Author: Press Room

ADVERTISEMENT Online disinformation aimed at discrediting Moldova’s pro-European government is ramping up ahead of crunch parliamentary elections on 28 September.  Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) are hoping to cling onto power and keep Moldova — which is flanked by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the east — on its path towards European Union (EU) membership. But ballots in the country have traditionally been the target of intense disinformation and destabilisation campaigns, including vote-buying and bribery schemes. It means Moldova has been caught in the crossfire of an information war pitting EU…

The Government has announced significant changes to the disability support system.Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston addressed stakeholders in a call ahead of attending the Disability Connect expo in Auckland today.She said assessment processes and allocations for support services using the Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) system would be standardised across the country.Purchasing guidelines – including the controversial cost-saving changes made in March last year – would be abandoned, with disabled people having more control over what they spend on, but with a hard limit on spending.This “budget” would initially be allocated based on past spending levels for individual users.…

Finance Minister Nicola Willis insists she’s been as “upfront and transparent” as possible about the mismanagement of Adrian Orr’s resignation as Reserve Bank governor in March.She mounted the personal defence on RNZ on Wednesday after Labour deputy Carmel Sepuloni called on Willis to take responsibility for the shifting stories and lack of public transparency from the central bank.”Nicola, just be forthcoming,” Sepuloni implored. “Let us know what exactly happened here.”Willis bit back: “Why on earth would I be motivated to in any way hide any of this when the person it ultimately all reflects badly on is the former Reserve…

By Susan Edmunds of RNZ Any gold you’ve got stashed in your jewellery box could well be worth more than you think, auction houses say. The price of gold has reached new record levels, up about 45 percent year-on-year and more than 100 percent over five years. That’s also pushing up the price of gold jewellery, including pre-owned items. Christine Power, head of fine jewels, watches and luxury accessories at auction house Webb’s said there had been a noticeable impact on values. “People have started to realise that there is a return so we are finding that more people are…

Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po is hosting her first koroneihana event marking a year since the passing of her father, the late Kingi Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII, and her subsequent ascension to the throne.The week-long event starts today with Tainui waka set to acknowledge loved ones who passed in the last twelve months, including the late king, with the first of two kawe mate.Kiingitanga explained and why it still matters today – watch on TVNZ+Kiingitanga spokesperson Rahui Papa said this year’s Koroneihana celebration will be significant for it being the first for Kuini Nga wai.…

Because Health New Zealand has refused to reveal how much it is paying private hospitals to perform elective surgeries under a new government contract, it is difficult to assess whether taxpayers are getting value for money, writes Kaaren Mathias.The government has committed to an evidence-based, cost-effective health system that provides equitable access to all New Zealanders.At the same time, it is actively funding private healthcare and has directed Health New Zealand to give ten-year contracts to private hospitals for elective surgeries such as cataracts and joint replacements.Private healthcare may seem alluring. Surely outsourcing services such as knee replacements frees up…

A telecommunications giant in Australia signed up a homeless, non-verbal, deaf amputee to five contracts and then resisted complaints about its sales practices, a court has been told. The disability pensioner’s plight was highlighted in the Federal Court in Adelaide on Tuesday after Optus agreed to pay a $A100 million ($NZ111 million) penalty. Optus and Australia’s competition watchdog are seeking court approval for the hefty fine after the company admitted in June this year to breaching consumer law. It has accepted sales staff acted unconscionably when selling phones and contracts to more than 400 people at 16 stores nationwide between…

Warning: This story contains graphic details of child abuse and violence that may be disturbing.Government agencies failed in their duty to protect a 10-month-old baby who was murdered by his father while high on methamphetamine.Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale has laid bare what she described as a suite of failings by Oranga Tamariki and shortcomings by police in the lead-up to the death of infant CJ White.CJ suffered unsurvivable head injuries at the hands of his father, David Sinclair, in Hokitika on July 9, 2019. The 10-month-old boy died the following day in the intensive care unit at Christchurch Hospital.A paediatric radiologist…

The Government has rejected an advisory group’s call for a more elite university system with tougher entry requirements and a separate funding system from other tertiary institutions.Universities Minister Shane Reti on Tuesday announced changes informed by the University Advisory Group, which reported to the Government in April.The group’s report, also released on Tuesday, warned that failure to treat universities as a system that worked in the national interest was a “fundamental weakness”.The report queried whether universities should provide the entry-level qualification for nursing and “several caring professions”, cast doubt on the need for two separate universities in Wellington, and suggested…

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including nurses striking again, Aussie police have a message for anyone helping accused cop killer, and social media shame for a tennis fan.Thousands of nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants are striking today. Advice to make university entrance tougher has been rejected by the government. The death toll after an earthquake in Afghanistan has hit 800, and is expected to climb. Australian police have warned anyone helping accused police killer Dezi Freeman is committing a serious crime. A Polish businessman has apologised for snatching a hat intended for a child at the US Tennis Open.