Daily Archives: June 9, 2023

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka met in Wellington this morning, reaffirming the strength and spirit of New Zealand and Fijis relationship, as outlined in the Duavata Relationship Statement of Partnership.

New Zealand and Fiji are connected by a kinship forged in Pacific culture, identity and interests, founded on our long history, friendship, and mutual respect, Chris Hipkins said.

Prime Minister Rabuka and I exchanged views on a wide range of issues that are important to our countries and region, including strengthening our regional institutions which have long served pacific interests, as well as economic and security matters that are impacting our region.

Prime Minister Hipkins also announced a further NZ$11.1 million of climate change support for Fiji to respond to the impacts of climate change.

We had an inspired discussion on how we can further cooperate on combating the effects of climate change. Its clear it remains the single greatest threat to lives and livelihoods in the Pacific region.

Many New Zealanders have experienced first hand through Cyclone Gabrielle the devastation it causes communities, and this additional funding will assist Fiji to deliver community-based climate adaptation and mitigation projects.

Climate change is an issue we must all face together, and our international climate finance commitment of NZ$1.3 billion will help address the increased vulnerability climate change creates for economies, communities, food and water security, and ecosystems in the Pacific, Chris Hipkins said.

Prime Minister Rabuka said this official visit marked a significant milestone in the New ZealandFiji relationship, clearly demonstrating a commitment to elevating how we work together.

The Duavata Relationship Statement of Partnership is the platform from which we are able to approach issues of mutual interest and importance to Fiji and New Zealand, such as, climate change, social well-being, regional security, and building economic resilience, said Prime Minister Rabuka.

This additional funding from New Zealand is very welcome. It will support Fiji to implement discrete projects in renewable energy, infrastructure resilience, climate policy, and capacity strengthening.

As well as bilateral priorities, Prime Ministers Hipkins and Rabuka also discussed their vision for the region, in line with the goals set out in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent by Pacific Leaders during the Pacific Islands Forum in Fiji, last year.

Prime Minister Rabuka last officially visited New Zealand in 1998, over 25 years ago.

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New Zealand Fiji reaffirm close relationship - Beehive.govt.nz

New Zealands 43rd Scrabble Champion Lyres Freeth, left, and New Zealand Association of Scrabble Players president Dr Cathy Casey at Howick Bowling Club.

Auckland Scrabble player Lyres Freeth has become New Zealands 43rd Scrabble Champion.

After a thrilling weekend in Howick, Freeth won 18 of her 22 games to fend off a strong field of experienced international players and grand masters from New Zealand and overseas.

Her win was all the more exciting because Freeth returned to the championship after nearly two years off from competitive Scrabble after having a baby. It is her first national win. After the weekend, Freeth is now ranked third in the New Zealand rankings. Her husband Dr Alastair Richards is ranked number one in New Zealand and is the current world champion.

Another exciting win at the national champs was a stunning performance by Christchurch Scrabble Club player Laura Griffiths in C grade. Griffiths was playing in her first national championships and won 16 of her 22 games. She also won the Georgie Trophy for the most improved player. After the weekend she has moved up 17 places from 62nd in the New Zealand rankings to 45th.

The tournament, held at Howick Bowling Club in Selwyn Road over the Kings Birthday weekend, attracted 68 players from all parts of New Zealand and of all ages and occupations. Whangarei Scrabble Club took out the team prize.

For the full results of the National Championship or to find out more about New Zealand Scrabble and where you can join a club go to scrabble.org.nz.

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New Zealand has a new Scrabble champ - Times - Times Online - Auckland

Andrew Maclennan was found to have had a sexual relationship with a teenage athlete. Photo / NZME

An elite sports trainer who taught at multiple high schools had a sexual relationship with a teenager he coached.

Andrew Maclennan was today named in a Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal decision as having a relationship with a teenage athlete, who later became pregnant.

According to Maclennans CV posted to his website, he has worked for both the Crusaders and Canterbury rugby teams as well as the NZ womens hockey team. He was a teacher from 1991 to 2005, but left teaching and began working as a sports coach in 2005.

The decision details how Maclennan met the 15-year-old student at an athletics camp. The then 39-year-old began coaching her over the following three months and also tutored her in maths.

The teenagers parents later heard rumours he had allegedly engaged in relationships with young girls. Another coach raised these concerns with him.

Maclennan stopped coaching the teen at the request of the parents, but they secretly remained in touch during 2007. He told the girl she would not be able to make it in athletics without his help.

The same year they started meeting again and Maclennan coached her. The parents caught wind of this and told him to cease all contact with their daughter. He again agreed.

But by 2008, on the students 17th birthday, Maclennan kissed her and gave her a necklace. Later in the year they had sex, eventually seeing each other four to five times a week mainly during the night.

On occasion, Maclennan would pick the girl up from school, parking further down the road and telling the student to sit in the back seat to avoid being seen.

Also on occasion, the decision says Maclennan told the girl that their relationship was ruining her chances of living a life that a teenager should live. The teen said she would rather spend time with Maclennan.

The teen began feeling depressed and began self-harming. Maclennan told her not to tell her counsellor anything that could get him in trouble. He threatened to commit suicide.

The decision says the girls parents repeatedly attempted to stop the contact. They complained to Athletics New Zealand, and Maclennan met with two senior members of the organisation. He denied having sex with the teen.

In 2009, shortly before her 18th birthday, the teen discovered she was pregnant to her former coach. The pregnancy was terminated.

It wasnt until 2013 the relationship ended, but communication continued until at least 2015.

The tribunals decision notes there was no intimate or personal communication before the student turned 16.

Giving evidence to the tribunal, Maclennan said he regretted the relationship with the teen, but also labelled her an anxious and demanding person.

She sent me hundreds of text messages most days and was very difficult to shake off.

He said she repeatedly talked about sex and asked for it. I declined on numerous occasions.

The tribunal said it found Maclennans conduct abhorrent.

The fact that he has attempted to apportion blame for the relationship on [the teen] confirms his lack of self-awareness, ability to reflect on his conduct and take responsibility for his actions.

But with Maclennan being a coach, not a teacher for the purposes of the relevant part of the act at the time of the relationship, the tribunal ruled it while it had no jurisdiction to pass down a penalty.

The Complaints Assessment Committee, which laid the charge before the tribunal, appealed the outcome in the District Court in November last year.

Judge Chris Tuohy ruled Maclennan had committed misconduct over a period in 2007, as well as serious misconduct in the latter months of 2008 when he was still a registered teacher.

The maintenance of a full-scale secret sexual relationship with a much older man against the very firm wishes of her parents while she was only 17 years old, living at home and still at school was bound to result in adverse effects on [the student], Judge Tuohy wrote in his judgment.

Maclennan was censured - the only penalty available given he is no longer a registered teacher.

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Elite sports trainer had sexual relationship with teen athlete who fell ... - New Zealand Herald

The newly established RNZPC Independent Advisory Board (the Board) was welcomed to the Royal New Zealand Police College (RNZPC) on Wednesday 31 May.

The Board has been set up to provide strategic and independent advice, and a community perspective, that will help the RNZPC develop the best training and professional development possible so Police staff can be successful in their roles. It will also identify opportunities for improvement and future focus, says Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura.

The Board is led by Chair Mark Evans (a member of the Police Executive) and comprises nine external members and one external attendee. They are from a diverse range of backgrounds and together they bring valuable knowledge, skills and experience that will enhance decision-making at Polices executive level.

A robust selection system was used in the appointment process and will be used in the future should any member relinquish their role. Each member has been appointed for an initial two years.

Members are: Caleb Ware, iwi elected member of Te Rnanga o Toa Rangatira Board of Directors; Dr Tracey Green, Chief Executive of the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency; Vinod Bal, Co-Founder of charity Adhikaar Aotearoa, advocating for LGBT+ people of colour; Grace Stratton, Director of All is for All, empowering people and communities to embrace disability as a cultural lens; Arihia Stirling QSM, Principal of Te Kura Mori Ng Tapuwae in Mangere and Kaupapa Mori Education Advisor; Grant OFee MNZM, consultant and retired Police Superintendent with a deep knowledge of policing and police training; Gregory Fortuin, community leader and former race relations conciliator; Melanie Taite-Pitama, experienced governor, academic and education leader; Associate Professor Yvonne Crichton-Hill, Head of Social Work at the University of Canterbury with a focus on wellbeing in Pacific communities; Professor Ian Lambie ONZM, Justice Sector Chief Science Advisor, academic and clinical psychologist specialising in children, adolescents, and youth justice.

The Board will meet several times a year, and potentially more often as work develops. The Board is likely to provide advice on: The systems to ensure quality of training material. Bicultural and diversity-centric approaches to learning. Community expectations of Police training. Innovation in the design and development of training and learning material. The physical RNZPC campus environment. Governance and operation of the RNZPC. Future policing and the officer or employee of tomorrow. International best practice.

Board member Arihia Stirling QSM says:

I commend the Commissioner for having the foresight to create this RNZPC Independent Advisory Board with members who possess a diverse set of skills, backgrounds and experience.

This will aid in ensuring police officers and employees have the range of tools required to address the needs within the communities they serve. We must ensure that our police service is relevant, reflects our communities and can respond in a manner that is appropriate in this ever-changing environment.

More information about the Board, which will include the Terms of Reference when confirmed, can be found on the New Zealand Police website: http://www.police.govt.nz/about-us/programmes-and-initiatives/rnzpc-independent...

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre.

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New independent advisory board welcomed to the Royal New ... - New Zealand Police

IBM New Zealand has reported its financial statements for the year to the end of December 2022 and, while still in profit, it was a rough year.

Revenue fell from $172.4 million to $154.9 million while cost of sales, services and financing increased from $107.2 million to $119.8 million. Other expenses also increased, from $25.2 million to $28.8 million.

That combination saw operating profit plunge from $40.1 million to $6.3 million while after tax profit from continuing operations fell from $27.2 million to $4.6 million.

As the business now known as Kyndryl had been fully separated from IBMfor reporting purposes during both financial years, the two periods are now more easily comparable.

IBM-owned software company Red Hat NZ also posted its financial results. Revenue increased from $23.2 million to $26.6 million while pre-tax profit was relatively flat at $1.1 million.

Another local entity, IBM Global Financing NZ, reported revenue of $3.5 million, up from $3.2 million for the same period last year. After tax profit dipped slightly from $1.5 million to $1.4 million.

IBM NZ declined a request for comment, however, the company has been vocal over the last couple of years about its commitment to partnership strategies.

In November last year, IBM's local unit was hailed as a channel star with over 90 per cent of its revenue coming through the channel compared with around two-thirds in the broader APAC region.

That made the NZ business one of the most channel-led in the world.

IBM had over 100 partners in New Zealand and was keen to build that ecosystem further, Paul Burton, general manager for IBM Asia Pacific, toldReseller News.

"We want to work with them to develop skills that can help them be successful," he said. "We are very interested in marketing with them and driving them more leads and working collaboratively with them in front of clients."

Locally, IBM worked with all the major players and a host of specialists.

"We are very happy with the ecosystem in New Zealand but think we can do better in terms of enabling them and training them up in our technology," Burton said. "I think we can be better partners to them to be honest."

There had to be a level of co-dependency in partnerships, Burton added.

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IBM New Zealand's profit took a mauling in FY2022 - Reseller News

Former Fiji coach Vern Cotter is the latest to be linked with the Blues' head coaching job. Photo / Photosport

OPINION

The struggles the Blues have had to appoint a head coach Vern Cotter their latest target after fumbling the bag on at least two others speaks to a dearth of head coaches in New Zealand willing and ready to step up to Super Rugby level.

This comes after the Crusaders appointed what appears to be a transitional coach in Rob Penney until they have a young candidate ready in a couple of years, while Clark Laidlaw became a wanted man between the Blues and Hurricanes before going with the latter.

Laidlaw comes with a strong reputation after transforming the All Blacks Sevens both in performance and culture back to the top of the game. But his 15s head coaching experience is minimal and while he might be a success, he didnt scream an obvious candidate until the Herald heard whispers he was in.

It could be theres a holding pattern until the next wave of head coaches come through, or there is a serious dearth that could only get worse. While the jury is out on their appointments, the fact none of the three franchises had clear successors in mind speaks to either a lack of confidence in succession planning, timing reasons (half a cycle too early for the likes of Tamati Ellison at the Crusaders), or a lack of contenders ready to pick from.

Tellingly, none of the three come direct from coaching at NPC level, a suggestion that the gap between Super Rugby level and the tier below has widened more than had been realised, and coaches now need some form of overseas or international experience to justify the head coaching role or to have some Super Rugby assistant coaching experience to bridge that gap.

When those coaches do have those experiences, coaching overseas particularly in Japan presents a more compelling option and lifestyle than taking on a Super Rugby head coaching job.

While Scott Robertson has shown theres a pathway to the All Blacks coaching job now, the next candidate for that job will likely have to wait a long while, if at all, to take that job straight from Super Rugby level.

Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown have yet to confirm where theyre off to next, but theyve been-there-done-that at Super level. So too, Dave Rennie, Todd Blackadder and Robbie Deans who are all in the Japanese system, have already ticked the Super Rugby box, and dont see the need to return to franchise rugby or reset a potential path in international coaching.

Milton Haig has also had success in Japan but hasnt been mentioned in conversations around potential candidates, while the likes of former Otago coach Ben Herring are also in Japan.

So what of NPC coaches and those below at club and school level? Worryingly, the NPC pathway to develop coaches appears more of a revolving door with few coaches sticking around for more than a couple of years at each side.

Even a commitment to coach this year may not be enough, with Hawkes Bay losing Josh Syms last month as he moved to Zebre as forwards coach.

Super Rugby in New Zealand is chockful of assistants especially younger ones learning their craft as they transition out of professional rugby both here and overseas. Whether theyre ready to step up in time to head coaches and fill this seeming gap in the market will explain whether theres a coaching shortage, or if its just a perfect storm of three Super Rugby jobs becoming available at a time when the next breed is not quite ready.

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Elliott Smith: Why NZ has a Super Rugby coaching problem - New Zealand Herald

Getting Lost is being played all over the world and not always in the way its creator envisioned.

Cat Macnaughtan is used to hearing from her fans. They write her messages, send her ideas and share photos of themselves. Often, those snaps are taken in far-flung places. The photo that I typically get is a bunch of middle-aged women dressed horrendously in op shop clothes in the middle of nowhere on a slide, she says.

She loves getting those snaps of people in random places, because she sent them there. Thanks to Macnaughtans popular card game Getting Lost, tens of thousands of people have taken her advice to Take the next left, Follow a white car, and, Head to the highest place you can see. Users shuffle the deck, draw cards at random and let fate determine their next move.

People follow the prompts on her cards when walking, cycling and driving to have an adventure they wouldnt otherwise have. Some use them to entertain the kids on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Others pop in a marriage card to help them decide where and when to propose.

We live a very pre-ordained life. Were driven by algorithms no matter where we go. Not having a plan does freak some people out, says Macnaughtan. This game will never be for them.

Instead, Macnaughtons typical players are mums, kids and families who want to embark on a cheap and cheerful trip. Her card games offer impromptu opportunities to go off the beaten track and discover parts of the world players havent yet been before. Sometimes, its a dusty, overgrown street. Other times, its a secluded beach with dolphins playing in the surf.

It takes the destination out of the equation, she says. Lets make the journey, and the path, the fun part. It also harks back to a childhood instinct to explore. When we were kids we made up crazy games that led us to crazy places, because we wanted to explore, we wanted to adventure. Somewhere, weve lost that.

Getting lost, safely, is entirely the point. Her game, Macnaughtan says, is the antidote for those who are sick of, or dont want to follow, the typical travel trends and visit the Instagram-famous spots. Theres a time and a place for TripAdvisor and for Google, she says. This allows you to follow directions but be out of control.

Sometimes, like the family who found a giant restaurant-sized KFC bucket in the middle of a random field, the places her fans end up arent so glamorous. Other times, like a sunset proposal on a grassy hill, theyre gloriously impromptu. Macnaughtan loves hearing about the strange places her fans end up. Its play, its adventure, its fun, she says. Weve had 30 proposals. Its not Instagram-perfect, but its flippin epic.

Recently, Macnaughtons card game ticked over 100,000 sales (packs of cards cost between $17.95-$25.95 and feature local scenery on the back.) Shes running her $1 million business from her kitchen table with two part-time staff on board to help out. This week, she left full-time employment as a strategist to focus on Getting Lost full-time.

Macnaughtans kept as firm a grip on her business as she can, tracking growth and choosing opportunities carefully. Shes in 200 New Zealand stores and a recent expansion to Australia has paid off, becoming her biggest market.

When the American chain store Kohls called her, she thought long and hard about the offer, then turned it down. It was horrendous timing, [we were] so not ready, she says. It would have been the death of our business had it gone ahead theres no way we could have powered up to do that.

But some things remain out of her control. Recently, she noticed an escalation of orders coming from America. She doesnt promote Getting Lost or advertise there, but occasionally Getting Losts posts go viral. Sitting in a cafe, she jumped online to see what was happening. We had all these posts, people tagging people and saying, Lets get stoned and play this.

Her game had been discovered by American teens who wanted to smoke weed and get lost. Wary of what could go wrong in such a litigious country, she began to freak out. We have a whole bunch of young people in America getting stoned and playing our games. Are they driving into lakes? Are they driving off cliffs? What are they doing?

Some even messaged her directly. People were like, Can you make a Getting Stoned edition? Im like, We absolutely cannot.'

Macnaughtan started Getting Lost after an audience built around her 2014 travel blog, which detailed her familys adventures finding hidden, undiscovered places. On weekends theyd climb over fences, climb down cliffs and find secluded, unheralded spots, then photograph and write about them.

One day, a reader asked if she knew any good spots to visit in Waiouru. Shed just moved there with her husband and children and wanted more options than just the Army Museum. There is nothing that Google can tell you. TripAdvisor is probably going to be the local dairy and maybe a local cafe. Its not going to tell you anything, she says.

But it put a thought in the back of Macnaughtans mind. She didnt know Waiouru well, but based on her own adventures, she knew it must be full of possibility. Instinctively, I knew there must be watering holes, there must be a hill you can roll down with a field of wildflowers, there must be so many amazing places, she says. I cant tell you. No one can tell you. But you need a mechanism to be able to confidently explore and discover them.

She wrote up some directions, found a printer, cut up some cards and a game was born. Now, Getting Lost has fans all over the country and around the world. People take her cards with them when they travel to help them explore more than just the usual tourist spots. There are around 30 different editions now, for road trips, date nights, camping, walking the dog, heading into the bush and office parties. During lockdowns, she made an at-home edition.

She could move it all onto an app, and it is something she tried. But a developer took her money and never did the job, and she took it as a sign. Getting Lost isnt about staring at a phone screen. Its about a real-world experience, prompted by her cards. Shes worried an app would corrupt that. Were telling people to go left, go right, turn down this road, do that you could really easily lead someone into danger if someone hacked into your app.

Shes got more than enough ideas for new packs to keep her busy. While Getting Stoned, wont be one of them, Macnaughtan is finding that Getting Losts growth is impacting on her own adventuring. Shes struggling to find time to get lost herself. I dont have time to sleep, she says, let alone adventure that much.

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The New Zealand travel card game being adopted by stoned ... - The Spinoff

Friday, 9 June 2023, 9:41 am Press Release: Hospitality New Zealand

One of the driving forces behind Australias biggest hospitality and accommodation empire will open Hospitality New Zealands #HNZ23 conference and trade show in Auckland later this month.

Sam Egerton is General Manager of New Projects for Merivale Group, which owns 104 restaurants, pubs, bars and hotels across Australia, most of them in Greater Sydney.

He heads a programme of speakers and sessions designed to inform, educate and entertain operators from across the hospitality sector.

#HNZ23 Hospitality Conferences theme is For Industry, By Industry, and will feature motivational and subject speakers, expert sessions and panels that cover consumer trends, compliance, Chat GPT, and the serious workforce issues that are confronting the industry.

Hospitality NZ Chief Executive Julie White says shes delighted they have been able to attract Sam Egerton to open the conference.

It doesnt get any bigger than Merivale in hospitality in our part of the world. Theyve built an amazing business and theyve done that by being true innovators.

Hearing from one of the guys at the forefront of that about how theyve gone about it and how they see the future will be a real treat for conference delegates.

Tickets for the two-day event, which offers a huge selection of hospitality and accommodation trade exhibitors and networking opportunities, are now available. It will be held at the Pullman Hotel on June 27-28.

A first this year is a dedicated workforce summit, on day 2, where the industry, including officials from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, will explore and discuss key workforce issues and intergenerational comms.

Panels include Consumer Food & Beverage Trends, Sustainability in the industry, and the Educational Landscape, while breakout sessions include Compliance Trends in Gaming, growth mindsets and Courageous Conversations for Leaders.

A trade show with 60+ hospitality and accommodation industry suppliers will allow exhibitors to showcase the latest in sector developments and technology.

Also part of the event are the 25th Lion Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence. These celebrate the success, achievements and resilience of people in 20 categories from across the sector.

The Leader of the Year Peoples Award categories will be announced at a social event on the 27th of June, the evening of Day 1. These include Leader of the Year in Hospitality, Accommodation, Future Leader of the Year, Chef of the Year, and Supplier of the Year.

The conference will conclude with a gala dinner on the 28th where the winners of the Awards for Excellence will be announced, followed by the overall Supreme winner. The Peoples Choice Award, chosen from the finalists list, will also be announced then.

Sam will be talking about new openings, nuggets of gold, consumer trends, driving guest experiences, and technology advancements.

He is originally from Christchurch. He moved to Sydney in the mid-2000s and has been working for the Merivale Group for the past 12 years. He has been Merivales Bars Manager, during which time he fine-tuned the art of bar backing in their venues. As General Manager of the New Projects Team, he builds new teams and venues across the country. Most recently he oversaw the re-opening of Allianz Stadium and took the helm of the Sydney Cricket Ground, integrating Merivales approach to quality products, and delivering exceptional guest experiences into the stadium world.

Other speakers at the HNZ23 Hospitality and Accommodation Conference are:

Kevin Biggar: A motivational speaker, he will be the first speaker. He talks about how people can take on demanding challenges in their life and business, and how to improve teamwork, lift mental toughness, boost performance, and get the most out of themselves and their team.

Melissa Muirhead: The founder of The Great Work Lab, which works with businesses on culture and leadership, will wind up day 1. She has spent more than 20 years in corporate roles in New Zealand and overseas and is a trained and experienced Executive Coach.

Ashley Fell: The social researcher, TEDx speaker, and Head of Communications at the internationally recognised McCrindle will kick off day 2. As a trends analyst and media commentator, she advises on how to achieve cut-through in message-saturated times. She is an expert in how to communicate across generational barriers.

Dan Te Whenua Walker: Dan Te Whenua Walker is the Global Co-Chair of Indigenous at Microsoft and an experienced leader in business and relationship development with an extensive background in the IT and tech sector. He has a particular passion for how tech can be utilised for Mori and Pasifika economic development. Dan will be a highlight feature in the afternoon of Day 2.

Check out the programme here

Get your tickets here

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New Zealand's David Nyika competes at the Tokyo Olympics, a competition overseen by the IOC.

The president of Boxing New Zealand has welcomed the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) stunning decision to terminate the Olympic status of the International Boxing Association (IBA), the sport's disgraced governing body.

After a series of scandals involving governance, finance, refereeing and ethics, the IBA was stripped of its involvement in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the qualification process for the next year's Paris Games.

Boxing was subsequently not included on the initial programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, putting the sport's long-term Olympic future in doubt.

The IOC appears to have finally lost patience with the IBA and its Russian president Umar Kremlev, with its 15-member executive board recommending withdrawing recognition of the beleaguered organisation at a special meeting on June 22.

In a statement, it said the IBA "has failed to fulfil the conditions set by the IOC ... for lifting the suspension of the IBA's recognition."

Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

IBA President Umar Kremlev threatened "retaliatory measures" over the IOC's "purely political" decision.

That decision was music to the ears of Boxing New Zealand boss Steve Hartley, who has been an outspoken critic of the IBA and Kremlev, head of the organisation since 2020.

"The IBA has failed the sport of Olympic boxing and now there will be opportunity for the sport to be operated in a corruption free environment and in a competent manner," Hartley said in a statement.

New Zealand was one of four countries that was last month suspended by the IBA previously known as AIBA over its ties with the breakaway World Boxing organisation, launched in April with the goal of securing the sport's long-term future at the Games.

It followed an 11-nation boycott of the women's world championships in New Delhi, India in March and the men's tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, last month when Kremlev lifted a ban on Russian and Belarusian boxers competing under their flags in defiance of the IOC's guidance.

As a result of the suspension, Kiwi boxers competing at last month's Youth and Junior Men's and Women's Oceania Boxing Championships in Apia, Samoa were forced to turn their singlets inside out to hide the silver fern, which the IBA considered a symbol of the suspended national federation.

Hartley told insidethegames it was the "the worst insult the IBA could put on our country and the mana of our athletes" and suggested that Boxing New Zealand had no future in the governing body.

So he was understandably delighted after the IOC's ruling and called on national federations to get behind the recently formed World Boxing of which USA Boxing and SwissBoxing are the only two current members and its bid to preserve the sport's Olympic status.

"World Boxing is up and running with recognition in Swiss law and is well placed to lead boxing into the Olympic future," Hartley said.

"The main focus for Boxing New Zealand at present is assisting our athletes to work towards qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics and continue Boxing New Zealand's success at previous Olympic events.

"Boxing New Zealand chairman Keith Walker and myself will continue to support the World Boxing movement and the efforts to secure boxing for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles."

The IOC oversaw the boxing competitions itself in Tokyo and will do so again in Paris. With the IBA now out of the picture, boxing is expected to be restored to the programme in Los Angeles in five years' time.

However, Kremlev is not about to go quietly, labelling the IOC's decision "truly abhorrent and purely political" and threatening to take "retaliatory measures".

"Now, we are left with no chance but to demand a fair assessment from a competent court," Kremlev said in a statement.

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Boxing New Zealand welcomes IOC's decision to terminate 'corrupt ... - Stuff

Alex Casey talks to director Scott Walker and Wt Workshops Sir Richard Taylor about The Tank, a locally made horror that brings an everyday nightmare to life.

Many New Zealanders who grew up in certain regions, or during a certain time period, have a scary water tank that haunts their memory. For Scott Walker, the origin of his tank phobia is relatively recent. At the start of the pandemic, the writer and director found himself stuck in Aotearoa with his family after what was supposed to be a quick Christmas trip home from the United States. Forced by visa issues to move between houses for 18 months, a stay at a friends house built on a large old water tank spawned a brand new nightmare.

When the taps began running low one day, Walker found himself climbing into the unnerving darkness of the water tank to make some repairs. After that day, the nightmares began plaguing him, night after sleepless night. They involved a fluid creature, jet black and goopy, oozing out of the taps of the house. Once released from the drains, it would take its monstrous final form, and would proceed to eat him and his whole family.

That became the script, Walker says, rather cheerily, over Zoom. And then I sent it to Richard [Taylor] and said Ive had these horrible nightmares, and Ive written the script, would you please read it and tell me what you think? Having worked together on previous projects, the Wt Workshop founder was more than happy to take a look especially given he had his own cursed experience with a creaky corrugated water tank looming behind his childhood home.

One day the water started tasting foul, and Dad wanted to investigate, Taylor recalls. He lowered me through a very, very small opening and the top of the tank and then let go. With his Dads body blocking the only source of light, a young Taylor splashed around in the darkness. This was a long way before waterproof torches, so I am swimming around in this freezing cold water, trying to grab some rancid possum or some decomposing goat.

It turned out to just be a black bird, but the incident has stuck with Taylor for nearly a quarter of a century. When he received Walkers script for The Tank, he read it cover to cover. I had a connection to the sort of nightmare that Scott was describing, he says. It was also the brief description of the very plausible creature that had him hooked. I found it amazingly compelling, and immediately had a desire to build it with our team [at Wt].

From there came an extraordinary exchange of creature ideas, says Taylor, shared everywhere from the back of napkins in Thai restaurants to late night texts containing photos of hagfish. Would a creature in a water tank have eyes or no eyes? Slime or no slime? How would it hunt? How would it walk? Whatever it had, there had to be a reason behind it, explains Walker, who produced pages and pages of notes and reference photographs fleshing out the ecological plausibility of the monster.

Beyond ecology, there was another factor that limited what the creature could do. Walker was adamant he wanted to use practical effects in the film, committing to a style of old school creature feature instead of turning to big budget CGI scares. The main thing was actually being able to have a physical creature in the room, rather than something imaginary, he says. If you can create a great creature that actually looks like its alive and its slimy and its scary, you get a terrific performance because the other actors have something to respond to.

After finding contortionist Regina Hegemannto embody the creature, the Wt team got to work designing a full, wearable suit. In fight scenes we didnt want to see someones bare foot the creature had to be the creature the whole way through, says Walker. The result was a 3D printed suit, which Taylor posits might be one of the first of its kind in the world. We made a 3D core of her, and then 3D printed the moulds from which we ran the silicone, says Taylor. She had to be in silicone, not foam, because of the water content.

The result is a drooling, nostril-flaring, teeth-baring aquatic monster that tears people limb from limb, sprints across the forest floor on all fours and scratches at doors with sharp, knife-like fingers. For Taylor, the creature is in keeping with a wider return to practical effects. We have definitely seen a swing back the other way, he says. For about 10 years, our animatronics department almost fell fallow. We could barely pull the work together and we were starting to do more location based experiences, just to try and keep our robotics and animatronics alive.

But in the last year, Taylor says Wt has done more animatronic work than in the past decade. Young directors are coming back to the idea of using practical effects, he says. If the creature is in the world, that director is having an immediate and connected relationship with the scene, with the creature, with the actors, and they are able to manipulate, to the micro level, the different components of their film. He also believes that audience perception is evolving, and that people can subtly sense the differences in performance in CGI-heavy scenes.

Representing another wider trend, The Tank also joins a glut of horror movies produced in Aotearoa since the pandemic alongside Pearl, M3GAN and Evil Dead Rise. Walker says the trend reflects the psychological impact of the last few years. Its all about providing escapism, and I think that need has only enhanced due to Covid, he says. Horror gives us something thats totally made up to be afraid of, after a lot of people experienced very real fear of what we all thought Covid was going to do and was going to become.

Taylor has his own theory as to why the horror boom. Peter Jackson started his career in splatter horror, and there was a misconception that he was what was called back then a gore-meister, he says. But if you watch his early films, its entirely evident that they were vehicles to grander films yet to be made. With horror, there is the potential for very low budget films to reach genre level fandom. I dont really believe theres any other form of filmmaking that has the potential, relative to budgets spent, to reach a core fan group like that.

Regardless of whether its psychological, economic, or both, Taylor says it is heartening to see a return to lower budget genre filmmaking in Aotearoa. New Zealand has always made highly impactful, low cost horror, he says. And you know, New Zealand deserves to have this new wave of horror coming out because we, as a country, are just really good at it.

The Tank opens in cinemas nationwide today.

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How a spooky old water tank inspired New Zealand's latest creature ... - The Spinoff