The government recently announced increases to visa application fees across several groups, in some cases more than doubling the cost to applicants. These changes are due to increase revenue for Immigration NZ, and are said to make the organisation 100% self-sufficient.
On the 12th of August, the New Zealand Police Association released an open letter to the government calling out their exclusion from discussions around firearms legislation reform. The letter spoke to the necessity of existing legislation, and criticised the involvement of former and present gun lobbyists in the process, including the minister in charge Nicole McKee. According to the ACT party website, McKee was formerly the spokesperson for The Council of Licensed Firearms Owners, a gun lobbyist group.
In our weekly catchup with the National Party’s Katie Nimon, Wire host Castor asked about the changes to visa application fees and the involvement of police and gun lobbyists in firearms legislation reform.
The change to subsidising teachers registration fees has been well received by teachers across the country. A long anticipated change, it should eliminate a barrier to new teachers and a hurdle for existing teachers to cover.
Education minister Erica Stanford also recently announced new classroom upgrades across the country to areas facing more overcrowding. Many schools across the country face overcrowding as an imminent issue, forcing students into hallways, libraries, or other extra rooms.
To discuss the change to teachers registration fees, overcrowding in schools, and what can be done to address these issues, Tuesday Wire Host Castor spoke to president of the Post Primary Teachers Association, Chris Abercrombie.
Gwilym and Tom make a devastatingly good Fentimans cola cocktail keg! Take the full time bartending out of your party with a big batch cocktail or punch. If you don't have an ikegger cocktail keg, this is still great to make in a giant bowl!
However, for those wishing to make a single serve:
For the past two weeks Jack Horsnell been embarking on an investigation, answering the questions, why are student fees so expensive? And where they are spent? Jack spoke to a range of experts with the goal of unravelling the complicated world of university fees.
This week on Monday Wire, Zoe and the Green Party co-leader James Shaw discuss the Green's stance on the newly introduced quarantine fees for returning New Zealanders, the new roadside drug testing bill and the Green's Poverty Action Plan.
It’s the first week back for many University of Auckland students. As announced earlier this month, all classes will be online. Students say they want their fees partially refunded, as they won’t have access to facilities.
Sam Clark spoke to postgrad students Amy Hirst and Nerng Tim about beginning yet another semester of online study.
A new survey of 150 community pharmacists in Aotearoa has found that government prescription fees contribute to serious health issues and cause significant community distress.
News and Editorial Director Jessica Hopkins spoke to Gemma Perry, a Community Pharmacy owner in Te Awamutu.
Perry is a member of the Prescription Access Initiative, a group working to enact change around copayments about this.
She started by asking Perry why removing prescription fees for medication is necessary.
A survey of Pharmacists from around Aotearoa on the impact of fees free prescriptions found that a majority of respondents recognised significant benefits from the removal of copay prescriptions.
The survey found that 92% of pharmacists that responded were able to have longer conversations with patients, and 94% agreed that patients no longer had to choose which medications to leave behind.
A collective of pharmacists who responded to the survey are calling on the National Party to rethink their policy to reintroduce the previous copay system.
Nicholas spoke to Sir Collin Tukuitonga about the National Party’s plan to reinstate prescription fees.
He began by asking him how the previous system worked.
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