Category Archives: New Zealand

The gap between second and third doses of the Covid-19 vaccine is being shorted from four months to three, the government has announced.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield made the announcement this afternoon.

Watch the government announcement here:

Ardern said Cabinet made the decision on the advice of the Vaccine Technical Advisory Group, and it would mean a million more New Zealanders would be eligible for their booster shot.

The shorter interval, which only applies to the Pfizer vaccine, would take effect on Friday, 4 February.

"It now means a total of 3,063,823 people aged 18 and over - two thirds of our population - will be eligible for their booster from this weekend. Over 1.3 million people have already got theirs," Hipkins said.

The change would mean more people, especially Mori, would be able to receive a booster before Omicron took hold, he said, urging anyone who was eligible to get their booster as soon as possible.

Ardern said an extra 100,000 Mori will be eligible for a booster, representing a 59 percent increase in Mori eligibility from Friday, while an additional 52,000 Pacific people will be eligible, representing a 47 percent increase.

Ardern said the reason for getting the booster was clear - Omicron was usually more mild, but it could be severe for some.

"So don't think getting a booster is just about keeping yourself safe, it's about ensuring our hospital and health system is not overwhelmed so those you love and everyone in our community who needs our hospitals can get the care they need."

Hipkins said New Zealand was one of the top-10 most vaccinated countries in the OECD, and the earlier booster would also help reduce the impacts of Omicron on workforces and supply chains.

"We have given ourselves a head start that we cannot afford to give up," he said.

People can check their eligibility on MyCovidRecord, by referring to their vaccine appointment card, or calling 0800 28 29 26 between 8am and 8pm seven days a week.

Ardern said today that 94 percent of New Zealanders over the age of 12 were fully vaccinated.

"A year ago, achieving that level of community immunity would have been considered incredibly ambitious, but the overwhelming majority of the team of five million have done what they've done best this entire pandemic, banded together and turned out to get vaccinated not just for themselves but to keep their loved ones and communities safe."

The high rates had helped stop a Delta outbreak and given New Zealand a head start against Omicron, but now the number boosted needed to get as high as possible, she said.

The government would create a big booster campaign during February, with details to be provided by the Ministry of Health next week, Ardern said.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield speaking about boosters this afternoon. Photo: RNZ

Dr Bloomfield acknowledged the work put in by vaccination teams across the country in achieving 94 percent vaccination. Mori vaccination rates were now up to 90 percent first dose and 85 percent second dose, he said.

Ardern said there had been a significant boost in funding for community organisations which was helping support the efforts to help vaccinate Mori around the country.

"What we've had to do is make sure that we've stood up a system that worked for Delta, now we need to make sure that we are able to expand to deal with what will be a larger number of cases but actually the majority of cases won't need the level of care that delta may have required. So that has been an ongoing programme of work with our Mori providers."

Dr Bloomfield said the impact of waning protection over time from the vaccine had been seen.

"The good news is that there is clear evidence with that booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine, that people's protection goes back up to a similar level to what it was for Delta with two doses, and that is well over 90 percent protection against hospitalisation or serious illness."

He urged everyone to make a plan, and said there was excellent capacity for vaccinations across the system.

"Whilst we can't administer boosters to everyone in that one million this Friday, I can assure you we have excellent capacity across our system and we certainly have a good supply of vaccine."

It was even more important for vulnerable people and those working in higher-risk settings to get the booster, and considerable work was under way to make boosters as available as possible to those people, Bloomfield said.

New Zealand data so far was similar to that overseas - we had not seen an increase in side effects, and overall adverse events after each additional vaccination had declined, he said.

He had asked for advice on when 12- to 17-year-olds would be able to get booster doses.

Ardern said the reason behind the delay until Friday was the government needed to make sure all the infrastructure was stood up.

New Zealand was still relatively early on in its Omicron outbreak compared to other countries, and there was still time for people to get their booster in the coming week and have the benefit of it before the variant spread widely, she said.

Dr Bloomfield said New Zealand was an early mover in reducing the booster interval from six months to four, and was moving to reduce the interval again to three months before the Omicron outbreak, which was something many other countries did not have the opportunity to do.

Ministry of Health Chief Science Advisor Ian Town said bringing it forward to three months, which had been done in the UK and in many Australian states, meant New Zealand could get the level of antibodies at a peak before it was facing widespread transmission.

There did not appear to be any downside to reducing the interval to three months, he said.

Dr Bloomfield said he wanted to emphasise that the evidence was clear that while two doses was great for Delta, that was not the case with Omicron, "so we will be pushing really hard to vaccinate".

There were 142 community cases of Covid-19 and 54 border cases reported in New Zealand today. There were 38,332 booster doses given yesterday.

This morning, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson defended the government's approach to pregnant journalist Charlotte Bellis' emergency MIQ requests, and its acquisition of rapid antigen tests (RATs) ahead of an expected rapid increase in Omicron variant cases across New Zealand.

National has been calling for borders to reopen immediately, and frequent RAT testing in schools.

Cabinet yesterday discussed its plans for reopening the borders, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to make announcements about that tomorrow. A staged timeline was outlined late last year, but was quickly delayed because of the risks posed by Omicron.

The government this morning announced it would adding $70.7 million to its Events Support Scheme, and extending coverage to events scheduled for before 31 January next year that were planned before being cancelled by the red traffic light setting.

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Vaccine booster interval shortened to three months - New Zealand government - RNZ

New Zealands Catholic church has admitted that 14% of its diocesan clergy have been accused of abusing children and adults since 1950.

The church released the figures at the request of the royal commission on abuse in care, set up in 2018 by prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who said the country needed to confront a dark chapter in its history, and later expanded it to include churches and other faith-based institutions.

An interim report by the commission in December found up to a quarter of a million children, young people and vulnerable adults were physically and sexually abused in New Zealands faith-based and state care institutions from the 1960s to early 2000s.

Te Rp Tautoko, the group that coordinates church engagement with the royal commission, sought and examined records from the countrys six Catholic dioceses and from 43 Catholic religious congregations (also known as religious institutes, orders or associations). The research included records of 428 Catholic parishes, 370 Catholic schools and 67 other care institutions.

The allegations of abuse captured physical, sexual, and emotional or psychological abuse, and neglect. A failure to act on reports and facilitating abuse were also included.

The extent of the allegations of abuse in the church in Aotearoa New Zealand had not been collated before now, said Catherine Fyfe, the chair of Te Rp Tautoko.

The Information Gathering Project was a major exercise involving dozens of people over two years, including searching paper files dating back 70 years in hundreds of places.

The findings found that since 1950, 1,350 children and 164 adults reported suffering abuse, with the age of a further 167 not established by the research. Of the 1,680, almost half (835) were reports alleging sexual harm against a child and 80% of all reports were related to children. Of the total, 687 relate to educational facilities, 425 to residential care, 228 to parishes and 122 to other locations, and the rest were at unidentified locations.

Allegations were made against: 14% of Catholic diocesan clergy, who worked for a bishop and not a congregation, 8% of male congregational members (brothers or priests) and 3% of female congregation members (sisters or nuns). Most of the abuse reported happened in the 1960s and 1970s, with 75% occurring before 1990.

Te Rp Tautoko said that the records will not represent all abuse that has happened in the care of the Catholic church, as the research covers only recorded reports alleging abuse.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (Snap) said the actual scale of abuse was likely to be much higher based on the information it has from its members as high as twelvefold, given data indicating about only one in 12 have reported [abuse] in regions across New Zealand.

The church has simply released what information it has recorded and this should not be seen as a comprehensive listing of all abuse that has occurred. The actual scale of sexual abuse is very difficult to measure.

Snap said while the church acknowledges that harm was done, there has been no substantial change in the churchs own internal training methods and culture. In the handling of abuse complaints, its investigative processes are based on the balance of probabilities and are not complainant centred.

The statistics were horrifying and something the church was deeply ashamed of, said Cardinal John Dew, the president of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference.

I am grateful that so much work has been done in researching the details and making them public.

As we continue to respond to the royal commission into abuse and we build a safer church for everyone, I firmly hope that facts like these will help us to face the sad reality. The church will learn from this and affirm its commitment to the work of safeguarding.

See the original post here:

New Zealands Catholic church admits 14% of clergy have been accused of abuse since 1950 - The Guardian

This week we asked Guardian New Zealand readers about the arrival of Omicron and how they are feeling and preparing. Hundreds of New Zealanders wrote in, about their hopes and anxieties, preparations and frustrations, confidence and worries.

The country has spent almost two years relatively sheltered from the pandemics worst effects, and many said they felt some trepidation at the prospect of widespread Covid, and the threat it could pose to the countrys small health system, as well as its immunocompromised or under-vaccinated communities. Some were concerned about divisions the pandemic had produced: between the vaccinated and unvaccinated, those inside the border and those locked out.

But many also expressed a sense of relief and inevitability and a sense that the timing was as good as it may ever be for Aotearoa to fall back into step with the rest of the world. Some have been long separated from their families, and found consolation in the prospect of reopening borders. And many felt quietly confident, bolstered by the countrys results so far. New Zealand had weathered each stage of the pandemic before, they said, and they trusted both the government and fellow New Zealanders to meet the next challenge.

This is a small sampling of the comments.

NZ just hasnt suffered the kind of personalised trauma happening overseas, and summer makes a lot of people shrug at the prospect of doom. The not knowing how it will play out is almost as bad as the anticipation of personal and societal harm; how vulnerable ARE we as a population? How will our mental health _ not great at the best of times weather the compound stressors? Crossing all the fingers at the moment.Kelly, writer and photographer, Dunedin

I think we are all feeling a sense of trepidation and worry. Throughout the pandemic we have watched what has happened overseas whilst keeping the virus at bay for two years. Now we face the inevitable that Omicron is here and we can no longer keep Covid at bay. There is the worry for the health system, our communities, particularly those who are vulnerable or immunocompromised. You cant help but think: I am going to get Covid now, will it be OK? Will my family be OK? Here in NZ, we just havent had to deal with huge case numbers and deaths, nor are we in the mindset of just accepting those numbers. And currently it feels like we are just waiting for it all to begin.Saffron Dunlop, 46, Auckland, marketing

I want to stop being frightened and put the whole ghastly business behind me whilst, at the same time, observing reasonable restrictions to keep the vulnerable safe. Recently the reality of Omicron in the community has given me the impression that we will all get the virus at some stage, but vaccinations provide protection against severe infection. I am respecting the science, I have had my booster, now bring it on!Mari Bennett, 73, north of Auckland

I am worried about Omicron, but accepting that the outbreak is coming. All my whnau have been vaccinated, and are where eligible boosted. I mask up with an N95, track my movements on the Covid app, cut out attending or holding larger events, and have gone or go virtual where I can Just trying not to be a dick! Kia kaha, Aotearoa: he eke waka noa we are all in the same canoe.Sam Young, 59, Nelson lecturer

I think resignation mostly. We all knew Omicron would break through eventually. As an asthmatic, yes I feel a degree of trepidation, but I got the vaccination, and Ive had the booster, and Im pretty consistent with mask-wearing. So really, from now on its a case of suck it and see. I am profoundly grateful to not be sent back into lockdown though At least with vaccination I can live a pretty normal life now.Elizabeth Revel, 71, cardiac nurse

The government has done a fine job in keeping deaths to a mere 50 or so. They have generated great confidence. Omicron may be different in its transmissibility but New Zealanders will, I think, rise to the challenge Our vaccine situation is amazingly good and that will help too. No sweat.Dave Smith, 75, lawyer, Wellington

I think that the silver lining of reaching this stage is the change it will bring to border settings. There are so many families affected by the border restrictions. I have a friend whose dad [overseas] died last year I sat with her while she watched his live-streamed funeral and had to grieve without her family. It probably doesnt seem much in the scale of things, but I have a cousins wedding to go to in the UK in June and its really important to me that my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews can see us and our kids. That time when theyre little goes so fast.Fiona Macdonald, civil servant, Wellington

I cant help feeling that New Zealand is about to be surprised in a very unpleasant way by the reality of Covids exponential spread Im very concerned. I feel New Zealand is about to experience albeit maybe without the large numbers of deaths due to Omicrons milder nature what the rest of the world had in 2020. That is, huge disruption to supply chains, working life, and massive social anxiety.Tom Hawkins, 32, maths and statistics teacher

This feels inevitable. We couldnt keep Covid-19 out for ever. We know the drill. Masks, hand washing, physical distancing, using the Covid-19 app, and keeping up with the vaccine and booster. I feel prepared. I am hoping for the best. Hoping Omicron is mild. Hoping it increases our immunity. Hoping we all stay safe and healthy.Nicki Frances, 53, science technical writer, Lower Hutt

I feel safe in the hands of such capable leadership, and a community that by and large understands the need for individual action to serve the greater societal good. Kiwis are, despite a tiny but vocal proportion extremely proud of how we defeated Covid with lockdown, then defeated Delta with lockdown, and now with 94% of adults double vaxxed feel we are ready to face Omicron without a lockdown.

As for how I am coping with the red traffic light? Well, for the majority its really little different to how weve lived in non lockdown times Doing my part to help the country basically involves missing a beer festival and not going to the cricket. We are so very fortunate here and send our aroha (love) to all people whose countries who have been less fortunate, and arguably less well led.Dan Hanid, 46, Palmerston North

Read more from the original source:

Confident, optimistic, anxious: New Zealand readers tell us how they feel about Omicron - The Guardian

** Shares of New Zealand's Salmon supplier (NZK.NZ) plunge as much as 16.5% to NZ$1.010, their lowest decline since debut in Oct. 2016

** NZK slashes its FY22 EBITDA to a revised range of NZ$6.5 mln ($4.27 mln)- NZ$7.5 mln from a previous forecast of NZ$10.5 mln - NZ$12.5 mln

** Co says warm seawater temperatures due to the heat of summer is leading to higher than expected sea farm morality, NZK has put measures in place to mitigate these risks by adjusting the farm model

Register

** Adds that these setbacks will "seriously" impact co's FY22 results and reduce harvest for FY23

** Shares on track for their biggest intraday pct loss since Mar. 2020

** More than 94,800 shares change hands as compared with the 30-day average volume of ~35,500 shares

** Stock down 12.3% as of last close, so far this year

($1 = 1.5216 New Zealand dollars)

Register

Reporting by Roushni Nair in Bengluru

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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BUZZ New Zealand King Salmon hits record low on subdued FY22 guidance - Reuters

Feb 1 (Reuters) - The New Zealand Open golf championship has been cancelled for the second year running, due to ongoing travel restrictions to protect the country from the pandemic, the organisers said on Tuesday.

New Zealand's borders have been shut to foreigners since March 2020. The government pushed back plans for a phased reopening from mid-January to the end of February out of concern about a potential Omicron outbreak, as in neighbouring Australia.

"We have done everything within our power to make this event happen," tournament chairman John Hart said on the event's website.

Register

"However, with the current government restrictions in place, running an event that includes 250 players, 250 caddies, 500 volunteers, nearly 100 tournament staff and officials, plus numerous contractors, as well (as) spectators, is just not possible."

The organisers had announced in December that the championship, part of the PGA Tour Australasia, would go ahead.

It had been scheduled to take place from March 31-April 3 at the Millbrook Resort near Queenstown on the country's South Island. The three leading players would have won direct entry into the prestigious 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.

As of Sunday, New Zealand, had reported 15,910 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 52 deaths since the pandemic first struck. read more

Register

Reporting by Andrew Both; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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New Zealand Open scrapped over COVID travel restrictions - Reuters

New Zealanders are set to learn more this week about how Aotearoa will reconnect with the rest of the world.

Speaking to media on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson confirmed that Cabinet has had discussions about reconnecting New Zealand.

On Thursday, the prime minister will give a speech outlining our plans to reconnect New Zealand with the world, he said at a post-Cabinet news conference on Tuesday.

Following the update, Robertson was asked by media whether Cabinet had made a decision on New Zealand's border specifically. The deputy prime minister didnt delve into the ins and outs of the Cabinet meeting and exactly what was discussed, but did say: There will be a speech on Thursday on reconnecting New Zealand and as you would expect, we discussed [at Cabinet] all aspects of the Omicron response.

READ MORE:* Charlotte Bellis offered MIQ spot, earlier Covid-19 Response Ministers statement 'incredibly disrespectful* Covid-19: Government lays out three-stage plan to handle Omicron outbreak * Covid-19: Border restrictions shouldn't lift until Omicron wave passes - experts* Covid-19: Chris Hipkins says 'significant' border changes are possible in first half of this year* MIQ, the dark shadow across New Zealand that has to lift* MBIE considered new pregnancy emergency MIQ allocation criteria, decided against making changes* Getting through: How Kiwis are prepping for Omicron

Bevan Read/Stuff

The PM is expected to outline the Governments plans to reconnect New Zealand with the world on Thursday. (File photo)

Speaking to Stuff last month, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said there may be significant changes to the borders in the first half of 2022.

Despite delays and a vague timeframe, New Zealand is still on course to move to a self-isolation model where there is no longer a reliance on MIQ but where people are asked to stay at home to be sure theyre not infectious.

In November last year, the Government announced New Zealand citizens and residents from Australia could return without MIQ from January 17, and those citizens and residents from all other countries from February 14. April 30 was the date mooted for reopening borders to vaccinated foreign nationals.

But then the rise of the Omicron variant delayed New Zealands phased border reopening, and some MIQ room releases were also paused. The MIQ delay was to help protect New Zealanders, and a focus was placed on getting booster rates up and immunising 5-to-11-year olds.

Last week, the Government outlined a three-stage plan to handle the Omicron outbreak.

STUFF

After going public with her struggle with MIQ, Charlotte Bellis has been offered a spot in a facility by the Government, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson says.

This week, New Zealand's MIQ system has been in the headlines again due to the case involving pregnant journalist Charlotte Bellis.

On Tuesday, Robertson confirmed she had been offered a spot in MIQ.

The case has been assessed, there is a place for her to return to New Zealand, we urge her to take it up, Robertson said at the post-Cabinet briefing.

Speaking about the MIQ system, Robertson told media that there are rules and criteria, and the MIQ process was put in place for a very good reason.

It has supported our public health response and avoided a number of deaths, but Robertson acknowledged that it doesnt make it easy for those at the other end of it trying to come home.

I have enormous sympathy for people in a number of different situations. One of the hardest things during Covid-19 has been the fact that people have not been able to come back for funerals, for weddings, for situations like the birth of children. Thats incredibly tough.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff

Cabinet has discussed plans around reconnecting NZ, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will give an update on Thursday.

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Kiwis set to learn more about how NZ will 'reconnect' with the rest of the world - Stuff.co.nz

In our new column, Thomas Bywater looks at the month's noteworthy events that helped shape our country and its tourism industry

For lovers of travel, February has some lofty anniversaries. On February 5, 1911, brothers Leo and Vivian "Vee" Walsh took off on New Zealand's first controlled powered flight.

The Manurewa No. 1 took off from a park in Papakura, South Auckland. A short hop from the runway of today's airport, father Austin Walsh logged a flight distance of around 300m at an altitude just shy of a double-decker bus.

The Walsh family were a long way from chartering a flight for their next holiday. This didn't stop them establishing New Zealand's first flying school four years later. Nor did the fact that New Zealand was still without a runway. They set up the New Zealand Flying School Kohimarama from Mission Bay. With five Curtiss flying boats, they trained 1000 pilots over the Waitemat Harbour.

At the other end of the harbour, at MOTAT (the Museum of Transport and Technology), you can still see images of their craft and the trainee pilots. The slings and casts worn by the trainee pilots are testimony to the fact that the flying boats didn't have brakes. (motat.org.nz, admission $1019)

In the MOTAT Walsh library and Aviation Hall you'll meet the last flying boat in New Zealand, the TEAL Solent RMA Aranui. In the 1950s it flew the Coral Route to Fiji and the Cook Islands. A distance 10,000 times greater than the Walshes' original flight, though it did take more than 30 hours to get there.

For a taste of the seaplane experience and what those early pilots would have seen from Kohimarama, Auckland Seaplanes fly transfers and scenic flights over the Hauraki Gulf. (aucklandseaplanes.com, from $225)

February is the month that made New Zealand.

Kicking off with Waitangi Day, it's the closest thing the country has to a birthday.Crossing the bridge from Paihia to the Treaty Grounds is something of a pilgrimage for Kiwis, to visit the place the Treaty was agreed upon 180 years ago. (waitangi.org.nz, $30). For Kiwi history buffs, the Bay of Islands is a place steeped in events - ones not always true to the principles of Te Tiriti.

It's a great place to start. But in the spirit of "doing something new" to rediscover something old, where are the places to be this month?

February is full of things that unify us - taking English wickets, the beginnings of national pastimes and brave attempts to bridge the North and South Islands, in nothing but a bathing suit.

Kicking around a track in the Fiordland National Park is as good a place as any. On February 23, 1904, a million hectares of Southland were set aside as the country's largest area for conservation and recreation. All the way from Milford Sound and Mitre Peak to the lighthouse at Puysegur Point, the park is home to three of New Zealand's Great Walks - The Kepler, Routeburn and Milford tracks. However - off the beaten track - the best way to fully immerse yourself in the sounds is on an overnight sailing. (fiordland.org.nz)

Happy Birthday Te Papa Tongarewa. On Valentine's Day - February 14 - The National Museum turns a youthful 24. It's a relatively new addition to the Wellington waterfront, especially compared to the collection of 2.4 million national taonga it contains - including a 137 million-year-old tooth of an iguanodon, the oldest object in the collections. (tepapa.govt.nz, free)

On the subject of places and events that unite Aotearoa. It's a short bowl down Kent Terrace to Wellington's Basin Reserve, site of New Zealand's first test cricket victory over England, on February 15, 1978. Future great Richard Hadlee took six English wickets for just 26 runs.

On sporting achievements that link our islands, February 4, 1975, saw Lynne Cox swim Cook Strait. It took the US swimmer a marathon 12 hours to make the crossing. On the anniversary of the historic swim, Fit & Abel are running a six-day swimming adventure into Fiordland, with transfers and accommodation aboard the PureSalt. For those just looking to "dip their toe" into open water swimming, E-ko Tours runs a dolphin swimming tour from Picton. (fitandabel.com from $5000pp; e-ko.nz from $180pp).

For more New Zealand travel ideas and inspiration, go to newzealand.com

Check traffic light settings, vaccine requirements and Ministry of Health advice before travel. covid19.govt.nz

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Historic events in New Zealand travel and tourism and how to celebrate them - New Zealand Herald

New Zealand Red Cross has packed the first relief supplies to be sent to Tonga tomorrow and is gathering four technical experts to support the ongoing response.

After a thorough needs assessment, Tonga Red Cross Society has requested supplies including blankets, tarpaulins, masks, solar lanterns and kitchen sets and personnel to bolster the response effort.

The support package includes four Red Cross international delegates specialists highly trained in post-disaster logistics, operations, water and sanitation, and in financial management. At this stage, each delegate will work remotely from New Zealand for three months.

COVID-19 adds another layer of complexity to the response effort, says Vivienne Euini, Acting General Manager International. Tonga remains COVID-19 free and their Government has requested all support be contactless. So our delegates will, at least for now, work remotely from New Zealand.

New Zealand Red Cross will also be contributing to a global Red Cross fund that will provide financial assistance to those who have been displaced from their homes, or have an urgent need for food, water and other supplies.

In addition, New Zealand Red Cross plans to fund and supply a satellite communications platform which will provide communications in a box to support phone and internet connections, which have been severely affected across the Tongan islands.

While the focus is initially on the immediate welfare needs of people following a disaster, the scale of impacts across Tonga means it will be a significant response and recovery effort. Rebuilding homes, infrastructure and the economy is a complex undertaking and requires a long-term, highly-coordinated international effort, says Ms Euini.

More than 6,000 people and community groups have donated to the New Zealand Red Cross Pacific Tsunami Appeal and funds raised will enable the initial $730,000 in support to be provided to Tonga.

Our assistance of supplies and personnel has been made possible by the phenomenal response we have had to our appeal. People have been incredibly generous and that includes the many businesses that have worked hard to support our efforts, particularly Vodafone and our Disaster Response Alliance partners The Warehouse, Countdown and NZ Post.

The first transport of New Zealand Red Cross supplies will be airlifted to Tonga on the next NZDF relief flight due to leave Whenuapai on the morning of Tuesday 1 February 2022.

ENDS

For more information contact:

media.comms@redcross.org.nz

Ph 04 495 0139

Find out more about the International Delegate Programme

People can donate money to support those affected by the Tongan volcano eruption and tsunami by going to http://www.redcross.org.nz/donate/pacific-tsunami-appeal

About New Zealand Red Cross

The New Zealand Red Cross mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilising the power of humanity and enhancing community resilience.

The Red Cross Fundamental Principles guide everything that we do, whether we're helping people in communities across Aotearoa New Zealand or providing urgent relief in response to an international disaster. These seven principles unite the worldwide Red Cross Red Crescent Movement to help without discrimination those who suffer and by doing so contribute to peace in the world.

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New Zealand Red Cross mobilises Tonga relief effort - Tonga - ReliefWeb

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) earlier this month released a fact sheet announcing updates on excepted foreign states determinations, including the addition of New Zealand to CFIUSs excepted foreign states list, effective as of January 6, 2022. The fact sheet also details the U.S. Department of Treasurys (Treasury) January 6, 2022 final rule, adopting without change its proposed rule modifying the definitions of excepted foreign state and excepted real estate foreign state, which we previously detailed here. The final rule will be effective February 4, 2022.

With its addition to CFIUSs excepted foreign states list (available here), New Zealand joins a short list of only three other countries also generally considered the closest U.S. allies: Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom (UK). These same countries join the United States in the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance. Because CFIUSs jurisdiction for less than controlling covered investments and covered real estate transactions contains exceptions where investors are from excepted foreign states (see 31 C.F.R. 800.304(b), 802.302(a)), a countrys status on CFIUSs excepted foreign states list benefits its investors by not subjecting them to CFIUS jurisdiction and scrutiny for certain investments and transactions. New Zealand earned a spot on CFIUSs excepted foreign states list because CFIUS identified, among other factors, New Zealands intelligence-sharing relationship and collective defense arrangement and cooperation with the United States.

Under Treasurys January 6, 2022 final rule, however, New Zealands status on the excepted foreign state list currently lasts only until February 12, 2023. Like the other countries named to the list before it, for New Zealand to maintain its excepted foreign state designation beyond February 12, 2023, CFIUS must make a determination that New Zealand has established and is effectively utilizing a robust process to analyze foreign investments for national security risks and to facilitate coordination with the United States on matters relating to investment security. 31 C.F.R. 800.1001(a), 802.1001(a).

CFIUS is already making moves on these determinations. As announced in its January 6, 2022 fact sheet, CFIUS has determined that Australia and Canada have established and are effectively using robust processes to analyze foreign investments for national security risks and to facilitate coordination with the United States on matters relating to investment security. Accordingly, Australia and Canada have each satisfied the criteria set forth in CFIUSs regulations to qualify as both an excepted foreign state and an excepted foreign real estate state. See 31 C.F.R. 800.1001(a), 802.1001(a). CFIUS has noted that Australia and Canada will remain on the excepted foreign states list absent further action from CFIUS. CFIUS has not yet announced a determination for the UK, whose National Security and Investment Act 2021 did not come into full effect until January 4, 2022.

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CFIUS Adds New Zealand to Excepted Foreign States List and Finalizes Additional Time for Allies to Secure Excepted Foreign State Status - JD Supra

Why should the crisis matter to Wellington some 17,000 km away from Kyiv and Moscow?

One reason is that Russia is, like New Zealand, an APEC member. An Asian and Pacific power as much as a European one, Russia lies very much within New Zealand's orbit: Vladivostok is only a two-hour flight away from South Korea, one of New Zealand's closest trading partners.

Indeed, Russia is increasingly looking eastwards in part thanks to the impact of climate change.

Melting Arctic ice means that the 'Northern Sea Route' along Russia's coast is slowly emerging as a new, lucrative shipping route for journeys from Europe to Asia and a much faster alternative to the Suez Canal. As the route becomes more viable, development is likely to accelerate in Russia's Far East.

Moscow is also enjoying increasingly close relations with Beijing, partly as a by-product of its isolation from the West since Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. China and Russia are planning joint military exercises and in a recent video call, Xi Jinping addressed Vladimir Putin as his "old friend", while Putin described Russian-Sino relations as being at an "all-time high."

Indeed, China's relationship with Russia is so good that the US last week called on Beijing to use its influence to try to convince Moscow to deescalate the crisis over Ukraine.

NATO allies, especially the United States and United Kingdom, have been unusually outspoken and blunt about the prospects of Russia launching a war with Ukraine. A constant flow of intelligence has been released throughout January to support the view that Russia is planning an invasion.

For instance, on Saturday, Reuters reported claims from US officials that Russia was moving blood supplies for treating potential war casualties to the border. Earlier, on January 14, the US said it believed Russia was planning a 'false flag' operation to create a pretext for war, which was followed by a British statement on January 23 that said Russia was planning to install a puppet government in Ukraine.

These claims should be taken seriously, but raw intelligence should also be viewed with a healthy degree of scepticism. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the British Government's infamous September 2002 dossier that helped to underpin Tony Blair's case for war on Iraq. The dossier's central claims about Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction were later discredited or proven to be false.

Indeed, even Ukraine's own president seems to be doubtful that the current situation really is as dramatic as the US and NATO are making out. A phone call between Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe Biden last week reportedly "did not go well", with Zelensky later telling reporters "we don't need this panicI don't consider the situation now more tense than before."

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Geoffrey Miller: How should New Zealand respond to the Ukraine-Russia crisis? - Newshub