Indonesia's free meal programme faces backlash after food poisonings

15 hours ago

When an Indonesian mother dropped off her daughter at school in May, she did not expect her to become violently sick after eating lunch from the Government's new billion-dollar free meal programme.
'My daughter had a stomach ache, diarrhoea, and a headache,' the woman told AFP on condition of anonymity

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Pandemic Perspectives Focus Of COVID-19 Inquiry Public Hearing Next Week

Scoop

5 hours ago

Scoop

Pandemic Perspectives Focus Of COVID-19 Inquiry Public Hearing Next Week

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned will next week hear a range of perspectives on the pandemic as the Inquiry's first public hearing begins. The Inquiry's 'Pandemic Perspectives' public hearing will take place between Monday 7 July and Friday 11 July. This hearing will allow Commissioners to hear from groups, organisations, and individuals from around Aotearoa New Zealand about their experiences of the pandemic and the Government's response to COVID-19. 'The Pandemic Perspectives public hearing will allow us, in the open, to hear a range of experiences as well as suggestions for future pandemic responses. It is important we listen to these voices and ask key questions, so we can develop robust findings and recommendations,' says Grant Illingworth KC, Chair of the Inquiry. Individuals, organisations and experts will talk about the effects of key public health decisions, including social division and isolation, health and education, and business activity. Commissioners are focusing the hearing on three key areas of the Inquiry's terms of reference and that have been key themes raised in public submissions already received by the Inquiry: · Lockdowns in 2021, in particular the extended lockdown in Auckland and Northland from September 2021. · Vaccine approvals and safety. · Introduction and use of vaccine mandates throughout 2021 and 2022. The hearing schedule and list of witnesses is available on the Inquiry's website: A second and final public hearing will take place from 20 August to 27 August in Pōneke Wellington, where Commissioners will hear from key decision makers who led the Government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and from senior public servants. 'As Commissioners, our job is to identify lessons from the country's COVID-19 response to ensure that as a nation, we can be better prepared for future pandemics,' says Mr Illingworth. 'Our goal is to provide recommendations – that can be understood by all New Zealanders – to help build a strong response for the future. 'We need a well-organised, resilient, robust defence, and we need to be able to come together as a country to face future pandemics.' Alongside the public hearings, the Inquiry has also held interviews with key decision makers, met with individuals and organisations who experienced the pandemic and the response to it, gathered 31,000 public submissions, and sought extensive written evidence from Government departments and other organisations. 'We are encouraged by and thank the 31,000 of you who shared your experiences through our recent public submissions process. I also thank the huge number of people and organisations we've met in engagements up and down the country. Your experiences and perspectives are vital to our work,' says Mr Illingworth. The 'Pandemic Perspectives' public hearing will be streamed on the Inquiry's website so it can be watched live by the public. Registered media will be able to attend the hearing for reporting purposes. A range of accessible resources will also be available during and after the hearings. Due to physical limitations, the Inquiry cannot accommodate members of the public.

Scoop

7 hours ago

Scoop

Nursing Students Ready To Walk

Concerning interim findings of the New Zealand Nurses Organisation Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa (NZNO) 2025 Student Survey has found most students will go overseas if they can't get jobs in New Zealand. This comes as Te Whatu Ora refused to address NZNO claims around its obligation to employ new graduates in collective agreement negotiations. The survey was completed by 1246 nursing students, and NZNO National Student Unit Co-chair Bianca Grimmer said the results were crystal clear - "hire us or we will leave". "The survey shows 61.86% of students were considering seeking a nursing job overseas if they were unable to get a new graduate job in Aotearoa New Zealand. This increased to 73% of Māori respondents. "This is a significant potential loss of our domestic nursing workforce." Finances remained a significant issue for all students and was linked to high levels of stress by 80.39% of respondents, Bianca Grimmer said. "An increased fear of not getting work is exacerbated by most students' money concerns issues, many of whom depend on funding from student loans for their survival. "We have a health system in crisis. At a time when we desperately need more homegrown nurses, the Government and nursing schools really need to do more to encourage students to stay in their studies and come out well and ready to nurse." At least 35.61% of respondents said they did not work in paid employment and 61.58% of respondents had to significantly reduce their paid work hours during placement, she said. "Paying all students the minimum or living wage while on clinical placements would make a massive difference to graduate numbers. Nursing students need assistance while they study." NZNO Te Rūnanga Tauira chair Davis Ferguson said Māori and Pacific students are essential, and better cultural support in nurse training would result in a health system that better meets the needs of Māori and Pacific peoples. "The lack of appropriate cultural support in nursing studies is an issue the Government and training providers need to urgently address." The full findings of the survey will be made available on the NZNO website later this year.

NZ Herald

15 hours ago

NZ Herald