Katie Shepherd
Good relationship with America will continue with Obama as President
Honorary research fellow in political studies Joe Atkinson says nothing much would change in New Zealand if Obama was re-elected as president. “Our Government has a good relationship with the American Government and it’s getting warmer.” Atkinson says he would be concerned particularly in terms of foreign affairs if Romney won. “He sounds more belligerent than [...]
Battlegrounds to decide
Florida, a battleground state, will be very important for the outcome of the US election, say many people at Decision 2012 in Auckland. Kera Morris says it is close at the moment ultimately Obama will win. “The large city centres haven’t been counted yet.” Morris also says it will come down to Ohio as it [...]
Support for Obama strong in New Zealand
Auckland Mayor Len Brown’s chief press secretary Glyn Jones says Barack Obama clearly has a lot of support in New Zealand. “It seems a vast majority of New Zealanders love Obama. He’s a black president and also a Pacific president.” Jones says there will be less disruption for New Zealand in terms of fair [...]
Programme brings family fun to kids reading
Amid the controversy over national standards, a new programme has been launched to help children’s reading by highlighting the importance of reading as a family. Books and Brekkie was launched by the New Zealand Book Council as part of the Writers in Schools programme which has been running in schools across New Zealand since 1973. [...]
‘Thinking outside the cardboard box’ for homelessness
World Homeless Day celebrations took place around the world on October 10, including an event in our very own Aotea Square. Auckland Council put on the event to help highlight the issue of homelessness. “The invisibility of homelessness will be lifted when the needs of homeless people are highlighted,” says the event website. The World [...]
VIDEO: Coastal residents battle seabed mining
A lobby group which helps coastal residents voice their opinions is concerned about the environmental impacts of seabed mining. Seabed mining is proposed primarily for the west coasts of the North and South islands, with smaller sites on eastern and southern coasts. Seabed mining involves extracting minerals and resources from the sea floor and focuses [...]
Fishers to speak out together to improve quotas
Recreational fishers will finally have the opportunity to speak with one voice about protecting their fish stocks in the face of the powerful commercial fishing lobby. A national meeting is to be held in Nelson in February next year. It will provide a platform for recreational fishers to make their case for improved quotas and [...]
Asset sales – The logic behind partial asset sales and mixed ownership models
Even people who oppose the sale of state-owned assets on political or economic grounds will admit to considering investing themselves. Adam Speakman, a 24-year-old software developer, is one such potential investor. Speakman thinks the sales are a bad idea for the country overall, but says since he is going to invest his money somewhere anyway, [...]
Waitakere walking tracks closed to protect kauri from killer disease
Some walking tracks through the Waitakere Ranges will be closed indefinitely from July 1 to help stop the spread of the disease kauri dieback. The closures are part of the Keep Kauri Standing programme. The tracks will be reassessed in a year to see if they can be reopened. Principal biosecurity advisor for the Auckland [...]
Campaign launched to encourage drivers to think at high-risk intersections
A campaign asking drivers to think at intersections has been launched by Auckland Transport and the police, following a successful red light campaign. A number of billboards have already been placed at high-risk intersections around Auckland and radio advertisements will follow Police presence at intersections is also part of the campaign. The red light campaign [...]
‘Sabotage attempt’ by councillors on Waterfront Theatre unsuccessful
A group of Auckland councillors, led by Christine Fletcher and Cameron Brewer, was unsuccessful in its attempt to get ratepayer funding pulled from the city’s Waterfront Theatre project this week. The councillors, mainly from the Citizens and Ratepayers ticket, presented an alternative, draft long-term plan budget at the council’s strategy and finance meeting on Wednesday. [...]
Cyclists happier out west after safety measures installed
New safety measures for West Auckland cyclists should see more people getting on their bikes, says Cycle Action Auckland. Cyclists have been calling for changes to cycle lanes out west for more than a year. Solid rubber kerbs and flexible bollards have now been added along the high-risk cycle lane on Massey’s Triangle Rd and [...]
Subsidy cut on buses will hurt poorer students, says AUSM
Rising bus fares and a reduction in Auckand’s student discount will make life even harder, say AUT’s student union. Fares for public transport around Auckland increased between 10 and 90 cents per ride on April 29. Changes included a reduction in the student discount from 40 per cent to 38 per cent, to help recover [...]
Waterfront theatre a ‘fantastic addition’ to Wynyard Quarter
The Auckland Theatre Company plans to enhance life after five in the Wynyard Quarter by opening a 600-seat theatre. Work on the building is expected to begin in August or September and should take 18 months to build, according to the ATC website. Waterfront Auckland media advisor Luke Henshall says the theatre will encourage more [...]
Retailers buy into knife safety campaign
A large number of retailers are supporting the Ministry of Justice’s voluntary campaign which promotes the safe storage, display and sale of knives. Ministry of Justice adviser Eden Green says the collaborative campaign between government and retailers is doing something for the social good. Knife crime in New Zealand is decreasing, but a preventative campaign [...]
Trials give thumbs-up to double-deckers for nothern busway
Initial trials have been done to ensure Auckland’s Northern Busway can support double-decker commuter buses. If all goes to plan, the bigger buses will increase passenger capacity by 40 per cent and increase efficiency and convenience for commuters. Ritchies buses that currently use the busway have a licence to carry 51 seated and 30 standing [...]
Mourners marching for the Maui’s dolphin head for John Key’s office
A funeral march for the world’s rarest dolphin, the Maui’s dolphin, is taking place in Kumeu today. The march, a last-ditch effort to save the critically endangered mammals, will begin at Kumeu Arts Centre at 10.30am and finish at Prime Minister John Key’s electorate office on Main Rd in Kumeu. At the end of the [...]
Auckland teenage twins set stunning record on Hillary trail
VIDEO: Thirteen-year-old Auckland twins Ashley and Claire Thomson have run the Hillary Trail that connects regional parks in West Auckland in less than a day – setting a stunning record as they did it. The trail, named after Sir Edmund Hillary, covers 75km from Arataki Visitors Centre in Titirangi to Motutara Rd in Muriwai through Huia, [...]
Surf safety message appears to be sinking in
The number of drownings at New Zealand beaches during summer is close to half what it was last year and it appears the message is finally getting through to swimmers, say lifesavers. The national drowning toll sits at 24 compared to 42 at the same time last year, according to Water Safety New Zealand’s [...]
The Pacific Media Centre
- FIJI: New boss at free-to-air TV channel
- NZ: Data journalism key for future journalists, says HK editor
- REGION: PMW airs its track record as Pacific media and protest case study
- GLOBAL: Turkey's ‘woman in red’, protest and the Pacific media
- NZ: MediaWorks into receivership - but 'business as usual', says director
Pacific.Scoop
- Islanders crucial to change media reporting, say Pacific journalists
- Key to Pacific success – get an education, says laureate Wendt
- New Aiga challenge kicks off to boost healthy Pasifika community
- Filmmaker tells of no-dialogue Islands experience in Film Raro festival
- PNG’s expanded death penalty law draws heavy criticism
