Current Affairs
Vet shortage nationwide pushing staff to breaking point
Vets say a nationwide shortage of staff, drought and uncertainty due to Covid-19 is pushing them to a breaking point. The shortage may increase pressure on farmers who may not be able to access a vet when necessary (file picture). Photo: 123RF Veterinary Association (NZVA) chief officer Helen Beattie said the country is between 50 …
Breaking the taboo: Women mixing menopause with martinis as a call for change
By Sarah Connor* Driving home one day, my head suddenly felt like it was on fire – as if melting from the inside out. I felt faint and my vision started to blur. Luckily I could pull over safely and wasn’t far from home. File photo. Photo: 123RF At 46, I was otherwise fit, happy …
Study to explore export opportunities for health technology
A nationwide health technology study which focuses on the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders has been launched by New Zealand Health IT. File photo. Photo: 123rf Chief executive, Scott Arrol, said the study was not going to be another tech report that focuses on “bits and bytes” but rather one with New Zealanders as …
Close to 300 arrested in Samoa for breaking Covid-19 orders
Close to 300 people have been arrested and charged in Samoa for breaches of the Covid-19 State of Emergency Orders which came into effect 21 March. Police Commissioner Fuiavailili Egon Keil has warned there will be more if people don’t heed the orders. The Samoa Observer newspaper reports The breaches range from overloading buses to …
Ardern critical of those breaking lockdown rules
Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave the latest update on the Covid-19 coronavirus today. Watch here: If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP – don’t show up at a medical …
Covid-19: Staying connected in isolation with the help of technology
Despite being physically isolated from friends or family during the lockdown, people are still finding ways to stay connected. Photo: 123RF Families are having frequent video calls using things like Skype or FaceTime, and friends are still having their weekend gatherings, only via Zoom or Houseparty apps. But what would the world have looked like …
Technology and the big shift to working from home
Paul Brislen talks about the future of free and open access to content on the internet. Photo: 123RF Yesterday everything changed. The Detail had arranged an interview with technology commentator Paul Brislen late last week about working from home. At that time about 200,000 people were getting ready to do that – about 10 percent …
NZTA says it needs $130m to stop failure of ageing technology system
The Transport Agency has told the government it needs $130 million just to stop its old technology systems from failing, let alone build new systems. Traffic congestion in Wellington. Photo: RNZ / Rob Dixon A briefing to the Transport Minister released to RNZ shows $48m is needed this year, $63m next year, and a further …
Farmer given home detention for breaking more than 150 cows’ tails
A Waikato dairy farmer who broke the tails of more than 150 cows has been given home detention and barred from owning animals for three years. (File image). Photo: RNZ/Sally Round Glen Raymond Steiner was sentenced in Tokoroa District Court today after earlier pleading guilty to one representative charge of ill treatment of animals. The …
Transmission Gully motorway project has concerns about the technology it’s using
One of the country’s biggest motorway projects has been beset by critical problems with its technology for cameras and speed signs. Work on the Transmission Gully project in 2017. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King The risks to Transmission Gully north of Wellington are briefly mentioned in New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) documents released to RNZ. …
