ICYMI: Visa extension
Over 200k migrant workers to stay longer; One-year stand-down delayed til Jan 2022; Scathing Roche/Simpson report released with $3b fix-it plan; UK locked down & shut off as virulent strain runs wild
ICYMI: I’ll do these on occasion through the summer break as a journal of record for when I start again properly on January 26. It will help jog my memory on what happened when I wasn’t fully in the news flow. Yes, I have a short attention span…
TLDR: Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi announced last night the extension of expiring work visas by a further six months and postponed the one-year stand-down period for temporary workers for two years to January 2022. The move extends the work rights of over 200,000 temporary workers.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins released a scathing independent report on Friday into the Ministry of Health’s response on contact tracing and testing three months after a draft was sent to him. He announced $2.86b of new funding from the $14.1b Covid-19 response fund set up in Budget 2020 to improve the system.
Fish and Game CEO Martin Taylor resigned on Friday with immediate effect. He was three years into a five year contract. Stuff’s Charlie Mitchell reported he had tried to audit and professionalise the organisation’s regional operations, but was opposed by some who had wanted to work more closely with Federated Farmers. Taylor was the head of research and policy in Labour’s Parliamentary office under then-Opposition leader Andrew Little. Before that, Taylor was the CEO of the Aged Care Asssociation.
The President and Secretary of the NZ First Party resigned and former MP Darroch Ball said he would run the party until its AGM next year.
Overseas over the weekend, PM Boris Johnson reversed his plans for a brief Christmas relaxation of England’s lockdown after the Government warned a new more infectious strain of Covid-19 was “out of control.” European countries banned flights from Britain overnight to try to contain the new strain.
US President Donald Trump was reported by the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman to have asked White House officials in a meeting if he could declare martial law before the inauguration of Joe Biden. The officials opposed the idea and Trump has denied saying it. Various MAGA groups are calling for the military to stage a coup.
Victoria closed its border with New South Wales overnight after parts of Northern Sydney were put into lockdown to control a community outbreak of Covid-19.
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Ngā mihi
Bernard
PS: Thanks to Miranda from Rakiura for today’s pic.