Human Rights Commission watching Budget closely
economy national 35 minutes ago
The Human Rights Commission says it'll be watching to see if Budget 2025 improves the lives of disabled people or makes them harder. Disability Rights Commissioner Prudence Walker spoke to Corin Dann.
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RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Norwegian fund bars US, German arms makers over Gaza war
A picture taken from Jabalia city inside the Gaza Strip shows the Indonesian hospital in Beit Lahia amid destroyed buildings, in the north of the Gaza Strip, on 28 June. Photo: AFP/ Bashar Taleb Norway's biggest pension fund KLP says it has dropped US group Oshkosh Corporation and Germany's ThyssenKrupp from its investment portfolio for selling weapons and equipment used by Israel's military in Gaza. KLP - which is separate from Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest - said Oshkosh Corporation was supplying trucks to the Israeli military, which adapts them into armoured troop transport vehicles. The fund also accused ThyssenKrupp of agreeing to supply Israel's navy, before the outbreak of the war in Gaza, with corvettes and submarines. "Companies have an independent duty to exercise due diligence in order to avoid complicity in violations of fundamental human rights and humanitarian law," said Kiran Aziz, head of responsible investments at KLP Asset Management, in a statement. KLP, which managed assets worth $US114 billion in the first quarter, sold its holdings in Oshkosh Corporation valued at 19 million kroner ($US1.9 million). It also sold its investment in ThyssenKrupp worth 10 million kroner. The two companies were excluded on the basis of KLP's criterion relating to the "sale of weapons to states in armed conflicts that use the weapons in ways that represent serious and systematic breaches of international law governing the conflicts", KLP said. The fund emphasised that the two companies had long-established cooperations with the Israeli army, and their deliveries continued after the start of the Gaza war on 7 October, 2023. "The transfer of weapons and ammunition to Israel may constitute serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian laws and risk state complicity in international crimes, possibly including genocide," UN experts warned in June 2024. Meanwhile, Norway's sovereign wealth fund, whose assets are valued at around $US1.9 trillion, is also under pressure to divest further from groups accused of helping Israel wage war on Gaza and continue its settlement policy in the occupied West Bank. - Agence France-Presse
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Review into Whānau Ora Commissioning funding terms of reference released
Photo: RNZ / Mihingarangi Forbes Terms of reference for a review into Whānau Ora Commissioning funding have been released. The review will be led by Doug Craig, director of the RDC Group consultancy, who recently investigated concerns raised about Manurewa marae. Te Puni Kōkiri set up the independent investigation last week after reports Te Pou Matakana Limited spent up on an ad campaign urging people to switch to the Māori electoral roll, and Pasifika Futures Limited put $770,000 towards the Moana Pasifika rugby team. Concerns have also been raised about contracting decisions and conflicts of interest by a Pasifika Futures senior executive. The review will examine funding plans and Outcome Agreements, conduct interviews with the agencies, and gather advice from public agencies and the Auditor-General on best practice use of public funding. It will report back on: However, the review cannot comment on the competence of individuals involved, "except to the extent this related directly to contract management, or determining any disciplinary matters". The two agencies' commissioning contracts expire today, with four new commissioning agencies beginning contracts on Tuesday. Te Puni Kōkiri policies not related to the review, and the contracts held with Te Pou Matakana, Pasifika Futures, or other agencies are also out of scope. Interim reports will be provided every week, starting this Friday, 4 July - and a final report will be delivered to the ministry for review and comment. The Secretary of Māori Development may then release the final report or a summary of findings. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 hours ago
- RNZ News
PM on youth boot camps after participant withdrawn: "I don't think we should give up"
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said there had been challenges in the community transition part of the military-style youth boot camp pilot, but that was expected and ideas for improvements would be considered. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi The Prime Minister is defending the government's boot camps despite one participant being removed from the pilot following a court appearance, saying they are some of New Zealand's most challenging young people but "I don't think we should give up on them." Oranga Tamariki confirmed on its website on Monday that one of the teenagers who was part of the pilot was "withdrawn" and "transferred to Corrections custody." The agency would not comment further because the issue was before the court, but its acting deputy chief executive of youth justice services Iain Chapman said the team who worked closely with the participant during the pilot was "disappointed with the outcome for this young person." "We are continuing to provide support and work alongside their whānau through this transition to the adult jurisdiction." Chapman said the focus now was ensuring the best outcome for the eight remaining participants in the final weeks of the pilot, which concludes next month. The military style academies for youth have come under scrutiny by opposition parties for a lack of transparency , particularly the reoffending rate of the teenagers. Reducing reoffending was a primary goal for the boot camps. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the military style academies had been a "good initiative" and one of several things the government was trying to do to reduce reoffending, but he didn't expect everyone coming through the programme wouldn't reoffend. "We obviously said we've put in place a pilot," he said, and would consider how that played out when finalising the legislation. "There were some really good learnings from my take in the residential component in particular, and there was some challenges, as we had expected, in terms of the community transition." He said that information would be digested. The government could consider potentially extending the residential period he said, and what more could be done about the community transition period. He said the government would continue to "perfect" the boot camps to see how they could work better and "have more impact." "We are dealing with some of New Zealand's most challenging young people. But I don't think we should give up on them." He said the government was giving them an opportunity to "change their lives" and "put it on a different trajectory than where it's heading". "If they choose not to take that opportunity that's ultimately on them, but we are going to give them every opportunity to choose a better pathway." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
