Everything you need to know today curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ.Vote On Euthanasia Bill
MP's could vote today on David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill. The bill seeks to legalise voluntary euthanasia and the Act leader is optimistic it will pass its first reading. Most parties are allowing MP's to lodge conscience votes whilst New Zealand First Leader Winston Peter says his MP's will be voting in favour of the bill. Euthanasia is a contentious issue with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in support of it while National MP Maggie Barry deems it a "license to kill".National Standards to be Scrapped
Minister for Education Chris Hipkins announced the abolition of the controversial national standards for primary and intermediate education. The rollback will begin from the start of the 2018 school year after literacy rates had dropped to their lowest on record since the standards were introduced in 2010. New Zealand Educational Institute President Lynda Stuart says this rollback is a weight off the shoulders of teachers across the country: “Hopefully teachers will be able to be more flexible in their teaching, that real data focus on reading, writing and mathematics will change into the ways that we actually support children to make progress in reading, writing and mathematics”. Hipkins says the statistical drop in literacy rates made for sobering reading, and a new system will focus on the individual child’s needs rather than judging them against others.Auckland Faces Huge Teacher Shortage
Nearly half of Auckland primary schools are unsure whether they will have a full staff of teachers next year. The Educational Institute survey of primary and intermediate principals found that many schools expect to start the year with teaching vacancies. Principals have reported significant teacher shortages this year and blame high house prices and difficult commutes. The shortage means that some schools will have far more teachers in their first year of teaching than usual.Cancer Waiting Lists Grow
The number of patients on cancer treatment waiting lists is increasing. Due to more diagnoses and greater treatment options, almost 20 percent of cancer patients have been unable to receive treatment in the recommended time frame of 62 days. The most recent Ministry of Health report states that the number of people diagnosed with cancer has increased to over 23,000. The patients on these waiting lists are in need of treatments such as surgery, radiation treatment and palliative care.NZ Super Pressures Polluters
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund is part of a global collective putting financial pressure on the world’s biggest polluters. Climate Action 100 plus was launched at the One Planet Summit in Paris and has invested more than US $26 trillion in 100 companies with high emissions. The campaign is hopeful that by engaging with such companies, they may be able to get them to reduce their emissions. In addition to this venture, The New Zealand Super Fund has quit or substantially reduced its investments in 300 fossil fuel companies as part of its climate change strategy.New Maritime Bill
The Maritime Transport Amendment Bill that supports maritime safety and tackles pollution passed its third reading yesterday. Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter says that the Bill will ensure that significantly more compensation is available for the clean up of a potential oil spill in New Zealand waters. Genter adds that the bill is about quote "ensuring that those responsible for oil spills cover the cost, not the New Zealand tax payer." The Bill will also remove the proposed amendments that would have allowed foreign flagged vessels to carry cargo to the Chatham Islands.Charities Don’t Want Your Old Tinned Tomatoes
Charities are asking people to donate a wider range of food, and one charity is no longer accepting tinned tomatoes. Jackie Clarke, spokesperson and head of charity The Aunties, says that the charity is no longer accepting tinned tomatoes, as they are quote "useless" for the people they help. Clarke says that basics like chickpeas are unhelpful, because the people accepting the donations are unlikely to have ingredients to pair with them. Many charities are looking for donations in the lead up to the holiday season, particularly in the form of gifts, fresh fruit, vegetables and meat.Facebook Responds to Rogue Former Employee
Facebook has responded to a former employee who says that social networks are quote "ripping apart the social fabric of how society works". Chamath Palihapitiya was the Vice President of user growth at Facebook between 2007 and 2011, and says that people should consider a hard break from social media. Facebook's response says that Facebook was a different company when Palihapitia worked there, and that the company takes its role in the world more seriously.US Might Rejoin the Paris Agreement?
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that he believes US President Donald Trump will bring the US back to the Paris Agreement on climate change. Macron condemned the way the United States had signed the international agreement, withdrawn from it and then demanded renegotiation of of America's terms. President Macron aspires to ensure that the Paris Agreement is fulfilled by holding the rise in global temperature to well under two degrees celsius. Scientists are now waiting to see what Tuesday's summit on climate change in Paris will achieve.Syrian Refugee Appeal Launched
Yesterday the UN launched a $4.4 billion regional appeal fund for more than five million Syrian refugees. Amin Awad, the director for the Middle East and North Africa of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says that Syria quote "remains uncontested the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time". Awad explains that the nation has been prevented from obtaining education and health care while being separate from relatives and friends. The UN official also suggested nearly four million people in countries neighbouring Syria are also in need of relief after years of supporting those displaced after the fighting began in 2011.Reporting by Reilly Hodson, Jemima Huston and Issy Walker.
LOCAL NEWS
MP's could vote today on David Seymour's End of Life Choice Bill. The bill seeks to legalise voluntary euthanasia and the Act leader is optimistic it will pass its first reading. Most parties are allowing MP's to lodge conscience votes whilst New Zealand First Leader Winston Peter says his MP's will be voting in favour of the bill. Euthanasia is a contentious issue with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in support of it while National MP Maggie Barry deems it a "license to kill".National Standards to be Scrapped
Minister for Education Chris Hipkins announced the abolition of the controversial national standards for primary and intermediate education. The rollback will begin from the start of the 2018 school year after literacy rates had dropped to their lowest on record since the standards were introduced in 2010. New Zealand Educational Institute President Lynda Stuart says this rollback is a weight off the shoulders of teachers across the country: “Hopefully teachers will be able to be more flexible in their teaching, that real data focus on reading, writing and mathematics will change into the ways that we actually support children to make progress in reading, writing and mathematics”. Hipkins says the statistical drop in literacy rates made for sobering reading, and a new system will focus on the individual child’s needs rather than judging them against others.
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Nearly half of Auckland primary schools are unsure whether they will have a full staff of teachers next year. The Educational Institute survey of primary and intermediate principals found that many schools expect to start the year with teaching vacancies. Principals have reported significant teacher shortages this year and blame high house prices and difficult commutes. The shortage means that some schools will have far more teachers in their first year of teaching than usual.Cancer Waiting Lists Grow
The number of patients on cancer treatment waiting lists is increasing. Due to more diagnoses and greater treatment options, almost 20 percent of cancer patients have been unable to receive treatment in the recommended time frame of 62 days. The most recent Ministry of Health report states that the number of people diagnosed with cancer has increased to over 23,000. The patients on these waiting lists are in need of treatments such as surgery, radiation treatment and palliative care.NZ Super Pressures Polluters
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund is part of a global collective putting financial pressure on the world’s biggest polluters. Climate Action 100 plus was launched at the One Planet Summit in Paris and has invested more than US $26 trillion in 100 companies with high emissions. The campaign is hopeful that by engaging with such companies, they may be able to get them to reduce their emissions. In addition to this venture, The New Zealand Super Fund has quit or substantially reduced its investments in 300 fossil fuel companies as part of its climate change strategy.
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The Maritime Transport Amendment Bill that supports maritime safety and tackles pollution passed its third reading yesterday. Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter says that the Bill will ensure that significantly more compensation is available for the clean up of a potential oil spill in New Zealand waters. Genter adds that the bill is about quote "ensuring that those responsible for oil spills cover the cost, not the New Zealand tax payer." The Bill will also remove the proposed amendments that would have allowed foreign flagged vessels to carry cargo to the Chatham Islands.Charities Don’t Want Your Old Tinned Tomatoes
Charities are asking people to donate a wider range of food, and one charity is no longer accepting tinned tomatoes. Jackie Clarke, spokesperson and head of charity The Aunties, says that the charity is no longer accepting tinned tomatoes, as they are quote "useless" for the people they help. Clarke says that basics like chickpeas are unhelpful, because the people accepting the donations are unlikely to have ingredients to pair with them. Many charities are looking for donations in the lead up to the holiday season, particularly in the form of gifts, fresh fruit, vegetables and meat.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Facebook has responded to a former employee who says that social networks are quote "ripping apart the social fabric of how society works". Chamath Palihapitiya was the Vice President of user growth at Facebook between 2007 and 2011, and says that people should consider a hard break from social media. Facebook's response says that Facebook was a different company when Palihapitia worked there, and that the company takes its role in the world more seriously.US Might Rejoin the Paris Agreement?
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that he believes US President Donald Trump will bring the US back to the Paris Agreement on climate change. Macron condemned the way the United States had signed the international agreement, withdrawn from it and then demanded renegotiation of of America's terms. President Macron aspires to ensure that the Paris Agreement is fulfilled by holding the rise in global temperature to well under two degrees celsius. Scientists are now waiting to see what Tuesday's summit on climate change in Paris will achieve.Syrian Refugee Appeal Launched
Yesterday the UN launched a $4.4 billion regional appeal fund for more than five million Syrian refugees. Amin Awad, the director for the Middle East and North Africa of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says that Syria quote "remains uncontested the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time". Awad explains that the nation has been prevented from obtaining education and health care while being separate from relatives and friends. The UN official also suggested nearly four million people in countries neighbouring Syria are also in need of relief after years of supporting those displaced after the fighting began in 2011.Reporting by Reilly Hodson, Jemima Huston and Issy Walker.