Film follows paraplegic former kayak instructor's journey
To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following:
See terms of use.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- RNZ News
From Siberia to the South Pacific
This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions. Novosibirsk Opera House; Lev Sivkov's home town. Photo: Alexander Klink If Lev Sivkov wasn't a musician, maybe he'd be a farmer. The Siberian-born cellist is in New Zealand to play the solo role in Britten's Cello Symphony with Orchestra Wellington , along with making chamber music as one third of the Levansa Trio. Growing up in Siberia gave him a deep appreciation of nature, something he also enjoys when he comes to New Zealand. It's Sivkov's third visit to Aotearoa. His friendship with fellow Levansa players (New Zealand-based violinist Andrew Beer and pianist Sarah Watkins) has made him more than an occasional fixture in the NZ chamber music scene. The Levansa Trio already has one album out on the Atoll label and there are plans to record another during the cellist's current trip. Levansa Trio: Andrew Beer (vln), Sarah Watkins (pno), Lev Sivkov (cello), Photo: Supplied Wellington Chamber Music Trust Sivkov spoke with RNZ Concert ahead of his gig with Orchestra Wellington, and part-way through his tour with the Levansa Trio. He certainly likes to mix things up. A few weeks back he was leading the cello section of the orchestra of Opernhaus Zürich in a concert performance of Brahms' 4th Symphony. Sivkov met the New Zealand members of the Levansa Trio through an ex-pat Kiwi currently living in Switzerland. This year's tour has already taken the ensemble to Hamilton, and there are also has concerts in Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch and Wairarapa. Sivkov describes Britten's Cello Symphony, which he wrote for the great Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, as a "very intellectual" work, but one which rewards close listening. "It's an old joke about Russian literature: there are books where the reader suffers, there are books where the writer suffers, but when both reader and writer suffer - that is the great book of Russian literature." He suspects Britten had that sense of Russian depth when he wrote the Cello Symphony. Sivkov still has a soft spot for the "tough" old-school Russian teachers of his youth, although he wouldn't necessarily teach his own students that way. Maybe something between the old Russian approach and the more liberal ways of Western Europe. Does he miss Russia? Yes, although if he went back to Novosibirsk he probably wouldn't work as a full-time cellist, maybe he'd take up farming - although he's not exactly sure what sort of farmer he would be. Funnily enough, the last concert of his current NZ tour with the Levansa Trio will be on an apple orchard in Wairarapa. "Perhaps I can discuss farming options when I am there," he jokes. RNZ Concert host Bryan Crump and cellist Lev Sivkov. Photo: RNZ
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Risks identified with Gumboot Friday's 'fee-for-service' model
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey says the programme is meeting expectations. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Gumboot Friday's youth counselling initiative has had its $6m annual contract renewed , despite health officials identifying ongoing risks that practitioners could bill for services of poor quality or not delivered. Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said the programme was meeting expectations, with more than 10,000 young people receiving free counselling in its first year, and the government was "backing Gumboot Friday to deliver more". A partially-redacted briefing to the Minister dated 30 May, released by the Health Ministry on Wednesday - along with [ other documents - noted "ongoing risk through this arrangement that practitioners invoice I Am Hope for services and do not deliver them". Some sections of the document were blanked out, citing the need to preserve "confidentiality of advice tendered by Ministers and officials". The briefing - which recommended the contract be renewed with some changes - noted the risk of non-delivery was no different to other "fee for service" arrangements. It said the charity had "significantly improved and streamlined some of its processes since the contract was developed". These included spot checking, auditing, client surveys and an electronic system to pick up "any unusual invoicing". "To date, I Am Hope [the parent charity of Gumboot Friday] has identified two practitioners that have departed from the agreed procedures and has removed them from the platform." In total there were more than 700 qualified counsellors registered on the platform. In the same section, entitled "Delivery Risks", Health Ministry officials wrote there was also a risk that Gumboot Friday's practitioners could "act unprofessionally" or fail to deliver quality service. A Ministry of Health weekly report said I Am Hope had "enhanced" its vetting process to include mandatory police checks for all practitioners registered before October 2024, and updated its Practitioner (Policies) Handbook in March. The charity now used CV Checker to speed up its verification process, but had limited ability to "scrutinise practice" since client and practitioner sessions had to remain private and confidential. All practitioners were members of professional associations, and the Ministry had not been advised of any complaints to date. Gumboot Friday and I Am Hope were working on evaluations of service delivery and the experiences of young people, while the Ministry was preparing an evaluation framework. In a preface to the documents, the Health Ministry said demographic information from I Am Hope's platform may have produced "potential double counting" of clients, as individuals reappeared across months. "It nevertheless provides additional information about the groups that are engaged in Gumboot Friday." The 30 May briefing said the Gumboot Friday service was "operationally different" to the original design. It recommended some changes to the contract, including increasing the number of sessions and clients, and removing some performance measures "which divert resources and create barriers to maximum performance". The officials advocated for scrapping the monthly limit of $500,000 (to allow for higher demand in some months) and current measures of reporting on wait times, which were not being consistently recorded as some young people contacted counsellors directly rather than going through the website. The original contract required Gumboot Friday to ensure most people could receive services "within 24 to 48 hours of seeking support with 3 to 5 days as a maximum wait time for the first meeting with the person" and provide monthly reporting of wait times. The latest report showed the average wait time for young people across January and February this year was 9.04 days, with 186 young people waiting more than five days. That was up from 5.78 days in November and December. "This increase was in part due to the holiday period in January 2025, however, the longer wait times persisted into February. I Am Hope has highlighted to practitioners the importance of responding promptly to service requests." The briefing also suggested the government could consider funding emergency and crisis referrals, and providing more cash to support evaluation and "verification activities".
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Gumboot Friday gets green light for second year of funding
Gumboot Friday has had a green light for its second year of funding but has had its targets increased after meeting the minimum numbers set for its first year. Last year the process by which the charity was awarded 24 million dollars funding came under scrutiny by the auditor-general who said the way the decision came about was "unusual and inconsistent". But mental health Minister Matt Doocey has backed the charity saying it's helping thousands of young people get access to support faster. Founder of Gumboot Friday Mike King, spoke to Melissa Chan-Green. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
