Category Archives: New Zealand

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The vaccination rate for every suburb in New Zealand on one interactive map - The Spinoff

A United Nations worker from Fiji who was medically evacuated to New Zealand with Covid-19 in July is now in a stable condition, but remains in hospital 70 days later.

A request for the woman, a worker with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to be transferred and treated in New Zealand was initially declined for capacity reasons, but the medivac flight went ahead on July 29.

The patient arrived in Auckland in a Skyline Aviation jet and was transported to Middlemore Hospital by an ambulance.

More than two months later, the woman remains in hospital, but is out of intensive care, no longer has Covid-19 and is in a stable condition, Stuff understands.

READ MORE:* Defence Force medevac Niuean MP in critical condition to Auckland City Hospital* Dr Ashley Bloomfield exchanged text messages with Foreign Affairs Secretary over Covid-positive UN worker's evacuation from Fiji* Covid-19: Fiji patient medically evacuated to New Zealand in 'critical state', now in ICU

The UNs resident co-ordinator for Fiji, Sanaka Samarasinha, told Stuff on Thursday he wanted to express his deep gratitude to the doctors and staff at Middlemore Hospital.

Chris McKeen/Stuff

The UN worker has been at Middlemore since July 29.

He also wanted to thank the New Zealand Government and all those who made this small miracle happen.

He previously told Stuff the woman was in quite a critical stage when she was flown to New Zealand. She was not given preferential treatment, he said.

Since the pandemic began, the UN has medically evacuated about 300 staff around the world as part of its duty of care to staff who are deployed to work in high-risk situations, he said.

However, the woman was the first to be evacuated from Fiji into New Zealand during the Covid-19 pandemic, Samarasinha said.

Requests for medical treatment in New Zealand from overseas jurisdictions, particularly the Pacific, are common, the Ministry of Health said.

According to the Fiji Ministry of Health, there are 2864 active cases of Covid-19 in the country.

There have been 645 deaths in total since Fijis April outbreak.

Ninety-three per cent of the eligible population of Fiji have now had their first dose of the vaccine, and 65 per cent are fully vaccinated.

View original post here:

Covid-19: UN worker medivaced to NZ is stable, but still in hospital 70 days on - Stuff.co.nz

OPINION: Blessed are the cheesemakers, to quote Life of Brian.

This week marks the start of New Zealand Cheese Month, a month-long campaign to promote Kiwi cheese.

On one level, its not difficult to find, buy and consume our cheeses. Most of the big brands you know from the supermarket are, on some level at least, Kiwi products, in that they use milk from our farms and, in some cases, are made in our factories.

Stuff

The face of a committed eater of cheese.

Almost all of those household name brands are massive, Fonterra-owned companies such as Anchor, Mainland, Chesdale, and Kapiti, or those by offshore companies such as Tararua and Ornelle (both Goodman Fielder), or Rolling Meadow (Dairyworks).

READ MORE:* From boutique to big brands, NZ cheesemakers celebrated in annual awards* Cheese epiphany allows Kiwi to follow her passion around the world and back again* Goat's cheese makers churning out the medals

Theres nothing wrong with any of these brands. They are, for the most part, those that are able to produce a consistent product on a scale large enough to service dairies and supermarkets, even if family-sized blocks of your standard tasty and colby are becoming prohibitively expensive for some.

But the market dominance of these cheeses masks a brisk industry of truly local Kiwi cheesemaking.

Artisanal cheesemaking has been happening in New Zealand in some form or another since the 1970s or 1980s, but has really taken off in the past 20 years. From Mhoe in Kerikeri through Over the Moon in Ptruru, via Martinboroughs Drunken Nanny and Barrys Bay on Banks Peninsula down to Dunedins Evansdale, no matter where you live or where you are in the country, you are bound to find a cheese local to you.

Ross Giblin

A range of cheeses from The Drunken Nanny in the Wairarapa.

To a large degree, these cheesemakers are also farmers, grazing the cows, sheep, goats, even buffalo, whose milk goes into the product on the same property on which its made. Their cheeses reflect the local environment - the grasses and weather conditions. Animals grazed close to the sea will reflect that in their milk, likewise those grazed in a valley. Freed of the need to produce a predictable cheese that tastes the same every time, they can allow the changes in different seasons, year to year, to come through. They can also avoid pesticides and become organic, as an increasing number are.

As good, is the fact that you can buy many of these artisan cheeses directly from the people who make them or, if not, from a cheesemonger who knows them and their story.

Cheese should, of course, be delicious. But like many products that are, at their heart, agricultural, cheese can tell us a story: about the place it comes from, the people who make it and, in turn, about ourselves and our place.

Blessed are the cheesemakers, indeed.

Read more from the original source:

Everybody's Talking About... New Zealand cheese - Stuff.co.nz

Friday, 8 October 2021, 7:40 amPress Release: ERANZ

New Zealands energy sector has again been ranked asone of the top 10 worldwide by the World Energy Council inits annual Energy Trilemma ratings, ElectricityRetailers Association Chief Executive Cameron Burrowssays.

We should be proud to be one of only 9countries globally - and the only country outside Europe -to achieve the top AAA rating across the EnergyTrilemmas three metrics of security of supply,affordability and sustainability.

Our highplacement in the Energy Trilemma is partly down to ourcountrys abundant natural resources, but its alsobecause we have a well-functioning energy market thatfosters competition and innovation.

Since 2014 theaverage annual residential power bill has fallen by almost$200 in real terms, and New Zealand household power pricesare the 8th cheapest in the OECD.

Large industrialelectricity users did see higher than usual power pricesrecently particularly over the winter due to gasshortages and low lake levels which has been challengingfor some businesses exposed to wholesale energy prices.Since then, rainfall has helped significantly ease bothwater shortages and electricity spot prices.

TheTrilemma results also highlight the key role electricitywill play in New Zealands climate change transition with the World Energy Council singling out theelectrification of transport and process heat as some of ourbiggest opportunities to reduce emissions.

Thereis significant investment in new renewable electricity tomeet growing demand. Annual renewable electricity use hasincreased by 9,000 GWh in the last 15 years enough topower 1.2 million homes and theres more coming allthe time to support our climate change transition. Itsgreat to see this reflected in our Trilemma sustainabilityranking having increased over the last 10years.

The electricity sector is committed toproviding secure, affordable, and sustainable energy to meetgrowing demand as we transition to a low carbon economy.Theres still plenty of work to do, but this yearsEnergy Trilemma results show the sector is performingstrongly for Kiwi consumers, Mr Burrowssays.

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New Zealand's Energy System Among The Best Globally | Scoop News - Scoop.co.nz

The New Zealand GP team will look to end a frustrating European campaign on a high in Spain this weekend before eyeing an MIQ battle for the next regatta in Sydney.

The powerful team headed by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke lie sixth on the eight-team table after five of the eight regattas.

They have failed to advance their cause through four European events and lament a lost opportunity to make their first podium race at the last event in France.

Tuke insists lessons are being learned and the team remains optimistic of pushing for a palace in the three-team US$1m winner takes all race at the season end, being just five points off third place heading into this regatta in Cadiz.

READ MORE:* SailGP proposed saving NZ round with privately-run MIQ or self-isolation* Covid-19 sinks SailGP's multimillion-dollar NZ yachting event* New Zealand blow SailGP chance in France

In general we sailed pretty well in St Tropez, it was pleasing to put in some good performances, it really felt like we were mixing it up with the top boats and deserved to be there through sailing well, Tuke said.

Looking into this one, everyone is really geared up to finish off our European tour in good fashion.

A lot of the team have been away representing Aotearoa for six months across this or the Olympics. Its been a long stint but everyone is looking to finish on a high, and we need to for the overall championship as well.

The team have MIQ spots for their return next week but the next event in Sydney from December 17-18 raises issues.

Not everyone has MIQ positions booked and the Christmas rush places extra heat on that, but Tuke says the team is committed to sailing in Sydney.

SAILGP

The Antipodean albatross features on New Zealand's SailGP boat in Spain this weekend.

Back to the topic of improving in Cadiz, and Tuke says they will use the three practice sessions to work on their starts, something which let them down badly in the costly final fleet race in France.

The clogged starting line can be chaotic but remains hugely influential in these short races sailed in fast foiling catamarans.

The second season of SailGP is already proving a pressure environment. Bottom of the table France have axed their helmsman Billy Besson, replacing him with young Olympic catamaran sailor Quentin Delapierre.

That hasnt been lost on the Kiwis.

Its a big decision for them. I guess they are looking ahead to the future now, Tuke said.

Its tough, you have the worlds best sailors here, and youre racing every few weekends, and you get found out when you are not doing things well.

Its a tough environment, but its a good one to be in if you are wanting that sort of competition and ruthlessness.

While their sailing hasnt been consistent, the New Zealand team have the honour of leading the championships Impact League which tracks the positive actions teams take to reduce their overall carbon footprint and help accelerate inclusivity in sailing.

With the team backed by Live Ocean, the environmental project launched by Burling and Tuke, theres a real pride in this area.

That has been really pleasing. With Live Ocean embedded in the teams DNA, we have put a lot of effort into this, Tuke said.

Like racing, its a huge team effort, so its really pleasing to see how everyone has come together to take on this challenge.

Were really trying to be the best we can in every way we operate, pushing ourselves to come up with innovative ways to set up the boat in the most sustainable way, introducing new technologies and using our voice for good to share the message of ocean restoration and protection.

Burling and Tuke joined New Zealand Ambassador to Spain Nigel Fyfe in Madrid to visit the Secretary of State for Sport Jose Manuel Franco, where they discussed the planned cooperation between New Zealand and Spain for the protection of seabirds in the Southern Ocean.

This week the team is displaying a graphic of the Antipodean albatross on their boat to spotlight the plight of the big seabird which is facing extinction.

Burling and Tuke will also share their story of founding Live Ocean and their first project on racing to save the Antipodean albatross when they are the main speakers at SailGPs Champions for Change forum in Cadiz ahead of the racing.

AT A GLANCE - SAILGP IN SPAIN

Where: Cadiz

When: First day, from 3.30am Sunday (NZT). Second day, from 12.30am Monday. Live coverage of Sky Sport 3.

Points: 1 Japan 37, 2 USA 35, 3 Australia 35, 4 Great Britain 32, 5 Spain 31, 6 New Zealand 30, 7 Denmark 28, 8 France 28.

Impact League points: 1 New Zealand 727, 2 Great Britain 686, 3 Australia 655, 4 France 626, 5 Spain 619, 6 USA 580, 7 Japan 555, 8 Denmark 540.

Next: Sydney, December 17-18; San Francisco, March 27-28.

NZ make strong start to France SailGP.

See the article here:

NZ SailGP team battling on and off the water - Stuff.co.nz

Supplied

The new Wellington Yellow Pages has listings from 18,000 local businesses. You can also use the book to shore up the wobbly table.

OPINION: Every few days I do a sad trip out the door, down the path, and to the letterbox.

Its sad because theres never anything nice in the letterbox. At best theres a flier from someone wanting to save my soul; at worst a white envelope addressed to someone also named Virginia Fallon, though I never open those. They dont look friendly.

Last week was different. There, on top of the box, was that brightly coloured harbinger of spring: the Yellow Pages. It used to arrive at the doorstep, where the only better find could be a wrongly-delivered Uber Eats or Hello Fresh, but I care not where its delivered, Im just happy its here.

It reminds me of good things, and we can always do with a bit of that.

READ MORE:* Adding the love factor as phone directory provider Yellow shifts to digital focus* It's Conservation Week, so let's get rid of the Yellow Pages* Yellow directory business to attempt reboot

These days the arrival of the Yellow Pages is usually accompanied by criticism of its place in modern life, and especially its impact on the environment.

Yellow NZ distributes 2 million books nationwide, featuring listings from 154,000 businesses; nationally the book represents 1.2 per cent of total paper usage each year, a number that pales into comparison with the 80 per cent of paper usage currently occupying our bathroom cupboards as stockpiled loo roll.

Stacy Squires/Stuff

Nationally, the book represents 1.2 per cent of total paper usage each year.

And anyway, the books are made from forestry by-products, and are completely recyclable not that any of that mattered in the 80s where my enduring love of the good book began.

Those were the days when the Yellow Pages were massive at least six inches thick and your whole town was listed between those sunny covers. As much as I like to tell younger people how outdoorsy and independent my generation was, the truth is we were bored stupid and the Big Yellow provided much-needed entertainment.

Youd see all sorts of things as you flicked through to find numbers for the video shop, radio station, or movie theatre. (Dont pretend you didnt know the chip shop number by heart.) There were maps youd rip out to take on your bike rides, and even area codes for far-flung places like Auckland that seemed so exotic to small-town kids.

There was also plenty of salacious information in there too, and my group of friends spent many an afternoon leering and wondering over the adult listings. I once called an 0900 number to learn how to seduce a woman, but as my mum was unaware of my sapphic tendencies, my brother copped the blame.

Currently, my copy of the Yellow Pages sits on top of the microwave where it will stay until the next one arrives. It serves no purpose but neither does the cat and I still keep him about.

The good book is needed by plenty of people who let their fingers do the walking, but even for those of us who dont, its a nice thing to have something from the days when things were simpler and, yeah, happier.

Anyway, there's plenty of things you can do with the Yellow Pages. You can use them to prop open the door of the cupboard the cat likes to sleep in, or shore up a couch leg (rip them in half). You can use them to sit your laptop on, so nobody sees your chins on Zoom, or crush walnuts with. You can press a flower, start a fire, or write bad poetry in the blank spaces around the ads.

Or you can just keep them around because they remind you of being a kid looking up the number to beg the radio station to play your song.

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Lessons from New Zealand's good book; the Yellow Pages - Stuff.co.nz

Wales annual out-of-window autumn international has long been a problematic and contentious event.

Year after year, it has been the same story.

The WRU arrange a fourth match against one of the south hemisphere big three - New Zealand, Australia or the Springboks - on a date outside the official November dates sanctioned by World Rugby.

And every year the same issues arise in terms of player availability.

Read more: For the latest headlines and big news, stop by our home of Welsh rugby

As the match is not covered by Reg 9, teams outside of Wales dont have to release their players for it.

The policy of PRL - the umbrella organisation for the English Premiership clubs - has been pretty consistent on the matter.

They dont allow their clubs to release players to other countries for out-of-window Tests.

In fact, back in 2013, they actually fined Northampton 60,000 for doing so in the case of Wales George North, firmly laying down the law.

This policy has seen some people criticise the Premiership clubs for denying players the chance to play international rugby.

But the rationale is quite simple.

The RFU pays the clubs for access to England players above and beyond the requirements of Reg 9.

If they were to release them to other countries for free, how could they justify continuing to charge their own Union?

The WRU, for their part, have never been willing to pay for additional access to English exiles, so the cycle has continued and here we are again.

On October 30, Wales will open their autumn international campaign against New Zealand at the Principality Stadium.

Thats the out-of-window game this year and once more that means no England-based players are available to coach Wayne Pivac.

So he will have to do without the likes of Dan Biggar, Louis Rees-Zammit, Taulupe Faletau, Callum Sheedy, Nick Tompkins and Ioan Lloyd.

That presents a particular issue at No 10, with Biggar and Sheedy being the two first-choice fly-halves.

But, this year, the situation has been further compounded by an ever mounting injury list. You can see all the details and what the Wales team is now likely to look like here..

North, Justin Tipuric, Leigh Halfpenny, Dan Lydiate, James Botham, Rhys Patchell, Josh Macleod and James Davies are all out of the equation, while there is a major doubt over Liam Williams, with Jarrod Evans also facing a race against time.

It means Pivac is set to be without an entire team of players and something like half a dozen nailed-on starters.

Clearly thats not ideal when you are taking on the mighty All Blacks.

As the absentee list has grown, so have the mutterings of discontent over Wales going into a game of this magnitude with such a depleted side.

What were the Union thinking of? has been the general theme.

Now the issue has been addressed by Daily Telegraph sports writer James Corrigan, who has penned a coruscating attack on the WRU.

In his article, he describes it as the stupidest fixture ever and offensive to fans who have paid out up to 95 for tickets for this sold-out fixture.

He writes: Some accountant genuinely thought it acceptable to play the worlds best team while knowing Wayne Pivac will be without some of his most notable players. And what is yet more scandalous is that those on top agreed.

He goes on to accuse the WRU of actively making it harder for its side to achieve a feat they find impossible anyway.

Welshman Corrigan continues: The Kiwis are the scalp we crave. They should not be first up, in the unofficial slot. It demeans the occasion, which is a crying shame because it is difficult to quantify what it could mean to the country.

The All Blacks will show up, the stadium will be packed and the tills will ring to the strains of Bread of Heaven.

A few debts will be paid and so the farce continues. Yet for how long and to what purpose? Keep prioritising the bottom line over the try line and Welsh rugby will soon be bankrupt regardless.

Strong words indeed.

There is also the impact on our pro teams.

With the autumn campaign beginning on October 30, players will be in camp with Wales the previous weekend, so will miss a round of United Rugby Championship matches.

As a result, the Ospreys and Scarlets will be significantly depleted when they take on full-strength Munster and Benetton sides respectively, while the biggest bone of contention is that the derby between Cardiff and the Dragons at the Arms Park will now go ahead with a host of star names missing.

One of the biggest fixtures of the season will be devalued and undermined, much to the anger of the two sets of fans.

So why do the WRU keep on arranging games outside of the window given all the problems it creates?

Well, there has been a desire to play the top teams as often as possible, something Warren Gatland was very keen on from a rugby perspective.

But, more than anything, it comes down to money.

The New Zealand game is a sell-out, with all 74,500 tickets having been snapped up.

So just how much cash will that bring in, with TV revenue and all the food and drink sales on top?

I spoke to a trusted source on Union matters for an idea of what we are talking and also what the thinking has been over the years with regard to the fourth autumn Test.

A game like this would bring in between 3m and 4m in clear profit, he estimated.

Thats from one day.

You think what you would have to do to make that kind of money by some other means? You would have to have a lot of Ed Sheeran concerts!

On the attitude of the four pro teams to the out-of-window fixture, he said: To be honest, nobody at the regions has ever pushed back on it.

It was a non topic really.

It never came up because people knew how material it was to the whole financial model.

If you could make the numbers work and play one game less, then you would do it, all day long.

But, at the moment, you cant balance the books without it.

The reason the regions dont push back on it is the profit goes straight to them. It is as simple as that.

It doesnt impact the Union if the game isnt played. It just means the regions get 3m less.

As for the question of paying the Premiership clubs for player release, that was discounted as it was seen as opening Pandora's box and undermining the domestic game, as players may be less likely to stay in Wales if they knew they could be available for all international matches while being based in England.

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It would be unwise to call a game against New Zealand a necessary evil as there are a lot of people really looking forward to the occasion, despite the number of Wales players that will be missing.

But it is fair to say that the annual out-of-window Test is a necessity under the current financial model and more so than ever this year following the huge impact of Covid on income streams.

People have asked why start the autumn campaign against the All Blacks when we know a number of top Wales players will be absent then.

Well, that out-of-window weekend is the only date the Kiwis were available, so it was either then or not at all.

If the Union had opted for not at all, you would be looking at a massive dip in income at a time when the pro game is so desperately in need of additional cash.

Now there is a valid argument that the whole financial model needs reappraising and reconsidering.

At present, the focus is firmly on international rugby as the primary source of income generation.

You could make a case for that already being a saturated market and that the club game is the potential growth area.

On that point, increasing income from domestic rugby is, of course, made that much more difficult when star players miss league matches due to international commitments, thereby devaluing the competition as a product.

So theres a bit of a chicken and egg situation going on.

Its also worth noting that Wales were not the only country to organise out-of-window Tests for October 30.

Scotland are hosting Tonga on that date, while Ireland were due to play the USA in Nevada, prior to that game being cancelled due to ongoing border restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

In summary, pro sport costs money, big money, and it has to be paid for somehow.

So, until there is a pretty seismic shift in emphasis in terms of attitudes towards income generation, the fourth autumn Test looks as though it is here to stay.

For the latest breaking news, interviews and headlines in Wales, you can sign up to our newsletters to get the biggest stories delivered straight to your inbox.

Originally posted here:

Wales v New Zealand fixture under the microscope as it's branded 'stupidest game ever' - Wales Online

Wellington, New Zealand Tougher rules for property investors and speculators came into force this month in New Zealand, as part of a government effort to tackle the countrys worsening housing crisis.

Under the new law, property investors will no longer be able to deduct mortgage interest from their taxable incomes

The government is trying to focus on re-establishing housings primary role as a home rather than a financial asset and address the countrys housing shortage, soaring property prices, and homelessness.

The move follows a rise in house values of 145 percent during the past 10 years, according to Real Estate Institute New Zealand. Rental rates have also risen by 37 percent in the last 10 years, according to Statistics New Zealand.

As of 2018, 42,000 people in the country were living without shelter, or in temporary or shared accommodation and Ministry of Social Development figures suggest more than 23,000 people are on the public housing register.

The dire situation has already attracted the interest of the Human Rights Commission, which in August announced plans to conduct a national inquiry into housing.

Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt says over the last 50 years successive governments have failed the New Zealand public.

In the 1970s there was a Royal Commission of inquiry into housing, which led to the creation of a national housing council that was disbanded just 10 years later.

Looking back this was an important body that had oversight of the growing problem, he said. We took the eye off the ball and left everything to market forces.

The Human Rights Commission doesnt favour a public or private approach thats for the government of the day to decide, but whatever approach is chosen it must deliver and in recent years theres no doubt whatsoever it has failed.

Traditionally, New Zealand has been active in drafting international human rights law including the right to a decent home but it has not been so good at bringing those rights back home, he says.

These treaties have been ratified, so theyre legally binding but somehow theres an attack of amnesia when politicians and officials fly back home over the Pacific, he said.

The right to enjoy a safe, secure, decent home is critically important for wellbeing. Without a decent home, its very difficult for people to be active members of society.

Al Jazeera spoke to some New Zealanders about their experience of finding a home.

Jim* was living on the streets of Wellington, New Zealands capital when Al Jazeera spoke to him. He had been homeless for more than two weeks but was hoping to move in with family in another part of the country.

Jim has been on sickness benefit since he was hit in the back of the head with an axe five years ago, he says. He does not remember the circumstances leading up to the accident other than waking up in a hospital where he was told he was lucky to be alive.

He has been in and out of public housing since the accident, but securing permanent financial help has proved difficult because his head injury means he will never be able to work.

Jim found himself without a roof over his head after a stint in a halfway house came to an end.

It was his first time on the streets, but he said people tended to be helpful providing food, daily showers, and the homeless community had been welcoming.

You really just want to be left alone and not harassed. Im taking it day by day. Ive got good shoes, a blanket, and Im as comfortable as I can be.

Engineer Benjamin Duyvesteyn, 25, moved to Raglan on New Zealands North Island for a two-year stint but in April 2020 when his relationship with his brother deteriorated, he moved into a tent.

Working a number of odd jobs and with no rooms available in Raglan, he says, it made more sense to live in a campground for 15 New Zealand dollars ($10.40) a night than to move to Auckland, the countrys biggest city, and pay between 200 and 250 New Zealand dollars ($138.65 and $173.33) a week to live in what he describes as a shoebox.

Duyvesteyn ended up living under canvas for 10 months.

It wasnt great. Ive definitely had better times in my life, he told Al Jazeera. The campground didnt have any washing equipment or hot water. It was freezing over winter. I would use a laundromat in town to wash my clothes. Id use a battery pack to charge my phone. If it rained I wouldnt be able to get dry before going to bed.

There were rats the size of cats. Once I found a rat inside my tent so thats why I would basically live out of the supermarket and buy each meal each day. But it was something I had to do. I was working full time so it meant I saved a bit of money.

Duyvesteyn moved in with friends in early 2021.

Kelly-Jayne Ferry and her two daughters had been living in the Mount Victoria area of Wellington, the capital, for three years when their property manager gave them 42 days notice that the lease would not be renewed.

Im very sad to leave our home, Ferry told Al Jazeera. After renting for so many years Im left with this constant lingering fear at the back of my mind that we might have to move again soon, which has meant Ive never really invested in making a place nice.

The search for a new place that is suitable, affordable, and close to the girls school has been sobering, she says.

The lack of cohesion between pricing and quality has blown me away, Ferry told Al Jazeera. Its depressing. You may view a house where the paint is peeling, the walls are filthy, and nothings been done to it for 50 years, and with little sunlight. And then you view a place thats a beautiful ocean view apartment and its the same price. Wheres the line, and how does that work?

Ferry found few properties available and that what was on offer was generally designed for young professionals who were able to pay up to 300 New Zealand dollars ($208.89) per week for a room in a house or tiny apartment.

Landlords will often push the limits of what they can get away with, Ferry says.

I really feel sorry for people who dont know what the law is, or if they dont have the confidence to speak up. But even if you do speak up, theres always the chance youll jeopardise your wellbeing and the safety of having a home because in challenging them youve given them a reason to kick you out, she said.

Ferrys move was delayed as a result of COVID-19, but she and her children have now found a warm and dry house in Roseneath, a suburb of Wellington.

So life is good, until next time we have to move!

Freelance video editor Rachel Lydia Barker, 26, has spent her adult life renting flats or houses, but as a result of COVID-19 she is now living with her parents in Wellington.

Barker is from a middle-class, reasonably wealthy background.

She inherited some money from her grandparents, and her parents have been saving since she was born, but despite having a huge amount of help, the cost of living relative to house prices means she cannot afford to buy a house in the city.

Barker says it would be cheaper to service a mortgage than to rent, but there is no way she will be able to save enough money for a deposit. Of course Id prefer to pay off a mortgage than be paying the same amount in rent with the possibility of being displaced at any point.

She is planning on going to Australia to join her sister, who has just bought an apartment in Melbourne. Barkers sister realised she would earn substantially more abroad and after two-and-a-half years, in addition, to help from her family, she secured a deposit.

My parents are pretty heartbroken. Theyre English and decided to move to New Zealand for a better quality of life. I was eight at the time and New Zealand used to be a haven. It still is in many ways but the cost of living is increasingly similar if not more than cities such as New York or London and without some of the perks those cities have to offer.

Nigel Mander, a former professional clown in his sixties, has been renting since his mother passed away 12 years ago.

After travelling the world, he moved into a derelict shop and lived there for five years. I didnt publicise it too much as I didnt want to get offside with the [municipality]. There was wiring and water damage, the roof leaked, but it was cheap and it worked until the owner chucked me out.

Ever since Mander has led a transitory life moving from house to house at the mercy of various landlords and friends, but he says he has no regrets.

My living situation hasnt been very stable and its left me with underlying feelings of insecurity but I dont let it get me down. I tend to throw caution to the wind and I press on regardless. Ive never been much of a saver and Ive travelled extensively.

We need to change peoples attitudes around housing. It shouldnt be about owning your own castle or having properties as investments, but rather if youve got a spare room or a spare house, there might be people and lonely people who could use the company who would be grateful for the accommodation. The community aspect is lacking, I think.

There are certainly enough houses to go around, but when greed comes into play, where people decide to own 20 houses or to keep them empty because its less hassle than renting them out, thats what I have a problem with.

Writer Murdoch Stephens, 40, has been living in rented accomodation since he was 18.

In the spring of 2019, he was sharing a flat n Mount Victoria one of Wellingtons wealthier suburbs with five others when the area made headlines after being infested with monster rats.

At the time he was having challenges with the flat rent had increased by 18 percent and there were infrastructural issues, but he could not get in touch with the landlord. It became a joke that perhaps the landlord was a giant rat living in the garden, which became the premise for his book, Rat King Landlord.

What we dont talk about are the subtle consequences of the housing crisis; people staying in relationships that they shouldnt for fear of changing their living situation, or fragmented communities because people are shuttling from suburb to suburb, for example.

As a writer, you dont make much money at the best of times, but I particularly worry about younger people who increasingly dont have the opportunity to pursue creative careers because the cost of living means its not an option.

Stephens is not interested in disparaing landlords, politicians, or personalising the issue. The housing problem is structural and will take a paradigm shift in thinking to fix, he says.

Everyone is short-changed in this environment. We dont have the language to change it or any language that articulates a collective response.

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New Zealand: The struggle to find a decent home - Al Jazeera English

New Zealands daily Covid cases have jumped sharply to 45 more than five times the previous days number. The rise comes after several days of about 12 cases a day, and around a week after the Auckland region lifted its strictest lockdown restrictions.

This is a big number. Its a sobering number. I dont think anybody whos involved in this process would be celebrating a number like the one were seeing today, said the Covid-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins.

But the fact that such a significant proportion of those are known contacts or household contacts does point a little bit to the nature of this particular outbreak that were now dealing with in the way its concentrated in larger households.

The director general of health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, said a number of the cases had been expected by health officials much of Aucklands outbreak is spreading through large family groups. Thirty-three of the new cases were known household or close contacts of existing cases. Of these, 26 were household contacts, and 12 came from two households. Twelve cases were unlinked.

Officials urged people to continue following level 3 rules and get tested. Weve still got to hold our nerve here, Hipkins said. Were still aiming to run this into the ground.

The government lifted some restrictions in Auckland last week after a month of lockdown, in what experts called a gamble and a calculated risk. The changes saw an estimated 300,000 additional people return to work in their city workplaces.

Bloomfield said: Some of our cases today may have been working in essential or permitted businesses this emphasises the importance of everyone in Auckland continuing to abide by level 3 measures. They are there for a reason. Asked if New Zealand would have seen this number of cases under level 4, Hipkins said possibly.

The leap in cases comes as the government faces its first major challenge from opposition parties on the elimination strategy.

New Zealands largest opposition party unveiled its Covid plan on Wednesday, which would see lockdowns permanently scrapped once 70-75% of the eligible population is vaccinated, and quarantine-free travel allowed at 85% for those who are fully vaccinated.

The National partys leader, Judith Collins, said elimination had worked while vaccines were under development, but now the plan must change. If adopted, Nationals plan means Kiwis overseas could come home to spend this Christmas with loved ones or take an overseas holiday for new years, Collins said.

Collins said the prime minister had not offered a specific vaccine target while ministers throw around numbers willy-nilly. She also took aim at the governments proposed trial that would allow 150 business people to return and isolate at home before Christmas: Its an insult.

The National party says its three-pillar plan has been thoroughly vetted by experts, but it has declined to publicly name those experts.

The first pillar of the plan includes 10 steps for supercharging vaccination rates, going door-to-door to reach vulnerable communities, and boosting testing measures and health service capacity. The second pillar aims to end lockdowns, once vaccination reaches 70-75%.

Nationals Covid-19 response spokesperson, Chris Bishop, said the third pillar was about reconnecting New Zealand back to the world, with a system that would create different isolation requirements for returnees, depending on the country of origins Covid-19 status.

Just prior to the Delta outbreak, the government announced its border reopening strategy, which also takes into account the risk level of the countries people are returning from. That plan is under review after the outbreak.

Meanwhile thousands of New Zealanders overseas are struggling to book a spot in managed isolation. On Tuesday 3,800 places were released and snapped up in seconds, leaving tens of thousands of others on hold for the next round, due in the coming weeks.

Bishop said the government was running a lottery in human misery every week, adding that the party was advocating for a vigorous suppression method, over elimination, to allow people to return.

Deltas here, its gonna come back, there will be Covid in the community and we need to reopen, whilst making sure we mitigate the impacts of Covid and have a low number of cases.

Hipkins said he had not looked at Nationals plan in detail but it was clear the party wants to throw open the borders and allow hundreds of thousands of people to come into the country. Therefore one can conclude that the biggest promise they are making at the moment is they are willing for Kiwis to get Covid for Christmas.

Hipkins said the party had not provided any modelling for the number of cases it would be willing to tolerate, nor what it would do if there were significant case numbers in the community.

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Covid: New Zealand reports jump in cases as opposition calls for opening up - The Guardian

Experiences in the Asia-Pacific are demonstrating that the eradication of COVID depends on the development of an independent movement of the international working class, fighting for a scientific program that prioritises health and safety, not capitalist profit. With extraordinary rapidity, countries held up as pandemic success stories are dispensing with earlier safety measures and adopting the let it rip policies that have created a disaster internationally.

In Australia, where the virus has repeatedly been eliminated, governments are rushing to reopen the economy amid the countrys worst COVID outbreak.

In New Zealand, one of the few countries to have pursued an eradication strategy throughout the pandemic, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced yesterday that her government would be transitioning to a new way of doing things, based on the fact that the Delta variant is a game-changer.

The New York Times, speaking on behalf of the Wall Street banks and corporations, immediately reported the announcement, declaring that: For a year and a half, New Zealand has pursued a strategy of Covid zero, closing its borders and quickly enforcing lockdowns to keep the coronavirus in check, a policy it maintained even as other Asia-Pacific countries transitioned to coexisting with the viral threat. On Monday, New Zealand gave in.

This was part of a broader shift, the Times noted, referencing the drive to end lockdowns in Australia, and the situation in Singapore, where an end to a government strategy of suppressing the virus has resulted in a major outbreak. The change in strategy by Singapore and other countries in the region has left China as perhaps the last major country to pursue a Covid-zero approach, it declared.

With a clear air of triumphalism, the Times was championing the fact that those countries were adopting the same profit-driven policies that have resulted in mass infection and death around the world.

Infections have soared in Britain since all mitigation efforts were dispensed with on freedom day last July, with current fatality rates matching Prime Minister Boris Johnsons declaration that 50,000 annual deaths from the virus would be acceptable. In the US, thousands of people are dying every few days, while hospital paediatric units are being overwhelmed as 200,000 or more children are infected each week, many of them having contracted the virus in schools that are functioning as lethal petri dishes.

Case numbers vary in the Asia-Pacific countries that have recently shifted their policy. In Australia and Singapore there are thousands of active infections, in New Zealand, only several hundred. The trajectory, however, once the live with the virus policy has been adopted is the same: mass transmission, hospitalisations and fatalities.

This has already been demonstrated by developments in Australia. The countrys governments never sought eradication, rejecting it in the earliest stages of the pandemic as being too costly. Nevertheless, over the past 18 months, they have repeatedly been compelled to institute lockdowns and other safety restrictions.

This has largely been a result of demands from teachers, health staff and other sections of the working class, and because the underfunded hospital system is in such a parlous position that it cannot cope with even a limited COVID outbreak. The country was also insulated to a certain extent by its geographical isolation and stringent border restrictions. Transmission of the virus was repeatedly eliminated, as millions of working people adhered to social distancing and made sacrifices to ensure public health.

Within a very short period of time, the situation has been reversed. The country went from having no cases of community transmission in early June, to more than 84,000 in the three-and-a-half months since, along with 447 deaths. More than a quarter of all fatalities since the pandemic began have occurred since the end of August.

The surge has been the outcome of governments, especially in the state of New South Wales (NSW), resisting calls from epidemiologists for timely lockdowns, instead preparing for a reopening. Even once restrictions were imposed, most workplaces remained open, leading to infections and deaths being concentrated in the working class suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne.

In previous outbreaks, governments have stated that it is not safe to end lockdowns before community transmission is reduced to zero or close to it. Now, the opposite is the case. The higher the case numbers, the more stridently they insist that lockdowns and other restrictions be overturned as quickly as possible, based on the same inoculation levels that have failed to halt surges in countries such as Singapore and Israel.

Last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that international travel would resume in November, earlier than planned, as the spearhead of a far broader reopening.

The announcement was made days after an article In the British Financial Times (FT) declared that Australia is making big mistakes in failing to reopen to the world, with business leaders accusing the government of putting politics before science ahead of a looming general election. The preeminent mouthpiece of finance capital highlighted statements by business chiefs, who were Increasingly fed up with COVID-19 lockdown policies and have said the nation will have to learn to live with the virus, as many other countries have done.

It is these profit interests that are determining government policy. In NSW, the limited lockdown is to be ended next Monday, despite infections continuing to approach one thousand a day. A full reopening is planned for November-December. The Labor government in Victoria has adopted an almost identical roadmap, even though infections in the state have reached a record of more than 1,700 per day, including a jump of 50 percent in a 24-hour period last week.

With the healthcare system already in an unprecedented crisis, official modelling from the NSW and Victorian governments predicts that the reopening will likely overwhelm their hospitals. They are preparing to implement a triage system, under which some critically-ill patients would be denied care. Medical experts have warned that the protocols would lead to people with an eighty percent chance of survival, if they were treated, being left to die.

In-person teaching is resuming en masse in both states this month, even though 30 percent of all cases in NSW have been among children and teenagers and thousands more young people have been infected in Victoria, during a period when most learning has been conducted online.

As is the case internationally, this program is provoking widespread opposition. Thousands of teachers and students have taken to social media and issued petitions, condemning the reopening of the schools. Healthcare workers have written open letters, denouncing the official policies as creating the conditions for mass death.

It is these sentiments that the various business chiefs are railing against. In countless editorials over the past months, the financial press has insisted that governments must take on the opposition among workers and young people. As one comment in the Australian declared, it was necessary to change the Australian mindset and force an end to the popular addiction to lockdown.

In this, the trade unions have played a central role. They have joined with the corporations to ensure workplaces have remained open throughout the pandemic, have lobbied for their industries to be exempted from lockdown measures, and are seeking to suppress any mobilisation against the official pandemic policies.

Critical lessons must be drawn. In one form or other, all of the capitalist governments are turning towards the policies of herd immunity and death. The developments in the Asia-Pacific are providing a graphic demonstration of the bankruptcy of official strategies aimed at mitigating the impacts of the virus, without seeking its eradication, and the impossibility of maintaining a program of elimination, within the framework of the capitalist system.

The fight to eradicate the virus, which epidemiologists have explained is both possible and necessary, depends on the development of an independent movement of the working class that asserts the social rights of the population, including to health and life, above private profit. The October 1 school strike in Britain, which won support from thousands of teachers, parents, students and workers around the world, points the way forward.

On October 24, the WSWS is holding an international online webinar featuring leading scientists and workers involved in this struggle, to explain the case for eradication and provide the public with the critical knowledge necessary to develop a broad-based and international movement to end the pandemic and reclaim the future.

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Australia and New Zealand ruling elite demands population live with COVID-19 - WSWS