Coming up on Te Karere... A dark day for nature and democracy. That's according to Greenpeace and Te Pāti Māori who are slamming the Government's new fast-track consenting bill. Tomorrow TVNZ are set to announce 68 job cuts as a solution to cut costs based on a low revenue performance. Police from all over Aotearoa have gathered in Ahipara in the Far North for their very own surfing competition. 07 March 2024 Tēnā koutou katoa, and welcome to Te Karere. Police from all over Aotearoa have flocked to Ahipara in the Far North for their very own surfing competition. For one local Māori policeman, who is also a legendary waka ama paddler, catching a good wave is one good reason to step away from the demands of the police force for a day. Timoti Tiakiwai has more. We're unable to provide subtitles. The local media industry is being disrupted again with TVNZ set to announce a staff restructure this week. Last week TVNZ reported a net loss for the six months ended December was 16.8 million dollars compared to a profit of 4.8 million dollars the year before. The announcement comes as Newshub announced a proposal to axe its news shows along with 300 jobs. Executives will hold a company-wide meeting tomorrow, where employees are expected to find out the extent of the proposal cuts. We're unable to provide subtitles. A dark day for nature and democracy. That's according to Greenpeace and Te Pāti Māori who are slamming the government's new fast-track consenting bill. It's part of the govt' 100-day plan, the new bill aims to cut red tape on infrastructure projects they say is delaying economic development. But opposition party's say it's a free pass for big industries to bulldoze NZ's native wildlife. Moana Makapelu Lee with this story. With NZ's water quality in a state of desperation... environmentalists now fear it will look even less like this. And more like this following the coalition Govt's new fast track consenting bill announcement today. Today Greenpeace erecting a special tap outside parliament today. A tap the govt remain determined not to switch off anytime soon. The Govt says current consenting for major projects takes too long. A report found costs had also increased by 70 per cent since 2014. My message to us is that all treaty settlements will be protected in the sections of this bill. But Te Pāti Māori says the new bill puts rohe and iwi even more at risk with permits for deep sea oil drilling now re-open under the new bill. A tap with a lot of water before the government. Moana Makapelu Lee, Te Karere. From today a new covid-19 vaccine has been made available which has been proven to be more effective against the latest omicron subvariant circulating in the country. This comes as fewer children, Māori, and Pacific people will qualify for free flu vaccinations this winter. The Health Minister won't confirm if funding for Covid-19 vaccines and treatments will remain the same after this June. Covid-19 response money to pay for free flu jabs for Māori and Pacific people aged between 55 and 64, and children up to 12 years old over the past two years, but that funding has ended. After the break, talks are still underway following the Hurricanes Poua's haka performance last weekend sparking an investigation Talks continue following the Hurricanes Poua women's team that performed its haka which criticised the coalition government, labelling it 'kakīwhero'. One of the composers who spoke to Te Karere this afternoon explains the haka 'Huru-Te-Arangi' was intended to empower women. Ahead of the opening round for the Aupiki competition an amendment was made and presented by Leilani Perese referring to Toitū Te Tiriti and 'kāwana kakīwhero'. We're unable to provide subtitles. Te Karere understands the Hurricanes board is meeting with the composers after it has undertaken an investigation into last weekend's haka performance. At the New Zealand Netball Awards last night, Silver Fern defender, Kelly Jackson of Ngāti Kahungunu has held onto her title, Player of the Year yet again, winning the Dame Louis Muir Supreme Award. Known as the tallest defenders in the country at 1.92m, she is a constant threat with her disruptive lean and rebounding ability. Jackson also mentioned that the Silver Ferns' fourth-place finish at the world cup in South Africa was heartbreaking for the team but she is confident that the team will grow confident and better. Let's take a look back on to the Golden Shears competition that took place in Masterton last week. Today we look at the Women participating in the sport. And the results, there were a lot of women who entered in the Golden Shears this year there hasn't been this number of women more than ever before in the competition. Mārena Mane has this story. Shearing has progressed from being a mere farm task to now an elite sporting pursuit. With more than 600 entries approximately 25% of those entries were wāhine, which is the most they have had in the competition. Traditionally, only men were seen enter shearing but they're up against it with the inclusion of women. Two of those competitors were these two ladies who made the finals in wool pressing. As of last year, there have been 11 world records in shearing wool handling and wool pressing, half of them have been women. With that alone, there's no doubt the competition will tighten up come next year. Mārena Mane, Te Karere. After the break we have the weather. To the weather now. That's all we have for today. Kia tau te mauri. Turou Hawaiki. Captions were made possible with funding from Te Māngai Pāho. Copyright TVNZ 2024.