This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 7 media release snippets and 5 links of the day from Tuesday 12th May.
Top stories in the news cycle today include the Opposition saying the Government is overcharging on ACC levies and should pass cuts immediately, the New Zealand Defence Force training contingent arriving in Iraq, and a Government review into gun use following two hunting deaths on the weekend.
SNIPPETS OF THE DAY
Immigration Changes For Canterbury Rebuild:Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse today announced changes to immigration policy which will make it easier to recruit and retain migrant workers for the Canterbury rebuild. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment estimates that an additional 5000 construction workers will be needed between December 2014 and the peak of the rebuild in December 2016.
Dunne To Review Gun Use: Associate Conservation Minister Peter Dunne is urging the hunting community to keep gun safety at the forefront of their minds following two tragic fatal incidents during the weekend. The first involving a teen in the Bay of Plenty and the second a young man in the Central North Island were both the result of the (accidental) discharge of their weapons.
New RBNZ Home Lending Rules Tomorrow: Tomorrow’s six-monthly Financial Stability Report from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand looks certain to include new policy to tighten lending restrictions for Auckland property investors, with deputy governor Geoff Bascand the latest in the line-up of senior central bank officials to hint at the form those rules might take. Speaking to the Otago Daily Times yesterday, Bascand discussed the potential to make regionally targeted interventions to try to cool property markets judged to be overheated.
Over A Million Vaccine Doses Distributed: Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says more than one million doses of seasonal influenza vaccine have now been distributed. “This is the fourth year in a row where more than a million doses have been distributed,” says Dr Coleman. “New Zealanders are protecting themselves, their families and their communities from influenza.” “This year, the influenza immunisation was delayed globally a few weeks so that two new vaccine strains could be incorporated. “This will ensure New Zealanders are better protected this winter from the strains of influenza circulating around the world.
Online Voting Requirements: Councils now have the guidance they need to decide if they want to offer online voting at the 2016 local body elections. The Government has been looking into the feasibility of enabling local authorities to undertake an online voting trial in response to requests from councils, and a set of requirements for councils interested in undertaking a trial has been released today. “Local authorities must show they can meet these requirements before the Government can give the go-ahead to trial online voting,” Associate Minister of Local Government Louise Upston said.
Strategy For Ageing Population: An updated Health of Older People Strategy will be completed by the end of the year, Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says. The updated strategy will take into account changes to the health and disability support service sectors since 2002, the emerging challenges faced by the healthcare system and the development of a new Health Strategy. “The financial sustainability of our healthcare system is crucial. This is especially significant given our ageing population,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.
Bay Of Plenty Growth Study: The Bay of Plenty region and its industries could grow substantially thanks to its resource, population, location and climate advantages, a newly published report reveals. Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy today released the Bay of Plenty Regional Growth Study, which shows that the region has a number of natural advantages and is well placed to attract further investment, raise incomes and increase employment.
LINKS OF THE DAY
MORE NZ’s WITH QUALIFICATION: Nearly four in five New Zealanders have formal qualifications, according to new 2013 Census analysis released today by Statistics New Zealand. The proportion of people with formal qualifications increased to 79 percent in 2013 – up from 75 percent in 2006 and 72 percent in 2001.http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/qstats-education-training.aspx
GUEST NIGHTS RISE: National guest nights for March 2015 were 7.5 percent higher than in March 2014, Statistics New Zealand said today. This is the 12th consecutive month of rises. For more information about these statistics: http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/accommodation/AccommodationSurvey_HOTPMar15.aspx
GROWING BAY OF PLENTY: The Bay of Plenty region and its industries could grow substantially thanks to its resource, population, location and climate advantages, a newly published report reveals. For a copy of the Bay of Plenty study, visit: http://www.med.govt.nz/sectors-industries/regions-cities/research/regional-growth-studies/toi-moana-bay-of-plenty-regional-growth-study-opportunities-report
FIREARMS SAFETY: The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council (MSC) is urging hunters to load their firearms only when ready to fire, to unload when they have no game to fire at, and to always point firearms in a safe direction, following the tragic deaths of two young men in separate incidents this past weekend. For more information about firearms safety, including the Firearms Safety Code, tips, advice and resources, visit: www.mountainsafety.org.nz.
ANZ TRUCKOMETER: The ANZ Truckometer is a measure of economic activity using real-time traffic data. It is timely and contains hard activity data as opposed to measuring sentiment. Download the full report here: http://www.anz.co.nz/resources/a/2/a269571c-5ab9-45a4-8bf7-3bab85b9d7ae/ANZ-Truckometer-20150512.pdf
And that’s our sampling of the day that was on Tuesday 12th May 2015.
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