Daily Archives: April 2, 2022

The Front Page: Should ‘New Zealand’ be removed from Emirates Team NZ’s name? – New Zealand Herald

Posted: April 2, 2022 at 5:56 am

Sport

31 Mar, 2022 04:00 PM3 minutes to read

Team New Zealand will not be racing in local waters in 2024. Photo / Getty Images

News that the 2024 edition of the America's Cup would not be held in New Zealand hit fans hard across the country.

In a sport that has given us other high-profile betrayals such as the departure of Sir Russel Coutts, this left a sour taste in the mouths of many.

Newstalk ZB sport director Matt Brown tells the Front Page podcast it's hard to rank among the greatest betrayals in New Zealand sports history, but it definitely hurts.

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"New Zealand has an incredible affinity with the America's Cup," Brown says. "When I was a kid, we grew up thinking if we win the cup, we get to defend it at home.

"We have all these benefits that flow from that. Just look at [Auckland's] viaduct and all the infrastructure that's been built. It wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the America's Cup So I think there is a sense of a betrayal, especially since we won't get those benefits now. And it certainly hurts."

The decision to take the cup to Europe has ultimately come down to money. While the New Zealand Government offered $99 million to have the event here, the offers that came from abroad exceeded that.

"The winning bid from Spain was 70 million euros. So that's about $112 million. It doesn't sound like that much more, but the key difference here is none of that's for the infrastructure. That's all already built in Barcelona.

"That money goes straight to team New Zealand to effectively do what they want to fund the team, to help build the boat, to get this campaign going. The Auckland bid was effectively $31 million going to the team to run its operations. The rest was on infrastructure and everything around organising the event. So that's a big gap of around $70 or $80 million."

The Kiwi Home Defence campaign offered to put another $40m toward the bid, but that bridge was still too far for Team New Zealand.

Brown says it's important to remember that Team New Zealand is a private enterprise, so it isn't entirely surprising that they're looking for the biggest financial gain.

In that case shouldn't the "New Zealand" reference simply be dropped from the name and replaced with the more fitting Team Emirates?

"I've seen a lot of [that idea] that floating around on social media," says Brown.

"Look, Emirates Team New Zealand is a company. It's not like the All Blacks, which we kind of own.

"But [Team New Zealand] has grown as such a brand that New Zealand identifies with without a doubt. It's a really interesting situation."

Brown also notes that there are still benefits for New Zealand to be associated with the prestigious sailing outfit.

"The reality is that Team New Zealand is still a very marketable brand and there are benefits for the New Zealand sailing, yachting and boating industries by having the New Zealand name at the America's cup."

The bigger question now is whether fans will see things that way come 2024.

The Front Page is a new daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am.

You can follow the podcast at nzherald.co.nz, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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The Front Page: Should 'New Zealand' be removed from Emirates Team NZ's name? - New Zealand Herald

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Doctor warns tough flu season ahead and New Zealand is ‘particularly vulnerable’ – RNZ

Posted: at 5:56 am

A prominent doctor says the flu season could be particularly bad this year because the country has far lower natural immunity.

Dr Bryan Betty of Porirua Union and Community Health. Photo: RNZ / Karen Brown

College of General Practitioners medical director and Porirua GP Dr Bryan Betty told Morning Report the influenza virus had barely been in New Zealand for two years, because of the closed border.

"The thing we need to understand about the flu - it's brought in from overseas by aeroplanes."

He said the flu was not a mild illness - about 500 people die of it in New Zealand in a normal year.

"New Zealand I think is particularly vulnerable because our borders were so closed we actually had no flu essentially in the country the last two seasons. As a result of that we think our natural immunity is down, which means we're far more susceptible to a bad flu season this year than perhaps we normally would be."

Dr Betty said it was especially important for older, younger and immunocompromised people to get their vaccinations, which were available from today.

"If you're European over the age of 65, Mori and Pacific from the ages of 55 are eligible for a free vaccination, then anyone who is essentially living with a chronic disease be it diabetes, maybe rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, some sort of condition that is chronic and ongoing."

"The other group to really really highlight this year is children, children can be very badly affected by the flu, especially children over the age of three living with conditions such as asthma or respiratory conditions or underlying health conditions such as Type 1 diabetes."

He said the flu vaccine was safe, effective and one we have had for years.

There was no doubt you could get some minor side effects from the flu vaccination, such as slight cold-like symptoms, as the immune system clocked up but getting the flu was a far worse outcome, he said.

"The flu vaccination reduces severity, again it reduces [risk of] death."

Masking was something to think about to reduce the spread of the flu too, he said.

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Recent Match Report – New Zealand vs Netherlands, Netherlands tour of New Zealand, 2nd ODI – ESPN

Posted: at 5:56 am

New Zealand 264 for 9 (Latham 140*, van Beek 4-56, Klaassen 3-36) beat Netherlands 146 all out (de Leede 37, M Bracewell 3-13, Sodhi 2-17) by 118 runs

Tom Latham cracked a career-best 140*, producing a batting masterclass in a near single-handed effort to take his side to 264 - and eventually a comfortable win - after they were 32 for 5 at one stage. New Zealand collapsed from 22 without loss to lose 5 for 10 inside six overs, as Netherlands sniffed a miracle only for the opposition captain to spoil their party.

On a day when his team-mates should have rather given him a gift, it was instead birthday boy Latham himself who was forced to do some favour to them. But his bowlers, led by allrounder Michael Bracewell, ensured that the total was safely defended, with all six of them taking at least a wicket each.

Netherlands' reply started with both openers gone inside the first two overs itself, after which Vikramjit Singh and Bas de Leede steadied the ship. The 77-run stand that followed looked like the only while during which the visitors were in the chase, as the pair kept finding the fence with repeated boundaries.

Vikramjit hit seven in his knock of 31, displaying an array of shots in the process: from the punch to the pull, from the slice to the slash. But once he deposited a Colin de Grandhomme full toss - a slower delivery bowled at 98kph - to long-on, the wheels soon started to come off for Netherlands.

What was 81 for 2 at one stage became 146 all out, with Michael Bracewell grabbing three of the wickets to fall, two of those with an offspinner's dream deliveries. He looped one up wide outside off to lure Pieter Seelaar to drive, as the Netherlands captain got forward only to see the ball turn back in sharply to hit off stump.

Michael Bracewell continued dealing with flight, dip and turn when he had Michael Rippon stumped off an identical delivery, with Latham behind having all the time in the world to whip the bails off.

But it was earlier in the day that Latham gradually dragged the game away from the bowling side. Watching from the dressing room, he saw Logan van Beek and Fred Klaassen rule with the ball after Netherlands had elected to bowl first on a brown-looking pitch.

Despite his side being in trouble, Latham kept ticking the scoreboard by rotating the strike as well as striking the occasional boundary in the company of de Grandhomme, who played a more sedate role. By the 23rd over, when the latter departed after a brief recovery for a 40-ball 16, Latham had already reached 37 off 42 balls, never allowing the Netherlands' bowlers to capitalise on the momentum by being content to just see them off and holding one end up.

He next got an able partner in Michael's cousin Doug Bracewell, who took after a quiet start of 9 from 23 deliveries. When he fell for a more-than-handy 41 off 51 balls in the 40th over, New Zealand still had only 179 on the board with just three wickets remaining.

But Latham was in no mood to give up. After having added 90 with Doug Bracewell, he put on 42 with Ish Sodhi, racing to his sixth ODI hundred on the way, which came from his 101st delivery. The last six overs yielded 61 for the hosts, with their captain pressing the accelerator by clobbering five sixes and a four.

All those maximums went over the leg-side boundaries, with three of those - where he fell on his back while smashing - a tribute to the modern expert Rishabh Pant's methods: the one off van Beek in the 48th over saw Latham step across to a wide delivery outside off, and swipe him over deep square leg; and when Brandon Glover was called upon to bowl the last over, Latham refused singles off the first three deliveries before ramping successive sixes past the short boundary over fine leg and jamming his bat down for four between short third man and point.

Who knew what kind of day his 30th birthday would turn out to be?

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Recent Match Report - New Zealand vs Netherlands, Netherlands tour of New Zealand, 2nd ODI - ESPN

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We can solve NZ’s daylight saving debacle in half an hour – New Zealand Herald

Posted: at 5:56 am

It may only be a small difference on the clocks but Daylight Saving has been linked to US$434 million of lost productivity and a downturn in crime for the day. Video / NZ Herald

Originally published by The Spinoff

America is trying to end daylight saving once and for all. Here's how New Zealand can do it too.

This weekend is shaping up nicely. On Saturday, you'll probably have a blast. In Auckland, the autumn weather has been fantastic. Temperatures remain in the mid-20s. You might go out for brunch, or enjoy a sunny walk up Mt Eden. You could cool off with a delicious swim at Pt Chev Beach. It's a delightful time of year, so get out there and enjoy it. You might as well, because it's all about to be ruined.

Sunday? That's another story. Sunday's going to be a shocker. The day after your blissful Saturday, you're going to wake up messy. Get ready for it. Stock up on Powerade. Get some hash browns out of the freezer, because you're going to feel woozy. Discombobulated. Kind of jet-lagged. A tad hungover. You'll feel like eating lunch at the wrong time. Same with dinner. Basically, you're going to feel terrible, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Why? When the clock strikes 3am on Sunday, we all jump in our DeLoreans like dumb-asses and travel back in time, to 2am. We're all going to be forced to repeat that hour, then deal with the consequences in the morning. It's the completion of a sick six-month cycle that began on September 26 to maximise sunshine hours, minimise darkness, and let farmers milk their cows at a reasonable time of day.

Bollocks. Screw the farmers. I don't even eat dairy, so I don't care. If you can't already tell, I am not a fan. Passionate hate is what I have for this time of year. Across my 43 years, I have experienced daylight saving 85 times and I have never gotten used to it, understood it, worked out why it exists, or who it is for. All I know is that my body hates it. Forget about thriving. When Dr Strange mucks around with the multiverse timeline, I can barely function.

Twelve years ago, when I became a parent, my hatred for this twice-yearly ritual only got worse. Kids are light sleepers at the best of times. You try telling a toddler to go back to bed because gremlins secretly changed the clocks and it's only 6am. It doesn't work. My kids aren't going to let me enjoy that extra hour's snooze. So don't tell me this is the good one. When you have kids, there is no good daylight saving.

Don't listen to my sleep-deprived anecdotal evidence. Listen to the experts. Research shows it really is bad for you. Car accidents go up. So do heart attacks and strokes. American hospitals report admission rates rise 24 per cent when the clocks change. "That's how fragile and susceptible your body is to even just one hour of lost sleep," sleep expert Matthew Walker told Business Insider recently.

You know who else hates daylight saving? America. Right now, the country that is doing so many things wrong is doing one thing dead right. The US senate has passed the Sunshine Protection Act, and if it passes the house of representatives too, all Joe Biden has to do is rubber stamp the thing and it becomes law. From 2023, daylight saving time could become permanent. Canada and Britain are wisely exploring similar options.

We could do the same thing in New Zealand, but we don't need laws, bills and Biden. There's a solution so simple I don't know why we haven't put it in place already. Jacinda, I hope you're reading. Are you ready? It's going to blow your mind. Here goes.

1 Apr, 2022 07:58 PMQuick Read

30 Mar, 2022 01:00 AMQuick Read

29 Mar, 2022 07:00 AMQuick Read

28 Mar, 2022 12:40 AMQuick Read

Next time we decided to do this cooked clock clusterf*** of a thing, we change the time for just half an hour. Next April, we could all just put our clocks forward 30 minutes and be done with it. Not a second more, or less. It's a meeting in the middle, Switzerland in the daylights savings war. Morning risers will get their sun, evening lovers will too, and the farmers will be fine.

What's half an hour? It's an episode of The Simpsons, with ads. It's a family feast, according to this popular Jamie Oliver cookbook. It's a decent walk, a solid bike ride, a great swim. It's a nice nap. Just half an hour. Then we never do daylight saving again. It's done. Over. Finished. We never have to tinker with our clocks again.

Sure, Shihad's opening lyrics of 'Home Again' "Put your clocks back for the winter" would be rendered obsolete. But I'll still sing along and remember all the times we did dumb things with our clocks twice a year, until we didn't.

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What the UK could learn from New Zealand’s planned labour laws – Left Foot Forward

Posted: at 5:56 am

Jacinda Arderns Government has introduced legislation to enable industry-wide collective bargaining

Jacinda Arderns Labour Government in New Zealand has introduced legislation to enable industry-wide collective bargaining where unions can demonstrate worker support, or it passes a public interest test.

New ZealandsWorkplace Relations Minister Michael Wood introduced theFair Pay Agreements Billinto Parliament, delivering on a Labour campaign pledge at the 2020 election.

New Zealands industrial relations system currently only permits collective bargaining at an enterprise level, between individual employers and unions.

The UK Labour Party has identified the New Zealand proposals as a possible model for their promised legislation to introduce legally underpinned collective bargaining contained in the New Deal For Workers which was pushed through by National Trade Union & Labour Party Liaison Organisation unions in the run up to last years party conference.

Keir Starmer has promised to introduce legislation to enact the policies in the New Deal For Workers in the first 100 days of the next Labour Government including banning zero hours contracts and fire and rehire, introducing employments rights from day one for all workers, and a Fair Pay Bill.

The New Zealand legislation enables a union to initiate bargaining for a Fair Pay Agreement if it meets either a representation test of at least 1,000 employees or 10% of the employees in proposed coverage, or a public interest test based on specified criteria such as low pay, limited bargaining power, or lack of pay progression.

The chief executive of the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment will assess applications based on either test and can request further evidence and information from the initiating union if required.

The Bill creates a framework for bargaining for Fair Pay Agreements (FPA) bysetting outa general duty of good faith, and good faith obligations that apply to bargaining parties (within the same bargaining side and between bargaining sides);prescribing processesfor initiating bargaining (including when a default bargaining party may be required), carrying out bargaining, and finalising a fair pay agreement;introducing dispute resolutionprocesses to settle issues that may arise during bargaining for a Fair Pay Agreement andgiving effect toregulation-making powers in Fair Pay Agreements.

Once a Fair Pay Agreement is struck, it will apply to all employees in an industry or occupation with a prohibition on employers seeking to sidestep the FPA by engaging workers as an independent contractor.

Minister Michael Wood in astatementsaid workers in critical roles like cleaners and bus drivers, had long lacked bargaining power to seek better wages and conditions. He said, We want to turn that around and ensure workers get a fair go again.We acknowledge that a balanced approach is needed and have designed FPAs to enable unions and employer associations to bargain together to set minimum standards for all employees and employers in an industry or occupation.

These changes will help employers by stopping the race to the bottom weve seen in various industries and encourage competition that isnt based on low wages but on better products, services, and innovation.

New Zealand Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaffarguedthat employer groups opposed the legislation because it would lift wages.

FPAs set a minimum standard for pay and conditions in an industry, he said.They still allow people to have their own employment conditions and pay, but they help lift the floor in an industry.

But the Opposition National Partysaidit stridently opposed the Bill, arguing it would reduce flexibility and harm New Zealands economy. Theirworkplace relations spokesperson, Paul Goldsmith, said the Bill is an ideological overreach, deliberately going to war with employers at a time when were facing huge economic challenges that would move towards rigid national awards.

Its another example of this governments belief that central government knows bestbetter than employees and employers trying to arrange things for themselves in a way that works for them.

Employers body BusinessNZ saysthat it will not accept the legislations payments of $250,000 a year for supporting compulsory bargaining in major sectors of the economy and their Chief executive Kirk Hope says the FPA scheme was unacceptable and the legislation should be canned.

Despite squealing from employers and the opposition, the Ardern government expects the legislation to pass all stages this year after going through a full select committee process.

Labour and unions in the UK will be watching developments in New Zealand as will UK employerswho are expected to oppose Labours plans in the same way they did the introduction of the national minimum wage and other pro-worker legislation introduced by previous Labour governments.

The Fair Pay Agreements Bill can be found here.

Tony Burke is the President of the CSEU and chair of the Campaign For Trade Union Freedom.

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Nutrient-sucking seaweed on clean-up duty in one of New Zealand’s dirtiest waterways – Stuff

Posted: at 5:56 am

Supplied

A seaweed trial could prove a game-changer in water restoration, says AgriSea managing director Tane Bradley, right. Hes pictured with, from left, University of Waikato scientists Chris Glasson, Marie Magnusson, and Clare Bradley.

Seaweed could be the key to cleaning up some of New Zealands dirtiest waterways.

Nearly $1m has been poured into a trial soon to start in the Waikatos Waihou River, testing how well the seaweed can filter its water.

This will be New Zealands first land-based seaweed trial, and three tanks of the plants will grow for 12 months, drawing water from the estuary, with data collation and analysis to follow.

If successful, AgriSea managing director Tane Bradley said it could become a game-changer in water restoration on top of growing seaweed that can be used for other products.

The Paeroa seaweed innovation company began experimenting with seaweed 26 years ago, manufacturing high-value macro-algal products to boost plant immunity, for animal and human health on farms.

READ MORE:* Kiwi company hopes to get locals hooked on seaweed drinks* The food future of New Zealand seaweed* Streams of dead birds and fish likely with potential 'triple threat' outbreak on the horizon

WAIKATO REGIONAL COUNCIL

Waikato Regional Council prosecuted a company responsible for an effluent discharge into a tributary of the Waikato River that turned a waterfall green.

Now, with the backing of Ministry for Primary Industries Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, the company alongside University of Waikato scientists will expand into environmental restoration with trials to begin in June.

Theres so much you can do with seaweed, Bradley told Stuff.

We are really pushing the boundaries with this, bringing technology that is already existing and readapting it to New Zealand and seeing were it can benefit us.

Supplied

Seaweed will be used to clean excess nutrients from the Waihou Estuary in the project, a process known as bioremediation.

Seaweed, unlike many plants, doesnt have root systems and grows by pulling nutrients from the surrounding water.

The seaweed in tanks will act in the same way, filter feeding on excess minerals like nitrogen, phosphorous and other heavy metals currently unable to be soaked up by freshwater plants.

The water will then be returned to the sea, filtered and clean.

Similar models have been used in Australia alongside prawn farms to clean defecation, but this will be a first for New Zealand, Bradley said.

It is estimated that up to 50 tonnes of dry ulva seaweed per hectare could be produced from a scaled-up facility, providing the biomass for added value products.

I can see hectares of these machines being built all down the country.

The Government has invested more than $697,000 into the project through the Ministry for Primary Industries Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund.

AgriSea is contributing $108,000 and the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust (AGMARDT) is investing $150,000.

Thames-Coromandel District Council is gifting the land lease for the project term, worth $40,000, with support from Ngti Maru and Ngti Hako. Hauraki District Council and Te Waka are also assisting with the consent process.

Supplied

Similar models have been used in Australia alongside prawn farms to clean defecation, but this will be a first for New Zealand, AgriSea managing director Tane Bradley said.

Agriculture Minister Damien OConnor said this research supports many of the goals set out in Fit for a Better World, the Governments 10-year food and fibre sector roadmap aimed at lifting productivity, sustainability and creating jobs to drive New Zealands economic recovery from Covid-19.

If successful, this will be an environmentally-friendly way to improve water quality, create jobs in the science sector, revitalise our waterways and improve our on-land farming systems Damien said.

Bradley estimates the potential value of the project as up to $219,000 per hectare of production each year.

This is based on nitrogen credits coming into effect in New Zealand and the value of ulva-based products which are on AgriSeas Innovation pipeline," he said.

While New Zealand doesnt yet have a nitrogen trading scheme, if one was introduced the biomass produced in one year from one hectare of ponds would be worth $82,000 in nitrogen credits, based on international values for nitrogen trading.

Supplied

Three ponds totalling 60 square metres will grow the locally present green seaweed species ulva.

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I’ve visited nearly every country in the world without ever taking a plane, New Zealand is next – Stuff

Posted: at 5:56 am

Torbjrn Pedersen agrees that his idea sounds crazy. Travel to every country in the world, live on just US$20 a day, and do it all without ever using a plane. Crazy, yes, but as Pedersen puts it, a good kind of crazy.

For the past nine years, Pedersen, who is also known as Thor, has been criss-crossing the globe, enduring hardships from pounding storms while on cargo vessels, wrangling visas from sometimes hostile border guards, all while juggling the logistics of how to navigate an airport-free adventure. Throw in a pandemic and the incredible feat that he has been achieved so far seems even more crazy.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Pedersen has crossed off 195 countries from his list, with just eight left to go. Currently, he is on a cargo ship due to arrive any day now in Townsville, Australia. His next stop will be New Zealand, then stops in Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, before travelling to Sri Lanka and then on to the final destination in his epic journey, the Maldives.

SUPPLIED

Pedersen in Tarawa, Kiribati.

READ MORE:* International tourism is coming back, but a return to 4 million visitors is years away, and some say that's a good thing * I have travelled to every region in New Zealand, here's why Tairwhiti Gisborne is my favourite* Running Australia's most isolated pub is not all cold beer and desert sunsets * Post-pandemic travel: Will Kiwi tourists prioritise pleasure or the planet?

And then he will finally return to his native Denmark, the first time home since the start of the adventure.

Pedersens upbringing and career have helped him navigate, quite literally, the tricky task of planning this journey.

SUPPLIED

Pedersen, aka Thor, has been travelling since October 2013.

His family travelled extensively as his father worked in the textile industry, while his mother worked as travel guide and spoke many languages. A stint in the Danish Army was followed by a 12-year career in shipping and logistics, but Pedersen said the inspiration for the trip came from his father.

It began with an innocent email from my father. I opened it and clicked on the link which brought me to an article about world travel, said Pedersen.

It turned out that only about 200 people have achieved reaching every country and nobody had successfully managed it completely without flying.

So the seeds of an adventure were sown. While his friends were supportive, it took a while for his parents to get on board.

SUPPLIED

He is a goodwill ambassador for the Danish Red Cross.

My father warned me against doing it, stating that it would be bad for my career. But I left home with his support, and he has since become one of my greatest supporters. When I visited my mother and told her about the project she simply stated that she also likes to travel, and then went on to talk about other things as if I had told her I was off to the dentist. Shes also a huge supporter today.

After several months of planning, he set off on October 13, 2013.

Documenting his travels on his blog, Once Upon a Saga, as well as on social media, Pedersen started with Europe, then made stops in North America, South America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Mediterranean, Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia. The Pacific Islands would be the final stops.

His logistics background, plus his connections as a goodwill ambassador for the Danish Red Cross, have helped his journey. Having a Danish passport has also been an advantage, especially when navigating the quagmire that are some visa processes.

There are countries which require no visa, some visas can be applied for easily online, some are easy to obtain at embassies and most visas are simply a standard process of filling out forms, bringing passport photos, and paying the amount.

Some visas have, however, been mind-boggling hard to obtain, and I have different stories for different visas. On one occasion I had to become a resident within one country to apply for a visa in another. Mad.

He is not the first to try this journey. A fellow adventurer, Graham Hughes, holds the world record of the fastest to visit all countries by public surface transport, according to Guinness World Records. However, he was allowed to fly back to Britain twice during his journey.

Pedersen said he will be the only person to visit every country in the world on a single journey without catching a flight.

Despite all the years of careful planning, he could never have predicted a pandemic. The original plan was to finish the adventure in 2020, but that was ruined by Covid-19. In fact, he has been stuck in Hong Kong for the past two years.

It started with four days of transit which turned into 11 days. Then countries started closing their borders to Greater China which includes Hong Kong. Then the virus outbreak went to become a global pandemic and most of us thought it would be over within a few months."

But despite the setback, he said he made the best of it.

I built a life for myself, made friends, improved on myself, collaborated left and right, developed contacts, etc. When I left I had a driving licence, a Hong Kong ID-card, an employment visa, a dentist card, and I had donated blood four times.

He also got visits from his wife. Yes, despite all the travelling, Pedersen is married. The original plan was to get hitched when he got to New Zealand, but the pandemic forced a rethink. Le Gjerum has joined the journey on many occasions, including a three-month stint in Hong Kong. Pedersen admits another ambition to finish soon is so the couple can start a family.

Another obvious question is how is he funding all of this?

I get financial support from Ross DK and GEOOP since I left home. They are Danish companies which focus on geothermal energy. Im also supported financially through donations from my followers. And on and off, I make some money from writing an article or from speaking engagements.

The project budget is US$20 a day which covers transportation, accommodation, visas, and meals.

He said some days prove more expensive than others when having to apply for things like visa extensions, but there are other days when he lives very frugally, so it balances out. Thankfully, he is rarely charged for the cargo ship journeys.

Another frequent question is whether he has ever thought about giving up and flying back home. He said that's a resounding yes!

I often wonder if its still worthwhile to continue. As time passes on, my wife and I see our chance of starting a family diminish. Also, my friends and family have children Ive never met.

But now is not the time to quit, especially with the finish line coming up. He hasnt got a set date of when he will reach New Zealand.

Im fortunately supported by several shipping companies. One of them is Swire Shipping which has a service from Australia to New Zealand, and also onward to Samoa and Tonga.

I might stay a little longer in New Zealand if I see my chance to join a ship to Antarctica and back. It would be a nice touch to include every continent as well.

Through all the hardships and delays, there is one thing which keeps the drive alive.

As a goodwill ambassador of the Danish Red Cross, Ive symbolically united the humanitarian movement across 190 countries by visiting and raising funds. My determination and endurance within this project is also inspiring and motivating people on a daily basis.

Personally I have received an education second to none. And many people have through my work changed their world view, learned about cultures, learned about people, and learned about countries, which they otherwise never would.

For more information go to Once Upon a Saga, or follow Thor on Instagram and YouTube.

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Ross Taylor prepares to take his final bow for New Zealand with a sense of pride – Stuff

Posted: at 5:56 am

A man who was proud to represent his country and play with a smile on his face.

Ross Taylors not yet willing to fully reflect on an international cricketing career which will end in his hometown on Monday night.

But the 38-year-old, when pushed and prodded in a manner antithetical to the way he has batted for New Zealand over the past 16 years, admitted hes pieced together a large body of work hugely worthy of being proud of.

Taylor will be celebrated over the next two one-day internationals between the Black Caps and the Netherlands in Hamilton on Saturday and Monday as a player who has made more appearances for his country over the three formats than other New Zealander.

But it could have been an awful lot fewer when Taylor lost his job as national team captain in 2012, in the process of making 142 and 74 while guiding his side to their first away test win over Sri Lanka in more than a decade.

Brendon McCullum was installed as the new leader under coach Mike Hesson and a hurt Taylor took some time away from the game to decide how best to react.

It doesnt feel like it was nine or 10 years ago, Taylor said this week.

It just goes to show what kind of career Ive had that it was that long ago.

STUFF

Since debuting as a fresh-faced 22-year-old in 2006, Luteru Ross Taylor has gone to become arguably the Black Caps' greatest ever batsman.

It could have affected people in different ways I was happy with the way I dealt with it at the time and continued to represent my country proudly and play with a smile on my face.

It could have been easy to have moved on and done something different, but theres only one New Zealand cricket team to play for. I was happy with the decisions I made.

That led to what will be 450 appearances for New Zealand, compiling 18,184 runs through a beguiling mixture of cuts, cover drives, leg glances and slog-sweeps among them.

Im proud of a lot of things, Taylor said.

A lot of the team successes over the years, winning the World Test Championship, playing in a couple of World Cup finals.

Obviously scoring a few hundreds.

The team had a transition phase Ive seen the downside of the team during its low periods, and Ive seen it during its high periods.

I think the teams evolved organically over the years for the better and its nice to have been part of that.

Alex Davidson/Getty Images

Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson celebrate NZs victory over India in the ICC World Test Championship Final in Southampton last June.

Taylor has taken a relaxed approach over his last three ODIs, after bowing out of the test arena in January in memorable fashion, taking a wicket to seal an innings win over Bangladesh in Christchurch.

The most pressure hes faced of late has been dealing with the demands for tickets from friends and family for the two games at Seddon Park after Covid-19 crowd restrictions were lifted.

However, Taylor said playing out the final years of his career amid the demands brought by a worldwide pandemic had taxed him mentally.

Its definitely been a tough couple of years.

I enjoy playing cricket and playing a lot of it whereas leading into the Indian series, I didnt have a hit. You go from playing 10 months of the year to the last couple of summers which have been affected quite considerably.

Living in bubbles overseas has certainly been something to get used to, but in saying that, Im probably fortunate to have the career Ive had.

It must be pretty tough on the guys that are just starting their careers in such a disjointed way thats just not the normal.

But you play cricket, youre representing your country and you know the sacrifices that are needed to do that. Thats one of them. It doesnt mean it becomes easier it probably becomes harder once the kids are older and understand that Dad is going away, said the father of three.

But Ive been very fortunate to have a supportive wife and family thats helped out along the way. And theyve been able to see parts of the world that they probably never would have at their age if it wasnt for cricket as well.

Taylor said hes still looking forward to playing in a few tournaments around the world and then playing for Central Districts in some capacity next summer.

Paul Kane/Getty Images

The scoreboard displays the first innings score for Ross Taylor when New Zealand met Australia in the second test in Perth in 2015.

Hell play his final game for the Black Caps in a format he rated as his best, while pondering what could have been in the shortest style.

Twenty 20 cricket, its great fun playing, definitely not a great game batting in the middle order if I had my time again, I would have opened the batting, thats definitely the easiest place to bat in that format.

In test cricket, I was proud of the way I turned myself into a test cricketer.

I had reservations whether I could do it.

I knew I could play to some extent, but its whether youre going to have a successful career and I was happy with the changes I made, and to have the longevity as well. Test cricket is about patience but then at the same time, youve got to try and be true to yourself, and I was always a strokemaker.

It was trying to find that balance between defence and attack and not being too defensive, because that can also stifle people.

Ive had a lot of help from a lot of people, and Martin Crowe was a big part of that.

Cricket is a very mental game, and the way you work on your mental side as a player, as a captain, as a batter, and continually trying to improve in all those facets.

Ever the batter, Taylor plumped for three of the same ilk when asked to nominate the best players hes faced, leaving the bowlers out in the cold.

All players go through different stages of where they are hot.

The two that weve caught at their best Ricky Ponting, there was a summer when he was at the top of his game and it was like he could do anything. [Virat] Kohli was at that stage too when weve played him just unreal really.

Chris Gayle, he used to score runs against us for fun.

Taylor may step away from cricket when he puts his bat into his kitbag for the final time, citing a few business interests hes developed over the years.

But nothing is set in concrete.

A lot of guys who are head coaches, I never thought after playing with them for so many years that they would get into head coaching, so you never say never.

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Ross Taylor prepares to take his final bow for New Zealand with a sense of pride - Stuff

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Thousands throw support behind French family fighting to stay in the country – Stuff

Posted: at 5:56 am

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Julien Debord, his wife Sophie and their children Lisa, 10, and Thibaut, 12, would like to stay in New Zealand. (File photo)

A French family is waiting to hear if they can remain in New Zealand after being told their business didnt perform as expected during the pandemic.

Last month Julien Debord, his wife Sophie and their two young children were told by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) that they wouldnt get visas because their business, Cafe Tennyson, hadnt met revenue and staff targets set before the pandemic.

In late 2020 Julien Debord applied for entrepreneur resident visas for the family.

Hes spent the past 16 months providing information, accounts and forms to satisfy numerous requests from Immigration. These included a supportive letter from Napier MP Stuart Nash, who proffered his strong support for the family and business.

READ MORE:* French family running popular Napier cafe told they won't get visa * Immigration medical certificate no longer required before submitting resident visa application* SailGP proposed saving NZ round with privately-run MIQ or self-isolation

INZ said it couldnt be satisfied the family met the requirements and told the Debords they had until March 21 to provide further comments or information.

Debord responded. On Friday INZ general manager border and visa operations Nicola Hogg said no decision had been made, but they were looking to make [one] as quickly as possible.

SUPPLIED

Green MP Dr. Elizabeth Kerekere, Napier resident Kathryn McGarvey, and Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise with the petition started by McGarvey in support of the Debord family.

Following news of the familys plight in early March, local woman Kathryn McGarvey began a petition. It was signed by 7308 people by Saturday and was passed to Green MP Elizabeth Kerekere, who will present it to the House of Representatives next week.

Debord said the family had been surprised by the support they had received since their story became public.

We have been crazy busy in the past two weeks with people wanting to support us. When I heard of the petition I thought if we were lucky maybe 500 people would sign... 7300 was a surprise.

The petition calls on Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi and Associate Immigration Minister Phil Twyford to grant or extend the family's visa and to update the criteria for the granting of the entrepreneur resident visa, taking into account the unprecedented difficulties of operating a business under Covid conditions.

RICKY WILSON/STUFF

Associate Immigration Minister Phil Twyford, pictured, has been asked by Napier MP Stuart Nash to use his Special Ministerial Direction in the Debord case. (File photo)

Joining Nash in providing letters supporting the family are Napier mayor Kirsten Wise, National MP for Taup Louise Upston, and Napier City Business Incorporated general manager Pip Thompson.

Thompson said the Debords had made the caf an institution bustling daily with local business people, families, and visitors.

STUFF

Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi announces thousands of migrants on temporary work visas would be fast-tracked for residency after a major immigration policy shift. (First published on September 30.)

Once the rules relax and domestic travel becomes more comfortable, international borders open, and we welcome cruise ships passengers to our iconic Art Deco city, we absolutely need cafs like the Debords to be open and trading, Thompson said

McGarvey said Julien and Sophie are kind, friendly, and hard-working people, and we only ask that they are given a fair go.

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Fran O’Sullivan: Air NZ chair – ‘We have righted the ship’ – New Zealand Herald

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Dame Therese Walsh - pictured just after getting the Air NZ role - achieved top positions in cricket and rugby administration. Photo / Dean Purcell

OPINION:

There's nothing in any governance handbook that could have prepared Dame Therese Walsh for the impact of the Covid pandemic on the national flag carrier.

This week, the Air New Zealand chair and her CEO Greg Foran announced a recapitalisation plan to raise $2.2 billion in equity and debt to restore the airline's financial health so it can take advantage of the border reopening and rebuild its international passenger networks.

Coming just a week after the pair announced that the airline would fly direct to New York City from September 17 and just sneaking in by one day ahead of Walsh's earlier "promise" that the recapitalisation would be unveiled within the first quarter of 2022 it was an auspicious moment.

Finally, Air New Zealand could get on with rebuilding its future.

Walsh says there had been earlier speculation that the Crown might seek to extend its 51 per cent holding in Air New Zealand or "nationalise" it by going to 100 per cent. But the airline board believed the company needed to be a commercially balanced organisation going forward.

She had early on asked the question on the Crown's intentions. But she says Finance Minister Grant Robertson has been resolute that the Crown would support the airline by maintaining its 51 per cent stake through the rights issue.

"They haven't deviated. They have been robust on that," she says.

Walsh is grateful for the Crown's continued debt support which critics (including this columnist) earlier described as being at a usurious rate.

She says the truth is that the airline could not get sufficient commercial debt in place early on to sustain its operations.

1 Apr, 2022 07:58 PMQuick Read

The government-supported cargo scheme has also been an absolute lifeline, she says, providing financial support to the airline to take New Zealand exports to offshore markets.

But it has been a marathon.

In February 2020, Walsh had spoken to the Institute of Directors on how governance was undergoing a transformation: "Whatever the ownership structure of organisations, accountability was on the rise" was how her speech was promoted.

A straight arrow, Dame Therese's career had seen her reach top levels in sports administration as head of New Zealand for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and previously as chief operating officer for the 2011 Rugby World Cup before making the switch to more traditional governance roles as chair of TVNZ and a director of the NZX.

Two years on, she is more likely to describe the governance challenges her airline boardroom has faced in quite different terms. Accountability is a given. But there have been "black swan events". "Swiss cheese risk models". These also became part of the boardroom lexicon.

Walsh has spoken before of how Air New Zealanders developed a new philosophy during the tough months when Covid was raging. "Smile with your eyes above the facemask" was how she termed it.

She was barely "five minutes" into the chair's role herself when New Zealand went into the first level 4 lockdown. Foran was also just newly in his role.

Walsh doesn't dwell overly on the past.

But it's worth recalling that when Covid struck in March 2020 and New Zealand borders shut hard, the airline had to pivot very substantially and fast.

Routes were closed. Planes parked up. Staff massively downsized and customers felt disenfranchised. Flight demand was down 95 per cent almost overnight.

But with government funding support, Air New Zealand a critical element of the country's logistics kept servicing exporters by taking their products to the world.

She acknowledges it was tough for everyone involved. Especially those who lost their jobs.

Like Foran, who makes a point of getting out in the business and working occasional shifts with staffers, Walsh also checks in with the pilots every time she flies between her home in Wellington and Auckland (where she also chairs ASB) to catch the mood.

Showing visible leadership is important to her.

The workload at director level went through the roof as the board had to schedule many more meetings.

The retail offer to shareholders has not opened yet. But early signs from the round of institutional investor meetings held by Foran and his chief financial officer Richard Thomson are promising.

There were multiple negotiations with the Crown on various recapitalisation plans. There was disappointment that the airline could not fill its boots with new capital in the early stages of the pandemic as some competitors did. But also a recognition "in hindsight" that the frustrating delays may have been to the airline's advantage.

Air New Zealand had wanted to go last August. But the Crown said it was not ready. It was a timing thing.

Robertson wrote Walsh a "letter of comfort" that pledged the Crown's continued support. Then the Delta outbreak happened and transtasman flights shut down again. Then Omicron.

The difference between then and now is that borders are opening and Covid restrictions are easing.

There are other issues which the board would obviously have been watching. Ukraine. The geopolitical stresses caused by the Russian invasion. Complexities around the US and China. Rising fuel prices and inflation which are all part of the full range of risk factors the airline and its advisers have had to balance, and are outlined in the offer documents.

Against this the airline's board has made a safe strategic bet that internationally demand is going to build up.

Walsh wonders: Will this pent-up demand result in aviation going gangbusters? Or will passengers take a more measured approach as they return to the skies?

The airline clearly hopes that this substantial recapitalisation will set it up for its future and that it does not have to return to the capital markets again, as have some other airlines that recapitalised much earlier in the Covid pandemic.

Reflecting on the past two years, Walsh says "crisis brings out the best in people".

"It's all landed in a balanced and pragmatic way.

"We have righted the ship. Let's go sailing."

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Fran O'Sullivan: Air NZ chair - 'We have righted the ship' - New Zealand Herald

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