Latest news with #RLC
1News
07-07-2025
- General
- 1News
Alternative education rule change would change lives
Tutors and teachers at last-chance education programmes say allowing them to keep struggling secondary students beyond the age of 16 would have a life-changing impact. Alternative education programmes enrol about 2000 teenagers a year who are at risk of disengaging from school, or already have disengaged. At a recent seminar in Wellington, their staff told RNZ they had seen a big increase in enrolments by girls and young teens in recent years. They also warned warn that intermediate-age school children increasingly needed their services too. The programmes provided small-group tutoring, but staff said most students were not ready to learn until they had worked through social and mental issues, a process that could take months. ADVERTISEMENT Philo Heka is the manager of Koraunui in Stokes Valley, one of just two marae-based alt ed providers in the country. Photo: RNZ / John Gerritsen (Source: Former alternative education student Hayley-Jane said it had a huge impact on her life and on many of the other students she was with. But she had to leave when she turned 16. One of her former teachers Rose McIlhone - now an English teacher at Te Whare Taiohi, the alt ed programme run by the BGI boys and girls institute in Wellington - said the schemes would make an even bigger difference if they could keep students beyond the age of 16. "I think it would be huge. I think we need a year to build those relationships and then following that a year to do some real learning and help them connect to what comes next," she said. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including deadly Texas floods, Australian woman attacked by a lion, and Elon Musk's new political party. (Source: 1News) She said students arrived with complex needs and they increasingly seemed to have disengaged with learning earlier in their schooling. ADVERTISEMENT "Sometimes they come with mental health concerns, lots of trauma, but perhaps now there's bigger gaps in their learning and they may be disengaged from school at a younger age, so it starts happening at intermediate," she said. Jo Maunder is the head teacher at RLC alternative education in Wainuiomata. Photo: RNZ / John Gerritsen (Source: 'We are the last stop' RLC alternative education in Wainuiomata head teacher Jo Maunder said when she started in the field 25 years ago, 90% of the students were boys. "But now we have almost half-and-half boys and girls, so there's been a lot more girls coming in to alternative ed in the last, I would say, 10 years. Big change in the mental health needs of our students, huge change in that, and also quite a big change in the amount of letters after their names. We've got ADH, ADD, ODD," she said. Maunder said she was also seeing more students in the younger age groups. "The students are getting younger and younger. We're actually only funded for three years from when the turn 13 to when they turn 16 but obviously when you end up in high school you're 12 so yeah, we are getting 12-year-olds," she said. ADVERTISEMENT Maunder said every alternative education provider should be funded to employ a registered teacher. "We are the last stop for students for formal education in New Zealand and our funding is so low that we can't even afford to hire teachers," she said. Philo Heka - the manager of Koraunui in Stokes Valley, one of just two marae-based alt ed providers in the country - said students should be able to choose to enrol in alternative education instead "It should be open to all young people who need that time out from school. I think if kids have a bit of time out, re-set, re-focus, things might be a little bit easier for them," she said. Lloyd Martin says three-quarters of the students engaging in alternative education did not return to regular secondary school. Photo: RNZ / John Gerritsen (Source: Lloyd Martin had been involved with alternative education for many years and recently completed doctoral research on it. He said the biggest change the sector needed was agreement on its purpose. ADVERTISEMENT "To get there, you have to fail in the school system. Perhaps a better pathway would be to recognise who needs to be there," he said. "There's 1800 places funded I think from memory. There's a lot more than 1800 kids who are missing school and need a better environment and why should you have to fail to get there." Martin said alternative education was officially regarded as something that fixed kids so they could return to regular secondary school, but three-quarters of its students did not return to school. "There is a group of kids often because of adversity and the stuff that's happened in their lives who just need a different environment to learn in. If they were from wealthy families, their parents would put them in a Steiner school or something like that," he said. Martin said schools now recognised the effects of neurodiversity on students, but they had not yet recognised the effects of trauma and adversity. "If we asked what do these kids need we would end up with a different model of funding," he said. Martin said more spending on alternative education would be a good investment for society. ADVERTISEMENT "It's probably a lot cheaper doing something when they're 14 than when they're 21 and in the justice system or stuck in the welfare system," he said. "If we could break some of those trajectories, shift some of them, we could save money in the longer term and be more humane in the process."
Scoop
15-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Affordable Homes To Address Rotorua Housing Shortage
Associate Minister of Housing Rotorua whānau will enjoy greater access to modern affordable housing thanks to a community-led partnership delivering 189 affordable homes backed by the Government, Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says. Up to 150 of these will be social housing homes to be delivered by end-June 2027 under a new community-led approach through the Rotorua Lakes Council (RLC), the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Community Housing Providers. In addition, a project consisting of 39 affordable rentals will be delivered in 12-months by Ōwhata Kōhanga Rākau, which is partly funded by HUD's Māori Housing programme. 'Rotorua is a priority location for housing,' Mr Potaka says. 'We're backing community-led solutions to address the need here, which has seen disproportionate numbers of people in emergency and temporary housing, and about 700 applicants waiting on the social housing register. 'Rental affordability has been a long-standing issue. Some whānau have struggled to find an affordable rental home so they've been limited to emergency and social housing. 'The new homes will complement RLC's new Rotorua Housing Plan to enable iwi and hapu housing aspirations, increase housing choice and support diverse housing needs. The plan was developed with extensive local engagement. 'As promised, we are also making solid progress toward ending Contracted Emergency Housing. We prioritised exiting two motels located near Whakarewarewa Village and this will be followed by the exit of a further two motels by the end of July, with all remaining motels exited before the end of the year. 'Progress has been the result of the Government's significant investment in the city, working with central government agencies such as HUD, leadership from Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell and the RLC, as well as by Iwi and other local parties to increase social and affordable housing. 'The 150 social homes to be delivered are part of the 1,500 homes to be built by CHPs and funded from Budget 2024. The Government committed $140 million in new funding for 1,500 new social housing places in May last year. Funding has been approved for these Rotorua social homes under this pathway. 'The 39 affordable rental homes are part of a $200 million package announced in February that will enable the delivery of 400 affordable rentals in high-need areas by the end of June 2027. 'Further to the 189 new homes announced today, the Government is also in the early stages of progressing a further 80 affordable rental homes for whānau Māori in Rotorua and we'll have more details on this next stage soon.'
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Libertarian Party's 2024 VP nominee announces he's joining GOP
Mike ter Maat, who was the Libertarian Party's vice presidential nominee a year ago, announced Tuesday that he has joined the Republican Party in a move that he described as a 'a strategic shift – not a change in ideology.' 'The Republican Party will be the arena for the critical debate of the next political cycle,' ter Maat said in a statement on the switch. 'To strengthen our economy through free markets, unify our nation through the Constitution and protect our future through fiscal conservatism and a common-sense foreign policy, we must engage where it matters most.' Ter Maat was the running mate of Libertarian presidential candidate Chase Oliver. The duo received less than half of a percent of the national vote and came in fifth, securing fewer votes than Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had withdrawn from the race before Election Day. Ter Matt said he is specifically aligning with the GOP's Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC), which is made up of Republicans who have Libertarian-leaning views. The RLC in the past has backed candidates like former Texas Rep. Ron Paul and current Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie. RLC chair John Dennis credited President Trump, who spoke at the Libertarian Party's convention last year, with bringing more third-party backers into the GOP, even as some of Trump's allies take aim at libertarian-leaning Republicans. 'The Republican Liberty Caucus is the right entry point for liberty Republicans, Libertarians and independents committed to the fight for constitutional governance,' Dennis said in a statement on ter Maat's announcement. 'The RLC is excited to fulfill this important role.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Libertarian Party's 2024 VP nominee announces he's joining GOP
Mike ter Maat, who was the Libertarian Party's vice presidential nominee a year ago, announced Tuesday that he has joined the Republican Party in a move that he described as a 'a strategic shift – not a change in ideology.' 'The Republican Party will be the arena for the critical debate of the next political cycle,' ter Maat said in a statement on the switch. 'To strengthen our economy through free markets, unify our nation through the Constitution and protect our future through fiscal conservatism and a common-sense foreign policy, we must engage where it matters most.' Ter Maat was the running mate of Libertarian presidential candidate Chase Oliver. The duo received less than half of a percent of the national vote and came in fifth, securing fewer votes than Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had withdrawn from the race before Election Day. Ter Matt said he is specifically aligning with the GOP's Republican Liberty Caucus (RLC), which is made up of Republicans who have Libertarian-leaning views. The RLC in the past has backed candidates like former Texas Rep. Ron Paul and current Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie. RLC chair John Dennis credited President Trump, who spoke at the Libertarian Party's convention last year, with bringing more third-party backers into the GOP, even as some of Trump's allies take aim at libertarian-leaning Republicans. 'The Republican Liberty Caucus is the right entry point for liberty Republicans, Libertarians and independents committed to the fight for constitutional governance,' Dennis said in a statement on ter Maat's announcement. 'The RLC is excited to fulfill this important role.'
Metro
03-06-2025
- General
- Metro
Man gets street evacuated after pulling pin on WWII grenade from antique market
An entire residential road was evacuated by a bomb squad after a man pulled a pin on a grenade bought at a market. Bixton Close, in Northwick, Worcester, was sealed off with a 100m cordon on Sunday evening after the man showed the grenade to some friends. He bought the RG-42 – a World War Two Soviet Union explosive device – from an antiques market over a year ago for £30. But he didn't think it was a live device until he pulled the pin and it started making a noise. 'I noticed something was wrong as soon as I released the safety pin and the spoon sprung off it immediately,' the man said. 'It made some sort of reaction similar to when a firework fuse is ignited. It was a spilt second, I immediately threw this at the rear of the garden and evacuated the property and called the police. 'I was told to be minimum 100 metres away and try to alert neighbours. Police arrived within several minutes. 'Around five police cars turned up and about 30 minutes after the RLC bomb squad arrived to investigate. 'He firstly x-rayed the grenade to see if it still had its explosive content left. 'He's sure it was decommissioned but not certain, so he put it inside what looked to be a heavy-duty explosives box and told me he is going to dispose of it back at base. 'A few people were worried in the street. The area was locked for about three to four hours.' More Trending He said he 'never intended to cause harm or distress' and thought the item was deactivated. A West Mercia Police spokesperson said: 'Officers were called to Bixton Close in Worcester at around 7pm Sunday, June 1 following the discovery of a suspected hand grenade in a garden. 'As a precaution, a 100m cordon has been put in place and the area has been evacuated while we wait for experts from Explosive Ordnance Disposal to attend the scene. 'The EOD team x-rayed the grenade and found it was empty so there was no need for a controlled explosion.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Tourist smashes two Terracotta Army warriors during bizarre museum rampage MORE: Leader who killed 6,000,000 of his own honoured in new statue MORE: I live in a 'murder house' – this is what it's really like
