This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 6 media release snippets and 3 links of the day from Monday 8th June.
Top stories in the current news cycle include two public service stories: the time being taken by Immigration New Zealand to consider residency status for a young boy with Williams syndrome, a non-hereditary genetic condition, when the rest of his family are citizens or have residency, and information on the agencies that spend the most on pay TV subscriptions – a story dismissed as sensationalism by the Prime Minister at his press conference this afternoon, with the added comment that access to media is a “function of the world we operate in”.
PM’s PRESS CONFERENCE
The press conference this afternoon ranged across the following issues and topics of the day: Euthanasia and possible scenarios within Parliament for any legislative movement; the situation faced by families in poverty who struggle to heat their homes alongside the topic of warrants of fitness for rentals; delays in the passage of the Health and Safety Reform Bill – with later reference to industrial accidents in the Quarry industry; the issue of usage of medical marijuana; the fate of Relationships Aotearoa; and whether the Prime Minister and the Minister for Maori Affairs have spoken about Maori Television after departures of editorial staff (un-related note: Mr Key is scheduled to appear on Native Affairs tonight) and questions about first refusal fishhooks in the Government’s Auckland housing plan.
SNIPPETS OF THE DAY
Woodhouse in Switzerland: Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse has travelled to Geneva, Switzerland to represent the New Zealand Government at this year’s International Labour Conference on 8-9 June 2015.
Fonterra coy (from Businessdesk): Fonterra Cooperative Group won’t confirm consulting firm McKinsey & Co is participating in a review of management performance at the world’s largest dairy exporter, even though its shareholders’ council has praised the appointment.
Call to make grants available: The Green Party is calling on the Government to make non-recoverable grants to families struggling with power bills this winter, to help prevent more children becoming sick from cold, damp homes.
Older Student Numbers Plummet: The national student union NZUSA and Grey Power say a crash in the number of older New Zealanders studying shows the Government’s discriminatory cuts to student support are turning off prospective learners in their droves.
IRD selects preferred software supplier: The Inland Revenue Department has selected Fast Enterprises as the preferred software supplier for its $1 billion-plus ‘business transformation’ which will replace its ageing information technology system as part of a complete overhaul of the tax agency’s operations.
Funding boost to close data gap: An investment of over $1 million a year will close a critical gap in New Zealand’s financial information, Statistics Minister Craig Foss says. Budget 2015 includes $5.75 million over the next four years for Statistics New Zealand’s Financial Flows and Balance Sheets project — a joint initiative with Treasury and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
LINKS OF THE DAY
TELECOMMUNICATIONS REPORT: The latest Manawatū Economic Monitor report highlights stable economic growth in the Manawatū region despite a further reduction in the Fonterra milk payout price for the current season. The Commerce Commission has today released its latest annual telecommunications monitoring report analysing the state of New Zealand’s telecommunications markets. Telecommunications Commissioner Dr Stephen Gale said the past 17 months had been particularly eventful for the industry, with mergers, acquisitions, spectrum sales and the arrival of a slew of content streaming services. You can access the report here:
http://www.comcom.govt.nz/regulated-industries/telecommunications/monitoring-reports-and-studies/monitoring-reports/
FIX OUR FUTURE: Youth climate group Generation Zero reeled in more than 4,600 submissions on the Government’s post-2020 climate change target through their ‘Fix Our Future’ campaign. Generation Zero’s full organisational submission, which expands on the themes on the Fix Our Future website, can be downloaded here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ke9nbujegfppyvy/Climate%20Change%20Contribution%20Consultation%20-%20Generation%20Zero%20submission.pdf?dl0
DOORWAY OPEN: Doorway Property Management, a social enterprise initiative of the Housing Call to Action, has opened a service with a difference in west Auckland this week. Doorway Property Management’s services include finding tenants, inspections, flexible tailored packages, collecting rent, resolving arrears and managing day to day property maintenance. The Housing Call to Action is a group of professionals who work in the housing sector and see the implications of Auckland’s housing crisis every day. The group has produced many practical projects which aim to address the issues, such as the Warrent of Fitness for rentals, Spotlight on Housing Week and now the Doorway Property Management service. The initiative’s website is http://www.doorwayproperty.co.nz
And that’s our sampling of the day that was on Monday 8th June 2015.
Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>
