Image: DOC
Everything you need to know today curated by 95bFM and VICE NZ.Sirocco Lives!
Famously frisky kākāpō Sirocco has been located unfazed and unharmed in Fiordland after a two year hiatus. The 21-year-old became the "spokesbird" for the vulnerable species of native parrot after getting a little too friendly with a zoologist during the making of a documentary. Sirocco's transmitter failed, meaning rangers were unable to keep track of his whereabouts. Tweets from the Department of Conservation say he is reunited with park rangers, has a new transmitter and is up to his old tricks again.National MPs Stick by Bill
National MPs are sticking behind party leader Bill English after last week’s reports of speculation over the party’s leadership. During the party's annual caucus retreat in Tauranga yesterday, MPs endorsed the current leader. English says the 2020 election depends on more than just leadership, and earlier in the day told reporters that his leadership was determined by his performance in the next election.Calls for More Housing
Auckland Action Against Poverty is calling for the government to build more houses. A study by AUT classifies 150,000 New Zealanders as being "vulnerable transient," moving three times in three years within a highly deprived area. Speaking to 95bFM, AAAP spokesperson Ricardo Menendez blamed a lack of affordable housing. Menendez says “the inability for them to secure tenancy is the biggest barrier, ultimately coming from the high cost of living. We’re calling on the government to invest money into building enough state homes so people can put in [down] root in their communities.” Menendez says transience can have a variety of negative effects on individuals, including disrupting children’s education.Government Pulls Charter Schools
Charter schools could be seeing the end in 2018 after the government calls for an early end to their contracts. Education Minister Chris Hipkins says the Ministry will negotiate with each privately owned, publicly funded school based on its individual case. A bill introduced to parliament stops the creation of new charter schools but allows 11 existing schools to continue during negotiations. The bill also says it is an offence for anyone to make a false representation about their eligibility for the fees-free policy.Shortcomings Found in Australian Federal Agency
An investigation into the detention of New Zealanders by the Australian federal agency has found shortcomings in the way the centre was run. The National Character Consideration Centre is subject to a report by former founder of the centre, Inspector General of Intelligence and Security Vivienne Thom. The report says the centre lacked basic quality controls over its decisions to cancel visas or detain people, with no assurance that these decisions complied with policy or the law. The inquiry came after two Australians were illegally detained last year. The centre was originally part of he Department of Immigration and Border protection but has since been absorbed by the Department of Home Affairs.New Lynn’s Seabrook Cycleway is Underway
Work has started on new cycleways for New Lynn. Whau Ward Councillor, Ross Clow, and Labour MP for New Lynn Deborah Russell turned the first soil on the cycleway, which will start at the intersection of Willerton Avenue and connect residents to the New Lynn Train Station. Clow says this will give Aucklanders similar transport options to other cosmopolitan cities. He says “If you travel overseas, and see what happens in a number of American cities and especially Europe, it’s just the way to go on health benefits and also the macro benefits of trying to be carbon free.” The New Lynn project is to be completed in June and is part of the Government's Urban Cycleways programme.Bad Weather’s For the Weekend
MetService has issued weather warnings for Auckland and Northland. The rain is expected to move across the upper North Island and move south gradually. According to MetService, the rain is expected to last the weekend with the worst of it hitting this Sunday and slowly dissipating on Tuesday. The Northland heavy rain warning is valid until three this afternoon with updates throughout the morning.Syria Condemns US Air Strikes
The US carried out an air attack in the Eastern province of Deir-ez-Zur, Syria last night. The US Central Command says the strikes were a response to an unprovoked attack initiated by Syrian Pro-regime forces on allied Kurdish and Arab fighters. The Syrian Government however, condemn the attack and accuse the US of a brutal massacre. The strikes reportedly killed over 100 pro-government fighters and up to 36 civilians in the west of the region controlled by the Syrian Government. The Syrian Ministry of Foreign affairs has written to the UN demanding international condemnation.US Immigration Arrests Up 30 percent
The number of US immigration arrests have shot up to a three-year high since Trump took office in 2017. Research centres estimate that as of late last year roughly 143,000 people were held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Dallas Texas saw a huge increase, with 16,500 recorded arrests alone. Arrests also jumped by more than 50 percent between 2016 and 2017 in the areas around New Orleans, Atlanta, Boston and Detroit. In one case ICE arrested and had deported Amer Othman Adi, a Palestinian man who had been living in ohio for nearly 40 years.North Korea Flexes Muscles
A day before the Opening of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the North have held a military parade attended by Kim Jong Un. The event, usually held in April, was moved forward and celebrates the 70th Anniversary of the the foundation of the Korean People's Army. Kim Jong-Un addressed the crowd, describing the country as a world-class military power and that security of their sovereignty should not be impinged upon. It is a possible setback for relations between the North and South, though a meeting with the South Korean President and the North's Olympic Delegation is confirmed for Saturday. Kim Yo-jong, influential sister of Kim Jong-un, will be the first member of the ruling dynasty to visit the South.Party Controversy in Brazil
Prosecutors seek to stop an event named after a police intelligence agency that tortured and killed dissidents in Brazil. The event named "dops basement" is an annual carnival held in São Paulo deriving its name from a military dictatorship period between 1964 and 1985. Local prosecutors sought to stop the party before its launch this weekend, but they were overruled by a judge who cited "freedom of speech". Rose Nogueira, a torture survivor and director of São Paulo’s branch of the No More Torture group says "The judge’s decision is an insult to all the families of those that were tortured and killed as well as the whole of the Brazilian population". Organisers of the event deny that it is an apology for torture and say their objective is to demystify the military regime.Bermuda Revokes Marriage Equality
UK government are choosing to leave Bermuda's controversial decision to revoke same sex marriage in their hands. UK Prime Minister Theresa May says she respects Bermuda's decision to pass and then revoke the law regarding same sex marriage. "That bill has been democratically passed by the Parliament of Bermuda, and our relationship with the overseas territories is based on partnership and respect for their right to democratic self-government," Mays says. Critics say the UK will be a "laughing stock" if they do not use their power to block this decision by their overseas territory. Bermuda legalised marriage between homosexual couples in May 2017, but the new Domestic Partnership Act, approved by Bermuda Governor John Rankin on Wednesday, revokes the legalisation.Additional reporting: Tessa Barnett, Ollie Powell and Jenn Tamati
LOCAL NEWS
Famously frisky kākāpō Sirocco has been located unfazed and unharmed in Fiordland after a two year hiatus. The 21-year-old became the "spokesbird" for the vulnerable species of native parrot after getting a little too friendly with a zoologist during the making of a documentary. Sirocco's transmitter failed, meaning rangers were unable to keep track of his whereabouts. Tweets from the Department of Conservation say he is reunited with park rangers, has a new transmitter and is up to his old tricks again.National MPs Stick by Bill
National MPs are sticking behind party leader Bill English after last week’s reports of speculation over the party’s leadership. During the party's annual caucus retreat in Tauranga yesterday, MPs endorsed the current leader. English says the 2020 election depends on more than just leadership, and earlier in the day told reporters that his leadership was determined by his performance in the next election.
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Auckland Action Against Poverty is calling for the government to build more houses. A study by AUT classifies 150,000 New Zealanders as being "vulnerable transient," moving three times in three years within a highly deprived area. Speaking to 95bFM, AAAP spokesperson Ricardo Menendez blamed a lack of affordable housing. Menendez says “the inability for them to secure tenancy is the biggest barrier, ultimately coming from the high cost of living. We’re calling on the government to invest money into building enough state homes so people can put in [down] root in their communities.” Menendez says transience can have a variety of negative effects on individuals, including disrupting children’s education.Government Pulls Charter Schools
Charter schools could be seeing the end in 2018 after the government calls for an early end to their contracts. Education Minister Chris Hipkins says the Ministry will negotiate with each privately owned, publicly funded school based on its individual case. A bill introduced to parliament stops the creation of new charter schools but allows 11 existing schools to continue during negotiations. The bill also says it is an offence for anyone to make a false representation about their eligibility for the fees-free policy.Shortcomings Found in Australian Federal Agency
An investigation into the detention of New Zealanders by the Australian federal agency has found shortcomings in the way the centre was run. The National Character Consideration Centre is subject to a report by former founder of the centre, Inspector General of Intelligence and Security Vivienne Thom. The report says the centre lacked basic quality controls over its decisions to cancel visas or detain people, with no assurance that these decisions complied with policy or the law. The inquiry came after two Australians were illegally detained last year. The centre was originally part of he Department of Immigration and Border protection but has since been absorbed by the Department of Home Affairs.
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Work has started on new cycleways for New Lynn. Whau Ward Councillor, Ross Clow, and Labour MP for New Lynn Deborah Russell turned the first soil on the cycleway, which will start at the intersection of Willerton Avenue and connect residents to the New Lynn Train Station. Clow says this will give Aucklanders similar transport options to other cosmopolitan cities. He says “If you travel overseas, and see what happens in a number of American cities and especially Europe, it’s just the way to go on health benefits and also the macro benefits of trying to be carbon free.” The New Lynn project is to be completed in June and is part of the Government's Urban Cycleways programme.Bad Weather’s For the Weekend
MetService has issued weather warnings for Auckland and Northland. The rain is expected to move across the upper North Island and move south gradually. According to MetService, the rain is expected to last the weekend with the worst of it hitting this Sunday and slowly dissipating on Tuesday. The Northland heavy rain warning is valid until three this afternoon with updates throughout the morning.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The US carried out an air attack in the Eastern province of Deir-ez-Zur, Syria last night. The US Central Command says the strikes were a response to an unprovoked attack initiated by Syrian Pro-regime forces on allied Kurdish and Arab fighters. The Syrian Government however, condemn the attack and accuse the US of a brutal massacre. The strikes reportedly killed over 100 pro-government fighters and up to 36 civilians in the west of the region controlled by the Syrian Government. The Syrian Ministry of Foreign affairs has written to the UN demanding international condemnation.US Immigration Arrests Up 30 percent
The number of US immigration arrests have shot up to a three-year high since Trump took office in 2017. Research centres estimate that as of late last year roughly 143,000 people were held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Dallas Texas saw a huge increase, with 16,500 recorded arrests alone. Arrests also jumped by more than 50 percent between 2016 and 2017 in the areas around New Orleans, Atlanta, Boston and Detroit. In one case ICE arrested and had deported Amer Othman Adi, a Palestinian man who had been living in ohio for nearly 40 years.North Korea Flexes Muscles
A day before the Opening of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, the North have held a military parade attended by Kim Jong Un. The event, usually held in April, was moved forward and celebrates the 70th Anniversary of the the foundation of the Korean People's Army. Kim Jong-Un addressed the crowd, describing the country as a world-class military power and that security of their sovereignty should not be impinged upon. It is a possible setback for relations between the North and South, though a meeting with the South Korean President and the North's Olympic Delegation is confirmed for Saturday. Kim Yo-jong, influential sister of Kim Jong-un, will be the first member of the ruling dynasty to visit the South.Party Controversy in Brazil
Prosecutors seek to stop an event named after a police intelligence agency that tortured and killed dissidents in Brazil. The event named "dops basement" is an annual carnival held in São Paulo deriving its name from a military dictatorship period between 1964 and 1985. Local prosecutors sought to stop the party before its launch this weekend, but they were overruled by a judge who cited "freedom of speech". Rose Nogueira, a torture survivor and director of São Paulo’s branch of the No More Torture group says "The judge’s decision is an insult to all the families of those that were tortured and killed as well as the whole of the Brazilian population". Organisers of the event deny that it is an apology for torture and say their objective is to demystify the military regime.Bermuda Revokes Marriage Equality
UK government are choosing to leave Bermuda's controversial decision to revoke same sex marriage in their hands. UK Prime Minister Theresa May says she respects Bermuda's decision to pass and then revoke the law regarding same sex marriage. "That bill has been democratically passed by the Parliament of Bermuda, and our relationship with the overseas territories is based on partnership and respect for their right to democratic self-government," Mays says. Critics say the UK will be a "laughing stock" if they do not use their power to block this decision by their overseas territory. Bermuda legalised marriage between homosexual couples in May 2017, but the new Domestic Partnership Act, approved by Bermuda Governor John Rankin on Wednesday, revokes the legalisation.Additional reporting: Tessa Barnett, Ollie Powell and Jenn Tamati