Monthly Archives: June 2023

Its Friday and time to take a look at whats been added onto Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand today, which includes a brand new film from Searchlight Pictures, plus much more.

Heres the rundown:

Flamin Hot is the inspiring true story of Richard Montaez, the Frito Lay janitor who channelled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon.

With exclusive access to some of the worlds biggest celebrations of LGBTQ+ culture, we deliver a new perspective on Pride from the air. Well reveal the historic activism, fearless creativity and logistical ingenuity required to pull off these technicoloured festivals of hope.

Kim Sabu works with passionate medical staff in a small hospital in the countryside.

What are you looking forward to watching on Disney+ this weekend? Let us know on social media!

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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What's New On Disney+ | Flamin' Hot (Australia/New Zealand) - What's On Disney Plus

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Ikea madness has building in New Zealand for almost three years now. This clip of the announcement that Ikea is committed to New Zealand is from 2021.

It was announced in 2019 that Auckland is to get New Zealands first Ikea.

But when the ground-breaking ceremony was held last week, it was revealed the shop wont be open until 2025. So why does it take so long to build an Ikea?

Auckland University of Technology professor John Tookey says Covid is a big part of the reason.

Whilst there was a lot of groundwork done prior to the announcement, the impact of Covid has been tremendous, he said.

For a global corporation such as Ikea this was doubly the case. Covid drove retailers like Ikea to totally reevaluate their financial exposure, their supply chains, their total retail floor area 'footprint' as well as the long-term viability of their markets. New Zealand wasn't at that time even in the game.

READ MORE: * Cheat sheet: What you need to know about Ikea's first NZ store * Ikea breaks ground on first New Zealand store * Ikea remains mum about its New Zealand plans

He said everything to do with opening the Swedish furniture giants first shop in New Zealand started from scratch mid-last year. Contracts for construction originally signed would have had to be renegotiated as a result of global inflation.

In terms of the actual construction process, the main issues were pretty standard, he said. It would have had to engage with an architect and contractor. The process of construction would also be long. He suggested it would take about 24 months from breaking ground to commissioning.

This makes late 2025 a pretty predictable outcome.

Tookey predicted it went something like this: Initial specifications would be issued and tenders prepared, outline construction contracts would be issued and designs developed. Consent would then have to be sought for construction at the proposed store location.

Supplied

An artists impression of the Auckland Ikea set to open in late 2025.

Ikea would likely have had to prepare original documentation related to traffic management and other logistical issues around the site.

Ikea signed a deal to buy 3.2 hectares of land for a store at Aucklands Sylvia Park shopping mall in 2021, two years after it announced it would look to open a store.

Once consent was issued, preliminary construction would start. A very large concrete slab would need to be prepared.

Steel frame goes up, cladding applied, services installed and then fitted out. Relatively simple structure and process, he said.

Ikea is well-known for its room displays throughout the store, which Tookey said it would have to hire in-house interior designers for. It would have to meet specifications that were globally standard, brought in line with New Zealand building code requirements.

Meanwhile, there would still be significant challenges to set up sustainable supply chains to deliver all the product required, he said.

In 2019 American retailer Costco announced it was going to open its first New Zealand store complete with petrol station in Westgate, Auckland. But due to Covid-19 travel restrictions the construction of the store was delayed in 2020.

Supplied

AUT professor of construction John Tookey says 2025 is a predictable outcome for Ikea to be complete.

It finally opened in September last year with customers queueing up overnight to be the first in the door.

Managing director of First Retail Group Chris Wilkinson said it was likely Ikeas overseas market had been put first, which is why things had been quiet after the lockdowns.

For those massive retailers, overseas markets which have larger catchments and where they already have infrastructure have been a priority, he said.

In many markets big brands had been focused on opportunities where there was more room for more locations that could create regional clusters in response to growing populations.

As other marketplaces matured and slowed - including Australia, - in the years prior to Covid, NZ remained relatively buoyant - which focused big players on our marketplace.

supplied

Ikea is being constructed on 3.2 hectares of land at Aucklands Sylvia Park.

Wilkinson said, with New Zealands large geographic spread and sparsely populated areas outside bigger centres such as Auckland and Christchurch, it was tough to achieve scale because the population was not at levels necessary for these brands to develop the store networks, distribution centres and other infrastructure needed.

Aside from scale, operating in NZ is no more onerous than most other countries in terms of legalities, labour laws, recruitment and importing. Larger retailers will run their NZ operations out of Australia or places like Singapore where they some have regional representation.

But when Ikea does finally open in 2025, Wilkinson expected New Zealand consumers will support the brand.

New Zealand consumers are well known for supporting new brands and concepts that come to the country with many seeing record opening days - reflective of our appetite for differentiation and the overseas products and experiences we aspire to have down-under.

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Why it's taking so long to open New Zealand's first Ikea - Stuff

HCMCITYNew Zealand Trade and Enterprise, the governmentsinternational business development agency,on Thursdaykickstarted its 2023 Made With Care Campaign toreinforce the strong trade relations between New Zealand and VitNam.

Thecampaignprovidesa platform for New Zealand brands to introduce their products to local retailers.

Speakingat the launch,Tredene Dobson,New Zealands ambassador to Vit Nam, said:The food and beverages sector is a particular success story in our trade relationship with Vit Nam, making up the majority of exports, [worth] a total of NZ$798 million last year.

This event is a fantastic chance to expand the brand value of New Zealands outstanding, great-tasting and healthy food and beverage products to the Vietnamese market, and further boost the collaboration between New Zealand and Vietnamese partners in this sector.

Inthe not too distant future, Vietnamese willbe able to enjoy delicious New Zealand strawberries and squash, and New Zealand consumers will be sampling VitNams delectable pomelos and limes, thanks to market access agreements signed between our countries late last year, she said.

An MoUwas also signed by NZTE with several retailers during the event.

Giang Nguyn,countrymanager of NZTE Vit Nam, said:We know Vietnamese consumers buy fruits based on trust in their retailers. So, as part of our ongoing commitment to the Vietnamese market, we are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with four retailers to bring safe, tasty, nutritious, ethical, and premium quality New Zealand apples and kiwis to Vietnamese consumers.

Eight New Zealand apple and kiwi companies will be participating in the retail promotionstobe launched at selected Aeon Mall, Central Retail, LOTTE Mart, and WinMart stores in HCMCity and H Niin June and July.

Dobson handed over donations made by her government and 10 companies to four non-governmental organisations.

Donated for a third year, it will see brands provide seven tons of fruits and almost 1,000 litres of milk to children and adults in HCM City and H Ni.

The four NGOs are Blue Dragon Childrens Foundation, Maison Chance, Operation Smile, and VinaCapital Foundation. VNS

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New Zealand companies showcase apple, kiwi in HCM City - Viet Nam News

Breakfast

The National leader spoke to Breakfast about the party's plans to cut tax for some Kiwis and its new policy on mental health.

ANALYSIS: National Party leader Christopher Luxons throwaway comment about Kiwis needing to have more babies has brought population politics - a sometimes uncomfortable, rarely discussed topic into the public domain.

His deputy Nicola Willis said that Luxons off-hand comment encouraging people to make babies at an infrastructure conference on Wednesday was no more than a joke. She confirmed that the number of children people have was not her partys business.

But his comment did, in fact, make an important point. New Zealands falling birthrate, akin to the rest of the Western world, has hit record lows and raises important, long-term economic questions. New Zealand does not reproduce at replacement rate.

In one way, Luxon was stating the obvious: There are only two ways to grow a population: importing people or birthing them.

READ MORE: * National's Christopher Luxon sharpens pitch to middle-income voters as party warns of Labour's 'envy-driven tax-grab' * Working for Families leaves some households with marginal tax rates near 60 per cent * Covid-19 NZ: Christopher Luxon tests positive for Covid-19, feels 'fine'

Successive governments have failed to come to terms with the ways an ageing, expensive population will change every corner of society, put pressure on already-groaning infrastructure, and simply exacerbate any shortage of workers.

Sungmi Kim/Stuff

Christopher Luxon has waded into population politics. (File photo)

New Zealand, in common with the rest of the west, has also struggled to begin any deeper reflection needed on the fundamental issue behind the decline: choice.

The factors which steer peoples family planning choices, such as extremely high housing costs, childcare costs, and the high cost of living, are not tipped in favour of childrearing.

Luxons pitch on the cost of living although light on details at this stage does acknowledge this matter and he has successfully placed it at the centre of the political debate. Chris Hipkins is also scrapping for this territory.

But it is broader.

All our problems go back to housing, says Susan St John, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Auckland and child poverty campaigner.

We hear anecdotally all the time, couples are delaying starting a family because theyre renting, they cant save a deposit. If they do have a child the family can get caught up in all sorts of poverty traps. We have to have two incomes for low income families to pay the rent.

Underlining this all, St John said, is the subliminal message that childrearing is not valued, and women should get back to work as soon as possible.

Tom Lee/Stuff

Much of societys social ills come back to the housing market, Susan St John says. (File photo)

If parents follow these cues, they must drop their baby off at day care, while they work long hours in order to keep their foothold in the job market, and meet mortgage and daycare costs.

And this is where it gets tricky in a real-world sense. Children can get sick every few weeks, so parents will too, and will have to take days off work to recover. When they are at work, they are run down, harried and exhausted. It hardly looks appealing.

Why cant we be a bit more relaxed about women being out of the workforce for the years their children are young? St John says.

At the same time we are ignore that investment in the next generation who are going to be the ones who determine the standard of living older people can expect, and whether there will be enough skilled people All the people who give older people a better quality of life.

The Labour government has a number of economic incentives for families, such as the Best Start payments. In this years Budget, it promised to match KiwiSaver contributions made by a persons employer for paid parental leave recipients.

National also has a childcare policy, with more to come.

But neither Labour nor National is suggesting any kind of policy which would transform the economy and better plan for the future.

Infometrics chief executive and economist Brad Olsen said young people have been starting every life stage later than previous generations.

They have been getting into debt, going to university, taking longer to get into relationships, have children get into a house - all of that. People are also having fewer kids as well.

At some point in the next 30 years more people will die every day than be born, he said, while swathes of the population will retire.

Easing this will take some forward planning in terms of population strategy and a national skills plan to map out what essential roles and skills the economy will be short of. And, how these might be transferred from one generation to the next.

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Christopher Luxon has a point: New Zealand needs more people - Stuff

The Waipawa River in southern Hawke's Bay during Cyclone Gabrielle. The cyclone was "definitely made worse because of climate change", Renwick says. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver

A senior climate scientist says New Zealand may be relatively insulated from the extremities of future weather changes, but is urging the government to look at its implications, including the possibility of huge immigration numbers.

Victoria University's senior climate scientist, Professor James Renwick, told Afternoons New Zealand's temperate climate meant the country would not be affected as intensely by global warming and associated chaotic weather patterns as other nations, including neighbours Australia.

However, the author of new book Under the Weather A Future Forecast for New Zealand warned Aotearoa still faced climate chaos caused by out-of-control carbon emissions.

Cyclone Gabrielle, which wrecked havoc across the North Island earlier this year, was a recent example, he said.

"I think it will take longer for the extremes of climate change to really be felt here, compared to other countries that are more exposed to those extremes," he said.

"Australia's a good example of that. It's closer to the equator, it's hotter, it's drier. And so you don't have to push the climate there so hard to get extremes that are difficult to adapt to, such as the big fires that hit a couple of summers ago.

"New Zealand is less likely to see those extremes so quickly. So we will be I think, a bit of an oasis region in terms of climate change for a while. But if you push the climate hard enough, it'll become pretty difficult to deal with even here. But, assuming that we do get on top of emissions reductions soon, this country may well, comparatively speaking, be doing all right."

Renwick, however, said this was not necessarily all good news for the country, as it operated in a global community and would face external pressures.

"A lot of people around the world are going to look at this country and think, 'oh, would be quite a good place to go to avoid some of these extreme events we're experiencing where I live'.

"We might have a lot of people who want to come here to live to get away... So how we deal with that, how that plays out, I think as an important issue - whether we end up with a much larger population because we are this climate change oasis. I'm not entirely sure. But there are consequences of being a country that doesn't feel the effects of climate change quite so intense as some others."

Another important issue facing New Zealand will be insurance companies pulling out of areas prone to climate disasters, which Renwick said was now happened in other parts of the world.

In May corporate giant State Farm said home and business property insurance was not being offered for new customers in southern California, citing rising costs from raging wildfires and skyrocketing repairs.

"The same kind of thing is starting to happen here that, if you live in a place that is very exposed to say coastal erosion or river flooding, such as the kind of things we saw with Cyclone Gabrielle, insurance companies are probably going to be reluctant to keep covering properties that are very risky.

"That's a situation that needs to be certainly discussed nationally, and we need to find solutions that involve central government and local government and individual property owners around who pays for the cost of this kind of thing."

Renwick said global warming was accelerating due to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions accelerating, with the rate of warming definitely going up in the last 30 to 50 years.

"I'm hoping that that rate of rise will start to slow down - we really need to see emission reductions happening and and we just need to take our foot off the accelerator pretty much, literally, to see the rate of change of extreme starting to ease off," he said.

Victoria University's senior climate scientist Professor James Renwick has released a new book charting weather changes in New Zealand. Photo: Supplied

The incremental changes introduced by the government demonstrated an incredible lack of urgency, even with recent initiatives like the introduction of the Climate Commission, he added.

In terms of the overall climate system, he did not envisage passing any thresholds or tipping points through the century that would suddenly make it an awful lot warmer or, or a lot more extreme. It would just gradually get worse over time.

It was a fact climate change was behind with the significant volumes of rain brought by Cyclone Gabrielle, he said.

"It was definitely made worse because of climate change. We've had one study of this already and way more to come, no doubt.

"The main thing that happens with cyclones or storms generally is that higher temperatures mean more moisture, more water vapour in the air, so you've got more fuel for rain events. When you have a storm that water vapour gets condensed out, rains out and if you've got more water vapour to start with, you're going to get more rain coming out of the sky on average...

"So we know that the amount of rain fell out of Cyclone Gabrielle was partly as a result of climate change and of course the energy released when you condense all that water vapour and create the rain feeds the storm, so the intensity of the storm went up because of that as well."

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Climate scientist says New Zealand insulated from worst, but warns ... - RNZ

The Brumbies' Corey Toole is tackled by Cam Roigard of the Hurricanes. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The ACT Brumbies were the only Australian team to lock up a top-four spot in Super Rugby Pacific last season and are again the nation's best hope of stopping a New Zealand sweep of the quarter-finals this weekend.

By the time the Brumbies host the Hurricanes in Canberra on Saturday in a repeat of last year's quarter-final, they could well be Australia's last team standing.

The New South Wales Waratahs and Queensland Reds will have to defy history by winning a first playoff in New Zealand when they meet the Blues and Chiefs respectively.

Fijian Drua, meanwhile, face the toughest assignment in the competition on Saturday when they make their post-season debut against the Crusaders in Christchurch where the champions have won all 27 playoffs dating back to 1996.

The match-ups will likely leave the Brumbies looking to save face for Australian rugby which has not produced a winner in the provincial competition since Michael Cheika's Waratahs in 2014.

The only one of the country's five teams to finish the regular season with a winning record this year, the Brumbies will bid to defy the Hurricanes again after beating them 35-25 in last year's quarter-finals.

But the path to the semi-finals is anything but assured, with captain-prop Allan Alaalatoa sidelined with injury and the Hurricanes full of beans after a comeback win over the Crusaders in Wellington last weekend.

"Bringing momentum into the quarter-finals was really important for us and getting our performance to where we wanted it last week was key," said the Hurricanes' outgoing head coach Jason Holland.

"Heading to Canberra, our focus is to continue to build on some of the parts of our game that went really well for us against the Crusaders."

The twice-champion Chiefs have home advantage for as long as they last in the playoffs after finishing the regular season at the top of the table and face a Reds team that limped into eighth spot after three straight defeats.

The Chiefs are wary, however, having lost their only match of the season when the Reds stunned them 25-22 in New Plymouth a month ago.

Fijian Drua players celebrate. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

A number of All Blacks, including Sam Cane and Brodie Retallick, come back into the side after being rested from the 43-19 win over Western Force in Perth last weekend.

"We're keen to rip in and we know it's a bit of a redemption game after our only loss," Chiefs fullback Shaun Stevenson said.

"We're keen to right a few wrongs."

Defeat could mean Brad Thorn's last game in charge of the Reds, with the dual international out of contract at the end of the season.

The Waratahs will need to snap an eight-match losing streak to the Blues on Friday and end their winless record in away playoffs to advance.

Beaten 55-21 on their last visit to Eden Park and coming off a demoralising 33-24 home defeat to the previously winless Moana Pasifika, the Sydney side are up against it.

Buoyant after thrashing the Reds in Suva to sew up their first playoffs appearance in their second season, Fijian Drua head to Christchurch on Saturday seeking to pull off the unthinkable against the Crusaders.

Mick Byrne-coached Drua savoured a stunning home win over the Crusaders early in the season and have pledged to test Scott Robertson's injury-hit team with physicality.

However, the depth and playoffs experience of the home side at a graveyard for visitors should keep the Crusaders in the hunt for a seventh championship trophy in seven years.

- Reuters

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Can the New Zealand Super Pacific teams be stopped this weekend? - RNZ

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