This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 5 media release snippets and links for the day of Wednesday 24th June.
Top stories in the current news cycle – and at Parliament – include a raft of questions being put over the estimated $11 million spent on businessman Hamood Al Khalaf’s sheep farm in Saudi Arabia, more reactions to the situation of the two boys who were put on trial for the killing of West Auckland dairy owner Arun Kumar (one being convicted of manslaughter, the other acquitted), and assurances from Airways New Zealand that yesterday’s radar system failure is not likely to be repeated.
SNIPPETS OF THE DAY
* Politics
Safety And Well-Being For Children: Child Youth and Family (CYF) investigations into the safety of children should be mandatory in domestic violence cases involving families with children, the Green Party said today. The Greens’ call comes after two high profile judicial decisions this week – the coronial inquiry into the deaths of Bradley and Ellen Livingstone and the verdict in the trial of the West Auckland boys charged with the death of Arun Kumar.
Extended Youth Services: Social Development Minister Anne Tolley has introduced a bill extending the Youth Service to 19 year old parents and other 18 and 19 year olds at risk of long term welfare dependence.
* Business
Air New Zealand Earning And Shares Gain: Air New Zealand, the national carrier, expects annual earnings to rise by as much as 60 percent, with benign trading conditions continuing into the second half of the year. The shares gained 2.2 percent to $2.58 in today’s trading.
Shares Jump After Rebel Internet Provider Pulls Out: Sky Network Television and Spark New Zealand shares gained after the consortium of telecommunications companies and broadcasters cut a deal with rebel internet service providers, effectively blocking Kiwis from accessing global content in breach of the firms’ local rights.
* Primary Industries
Manuka Honey Definition: New Zealand’s lack of definition for what constitutes manuka honey has overseas regulators worried about forgeries, with China likely to introduce a certification scheme for the honey imports, the Ministry for Primary Industries is telling the country’s beekeepers.
LINKS OF THE DAY
NZ SEA LION ENDANGERED: The Sea Lion Trust is warning the Government to act now so that the animals don’t become a poster species for marine extinction after the International Union for Conservation of Nature has changed the threat classification for the New Zealand Sea Lion from vulnerable to endangered. See the IUCN’s Red List here:http://www.iucn.org/news_homepage/?21561/Conservation-successes-overshadowed-by-more-species-declines–IUCN-Red-List-update
AUCKLAND RENTAL PRICES BOILING WHILE CHRISTCHURCH COOLS: As rent increases slow in much of the country, Auckland is forging its own path with the median weekly rent reaching yet another high, up to $490 per week for May. Rents in Auckland have increased by 6.5 per cent in the year to May 2015, ahead of the national increase of 6.3 per cent. Read more: http://www.trademe.co.nz/property/price-index/for-rent/may-2015/
UNION SUPPORTS CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER LAW BUT WORKERS LIFE MAIN PRIORITY: Corporate manslaughter law is vital to ensure justice is done when workers are killed on the job, but it’s far more important that workers can stay safe, healthy and alive, says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union. Click here to see tourism statistics: http://www.med.govt.nz/about-us/publications/publications-by-topic/tourism-publications/key-tourism-statistics
U.S LIKELY TO FORCE PACE ON TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP : The United States is likely to try and force the pace of negotiations to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership in the next few weeks, following a vote in the US Senate last night that all but ensures President Barack Obama will gain so-called ‘fast track’ authority to complete the controversial agreement. More on this story click here: http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/us-likely-to-force-pace-on-tpp-with-fast-track-in-place/
MORE ROAD SAFETY INFO FOR VISITING DRIVERS: Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss is welcoming an initiative to provide road safety messages to every visitor from China travelling on a general visitor visa. Read more here: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/more-road-safety-info-visiting-drivers
NEW ZEALAND IS OUR PLACE TO VOLUNTEER: National Volunteer Week (NVW) (21 – 27 June) is in full swing volunteers and the place volunteering has in Aotearoa New Zealand’s communities is celebrated. For more information about VNZ, National Volunteer Week, or to find a volunteer opportunity go tohttp://www.volunteeringnz.org.nz
And that’s our sampling of the day that was on Wednesday 24th June 2015.
Brought to EveningReport by Newsroom Digest. –]]>
