News of Zealand: an Ambitious Plan to Kill All Introduced Pests and Australia Now Locking Up More Kiwis Than Anyone Else

Australian Detention Centres Now Lock Up More New Zealanders Than Any Other Nationality
New Zealanders have overtaken Iranians as the biggest group being held in Australian immigration detention centres. The number of Kiwis has been on the increase since the Australian government changed the law at the end of 2014 allowing it to revoke the visa of anyone who has committed a crime and jailed for 12 months of more.

Figures just released reveal that of the 1577 people in detention, 199 are New Zealanders. The next biggest groups are Iranian, Vietnamese, Sri Lankan and Chinese.

Labour MP Kelvin Davis, an outspoken critic of the policy, told Radio New Zealand that foreign affairs officials weren't doing enough over their regular "cups of tea" with the Australian counterparts to address the issue which he says treats New Zealanders unfairly.

Lawyer Greg Barnes, who has represented some of the Kiwi detainees, told RNZ the policy was "cruel" and "senseless" and estimated up to 15,000 people could be forced to resettle in New Zealand because of it.

"I know of some cases where the young person involved has serious mental of physical illness. They couldn't possibly just go back to New Zealand on their own, so their entire families are having to go back," said Barnes.

Everyone Is Worried About Housing Affordability, Even With a New Plan to Provide More Homes
In 2013 the Auckland Council tabled a plan to start building the extra 400,000 houses the city will need over the next 30 years. An independent hearings panel reviewed the plan and it's those findings that have just gone public. The council has until August 19 to consider the recommendations.

The plan, called the Auckland Unitary Plan, covers a range of strategies including environment and heritage protection but it is the city's approach to where and how high new housing developments can go that has dominated discussion.

The plan was released the same week that new figures revealed the extent of speculation in the Auckland housing market. The New Zealand Herald reported buyers have been trading houses like shares, flipping properties for short-term gain. More than 1,500 properties were bought and instantly sold on across Auckland between January 2015 and May this year for an average capital gain of $1600 per day on each sale. Most of the quick turnover sales were in South Auckland.

Financial modelling by the independent panel suggest most Aucklanders won't be able to afford new homes built under the Unitary Plan, with only 15 percent of houses priced under $800,000.

Government Invests $28 Million for a Pest-Free New Zealand by 2050
With introduced pests killing up to 25 million native birds every year, the Government is setting up a $28 million joint venture with Predator Free NZ to eradicate introduced species by 2050. Conservation Minister Maggie Barry has described it as the single most ambitious plan since walking on the moon.

Next week the world's biggest rat control operation will kick off across the 2.5 million acres of Kahurangi National Park. "Already nearly half our offshore islands are free of introduced mammalian predators," explains James Russell, a conservation biologist at the University of Auckland in a government media release. "But these are only the smaller islands (10 percent of the total area). It's taken us 50 years to arrive here, so 2050 seems a reasonable goal and matches our current scaling laws for eradication size."

Overpriced Sanitary Products Are Forcing Female Students to Use Rags and Bits of Newspaper During Their Periods
A Labour MP is campaigning to supply young women with free sanitary products, as Kiwi schoolgirls are skipping class when they have their period because they can't afford tampons or pads. According to stuff.co.nz, a growing number of Kiwi women, particularly students in lower income areas, are resorting to makeshift substitutes since sanitary products hit $15 a week. "Female sanitary products aren't a luxury, but for young Kiwi women on tight budgets they're an expense that's hard to afford," Manurewa MP Louisa Hall says.

As part of their Foodbank project the Salvation Army has created the 'Women's Hygiene Bundle' to supply young homeless and disadvantaged women with free products. Countdown kickstarted the campaign with a donation of $2,500 worth of sanitary products.

Vandals Have Defaced Gisborne's Captain Cook Statue With Blood Red Paint, Again
Repeated defacing of the Captain Cook statue in Gisborne has been interpreted by the local council as an attack on New Zealand's colonial legacy. Vandals have painted red paint on Cook's crotch and face, while many are calling for the statue to be replaced with a statue of Maori chief Rakaitane.

Cook is easily New Zealand's most famous European coloniser, but his alleged cultural degradation of the Maori people elicits a fairly heated response. The Gisborne council, which employs a full-time staff member to monitor graffiti, is now calling on the the police to get involved. "Seriously this is getting out of hand now guys, it's wasting time and resources at the expense of our community," they posted on Facebook.

And in case you missed it, this is what's been going on at VICE New Zealand:

Illustration by Ashley Goodall

NZ Lockout Laws: Will They Reduce Alcohol-Fuelled Violence or Are They a Death Knell for Nightlife?
We examine the contentious issue of lockout laws: why they're so inconsistent across the country and whether earlier closing hours are in place to stop us hurting each other or just to hurt our nightlife.

The Full, Crazy Story of the New Zealand Jiu Jitsu Fighter Who Was Kidnapped in Rio.
In allegations that certainly don't bode well for the Rio Olympics, Jason Lee was kidnapped by a branch of Brazilian police that even other law enforcement agencies are afraid of.

Meet the Auckland Boys Who Blast Celine Dion From Tiny Bikes
New Orleans photographer Aubrey Edwards spotted a group of teenagers riding the streets with huge sirens strapped to their handlebars. She asked if she could take some photos and here's the result.

Premiere: Christchurch band Doprah's New Video Imagines Hell In Windows 98
For their latest track the Christchurch band teamed up with animator Paul Roper to create a beautiful futuristic nightmare.

In 1990 Townes Van Zandt Got Drunk in a Small New Zealand Town and Played a Free Gig at the Pub
When one lucky punter stumbled across the iconic folk singer/songwriter drinking alone in a Wellington bar, he set in motion one of the most incredible impromptu free gigs in Kiwi music history.