Everything you need to know about the world today, curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ.
LOCAL NEWS
Aucklanders Using More Power as Temperature Drops
Aucklanders turning up heaters to combat the cold went through near-record amounts of energy last night. A spokesperson for Vector told the press that energy usage reached a peak at 6pm last night. Roughly 18,000 megawatts of electricity were used – enough to power 450 Eden Parks simultaneously. It is believed that the energy surge came as a result of Aucklanders using more electrical heating to combat lowering temperatures.
Videos by VICE
Former Prime Minister John Key Lobbied For US billionaire
Former Prime Minister Sir John Key lobbied the Forestry Minister on behalf of a US billionaire and his two iwi business partners. Key asked for their ‘Te Arai’ development to be exempt from legislation which aimed to prevent foreign investors from buying houses in New Zealand. Although an amendment was added to the legislation to exempt the development, it was eventually removed before it came into effect.
Changes to KiwiBuild Immigration
The government has announced immigration changes for KiwiBuild, including a system to prevent incidents of migrant exploitation. Low wages and not being provided work despite signing a contract are common exploitation occurrences that leave some workers scared to seek government or union assistance. Minister of Immigration, Iain Lees-Galloway, said exploitation of migrant workers will be avoided with an accreditation system and monitoring of construction companies. Less-Galloway told 95bfm the accreditation system meant “employers who are found to be in any way [involved in] exploitation of the workforce, will lose that accreditation and will no longer be able to participate in the construction industry.”
Ombudsman Rules Against Indian Students
The Ombudsman has held that Immigration New Zealand can punish international students for false information submitted by others on their behalf. This comes after lawyer Alastair McClymont complained to the Ombudsman on behalf of 26 Indian students who had been accused of fraudulently filling out their Visa applications. McClymont argued they should not be punished as the students Visas had been filled out by their schools without the students’ knowledge. Several students proved they had given the correct documentation to their school, but the school had chosen to use fraudulent information to save time. Despite this, the Ombudsman held Immigration New Zealand was justified in their actions against the students. Since the complaint was lodged, Immigration New Zealand has announced it will be re-evaluating some of the students’ cases.
Work and Income Sends Incorrect Debt Letter
Beneficiary advocacy group Auckland Action Against Poverty is calling out government agencies for incorrectly sending debt letters demanding repayment for Family Tax Credits. A woman named Kirstie told Newshub on Tuesday she received a letter from IRD for alleged debt totaling $568 dating back to March 2014, while another family was told they owe more than $7,000. AAAP spokesperson Alastair Russell told 95bFM reporters this is the result of an error on IRD and Work and Income. “That arises from Work and Income stuffing up their Family Tax credit payments. This is something the family is not directly responsible for, but they are bearing the brunt of Work and Income’s errors and incompetence.” Russell said all the debts should be written off and the families apologised to.
Security Breach at Auckland Airport
Domestic passengers on all flights at Auckland Airport this morning were offloaded from their planes following a security breach. Passengers are currently being re-screened before being allowed back on board their flights, with those at the airport reporting huge queues and delays. An Auckland Airport spokesperson told Stuff.co.nz that the breach happened after a person entered the airside part of the terminal through the arrival doors, rather than the departure gates. The spokesperson says the person jumped over a barrier in order to skip security testing. Security staff had details of a specific man they were looking for among the passengers.
Labour government Stops Working on Health Targets set by National
The Labour government has stopped working on health targets which had been set by the National Party. The National government had set health targets focusing on increasing immunisation, faster cancer treatment, shorter stays in emergency departments, and raising healthy children. The District Health Boards has been tracking the results in these areas and have proven to be successful, but say this neglected other areas. Professor Alistair Woodward said these specific targets overlooked and missed important factors which are not covered by those targets. Health Minister David Clark said the government abandoned National’s performance targets as they were measuring the wrong things. New health measures are being developed, which will be released later this year.
Beehive Bacon Pulls Controversial Statutory Rape Ad
A billboard advertising Beehive Bacon has been pulled after it received criticism for promoting statutory rape. The advertisement stated: “I’m 15. He’s 27. My parents love him. Wake up and smell the bacon.” A spokesperson for advertisement firm Contagion, who created the ad on behalf of Beehive Bacon, said they had intended it to be a “piss take”. However, in light of the public backlash it has sparked, Contagion’s Chief Executive has revealed plans to remove the offending billboards.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Poland Does a U-turn on Holocaust Law
Poland has voted to decriminalise false attributions of Poland and Poles of crimes committed by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. The change in the Holocaust law was enacted by the right-wing government party, Law and Justice. The Law and Justice party ague this new legislation is correct because the Polish state ceased to exist under Nazi and Soviet occupation. Prime Minister Morawiecki said the law is intended to defend the good name of Poland. Any false attributions to Poles of Nazi crimes will remain a civil offence, with Polish courts being able to administer fines.
Butchers in France Seek Protection from Vegans
Butchers in France are asking the government for police protection from animal rights activists. The butchers claim their security is being threatened, with their shops covered in graffiti and fake blood. The letter written to the French government by France’s 18,000 butchers describes the butchers being worried about vegans wanting to impose their lifestyle on the majority. In April, seven butcher shops were vandalised and sprayed with fake blood. Butchers are not the only ones who are having their stores vandalised, with cheesemongers also becoming the target of activists. A cheesemonger in Lyon had his shop graffiti-ed with the words “milk is rape” and “milk is murder” painted on the storefront.
“Trouble” for Speaking Out About Sexual Assault – Terry Crews
Actor Terry Crews says a film producer told him there would be “trouble” unless a sexual assault lawsuit against a Hollywood producer was dropped. The Brooklyn Nine-Nine star discussed this claim in front of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, where he talked about how he was groped by a talent agent at a party in 2017. Asked by the committee if there was any retaliation to making the initial sexual assault report, he says the producer of the Expendables film franchise told him he could only return for the fourth film in the franchise if he dropped his sexual assault lawsuit. Crews says this is an example of how ‘abusers protect abusers’.
Trump’s Chance to Reshape the Supreme Court
United States’ Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has announced his retirement, meaning Donald Trump will be required to appoint his successor. According to a letter delivered to Donald Trump, Justice Kennedy will vacate his position as of the 31st of July. Trump has announced plans to replace Kennedy with one of the 25 potential court candidates his office considered during his campaign run. It is expected that Kennedy’s replacement will be a conservative judge. However, this is contingent on the Republican’s maintaining a simple majority in the Senate. Justice Kennedy has been an influential member of the Supreme Court and will be remembered for advancing the rights of LGBT people.
Additional reporting by Daniel Meech, Stewart Sowman-Lund, Darashpreet Johal
