Latest news with #Stead
NZ Herald
15-07-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Napier: Work starts on new $110m civic precinct
It could have taken many more years, likely at much greater cost, said the deputy mayor, whose 12 years on the council have been dominated by the eight years of turmoil since the council and staff turned out the lights for the last time. Chucking in two of the region's worst storms – the Napier floods of November 2020 and Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 (with the Covid global pandemic lockdowns inbetween and now ongoing uncertainties of the political climate) it was in question even until 'a few months ago' as to quite when construction would begin, and whether it would still be what has been planned, she said, standing in the required health and safety raiment of steel-capped boots, hard hat and fluoro jacket. Deputy Mayor Annette Brosnan and city council strategic programmes manager Darran Gillies in the former library space being redeveloped in the Napier Civic Precinct project. Photo / Doug Laing. There's a level of emotion as she recalls: 'I remember the tears when everyone was leaving the building. There was a lot of uncertainty.' Council staff have since been spread across several mainly-leased sites, and there had been nowhere 'for people to come and see us', she said. It was also devastating for the food and beverage business in the area, but she's expecting now a revival with work crews numbering up to 300 people over the next two years, followed by the return of the council's own staff, after a decade away. It is, however, a complex project, as council strategic manager Darran Gillies, and leaders from MCL Stead, the local partnership with the $70.5 million contract for the construction. It's Stead's crane being set up this week, and expected to be on site for over 12 months, with construction progress likely to be watched by the public daily as the site is transformed from a demolition side retaining just the shell of the library tower, which still carries such signage as 'Non-fiction Section,' 'Large Print' and 'Audio Books' on its pillars, and a sort of ghostly feel where the IRD used to hold fort in leased space upstairs. Emerging will be a cluster of three buildings, and landscaped outdoor space through to the Hawke's Bay Regional Council building on the opposite side of Dalton St, and walkthough towards Willis House, fronting Dickens St and linking to the CBD beyond. Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke's Bay Today, and has 52 years of journalism experience, 42 of them in Hawke's Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.
Sydney Morning Herald
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
These parents say their crumbling state school isn't being fixed because of who they vote for
A group of Melbourne parents say their bayside state primary school is crumbling into disrepair and being neglected by the Victorian government because it sits in an affluent Liberal-held electorate. The long-running maintenance issues at the 150-year-old Brighton Primary School came to a head this year when the floors in four classrooms and a student bathroom had to be ripped out after being eaten by termites. The school's 500-plus students are learning in 50-year-old demountable classrooms just metres away from a busy train line, collapsing brick walls are creating no-go zones and the campus has been refused grant funding to replace its 30-year-old playground for three years running. The school council says parents believe the school is being overlooked by the state Labor government because it is in an affluent suburb and a Liberal political stronghold. The party's local state MP described the situation as 'reprehensible'. The Victorian Schools Building Authority (VSBA) said it responded promptly to maintenance issues at Brighton Primary and that it was supporting the school to ensure student and staff safety. But school council president Aaron Stead said maintenance has been underfunded for decades, despite it being one of just four government schools in metropolitan Melbourne to offer specialist teaching to deaf children. 'Where the school has really struggled for the last few decades in getting any funding from the government is capital infrastructure,' Stead said. 'We've got 14 demountables or portables that are up to 50 years old, they're in various states of disrepair, they're under-sized for current learning standards, the number of students you can get into them is not what's recommended by the state government.'
The Age
23-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
These parents say their crumbling state school isn't being fixed because of who they vote for
A group of Melbourne parents say their bayside state primary school is crumbling into disrepair and being neglected by the Victorian government because it sits in an affluent Liberal-held electorate. The long-running maintenance issues at the 150-year-old Brighton Primary School came to a head this year when the floors in four classrooms and a student bathroom had to be ripped out after being eaten by termites. The school's 500-plus students are learning in 50-year-old demountable classrooms just metres away from a busy train line, collapsing brick walls are creating no-go zones and the campus has been refused grant funding to replace its 30-year-old playground for three years running. The school council says parents believe the school is being overlooked by the state Labor government because it is in an affluent suburb and a Liberal political stronghold. The party's local state MP described the situation as 'reprehensible'. The Victorian Schools Building Authority (VSBA) said it responded promptly to maintenance issues at Brighton Primary and that it was supporting the school to ensure student and staff safety. But school council president Aaron Stead said maintenance has been underfunded for decades, despite it being one of just four government schools in metropolitan Melbourne to offer specialist teaching to deaf children. 'Where the school has really struggled for the last few decades in getting any funding from the government is capital infrastructure,' Stead said. 'We've got 14 demountables or portables that are up to 50 years old, they're in various states of disrepair, they're under-sized for current learning standards, the number of students you can get into them is not what's recommended by the state government.'
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First Post
06-06-2025
- Sport
- First Post
New Zealand appoint Rob Walter as head coach in all formats ahead of Zimbabwe tour
Rob Walter has been appointed as the new head coach of the New Zealand men's cricket team across all formats, replacing Gary Stead. The former South Africa white-ball coach will begin his tenure with the Black Caps' tour of Zimbabwe. read more Wellington (New Zealand): Rob Walter has been hired to coach the New Zealand men's cricket team in all three formats as a replacement for Gary Stead. Walter coached South Africa's teams in the one-day and Twenty20 formats from January 2023 until April this year. Before then he coached New Zealand's Otago province for five years and at the Central Districts association. He guided South Africa to the semifinals of the 2023 World Cup and the Champions Trophy earlier this year in the ODI format and to the final of the T20 World Cup last year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Stead was New Zealand head coach in all three formats from 2018 until earlier this week, when New Zealand Cricket announced it was seeking a replacement. Stead announced in March he was stepping down from his roles in the limited-overs formats but intended to remain as test coach. New Zealand Cricket said it preferred a coach to lead the Black Caps in all three formats. 'It's an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and support staff through a period of time in which so many global events, as well as massive bilateral series will be contested,' Walter said. 'I just can't wait to get started. It's exciting, it's challenging and the opportunity is enormous.' The 49-year-old Walter was high on New Zealand Cricket's list of preferred candidates from the moment it decided to pursue another all-formats coach, ruling out Stead who guided the Black Caps to the inaugural World Test Championship. 'Rob is a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree,' NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said. 'His success in New Zealand's domestic game combined with his recent achievements on the global stage with South Africa makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Black Caps.' He'll take over in time for New Zealand's tour to Zimbabwe, which starts with a T20 tri-series against the hosts and South Africa before a two-Test series against Zimbabwe.
Business Recorder
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Business Recorder
New Zealand name South African Walter as new coach in all formats
South African Rob Walter was appointed New Zealand coach in all formats on Friday in the wake of Gary Stead's decision to stand down after seven years in charge. Stead announced on Wednesday that he would be leaving the job of test coach at the end of the month, having already relinquished the short format roles in April. Walter, 49, was most recently coach of South Africa's one-day international and Twenty20 teams but knows New Zealand cricket well after stints in charge of provincial teams as well as his time overseeing a Black Caps 'A' tour of India in 2022. 'The Black Caps have been a successful and highly-regarded team on the world scene for some time now and it's a real privilege to be given the chance to add to that,' Walter said in a New Zealand Cricket statement. 'It's an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and support staff through a period of time in which so many global events, as well as massive bilateral series, will be contested.' Walter, who led South Africa to the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup and final of last year's Twenty20 World Cup, is contracted through to the end of the 2028 World Cup, which New Zealand is co-hosting with Australia. Stead stands down as New Zealand coach after seven years 'Rob is a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree,' said NZC chief executive Scott Weenink. 'His success in New Zealand's domestic game, combined with his recent achievements on the global stage with South Africa, makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Black Caps.' New Zealand's next international matches come in July at the start of their tour of Zimbabwe, where they will play two tests and a Twenty20 tri-series also involving South Africa.
