Source: Workers First Union
Transport – Road freight update highlights progress on driver fatigue
Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
- Work to get fit-for-purpose truck rest stop facilities on key freight routes identified as a priority in Regional Land Transport Plans and the National Land Transport Programme, so that drivers can keep well rested and refreshed.
- Increase uptake of Alternative Fatigue Management Schemes by working with NZTA to refresh resources, ensure consistent guidance, and increase operator awareness of their safety and productivity benefits.
- Review the Land Transport Rule: Work Time and Logbooks to ensure it remains evidence-based and fit for purpose, including consideration of fatigue and rest management requirements associated with Cook Strait ferry travel.
- Collaborate with regulators and suppliers to improve the collection and analysis of fatigue-related safety data to better understand fatigue risks and target interventions where they will have the greatest safety benefit.
Rural Health – Gumboot Friday records busiest month of 2026 so far, supporting 2,213 young Kiwis in May
In May 2026, 2,213 young people aged 5–25 accessed free counselling through Gumboot Friday — the highest monthly total recorded so far this year — with 3,578 sessions delivered nationwide.
Sessions are free, no referral is required, and young people choose the counsellor they want to talk to from Gumboot Friday’s registered network of counsellors.
Breakdown by age group:
• 640 young people aged 5–11 (28.9%)
• 608 young people aged 12–17 (27.5%)
• 965 young people aged 18–25 (43.6%)
May’s figures show demand at its highest point this year, but they also show the system working: young people reaching out, appointments being made, and support getting to them.
“May was our busiest month of the year so far, and that tells us two things. The need is real, and the door has to stay open. When 2,213 young people come through in one month, you don’t get to look away or slow down. You make sure the help is there,” says I Am Hope founder Mike King.
“What matters to me is that these kids didn’t have to wait until everything fell apart before they could talk to someone. They didn’t need a referral, they didn’t need money, and they didn’t need to prove they were struggling enough. They put their hand up, chose a counsellor, and got started. That’s what meeting demand looks like — removing the excuses and getting help in front of them,” King says.
Government support helps pay for the counselling sessions, while community backing helps keep the rest of the work going — the platform, the counsellor network, the team behind it, and I Am Hope’s early-intervention work in schools and communities.
With May now the busiest month of the year so far, that support matters more than ever. Every donation, fundraiser, shared post and gumboot sold helps keep young people connected to free counselling when they need it.
If you or someone you know is 25 or under and needs someone to talk to, visit www.gumbootfriday.org.nz to book a free counsellor today — no referral needed.
To donate, fundraise, or get involved with I Am Hope, head to www.iamhope.org.nz or text HOPE to 469 for a $3 donation.
Fire Safety – Message to landowners: you are responsible for the fires you light
Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Nurse Maude workers to stop work over threats to cut to sick leave – PSA
Source: PSA
Advocacy – Gaza Cannot Wait: A Call for Justice and Accountability
Statement by Palestine Forum of New Zealand
The Palestine Forum of New Zealand expresses its profound alarm at the latest documentation by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, which details the continuing humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. The report presents further evidence of the systematic destruction of civilian life, infrastructure, and the conditions necessary for survival.
These are not isolated incidents. They form part of a sustained pattern of conduct that demands urgent international attention, accountability, and action in accordance with international humanitarian and human rights law.
We call on the New Zealand Government to uphold its longstanding commitment to human rights by:
- Demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
- Supporting unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza.
- Holding perpetrators of violations of international law accountable.
- Working alongside the international community to ensure justice for the Palestinian people.
Silence in the face of documented atrocities is not neutrality, it is complicity.
The Palestine Forum of New Zealand stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people and reaffirms its commitment to advocating for justice, accountability, freedom, and a future founded on equality, dignity, and lasting peace.
Palestine Forum of New Zealand
