Today’s announcement importantly delivers six new teaching spaces to Paraparaumu College, and significant upgrade and redevelopment funding to address long-standing condition issues at both Porirua School and Mana College

“I’ve worked with the Principal at Paraparaumu college for some time, and worked constructively with the Minister and lobbied hard to secure these six new classrooms,” says Mr Costley.

“There have been issues to work through over the last year, particularly helping to tell our local story in Kāpiti. This includes taking into account out-of-zone students, which can impact the Ministry’s utilisation rates for existing classrooms, and future growth predictions. I wrote to the Minister last year explaining why I thought Paraparaumu College was a special case and deserved extra consideration.

“I’m particularly grateful to Principal Mark Robinson who has been a strong advocate for Paraparaumu College. He has invited me to the school on multiple occasions to walk me through the issues, helped me to understand what is needed, and also hosted the Education Minister at his school last year. This has all led to positive outcomes for staff and students.”

Ms Stanford said “These schools have been under pressure from growing student numbers. Delivering these classrooms will ease that pressure and support better environments for teaching and learning.” 

She said today’s announcement brings the total number of new classrooms funded in the lower North Island to 153 over the past three years and nearly 1400 across New Zealand.

“As a result of this, more students will be learning in new, warm, safe, dry classrooms. The Government has been able to deliver more bang for buck by improving the way school property is planned and built.”

Paraparaumu College was promised some new classrooms by the last Government, but they were never funded and never delivered, a pattern across many schools in New Zealand. “I’m proud to have helped turn this around and delivered the funding for our local college,” says Mr Costley.

Potatoes New Zealand says it is delighted to announce a new partnership with Garden to Table on the International Day of Potato (30 May) — celebrating one of the world’s most important and versatile foods, and the people behind it.

This collaboration brings together two organisations committed to strengthening food education, inspiring healthier, nutritious eating, and connecting New Zealanders — especially young people — to where their food comes from.

Through the partnership, Potatoes New Zealand and Garden to Table will work together to help school aged children understand the journey of food from garden to plate, while discovering just how versatile, nutritious and delicious potatoes can be.

Connecting children to real food, Garden to Table delivers hands on programmes in early learning centres, primary and intermediate schools across Aotearoa, equipping tamariki with practical skills in growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing fresh food.

Potatoes New Zealand is supporting this work by helping to bring the potato story to life, sharing the role of growers, the growing process, and the important role potatoes play in nourishing Kiwi communities.

As part of this partnership, Potatoes New Zealand Chief Executive Kate Trufitt recently visited Rolleston School to experience the programme firsthand and meet with Garden to Table Chief Executive Ani Brunet.

During the visit, she saw the powerful impact of hands on food education in action — from planting and growing through to preparing and sharing meals.

Trufitt was impressed by the dedication of teachers and volunteers who bring the programme to life, enabling students to turn classroom learning into real world experience. The programme offers a full journey from garden to plate, culminating in shared meals that bring together students, teachers, and volunteers — reinforcing the connection between growing food and enjoying it.

“This is where real understanding happens,” says Trufitt. “When young people grow, cook and share food together, they build a genuine connection to what they’re eating and a deeper appreciation for the people behind it.”

Celebrating versatility, nutrition and taste
The partnership is also supported by educational resources, classroom activities and cooking experiences that showcase potatoes as a mighty vegetable, one that is accessible, adaptable and packed with goodness.

Garden to Table Chief Executive Ani Brunet says working alongside Potatoes New Zealand will help deepen students’ understanding of vegetables in a meaningful and engaging way.

“When children grow and cook their own food, they build lifelong skills and confidence. By working with Potatoes New Zealand, we can highlight how one ingredient can be used in so many different ways, while also connecting students to New Zealand’s wider food system.”

Recognising International Day of Potato
The announcement coincides with International Day of Potato, a United Nations recognised day that shines a spotlight on the importance of potatoes in global food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture.

For New Zealand, it is also a chance to celebrate the growers, regions and communities behind the industry.

“Today is about acknowledging the value of potatoes, not just as a food, but as part of our everyday lives,” says Trufitt. “It’s also about celebrating the people who grow them and ensuring future generations understand and appreciate that connection.”

A focus on the future
This partnership reflects a shared commitment to building a stronger, more connected food future, one where young New Zealanders understand, value and enjoy fresh, locally grown produce.

By combining education, storytelling and hands on experience, Potatoes New Zealand and Garden to Table aim to inspire a new generation to see potatoes not just as a staple, but as a source of creativity, nourishment and connection.

For More see:

https://gardentotable.org.nz and https://potatoesnz.co.nz/

Founded by mental health advocate and I Am Hope founder Mike King, Gumboot Friday has helped deliver over 137,000 therapy sessions to rangatahi and tamariki across Aotearoa, every single one made possible through the generosity of everyday New Zealanders.

While the charity began receiving government funding only last year, Gumboot Friday continues to rely heavily on donations from the public to keep its service running. Every dollar raised helps ensure no young person is ever turned away, and that they can access help when they need it most – not months down the track.
“People can say whatever they want about us,” says Mike King. “The truth is, the numbers speak for themselves – $20 million, 137,000 sessions, and countless young lives given hope. That’s what matters. We’ll keep showing up, we’ll keep delivering, and we’ll keep fighting for our kids until the system catches up.”

Since its launch, Gumboot Friday has become one of New Zealand’s most recognisable awareness and fundraising events — a nationwide moment of unity, community and action. Each year, schools, workplaces and communities across the country don their gumboots, donate a gold coin, and raise funds so young people aged 5–25 can access free, immediate counselling.

For many of those young people, that single counselling session can be life-changing. Behind every dollar donated is a story of someone choosing to walk through the mud with our kids, not past them.

This Friday, 7 November 2025, New Zealanders are once again being asked to Gumboot Up – to stand together, to donate, and to remind our rangatahi that they’re never alone in the fight for better mental health.
For more information or to donate, visit:  www.gumbootfriday.org.nz

As UCOL continues to expand its presence into Horowhenua and the Kāpiti Coast, it is focused on delivering education directly to learners—whether that’s on marae, in local classrooms and community spaces, in secondary schools, or within workplaces and industries.

Jasmine Groves, UCOL’s Operations Lead, says moving both our local office and some of our teaching into this space, strengthens our connections with the community and creates new opportunities to better understand local education needs.

“Being alongside other community-focused organisations such as the Changemakers Resettlement Forum and Pasifika for Tomorrow, and with Muaūpoko Tribal Authority offices located just across the road, creates a real opportunity. If locals want to learn more about education, or if providers want to explore education pathways for their clients, we’ll be right there and ready to support.”

Yvonne Seng, Kaiwhakahaere Horowhenua, adds, “Our team is excited to work alongside others using the facility. As a community polytechnic, it’s important to me that we understand the aspirations of our community when it comes to education.”

The first course offered from the new site will be a Te Reo Māori Beginners and Intermediate class, running on Wednesday evenings. Trades Academy Construction Level 2 and 3, Defence Pathways and New Zealand Certificate in Infrastructure Works are being offered at Ōtaki College.  While at Horowhenua College in the Trades Academy space, UCOL are running Automotive Level 2.

Earlier this year, UCOL and Horowhenua College also joined forces to help refugees learn English.

Other programmes will be delivered based on learner and partner needs from Te Whare Mahana or other community locations throughout Horowhenua and the Kāpiti Coast.

UCOL Horowhenua kaimahi (staff) will be based on-site at Te Whare Mahana Monday to Friday, available for enquiries and to support local learners. To view current programme delivery in Horowhenua and the Kāpiti Coast, please visit ucol.ac.nz If you’d like to discuss potential programmes or community partnerships, contact us at infoenquiries@ucol.ac.nz.

The school has been receiving meals from Libelle and then Compass since the free lunch programme was introduced under Labour. Compass is now the main supplier for the coalition’s revamped programme.

On Wednesday, a 10-year-old girl bit down on a piece of perspex plastic in a provided lunch, The Post reported.

Milson School principal Tracy Thorn told Midday Report it was fortunate the girl did not crack any teeth.

“She does still have quite a sore jaw so we are keeping an eye on that, as are her whanau.”

Thorn said the school was fed up with the poor quality of the food after ongoing issues with the programme going back to last year. They included rotten fruit, not enough food and even a cockroach in the bottom of a delivery box.

“We’ve had lunches that have been opened,” she said. “We’ve had children with allergies and those things have been included in their lunches.”

A spokesperson for the School Lunch Collective said it contacted the school immediately after being notified of the incident so it could “take immediate action”.

“All associated meals are on hold and we informed New Zealand Food Safety, which will work to determine where the foreign matter came from and what needs to be put in place to prevent this happening again.”

The collective had zero tolerance for any risks created with its meals and was taking it extremely seriously, the spokesperson said.

“We sincerely apologise for any concern this has created.”

Thorn said her school wanted to switch to the nearby Freyberg High School, which makes its own lunches, but shad been told that was not allowed.

“We tried to move to them to keep it local… I contacted the senior advisor for supplier partnerships and we were given a ‘no’.”

A recent analysis found school lunches are failing nutrition standards and giving students only half the energy they should

Doctors and researchers at the Public Health Communication Centre analysed the nutritional value of the School Lunch Collective meals which were brought in as a cost-saving scheme by the government this year. They found the meals were falling well short of expected energy requirements.

This free, family-friendly exhibition is all about the beauty and importance of our native birds, especially those that call the Manawatū Estuary home. It’s not just about admiring the art – it’s about celebrating the stories, creativity and the people behind it. The exhibition also highlights the extraordinary work Foxton volunteers do at the Manawatū Estuary, raising awareness of their efforts to protect this special environment.

Exhibition details:

Date: Until Friday 28 February 2025
Venue: Māpuna Kabinet Art Gallery, Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 92 Main Street, Foxton
Time: Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 4pm and Saturdays to Sundays from 10am to 3pm
Entry: Free for everyone

What to look forward to

• Maungarongo (Ron) Te Kawa – A vibrant Ngāti Porou takatāpui artist whose bright and bold textile work is full of cultural stories and personality.
• Rob Scotcher – A Foxton-based wildlife photographer with a real eye for capturing the magic of our birdlife.
• Michael Angelo – A carver and painter from Ngāti Kahungunu, whose works are inspired by nature and spirituality, combining tradition with creativity.
• Local tamariki – Guided by art teacher Sonja Hart from Creative Hart, local children added their unique touch, painting plywood birds crafted by the Foxton Menzshed.
• From Te Papa – Buller’s Birds: The Art of Keulemans and Buchanan. For a step back in time, Buller’s Birds adds another layer of magic to the exhibition. These stunning prints of New Zealand’s native birds, first published in 1873, are the work of Dutch artist Johannes Keulemans and New Zealander John Buchanan. Their attention to detail and accuracy brings these historical works to life.

‘Korori, Korora’ draws inspiration from a tauparapara: “Whakarongo ki te manu korori, korora. Korerotia nō tuawhakarere,” meaning “Listen to the birds of the land and sea, who speak to us from many years ago.”

These artworks connect historical representations with modern perspectives, making it a truly vibrant experience for all ages.

Mayor Bernie Wanden says, “Kororī, Kororā is about bringing people together to celebrate our native birds through art, stories, and education. It’s colourful, creative, and full of heart. Everyone’s welcome to come along and be inspired.”

“This isn’t just an art exhibition – it’s an experience for the whole whānau. Get stuck into fun, hands-on activities like building a healthy estuary or enjoy the incredible works of art on display. It’s a perfect day out for bird lovers, art enthusiasts, and curious minds of all ages,” says Mark Hammond, Community Facilities and Services Manager.

Te Papa Chief Executive Courtney Johnston says the touring exhibition is part of the broader Te Papa programme to work with regional museums and galleries and showcase more of the national art collection, more often.

“We work hard to ensure all New Zealanders, regardless of where they live, can see our national treasures,” Johnston says. 

One happy customer, says she recently stopped by the shop and left with a haul of books and clothes. “Very happy 😊 thank you Red Cross Porirua,” she adds.

The sale runs throughout the week, providing an excellent opportunity for readers to stock up on new reads while supporting a good cause. Don’t miss out!

Red Cross Op Shop Porirua:
📍 12 Semple Street, Porirua City Centre

🕒 Opening Hours:

• Monday – Sunday: 9 am – 5 pm

The property arrangement stems from the iwi’s Treaty settlement with the New Zealand government, which was formalised in the Ngāti Toa Rangatira Claims Settlement Act of 2014.

Each school will continue to operate without any interruption. All that will change is the land will now be leased by the Crown from Ngāti Toa.

The acquisition is part of the iwi’s Deferred Selection Properties (DSP) arrangement, a strategic investment tool for both cultural and economic reclamation.

As part of the first DSP transaction in May 2022, Ngāti Toa secured 40 Crown properties. This brought the total number of school sites purchased through the DSP arrangement to 71.

Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira chairperson Callum Katene emphasised the significance of the milestone.

“This purchase is more than a business transaction; it is a reclamation of our whenua and reaffirmation of our role as kaitiaki. These lands will serve as a foundation for Ngāti Toa Rangatira to thrive for generations to come, while ensuring the continuation of essential education services for our tamariki and mokopuna.

“It is a powerful example of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in action – tangata whenua and the Crown working in partnership to enable everyone in the community to prosper.”

Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik highlighted the broader implications of the DSP deal.

“This is about tino rangatiratanga in action-leveraging every opportunity to reclaim our whenua and secure a prosperous future for our mokopuna.”

The long-term value in this transaction lies in creating a perpetual income stream through Crown leases and securing land that holds significant cultural and historical importance for Ngāti Toa in the Hutt Valley, he said.

The newly acquired properties across Hutt Valley, plus the earlier land purchases, supported the position of Ngāti Toa as a significant partner to the Ministry of Education.

Hutt Valley school land secured in the deal include:

• Avalon Intermediate
• Avalon School
• Belmont School
• Birchville School
• Dyer Street School
• Fergusson Intermediate
• Fraser Crescent School
• Maidstone Intermediate
• Hutt Intermediate
• Kelson School
• Koraunui School
• Mangaroa School
• Naenae School
• Pinehaven School
• Plateau School
• Pomare School
• Rata Street School
• Silverstream School
• Taita Central School
• Taita College
• Tawhai School
• Te Kura o Hau Karetu
• Totara Park School
• Trentham School
• Tui Glen School
• Upper Hutt College
• Upper Hutt School
• Waterloo School

The islands lie off the southwest coast of the lower North Island and were aquired by the Crown last century.

December 31, 2024 marks the return of both islands to Ngāti Toa, in what the iwi described as an historic day.

It said the redress for Kāpiti and Mana Islands is reflective of the critical role the islands, Kāpiti in particular, played in establishing Ngāti Toa’s mana on both sides of Te Moana o Raukawa (Cook Strait).

“The vesting simply acknowledges what we already know; Ngāti Toa holds the mana of Kāpiti and Mana Islands and has done so since shortly after our ancestors arrived in the region, in the early nineteenth century”, Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Board Chair, Callum Katene, said.

“The vesting is a legal mechanism agreed in our settlement legislation, but it is our tikanga that determines our responsibilities and relationship with these islands.”

Kāpiti and Mana Islands were designated Nature and Scientific Reserves respectively, managed by the Department of Conservation.

The vesting of ownership does not impact the conservation status or management by the Crown.

Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira Chief Executive, Helmut Modlik, said Ngāti Toa will uphold its mana whenua obligations, care for the land under its control, and continue to work with the Crown to maintain the islands’ conservation status as a taonga for all New Zealanders.

Modlik said Ngāti Toa also had big plans going forward.

“From 2025 onwards, we’ll work with our own people to continue building relationships with both islands and the taiao through ongoing visits, learning about the history and stories of our ancestors”.

Modlik said a work programme is also being developed by Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira for Kāpiti and Mana Islands to reconnect Ngāti Toa with Kāpiti by creating a welcoming space for their tamariki, mokopuna, and future generations.

The iwi said while Tuesday, 31 December 2024 was being marked as a day of celebration for Ngāti Toa, it would be a muted and respectful occasion.

Last week, the social sciences and humanities panels for the Marsden Fund were dismantled.

Matthew Scobie, who has been supported by the Marsden Fund, and Anna Sturman are two social science researchers. They’re concerned about the short- and long-term impacts of gutting critical scholarship in Aotearoa’s already small and under-funded research system.

And they’re worried the decision sends a signal about more changes to come for science, research, and the tertiary sector.

We underestimated the destructive ambition of this coalition government.

After reading the coalition agreements, one trusted friend and colleague said: “Anyone who was complacent about this government should not be complacent now.”

Another one said: “This is more significant than the reforms of 1984.”

Of course, we worried. But still, we underestimated the thirst to undercut (if not decimate) all resistance to the government’s agenda.

We initially took some solace in the idea of a “coalition of chaos” and a “three-headed taniwha”.

We thought: Surely, they’ll come to loggerheads in no time and nothing will get done.

But in July, a well-regarded Māori environmental scientist pointed out that three of the primary areas under attack were Te Tiriti rights, environmental protections, and research funding.

Since November last year, we’ve seen one of the most devastatingly swift and far-reaching legislative reforms in our history, in what appears to be a coordinated attack on these three crucial areas.

While the coalition appeared internally divided — ideologically at odds, and with seemingly contradictory goals — one shared interest serves to unite them: Enabling the unfettered exploitation of people and nature for profit.

Nancy Fraser, a professor of philosophy and politics, calls this approach “cannibal capitalism”, a system that devours its own conditions of existence. She reminds us that capitalism is not just “the economy” but includes those activities, relations and processes that make “the economy” possible. People, nature, and knowledge are essential to the economy. They are also essential to life.

The areas under attack happen to contain some of the strongest protections and advocates for people, nature and knowledge.

Let’s take a brief look at some of the attacks in these areas.

Attacks on Te Tiriti rights and Māori started with the apparently urgent need to change the names of ministries and discourage te reo use in the public sector. While this appeared as a sort of “vice signalling”, it was a taste of much more to come: the Treaty principles bill and the Treaty clause review, the Takutai Moana (Marine and Coastal Areas Act) limitations, rescoping (and threatening) the Waitangi Tribunal’s remit, and forcing local governments with Māori wards to choose between holding expensive referendums or disestablishing them without a poll.

These attacks are quite clearly not about “restoring equality”. They are about removing any decision-making power that Māori have clawed back since 1840, to have a say in what happens to tangata and whenua, people and land, among other things.

Attacks on environmental protections have come under the rhetoric of austerity and “efficiency” and include the Fast-track Approvals Bill, Resource Management Act reforms, freshwater reforms, and the general defunding of public institutions tasked with protecting nature.

These attacks reduce the ability of communities, regulators, and mana whenua to protect themselves and nature.

Although research funding has faced a steady decline (from an already relatively low point by international standards) this year it fell off a cliff.

Examples of this include the loss of capacity represented by ending the National Science Challenges, changes to the Marsden Fund, abruptly halting the Performance Based Research Fund exercise, and leaving the Chief Science Advisor role unfilled.

Robust academic research and expert advice present a potential barrier to the destruction of nature for profit. They create a risk that evidence will stand in the way of ideology.

Attacks on Te Tiriti, the environment, and research reduce the opportunity and capacity for all of us to protect people and nature from those who prioritise profit over all else.

The shared goal of the coalition, underneath the soundbites and surface level ideological differences, is to remove any barriers that stand in the way of profit.

*

The idea of cannibal capitalism encourages us to explore the boundary struggles between the capitalist

economy and the aspects of life and nature that it devours.

According to Fraser, capitalism ravages nature, guzzles the energy of low or unpaid care workers (especially women), butchers democracy, and is a glutton for punishing racialised populations. Yet it needs all of these to continue to function. Capitalism relies on the ongoing existence of that which it can’t help but systematically destroy.

This idea also applies to the Crown. Alongside the attacks on Te Tiriti, the environment and research, we’re also seeing attacks from the executive against other arms of the Crown, including the judiciary, the Waitangi Tribunal, and local government.

While the appearance of democracy is important for legitimacy, we’re seeing how it can be sacrificed — butchered and devoured, in Fraser’s words — to make way for profiteering.

If we think of the executive as the head of the Crown, then the Crown’s head is devouring the limbs that keep it balanced.

This attack on safeguards against the exploitation of people, nature, and collective knowledge will continue to hit hardest on the most vulnerable and weaken our institutional capacity to fight back. This is bad for everyone in the long term.

Things will get worse until enough people fight back.

Just as the coalition has a shared interest under the surface-level differences, the social movements and institutions that organise to protect Te Tiriti, the environment, and research all have a shared interest underneath the surface-level differences: protecting people and nature.

One of the primary arguments in our book The Economic Possibilities of Decolonisation is that tino rangatiratanga represents an alternative power base to construct a more socially and ecologically just economy and society. We also point out that vested interests know this, and it challenges their pursuit of power for profit, which is why we’ve seen an increased backlash against Te Tiriti rights.

We and many others believe that struggles to protect Te Tiriti are the primary struggles of our time. And we’re certainly not the first to join the dots between attacks on Te Tiriti and privatisation.

Te Tiriti rights offer all of the institutions and movements that are under attack a way to advance their shared interest of protecting people and nature. We also argue that support for Te Tiriti shouldn’t be conditional on any particular aspirations or outcomes. For example, we shouldn’t just support Te Tiriti as a means to protect nature, we should support Te Tiriti for itself. We see a potential future where Te Tiriti is supported unconditionally and everyone is better off for it.

We see evidence for this future in the Hikoi mō Te Tiriti, the commitment of most local governments to Māori wards, and the myriad everyday examples of people coming together to protect things of shared value on the ground.

But the year of relentless attack is why it is only a potential future.

While we underestimated the coalition’s willingness to sacrifice life for profit, we also believe that the government has underestimated how potent a coalition of shared interests to defend Te Tiriti can be.

Honouring Te Tiriti is the basis for alternative futures.