for refugees as part of efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19.

And on March 13, New Zealands last intake arrived, before the refugee quota programme was suspended.

But by August 2020, the UNHCR had announced the resumption of resettlements to countries with appropriate capacity, processes and safe travel routes in place. By early 2021, the global refugee organisation was pleading with countries to find strategies and pathways to welcome refugees and support asylum seekers.

Throughout this period, New Zealand took a small number of emergency refugee cases.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi says Covid has stalled the countrys refugee resettlement programme, but reiterates that the Government is committed to filling the quota going forward.

In a statement, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said the Government takes its international humanitarian responsibilities seriously and is committed to working with international partners to contribute to the support of, and to find durable protection solutions for, refugees who need that protection.

The recent doubling refugee quota is a demonstration of that commitment, Faafoi says. As are Aotearoas contributions to international peacekeeping and disarmament, and to supporting humanitarian aid through the United Nations and NGOs.

Faafoi referenced the Covid-19 disruptions, which saw the refugee resettlement programme put on hold, followed by a slow resumption in February 2021. Covid is also the reason why the Government downwardly revised the quota to 750-1000 for the year ending June 30, 2022.

With borders fully reopening at the end of July, the Government will work to ensure the quota is fully met going forward, Faafoi says.

While Covid-19 did create a genuine barrier to resettlement, refugee advocates and NGOs believe obligations to refugees werent prioritised properly during the pandemic, and could have been.

The result of pausing the countrys refugee resettlement programme was that the quota was not met for three years, despite growing global need.

Thats lives at risk. Its people left in a war zone, its people left in refugee camps with Covid raging, through winters, the Greens Ghahraman says.

There have been calls to roll over the unused quota spots into subsequent years, especially as the refugee crisis escalates. But the Government has previously ruled this out, meaning come July 1, the counter resets to zero.

We dont think thats too much to ask in the face of the global crisis, she says.

But before this discussion can be had, questions needed to be asked about whether the country is in a position to meet its obligations in the coming year, the one ending June 2023.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Refugee advocate Guled Mire says he fears the Government will always find another excuse for failiing to meet its commitments to refugees.

At this rate, says refugee advocate and Fulbright scholar Guled Mire, the Government will again fail to meet its commitment to resettle 1500 refugees in the coming financial year.

For the past couple of years, New Zealand has had to look after its own. Now, with the borders open, things need to change, Mire says. If they dont, Ardern does not have the right to paint her government as kind and compassionate, when youve literally ignored the most vulnerable people in the world.

Mire says the Government has a plan for everything else, but not for how to fulfil its humanitarian obligations.

That is something that we need to be able to confront as a country, that is our reality, and we need to be able to live with that. Its an embarrassing one.

Work is happening in this area, with Immigration New Zealand this month announcing new community support providers for refugees arriving as part of the quota programme; as well as the establishment of an independent refugee policy advisory panel.

Cabinet recently agreed to settle 1500 refugees annually for the next three years from July 2022. And a refresh of New Zealands refugee and migrant resettlement strategy is currently underway.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

New Zealand needs to confront the fact its rhetoric on humanitarian issues and its actions dont match up.

However, Mire says the Government needs to do more. The Government needs to stop using Covid as an excuse. It has been a convenient excuse for two years.

It had been difficult to discuss the global refugee crisis while the borders were shut, and New Zealand was focussing on keeping Covid-19 out. But the situation had moved on.

The pandemic has only exacerbated the crisis, with now more than 100 million people considered refugees, he says.

Data from UNHCR shows refugee resettlement hit a record low in 2020, due to Covid-19, but the number of forcibly displaced people continued to rise.

Omar Haidari via Reuters/Screenshot from video

New Zealand has responded in an ad hoc way to recent humanitarian crises, including the situation in Afghanistan.

The number of forcibly displaced people worldwide rose towards 90m by the end last year, propelled by new waves of violence or protracted conflict in countries including Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In addition, the war in Ukraine has displaced 8m within the country this year, and more than 6m people have been recorded as fleeing from Ukraine.

Both Faafoi and Immigration New Zealands Whiteridge pointed to special efforts to resettle those facing some of the most immediate threats.

Last year, New Zealand offered residence, under a special policy, to about 1500 Afghan citizens who were at risk of harm due to their support for New Zealand activities. New Zealand did not make specific spaces for Afghan refugees when the Taliban took control, throwing the country into chaos.

STACY SQUIRES

Eugene Bidney's parents have fled Kyiv in the Ukraine and now he is desperate to get a temporary visa to bring his mum to New Zealand.

The Government also recently announced a special two-year visa that allows for Ukrainians based in New Zealand to bring in their immediate families. About 150 people have arrived in New Zealand under this visa category so far. To date, New Zealand has not received any Ukrainian refugee referrals from UNHCR.

And since 2016, 925 Syrian refugees have resettled in New Zealand.

Currently, New Zealands refugee quota allocation is split by 50% Asia Pacific, 20% Americas, 15% Middle East, and 15% Africa. Immigration New Zealand did not provide up-to-date information on whether those allocations are being met.

Aotearoa Resettled Community Coalition chief executive Abann Yor says its important to remember the New Zealand Government has been working within the constraints, and upon the advice, of UNHCR.

Going forward, Yor would like to see more done to restore the dignity and status of those who are resettled in New Zealand.

Their human rights needed to be returned, and their image restored, in order for these new residents to prosper, he says.

If we provide a healing process that will enable them to recover, to discover the reality of what New Zealand is offering them to rebuild their lives, this is what distinguishes our country and the rest of the world by returning people their rights.

Supplied

PM Jacinda Ardern appeared on The Late Show, and gave a speech at Harvard University, as part of her re-opening tour.

While there is more to be done for resettled communities in New Zealand, the broader aim is to prevent refugee numbers from growing, Yor says. Internationally, New Zealand should have a really clear truth, that its not OK to produce refugees around the world. Any kind of conflict in any form is not OK for humanity and the environment we live in.

This was a message sent by Ardern during her appearance on The Late Show in New York City this week.

Its not about size. Its about values, she told talk show host Stephen Colbert on the war in Ukraine, she said. And in these moments, standing together, regardless of whether youre on the other side of the world or not, and showing that this is not a conflict that were going to let happen in the shadows. We will speak up, we will speak against it, and stand together until it ends.

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New Zealand again falls short of meeting commitment to refugees - Stuff

WELLINGTON, New Zealand A further 30 New Zealand Defence Force personnel will deploy to the U.K. until the end of July to help train Ukrainian soldiers on the L119 towed 105mm light howitzer, New Zealands prime minister announced Monday.

There are very few armed forces that can provide this skill right now, Jacinda Ardern said, which is why New Zealand has been called upon.

Defence Minister Peeni Henare this week noted his participation in the Ukraine Contact Group a gathering of about 44 nations to coordinate aid to help Ukraine defend itself from Russias invasion, which began Feb. 24.

Chief of Defence Force Air Marshal Kevin Short said New Zealand expects to train about 230 Ukrainian troops. We think it would take at least a week for a gun crew to be trained, he noted.

At least 30 gun crews were expected to learn how to operate the gun, which is also operated by the British Army. Known as the M119 in the U.S., the gun has a range of more than 10 miles, and New Zealands military has used the weapon since the 1980s.

Defense analyst Gordon Crane said the training plans cross important policy thresholds.

In March, we introduced sanctions against Russia; last month, we sent a Hercules [aircraft] and provided funds for more weapons; this month, as well as artillery training, New Zealand is supplying gun sights and training ammunition, Crane said. This should strengthen our relationship with Washington. It shows New Zealand is moving in concert with its major allies in supporting Ukraine.

However, Crane pointed out that New Zealands Army has fewer than 5,000 regular personnel and that its collective readiness has declined as soldiers, together with Air Force and Navy personnel, have had to take on the task of managing the countrys COVID-19 isolation and quarantine policies in recent years.

As well as preventing staff from practicing their military roles, the emphasis on soft skills has sent attrition soaring at a time when recruitment is declining, he explained.

Probably the Hercules deployment could be extended another month or two, bearing in mind the [Royal New Zealand Air Force] has only five C-130s, all of them in service since the 1960s, he said. Our expertise is in niche areas, including explosive ordnance disposal. In terms of hardware, though, the NZDF is sparsely equipped, with fewer than 30 Javelin anti-tank missiles for example; there are no fast jets, no tanks, no [multiple launch rocket systems] or combat UAVs.

However, Kiwis are highly adaptable, and Wellingtons political support for Ukraine has only grown stronger, he added, using a term for New Zealand citizens. The impact of that resolve should not be underestimated.

Nick Lee-Frampton is the New Zealand correspondent for Defense News. In 1983, he emigrated to the country and began writing about aviation and defense for local publications. When not reading or writing, he walks for hours, rides a mountain bike and makes model aircraft.

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New Zealand to train Ukrainians on L119 howitzer - DefenseNews.com

The uncertainty over whether Jacinda Ardern might land a White House meeting and photo opportunity with US President Joe Biden was perhaps fitting, given the lack of clarity about one of their main topics of discussion.

On Monday in Tokyo Biden launched his Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). He was flanked by the three other leaders from the Quad alliance: Japan, India and Australia, whose new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was speedily sworn in so he could reach Tokyo in time.

Ardern joined by video and plans to discuss the IPEF directly with Biden in Washington next week, White House COVID rules permitting. But despite the high-profile launch, the IPEF remains an enigma, a high-level idea in search of substance.

We know it has four pillars: trade, supply chain resiliency, clean energy and decarbonisation, and tax and anti-corruption. We also know 13 countries have signed up: the Quad plus New Zealand, Brunei, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The next few months will be spent scoping the framework something youd expect might happen before countries opt in. But the lack of substance doesnt matter for now. The launch was symbolic, applauding US re-engagement with the Asia-Pacific (now rebranded Indo-Pacific) region.

That was the easy part. Actually bringing the IPEF to fruition faces major hurdles.

Most commentators have homed in on the geopolitical conundrum. The Indo-Pacific Strategy issued by the White House in February complained that:

[China] is combining its economic, diplomatic, military, and technological might as it pursues a sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific and seeks to become the worlds most influential power.

The US views the IPEF as the vehicle to reassert its economic primacy. And Australia and Japan are fully on board.

The IPEF gives Albanese an early opportunity to dispel election campaign suggestions he is soft on China, while distinguishing himself from his predecessor Scott Morrisons belligerence as trade tensions with China escalated.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is more cautious, especially about China. Bidens announcement was reportedly rewritten to launch collective discussions towards future negotiations, which leaves Indias options open.

Read more: New drives to counter China come with a major risk: throwing fuel on the Indo-Pacific arms race

Aotearoa New Zealand has a bigger dilemma. For years successive governments have sat on the fence, assuming they could divorce the countrys economic dependency on China from strategic alliances that were increasingly anti-China.

That dependency is now overwhelming, making the IPEFs overtly anti-China strategy a real economic liability.

Read more: ANZUS without NZ? Why the new security pact between Australia, the UK and US might not be all it seems

To have credibility, the US also needs broader buy-in from the region. Seven of the ten ASEAN countries have agreed to participate. But these are early days. Few will want to jeopardise their relationship with China for nothing tangible in return.

US unions have already targeted Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam for their poor human rights and labour records. They are hardly likely to accept US demands that they accept gold standard labour laws.

The second hurdle is US domestic politics. There is no question the IPEF will put America first. But internal US consultations reveal a battle between two camps on what this means.

The Democrats core labour and environment base has been promised a new trade model that prioritises workers, the environment and domestic communities ahead of US corporate profits.

Theyre rallying behind US Trade Representative Katherine Tai who is responsible for the trade pillar of the IPEF. Its broad scope includes the digital economy and emerging technology, labour commitments, the environment, trade facilitation, transparency and good regulatory practices, and corporate accountability.

These are all chapters in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), including the super-sensitive issue of cross-border data flows and data localisation. But Tais trade mandate excludes the domestically volatile issues of market access for goods, including agriculture, which is what most countries, including New Zealand, really want.

The US corporate lobby, on the other hand, wants to revive the tariff-cutting agenda of the TPPA, which Tai rejects as a 20th-century model that is not fit for purpose.

And corporate America wants to secure strong rules to protect Big Tech from new regulation, something that falls within Tais trade mandate. They seek a champion in Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who oversees the other three pillars.

During this weeks White House briefing on the IPEF, Tai made the administrations priorities crystal clear. While traditional stakeholders have to be part of the solution, she said, they will be

ensuring that other stakeholders, like our workers, like our environmental organisations, the ones who are the smartest about climate and the policy solutions that we need, that they have premier seats at the table and that they will be influencing and shaping the policies that we create.

Read more: With a new Australian government and foreign minister comes fresh hope for Australia-China relations

Of course, the IPEF may never be concluded. It has no bipartisan support in the US. Even if the Biden administration has the best of intentions, it cannot give an assurance that future administrations will maintain improved environmental and labour standards in the US or honour commitments to other countries taking part in IPEF.

The Biden White House wants to avoid putting the deal to a vote in Congress. But once it drags into the next presidential election cycle it risks falling into the abyss behind the TPPA.

Realistically, the IPEF is a pig in a poke. Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia need to take a deep breath and realistically assess the opportunities and threats from such an arrangement.

That means assessing it next to pressing challenges like the climate emergency, lessons from the pandemic, successive global financial crises, the largely unregulated private power of Big Tech, geopolitical rivalries in a multi-polar world, New Zealands obligations to Mori under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and more.

Then they must weigh up the options: stand aside from the negotiations, pursue alternative arrangements, or establish a clear, public negotiating mandate that would truly maximise the nations interests for the century ahead.

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New Zealand has just joined an overtly anti-China alliance are the economic risks worth it? - The Conversation Indonesia

Urban forests are attracting native birds back to New Zealands cities, helping residents foster a deeper connection with their feathery friends, and develop a greater interest in their protection.

New research published in the Journal of Animal Ecology found that restoring native forest in cities does indeed bring back native birds, while a Wellington council report in April 2021 found that Zealandia a 225 hectare urban eco-sanctuary 10 minutes from the city centre was having a measurable halo effect on native forest bird communities throughout the city.

But Wellington isnt the only urban centre to notice a boost in birds New Zealands Guardian readers shared their observations* from across the country.

Here are some of our favourites:

Here in tautahi Christchurch, the bird life has increased enormously due to the residential red zone. Over 1,500 acres of land here has got on with the business of pretty much re-wilding itself in the decade since the earthquakes. We are also fortunate to have Hagley Park, a 400 acre park in the centre of the city.

There has definitely been an increase in pwakawaka. I have also noticed more krearea (our native falcon), tauhou (waxeyes) and kerer. The cheeky chittering pwakawaka is one of my favourites. They are fearless of humans and dogs, flitting in and out wherever insects are disturbed for them to catch. Walking in the red zone they will follow us, mostly in pairs.

I try to make safe feeding spaces and use cat deterrents such as lemon peel. With building intensification in the suburbs of our city, I have observed many more cats around. Recently we were away for a week, since then the bird life in our back yard has gone. According to some friends, cats can take over when no people are around and the birds are all frightened off.Gina Payne, tautahi / Christchurch

I definitely feel there have been more birdies around in the past few years, which considering I live smack dab in the city I thought I was imagining things. My partner has sat bolt upright in the early hours of the morning swearing hes hearing a grey warbler when we would NEVER get these guys around here. Now its happening so frequently its a bit of a non event, which is saying a lot!

Its no longer remarkable to have up close encounters with formerly rare birds, which makes it harder to tell if things are improving or plateauing somewhat.

We think about bird life when considering planting new trees. Theres growing appreciation of the risks of feeding wild birds the wrong thing or even too much of the right thing, so providing them with a good mix of native plants seems the best way.Pochi Velasquez, tautahi / Christchurch

[There has been] a phenomenal increase in native birds since the arrival of Zealandia. Kk stomping round the deck rail, not even leaving when we go on to the deck; kk sitting on the rim of the outdoor spa pool eyeing up my soaking husbands pomegranate juice glass (good for his prostate) and eventually tipping down to insert its beak into the juice. Twice. And then he drank it my husband, that is.

Rat trapping is active in Wellington, with local coordination and reporting by volunteers. Many many people volunteer for Zealandia in their spare time its hard to get volunteers for other charitable activities!Frances Blyth, Pneke / Wellington

We live in a village in Rangitikei and our garden is full of birds t, kerer, pwakawaka, bellbirds, and the occasional kingfisher [ktare]. We often get khu drifting overhead.

In mid-summer we have a lot of old plum trees that get laden with fruit. The kerer came in groups of three or four, scoffing the fruit from the tops to the bottom. We have a jack russell who gets very excited about the prospects for dinner when a big fat kerer lands on an impossibly small twig just above her reach, fills up on fruit, gets pissed and flops off to another crash-landing among some more fruit-laden branches.Andy Maciver, Turakina, Rangitikei

I live on Waiheke Island, 35 mins from Auckland city by ferry. It has a high population density, with the population increasing year on year, putting greater strain on the natural environment. However, forest regeneration and pest eradication has a high level of local support. For this reason bird life has increased dramatically over the past years. Te Korowai o Waiheke is a scheme to make Waiheke the worlds first predator-free urban island. The first phase included ridding the island of European introduced mustelids, with the second phase being various rat eradication trails currently taking place. The removal of cats (both domestic and feral) from the island remains unspoken, but this too would need to take place to be truly predator free

We have been privileged to have a pteke regularly visit our garden. This native duck numbers less than 2,500, and is indeed rarer than a kiwi. Captive breeding has helped numbers increase, but as this guy is untagged, it means he is wild born and has relocated himself to the island. Another wonderful sign that predator control is working. He has an incredible character, extremely territorial despite being half the size hell run full speed across the garden to chase off any contender.Anonymous, Waiheke Island, Tmaki Makaurau / Auckland

The Orokonui eco-sanctuary near Dunedin has proved a haven for birds looking for a predator safe breeding area for the birds to expand across the city. I regularly see and hear bell birds, t [and] kerer.

Just at the top of my steps, the tops of my tree lucerne are at eye level, and its not unusual to have a couple of kerer contentedly feeding less than a metre to my front. Ill often look up and see passersby also enjoying the sight.Larry White, Wakari, tepoti / Dunedin

*Edited for length and clarity.

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I thought I was imagining things: New Zealand readers on close encounters with city birds - The Guardian

New Zealands longest running soap opera, Shortland Street, celebrates 30 years on screen this week. The hospital drama was the height of television drama when I was a young person, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said in 2019. Its always done the job of tracking big things happening in New Zealand society as well, and reflecting back to ourselves.

It has launched the careers of some of the countrys biggest stars: Temuera Morrison, Martin Henderson, Rose McIvor, KJ Apa, Karl Urban, to name a few. It has spawned household jokes and sayings (Youre not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata), developed cliffhangers involving incest, murder, scuppered weddings and shocking deaths, reinvented itself time and again to stay relevant, and unquestionably become part of New Zealands cultural fabric.

We want to hear from our New Zealand readers about what place Shorty holds in your heart. Are you a superfan? What is your fondest memory, or favourite episode and why? Do you remember first watching the show, and how it has changed over the years? How would you like to see Shortland Street develop over the next 30 years?

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Reader call-out: What are your best memories of New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street? - The Guardian

The price of a New Zealand passport has risen overnight as the border opens and more Kiwis begin to travel abroad.

A New Zealand passport. (Source: istock.com)

The price rose at 12am on Wednesday, from $191 to $199. A child's passport, which lasts five years compared to an adult's 10, went up by $4 to $115.

From there, the adult passport will rise to $206 from May 25 next year, and then up to $215 from May 25 2024.

A child's passport will go up to $120 in May next year, and $125 May 2024.

Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti said the rise was due to the decrease in demand caused by Covid.

"The passport system is designed to be entirely funded by passport fees, and while passport income has taken a significant hit, the fixed costs to run the service remain consistent so we have been advised a small increase is required."

"We appreciate any increase to costs at this time will pose a challenge to some families, but this outcome is the best balance between keeping the increase to a minimum and returning the passport service to full cost recovery."

The international border has re-opened in phases to various groups after being closed since early 2020 due to Covid.

It previously rose from $180 to $191 in 2019 to pay for the shortfall created by extending the passport life from five to 10 years, while a child's passport fee went up from $105 to $111.

New Zealanders have been warned recently about long waits for passports, as more than 500,000 passports expired during the border closure time period.

At the end of April the processing time had moved from 10 working days to about 22. The Government estimates it takes about one month to renew, replace or apply for a passport.

An Australian passport costs $329, a British passport costs $152, and a Canadian passport cost $191.42.

Continued here:

Price of New Zealand passport rises - 1News

Young New Zealanders are leaving in droves as borders reopen and economic conditions tighten at home.

The latest data from Stats NZ found that in the year to March, annual net migration was negative, with 7,300 more people leaving than entering. That loss marks a dramatic shift from early in the pandemic when border closures and the relative safety of Covid-free New Zealand prevented many from leaving. In the year to March 2020 there was a record net gain of 91,700.

Now, many New Zealanders particularly young professionals and graduates are heading off overseas once more. Some are driven by tough economic conditions in New Zealand, which is dealing with high inflation of 6.9%, housing unaffordability, and sky-high living costs: petrol, rents, mortgage interest rates and groceries are all on the rise.

Brad Olsen, Infometrics principal economist and director, said the latest figures demonstrate just how momentous really the shift has been in New Zealands migration outcomes, changing to a net loss from 50,000-60,000 annual net gains in the years leading up to the pandemic. Its a huge reversal and the first time weve seen those negative figures since the global financial crisis, the Christchurch earthquakes and the Australian mining boom all combined in the early 2010s.

Stats NZ, the governments data and statistics agency, said the losses were driven by young adults, with a particular increase in New Zealand citizens aged 18 to 27 leaving. With unemployment already at a low of 3.2%, economists say the loss of more of the workforce via migration could create ongoing labour shortages.

The difficulty finding workers is extreme around the country you have a smaller working age population than the year before, at a time when everyone is desperately calling out for workers. [It] really just exacerbates the pressures that businesses are under, Olsen said.

In April, government documents estimated that 50,000 people would leave over the next year but that the number could swell to 125,000 if the many young people who had delayed post-graduation trips during the pandemic left too.

Asked about those projected losses, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said that overseas trips were part of our history and a rite of passage for many New Zealanders, noting that she had spent time living in London. It has been part of our history as a nation to frequently have New Zealanders come and go as part of our overseas experience, building skills and talent.

Olsen said there were a mixture of contributing factors including pent-up demand from those who delayed leaving over the past two years, high living costs, housing unaffordability, and delays fully reopening New Zealands borders, which meant lower numbers of migrants coming in.

The rest is here:

More people leaving New Zealand than entering as young flee high cost of living - The Guardian