FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

News of Zealand

News of Zealand: Floods, Earthquakes, and Māori Grannies Fighting P

Plus the latest on whether New Zealand could be joining the war in Syria, a violent crop of schoolchildren and everything else you missed over the weekend.

New Zealand Could Join the War in Syria: Prime Minister

Prime Minister Bill English won't rule out New Zealand involvement in the war in Syria, one week on from a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians and children.

English told Newstalk ZB he wouldn't rule out accepting a request for New Zealand troops–but said there had been no request so far. US President Donald Trump called on 'all civilised nations' to oppose the Syrian government after his sudden, unexpected decision to launch missiles at one of the country's air bases. Prime Minister "Our preference of course is a political-type settlement, where there isn't ongoing killing and atrocities," he said.

Advertisement

Grannies Join the Fight Against P

A group of Māori grannies are fighting back against methamphetamine. The Hawkes Bay kuia, who call themselves Nannies Against P, say they've been abused by whanau high on the drug, and now they're taking the power back. In an interview with RNZ, Lovey Edwards, who is a great-grandmother to 34 children, said she worried they were being neglected by parents with drug habits. Another woman attending said her grandchildren had been removed from their father's care when he became abusive on the drug. Another woman publicly apologised for her past cooking meth, and the impact it had on the community. The Nannies are holding a hui at Matahiwi marae to discuss their plan of attack.

Someone's Gonna Get Hurt: Teachers Fending Off Violent Children

New Zealand's primary school teachers say they're dealing with a run of violent, out of control children, and getting no support to deal with it. Principals told RNZ that the assaults on staff included being kicked in the groin, jabbed in the eye by pencils, and avoiding thrown chairs. But the Ministry of Ed told Morning report there was no new research or data to back up the claims of a rise in assaults. President of the Principals Federation Whetu Cormick said some of the behaviour was a result of special education needs, that wasn't well resourced.

"Young people who have got multiple issues including ADHD for example. We've got children who are suffering from various syndromes. We're also hearing about children who are anxious and some of them who have been diagnosed with depression."

Floods, Earthquakes—and Now Another Cyclone?

The North Island has been feeling the wrath of mother nature this week, with a series of floods and earthquakes. According to Geonet, 10 earthquakes that rattled the lower north island were most likely aftershocks from the 7.8 Kaikoura quake last year. Two were categorised as "strong" intensity: a magnitude-4.8 quake struck at around 11PM, and a 4.5 half an hour later. Both were felt in Wellington. Meanwhile, further north, the first few residents of Edgecumbe are returning home after floods devastated the region. The town's 2000-strong population was evacuated last week, after a wave of water burst through the river's stopbanks. The first lots of residents are now being allowed to return to their homes to survey the damage and begin the cleanup. But the storms may not be over yet. According to Fairfax Media, Cyclone Cook is set to hit the Pacific Islands soon, could reach New Zealand after that. It's still too early to track the exact trajectory of the storm, but if it does reach our shores it could bring more rain to already–flooded areas. Batten down the the hatches.