Now that regeneration has become important in Govt policy considerations, let’s see it regenerate the health work force

Just a few days ago, RNZ was reporting about frustrated New Zealand-trained migrant nurses planning to leave the country because they cannot find an immediate path to residency, just as the government was trying to entice foreigners to fill thousands of jobs in hospitals, aged care  homes and clinics.

The report reminded us that nurses had been excluded from the government’s new straight-to-residence Green List.  They must work in the profession for two years first.

Sandeep Kaur told RNZ she had spent years separated from her two young sons in India while studying for a nursing degree in New Zealand.

She said she was devastated the profession was excluded from super-fast residency visas under the new immigration Green List, months after her graduation late last year.

She and her husband were preparing to move to Australia where she could gain residency quickly and reunite her family.

Figures released to the National Party at that time showed just 18 migrant nurses applied to come to New Zealand in the first six weeks of the new residency visa, compared to a monthly average of 57 under the previous critical purpose visa.

Pastoral farming gets a lift from $26m for ‘regenerative agriculture’ research – but should scientists start by defining it?

In   a  week  when the Ardern   government  achieved  one of the  biggest  stumbles of  the  modern  era,  with  its backdown over the  KiwiSaver  GST  move,  it  did record  one  positive  outcome   with  a  $26m  research  programme to prove to the world why New Zealand food and fibre should be always the number one choice.

That was the drum Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor   was  beating,  showing  again  he  is  one  of  the  few  Cabinet  Ministers  who  gets  a  pass mark  in his  field.

In  an era  when  climate  change warriors are  casting  doubt  on  New Zealand’s  farming industries, and  calling for the nation’s dairy herd to be culled, O’Connor  says he wants  to  enable farmers to make informed decisions on the financial and environmental benefits of adopting regenerative farming practices.

He said:

“The Government is backing a new $26.1m programme to undertake the most comprehensive study of pastoral farming in New Zealand.”

He  contends — with powerful trade data to support him – that  our economic security depends on the primary sector, which this year earned us a record $53.3bn in exports.

More money for musicians (but Sepuloni isn’t saying how much) because they say the last lot was successfully spent

Buzz from the Beehive

Ministers were dishing out money to musicians and Māori farmers over the past day or so while also  announcing awards for women and – in the case of our Minister of Defence – travel plans for a  a trip to the Solomon Islands.

The announcement of goodies for musicians was warbled by Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni under the heading The beat goes on as Government renews support for musicians:

The Government is hitting a high note, with the extension of the successful Aotearoa Touring Programme which will further support the recovery of Aotearoa’s music industry.

 The key points are –

• Extension of Aotearoa Touring Programme supporting domestic musicians;
• The Programme has supported more than 1,700 shows and over 250 artists;
• New Zealand Music Commission estimates that around 200,000 Kiwis have been able to attend shows because of the programme.

The costs incurred so far?

And the costs of extending the programme?

Alas, these are missing.

“Milked” (the movie) presents a sour view of our biggest export industry – but dairy farmers can learn from it it anyway

A documentary titled Milked,  shown  at the  International Film  Festival in Dunedin, seeks  to  “expose”  the  New Zealand  dairy industry   and  calls  on  New  Zealanders  “to  heal the  land”.

Milked is available globally via the streaming platform Waterbear and on Youtube via Plant Based News. The documentary is made by indigenous activist Chris Huriwai and local director Amy Taylor.

Its crowd-funding campaign surpassed an ambitious $100,000 target in just 12 days, with much international support confirming its global relevance. Huriwai  told  one  news  outlet:

“My wish for this film is that it empowers people to look at the problems we’re facing more holistically. If you’re looking for a solution, it has to encompass everyone within the system and their diverse perspectives. This film is about sparking that conversation”.

But is  NZ  looking  for  a  “solution?”

The   dairy industry is  a world leader not  just  in its  products,  but  in  its systems.

In a  review for Newshub, Daniel  Rutledge says: