Posts

Posted on

Education – From resettlement training to online learning: Open Polytechnic celebrates 80 years of helping New Zealand’s workforce

Source: Open Polytechnic

Open Polytechnic turns 80 this year, celebrating its history of providing hundreds of thousands of Kiwis access to career-focussed, flexible distance learning wherever they live.
“Since 1946 we have been helping learners from all over Aotearoa New Zealand change their lives through access to flexible distance learning,” says Open Polytechnic Chief Executive Sharon Cooke.
“Over its 80-year history, Open Polytechnic has continually evolved to meet the changing vocational learning needs of New Zealand’s workforce.”
Open Polytechnic has gone from enrolling 615 learners in 1946 to 40,000 today, with 73% of learners studying while working and 97% studying part-time.
Graduates include industry leaders and business owners who have made the most of studying with New Zealand’s leading flexible online learning provider to advance or change their careers.
Well-known landscape designer Bayley LuuTomes changed careers from advertising to horticulture more than a decade ago and has never looked back.
He worked as a gardener in Wellington, before enrolling in Open Polytechnic’s National Certificate in Horticulture (Level 4) which he completed in 2012.
Since then, Bayley has run his own business for the past decade, Bayley LuuTomes Design and travels the world from his Christchurch base designing gardens.
In recent years, he has also appeared on My Green Dream Home TV show and worked with Open Polytechnic Academic Staff Member in floristry Megan Parker on The Welcome Garden at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. One of many international shows he has exhibited at.
“Studying through Open Polytechnic gave me the foundation and confidence to pursue a career in landscape design,” Bayley says.
“When I enrolled, I could never have imagined that my career would one day take me onto international stages, television screens, and award-winning projects around the world.”
Waikato-based Sabine Lang used her New Zealand Certificate in Business (Small Business) (Level 4) to help set up her own gluten-free bakery called Lang’s Little Bakery in 2023.
“I could’ve never pulled off starting or running my own business without the knowledge I gained during the programme,” Sabine says.
“It has not only given me the knowledge, but also the confidence.”
The family business is going so well that it has hired two additional staff and is looking to expand its operation from a food trailer to a bakery shop and cafe in Cambridge in the Waikato soon.
Taking her career to new heights, Open Polytechnic graduate Hana Whaanga (Ngāti Rakaipaaka) is now a nominated member of the Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA) national board.
Hana graduated from Open Polytechnic with a Bachelor of Library and Information Studies (BLIS) in 2023 and works as a Learning and Discovery Librarian at the Hastings District Libraries, where she has been for the past nine years.
“Having my Open Polytechnic tohu (qualification) makes me feel incredibly proud of the work I've done to date in and for this field. I am most proud of the depth of relationships that I have developed and nurtured over time and this whanaungatanga (sense of connection) is what I value overall,” Hana says.
History of Open Polytechnic
Open Polytechnic began life as the Technical Correspondence School under its first principal Dr John Nicol, opening on 1 July 1946, providing distance learning from its home base in Wellington.
Its role was to provide resettlement training, predominantly in trades and farming subjects, for returned servicemen and women following World War 2.
Courses in these early years covered farming, motor mechanics, engineering, agriculture, horticulture, surveying, electrics, plumbing, textiles and more.
Under 1990 tertiary education reforms, The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand name was introduced, resulting in a fundamental change to the organisation’s role as an education provider for learners anywhere in New Zealand.
With this change, Open Polytechnic became the specialist national provider of open and distance learning at tertiary level.
The education reforms meant that the Open Polytechnic was able to start offering degrees, with the first graduate of its Bachelor of Business in 1995.
Fast forward to 2026 and Open Polytechnic offers more than 100 qualifications and 1,000 courses from certificate to diploma and degree level and is one of the oldest distance learning institutions in the world.
Degrees at Open Polytechnic are now offered in accountancy and business, applied management, psychology, communication, information technology, information & library studies, social health and wellbeing, social work, engineering technology, and early childhood education. Open Polytechnic also offers certificates and diplomas in construction management, engineering, business and small business, psychology, information technology, health and wellbeing, legal executive and real estate, pharmacy, education and financial services.
About Open Polytechnic
Open Polytechnic is New Zealand’s largest specialist provider of open and distance learning; Open Polytechnic enrols over 40,000 mainly part-time learners per year. The majority of learners are adult learners, combining work and study.
Posted on

NZ Minerals Council – Let reality rule

Source: New Zealand Minerals Council

Advancing the Conservation Amendment Bill has become a contest that we hope reality wins, says New Zealand Minerals Council chief executive Josie Vidal.
“What began as an overdue plan to modernise law to make it more workable for tourism, so that visitors could contribute to maintaining the conservation areas they use, turned into a political football,” Vidal says.
“A misinformation campaign with flaming red maps shouting that 60 percent of the conservation estate was going to be sold and/or dug up spread through social media without any real evidence, but rather a very loose interpretation of what the bill might make possible. In reality we all know that no New Zealand Government would get public agreement to sell off vast tracts of conservation land.
“The groups behind this campaign were jumping the shark to try and derail the parliamentary process they are also part of. That is, submitting to and appearing before the Environment Committee considering this bill so that it can be changed and/or improved as it progresses.
“Their actions to force a section of the bill to be removed threatens to undermine the tried and true process. We hope it hasn’t been derailed completely. We must maintain order in law making.
“We give a dose of reality in our submission on the bill and present the facts as responsible users of the conservation estate. Mining companies make significant contributions to pest and predator control and improving conservation outcomes with money and resources not always accessible by the Department of Conservation.
“Reality is:
– Stakeholders were consulted by the Department of Conservation over many years about this modernisation, including what it intended, and equally importantly, what it didn’t intend.
– The mining industry is a small, but important client of the Department of Conservation with permission to access the conservation estate given on a case-by-case basis. We are not seeking to change that.
– Mining to-date has impacted just 0.04 percent of the vast conservation estate. There are no plans to buy and mine swathes of the conservation estate; it makes no economic sense.
– It is possible to balance economic imperatives with positive environmental outcomes.
“We hope the Government holds its course to modernise outdated conservation laws. We believe all stakeholders continue to have opportunities through this process to give their views and make their cases.
“We also believe stakeholders have the same end goal; our truly precious conservation land is preserved and there are adequate funds to maintain it. Those funds are not unlimited.
“We urge all stakeholders to respect the process and it is our sincere hope the select committee, and the bill, are allowed to work through the prescribed process without any more fantasy scenarios.”
Posted on

Appointments – The Co-operative Bank elects new director and reports annual results at AGM

Source: The Co-operative Bank

The Co-operative Bank has reported its FY26 annual results and announced at its AGM last night that customer-shareholders had elected experienced financial services executive Nick Astwick to its Board.
The customer-owned bank reported a profit before rebates and tax of $11.1 million and maintained a total capital ratio of 18.5%, the highest among New Zealand-registered banks, providing a strong buffer to support customers, help protect depositors and enable continued investment through economic cycles.
Chief Executive Mark Wilkshire said FY26 was focused on addressing what customers said mattered most while strengthening the Bank for the future.
“This year we reduced fees, simplified products, improved digital capability through the launch of digital wallets, and lifted service consistency,” Mr Wilkshire said.
“Customers have responded positively to these changes, with growth in customer deposits, savings funds and home lending during the year. We're seeing customers choose to do more of their banking with us.”
Last month, The Co-operative Bank returned a further $1.2 million to eligible customer-shareholders through its rebate profit-sharing model, taking the total amount returned to customers since the initiative began in 2013 to $25 million.
“Profit sharing is a clear demonstration of our customer-owned model in action. When we do well, our customers do well. We reinvest what we need to strengthen the Co-operative and improve services, then return the balance to our customers,” he said.
The Bank also delivered an estimated $2.3 million in annual customer savings through fee reductions and removals introduced during the year, alongside continued investment in digital tools and simpler banking products.
FY26 highlights included:
– Revenue of $101 million.
– 8.5% growth in savings funds.
– 3.4% growth in customer deposits.
– 3% growth in home loan lending.
– Maintaining the number one ranking in the Consumer NZ Banking Survey for the fifth consecutive year.
At the AGM, it was also announced that customers had voted to elect Nick Astwick as a director.
Mr Astwick brings more than 20 years’ experience across banking, insurance, investment management and other highly regulated sectors. He is currently Chief Executive Officer of Southern Cross Health Society and has extensive experience leading large customer-owned and member-based organisations.
Chair Brett Sutton said Mr Astwick's experience will be a valuable addition to the Board.
“Nick brings extensive leadership experience across customer-focused organisations, deep knowledge of financial services and a strong understanding of co-operative and member-based business models. We are delighted to welcome him to the Board.”
Posted on

Climate News – Earth Sciences New Zealand’s Seasonal Climate Outlook for July to September 2026

Source: Earth Sciences

Highlights: El Niño conditions have now been confirmed in the tropical Pacific, according to Earth Sciences New Zealand criteria. The event remains in its early stages.

* There is an 80% likelihood for El Niño to reach or exceed strong intensity during the July-September period; impacts on New Zealand's weather are expected to become more pronounced as the season progresses, peaking in intensity over the 2026-27 summer (for more information: https://earthsciences.nz/news/el-nino-declared-expected-to-intensify-into-one-of-the-strongest-on-record)
* Rainfall is likely to be near normal or below normal for the north and east of the South Island, and the east of the North Island. Rainfall is most likely to be below normal for the remainder of the North Island. The west of the South Island is likely to see above normal rainfall.
* Air temperatures are equally likely to be near or above average nationwide, though cold snaps and frosts are expected. Increasingly windy and variable conditions are anticipated later in winter and into spring as El Niño signals strengthen.
* Two lower-probability factors remain under active monitoring: Sudden Stratospheric Warming events, which have become more frequent in recent years, and the remote possibility of an out-of-season tropical cyclone, historically associated only with El Niño years.
Posted on

Economy – $4.5b hole in National’s KiwiSaver policy would mean more public service cuts – PSA

Source: PSA

PSA analysis shows National failed to tell the whole story of KiwiSaver promise.
National’s policy to make KiwiSaver compulsory and increase employee and employer contributions to 6% would result in $4.5b of unfunded extra costs that government organisations and funded sector providers would have to meet from existing budgets.
New PSA analysis shows National’s policy only allows for the cost of bringing workers who currently are not in KiwiSaver into the scheme, not the cost of increased employer contributions for existing workers, leaving a $4.5b funding hole (see attached analysis).
The PSA is New Zealand’s largest union, representing workers across the public sector and funded sector.
“The PSA has consistently supported higher employer contributions to workers’ KiwiSaver, but it shouldn’t mean more cuts to public services, and this is exactly what our analysis shows is inevitable to plug the hole,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“National has not been upfront with New Zealanders about the true cost of its KiwiSaver election promise.
“National’s KiwiSaver policy does not provide the funding publicly funded organisations would need foot the bill. Its policy factsheet implies that government organisations would need to find the money out of their existing budgets.
“Public services have already faced deep cuts under this government as it ploughed money into tax cuts for landlords, business and big tobacco. There is no $4.5b money pot just sitting around to fund KiwiSaver contributions.
“This is not chicken feed – $4.5 billion is around 80% of the entire spending on Defence in the current financial year.
“National’s $4.5b funding hole would mean even more cuts to public services and more job losses in the public service, health and education. And that’s on top of the 9,000 jobs National is promising to cut over the next three years if re-elected.
“That’s why we need to change the Government – we can’t afford another three years of a Coalition hell bent on cutting the public services New Zealanders rely on.
“As the election approaches, voters need honest answers on this policy – National must go back to the drawing board and present a KiwiSaver policy that doesn’t boost savings at the expense of public services,” said Fitzsimons.
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.
Posted on

Advocacy – ACT party leader David Seymour’s “crocodile tears” for hypothetical children at protest in Wellington toy shop

Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

1 July 2026 – PSNA is accusing ACT Party leader David Seymour of crying “crocodile tears” for children who may have been present at a Palestine solidarity protest at a toy store in Wellington this afternoon.

Seymour was launching a policy on toy safety. Video of the protest is here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/protesters-disrupt-david-seymour-announcement-in-toyworld-store-police-called/7E5SMVNHXBACDFFF2RLZFLJJFI/

Seymour’s Senior Private Secretary Rachel Beauchamp wrote to PSNA immediately after the protest to complain that if children had been at the toy store it could have been “frightening and distressing” for them.

“We disagree” says PSNA National Spokesperson Rinad Tamimi. “The problem here is not hypothetical children who could have been upset.”

“The real problem is Palestinian children Israel is targeting and killing in Occupied Gaza and the West Bank, with not a murmur of protest from Mr Seymour.”

The United Nations Independent Commission on Palestine released a report last week, which included detailed testimony of the deliberate targeting of Palestinian children by Israeli soldiers in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank.

“The report is horrific reading”, says Tamimi. “It says more than 20,000 children have died so far in Gaza, and more than 40,000 are wounded.  These are real children who will never be able to visit a toy store ever again.  The report should shock to the core any decent human being.”

“If Seymour had spent just a few minutes reading the report, even just the summary, he would condemn Israeli soldiers and sanction Israel.”

Doctors on medical missions in Gaza reported to the Commission that it appeared Israeli Defense Force soldiers were engaged in a “game” of target practice with “different body parts being targeted on different days.

UN Commission member Chris Sidoti has stated “Anyone who has served in the Israeli Forces in Gaza since October 2023 should be considered a suspect in relation to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of genocide.”

“We agree.  And that includes some 50 New Zealanders who serve in the IDF.”

“We are asking Seymour if he joins with New Zealanders in condemning Israel’s deliberate targeting of children, and if he will act on Chris Sidoti’s evidence and stop the free flow of Israeli soldiers here, and instead ban them from Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Ms Tamimi.

Rinad Tamimi
National Spokesperson
PSNA.

Posted on

Health NZ withdraws botched restructure impacting frontline hospital services – PSA

Source: PSA

Health New Zealand has been forced to withdraw a dangerous restructure of frontline health roles across the Midland / Te Manawa Taki district after the PSA and other unions exposed fundamental flaws in the proposal.
Health NZ has acknowledged concerns raised regarding the quality of the restructuring documentation and agreed to withdraw the proposed consultation document.
“Health workers who were proposed to lose their jobs will be receiving letters saying that their roles are no longer proposed to be disestablished and that the proposal will not be going ahead.
“This is a win for critical health workers and for patients who would have been impacted, but it should never have come to this,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“Health NZ put out a restructure proposal impacting nearly 100 roles that was so riddled with gaps and errors that it was impossible for workers to assess what was actually being proposed and how they were impacted. Some workers were not even told their roles were affected. Some roles proposed to go were not in fact being axed.
“This is the direct result of the Government continuing to force Health NZ into rushed restructuring to meet arbitrary cost-cutting targets. This latest botched change follows 2,800 jobs already axed across the public health system.
“You can’t design a sound proposal when you are under pressure to slash costs and the people with the institutional knowledge to do it properly have already been shown the door in earlier rounds of cuts.
“We understand that Health NZ will still seek to make some structural change, we have committed to engage constructively in this process.
“All this could have been avoided if the Government properly funded health in the first place instead of choosing to cut taxes for landlords and big tobacco.”
Background on change proposal
– The restructure aimed to centralise clinical leadership and administration functions across 11 hospitals in Taranaki, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Tairāwhiti.
– 96 roles were proposed to be cut with thirty vacant roles also axed.
– In their place, 108 new roles would have been created, resulting in a net loss of 17 roles.
– Staff would have to re-apply for the new roles with no guarantee of success and risk being placed in new roles at lower pay.
Previous PSA statement
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.
Posted on

BusinessNZ – Health and safety reforms put the focus where it belongs

Source: BusinessNZ

BusinessNZ welcomes the passing of the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill, saying the changes will help create a clearer, more practical system while maintaining every employer's responsibility to provide a safe workplace.
Chief Executive Katherine Rich says BusinessNZ's support for the legislation followed extensive consultation with small businesses across New Zealand.
“We didn't reach this position lightly. Through our nationwide small business focus groups, our Reducing Compliance Burden on New Zealand Small Businesses report, and MBIE's own nationwide health and safety roadshow, we heard a consistent message.
“Small businesses support good health and safety. They want to keep their people safe. What they have struggled with is a system that has become unnecessarily complex and difficult to apply in low-risk workplaces.”
Rich says the reforms rightly place greater emphasis on managing critical risks, while preserving the fundamental duty on every employer to provide a safe and healthy workplace.
“This is not about lowering standards or reducing employer responsibility. Every business continues to have a clear duty of care to protect its workers.
“What changes is that small, lower-risk businesses can spend less time on unnecessary paperwork and more time identifying and managing the risks that genuinely matter.”
BusinessNZ says a stronger focus on practical guidance and proportional regulation should improve compliance.
“When the rules are clearer and easier to understand, businesses are more likely to engage with them. Good health and safety is about understanding real risks, not ticking boxes.”
Rich says BusinessNZ will continue working with government, regulators and businesses to ensure the reforms are implemented in a way that delivers safer workplaces alongside a more practical regulatory system.
“The best health and safety system is one that businesses understand, workers trust, and that keeps people safe every day.”
The BusinessNZ Network including BusinessNZ, EMA, Business Central and Business South, represents and provides services to thousands of businesses, small and large, throughout New Zealand.
Posted on

Legislation – Business Canterbury welcomes changes to health and safety legislation

Source: Business Canterbury

Business Canterbury welcomes the passing of the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill today, which closes out one of the three key legislative changes the government is making in what we call the ‘trifecta’ of red tape reduction (also including Holidays Act reform and Resource Management Act reform).

Business Canterbury Chief Executive, Leeann Watson says, “The common sense changes the Government has made to health and safety legislation today respond to concerns the business community has had for years.”

“The current system places too much emphasis on tick boxing and paperwork, rather than helping businesses focus on managing the risks that can cause serious harm.

“Inconsistent processes and enforcement action being undertaken by WorkSafe also created an adversarial relationship with the business community, which was not necessarily conducive to positive health and safety outcomes.

“From April next year, businesses will now have much greater clarity on expectations and best practice – which will move them away from box ticking and paperwork generation to a real focus on minimising critical risks.”

Business Canterbury will provide its members with support in the transition period, and will advocate this election year to ensure that the next government honours the substantive changes made through the better recognition of Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs), the prioritisation and definition of critical risk, and a refocus on an ‘education first’ operating model for WorkSafe.

Business Canterbury, formerly Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, is the second largest Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand and the largest business support organisation in the South Island. It advocates on behalf of its members for an environment more favourable to innovation, productivity and sustainable growth.

Posted on

Health and Education – Substandard school lunches: ‘Our tamariki deserve better’

Source: Health Coalition Aotearoa

A damning Audit Office report on the Healthy School Lunches Programme is in line with research by experts from Health Coalition Aotearoa.
The report delivered to Parliament on 30 June found the cut-price programme, ordered by Associate Education Minister David Seymour in 2024, has made savings but has had multiple issues with the procurement process, food quality, waste and monitoring.
The Ministry of Education’s monitoring found, in 2025, only half of the school lunches met nutritional standards.
“Yes, there were cost-savings with the School Lunch Collective’s cut-price school lunch programme, but Minister Seymour did not talk about the ‘effectiveness’ side of the ‘cost-effectiveness’ equation,” says Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Professor Boyd Swinburn, a researcher on population nutrition at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
“There was no evaluation of effectiveness – the last version, Ka Ora Ka Ako, was heavily evaluated and came out showing significant improvements on nutrition, school attendance, quality of life and full tummies.”
Swinburn led one evaluation finding the original Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme rated extremely well against its primary outcomes of alleviating hunger in schools, providing healthy meals, improving mental health, reducing financial burden, increasing mana, and strengthening local economies. Read more.
This is in a context where a report out this morning (1 July) found one in six households are living in income poverty after housing costs, just over one in ten have to go without essential items regularly, and one in three households experienced food insecurity in the last year. ( NZ Council of Christian Social Services report 1 July 2026.)
An analysis found that students in Aotearoa who go hungry due to lack of money, even just once a week, are two to four years behind in their achievement scores compared to students who never go hungry. (See McKelvie Sebileau P, Swinburn B, Seymour J: Frontiers in Education Jan 2025.)
The strong focus on cost-cutting has led to multiple problems, Swinburn says.
The Ministry's data for meals assessed in 2025 showed that on average only 50.5% of the School Lunch Collective meals complied with the nutrition standards, the Audit Office report says.
However, public health and nutrition researchers at Health Coalition Aotearoa tested school lunches in 2025 and found the meals were very low in energy (kJ), providing approximately half of the energy expected for a school lunch and 30 to 40 percent less than lunches provided under the previous Ka Ora Ka Ako model.
“Of the 13 meals that could be analysed against at least one of the Nutrition Standards, none met all standards for all age groups,” the researchers said in a PHCC briefing.
“Based on available information, the School Lunch Collective is delivering substandard lunches to children, which is a major breach of their contractual requirements,” the researchers said.
Dr Kelly Garton, a food policy spokesperson for Health Coalition Aotearoa and senior research fellow in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland comments that the report finds the programme was unfairly procured, ignored risks with the suppliers, one of which went into liquidation, and has not been properly measured, monitored and managed.
“What has been measured shows poor performance on key target outcomes, chiefly that half the lunches, on average, are not meeting the nutrition standards,” says Garton.
“Despite the changes being justified as ways to reduce surplus and waste, neither of these have been managed effectively: surplus (untouched or overdelivered lunches) increased to 17 percent in 2026, despite a contractual limit of 10 percent, and waste (measured in Term 3 2025) was higher for the School Lunch Collective delivery model than internal school-based and iwi models. 
“Schools and students report receiving poor-quality lunches, with many going uneaten due to being unappetising.
“Slashing funding isn't ‘delivering savings’ if you are actively undermining programme delivery,” says Garton.
“Our tamariki deserve better. It's time to revert to proper funding for this essential programme which was delivering excellent value for investment before 2025, according to independent evaluation.”
Health Coalition Aotearoa’s researchers are calling for a properly and permanently funded Ka Ora Ka Ako Healthy School Lunch Programme, paid for from Vote Education.
“We have got to go for version three. We’ve had version one – it was generously funded and had good outcomes,” Swinburn says.
“We have a low-cost version now. It has saved money but has problems that have been highlighted by the Auditor General. Let’s get a version three that works for taxpayers, kids and meets nutritional standards.”
This year, the incoming government must commit permanent Vote Education funding to Ka Ora, Ka Ako healthy school lunch programme at a fair and sustainable level, enabling providers to supply meals that meet at least 25 percent of children’s daily energy needs and dietary guidelines, and offer schools flexible delivery options, HCA’s food researchers say.
It is time to do better for our tamariki, their long-term futures and the future of Aotearoa.
  • HCA is a coalition of member organisations committed to closing the health prevention gap in Aotearoa by advocating for Te Tiriti-led, evidence-based, policies that reduce consumption of harmful products and increase access to health-giving food.