Today’s image of the day comes from the Auckland Council buildings, where new mayor Wayne Brown has been meeting with MPs.
(Photo: Supplied)
Yesterday saw his first face-to-face with prime minister Jacinda Ardern. Today, Brown met with Auckland Central and Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick. While the meeting was by all accounts friendly, the only photographic evidence to prove that was a pair of slightly grainy, overexposed images likely taken by an intern with an iPhone XE. Here is one such picture, which includes blurry hand action by the mayor, who was probably gesticulating over the port or something.
In an exclusive interview with arts and culture news site The Big Idea, the McCahon House Trust revealed that it was one of the four organisations to lose Creative New Zealand Toi Uru Kahikatea funding.
The funding round was announced in mid-September, and Stuff reported that the Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand and Arts on Tour had also been removed from the funding stream. The former has been the catalyst for a deluge of reporting, commentary and heated rhetoric over the past week (and you can find an explainer of what went down here).
The McCahon House Trust was established in 1998 “to recognise the life and art of Colin McCahon through a residency of international standing and to preserve the McCahon House as a place for the public to visit”. The residency has supported 47 visual artists, including Arts Laureate Tanu Gago and Lisa Reihana, who have both gone on to present work at the Venice Biennale. With funding for that residency being pulled, there is no similar visual artist residency in the country to take its place.
The Trust had not gone to the media because they wanted time for their chair and director to meet with CNZ about the decision. Bates called that meeting “positive” and “future-focused”, while Stone acknowledged that CNZ remained “committed to a working relationship with the McCahon House” and that while CNZ “dumped” the organisation in the short term, it didn’t mean they won’t want to work again together in the future.
The pair outlined their concerns that visual arts was the “poor cousin” when it comes to support from Creative New Zealand, with visual arts receiving a very small amount of recurrent funding – only $1.6m compared to literature’s $4m and theatre at $16m.
Bates stated that the Trust supports CNZ’s strategic vision to build a more resilient and dynamic arts sector by prioritising Māori and Pacific led organisations and that “even though we are definitely feeling some short-term pain, we get it”.
Today marks the end of the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry’s public hearings. Held over 133 days, there have been 14 hearings in total. Today is also the sixth and final day of public hearings for the faith-based institutes part of the inquiry.
The agenda includes statements from survivors associated with Dilworth School and Gloriavale, two of the more high profile inquiries forming part of the Royal Commission.
“Multiple witnesses from each faith organisation were called to give evidence and respond to questions around how care systems were monitored, the handling of complaints, the nature and extent of physical, psychological, sexual abuse and neglect and to what extent their care met the needs of Māori, Pacific and Disabled people and people with mental health conditions,” said the Royal Commission in a statement.
“Today’s closing statements will be in response to the evidence heard from these witnesses.”
Auckland’s mayor Wayne Brown has met with Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick to discuss plans for revitalising the CBD.
In a statement, Brown said the pair walked to work together this morning via Karangahape Road before holding a “constructive, friendly and business-like” meeting for an hour.
While the duo may seem at odds on most issues – indeed, the Greens were strongly behind Efeso Collins for the mayoralty – they have found common ground particularly on the issue of the Ports of Auckland.
“Ms Swarbrick congratulated Mr Brown on his election and Mr Brown thanked Ms Swarbrick for her strong support for his initiative to return land currently being used by Ports of Auckland for used-car imports to public use,” read this morning’s statement.
“They agreed the port land should remain in public ownership in perpetuity with a clear plan and timeline to move it to its highest and best use based on environmental, social, cultural and economic measures.”
Swarbrick suggested some “immediate steps” to improve Auckland, including support for Māori Wardens, an urgent public toilet strategy, a single-contact point for people experiencing or concerned about those experiencing homelessness, and revitalising public space and providing night-time food options by removing barriers to food truck licences.
Brown said he will follow up on these issues with the relevant agencies and officials today.
The mayor’s office supplied this slightly grainy photo of the pair from their meeting.
Mayor Wayne Brown and MP Chlöe Swarbrick (Photo: Supplied)
Building developers and funders are scrambling to work out how much carbon dioxide is emitted or captured in a building’s construction and operation over its lifetime. Jasmax’s Carbon Research Lead, Paul Jurasovich, joins Bernard in the latest episode of When the Facts Change to map out the new world of carbon budgeting for buildings (such as the five star green-rated Kiwibank corporate office in Auckland).
Public transport users will be able to use one ticket for travel across the entire country.
A national ticketing option will be rolled out across the country, starting with Canterbury in 2024. It will allow travellers to use either a single ticket or to pay for transport directly with their contactless card or digital options like Apple Pay. More importantly, it will mean that – for example – if you travel from Auckland to Wellington you won’t end up carrying around both your Hop Card and your Snapper Card.
Speaking from Auckland’s Britomart transport hub, minister Michael Wood said public transport should be about public service. “It has to be about making public transport as efficient, as frequent, as reliable and as easy to use,” he said.
“The national ticketing solution is a key part of that solution, taking as much complexity out of the system as possible.”
Wood described today’s announcement, which has been in the pipeline for several years, as “one of the most significant announcements for the future of public transport” in New Zealand.
In case you’ve somehow missed it, Liz Truss has resigned as prime minister. She’s become the shortest serving prime minister in British history. But, as The Bulletin’s Anna Rawhiti-Connell explains, we might not be about to see our third new prime minister in as many months.
Short sharp leadership contest
Sir Graham Brady, chair of the 1922 Committee has announced a very short timeframe to replace Truss. It’s all expected to be done by next Friday. Nominations for the leadership will close on Monday. Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt are odds-on favourites to replace Truss according to the Telegraph. Who knows what the picture will look like by the time you read this. The recent appearance of Boris Johnson’s face in a chicken korma (you be the judge, it’s not really a Shroud of Turin moment for me), and a YouGov poll of Conservative party members mean we can not rule out the return of BoJo.
Reports Boris Johnson will stand
The Times is reporting that Johnson is expected to stand for the leadership. On Twitter, deputy political editor of The Guardian, Jessica Elgot shared the tweet carrying that news and said a Tory MP had sent it to her saying they would immediately defect to the Labour party if Johnson won. Labour leader Keir Starmer has called for a general election. Based on a snap YouGov poll, three out of five Britons agree with him. To the local connection now and we don’t yet have a ruling on whether the curse of the New Zealand prime minister visit applies in this situation. Prime minister Jacinda Ardern met Truss on September 18.
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