Public submissions open on Western Springs stadium site

Auckland Council is defending its process on deciding the future of Auckland Western Springs stadium. Public submissions on what to do with the site opened on Monday. It includes three options - some of which have local support. But there are others which have people up in arms - and there are even calls for the consultation process to be halted. Alexa Cook explains.
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RNZ News

40 minutes ago

• RNZ News

Football: Young Kiwi talent offered time with Barcelona

A small group of Kiwi kids have taken their passion for football further after they were selected to play football in Barcelona. Barça Academy, the junior programme associated with internationally recognised football club Barcelona FC, held a week-long experience camp for young football players in both Wellington and Auckland in January for people between four and 18 years of age. In some cases, players can be selected to travel to Barcelona to play in the academy's World Cup, where they play against local teams and train at the Barça headquarters, right next to where the first teams train and where La Masia, FC Barcelona's youth academy, competes in its domestic leagues. Eight-year-old Shera and seven-year-old Viggo were both selected to play at the Barça Academy World Cup after they were scouted at the Auckland camp. Viggo's dad, Eftim Stojanov, said he would even consider moving to Europe for his son's career. Photo: Supplied He said the world cup selection was confirmation of the talent his son displayed on the field. Shera's dad, Jackie Seo, said the experience camp in Auckland not only brought out Shera's passion for the game, but her personality as well. Photo: Supplied Aldric Miró, technical director of Barça Academy Camps in New Zealand, said the camps aimed to share FC Barcelona's style of play as the sport continued to grow here. "New Zealand is a growing market, not only from a business perspective, but also in its increasing interest in soccer," Miró said. "The club recognised an opportunity to bring the camps back to a country that has made significant strides in developing first-class facilities." Miró said Barça Academy offered New Zealand kids who love football the chance to experience what it's like to be a Barça player for a week. He also said the club was taken back by the skill level of young New Zealanders. "While we initially expected an average level of play, we've been impressed by the talent we've seen in Wellington and Auckland." Miró said the club plans to return to New Zealand in January 2026. Football New Zealand technical director Andy Boynes said that while the growth of the sport had attracted international attention, for some families, the cost meant it wasn't as simple as heading overseas to play. The cost of the week long experience camp was $1149, with an additonal $999 of GST not included. If a child is then selected to play in the academies world cup, there is an additional cost of over $6300 to cover tournament costs, uniforms, and additional training sessions. A supporters package to chaperone a child travelling to the world cup is over $4700, to cover the costs of the parent of guardian. Flights to and from Barcelona were additional to both the player and supporter packages. He said it was important parents understood that these academies were also businesses. "Sometimes it is commercial motives, rather than player development motives." Boynes said while it provided a fun experience, there were many opportunities in New Zealand that supported young players too. He said Football New Zealand was proud of the broad, grassroots system here. "We have over 450 clubs across the country that deliver quality football," Boynes said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

RNZ News

an hour ago

• RNZ News

Media in the middle of political skirmishes over sickness and health

Last weekend's Sunday Star Times digs into the political battleground of healthcare. Photo: Sunday Star Times Mediawatch : This week the latest Ipsos Issues Monitor survey showed 'inflation/cost of living' was - again - the top concern of Kiwis. No surprise there - or that 'healthcare/hospitals' was in second place. "It continues on its upward trend, reaching its highest level of concern (43 percent) since tracking began," Ipsos said. That - and the fact that more of those surveyed chose Labour as the party most capable of managing health - would have stood out for the government. The same is true of how the issue plays out in the media. Under the headline The political problem of health Health Minister Simeon Brown told the Sunday Star-Times last weekend the job "matters to every New Zealander from the moment they're born to the moment they die. It's a huge responsibility, but there's also significant opportunity." He'd just announced an opportunity for private hospitals - instructing Health NZ to make long-term deals with them for elective surgeries. "We haven't been ideological about it, we've been focusing on pragmatic solutions to ... maximise what's delivered both in the public and private system," Brown told Newstalk ZB the same day. The next day, New Zealand Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan reported official papers showed Treasury reckoned further cuts to health would be needed to meet the demands of the government's health delivery plan. But that didn't come up when the prime minister appeared that day on Newstalk ZB for his regular Monday morning chat. The host Mike Hosking said he couldn't agree more when the PM said people don't care who's doing their long awaited op when they are staring at the hospital ceiling. But then Hosking told the prime minister about an interview last week with a Christchurch surgeon who works in both the public and the private systems. "We need to be more flexible in public (hospitals). They even come round at one o'clock and say it looks like you'll finish after 4 or 4.30, so we won't let you do your second case," Chris Wakeman told Hosking last week. "You wouldn't close your factory at 4 o'clock if you still had work to do," he added. Later, Mike Hosking read out a text from an unnamed listener who claimed nurses and anaesthetic technicians insist operating stops early if it looks like it's going to go past 4pm. The following day Mike Hosking asked Brown if surgeries that might overrun 4pm were routinely postponed. "Look, there are heavily unionised contractual arrangements in the public system and so you do end up with inefficiencies throughout the system. Those issues need to be dealt with by Health New Zealand to make sure that it is more efficient," Brown replied. "These union agreements ... drive inefficiency and a lack of productivity. These are issues that do need to be resolved as part of (Health New Zealand) negotiations with the unions." Health Minister Simeon Brown Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER "Absolutely not. The limits are more about management decisions on staffing costs, availability of recovery beds and how to distribute operating theatres between acute and elective work," Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists told Mediawatch . "The barrier to providing more elective surgeries is a refusal to pay staff required to work longer hours ... and inability to provide sufficient staff to run our operating theatres to their maximum capacity." "We don't have anything in place that would stand in the way of doctors opting to work in a different work pattern or longer hours. And in fact, many of them frequently do. "Typically surgeons and anaesthetists work 10 hour days. A number of hospitals sometimes run what are sometimes called twilight theatres in the early evening or on weekends. "I don't think the way that the discussion has been presented is entirely fair - and it is somewhat misleading. "It is concerning to us that 'private' is seen as the answer when in fact they are already near capacity for what they can do. And we also have significant doctor shortages." Sarah Dalton Photo: LDR / Stuff / Kevin Stent Hosking [ returned to the issue] with Health NZ's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Richard Sullivan on Thursday. He said the proportion of "early finishes" in theatres doing elective surgery is declining - and under the government's 'elective boost' programme they had been doing some surgeries on Saturdays and Sundays too. "It's more than just the unions. You'd need a quite a big workforce to run full Saturday lists all the time. That's not to say we shouldn't look at that, but we need the most efficient way of getting people through our theatres," Dr Sullivan said. Hosking told his listeners the bottom line in public hospitals was: "If it's 4:30, we're going home." There's a bit more to it than that. While there is some extra capacity in theatres, many more people would have to be paid for more hours to do more out-of-business-hours. They don't have all the staff to do a lot more of elective surgeries, in either public or private hospitals And as the Herald' s Thomas Coughlan reported earlier this week, Treasury reckoned the Health Delivery Plan targets could mean increased spending cut targets in the year ahead. Health workforce pay increases would be limited to a degree described as "unprecedented," Treasury documents also stated. In the Herald , Brown rejected Treasury's conclusions. He said government provided Health NZ additional funding in three successive Budgets and Treasury had not consulted the Ministry of Health or Health NZ before reaching its conclusions. "Why do we still have 10 days' sick leave?" Hosking also asked the PM last Monday. He said the question had been put to him by "my tech guy" working at his house. The tech guy got a headline-making response on that from the nation's leader. "So we had five sick days until Jacinda [Ardern] decided we needed ten for Covid. Can we agree that it's gone-ish - and therefore we might need to do something about sick leave?" Hosking asked. "We might need to do things about pro rata and sick leave as well, because you know, people who are on part time contracts are getting full-time 10-day equivalency. Brook Van Velden is working through some of those issues," Luxon replied. The possibility of that went straight into Newstalk ZB's news bulletins. When the prime minister did his turn on RNZ's Morning Report soon after that, he was asked if he would support a cut in sick leave. "Well, I think there's probably a need for us to look at it ... and just make sure that we've got that setting right," he replied. ZB's political editor Jason Walls was puzzled. "Sick leave is an entitlement that everybody has. So it's not just some beltway story. It is an interesting thing for the Prime Minister to bring up. It was just Mike's mate that was talking about it." But Mike's mates behind the mic at Newstalk ZB were teed up to talk about sick leave all day. "A very strong hint that 10 days of sick leave might be going the way of the dodo," was Kerre Woodham's take when she followed the Mike Hosking Breakfast . "I get that it's a godsend if you are prone to infections during winter, but really spare a thought for the employers." Employers such as perhaps Nick Mills, a hospo guy in the capital who's also the host of Wellington Mornings on Newstalk ZB. "I go with the flow. But I'm in an industry where people take the absolute mickey," Mills told his listeners in the capital. "They're just teasing it a bit at the moment on the fact that it's going to be for only part- time employees, but that's going to change," he said. One hour later they were hearing more on this on ZB in Canterbury from the local host, John MacDonald. When Matt Heath and Tyler Adams took the ZB mic for the full national ZB network at noon, they had a similar sense of what was common sense. "10 days a year? Does the average person walking around need 10 sick days a year? I don't think so," Heath said. The questions for the workplace relations minister Brooke van Velden followed. On ThreeNews and Checkpoint she batted back questions about whether it was a gender issue. She was also taken aback that this was a talking point at all. "The only reason we're talking about this is because Mike Hosking was talking about it this morning. There was nothing from the government side to say we had an announcement to make," she told ThreeNews . In the end it will be months before all this is fully aired in Parliament, long after Mike Hosking's tech guy first put it on the agenda. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

RNZ News

2 hours ago

• RNZ News

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown rejects dog task force amid calls from residents

Mayor Wayne Brown acknowledged the rising concerns about roaming dogs, but said the council was addressing the issue. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has rejected requests to establish a mayoral taskforce on dogs, saying it would duplicate initiatives already in place. The decision comes despite increasing pressure from Manurewa residents, who feel that roaming dogs are making their neighbourhoods unsafe. Brown acknowledged the rising concerns about roaming dogs, especially in South Auckland. But he insisted that the council was addressing the issue through existing programmes. Brown supported the work of the Regulatory and Safety Committee, chaired by Councillor Josephine Bartley and supported Councillor Daniel Newman from Manurewa and the local board. The committee focuses on improving public safety and managing dangerous dogs. Brown and Bartley had also communicated with relevant government ministers, advocating for legislative changes to strengthen enforcement powers. The council's Long-Term Plan has allocated further funding to hire more animal control officers, improve enforcement, trial desexing programmes in high-risk areas, and seek reforms to the Dog Control Act. Brown said a data-led approach to targeting areas in need, including free desexing services in South and West Auckland, was key. He also recognised the Manurewa Local Board's efforts to fund more animal control staff and was looking for ways to expand the capacity of local shelters. Despite these efforts, Manurewa residents contended that the problem remained unresolved. At a public meeting hosted by MP Arena Williams, several residents shared alarming stories about dangerous, roaming dogs in their streets and parks. Brendan, a concerned resident, recounted, "I was fixing up my boat, and from around the corner a huge dog suddenly advanced on me. Lucky, I was able to drive it back using a rope." Victoria, a local dog owner, was frustrated, and said the issue had forced her to stop walking in her neighbourhood. MP Arena Williams. Photo: VNP / Phil Smith "I'm afraid to go to my local park. I bought a house here and want to make it my home, but I'm driving to other suburbs to walk my dog. It's holding me back from making friends and putting down roots." Another resident Ryan said response times from the council had worsened. "I've been calling the Council, but response times have gotten worse. I wonder if, after a certain time, traps could be used in problematic places." Williams continued to advocate for a mayoral taskforce on dogs and is working closely with central government. "Central government are holding local government back. They need to legislate for change, fund frontline council services, and back the communities carrying the burden of inaction," she said. She thanked the SPCA, Brown, and Bartley for supporting a new initiative that offers free dog desexing, microchipping, and vaccinations in high-need areas like Manurewa. Jo Coulam, a volunteer with the Saving Hope Foundation, said they were overwhelmed and had seen little change since the council's pilot programme began. The system was not reaching the right whānau early enough and lacked meaningful follow-up, she said. Her team continued to use donations to fund desexing when they could. "As far as the dog crisis goes, to us nothing has changed," she said. "We still see roaming dogs everywhere, and we're still getting calls every day about puppies being born. We've had over probably nearly 300 requests this month alone for us to take people's dogs. "People are scared their dogs will be taken. They want help, but they're scared because their dog isn't registered or desexed." Auckland Council said desexing was one of the core requirements of responsible dog ownership (file photo). Photo: RNZ / Nick Monro A recent event at Rawirit Community House brought dog owners together, providing support, flea treatments, deworming, and information on council-funded desexing, Coulam said. "We've met thousands of families desperate to have their dogs de-sexed to end the cycle of unwanted puppies," she said. In one remarkable case, she shared that a dog was finally desexed after having 26 puppies in just seven months. On the pilot programme's efficacy, Coulam said, "They need to get the people like the people that come to our food drops and our desexing talks, those are the ones you want to get because their dog, while they're not problems yet, they will become problems and they'll become the roamers. "That's the scale of the problem if you don't act early." Auckland Council's general manager of licensing and compliance Robert Irvine emphasised the seriousness with which the council treated the issue, especially in high-risk areas like Manurewa. "Dogs can make wonderful additions to our whānau, but they come with commitments," he said. "Desexing is one of the core requirements of responsible dog ownership." The council had invested about $5 million in additional funding for animal management, he said. This included hiring new staff, implementing public education campaigns, targeted desexing, proactive enforcement, and developing a new animal shelter. The council continued to collaborate with the SPCA and community groups, and advocates for reforms to the Dog Control Act. Desexing vouchers were not available for public application, he said. Instead, officers issued them during engagements or when releasing impounded dogs. He says there was no formal follow-up process for voucher use. "The focus of this initiative is on support and prevention, not punishment," he said. "Our goal is to ensure residents feel safe and supported when accessing services. "The onus is on the recipient to book and attend the appointment. We've not been made aware of any issues regarding a lack of follow-up." LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.