Category Archives: New Zealand

A member of the public receives a Pfizer vaccine at a drive-through coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination clinic in Otara during a single-day vaccination drive, aimed at significantly increasing the percentage of vaccinated people in the country, in Auckland, New Zealand, October 16, 2021. REUTERS/Simon Watts

WELLINGTON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - New Zealand will extend coronavirus curbs for another week in its largest city of Auckland, but ease some after that, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday, another day of record new infections.

As New Zealand battles the spread of the infectious Delta variant of COVID-19, it has agreed on a Nov. 10 re-opening date for retail stores and institutions such as libraries and museums, Ardern told a news conference.

"Because of the high vaccination rates in Auckland we can move with greater confidence," Ardern said.

"These decisions are carefully balanced and allows us to release some of the pressure and fatigue that we know exists in Auckland."

The city's limit on the size of outdoor gatherings was lifted to 25 people.

New Zealand won global praise last year for a response that stamped out the coronavirus, but has proved unable to quash the current outbreak, forcing it to adopt a strategy of living with the virus instead of the earlier aim of elimination.

Still, it has fared far better than many other countries, with tough curbs that have held COVID-19 infections to about 6,000 and a toll of just 28 deaths.

Daily cases have been rising to record highs in the last few days, with 162 on Monday. Of these, 53 sufferers were in hospital, with four in intensive care. Cases are expected to keep rising in a model of the outbreak released to the media.

But Ardern said high vaccination rates gave protection to keep down hospital admissions.

"Previously we worked hard to eliminate every case. While Delta has forced us to change our approach, vaccines ensure we have the same goal," she added.

More than 75% of New Zealand, or about 3.1 million people, have now been fully vaccinated, while 88% have got one dose.

However, the government said an increasing number of new cases are among the indigenous Maori community, where the vaccination rate is lower.

Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Clarence Fernandez

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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New Zealand keeps pandemic curbs for another week in Auckland - Reuters

New Zealands South Island has recorded its first Covid cases in a major city in over a year, with two cases detected in Christchurch, as the government announced it will begin relaxing its strict international border settings.

Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins said at this stage there would be no snap lockdown for the city, the largest in the South Island, despite the fact one of the cases may have been infectious in the community for almost two weeks.

This is a good reminder to people around the country that cases can pop up and this highlights the importance to get vaccinated, Hipkins said.

Both of Thursdays new cases were members of the same household, and one had recently returned from Auckland.

New Zealand announced 89 new cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, including the two in Christchurch. According to the Ministry of Health, 89% of eligible adults in Canterbury, of which Christchurch is the main city, had had at least one dose of the vaccine, and 67% had had both doses. The region would require almost 111,000 people to get both doses before hitting the 90% target set by the government, where most restrictions can be lifted. Across the country, 85% of the eligible population (those aged 12 and over) have had at least one dose of the vaccine, or 72% of the full population; 70% of the eligible population have had both doses, or 60% of the full population.

Epidemiologist and public health prof Michael Baker said there needed to be stronger protections at the boundaries of the North and South Islands. We may be seeding the whole South Island with cases right at the moment, because weve got increasing transmission in Auckland, and still people flying from Auckland all around the country and weve got limited controls on that, he said. Baker called for pre-departure testing, and for vaccine requirements on domestic flights.

Dr Apisalome Talemaitoga, chair of the Pasifika GP network, said via the Science Media Centre, I just find it unbelievable that we are allowing unvaccinated people out of Auckland to travel for whatever reason. People should be doubly vaccinated before they can do this.

With the region still weeks away from 90% vaccination, Baker said there were huge health and economic reasons for delaying widespread transmission in the South Island as long as possible. Otherwise, he said, the region could end up facing restrictions or possible lockdowns until Christmas.

Hipkins said that the two infected people were co-operating with authorities but had not been scanning in using New Zealands location tracing app a detail which may make contact tracing more difficult. Both are unvaccinated.

Giving a later update, the minister said that quarantine requirements for international arrivals would be eased next month.

As vaccination rates have increased internationally, the number of Covid cases being picked up through our MIQ [managed isolation and quarantine] facilities has continued to decline. We now only get 2-3 cases per 1,000 arrivals and only around 1 in 2,000 is detected after seven days of isolation, Hipkins said.

From 14 November, MIQ stays will be reduced from 14 days to seven, with travellers being tested on days zero, three and six. They will then isolate at home for short periods of around three days, and be tested again on day nine.

This will likely free up about 1,500 rooms a month in MIQ, Hipkins said. Some of this will be taken up by community cases but some will go into the booking system for travellers from overseas.

On 8 November, travellers from low-risk countries, starting with some Pacific islands, will be allowed to bypass MIQ altogether. Travellers will need to be fully vaccinated, unless they are New Zealand citizens.

In the first quarter of 2022, increasing numbers of fully vaccinated international travellers will be able to skip quarantine and self-isolate. This step in the new MIQ regime will be dependent upon the country transitioning to its new traffic light system.

Hipkins said: My message to all New Zealanders, whether theyre here or abroad is a very, very simple one. Get vaccinated. Then we can all get back to doing the things that we love and to seeing the people that we love.

But New Zealanders stranded overseas and desperate to get home are feeling dissatisfied with the announcement.

Rikki Sands, a New Zealand citizen based in Brisbane, has entered the MIQ lottery 4 times without success. Sands, who is a specialised mechanical and hydraulic engineer, his wife and two daughters have been planning to come home since the beginning of the year.

Ive got more chance of winning lotto than an MIQ spot at the moment, Sands said.

He said the freeing up of 1,500 more MIQ spots was negligible, and did not give him any confidence he would get home sooner.

And he believes the justifications are unfair. They said that the reason they cant open the borders is because the local people arent getting vaccinated. But some of the ones that are coming in internationally are all going to be double vaccinated.

Our family is all double-vaxxed and coming from Brisbane, Australia, which is a very low risk area, and we will be getting whatever tests are required before we fly. We just want to get home to our whnau [family].

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New Zealands South Island records first Covid cases in major city in over a year - The Guardian

Tech Startups from 13 Countries & Regions in Asia Compete for the AEA 2021 Innovation Award

CHIBA, Japan, November 01, 2021--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Asian Entrepreneurship Award 2021 event (AEA 2021) was held fully online from Wednesday, October 27th to Thursday, October 28th with the participation of 30 tech startups selected from Asian countries and regions. Tectonus Limited from New Zealand which develops seismic dampers with self-centering capabilities won first prize.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211031005042/en/

1st Prize of AEA2021 (Photo: Business Wire)

AEA is a global innovation award for emerging Asian entrepreneurs and startups that are utilizing advanced technology to offer solutions to social issues. The AEA 2021 brought together 30 selected startups from across Asia providing solutions in the three areas of healthcare, work & lifestyle reform, and sustainability, all of which are global key issues going forward.

The startup entrants consistently received mentoring for 1.5 months from mentors specializing in Japanese VCs to brush up their business plans in preparation for the event, and the winner was chosen from six finalists selected on the basis of a wide range of criteria, including innovativeness, the social impact of their products and services, their commercial viability, the potential for collaboration with Japanese companies, and the opportunity for business expansion in Japan.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of AEA, this years event featured a special keynote speech by Grameen Bank founder and Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus, who shared a concept of Yunus social businesses and next-generation leadership.

Going forward, AEA will continue supporting the creation of new industries by bringing together Asian tech startups and supporters to build an ecosystem for innovation, and actively promoting trials and demonstrations in the Kashiwa-no-ha area to support the creation of new industries.

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AEA 2021 Summary by Shigeo Kagami, Chairman of AEA Steering CommitteeThis year, the 10th year of AEA, I feel that the level of the Startup Entrants has become very high. Among them, the number of entrepreneurs with a high awareness of social issues such as environmental problems and healthcare has increased. In Asia, businesses with scalability are being created because there is no legacy from the past. This is a point that we should be aware of in Japan as well. We also had a six-week mentoring period before the event. I feel that we are getting closer to what the platform should be. AEA will continue to work to create an ecosystem between Asia and Japan for the creation of new industries.

AEA2021 WinnersFirst PrizeTectonus Limited (New Zealand)OverviewThe company develops seismic dampers with a self-centering capability that re-center structures during earthquakes and aftershocks.Comments from the startup"I am very surprised. Thank you for acknowledging us. I have received good reviews and feel responsible, and I think I must do my best. I want to achieve my goal of making the world a safer place."Comments from the judges"Tectonus was evaluated for their practical technology and the fact that they have already commercialized their products with good customer reviews."

Second PrizeMore Foods Innotech Co., Ltd. (Thailand)OverviewMore Foods Innotech develops healthy vegetarian meat with lower sugar and salt level than existing products.Comments from the startup"I am honored to receive such an award. I was able to announce what we were doing and what our goals were. I think we have achieved great results."Comments from the judges"More Foods Innotech was evaluated for running a real business marked by environmental friendliness and sustainability. The company is challenging globally in an innovative way by bringing their unique technology."

Third PrizeBiomass Lab (Vietnam)OverviewThe company utilizes bacterial cellulose, which can be collected by hydrolyzing paper sludge and has properties such as biodegradability, high durability, and non-toxicity.Comments from the startup"We are very happy to participate in this event and also very surprised to receive this award. Moving forward, we are determined to continue contributing to the world"Comments from the judges"Biomass Lab was evaluated for their basic yet such an exciting technology. If commercialized, we believe that this would make a great impact."

AEA Yunus Social Business Award : Not applicable

Fujitsu Accelerator Award : Smart Tag Inc. (Taiwan)OverviewSmart Tag develops flexible wireless IoT sensors for manufacturing line monitoring which can be mounted on the surface of devices in production lines.Comments from judges for the special award"One of Fujitsu's key focus areas is Sustainable Manufacturing. Through the collaboration between Fujitsu and Smart Tag, we believe that the advanced IoT solution offered by Smart Tag can help us addressing the pains and challenges of our customers in manufacturing industry in more rapid and cost-effective manner."

IP Bridge AwardOnikle Inc (Japan)OverviewOnikle Inc. develops a preprint document-search platform with AI recommendations to help scientists discover the best research papers.Comments from judges for the special award"We believe that the preprint document search platform developed by Onikle Inc. helps many scientists and it has a potential to accelerate innovation."

The Japan Academic Society for Ventures and Entrepreneurs(JASVE) AwardMore Foods Innotech Co., Ltd. (Thailand)Comments from judges for the special award:"We have evaluated the companys effort to target such a very competitive, yet growing global market. We believe that we need as many food alternatives as possible for our future. On behalf of the Japan Academic Society for Ventures and Entrepreneurs, we highly evaluate the companys potential to make our lives better while collaborating with various stakeholders in our current value chain to seek social impact."

Life Science AwardKURA Care Inc. (Taiwan)OverviewThe company develops an AI tele-medicine solution specializing in the treatment of heart disease patients.Comments from the judges for the special award"By combining very advanced AI technologies and the services provided by the hands of human, the company provides a very innovative solutions in a quite important area of heart disease. Their solution has a potential to promote behavioral changes of the patients in the area of the disease prevention and prognosis. We have also evaluated their very attractive management teams in Taiwan and San Diego in the United States."

Microsoft AwardTectonus Limited (New Zealand)Comments from the judges from the special award"We felt the potential of the companys IoT business and the overall growth of the market. The company may have potential to collaborate with Microsoft for our smart building or smart city projects."

Audience PrizePeth Yoeung Healthtech (Cambodia)Overview:The company develops a cloud-based hospital management software platform providing secure storage of medical records and patient data.

For a list of startup entrants and their businesses, visit https://aea.events/e/startup-entrants/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211031005042/en/

Contacts

For general enquiriesAEA2021 Steering Committee / Secretariat email: info@aea.events

Press Contact:Kazuhiro MurakamiStory Design houseemail: pr@storydesign-h.com

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Tectonus Limited From New Zealand Wins First Prize - Yahoo Finance

Another day, another giant leap for womens rugby and the blossoming Red Roses. The full impact of this record-breaking scoreline will not be fully measurable until the live BBC Two television audience figures are collated but outside a World Cup there have not been many feelgood occasions in the English womens game to beat it.

Even if New Zealand were slightly rusty, not having played an international for more than two years, this was still a rare indignity. Their hosts, in contrast, have now won 15 Tests in a row and cemented their world No 1 ranking before next years delayed World Cup. Only one of these two teams will be gleefully awaiting the second Test in Northampton next weekend.

It might sound greedy to suggest England should have scored more than seven tries but they had the chances to do so. By the end, though, they had inflicted the biggest defeat the Black Ferns have suffered the previous record margin was 21-7 against England a decade ago and showcased both the fitness of the home forwards and their increasing depth behind the scrum.

The eye-catching outcome was even achieved despite the pre-match loss of their vice-captain, Amber Reed, who tweaked a hamstring in training, and the injured Emily Scarratt, with virtually every area of the team contributing. Abbie Ward scored the first two tries and had a third disallowed while Abby Dow and Ellie Kildunne were a constant attacking handful.

Zoe Harrison also had a good game at fly-half to earn the player of the match award, assisted by the crisp passing of her half-back partner Claudia MacDonald and a strong all-round display from the inside centre Lagi Tuima.

It was not quite how New Zealand had planned to mark their 100th Test but a healthy crowd of almost 10,000 enjoyed it hugely on a bright, breezy afternoon. One could tell the locals were up for it by the length of the pre-match pasty queues but this was West Country rugby with a refreshing twist. A female DJ on the decks in the main stand, uninhibited dancing in the aisles, some stirring anthem-singing and, even more unusually, an English rugby team leading New Zealand 17-0 at half-time. At least some of that could just catch on permanently.

The England head coach, Eddie Jones, has named an updated 35-man squad for the autumn Tests against Tonga, Australia and South Africa.

The Bristol scrum-half Harry Randall has been withdrawn before the match against Tonga on Saturday because of a hip flexor injury. The Harlequins wing Louis Lynagh and Northampton's Alex Mitchell have both been added.

Forwards: Jamie Blamire (Newcastle), Callum Chick (Newcastle), Tom Curry (Sale), Trevor Davison (Newcastle), Nic Dolly (Leicester), Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), Charlie Ewels (Bath), Ellis Genge (Leicester), Jamie George (Saracens), Jonny Hill (Exeter), Maro Itoje (Saracens), Courtney Lawes (Northampton), Lewis Ludlam (Northampton Saints), Joe Marler (Harlequins), George Martin (Leicester), Sam Simmonds (Exeter), Kyle Sinckler (Bristol), Will Stuart (Bath), Sam Underhill (Bath)

Backs:Mark Atkinson (Gloucester) Owen Farrell (Saracens), Tommy Freeman (Northampton), George Furbank (Northampton), Louis Lynagh (Harlequins), Max Malins (Saracens), Joe Marchant (Harlequins), Jonny May (Gloucester), Alex Mitchell (Northampton), Raffi Quirke (Sale), Adam Radwan (Newcastle), Henry Slade (Exeter), Marcus Smith (Harlequins), Freddie Steward (Leicester), Manu Tuilagi (Sale), Ben Youngs (Leicester)

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It did no harm that England made a near-perfect start playing into the stiff, swirling breeze. Given the chance, they have impressive pace out wide and a lovely flick-on under pressure from Kildunne allowed Ward to release the surging Dow. The winger was finally halted 10 metres out but a pop pass off the floor set Ward galloping clear to the line.

The strong-running locks second try was finished from slightly closer range but again involved Dow making rapid index-linked gains down the left. On a tricky day for every kicker Harrisons conversion was a well-judged beauty and the pressure being applied to the Black Ferns malfunctioning line-out by the athletic Zoe Aldcroft was similarly helpful.

New Zealand simply could not win enough ball to unleash their dangerous winger Ayesha Leti-liga and, with half-time looming, there was a third English try to admire. The tackling was generous but there was no doubting the elusive spirit that helped the 22-year-old Harlequin Kildunne weave her way to the line.

England went off the boil slightly in a sometimes niggly third quarter but they were not finished. After Lark Davies had scored from a close-range maul, there was a lovely debut try for Holly Aitchison, and Dow then scooped up a loose ball to outpace the cover again. Despite a late score from Stacey Fluhler, adding to Alana Bremners earlier touchdown, it was Harrison who had the final word to seal Englands first win against New Zealand since a 29-21 victory in Rotorua in June 2017.

Small wonder the delighted Red Roses coach, Simon Middleton, described it as a massive statement both for his team and the profile of the womens game. Ive spoken to a few people who said: Wow, that was amazing. My phone was going into meltdown after the final whistle, he said.

His captain, Sarah Hunter, sounded similarly thrilled as she headed out to celebrate. Well enjoy this evening because they dont come along very often.

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Abbie Ward sets England Women on way to record win over New Zealand - The Guardian

The last time Wales beat New Zealand was the same year Everest was first conquered. At no stage did it remotely look as if the hosts were about to scale that still-elusive peak under the bright Cardiff lights, particularly after losing the totemic Alun Wyn Jones to a shoulder injury inside the first quarter. The All Blacks were a speck on the horizon by the end, despite not always being at their fluent, all-dancing best.

Instead it was an evening to remember for the reliably influential Beauden Barrett, on the occasion of his 100th Test. Two interception tries from their silver-booted No 10 helped to rack up a record number of points ever conceded by Wales on home soil, equalling the widest margin of victory the All Blacks have managed in Wales since the fixture started in 1905. Seven tries to one, four of them in the last quarter, accurately reflected the difference in cutting edge between the respective teams.

Would it have made much difference had Waless English-based contingent been available? Probably not. Dan Bigger, Taulupe Faletau, Louis Rees-Zammit and co would have added a little more Lions quality but the players Wales really needed were hard grafters like Ken Owens and Josh Navidi to heap more pressure on the All Black set piece and their youthful back-row. Willis Halaholo, a Covid absentee, might also have added some midfield punch though Johnny Williams did score a deserved 61st-minute try and Johnny McNicholl and Owen Lane also did their best to add some energy.

As so often the pre-match Cardiff atmosphere was another plus, the swirling enthusiasm around the anthems almost tangible. Regardless of the depleted home line-up, which was missing around 20 players, there was more than a touch of gratitude in the air after all those grim Covid-infested months of empty seats and remote viewing. Even the matchday DJ on his decks did his best to appear cheerful when the crowd started belting out an old-school Tom Jones classic, an occupational hazard at this type of gig.

It was not much of a day, sadly, for Welsh rugbys other hardy perennial. Alas poor Alun Wyn. From the moment he crumpled to the floor after tackling Jordie Barrett it was clear the collision was a significant one. It was the same joint that threatened to curtail his Lions tour and, while the post-match medical bulletins were relatively upbeat, it was a cruel way to mark his achievement of overhauling Richie McCaw as the world record cap-holder for a single major nation.

With him, for a while at least, departed Waless swagger and self-belief which never helps against this particular opposition. There is no such thing as a complacent young All Black, nor a glaring weakest link. More often than not, these visitors exude a collective certainty that eludes virtually every other team. It goes beyond confidence to the point where, regardless of the scoreline, it can look like religious conviction.

It helps, clearly, to have individuals with the ability of Barrett to make things happen in the blink of an eye. Barely three minutes had elapsed when Gareth Anscombe, looking to get his backline going for the first time, threw a midfield pass straight to his opposite number as if they were both, as was once the case, playing together for the junior All Blacks. Fairytale moments rarely come true in international rugby but running clear to score under the posts in Cardiff in your 100th Test is as close to rugby nirvana as anyone could hope for.

His second and final try, in the closing moments, was also served up on a plate by a misplaced pass, this time by McNicholl, leaving Wales to rue their own lack of ruthlessness in the visitors 22. The home side conceded eight penalties inside the first half hour alone, coughed up a couple of crucial attacking lineouts and ended up comfortably outscored by the Barrett family on their own. There is clearly a good reason why New Zealand have taken to starting the hulking Jordie Barrett at full-back instead of the quicksilver Damian McKenzie and it was evident again here, not least when Barrett made a midfield dent and the excellent Ardie Savea fed TJ Perenara for the score.

By the interval the All Blacks were at least down to 14 men after Nepo Laulala was sent to the sin-bin for catching a stooping Ross Moriarty with a shoulder but a damaged AC joint ended Moriartys evening permanently. There was barely a soul in the stadium anticipating a red-hot Welsh comeback in the second-half from 18-6 down.

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Welsh fans were instead left were left to admire the brilliance of the talented young visiting winger Will Jordan, who scored a lovely individual chip and chase score from his own half as every defender in the vicinity seemed to hit a patch of quicksand. It was Jordans 16th try in just 11 Tests and will definitely not be his last. Dalton Papalii, another highly promising up-and-comer, Sevu Reece and Anton Lienert-Brown added further last quarter scores to extinguish Williams fleeting ray of light. Even when they take a while to get going on soft European tracks, the All Blacks are mighty hard to catch up the stretch.

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Alun Wyn Jones injured as New Zealand thump underpowered Wales - The Guardian

Theres a moment on the road from Auckland to the Bay of Plenty, after hours of farmland, when the view of the sea rears up in front of you. The fields retreat, the horizon expands, the road is lined by Pohutukawa trees clinging to the cliffs. The change in view is as stark as an etch-a-sketch being wiped clean.

Follow that road and you come to a tiny settlement, slipped between the sea and a steep spine of hills running down New Zealands Toi-te-Huatahi coastline. Gradually, the once-orderly and plush beachfront homes are disappearing. Houses are replaced with grassed lots, weeds push up through the cul de sac pavements. Soon, the view will be transformed further still, the last remnants of the neighbourhood replaced with a reserve stretching from the road to the sea. On one of the few remaining fences is a sign: Leave our homes alone! Watch out the rest of New Zealand youre next!

This is Matat. Over the last decade, the settlement has been forced into managed retreat, the process where communities, buildings and infrastructure are gradually evacuated from areas designated uninhabitable or dangerous by changing geology, extreme weather or climate change. It has gone badly. After more than a decade of legal and political battles, the remaining residents have become squatters on what was once their own land, furious at what they say is an involuntary eviction. For experts and politicians watching the settlement closely, Matat provides a bleak preview of battles and challenges that could, in the coming decades, play out across New Zealand and around the world.

Pam Whalley was in her driveway when it happened. After hours of heavy rain, she and her husband, Bill, had decided to go and check on the creek. We got halfway down the driveway, she says, And there was a wave of water coming up the driveway to the house. They ran inside, and watched from the upstairs window as it swept through.

That unexpected wave, as thick as cement, roiling with logs, boulders and debris, would reshape the next 15 years of Whalleys life, the lives of her neighbours, and the small settlement on the Awatarakiki fanhead.

The struggle that has ensued is the product of a particular place and set of circumstances. But the questions it raises are a microcosm of what is to come, as governments like New Zealands reckon with landscapes reshaped by the forces of climate change: plains swept by wildfires, valley towns reshaped by floods, coastal cities eroded by the relentless creep of rising seas. The debris flow that obliterated Matat occurred because of a once-in-500-year level of rainfall. But as the planet heats, it also redistributes rainfall it may rain less frequently, but that rain is much heavier when it arrives. These kinds of scenarios will become increasingly common. In New Zealand, the government plans to bring in laws to guide the process of managed retreat sometime next year. While other communities face threats from different sources to Matat, the same questions remain: how do you persuade communities to leave their homes? When is it time to go? Who should pay, and how much? And what do you do if they refuse to go?

In the case of Matat, it is the hills, not the waves, that pose the most immediate threat. In 2005, a period of unusually heavy rain unleashed a wall of liquid sludge, that swept down the slope and deposited around 700,000 cubic metres of debris. It destroyed 27 homes and damaged 87.

The saga that followed has dragged out over more than a decade. Council initially proposed building a barrier to protect residents from future debris flows. But the plan failed: after further assessments, council concluded it wouldnt be sufficient to protect the homes. They switched to managed retreat. In 2016, more than a decade after the initial disaster, council and central government banded together to create a $15m fund to buy out residents. By that point, however, a number of residents say the entire process felt poisoned.

Greg Fahey calls himself the last man standing. With the Whalleys reluctantly agreeing to leave next year, he is the last remaining resident of Matat who has refused to leave or take a buyout for his property.

You know, there was a real peace about this place at one time, Fahey says. Ive walked through the fields coming back from the beach, in some of the sections where the grass is up above your knees now, and theres a real eerie feeling as you walk through it. Its like the grounds not even resting any more. Whatever was here has gone.

Fahey now lives in a converted container. The house he had planned and consented cannot be built. Over the years, this has become home: Fahey has hung collaged photos and paintings by his grandchildren, alongside a photograph of him with his wife, who lived here until she had to shift to a dementia care unit a few years ago. Sometimes, he says later, she asks if she can come home. I tell her you cant come home, because I dont have a home to bring you back to, he says. And that makes me really angry.

Sitting at the Formica table, he says he misses the small, tight-knit community that used to make up this place. We used to get together and have a barbecue and stuff, Fahey says. Really miss the atmosphere of knowing each other people just drift away.

After so many years, he feels that a grave injustice has been done. Staying has become more than just a continued attachment to lifestyle or place it is a cause in and of itself. If council had come to him in 2012, and made him a fair offer, Fahey now says, he would have accepted. Now, its not just the land he wants recompense for its the years of battles and stress. Over time, his reluctance to take what felt like a bad offer has hardened into stubborn resistance to what he sees as a much larger injustice.

Asked whether there is now any figure, or offer, or approach that would change his mind, Fahey pauses for a long time. This is a real challenging question, he says.

If it was about the money, here, just give us $1.5m and Im gone. You know what I mean? But how much is the injustice to be dealt with? What price is that?

Im not leaving without compensation, you dont treat people like this for 16 years and expect them to walk away on your terms.

For me, its essentially a socio-political issue, primarily, rather than a technocratic one, says Dr Rob Bell, one of New Zealands foremost coastal hazards experts.

Bell trained as an engineer. But in his years working for NIWA, New Zealands crown research institute on water and atmospherics, he came to see managed retreat less as a design question, and more as a much broader set of deeply human and psychological challenges: attachment to place, social and cultural connections, the structure of communities.

Some people want to defend their property rights to the nth degree, even to the point of futility, Bell says. Ive seen wool bales, railway lines, car bodies, anything and everything, dumped on the coastline to try to stop coastal erosion or coastal flooding. Often, its to no avail.

Humans are keenly attached to their homes. When given an option, homeowners almost always prefer to opt for defence strategies higher sea walls, levees, dams, planting dunes rather than upping sticks and leaving. Those incentives are strengthened because in many places, there is public funding for protections, but not to pay people out for retreat.

We immediately jump to a protection paradigm, says Dr Judy Lawrence, a researcher looking at managed retreat at Victoria University. We put up sea walls, and all of them eventually fail it creates really a huge problem and we get locked in to responding to peoples expectations that they will continue to be protected.

The problem is that in the long run, defence strategies may not work. When you put the defences up, people hunker down and feel safe, Bell says. Experts call it the levee effect a paradox where building defences to protect from flooding can increase the eventual damage, because it creates a false sense of security, owners invest more in their property, and by building the wall higher, an eventual breach is worse than it might have otherwise been.

Getting a sense of ownership in the community about what they can do about it over the long term is extremely important, and getting the buy-in of those people, she says. But it takes time.

The point is, communities need the opportunity to do that, she says. They need the leadership from the councils to do that. It is costly but its probably less costly than the damage and disruptions, from, you know, being wiped out in a flood.

The political challenges of providing that kind of leadership are formidable. The financial, emotional, psychological and social costs of uprooting a community are large, and keenly felt by those displaced. The benefits, while clear, are often much longer term. That makes prescribing large-scale managed retreat a deeply unattractive proposition for many politicians.

Often, non-decisions are made, Bell says, believing politicians fall into the approach of: Well just wait its not urgent. Well wait for more information, the people are attached to that place, we dont want to uproot them, because well get a lot of kickback.

The legislation planned for New Zealand, he says, needs to be very clear and prescriptive to a certain level, about how this process should happen and how you plan a strategy.

What are we going to do, how are we going to take people with us?

Rachel Whalley says its been the failures of that process that drove them to fight so hard.

I feel like were the guinea pigs Were a test case for the rest of the country, Whalley says. Everybodys sitting on the sidelines watching, but no ones actually helping. Theyre just seeing what will happen when the council and the government do that to us.

From the Whalleys window, you can see the smoke plume from Whakaari/White Islands volcano curling just above the horizon. Rachel Whalley, Pams daughter, remembers the day the volcano erupted in 2019, killing 22. The distant smoke is a living reminder of the consequences of what can happen when risk judgments fail, and nature takes its course. But the Whalleys believe they should be allowed to take on the risk of living at a place like Matat, without the prospect of their homes being stripped of value or services taken away.

Tell me where in New Zealand I can go, where Im not faced with a tsunami, earthquake, volcano, flood? Pam Whalley says. If I felt like I was in danger, I would leave.

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Forced retreat: one New Zealand towns fate highlights coming fight over climate adaptation - The Guardian

There's always planning going into the game, but this was a great performance against a side that puts up a fight. The surface wasn't easy to find rhythm on, and the way the openers came out really set things up for the chase. It's just about adapting to the conditions as well as we can. The way the spinners kept applying pressure was commendable and it was a complete performance. We play against strong teams all the time, and there are match-winners on every side, and we commit to our brand of cricket and today was a good example of that. Ish is an outstanding white-ball bowler, and he's very experienced in playing T20 cricket, having played in different leagues all over the world, and we're looking forward to the rest of the games in the league stages.

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India vs New Zealand Highlights, T20 World Cup 2021: New Zealand crush India by 8 wickets - Times of India

New Zealand will begin easing COVID-19 restrictions that have been in place on its national borders since March 2020.

Chris Hipkins, minister in charge of New Zealand's COVID-19 response, said that from November, travellers from Pacific countries such as Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu will no longer need to quarantine on arrival.

"It's time we reopened to the world. We can't remain shut behind the walls of Fortress New Zealand," Mr Hipkins said at a news conference.

New Zealand's on-guard approach

Data from Johns Hopkins University show that the country reported 96 new cases and no deaths on Thursday.

New Zealand was an early adopter of strict border restrictions in response to the pandemic, closing off leisure traffic to one of the most desirable destinations in the world.

It tried a "travel bubble" with Australia but suspended that in July as the Delta variant spread.

Even with this announced easing, New Zealand is planning on strong efforts keep Covid-19 in check.

All foreign nationals entering New Zealand will need to be fully vaccinated starting November 1.

Air New Zealand, the country's flag carrier airline, has said passengers on its international flights will need to be fully vaccinated.

The places 'untouched' by COVID-19 across the world

It will start implementing the policy on February 1, 2022.

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New Zealand to start easing Covid-19 travel restrictions - 9News

New Zealand, a U.S. ally with a reputation for economic dependence on China and conflict avoidance, wants to participate in a landmark trilateral defense deal between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.

And cyber is one area that wed certainly be interested in, but theres no detail yet so we will be looking for detail, New Zealand High Commissioner to Australia Annette King told Australian media this week.

That prospect could fortify cooperation with New Zealand, despite Prime Minister Jacinda Arderns aversion to the nuclear submarine technology at the heart of the AUKUS deal, as the pact is known. The current members of the deal expect the pact to allow an expansion of U.S. military presence in the region and an upgrade of various capabilities across the U.S. alliance network in the region.

AUKUS is not designed to be in any way exclusive ... It's a first step in terms of industrial development between like-minded partners, British General Nicholas Carter, the U.K.s chief of defense staff, told the Center for a New American Security when asked about Japans potential involvement last week. If there were opportunities there, then that's the direction of travel it would go in. The same applies to Five Eyes and also to other like-minded countries.

'INDISSOLUBLE BONDS': NUCLEAR SUBMARINE DEAL FORTIFIES U.S.-AUSTRALIA SECURITY TIES AGAINST ECONOMIC PRESSURE FROM CHINA

New Zealands position within Five Eyes has appeared unsteady recently, as Arderns government downplayed the prospect of an alliance of democracies to manage threats from China and urged Australian officials to show respect to Beijing. A senior British lawmaker concluded soon after that New Zealand had just left large parts of the Five Eyes community, even as Australian officials bore the brunt of Chinas economic pressure due to Canberras call for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

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New Zealand and Australia were in a different space to begin with, and this has perhaps just made that look sharper again, Victoria University professor David Capie said last month. I think this alliance underlines that theyre going in very different directions.

The new interest from King, New Zealands top envoy to Australia, coincides with a State Department decision to launch a new Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy.

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This will integrate the core security, economic, and values components of our cyber agenda, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Monday. "We also plan to establish a new special envoy for critical and emerging technology to lead the immediate technology diplomacy agenda with our allies, partners, and across the range of multilateral fora.

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Tags: News, Foreign Policy, National Security, Australia, New Zealand, State Department, Cyber, United Kingdom

Original Author: Joel Gehrke

Original Location: New Zealand wants in on defense pact with US, UK, and Australia

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New Zealand wants in on defense pact with US, UK, and Australia - Yahoo News

This modern house in New Zealand is a passive structure that won an award from the New Zealand Institute of Architects for its sense of fun and how the design carries through from outside to inside it makes you feel like you are on a holiday but in a home that you can stay in all year round. The Long Grass House harmoniously blends affordability, sustainability, and liveability!

The use of inexpensive plywood in the interior and steel cladding on the exterior gives it an evergreen yet modern aesthetic with contrast. The interiors are engaging, with plenty of space, natural light, and material warmth. The design approach has been focused on including what is really needed in order to produce what is sufficient; positively reducing waste of both space and construction materials.

It showcases a simple plan for a medium-sized house with a spacious te garage and an interesting layout of the bathroom, laundry, and entrance. The garage and main structure complement each other and almost look like two perfectly angled Lego blocks! The jury that presented the award noted how the Long Grass House is a great example 0f how to use inexpensive materials and get real value out of them.

The angled ends are supposed to appear to be leaning into the prevailing wind, but its really a clever energy-saving trick to create overhangs that shade the windows from the northern sun. The architect notes: The form of the building is compact giving a low form factor, and with its compactness comes low energy demand. Passive House Energy calculations were used to drive design decisions using current climate data and predicted future climate data.

A panoramic skylight runs near the length of the building and connects to a vertical window and you can see it from the inside in the kitchen. This light is minimal but eye-catching detail in the house which is designed with thrifty detailing, colourful trimmings, and simple geometric shapes. The wooden stairway leads to a loft above the bathroom and laundry.

Every material and surface here is durable and will take some hard knockssomething that was central to all material decisions, including cladding. We wanted to ensure that every product we specified would stand the test of time in this harsh environment and be suitable for the family to live in with its changing needs for years to come, said the team.

The house gets a lot of attention for the slopes that lean into the wind, but the real appreciation should go towards the simplicity and economy of the materials used throughout. Steel siding is one of the most durable and affordable materials for the exterior. While plywood is perfect for long-lasting interiors without increasing costs and maintaining a timeless look. The compact structure helps ensure low energy demand and Passive House Energy calculations were used to drive many design decisions using current and future (predicted) climate data. Long Grass House is perfect for a modern, eco-conscious family looking for a forever home on a budget!

Designer: Rafe Maclean

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This angular passive house is built on a tilt in New Zealand and leans into the wind! - Yanko Design