The VICE NZ Monday Bulletin

Everything you need to know about the world this morning, curated by bFM and VICE NZ.

LOCAL NEWS

Kiwis Who Want a Better Deal in Australia Should Get Dual Citizenship, Says Brownlee
Kiwis living in Australia have been advised to seek dual citizenship to maintain their entitlements. Recent policies have reduced the rights of New Zealand citizens living in Australia and Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee says people must remember they’re two separate countries.

Today Brownlee is meeting with lobby group Oz Kiwi, who want the New Zealand government to stand up for expats living in Australia. Brownlee says Kiwis in Australia are treated well and that seeking citizenship is the best option for those who want more rights.

New Zealanders don’t need a visa to enter Australia but are unable to access disability insurance and numerous other benefits.

Labour Set to Announce Immigration Policy Later Today
Deputy Labour leader Jacinda Ardern says the party wants to change the conversation around immigration with their policy set to be released later today.

On 95bFM Breakfast with Mikey Havoc this morning, Ardern recognised the importance of immigrants to New Zealand’s economy, but said National has no plan in place for the current record levels of immigration.

She said the conversation needs to centre around whether enough investment has been made into infrastructure over the past nine years to keep up with increasing immigration numbers, and stressed New Zealand needs to have a temporary ‘breather’ in order to play catch-up on infrastructure and provide new migrants with a good quality of life.

However, critics are warning Labour needs to be careful around slashing immigration numbers, as a cut too big will bring the economy to a halt.

Men Found Guilty of Raping Teenager
Two Christchurch men, Brandon Roche and Brooke Rolleston, have been found guilty of raping a 15-year old girl at a party. The two men took the girl from a bed where she was asleep with two female friends, to another room and raped her there, The Press reported from the trial. The pair then left her in the room and went into the lounge for “high fives all round and laughter with their mates”, the jury was told.

“She emerged from the room naked from the waist down, had difficulty walking or talking and was sobbing and groaning. She vomited, was showered by friends and carried back to bed,” the report reads. She had no memory of the rape. The defence argued the girl consented to the threesome. The crown argued the girl was too intoxicated to consent. The jury deliberated for eight hours before delivering a guilty verdict. Both men were remanded into custody until their sentencing in August.
The age of consent in New Zealand is sixteen.

“Sorry”: Hundreds Gathered to Hear Crown Apologise for “Shameful” Events at Parihaka
Nearly 140 years ago, the children of Parihaka greeted Crown military forces with songs and loaves of bread. That day, on November 5, 1881, soldiers ransacked their village, imprisoned the men and raped the women. On Friday, children of the Taranaki village—now famous for its history of passive resistance—sang again as Crown representatives arrived for a special ceremony to apologise for the heinous injustices of the past. There were tears as a crowd of hundreds gathered to hear Attorney-General, Chris Finlayson make a formal apology, part of a “New Dawn” reconciliation package that includes a payment of $9 million. “The crown responded to peace with tyranny, to unity with division and to autonomy with oppression. The Crown therefore offers its deepest apology to the people of Parihaka for all its failures,” Finlayson said.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Macron’s Party Set For a Major Win in Parliamentary Vote
Projections are showing that Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party is set for a landslide victory in France’s parliamentary elections. A relatively new party, La Republique en Marche is predicted to win 400 of 577 seats in the National Assembly.

Macron’s party includes a large number of candidates who are new to politics, coming from business or civil service backgrounds. The French President often stated he needed a strong majority to be able to implement his proposed reforms, without needing to build a coalition with other parties.

Since 2002, Macron’s predecessors have all won outright majorities.

Trump Puts Off Upcoming UK Visit
US President Donald Trump has put his visit to the UK on hold, due to concerns he will be met by large-scale protests. Trump told UK Prime Minister Theresa May he wouldn’t go ahead with a planned state visit until he has the support of the British public.

The decision has surprised May, as Trump had accepted the invitation passed on from the Queen in the first week of his presidency. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says he welcomes Trump’s decision not to visit after the president criticised London’s mayor and withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord.

The White House has released a statement denying the subject was discussed in their phone call.

Puerto Rico Votes in Referendum to be the 51st American State
Puerto Ricans are headed to the polls as the island’s referendum on whether to become the 51st state of the United States gets underway. The vote is the brainchild of the governor of Puerto Rico who won the election last November, largely on the promise of making a new push for statehood.

Puerto Rico has been under the tutelage of the US since the end of the Spanish-American war in 1898. The islanders were granted US citizenship in 1917, but have continued to exist in a colonial limbo whereby much of the economy is tethered to the US mainland without them being able to vote for representatives in Congress of the White House.

Beloved Batman Star Dies
Television star Adam West has past away at the age of 88 from leukemia. He was best known for being the 60s Batman in the television series and the 1966 movie. West also voiced Mayor Adam West in the cartoon series Family Guy. The world has mourned his loss on social media, with tributes flowing in from a number of stars West worked with over the years.

Additional reporting by India Essuah, Tylor Keith, Alessandra Nixon and Lucy Austin.