The Government reveals the next 30 years of Matariki public holidays, there's some confusion over invites to receive the Covid jab, and Talley's denies allegations made by a factory whistleblower.
As another Māori New Year begins, the Government has released the recommended dates for the Matariki public holiday for the next 30 years.
The new holiday will begin in June 2022 with the calendar date for the holiday shifting each year to align with the maramataka (Māori lunar calendar).
The holiday will always fall on a Friday – and you can find all the dates for the next 30 years here .
Acting Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Peeni Henare says Matariki is the country’s first public holiday that recognises Te Ao Māori and will be uniquely New Zealand.
A 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll last year found nearly 70 per cent of Kiwis were in favour of making Matariki a public holiday. A bill to formally establish it will be introduced in Parliament later this year.
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Whistleblower shares factory concerns
One of the country’s biggest food producers denies they’re putting profits before staff, following a 1 NEWS investigation.
An anonymous whistleblower from Talley’s frozen food factory in Ashburton has come forward with images of filthy machines and descriptions of workplace injuries, saying it’s “just a matter of time” until there’s another accident there.
But Talley’s have told 1 NEWS the photos were taken out of context.
The company’s CEO Tony Hazlett says their machines are cleaned regularly and that “we are definitely doing everything we can to try and make sure people do go home safely on a daily basis”.
Confusion over jab invites
The Ministry of Health has apologised for confusion over the Covid-19 vaccine rollout after some younger New Zealanders were told in error that they were in a higher priority group.
Some Kiwis in their 20s without underlying health conditions have received a text saying they will soon be able to book their vaccinations, while others who are eligible are still yet to hear anything.
The Ministry of Health says a “small number” of people appear to have received the message in error but wouldn’t say how many.
Meanwhile, there’s a growing rift in Australia over one of their two approved vaccines.
Multiple state governments have distanced themselves from Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s suggestions this week that people under 40 should talk to their doctor about getting the AstraZeneca jab.
Victoria says the Prime Minister has caused unnecessary confusion, while NSW and Queensland both say Pfizer’s vaccine is still preferred for anyone under 60.
That advice came as NSW recorded another 24 community cases of Covid-19 yesterday, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian stressing the importance of people staying home during Sydney’s current lockdown.
Oranga Tamariki closes residence
Children's Minister Kelvin Davis says Oranga Tamariki chief executive Sir Wira Gardiner has made the right decision in shutting down its care and protection residence in Christchurch after several serious issues were made public this week.
All staff are being stood down on full pay while investigations into the facility are completed.
Investigations are also underway in other care and protection residences to see if there are similar concerns there.
Māori community leader Lady Tureiti Moxon says she’s also pleased Gardiner “has been so decisive” and “put actions behind his words”.
But she says the current system isn’t helping tamariki transition back into the community.
She told RNZ’s Checkpoint Oranga Tamariki's youth facilities should be shut down permanently and that “there are better ways of supporting people".
Princes reveal statue
Princes William and Harry have united to unveil a statue of Princess Diana in London overnight.
The brothers came together for a private ceremony in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace on what would have been their mother’s 60th birthday.
The statue, which shows Diana surrounded by three children, was commissioned in 2017.
William and Harry say they always “wish she were still with us” and are today remembering “her love, strength and character”.
Other news of note this morning:
- More than 400 new cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in Fiji.
- Donald Trump’s company and his longtime finance chief have been indicted on charges stemming from an investigation into the former president’s business dealings.
- A surge in viral winter illnesses is causing havoc in Auckland’s hospitals.
- Police are warning Facebook users about clone scam accounts, after one New Zealander was tricked into handing over $55,000 .
- A source claims a set of Waikato District Health Board servers were unpatched when hackers struck in May , however the DHB says those servers weren’t a contributing factor in the cyber attack.
- A judge has denied Britney Spears' request to have her father removed from her conservatorship.
- The Tour de France has withdrawn its lawsuit against a spectator suspected of causing a huge crash last weekend.
- And Ian Foster has named his first All Blacks team for 2021 , which includes Dalton Papalii, who left the media in stitches with a cheeky dig at his predecessor Josh Kronfeld yesterday.
And finally...
A British man has recently achieved the world record for the tallest stack of M&Ms after managing to stack just five of the chocolate sweets together.
Reckon you could beat that paltry target? The folks at Seven Sharp thought they could, too.
So, they brought in the big guns – namely, members of the Māori All Blacks squad – to help them in their mission...
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