Posts

Posted on

Transporting New Zealand supports changes to WoFs

Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Transporting New Zealand is endorsing proposals from the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to reduce the Warrant of Fitness (WoF) frequency for light vehicles, and the CoF A frequency for late-model rental vehicles.
NZTA is currently consulting on reducing the inspection frequency, as well as expanding the scope of the inspection to include checking that Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are working.
“While heavy vehicles are our members’ bread and butter, many also have light vehicles in their fleet,” says Transporting New Zealand Policy & Advocacy Advisor Mark Stockdale. Transporting New Zealand also represents 70 light-vehicle transport companies including trade firms, as part of its membership of over 1,000 transport operators.
“These proposals bring New Zealand more into line with common practice in many other countries, where inspecting vehicles only once every two years is the norm.”
NZTA is proposing that new light vehicles would have their first WoF issued for 4 years (currently 3), while vehicles aged 4-10 years would only require a WoF every two years (currently annual). All light vehicles aged over 10 years would be tested annually, whereas currently only those built from the year 2000-on are, with everything else 6-monthly (except vehicles aged over 40 which are now annual, which was only introduced in September). In addition, light rental vehicles aged under 5 years will only require an annual CoF A inspection (currently 6-monthly).
“New Zealand has the most frequent vehicle safety inspection frequency in the world, with older light vehicles required to be tested as often as every six months,” Stockdale says. “Our closest neighbour, Australia, doesn’t even have a periodic inspection in most states, and neither does Canada. But despite our frequent testing regime, New Zealand’s road toll isn’t any better than those countries with lesser – or no – inspections,” Stockdale adds.
Transporting New Zealand says road crash data shows that vehicle defects are a very small contributing factor to crashes, and NZTA analysis concludes that the cost of our frequent inspection regime outweighs the safety benefits. The consultation document concludes that these changes would benefit 1.6 million light vehicle owners and reduce compliance costs by between $1.6-2.6 billion over a 28-year period.
“These are common sense productivity changes that catches New Zealand up to the rest of the world and will save time and money for businesses and motorists,” Stockdale concluded.
About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country.
Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4,700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion. 
Posted on

Appointments – Pita Tipene is new NRC chair, Jack Craw deputy

Source: Northland Regional Council

Northland Regional Councillors have elected Pita Tipene – one of two Te Raki Māori Constituency representatives – as their new chair, with Jack Craw, representing the Whangārei Central General Constituency, elected as his deputy.
Unlike district councils, whose mayors are chosen by the public through local elections, the regional council’s equivalent – its chair – is voted in by councillors.
The election of the chair and deputy was one of the new council’s first formal tasks after councillors were officially sworn in at their inaugural meeting in Whangārei today (subs: Weds 05 November).
Chair Tipene today paid tribute to the council’s former Chair Geoff Crawford for his work over the previous term of council.
Chair Tipene says councillors are a team that will work collectively on behalf of Te Taitokerau to take the region forward over the next three years.
“My immediate goal is to build unity of purpose amongst councillors, council management and staff on behalf of the people of Northland who we serve.”
Chair Tipene says council needs to focus on its core business and where possible work with the region’s three district councils. “Together we can do much, much more.”
Meanwhile, also sworn in at today’s meeting were new councillors Colin (Toss) Kitchen (who will represent the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa General Constituency and who returns to council after a three-year break), John Hunt (Coastal South General Constituency) and Arama Morunga (the other of council’s Te Raki Māori Constituency representatives).
Joining them in taking their oaths of office were returning councillors Craw, Coastal Central Constituency councillor Amy Macdonald (who is currently in Wellington and was sworn in there today), Joe Carr (Far North General Constituency), John Blackwell (Kaipara General Constituency) and Cr Crawford (Mid North General Constituency.)
Posted on

University Research – Vaping widening inequities in youth smoking – UoA

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

The advent of vaping slowed progress on reducing smoking, especially for Māori and Pacific teens.

The rise of vaping in Aotearoa, New Zealand may be slowing progress in reducing smoking and widening inequities between Māori and Pacific adolescents and others of the same age.
 
Published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, the study analysed data on vaping and smoking from almost 600,000 year 10 students aged 14 to 15 years.
 
“The emergence of vaping appears to have undermined progress in reducing regular smoking, especially among Māori and Pacific youth who were already facing disproportionate tobacco-related harm,” says Dr Lucy Hardie, a population health researcher at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

The researchers, who were from the Universities of Otago, Auckland and Sydney, and the Daffodil Centre for cancer research, compared smoking trends for different ethnicities from 2003 to 2009 (before vaping became common in Aotearoa) with those from 2010 to 2024 (when vaping became increasingly common).
 
“We found that the introduction of vaping may have impacted young Māori more than other groups, as progress in reducing smoking slowed more in young Māori than in the other groups,” says Hardie.
 
Between 2003 and 2024, rates of regular smoking among 14 to 15-year-olds declined substantially for Māori, Pacific, European, and Asian adolescents. However, these declines in smoking slowed for Māori, Pacific, and European youth after vaping emerged in 2010.
 
Māori health and public health researcher Associate Professor Andrew Waa from the University of Otago said the findings are especially concerning for Māori and Pacific youth, who already have much higher rates of smoking and vaping than their peers.

We sometimes hear that e-cigarettes might be a harm-reduction device for Māori and Pacific youth, by reducing or stopping them from smoking,” Waa says.

“Our study shows the opposite. Rather than supporting claims that vaping reduces harms for Māori and Pacific youth, vaping has substantially added to them. It has become a major additional source of nicotine dependence, carries its own health risks, and appears to have led to more adolescents smoking.”
 
In 2024, regular smoking among 14 to 15-year-olds was approximately 6.2 percent for Māori, 3.3 percent for Pacific, and 2 percent for European adolescents. However, the study found that if each group’s pre-2010 smoking trend had continued, the estimated 2024 prevalences would have been 4.2 percent for Māori, 1.8 percent for Pacific, and 0.7 percent for European adolescents.
 
For every 1,000 students, there were 20 more Māori, 15 more Pacific and 13 more European students smoking regularly in 2024 than there would have been if pre-2010 smoking trends had continued.

Waa says the implications extend beyond biomedical harm and into Indigenous rights and obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and international frameworks.
 
“Before colonisation, Māori were free from nicotine addiction. Today, nicotine from cigarettes and vapes undermines Māori self-determination by embedding dependence within our communities.”
 
He says governments have duties under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to reduce health inequities and protect Māori youth from commercial determinants of health.
 
“Policies that enable easy access to vaping products don’t just miss the mark on health – they also fall short of Te Tiriti o Waitangi commitments and Aotearoa’s international obligations to address inequities affecting Indigenous peoples.”
 
Waa said urgent action is needed to align policy with those obligations.
 
“We should be closing the door on all sources of nicotine dependence, not opening new ones. Protecting Māori youth is a Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligation, and protecting all young people is a core public health responsibility.”
 
About the study
The study, “Trends in smoking prevalence before and after the emergence of vaping in Aotearoa/New Zealand among 14 to 15-year-olds identifying as Māori, Pacific, European, or Asian: An interrupted time series analysis of repeated cross-sectional data, 2003–2024”, is published on 5 November in the The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific.

Posted on

University Research – Vaping contributing to higher rates of smoking in Māori and Pacific youth

Source: University of Otago

Aotearoa’s progress in reducing smoking has slowed for Māori, Pacific and European adolescents, and vaping could be the reason, according to research published today in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific.

The study, conducted by researchers from the Universities of Otago, Auckland, and Sydney, along with the Daffodil Centre in Australia, analysed population-level data from almost 600,000 Year 10 students aged 14–15. The students were surveyed between 2003 and 2024 as part of the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Year 10 Survey.

Using interrupted time series analysis, the researchers compared smoking trends from 2003-2009 (before vaping became common in Aotearoa) with those from 2010-2024 (when vaping became increasingly common).

They found rates of regular smoking among 14-15-year-olds declined significantly for Māori, Pacific, European, and Asian adolescents between 2003 and 2024. However, these declines in smoking slowed for Māori, Pacific, and European youth after vaping emerged in 2010.

A senior author of the research, Associate Professor Andrew Waa from the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke, says the findings are especially concerning for Māori and Pacific youth, who already have much higher rates of smoking and vaping than their peers.

“We sometimes hear that e-cigarettes might be a harm-reduction device for Māori and Pacific youth, by reducing or stopping them from smoking.

“Our results show the opposite. Rather than supporting claims that vaping reduces harms for Māori and Pacific youth, vaping has substantially added to them. It has become a major additional source of nicotine dependence, carries its own health risks, and appears to have led to more adolescents smoking.”

In 2024, regular smoking among 14-15-year-olds was approximately 6.2 per cent for Māori, 3.3 per cent for Pacific, and 2 per cent for European adolescents. However, the study found that if each group’s pre-2010 smoking trend had continued, the estimated 2024 prevalences would have been 4.2 per cent for Māori, 1.8 per cent for Pacific, and 0.7 per cent for European adolescents.

A co-author on the paper, Dr Lucy Hardie, a Research Fellow at the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland – Waipapa Taumata Rau, says the numbers make the impact clear.

“Our results indicate that, for every 1,000 students, there were 20 more Māori, 15 more Pacific and 13 more European students smoking regularly in 2024 than there would have been if pre-2010 smoking trends had continued.”

Associate Professor Waa says the implications extend beyond biomedical harm and into Indigenous rights and obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and international frameworks.

“Before colonisation, Māori were free from nicotine addiction. Today, nicotine from cigarettes and vapes undermines Māori self-determination by embedding dependence within our communities.”

He says governments have duties under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to reduce health inequities and protect Māori youth from commercial determinants of health.

“Policies that enable easy access to vaping products don’t just miss the mark on health, they also fall short of Te Tiriti o Waitangi commitments and of Aotearoa’s international obligations to address inequities affecting Indigenous peoples.”

Waa says urgent action is needed to align government policy with these obligations.

“We should be closing the door on all sources of nicotine dependence, not opening new ones. Protecting Māori youth is an obligation under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and protecting all young people is a core public health responsibility.”

Notes:

The research paper, ‘Trends in smoking prevalence before and after the emergence of vaping in Aotearoa/New Zealand among 14-15-year-olds identifying as Māori, Pacific, European, or Asian: an interrupted time series analysis of repeated cross-sectional data, 2003-2024’ is published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific. A companion explainer will be published in The Conversation and will be live at this link when the embargo lifts: https://theconversation.com/vaping-is-slowing-progress-in-cutting-teen-smoking-rates-in-nz-widening-inequities-for-maori-and-pacific-youth-267851

Posted on

Health Status – Expansion of mental health crisis support services welcomed

Source: Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission

Te Hiringa Mahara – Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission welcomes investment in crisis response services announced today by Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey.
The substantial funding package will improve access to support for people in mental health and substance use crisis. The announcement was made at the inaugural Hauora Hinengaro: He ara tūroa conference that Te Hiringa Mahara is co-hosting with TheMHS in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.
The additional funding for will provide for a range of crisis support services. Funding an 40 additional frontline clinical staff for crisis assessment and treatment is a significant increase, along with additional initiatives to boost access to peer support.
“The investment will mean more people will get safe and welcoming support at a critical time. This is a step in the right direction. We look forward to seeing where support will be extended to, and the timeframes. In our monitoring role we will keep a close eye on this,” Te Hiringa Mahara CE Karen Orsborn said.
“We know that peer workers and cultural workforces can play a bigger role drawing on their lived experience. This is something we have been calling for so we are very pleased to see access to peer services is being expanded”.
The report released yesterday by Te Hiringa Mahara – Ururpare mōrearea: Crisis responses monitoring report – shows people seeking help and their whānau find current crisis services hard to navigate. We are calling for a nationally cohesive system to be developed by June 2027.
“A cohesive national approach will set out what is needed and where to supplement services. The challenge is to connect services up for people who need it wherever they live. This includes crisis lines which are under pressure,” Ms Orsborn said.
“The current system doesn’t always work well, particularly for Māori, young people or those living rurally, so this needs to remain a real focus.”
Note
The new  Ururpare mōrearea: Crisis responses monitoring report is available online: www.mhwc.govt.nz 
Posted on

Business Sector – Rise in unemployment underscores fragile recovery, says EMA

Source: EMA

The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) says the slight rise in unemployment to 5.3% for the September quarter is disappointing but not unexpected and reflects the ongoing fragility in the business environment.
Alan McDonald, Head of Advocacy at the EMA, says the increase aligns with what the EMA is hearing from its members across the country.
“It’s no surprise the rate has edged up; it’s been widely predicted,” says McDonald. “While there has been a recent lift in business confidence, headlines like this tend to knock it back down. It’s a reminder of how fragile the recovery still is.”
The EMA says the data point to ongoing caution among employers, with some sectors holding back on investment and hiring due to soft demand and economic uncertainty.
“We’re seeing record numbers of job seekers, and nearly 13% of these are NEETs (18- to 24-year-olds who are not in employment, education, or training),” says McDonald.
“That’s a real concern, but we’re encouraged by the approach Minister Upston and the Ministry for Social Development are taking in working more closely with employers and focusing on training and recruitment. That’s the right direction.”
Despite the rise in unemployment, the EMA believes there are signs of improvement that may begin to show in future data.
“Unemployment is a lag indicator, and while this result is disappointing, we’re hopeful it marks the peak,” says McDonald. 
“We’re starting to see some hints of positive movement but it will take time before that’s reflected in hiring intentions.
“It’s also likely that a number of those planning on leaving school and other institutions may be staying a bit longer, which may have an upside in those people being better prepared to enter the workforce and having slightly higher skill levels.
“Alongside economic indicators, several key legislative reforms are underway, including changes to the RMA, infrastructure, immigration, employment law, and vocational education. 
“While these reforms will take time to deliver results, they are important steps towards strengthening the business environment and supporting future growth.”
The EMA says what businesses need most now is a period of stability.
“When the unemployment numbers do start to turn, we’d expect to see other economic indicators follow suit,” says McDonald.
“Even modest growth would be welcome, but what we really need is stability. That’s the message we’re hearing loud and clear from our members.”
Posted on

Health – Upper Hutt a Canary in the Coal Mine for General Practice, says GenPro

Source: General Practice Owners Association (GenPro)

The collapse of after-hours and emergency care in Upper Hutt is a warning sign for the rest of New Zealand unless the underlying problems facing general practice are urgently addressed, says the General Practice Owners Association (GenPro).

“The situation in Upper Hutt as reported by media is the canary in the coal mine for general practice,” says Dr Angus Chambers, Chair of GenPro. The Lower North Island city of 47,500 people currently has no hospital, no urgent or after-hours medical service, and a severe shortage of GPs.

Residents are forced to travel to already overcrowded emergency departments in Lower Hutt for even basic treatments.
 
“Upper Hutt residents are bearing the brunt of a national healthcare crisis,” Dr Chambers says. “The same lack of access to urgent and after-hours care is now emerging across New Zealand.”

Daytime GP appointments are increasingly difficult to secure, pushing up demand for urgent care. Yet providing urgent and after-hours services is becoming financially and operationally unsustainable due to:

Unsociable working hours and difficulty attracting staff;
Ongoing GP shortages and burnout;
Competition from heavily subsidised telehealth providers.

“Providing urgent care has become unviable for many clinics,” says Dr Chambers. “At the heart of the problem is a funding model that simply doesn’t reflect the real cost of running general practice and after-hours services.”

He warns that too few doctors are choosing to train or stay in general practice. Many are retiring early or moving overseas, leading to closures and cutbacks nationwide — as seen in Upper Hutt in 2022 when the local after-hours clinic shut its doors.

Dr Chambers acknowledges recent steps by the Government, including increased patient subsidies, modernising the funding model, and new funding for urgent and after-hours services.

“These are positive moves,” he says, “but they’re not enough to reverse years of underinvestment. Without bold, sustained action, we’ll see more communities facing the same crisis as Upper Hutt.”

“Telehealth is part of the solution, but not a panacea,” Dr Chambers notes. “Patients overwhelmingly prefer face-to-face consultations — and for many conditions, especially involving young children, that’s what provides the safest and most effective care.”
 
GenPro is urging the Government to increase funding for both accident-related care under ACC and general health care under Te Whatu Ora, ensuring it reflects the true costs of running modern general practices and urgent care.

“Adequate, sustainable funding will help retain and attract the GPs New Zealand desperately needs,” says Dr Chambers. “If we don’t act now, Upper Hutt won’t be the last community to have restricted local health care.”

Posted on

Economy – Financial stability risks remain heightened – Reserve Bank of NZ

Source: Reserve Bank of New Zealand

5 November 2025 – “Financial stability risks remain higher than in recent years”, says Reserve Bank Governor Christian Hawkesby in releasing the Financial Stability Report this morning.

Fragmentation of global trade and finance, and ongoing uncertainty continue to present risks. Elevated global equity valuations, in areas such as tech stocks, and growing government debt levels in many advanced economies are also vulnerabilities. As a small open economy, New Zealand would be exposed to any impacts on global economic activity or volatility in financial markets.

“Underperformance in parts of the New Zealand economy such as retail and hospitality is creating challenging conditions for households and businesses. Loan defaults have picked up, although they remain low compared to during the Global Financial Crisis. Lower interest rates and high commodity prices are supporting some sectors, including agriculture,” explains Mr Hawkesby.

Banks remain well placed to manage the current uncertainty. Strong lending standards, including loan-to-value limits, have helped to restrict the amount of high-risk lending in the system. As demonstrated by our recent stress test, capital buffers would allow banks to cope with a significant worsening of the economy, while continuing to provide credit to support any recovery.

“To promote a resilient financial system that balances stability and depositor protection with competition and efficiency, we are currently assessing feedback on proposals for key capital settings and getting input from international experts. We intend to announce a decision in December.

“We are also closely monitoring impacts from the introduction of the Depositor Compensation Scheme in July. Some non-bank deposit takers have seen deposit inflows as customers spread their money to maximise coverage and returns,” Mr Hawkesby said.

In the insurance sector, property insurers have benefited from relatively few significant claims events and improved conditions in global reinsurance markets.

Health insurers, however, are facing significant growth in claims costs. This is resulting in operating losses and driving up customer premiums, as insurers look to restore margins.

“Results from our 2024 Cyber Capability survey show that regulated entities report they are generally aligned to our guidance on cyber resilience. However, there is room for improvement, with cyber and operational risks remaining focus areas of our supervisory work,” Mr Hawkesby said.

More information

November 2025 Financial Stability Report: https://govt.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd316aa7ee4f5679c56377819&id=a359d486cc&e=f3c68946f8

Reserve Bank to ease LVR restrictions: https://govt.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd316aa7ee4f5679c56377819&id=aeb7f765d7&e=f3c68946f8

See our recent bulletin outlining findings from our 2025 Bank Stress Test: https://govt.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=bd316aa7ee4f5679c56377819&id=b8c8906040&e=f3c68946f8

Posted on

Save the Children – Crimes against children in conflict surged 30% in 2024 to worst ever level

Source: Save the Children

Children are being killed, maimed, sexually assaulted and abducted in record numbers in conflict zones, with a new Save the Children report revealing a 30% jump in verified grave violations against children in conflict in 2024 [1].
The report showed an unprecedented 41,763 such abuses against children in conflict last year, a 30% increase from 2023-the previous highest year since records began-and about 70% more than in 2022 [2].
More than half of the violations occurred in four places-the occupied Palestinian territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Somalia.
This surge in violations is unfolding against a backdrop of unprecedented conflict exposure, with record number of 520 million children living in active conflict zones in 2024-or over one in five globally-and the largest number of state-based conflicts since the end of World War II [3]. While the number of children living in conflict zones has grown by 60% since 2010, the number of verified grave violations has surged by 373%, showing that conflicts are not only more frequent, they are also far deadlier and more brutal for children, said Save the Children
The report questions the world’s approach to security, highlighting that less than 2% of global security spending goes to peacebuilding or peacekeeping, despite record-high military budgets. These damning figures show that global focus on military and state security has failed to protect children from the gravest forms of harm, said Save the Children.
More than 11% of the earth’s land surface was within a 50 km radius of a conflict event – the highest share ever recorded-with the number of recorded conflict events globally rising to nearly 27,000 in 2024 from 24,000 in 2023. Africa now has both the highest number and share of children living in conflict zones, with 218 million affected-32.6% of the region’s child population-the share surpassing the Middle East for the first time since 2007 [3].
On average, 78 children a day in conflict zones faced grave violations-or more than seven soccer teams worth of children-as well as being exposed to attacks on schools, hospitals, and with armed forces and groups blocking humanitarian assistance [4].
The report Stop the War on Children: Security for whom? analyzed the number of verified grave violations against children in conflict since such records began, with the crimes including killing, maiming and abduction, sexual violence, recruitment into armed groups, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access to children. Since reporting started in 2005, more than 400,000 grave violations against children in conflict in 33 countries around the world have been verified, with almost 160,000 children killed or maimed, and more than 100,000 children recruited and used by armed forces and groups.
Inger Ashing, CEO of Save the Children International, said:
“This damning report is more than facts and figures. It’s about Ali- who had to flee northern Gaza with his seven siblings and is so severely malnourished that he has developed osteomalacia or “soft bone disease”, leaving him unable to move or walk. It’s about Bahati-, 12, whose school in eastern DRC was attacked and he was forced to walk for two days with bullets flying overhead. It’s about the girls and boys around the world who are living and breathing terror, pain, grief, hunger and suffering.
“The world is at a critical juncture. Armed conflict is surging, and grave violations against children have reached record highs. At the same time, the humanitarian system and the United Nations are on their knees. While the future shape of these institutions remains uncertain, one principle must guide their transformation: children must be at the center.
“True security isn’t about weapons or walls. It’s about whether children are safe, learning, and free from fear.
“States must act decisively to prevent conflict and promote peace, protect children, ensure accountability and meaningfully listen to and involve children.”
Gudrun Østby, Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, said:
“Our estimates show that the number of children living in conflict zones reached a record high last year: 520 million – more than one in five worldwide. With unprecedented numbers of children at risk – and aid budgets under severe pressure – the need to protect children caught in conflict has never been more urgent. Behind every number is a child whose safety, education and future are at risk.”
“Africa is now the continent with both the highest number and the highest share of children living in conflict zones. We must ensure that children everywhere – no matter where they are born – are protected from the devastating impacts of war.”
Save the Children is calling on states to uphold international humanitarian law, ensure safe humanitarian access, scale up targeted funding for children in emergencies, and endorse and implement key treaties and declarations that safeguard children and education in war zones.
They must develop national strategies for peace, integrate peace education, and address root causes of conflict. And they must urgently ensure accountability for violations against children by strengthening international and national accountability mechanisms, supporting the UN CAAC agenda, and advocating for impartial listing of perpetrators. Finally, children’s voices must be heard in the global, regional and national forums on issues shaping their futures.
The case studies used in the report:
NOTES:
  • [2] Analysis of the 2025 UN annual report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict (CAAC), based on data reported and verified in 2024. The analysis also draws on previous Save the Children mapping of the number of grave violations in the 2005-24 CAAC reports. The CAAC report tracks military use of schools and hospitals, but does not record them as grave violations. In this report, military use of schools and hospitals are also considered grave violations. The verified incidents of use is therefore added to the ‘attacks on schools and hospitals’ category of grave violations. This methodology is chosen to give a fuller picture of the harm experienced by children in each country context.
  • [3] Updated analysis on the number and share of children living in conflict zones conducted by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). The core dataset used to map conflict patterns in this report is the Uppsala Conflict Data Program’s Georeferenced Event Data Set (UCDP GED) until 2024. To estimate the number of children living in conflict areas, and populations more generally, PRIO cross-referenced the conflict data with population data from the Gridded Population of the World (GPW) and from the UN World Population Prospects. PRIO uses UCDP’s definition of armed conflict: ‘armed force used by an organized actor against another organized actor, or against civilians, resulting in at least 25 battle-related deaths in one calendar year’. A ‘conflict zone’ is defined as an area within 50km of where one or more conflict incidents take place in a given year, within the borders of a country.
  • [4] The UN Security Council has identified six grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict: killing and maiming of children; recruitment or use of children by armed forces and groups; sexual violence against children; abduction of children; attacks against schools and hospitals; and denial of humanitarian access for children. These grave violations were defined on the basis of their egregious nature and their severe impact on children’s wellbeing. In addition to the six violations, the UN Special Rapporteur on Children and Armed Conflict has verified cases of detention of children since 2012 and presented them in their annual report. 
Posted on

Health Appointments: Lack of representation a slap in the face for nurses

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

The Minister of Health’s failure to appoint a nurse to the new Primary Care Advisory Group is an insult to nurses, Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO says.
Simeon Brown has announced appointments to the advisory group set up to provide specialist advice on the future of primary health care.
NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says the first-person patients and whānau often deal with in primary health care is a nurse.
“Nurses are not only often the first point of contact people have in primary health care, they are the professionals who advocate for the needs of their patients.
“The appointment of six doctors, a pharmacist and a professional director – but no nurses – is a slap in the face for nurses who are the backbone of primary health care in Aotearoa.
“It is omitting patient advocates, despite Simeon Brown telling the Royal New Zealand College of GPs in July the advisory group is ‘about partnership – putting patients first by ensuring those who deliver care have a real voice in shaping the future of primary care’,” Kerri Nuku says.
The advisory group also lacks representation by Māori health care practitioners or leaders.
“By ignoring the voice of Māori, the advisory group is destined to perpetuate a broken system by failing to address health inequities which cost Māori years of their lives and the country more financially in the long term.
“The Minister needs to tell the public what criteria he used to select this advisory group,” Kerri Nuku says.