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Source: University of Auckland (UoA) NZ's medical technology innovation hub, Medtech-iQ Aotearoa holding showcase in heart of South Auckland. |
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| New Zealand's medical technology innovation hub, Medtech-iQ Aotearoa will hold an inaugural showcase in the heart of South Auckland this month. MedTech Explorer will be an interactive showcase of MedTech innovations – from life-saving medical devices and AI-powered diagnostics, to wearable health tech and digital solutions shaping the future of healthcare. The event will bring researchers, innovators and experts together with cutting-edge healthcare technology alongside South Auckland communities. Open to the public with free admission, the event will be held at the Fale in Māngere on 28 August. University of Auckland’s Strategic Partnership Lead of Auckland Bioengineering Institute Dr Diana Siew, co-leads the national Te Titoki Mataora | Medtech Research Translator programme, the foundation of Medtech-iQ Aotearoa. She also chairs the national stewardship group of Medtech-iQ Aotearoa. Her vision is to develop capability in NZ to create new medical technologies with a focus on health and equity. She aims for the Fale showcase to inspire young Pacific people and entrepreneurs to participate in the sector, highlighting opportunities for high-value jobs, supporting Pacific community health and encouraging the start of their own tech businesses. “It's important to meet the Pacific community in the heart of their neighbourhood. This is a such a wonderful opportunity to introduce Pacific youth to the wonders of the latest technology meeting the urgent demands of the health sector. “This event offers the community a unique look up-close, to not only learn the latest techniques and equipment available, but also to showcase to our young people possible career pathways about making a real difference to the lives of whānau and fri Health and Employment – Te Whatu Ora nurses begin local strikes on MondaySource: New Zealand Nurses Organisation
Exhausted Te Whatu Ora nurses will begin several local strikes on Monday in response to their concerns about staff shortages continuing to go unaddressed, NZNO says.
The actions by Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) members follow a 24-hour nationwide strike by more than 36,000 Te Whatu nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora on 30 July.
NZNO delegate and District Nurse Lesley Pook says North Shore District Nursing Service nurses will begin a week-long “uniform strike” on Monday 18 August.
“Instead of uniforms, we will wear T-shirts saying ‘Not Enough Nurses’. These are designed to prompt patients and members of the public to ask us about the conditions we work in.
“The North Shore District Nursing Service is short of six staff. That leaves 26 nurses to provide crucial community-based nursing such as complex wound care, intravenous medication management, cancer treatment support and palliative care.
“Being short-staffed means we have to ration care. We can’t see everyone when we need to and have to rush the appointments of those we can get to.”
Lesley Pook says without district nursing services, many more patients would need hospital-based care, putting further pressure on already stretched wards and emergency departments.
Meanwhile, nurses from two other regions go on strike next week to stop redeployment to other areas of their respective hospitals in order to fill staffing gaps caused by chronic shortages.
Cardiothoracic and Vascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) nurses at Auckland City Hospital and their colleagues from Ward 4 (Acute Surgical Services) at Whangarei Hospital undertake a “redeployment strike” 7am on Monday 18 August to 7am Saturday 23 August. This will enable these nurses to stay in their wards with their patients with CVICU patients in particular being very vulnerable.
NZNO Ward 4 delegate Chantelle Thompson says the strike involves NZNO members remaining at their places of work, leaving only for genuine Life Preserving Services, and focusing on the critically ill patients for whom they are trained to care.
“Nurses are currently sent to other areas that are short-staffed when required, but this often results in their own areas becoming understaffed. They are also sometimes seeing patients outside their areas with no orientation and are often unfamiliar with these patients.
“As the health system stands, it does nothing to enforce safe staff-to-patient ratios. This strike is about safe staffing and putting patient safety first,” Chantelle Thompson says.
Legal Issues – IHC welcomes Supreme Court decision confirming unfair detention for intellectually disabled manSource: IHC
IHC welcomes today’s Supreme Court decision that has confirmed the human rights of a man (‘J’) locked away for half of his life have been breached. J has an intellectual disability and autism, has been detained under the Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act since 2006. The Court of Appeal acknowledged J’s original offending in 2004 as minor, but ruled his ongoing secure detention was justified because multiple experts said he posed a high risk to the public if released. The original charge carried a maximum penalty of three months in prison or a $2000 fine, but due to his intellectual disabilities and autism, he was found unfit to stand trial. IHC joined the case, along with the Human Rights Commission, as intervenor in 2024 to assist the Court in understanding the rights of people with intellectual disabilities. IHC Director of Advocacy Tania Thomas says people with intellectual disabilities deserve appropriate support and the rights they are entitled to under the law – in the same manner that all New Zealanders should be treated. “This man has been treated unfairly under the law for too long,” says Tania. “This decision will ensure that more balanced considerations occur in future, and people like J will receive more appropriate care and support to be able to work towards release.” The Court’s new approach in determining how compulsory orders are considered prioritises the importance of each individual’s human rights alongside the seriousness of the offence and the community’s ongoing safety. IHC will continue to advocate for changes to the disability framework supporting people like J under this Act. Justice Issues – Sensible Sentencing Trust calls for minimum non-parole sentences for Coward’s PunchesSource: Sensible Sentencing Trust
15 August 2025 – The Sensible Sentencing Trust has today called on the Government to refresh its recent Cowards Punch law announcement with meaningful reform as had been achieved in multiple Australian States – rather than a tough-sounding headline with no actual teeth. SST National Spokesperson, Louise Parsons today said: “While we welcome the Government’s willingness to address the broad issue, the proposal to introduce a new Cowards Punch law is little more than a name change from ‘Manslaughter’ to ‘Coward’s Punch’ with no change to sentencing requirements. The maximum sentence for both is ‘Life’ which is of course never imposed. It is the sentence that matters, not what it’s called – and not what the irrelevant maximum sentence is.” “The glaring omission in the recent announcement, is the failure to propose a robust minimum non-parole sentence – which Sensible Sentencing Trust recomm Environment – ECAN study confirms Canterbury nitrate issue escalating – GreenpeaceSource: Greenpeace
Greenpeace Aotearoa is calling on Environment Canterbury (ECan) to put an end to dairy expansion on the plains, following new data that shows nitrate contamination worsening in the region.
ECan’s latest Annual Ground Water Quality Survey released this week shows that nitrate-nitrogen contamination is worsening across 62% of groundwater wells, while 18% show no change in contamination and 20% show a decrease, in sites where a ten-year trend can be established
“This data confirms what’s been clear for years: nitrate contamination is a worsening crisis for Canterbury. Everybody should have access to clean, safe drinking water, but for many Cantabrians, turning on the kitchen tap means worrying about getting sick,” says Greenpeace freshwater campaigner Will Appelbe.
“The ECan study directly acknowledges that the main source of nitrate contamination is intensive dairying and the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser. It points out that most affected communities are those ‘in areas around and downstream of intensive farming’.
“Despite the worsening freshwater crisis, ECan has given approval for a wave of dairy expansions across the region, which will devastate freshwater ecosystems and increase nitrate contamination of drinking water.”
Since the start of the year, Environment Canterbury has approved over a dozen resource consents for dairy expansions, enabling nearly 16,000 cattle to be added to the region’s dairy herd.
“Town supplies in Hinds, Darfield and Oxford have already exceeded 5 mg/L, levels of nitrate associated with an increased risk of cancer and pre-term birth. As nitrate levels increase, it’s only a matter of time before a baby in Canterbury is seriously harmed by Blue Baby Syndrome as a result of nitrate-contaminated drinking water,” says Appelbe. “This is a serious health issue that Environment Canterbury should be deeply concerned by.”
“It’s not too late to turn things around. If we reduce the number of dairy cows and phase out the use of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, we can restore water quality and ensure that everyone, no matter where they live, has access to clean, safe drinking water.
“Environment Canterbury is utterly failing in its responsibility to protect sources of drinking water. People across the region expect better, and are willing to stand up for safe drinking water. Candidates standing for the Canterbury Regional Council in the upcoming local elections must commit to clean drinking water for all, and to end the intensive dairy industry’s contamination of groundwater.”
Advocacy – National Day of Action for Palestine – Tomorrow – Saturday 16 August – PSNASource: Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA)
In more than 25 centres around the country, New Zealanders will be rallying and marching tomorrow in a National Day of Action for Palestine. (See event details below)
“We will be marching to demand our government sanction Israel and hold it to account for the mass starvation and ethnic cleansing in Gaza” says PSNA Co-Chair Maher Nazzal.
In the last 24 hours stories from Gaza have been headlined:
Gaza hunger “catastrophic” says UN The day Israeli settlers lynched two young men in the West Bank
“These horrific headlines are a direct result of western government failure – our government included”
“Prime Minister Luxon has just talked for 22 months while Palestinians have faced mass killing and mass starvation”
“Israel doesn’t take any notice of words – only action counts for this genocidal state”
“Without sanctions on Israel now, Luxon’s legacy will be complicity with genocide.”
All out for Gaza tomorrow!
Maher Nazzal Co-Chair PSNA
North Island National War Memorial awarded status of National Historic LandmarkSource: Ministry for Culture and Heritage
“I am delighted to announce that the National War Memorial at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park has been made a National Historic Landmark of Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Secretary for Culture and Heritage Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae.
“Receiving this recognition for our country’s National War Memorial is incredibly significant, and it is only the second place in New Zealand to receive Landmark status.
“The National War Memorial is central to Pukeahu and the story of Aotearoa New Zealand. It speaks to the service and sacrifice made by New Zealanders in efforts to create peace for the future.
“The Carillon Tower is currently being seismically strengthened so that it is preserved and protected for present and future generations of New Zealanders to enjoy,” says Leauanae.
The National Historic Landmark status is awarded by the Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage with support from Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga. The programme celebrates and safeguards our key national sites so everyone can appreciate their stories and significance for generations to come.
National Historic Landmarks are places of outstanding national heritage value that tell the stories of who we are as New Zealanders. “As the agency that administers the programme, we are proud to formally recognise the National War Memorial in this way. This status reflects the memorial’s profound significance to our national heritage, speaking to the sacrifice, resilience and evolving identity of our nation” says Chief Executive Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Andrew Coleman.
“This recognition is the result of a comprehensive and inclusive process, with strong stakeholder and public support from across the motu.
“We thank all those who took part in shaping this important decision – it’s a landmark moment, not just for the National War Memorial, but for the people of New Zealand,” says Coleman.
A formal dedication at the National War Memorial will be made when the building reopens after its seismic strengthening work is complete.
Notes
For more information about the National War Memorial, visit the Manatū Taonga website: https://www.mch.govt.nz/our-work/memorials-and-commemorations/pukeahu-national-war-memorial-park
Banking and Finance – ASB drops mortgage ratesSource: ASB
ASB has today reduced four of its fixed home lending rates, including some of its most popular terms. ASB’s Executive General Manager Personal Banking Adam Boyd says “We’ve got tens of thousands of customers due to refix onto lower rates in 2025, and we know any rate reduction is going to help these households, with savings they can put towards other important things. By Christmas, around 90% of customers holding a fixed home loan are likely to be on a rate less than 6%.” ASB also reduced some term deposit rates by between 5 and 15 basis points. All rate decreases are effective immediately.
Pay Equity – More pay equity specialist expertise to be lost in further betrayal on pay equitySource: PSA
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi says the Ministry of Education's proposal to disestablish its specialised pay equity team is yet another betrayal of women who need pay equity and goes to show how unworkable the current Government’s changes are.
The Ministry of Education proposal would disestablish 28 roles, citing the Government’s changes to pay equity legislation in May and what it describes as “evolving government priorities.”
“By disbanding the very team whose job it is to identify and fix this discrimination, the Government is sending a clear message that contrary to its assurances, addressing gender pay discrimination is simply not possible in New Zealand.
The PSA is calling on the Government to abandon the proposal and genuinely commit to ending gender-based pay under-valuation of work done by women.
“The Ministry’s pay equity team are specialist professionals with important expertise in supporting New Zealand women to resolve pay equity claims. The Government’s new unworkable pay equity regime has prohibited the workers covered by those cancelled claims from re-raising their claims and the direct impact on the pay equity team is they can no longer do their job.”
The pay equity team was actively working on critical claims affecting thousands of education workers, including specialist residential school workers represented by the PSA, teachers represented by NZEI and PPTA, and Ministry of Education employees in three separate NZEI claims.
“These cases represented genuine instances where predominantly female workforces have been systematically undervalued and underpaid compared to male-dominated roles of equivalent skill and responsibility.
“Gender-based under valuation doesn't vanish simply because the Government has stripped away workers' legal rights to pursue pay equity claims,” PSA national secretary Fitzsimons said. “The inequities that drove these claims remain as urgent today as they were before this Government changed the law.
“Specialist residential school workers, teachers, and Ministry employees are still doing the same valuable work they were before, and they still deserve fair pay that reflects the true value of their contributions. The Government should be working to resolve these inequities, not pretending they don't exist by dismantling the teams designed to address them.”
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.
Universities – Action urgent for Pacific region to survive and thrive – UoASource: University of Auckland (UoA)
Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland l |