This edition of NewsRoom_Digest contains 4 media release snippets and 6 links of the day from Thursday 4th June.
Top stories in the current news cycle include coverage of the impact of record rainfall in Dunedin, two education sector stories – results from the first year at four charters schools and a report from the NZ Initiative think-tank about poor mathematics achievement – and concerns about whether the prospect of a housing construction ‘boom’ in Auckland Could be undermined by a lack of quality builders. SNIPPETS OF THE DAY
Green Party: Warrant of Fitness For Houses Needed: The Government must introduce a Warrant of Fitness for all houses in New Zealand, starting with state houses, following the release of a coroner’s report which linked the death of an Auckland toddler to the living conditions in her family’s Housing New Zealand home, the Green Party said today.
Auckland House Sales And Prices On the Rise: Auckland house sales and prices continued to rise in May as the property market in the country’s biggest city soaked up an increased number of new listings, according to real estate agency Barfoot & Thompson.
School Decile Review Announcement: Schools that have applied for a review of their decile recalculation will be advised of the outcome over the next ten days. Deputy Secretary for Student Achievement, Dr Graham Stoop, says 160 schools asked for a review following last year’s recalculation.
Green Party: Inaction On Climate Change: Local governments throughout New Zealand will have to pick up the ongoing cost of National’s inaction on climate change, the Green Party said today. “The flooding in Dunedin highlights that the National Government needs to stop being the problem and start being part of the solution on climate change,” Green Party local government spokesperson Eugenie Sage said.
LINKS OF THE DAY
LACK OF MATH UNDERSTANDING AT PRIMARY SCHOOL: A new report about primary school maths achievement highlights concerns about professional training and development that teachers have been flagging the need for, for a long time. Download the report here: http://nzinitiative.org.nz/site/nzinitiative/files/Unaccountable%20Web.pdf
A HOUSING WIN: The University of Otago’s He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme in Wellington has received a $4,943,710 five-year grant in the latest round of funding from the Health Research Council. Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman and her team of 28 researchers will use the money to run six trials aimed at lifting housing standards to improve children’s health. Read more about the work of the programme here:http://www.healthyhousing.org.nz/
AUCKLAND HOUSING ACCORD REPORT: Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Mayor Len Brown have today welcomed the release of the latest Auckland Housing Accord monitoring report, which marks the halfway point of the three-year agreement between the Government and the council to address the city’s housing supply and affordability challenge. Further information on the Auckland Housing Accord is available from:www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/ratesbuildingproperty/housingsupply/ Pages/aucklandhousingaccord.aspx.
BUILDING UP: Building activity was worth almost $3.9 billion in the March 2015 quarter, up nearly 10 percent on the March 2014 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today. For more information about these statistics: http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/Construction/ValueOfBuildingWork_HOTPMar15qtr.aspx
DIGITAL DISRUPTION: In a new report out today Pricewaterhouse Coopers is forecasting “ups and downs in the New Zealand media and entertainment sector over the next four years punctuated by disruptive digital technology”. You can straight to PwC’s Outlook here: http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/global-entertainment-media-outlook/index.jhtml
TEENS TO BENEFIT FROM DOCUMENTARY: As the Documentary Edge Film Festival opens in the Capital, Human Rights Commissioner Jackie Blue says New Zealand teenagers would benefit from watching ‘Waiting for August’. Film details: http://documentaryedge.org.nz/2015-programme/film/waiting-for-august
And that’s our sampling of the day that was on Thursday 4th June 2015.
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