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Gaza: Acute malnutrition in children under five at Save the Children clinics surges 10-fold in over four months of total siege

Source: Save the Children

“I pray that a truce happens, and they let in food before we die” – a girl supported through one of Save the Children’s child-friendly spaces
GAZA, 29 July 2025 – The number of children under-five with acute malnutrition seen at Save the Children’s Gaza clinics surged 10-fold in four months, the aid agency said, as child deaths due to starvation accelerate and the global humanitarian authority on hunger crises warned that famine is unfolding in Gaza. [1]
Of the 3,533 children Save the Children screened for malnutrition during the first half of July, 259 were admitted for treatment (7%) compared to 28 (1%) in March. The number of children admitted for treatment of malnutrition in the first two weeks of July is close to the total for the whole of June, a trend the aid agency’s staff working at its two primary healthcare centres described as dangerous and unprecedented. [2]
More than four in 10 pregnant and breastfeeding women – 43% – screened at Save the Children’s clinics so far in July were found to be malnourished, almost three times as many as in March when the Government of Israel’s imposed a total siege on Gaza. [3]
This data comes as the latest report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), found that “the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip”, with more than 70,000 cases of children under five and 17,000 cases of pregnant and breastfeeding women facing acute malnutrition across the Gaza Strip. [1]
So far 147 people, including 88 children, have reportedly died is due to malnutrition and starvation since October 2023, according to the Ministry of Health. According to the UN, at least 25 children died from malnutrition in July alone.
Save the Children staff said children they are supporting in child-friendly spaces are going for as long as two days with no food and fainting from a lack of energy. Mothers at mother and baby areas, designed to support caregivers of young children, arrive exhausted and in dire need of support.
Families are resorting to scavenging food from garbage. A Save the Children staff member spoke of children we assist in our child-friendly spaces outlining their wishes, saying: “A girl said: “I pray that a truce happens, and they let in food before we die.”
Aid groups – including Save the Children – have sounded the alarm for an urgent end to the siege and for the restoration of the full flow of food, clean water, medical supplies, and other aid through existing principled humanitarian UN-led channels.
Ahmad Alhendawi, Save the Children’s Regional Director for the Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa, said:
“Children in Gaza are starving to death before our eyes. We are seeing record rates of malnutrition after nearly five months of the Israeli government’s total siege on the entry of assistance. This is starvation of children by design. It is unconscionable that children are collapsing from hunger, wasting away before our eyes and wishing to die while tons of life-saving food and nutritional supplies that could reverse an entirely manmade crisis, wait just across the border or even within Gaza. All available evidence indicates that the Government of Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war.
“These children will not die if we are allowed to do our jobs. We can treat malnutrition. But without the supplies and conditions, we are powerless to save children from a condition we are able to prevent. An entire generation of children stand on the precipice. Every day without access means more children will die, and more children face the risk of irreversible harm that fundamentally undermines their futures. “The recent announcement of a so-called “pause” to allow a trickle of aid into Gaza has the potential to help but it is far from what is needed to bring Gaza’s children and their families back from the brink of death.
“Our clinics are doing all they can to treat the children we see, but the only way we can put an end to this mass starvation is through a definitive ceasefire and re-establishment of the conditions for the humanitarian system to work at full scale and pace as it is ready to do.”
Children are always the most vulnerable to immediate and long-term impacts of food crises and, without enough to eat and the right nutritional balance, they are at high risk of becoming acutely malnourished. 
Malnutrition can cause stunting, impede mental and physical development, and increase the risk of contracting deadly diseases.
Save the Children has been working in Gaza for decades. We are running two primary healthcare centres in Gaza, providing essential services to children, mothers, and families, including screening and treatment for malnutrition. 
We are ready to scale-up lifesaving aid alongside our partners. Our teams deliver water, run child-friendly spaces and mother and baby areas where pregnant and breastfeeding women can receive support on nutrition and infant feeding and psychosocial care. We also set up temporary learning centres to help children continue their education.  
Notes:
[2] Save the Children screened 2,640 children for malnutrition at our health centres in March, admitting 28 (1%) who were malnourished to our treatment programme. In July, as of the 17th, the aid agency screened 3,533 children and admitted 259 (7%). In June 6,297 were screened with 300 (5%) admitted.
[3] Of 747 pregnant and breastfeeding women screened in June, 323 (43%) were found to be malnourished. In March, it was 152 of 947 women screened (16%).
Screening children for acute malnutrition – which is also known as wasting – involves assessing their nutritional status by taking their weight, height, and measuring their mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) as well as looking for other indicators such as oedema or swelling. While a threat to the lives of young children, severe malnutrition can be treated, including by the use of fortified food. 
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Finance Sector – FinCap to launch report calling for controls on debt collectors

Source: FinCap

FinCap will launch its annual Voices report at Parliament on 31 July, at an event hosted by Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Scott Simpson.
The report will provide data on the circumstances of people seeking assistance from financial mentors to cope with debt and make recommendations, including controls on harassment and abuse by debt collectors.
What: Launch of the FinCap Voices report
Where: Beehive Theatrette, Parliament Buildings
When: 10am-11am, 31 July, 2025
The report will be available on our FinCap website following the launch.
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Rural News – Practical safety reforms welcome news for farmers – Federated Farmers

Source: Federated Farmers

Federated Farmers is welcoming new Government proposals to make farm health and safety rules more practical and grounded in real-world farming.
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today announced targeted consultation with farmers and the wider agriculture sector on health and safety rule changes.
Many of the proposed changes reflect what Federated Farmers and its members have been calling for, health and safety spokesperson David Birkett says .
“We’re really pleased the Minister has announced a raft of changes, and that she’ll be consulting directly with our sector to make sure any new rules are fit for the realities of farm life.
“This commitment to targeted consultation is a good sign farmers will be properly heard.”
Minister van Velden has announced the development of two new Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) – one on the roles and responsibilities in agriculture, and one on the safe use of farm vehicles and machinery.
“We’re very pleased to see WorkSafe will be developing an ACOP to provide clearer guidance on overlapping duties and PCBU responsibilities in agriculture.
“Farms are dynamic workplaces and we need greater clarity around who on the farm – whether it’s farmers, contractors or someone else – is responsible for particular health and safety duties, and how they can work together to manage risks.
“It’s also great to see movement on quad bike safety, because this is where most fatalities are happening. If we're going to reduce harm, that’s the place to start.”
The Minister confirmed the Government will strengthen the ACOP model so businesses that comply with them have confidence they’re meeting their legal duties.
“This is something we’ve been calling for, and it will give farmers clarity and confidence,” Birkett says.
“We're committed to working closely with WorkSafe throughout the process to make sure these codes are developed with farmers, not prescribed by Wellington bureaucrats.”
The Minister also announced a review of the rules around children carrying out light chores on family farms, such as feeding animals and watering plants.
“We strongly support clarification around what kinds of farm activities children can safely take part in,” Birkett says.
“Family farms are unique in that they are both a home and a workplace, and kids can learn a lot when they’re safely involved.”
Federated Farmers has worked closely with Minister van Velden since she first announced the health and safety review at the organisation’s Rural Advocacy Hub at Fieldays 2024.
Since then, the Minister has joined Federated Farmers for a national webinar and visited farmers to hear firsthand about the practical challenges they face.
“We’re proud to have played a meaningful role in helping get this reform process off the ground,” Birkett says.
“Farm safety is absolutely vital, but the rules need to be grounded in fairness, practicality and common sense.
“These proposals show we’re finally moving in the right direction, with clearer and more workable expectations for farmers.
“That said, we know there’s still work needed to lift the bar in our sector. Our priority now is helping farmers feel supported and confident to engage with health and safety in a way that genuinely reduces risk on-farm – not just ticks boxes.”
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Economy – Job decline continues, wages not growing with inflation – CTU

Source: NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi 

NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi President Richard Wagstaff has said that today’s release of labour market data shows the continued economic pain that is being felt by workers.

“This new data shows that unemployment is rising, wages are not keeping up with rising costs, and young people are bearing the brunt of the Government’s failure to protect jobs and grow the economy,” said Wagstaff.

“According to Stats NZ, the number of filled jobs was down 27,850 from this time last year and is down by more than 30,000 over two years. There are 10% fewer 15–19-year-olds in work than this time last year. The Government doesn’t have a plan to tackle unemployment.

“Total wages grew 1.2% last year. Inflation is currently 2.7%. We have had two years in a row where the minimum wage was cut in real terms, and the Government has cut the living wage from government contracts. Working people's pay isn’t keeping up with the cost of living, and there is no relief in sight.

“When we look at the data, there are 12,169 fewer people working in construction than this time last year, nearly 6,000 fewer in manufacturing and 5,000 fewer in professional, scientific, and technical services. It’s no wonder employment confidence is at near record lows.

“The government’s plan for the economy isn’t working and is only compounding the cost-of-living crisis for working people. They are delivering tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy, and spending cuts for everyone else.

“The longer that we leave unemployment to grow, the harder it will be to tackle.  It's time we had policies like fair pay agreements to help deliver the strong working conditions needed right now, and social insurance to support workers in transition. It’s time we had a government that cared for working people and their families,” said Wagstaff.

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Greenpeace: Governments must rise to the moment and vote in favour of a moratorium on deep sea mining

Source: Greenpeace

The 30th session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has ended with Greenpeace saying governments are continuing to fall short in protecting the deep sea.
While high-level representatives from Palau, France and Panama attended to rally the international community, Greenpeace is calling for greater efforts from more governments to put a legal barrier between mining machines and the deep ocean.
Upcoming ISA meetings must secure a moratorium and leave no room for rushed attempts to adopt a Mining Code. Recent developments have made it clear that outstanding political and scientific concerns cannot be hastily resolved under industry-driven pressure.
Louisa Casson, Campaigner, Greenpeace International who attended the meeting, says: “Governments have yet to rise to the moment. They remain disconnected from global concerns and the pressing need for courageous leadership to protect the deep ocean. We call on the international community to rise up and defend multilateralism against rogue actors like The Metals Company. Leaders must respond by establishing a moratorium and reaffirming that authority over the international seabed lies collectively with all States-for the benefit of humanity as a whole.”
Juressa Lee, Greenpeace Aotearoa seabed mining campaigner, says: “Deep sea mining is the latest form of colonisation and extraction. Pacific civil society is overwhelmingly opposed to deep sea mining and must not be ignored in the rush by companies and states based in the Global North to start plundering the ocean.”
While calls for a moratorium on deep sea mining have not yet gained global consensus, they continue to gain momentum, supported by compelling arguments from a diverse group of countries. Croatia has just become the 38th government calling for a precautionary pause, moratorium or ban on deep sea mining.
On Tuesday His Excellency Surangel S. Whipps Jr., President of the Republic of Palau, addressed the Assembly, drawing attention to persistent efforts and intense pressure from the industry to rush the negotiations and finalise a Mining Code. He stated: “Exploiting the seabed is not a necessity – it is a choice. And it is reckless. It is gambling with the future of Pacific Island children, who will inherit the dire consequences of decisions made far from their shores.”
In the first meeting of the ISA since The Metals Company (TMC) submitted the world’s first-ever application to commercially mine the international seabed, governments at the ISA Council responded by launching an investigation into whether mining contractors, including TMC’s subsidiaries Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. (NORI) and Tonga Offshore Mining Limited (TOML), are complying with contractual obligations to act in accordance with the international legal framework.
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Heathcare – NZ hosts first-of-its-kind course on life-saving heart technique that halves deaths

Source: Kia Manawanui Trust | The Heart of Aotearoa New Zealand

Patients are often told they are “in the best hands”, yet many New Zealanders with blocked arteries in the heart are treated using outdated techniques.
Most stents are guided into place using angiography – a decades-old imaging method that provides a 2D black-and-white image of the arteries, but offers little detail from inside the vessel itself. Although widely used, it leaves cardiologists making critical decisions without the full picture.
This week, 30 cardiologists from around New Zealand and Australia will attend a specific teaching course that certifies them in two cutting-edge cardiac imaging techniques – Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS). These techniques provide detailed 3D images from inside the coronary arteries, reducing the risk of thrombosis, and subsequent heart attacks and death.
The course is being hosted by The Heart of Aotearoa – The Kia Manawanui Trust, alongside the Transcontinental Coronary Imaging and Physiology Club (TCIP) and Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology (APSC) and is the first course of its kind to be offered in New Zealand and Australia.
The Heart of Aotearoa – The Kia Manawanui Trust Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says New Zealanders deserve access to the best-practice cardiac care, and this course is an important step toward delivering it.
“For years, our heart patients have had stents placed using a technique that is technically adequate, but not optimal.
“It is now clear that using IVUS or OCT imaging significantly improves patient outcomes and is strongly recommended internationally,” Ms Harding says.
“We have some of the best cardiologists in the world, and this course draws on their expertise to teach a technique that should become the gold standard in New Zealand.”
The evidence shows that using these imaging techniques leads to a 45 per cent reduction in cardiac death, she says.
“The data is clear – these imaging techniques reduce complications, improve outcomes, and lower the risk of death. We can’t ignore that.”
Trust Medical Director Dr Sarah Fairley – who is one of the course directors and a Wellington-based interventional cardiologist – says this training is an important moment for education in heart healthcare in New Zealand.
“This isn’t about showcasing novel technology – the aim is to share knowledge and provide colleagues with the training to use intravascular imaging with confidence, so they can deliver the best possible heart healthcare throughout Aotearoa.”
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Tech News – Ingram Micro Experience 2025 Set to Showcase New Zealand’s Technology Ecosystem

Source: Ingram Micro

1000+ technology leaders set to converge at the Auckland Showgrounds on 18 September

Auckland, New Zealand – 29 July 2025 – Ingram Micro, a business-to-business (B2B) platform company for the global technology ecosystem, is proud to announce Ingram Micro Experience 2025, a reimagined industry showcase that brings together all facets of the IT channel in New Zealand for a nationwide event. Held at the Auckland Showgrounds on 18 September 2025, Ingram Micro Experience will connect vendors, resellers, and solutions providers with opportunities to explore the future of technology.

Ingram Micro Experience 2025 is the evolution of Ingram Micro Showcase, which was a cornerstone IT industry event in New Zealand in previous years. With a focus on uniting channel partners to explore the future of technology, the theme of this year’s event is “Distributing Momentum”, introducing a new industry-led format bringing together all facets of Ingram Micro’s business and partners.

A New National Format, One Central Hub

For the first time, Ingram Micro Experience will be hosted in a single location – the Auckland Showgrounds. This consolidated format is designed to maximise reach, drive quality engagement, and encourage deeper collaboration between participants.

Now evolving as a global B2B platform business, Ingram Micro’s aim in the New Zealand market is to help partners do more, sell more and grow more.

“Ingram Micro Experience 2025 is all about bringing our industry together in one place to spark conversations, challenge assumptions, and accelerate what’s next,” said Leon De Suza, Managing Director, Ingram Micro New Zealand. “We’re creating an environment where our partners can connect with real purpose – whether it’s finding new solutions, sharing ideas, or simply being inspired.”

Themed Solutions Villages

The event will feature four dedicated Solution Villages across the exhibition floor; each aligned with key areas of growth and innovation in the channel:

·        Cloud and Cyber Security Village: Where scalable cloud services meet the evolving demands of secure digital infrastructure.
·        Infrastructure and Networking Village: Showcasing innovations in connectivity, edge computing, and network-as-a-service models.
·        Commercial and Consumer Village: A display of user-centric devices, peripherals, and collaboration solutions.
·        Specialty and Industry Solutions Village: A deep dive into tailored vertical offerings across education, healthcare, retail, and logistics.

Each village will include its own stage as part of the Solutions Festival – a new presentation format that offers more than 30 short, impactful sessions delivered directly by vendor partners. Designed to promote flexible learning and engagement, these talks will follow a “silent theatre” model, with attendees tuning in via provided headphones and using the event app to build their own personalised agendas.

Gaming Lounge and Industry Solutions Display

Ingram Micro Experience will also feature a Gaming Lounge, showcasing the latest products and experiences from leading gaming brands. Meanwhile, a series of dedicated industry solution displays will highlight how technology is transforming education, healthcare, hospitality, and retail with live demonstrations of real-world integrations and vendor offerings.

High-Quality Audience, Real-Time Connections

Ingram Micro expects 1,000 attendees, including a strong majority of resellers, vendors, staff and emerging talent from across the sector. All activations and presentations will be supported by real-time lead generation, using QR codes and the Ingram Micro Event App to drive connections between vendors and resellers both during and after the event.

“The power of this format is in its focus – we’re delivering meaningful exposure for vendors and building quality engagement opportunities at scale,” said De Suza. “Every interaction is designed to move the needle – to convert conversations into partnerships.”

Digital Integration and Expanded Reach

To amplify the event beyond the physical floor, the event will incorporate digital panels, branding and content packages, and offer full integration with the Ingram Micro Xvantage platform.

Participants will explore how to build customer-first, as-a-service business models and engage in conversations that position distributors as strategic advisors in the digital age.

“At Ingram Micro we are customer obsessed, we are a people-first business enabled by technology, but the human aspect of our business is what is most important. Ingram Micro Experience is all about creating human connection, connecting vendors, resellers, customers and local expert teams all under one roof,” added De Suza. “This type of event is an incubator for innovation driving scale for our resellers and better service for our customers. We’re excited to welcome partners, customers, vendors and resellers, new and old to be part of this shared journey at Ingram Micro Experience 2025.”

To join this day of discovery, innovation, and connection, register now at https://web.cvent.com/event/f31744b3-0bba-474f-a164-03161643e838/summary

About Ingram Micro
Ingram Micro is a leading technology company for the global information technology ecosystem. With the ability to reach nearly 90 per cent of the global population, we play a vital role in the worldwide IT sales channel, bringing products and services from technology manufacturers and cloud providers to a highly diversified base of business-to-business technology experts. Through Ingram Micro Xvantage™, our AI-powered digital platform, we offer what we believe to be the industry’s first comprehensive business-to-consumer-like experience, integrating hardware and cloud subscriptions, personalised recommendations, instant pricing, order tracking, and billing automation. We also provide a broad range of technology services, including financing, specialised marketing, and lifecycle management, as well as technical pre- and post-sales professional support. Learn more at www.ingrammicro.com.

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Politics – Luxon Govt tries to bring back the fax machine – Greenpeace

Source: Greenpeace

As the next step in its Trump-like climate denial, the Luxon Government is today planning to push a law through Parliament to end the ban on new offshore oil and gas exploration permits, via the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill.
“In the middle of the climate-amplified torrential rain pouring down onto our sodden country, the Prime Minister wants to bring back more fossil fuels that make climate change worse,” says Greenpeace Aotearoa Executive Director Dr. Russel Norman.
“This comes on top of his decision to give $200million to subsidise fossil fuel exploration as part of Budget 2025, in a desperate attempt to entice oil companies back here.
“It is like trying to bring back the fax machine – fossil fuels are already the most expensive form of electricity generation yet still Luxon is trying to revive this destructive industry.
“The Government should be building a clean, affordable energy future – not dragging New Zealand backwards into higher energy bills and climate chaos.
“Luxon is also jeopardizing New Zealand’s new trade agreements with the European Union and the United Kingdom. Ministry of Foreign Affairs advice confirmed that restarting oil and gas exploration was a likely breach of these agreements.
“We can have expensive fossil fuel subsidies, expensive electricity, expensive climate-fuelled flooding, expensive breaches of our trade agreements; or we can move on from the fossil fuel era. Luxon has chosen the former.
“Luxon can try to entice Big Oil back into Aotearoa with taxpayer funded subsidies,” said Dr Norman. “But people power in New Zealand kicked every single international oil giant trying to drill for deep sea oil out of our waters one by one, and we will do it again if they do come.
Greenpeace says the move also flies in the face of last week's historic International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, which reinforced states’ legal obligations to prevent climate harm, uphold human rights, and take international responsibility for cutting emissions.
“The International Court made it clear: governments must act to prevent climate damage and strengthen the legal grounds for climate-impacted communities to hold governments accountable.”
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Science – TDDA Q2 Imperans Report – State of Workplace Drug Use

Source: Botica Butler Raudon Partners for The Drug Detection Agency

Opioids and Amphetamines rising in New Zealand Workplaces

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, 29 July 2025 – The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA), New Zealand’s largest workplace drug testing provider, has released its Imperans Q2 2025 workplace drug findings. The data show New Zealand’s workplaces are seeing a rapid increase in opioid use, especially tramadol, and amphetamine-type substances (ATS) are driving regional spikes in positive tests.  

The Imperans Report provides New Zealand employers with an analysis of drug usage tr

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Health and Employment – Nurses strike to go ahead after failure to agree to safe staffing recruitment again – NZNO

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Tomorrow’s 24-strike by more than 36,000 Te Whatu Ora nurses, midwives, health care assistants and kaimahi hauora will go ahead after Health NZ failed again to agree to recruit to safe staffing levels, NZNO says.
Eleventh hour mediation was held yesterday between Te Whatu Ora and Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO).
NZNO Chief Executive Paul Goulter says there was no new offer from Te Whatu Ora to put to members.
“Disappointingly, Te Whatu Ora refused to meet our urgent claim to recruit into roles identified as being necessary for safe staffing.
“NZNO has raised concerns about chronic and ongoing staff shortages continually throughout the collective agreement bargaining process which began last September.”
Paul Goulter says NZNO members are adamant they are in this for the long haul, for the sake of their patients.
“This strike is just the beginning. At their request, members at Auckland City Hospital’s Cardiothoracic and Vascular Intensive Care Unit and Whangārei Base Hospital’s Ward 4 are balloting on a week-long redeployment strike next month. In Christchurch, also at their request, members are balloting on a two-hour full strike for workers in Theatre, Post-Anaesthetic Care Unit and Radiology at Christchurch Hospital.
“If Te Whatu Ora is committed to safe staffing, as it claims, it will ensure patients can get the care they need by ensuring there are enough nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and kaimahi hauora.
“If Te Whatu Ora truly values nurses, as it claims, it will ensure they are not under-staffed, under-resourced and overworked,” Paul Goulter says.
Notes:
  • The nationwide strike will be held from 9am on Wednesday 30 July until 9am on Thursday 31 July.
  • Details of localised strike day actions can be found on the NZNO Maranga Mai! website.
  • The strike will be a complete withdrawal of labour at every place in New Zealand where Te Whatu Ora provides health care or hospital care services.
  • Life preserving services will continue to be provided.