News
New Zealand news round up
Maike van der Heide examines some of the events making the news in NZ over the past month or so
Bobbies leaving the beat
Police officers who were recruited from the UK to work in New Zealand are leaving NZ in significant numbers, with one fifth of all the new officers having bought one-way tickets home. Spokesman for opposition party National, Chester Borrows, revealed that out of the 222 UK recruits who have served in New Zealand, 42 have left. Borrows wondered if the conditions of work were being made clear to recruits before they were trained in New Zealand. "The Government first brought UK cops over here in 2003, and 74 graduated from a conversion course, but by April last year only 51 were still serving – an attrition rate of one third in just three years. "From last year, the Government started bringing in more, a further 148 in total, to help meet the target of 1,000 new frontline police. Thirty-nine more are currently in training. In that time, 19 more have left, all after serving less than a year."
UK recruits are not required to serve a minimum period with the NZ police, and are granted residency straight away under the Skilled Migrant Category. Borrows also released information that shows more UK recruits were either going straight into traffic duties or transferring to road policing from the frontline. "In 2003, six of the 74 UK cops were initially assigned to road policing. But since then, a further 31 have gone straight into traffic, with 19 others transferring from elsewhere in the police. "That is a lot to be transferring, and once again suggests that work conditions were not made clear or understood in the first place."
Kiwis hit the slopes
New Zealand's first vicious winter storm of the year saw Kiwis strap on their skis and snowboards in preparation for the 2007 ski season, which has stumbled off to a late start.
The storm in early June cut power in many parts of the South Island and ripped off roofs in the Wairarapa on the North Island but to the delight of ski field operators left much of the south under a blanket of white.
Mt Hutt in Canterbury has delayed its opening day while snow making continues to take place but was counting on the polar blast to bring some much-needed snowfall. Further south, Coronet Peak in Central Otago opened in mid-June thanks to a combination of the cold front and snow makers. Cardrona, The Remarkables and Treble Cone, also near Queenstown, Lyford in North Canterbury and Rainbow Ski Field in Nelson Lakes were all set to open in late June. On the North Island, Mt Ruapehu's Turoa and Whakapapa fields have also reported "some serious snow falling" but still await the right conditions for opening day.
At Whakapapa, plans for a new six-seater chairlift, the Valley Express, have been delayed because of the need for a more lengthy approval and consent process with local Maori tribe Ngati Tuwharetoa. The tribe voiced concern early about the area where the development was to take place and it was decided more time was needed to sort the concerns out. The chairlift was set to be opened next winter.
Super saver
New Zealand's government hopes to help Kiwis save for their retirement with a voluntary new scheme known as 'KiwiSaver'. Workers and employers will receive NZ$40 a week in tax credits to go towards their savings. Employers will also have to provide a matching 4 per cent contribution phased in over four years from 1st April 2008.
New employees will be automatically enrolled so rather than deciding to save, workers have to decide not to save. It is designed to complement New Zealand's superannuation scheme, NZ Super. There are a range of membership benefits to encourage kiwis to save, including a NZ$1,000 tax-free kick-start, a member tax credit of up to NZ$1,042.86 per year and subsidised scheme fees. Some people may also be eligible for help with the deposit on their first home. The new scheme was launched on 1st July.
Simplified schooling
New Zealand's secondary school qualifications system, NCEA, is undergoing more changes in a bid to simplify it. Minister of education, Steve Maharey, said the system's design needed refining to aid student motivation.
From 2008, students' NCEA certificates will show exactly what level they have gained – 'achieved', 'merit' or 'excellence' – and what they achieved in specific subject areas. Students' results summaries for school leavers will also include all results. The number of internally assessed standards which are moderated will also be increased from 3 per cent to a target of 10 per cent. "The changes will increase student motivation, provide more detailed information on their achievement, and further improve consistency in NCEA," said Maharey.
Students are presently assessed through standards gained in each area of study such as English, science and maths. Standards come in a range of levels, reflecting how demanding they are. Some are assessed internally and some are earned through end of year exams. Most schools arrange the assessment of their programmes and courses in groups of standards, each worth about 18–24 credits.
Watch the birdies
Four endangered kiwi birds have survived a dangerous autumn of logging in their forest thanks to watchful loggers, Department of Conservation staff and specially trained dogs. The two pairs, dubbed Gemma and Piripiri and Bonnie and Clyde, were found by a trained kiwi dog and fitted with radio transmitters before logging started in the Waitangi Endowment Forest. They were then tracked and shifted to keep them out of the path of falling trees and machinery.
The 550 hectare pine plantation is managed by the Department of Conservation (DoC) and supports a regionally significant kiwi population, but 28 hectares of pines were due for logging, says DoC Ranger Elke Reufels. "Thanks to radio transmitters, early starts and good will from the loggers, they've survived a potentially dangerous couple of months," she said. Reufels met with the logging foreman each morning at 5am to locate the kiwi and report back before felling and hauling began. The locations of the birds were plotted on a map of the area and handed to the logging crew. A Kiwi-dog team had to catch and move the kiwi from the danger zone four times and Reufels says that Gemma was found about ten metres from machinery at a landing site, "so she had a bit of a narrow escape". Reufels added that without the daily monitoring and relocating of the birds it is certain that not all kiwis would have survived the logging. A similar programme will be put in place next year when another section of the forest is due to be logged.
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08 August 2007