National Party leader Simon Bridges wants a “common sense” test run across all health and safety practices as part of the party’s plan to cut red tape; and the first signs are emerging that coronavirus fears are starting to have a measurable impact on the jobs market.
* The New Zealand Herald
In the New Zealand Herald, parents may soon be able to better identify the nation’s top high schools after researchers claimed to have found a fairer way to measure rich and poor schools’ performances. The NZ Initiative researchers say their study compares a school’s NCEA results against a much deeper look at its students’ family backgrounds.
In other news, National Party leader Simon Bridges wants a “common sense” test run across all health and safety practices as part of the party’s plan to cut red tape. In a preview of his speech in Auckland today outlining the first part of National’s election-year economic platform, Bridges told the Herald that the test would lower business costs, including for builders which could in turn lead to more affordable homes.
In business news, the Government’s next injection into the economy to ease the fallout from the spread of Covid-19 will be discussed in Cabinet today and rolled out this week.ys. Business representatives and industry leaders from the tourism and forestry sectors have been calling for more help as early figures, released last week, showed New Zealand exports may have taken a $300 million hit due to the global Covid-19 outbreak.
* The Dominion Post
In the Dominion Post, a long delayed report into an attack on four nurses at Hutt Hospital emergency department has blamed under-staffing, no security and poor training. Hutt Valley District Health Board has finally released its independent review on the assault on four nurses on Boxing Day 2018, after more than 40 staff at the hospital signed a letter demanding it be made public.
In other news, an army officer and midwifery lecturer have been chosen as Labour Party candidates in two Canterbury seats. Dan Rosewarne will go up against incumbent and National MP Matt Doocey in Waimakariri and Sarah Pallett will take on National Party stalwart Gerry Brownlee who has held the Ilam seat since 1996.
In business news, landlords who do not respond to their tenants’ written request for a change to the fixtures in their rental properties will have committed an unlawful act and be liable for a penalty of up to $1500 under planned new rules. The Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill is working through a select committee.
* The Press
In The Press, two popular roads on Christchurch’s Port Hills are about to get $20.5 million worth of safety improvements. New guardrails will be added along 3 kilometres of Dyers Pass Rd and the road will be widened in parts to improve safety for cyclists at a cost of $7.2m. Another 1km of guardrails will be installed on Evans Pass Rd along with new retaining walls, and the road will be widened in parts at a cost of $13.3m.
In other news, a young Muslim couple have helped lift 51 Afghans out of poverty in honour of the 51 Christchurch mosque attack victims. Fifth-year University of Canterbury civil and global humanitarian engineering student Bariz Shah, 25, and his photographer wife, Saba Afrasyabi, 23, had already planned their project when the March 15 terror attack took place.
In business news, the first signs are emerging that coronavirus fears are starting to have a measurable impact on the jobs market. Seek New Zealand general manager Janet Faulding said vacancies advertised on its online jobs market rose 0.6 per cent in February, after a 1.6 per cent rise in January.
