Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Save the Children New Zealand

Protection measures for girls need to be intensified across flood-affected areas of Nepal amid growing concerns over trafficking, violence, exploitation and child marriage one month after the country's devastating floods, Save the Children said.

Uncertainty over permanent housing and livelihoods is putting girls at risk one month after the flash flood that killed at least 1,400 people with about 5,700 still missing. [1].

About 1,000 people remain in communal holding centres, where girls have reported concerns about privacy and safety due to the movement of unfamiliar people through shared spaces. Some girls are living in tents in camps on the periphery of towns with inadequate lighting at night, creating a safety risk. Other families have moved into rented rooms, often far away from their communities.

Save the Children is working alongside local authorities and partners to strengthen protection measures in displacement sites, including increased monitoring and surveillance, awareness raising on gender-based violence and child marriage, and expanding access to psychosocial support and case management services for children and their families.

The organisation is also supporting police at checkpoints to identify and respond to signs of trafficking and exploitation affecting children, adolescents and women, helping ensure those at risk are connected to social protection services and specialist support.

Weakened community protection due to displacement as well as the loss of education, livelihoods and incomes is compounding the risks for girls in Nepal where more than a third of girls are married as children, according to the 2021 census. [2].

Girls married as children are more likely to leave school, experience early pregnancy, face restrictions on their decision-making, and experience multiple forms of gender-based violence throughout their lives.

Trafficking is also seen as a risk in Nepal. More than 11,500 women and girls were reported missing to police between 2024 and 2025, with nearly one in four remaining untraced, according to the National Human Rights Commission. Information from trafficking survivors indicates that 41% were trafficked for prostitution and more than a third – 37% – were girls. [3].

Tara Chettry, Country Director, Save the Children in Nepal, said:

“One month on, thousands of children are living with the impacts of that torrential wall of water and debris. The waters have gone, but fear and uncertainty remain.

“Girls are telling us they do not feel safe at displacement sites, while many children are grieving the loss of parents and loved ones. Others remain out of school, and every day out of class is a protection risk.

“Adolescent girls are often among the first to lose access to education and among the last to regain it. Protecting their rights, safety and opportunities must remain central to the response and recovery.

“These risks do not emerge from the disaster alone. They are shaped by existing gender inequalities, unequal access to resources and decision-making, and social norms that often place a disproportionate burden on girls and women during crises.”

Girls who assume increased caregiving responsibilities often face pressure to prioritise unpaid care work over education and extended periods out of school reduce the likelihood of re-enrolment. Combined with displacement and loss of income, this can increase risks of child marriage, exploitation and other forms of gender-based violence.

Sukmaya-, 18, volunteers with Save the Children and leads play-based activities for children alongside psychosocial counsellors who are supporting her and others who have been displaced. Sukmaya-'s mother and sisters were killed when the floods tore through her village.

Sukmaya- said: “If school reopened, we could study again and meet our friends. Being back in school would help us move forward.”

Save the Children has so far reached more than 7,500 people, including about 2,300 children, with emergency assistance and support.

Save the Children has worked in Nepal since 1976. The organisation runs programmes spanning child protection, child rights governance, education, climate change, gender equality, health and nutrition and child poverty.

New Zealanders wanting to donate to Save the Children's emergency response in Nepal can do so here.

Photos of the destruction and response

About Save the Children NZ

Save the Children works in 100 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.

Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.

Captions

• CH11661100_Buildings surrounded by mud and debris after flash floods swept through the area.JPG – Buildings surrounded by mud and debris after flash floods swept through the area.
• CH11661088_Save the Children staff prepare to distribute emergency supplies for flood-affected families in Nepal.jpg – Save the Children staff prepare to distribute emergency supplies for flood-affected families in Nepal.
• CH262512_A child colours a drawing of a strawberry at a Child Friendly Space in Nuwakot (1).jpg – A child colours a drawing of a strawberry at a Child Friendly Space in Nuwakot.

Source: Greenpeace Aotearoa

Greenpeace activists are occupying a New Zealand state-owned research vessel in Wellington this morning. The Tangaroa has just finished deep sea mineral exploration work for an American company, Glomar, that is vying to start mining in the Pacific as soon as 2027.

An activist dressed as US President Donald Trump, flew an American flag from the Earth Sciences (formerly NIWA) vessel. Another activist held a banner reading “Don’t Mine the Moana”.

The protest highlights the role New Zealand is playing in Trump’s attempts to bypass international law and expedite deep sea mining in the Pacific, despite international resistance to the practice starting. Activists sent a clear message on the protest: New Zealand must not be complicit in Trump's minerals grab. Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Juressa Lee says:

“It’s disturbing to see this vessel, which is owned by our government, being used to further American imperialism in the Pacific where resistance to this new form of extraction is strong,” says Lee.

“If deep sea mining is allowed to go ahead it will strip the seafloor, risking irreversible damage to the ocean we all rely on, to supply minerals for Trump’s war machine. Pacific Peoples are at the frontline of this fight, and deep sea mining puts their way of life and cultural heritage at risk. It must not be allowed to start.

“While the rest of the world is still debating if deep sea mining should even be allowed to go ahead, Trump has gone rogue. He’s decided that the US will just start mining regardless of international laws, and the rights and interests of the communities who rely on the ocean. New Zealand must not be complicit in this.”

The Tangaroa has just returned from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the international waters of the Pacific, where it surveyed deep sea minerals. The research was carried out on behalf of UK Seabed Resources Ltd (UKSR), a wholly-owned subsidiary of US corporate entity Glomar Minerals, Inc., that has made clear its intentions to begin commercial exploitation of the seafloor in 2027.

Glomar has said that the mineral nodule sampling done onboard the Tangaroa will feed into securing critical mineral supply chains for the US. In April 2025, Trump issued an Executive Order to fast-track commercial deep sea mining in US and international waters. Earlier this year the US government launched Project Vault, an initiative to secure a global supply chain and stockpile a reserve of minerals for military and industrial purposes.

The expedition comes as the US administration is preparing to issue unilateral commercial permits for seafloor minerals. It’s a move that bypasses the International Seabed Authority (ISA) where UN member states are negotiating the regulations that will guide deep sea mining.

Chris Williams, Glomar CEO, has publicly stated that seabed mining “is likely to proceed regardless” of international negotiations. Now, using data gathered by the Tangaroa, Glomar seems set to apply for a US commercial exploitation permit. The Pacific region overwhelmingly rejects deep sea mining, with 46 countries worldwide including New Zealand supporting an international moratorium.

Says Lee: “The New Zealand Government seems to be aligning with Trump’s imperialist extractive agenda, instead of standing with our Pacific neighbours. From negotiating a minerals deal so Trump can stockpile NZ minerals for weapons, to co-funding a port in the Cook Islands with the US, to sending our state-owned assets to work for a rogue industry working to exploit the last wilderness on the planet, our government is cozying up to this rogue and destructive regime.

“We had to call it out and call it what it is: NZ being a US puppet.”

The Tangaroa is no stranger to protest. In 2015 Greenpeace activists occupied the vessel in protest of its use by the international oil industry to survey the waters of Aotearoa for deep sea oil drilling. “We have a long history of taking action when our government has chosen to back international polluters over our oceans. Fair warning to them, we will not stand by while they make us complicit in US imperialism and this new wave of colonial extraction”, says Lee.

Over 100,000 New Zealanders have signed an open letter to Winston Peters calling for him to support a global ban on deep sea mining, joining millions around the world who oppose it. In 2022 the Government announced support for a conditional global moratorium on deep sea mining.

Photos and video

Source: Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa

Too general and highly fragmented – that’s the verdict from Sexual Wellbeing Aotearoa on the new health and physical education curriculum.

Chief executive Jackie Edmond says she’s disappointed how matters related to relationships and sexuality education are positioned in the new health curriculum. She says some of the issues identified in the earlier draft of the curriculum have been carried through into the new curriculum, particularly the fragmented nature of the information.

“The comprehensive nature of relationships and sexuality education (RSE) has been lost in the new curriculum. An effective RSE curriculum reflects young people’s lives and is relevant to the world in which they live,” Ms Edmond says. “For example, the new curriculum fails to show how the physical, emotional and social dimensions of RSE are deeply interconnected. Evidence shows that effective relationships and sexuality education weaves these factors together – making sense and giving context to these issues rather than treating them as standalone, unrelated concepts. Some key topics, like gender and sexual orientation, are still missing or barely addressed.

“We are also concerned that many of the introduction of relevant topics, such as consent, are too vague in terms of how they relate to sexual and reproductive health issues. The new curriculum spreads sexual and reproductive health topics in particular across Science and Health learning areas, mismatching the year levels that each topic is taught at, which is confusing for young people and fails to capture the topics comprehensively.”

For example:

• Menstruation is explained in the context of pubertal change, including common symptoms associated with periods, in Year 6 Health education, but the details of the menstrual cycle are not covered until Year 8 Biology. It is not clear in the curriculum how to link this knowledge together.
• Basic education around Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is first mentioned in the health curriculum in Year 10, explaining that they can be transmitted through sexual contact and can affect various body systems. Young people are then being taught the detail about transmission in general in Year 9 Biology, without specifying the link to STIs. Again, it is not clear how to link this knowledge together.

Ms Edmond says foundational areas of RSE are not clearly specified and therefore run the risk of being missed out altogether. This includes teaching the anatomically correct names and functions of the genitals and understanding gender identity and distinguishing it from biological sex.

“Young people have been clear that they want relationships and sexuality education. Failing to include meaningful, comprehensible information on these critical and highly relevant topics puts their health and wellbeing at risk. By fragmenting the content across different parts of the curriculum, critical opportunities to integrate the information are lost,” Ms Edmond says.

Source: Napier City Council

Kennedy Park Resort is a Council-owned facility that has been a popular holiday venue for nearly 90 years. It is a significant contributor to Napier's visitor economy and Napier City Council wants to make it even better.

As we work to become more financially sustainable and reduce pressure on ratepayers, we looked at Kennedy Park Resort's financial viability and long-term future. While it operates at a loss, it could succeed as a commercial business run by a specialist operator.

We invited proposals to purchase the resort’s assets and operations and to lease the land for up to 30 years, bringing in income to Council. This process identified a preferred purchaser with the experience and expertise needed to operate and grow the business: holiday resort company Hampshire (NZ) Limited.

We believe Kennedy Park Resort would be in better hands with a commercial holiday park operator. A specialist operator has the know-how to make it profitable and an even better place to stay.

At its heart, this is about balancing two important goals: protecting and enhancing a much-loved destination and ensuring Council can be financially sustainable and focus on delivering essential services. We believe this proposal will help us reach those goals.

Regardless of the outcome of this proposal, Kennedy Park Resort will remain open and ready to welcome customers.

Read the full details and have your say.

Here are the options being proposed

We want to know if you agree with our preferred option, to sell Kennedy Park Resort and lease the land. Regardless of the outcome, Kennedy Park Resort remains open for business and is ready to welcome current and new customers.

Option 1 (preferred)

Sell Kennedy Park Resort’s operating assets to Hampshire (NZ) Limited, keeping ownership of the land, which will be leased to Hampshire for a maximum term of 30 years.

Read more about option 1.

Option 2: Status quo

Council does not enter into an agreement with Hampshire. Council keeps the ownership and management of Kennedy Park Resort.

Read more about option 2.

Option 3: Operating in partnership with a commercial operator

Council does not enter into a lease agreement with Hampshire and seeks a partnership model with an external provider to operate Kennedy Park Resort.

Read more about option 3.

Drop in and chat to us

Come along to Kennedy Park Resort to ask questions of Council representatives and get help making a submission.

Monday 12 October 12pm-2pm, Kennedy Park Resort

Source: Hayley Brooks and Jeff Brooks

• ‘The A to Z of Money’ was co-written by father daughter duo Hayley Brooks and the late Jeff Brooks
• The book won Bronze in the People’s Choice – Product 2025 category at the 2025 AusMumpreneur Awards.
• Research commissioned by the Ecstra Foundation found that 57 per cent of parents said their child was not learning about money concepts at school

With Australian parents and teachers overwhelmingly calling for greater financial education in schools, father-and-daughter authors Hayley Brooks and the late Jeff Brooks wanted to help children get a head start with their award-winning book, The A-Z of Money.

Designed as a simple and engaging introduction to finance for young children, The A-Z of Money takes readers through the fundamentals of money and entrepreneurship in an accessible format aimed at what its creators call the next generation of “tiny entrepreneurs”.

Illustrated by Trent Lambert, the book addresses increasing concern about how well Australian children are being prepared to manage money.

Research commissioned by the Ecstra Foundation and conducted by YouGov in March 2025 surveyed 2,123 Australian teachers, parents and students. It found 98 per cent of teachers and 97 per cent of parents agreed financial education should be taught in schools. Yet 57 per cent of parents said their child was either not learning about money concepts at school, or they did not know whether they were.

The same research found 95 per cent of teachers, 98 per cent of parents and 93 per cent of students believe learning about money and finance is important.

Almost three-quarters of teachers and more than two-thirds of parents also said financial education had become even more important over the previous 12 months amid cost-of-living pressures, inflation and economic uncertainty, increasingly complex financial systems, digital transactions, and the influence of social media.

The father-daughter team recognised a gap in children's financial education and wanted to create a resource that could introduce financial concepts early, long before children ever have to make decisions about spending, saving, and managing money.

Hayley brought a different generational perspective to the project. Her career in real estate and experience building her own property portfolio reinforced the value of understanding money and investing from an early age.

Says Hayley, “Financial literacy is one of those life skills that can have an enormous impact on a person's future, yet too many people don't start learning about money until they're already having to make important financial decisions.”

“We wanted to help change that by making conversations about money simple, engaging and accessible for children from an early age.”

Published by Little Steps Publishing, the 56-page children's book is aimed at children aged three and over and uses an A-to-Z format to introduce the basics of finance.

The A-Z of Money is available on Amazon Australia.

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

An announcement of 380 additional nurses, midwives and health care assistants for hospitals around the country at the end of winter is too little too late, NZNO says.

Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says chief nurse Nadine Gray’s comments this morning that Te Whatu Ora has listened to nurses rings hollow.

“It’s a shame they have only decided to listen now. These new health workers are an acknowledgement by Te Whatu Ora of the immense pressure our nurses, midwives and health care assistants have been under.

“They have been warning Te Whatu Ora for two years that chronic and deliberate short staffing is putting their patients at risk.

“In the meantime, nurses have struggled through the worst influenza outbreak in a decade, overcrowding in our hospitals and hours – and sometimes days – long waits in emergency departments. It should not have come to this.

“But any additional health care workers is good news for patients.”

Te Whatu Ora and the Coalition Government continue to claim they have hired 2100 more nurses, but Health Minister Simeon Brown has admitted just 54 new FTE nurses have been added to the hospitals since they came to office, Kerri Nuku says.

“This is partly because of a Government-imposed recruitment freeze designed to save millions of dollars which kept 1300 nursing roles vacant over the past two years.

“NZNO calls on Te Whatu Ora to fast track the hiring of this additional staff. Te Whatu Ora has been deliberately slowing down recruitment with the use of regional panels to approve vacancies. This has meant it can take up to six months in high-needs, understaffed wards such as neonatal units to bring new staff on.

“NZNO hopes today’s announcement means these panels will no longer be used to slow down recruitment, and these nurses, midwives and health care assistants will be on the floor at our hospitals as soon as possible,” she says.

“Te Whatu Ora has said this an annual calculation and decision, so it is surprising they called a media conference to announce business as usual.”

NZNO supports nurse-to-patient ratios, which is why NZNO fought to have methodology included in our most recent collective agreement, Kerri Nuku says, and this work is now underway.

Source: Office of the Ombudsman

Statement from Chief Ombudsman John Allen

“I have this morning met with the Secretary for Education, Ellen MacGregor-Reid, and the Public Service Commissioner, Sir Brian Roche, to discuss allegations of attempts to circumvent the Official Information Act at the Ministry of Education.

“It would not be appropriate to talk about the details of our discussion other than to say I have advised Ms MacGregor-Reid that I will be conducting a formal investigation into the allegations.

“I aim to complete my investigation as soon as possible but speed will not be at the expense of thoroughness.”

Source: National Emergency Management Agency

New Zealanders’ emergency preparedness is at a five-year high, but more than half have done nothing to prepare for an emergency in the past year, according to a new survey from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

NEMA’s Director General Dave Gawn says the 2026 results from its annual Emergency Preparedness Survey are frustrating, because many people are choosing to leave everything to chance.

“Everyone needs an emergency plan. We’ve seen too many disasters in recent years to count on getting lucky.

“In the immediate aftermath of a big event, it’s chaos. Transport and communication links could be down, families could find themselves separated with no way to get in touch, older or disabled people could be at home alone – and of course, your pets will need you too.

“Emergency services simply won’t have the time or resource to help you, because they’ll be flat out helping those in immediate danger. The reality is, for the first hours or even days, you and your family could be on your own.

“There is a widespread belief that Civil Defence is a standing army who will materialise in an emergency. That standing army is you and your community.”

“When disaster strikes, what you need more than anything is a plan – and those are completely free of charge. Your emergency supplies will be useful later.”

Nearly all the survey respondents (89%) said they believe it’s important for their household to be self-sufficient for several days in the event of a large emergency. However, less than half have taken steps in the past year to get prepared, and only 40 per cent have regular discussions about emergency preparation with other people in their household.

“The survey found that once again, cost is cited as the biggest barrier preventing people from preparing, but sitting down and making a plan is completely free.

“Put simply: plan now, shop later.”

Dave Gawn says being prepared for emergencies is everyone’s business, because when a big emergency happens, everyone needs to do their part.

“We live in a beautiful country with amazing landscapes, and some very powerful hazards,” Dave Gawn says.

“Living alongside these hazards means being ready for what could happen – and that applies to everyone.

“Whānau and communities are at the heart of everything we do, and we want to make sure that everyone’s ready to do their best on Aotearoa New Zealand’s worst day.”

Read the Survey report here: National Emergency Management Agency Emergency Preparedness Survey 2026

Source: Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi

The PSA is calling Health NZ’s decision to hire 380 new nurses nationwide a sign of a panicking government, not a meaningful solution to the chronic underfunding across Aotearoa’s public healthcare system.

“Although health workers will welcome any new hires into their massively overstretched teams, 380 nurses nationwide is a drop in the bucket when it comes to current vacancies,” Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi national secretary, Fleur Fitzsimons, says.

“We know, for example, that there are around 70 vacancies just in the Counties Manukau district in South Auckland. There are 35 vacancies at the secure unit of Mason Clinic, also in Auckland.

“Allied health and administration teams across the country are carrying massive vacancies. There are dozens of data and digital roles still unfilled everywhere.

“All of these vacancies must be filled for New Zealand to have the fully functional public healthcare system we all want and deserve.

“The PSA and other health unions have been ringing alarm bells about widespread vacancies causing stress, burnout and a poorer level of care for years now.

“Frankly, this announcement is the sign of a government and health minister panicking 43 days out from an election, when they will be held to account by New Zealanders for running our health system into the ground.”

The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.