In
New Zealand we have the government planning to sell off
Christchurch's assets with Christchurch people disagreeing and a
potential rates revolt; the continued loss of economic activity in
Christchurch and breakdown of basic infrastructure.
All headlines are from Radio New Zealand
Wooden railway sleepers rotting
KiwiRail
has admitted a fungus is rotting hard wood sleepers on the network,
which appear to have contributed to two derailments.
Some
7000 of 100,000 sleepers imported from Peru in the past decade have
been found in varying states of decay.
Many
of them are on bridges or in tunnels.
Chief
executive Jim Quinn says all sleepers showing signs of advanced decay
have been replaced at a cost of between $250- $1000 each.
KiwiRail
expects the replacement programme to be completed early next year.
New
Zealand First says all the inadequate sleepers need to be replaced
right away.
Canterbury University job losses confirmed
The
Vice Chancellor of Canterbury University has confirmed 150 staff will
lose their jobs over the next three to five years.
The
job losses are a result of lower student numbers and higher costs in
the wake of the earthquake.
Student
enrolment at the University was down by 25% in 2010-2011.
Doctor
Rod Carr says this year it has stopped the decline and enrolments are
down by just 2%.
He
says despite job cuts he is confident the university can continue to
attract students, including those from overseas.
Doctor
Carr says academic, as well as technical and administration, roles
will be lost.
A
spokesperson says staff were given the university's 10-year-financial
model on Wednesday, which included a plan on how it would recover
from the earthquakes.
The
spokesperson says it outlines the university's position given its
constrained resources.
The
university is Christchurch's third largest employer, with more than
2000 staff and over 12,000 students.
Charter school rules
The
Government says people with no teaching experience will be allowed to
run charter schools.
Education
Minister Hekia Parata and associate education minister John Banks on
Thursday announced details of their plan for publicly-funded private
schools.
They
say the schools will be called partnership schools (kura hourua) and
will be run by sponsors under contract to the Government.
The
contracts will include targets for children's achievement. Primary
schools will be required to follow the national standards and
secondary schools to offer the NCEA or another recognised
qualification.
The
sponsor will be free to decide how many registered teachers to
employ, what curriculum to use, the school's hours of operation and
the pay and conditions of employees.
Rates
Revolt threatened in Christchurch
A
Canterbury lobby group is threatening a rates revolt, as the
Christchurch City Council tips increases to fund the inner city
rebuild.
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