Three unknown New Zealand high schools are refusing to enrol students expelled from their prior schools in defiance of legal orders sent by the Ministry of Education.

New reports confirm the Ministry has sent 261 letters to unwilling schools, requiring them to enrol students excluded or expelled from elsewhere.

While 251 schools have accepted the Ministry’s orders, two schools in Auckland and one in Waikato have refused to comply.

Auckland Grammar Headmaster Tim O'Connor says taking in expelled students can potentially open up schools to additional risks.

"The board has an obligation to create a safe environment for the students in its' care, so it becomes a bit of a conflict of interest when the Ministry is then directing a school or board to accept a student who has been deemed unsafe."

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Three unknown New Zealand high schools are refusing to enrol students expelled from their prior schools in defiance of legal orders sent by the Ministry of Education.
New reports confirm the Ministry has sent 261 letters to unwilling schools, requiring them to enrol students excluded or expelled from elsewhere.
While 251 schools have accepted the Ministry’s orders, two schools in Auckland and one in Waikato have refused to comply.
Auckland Grammar Headmaster Tim O'Connor says taking in expelled students can potentially open up schools to additional risks.
"The board has an obligation to create a safe environment for the students in its' care, so it becomes a bit of a conflict of interest when the Ministry is then directing a school or board to accept a student who has been deemed unsafe."
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Tim O'Connor: Auckland Grammar Headmaster responds to three schools defying Ministry orders to enrol expelled students

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/b6fa2daa-3f45-4bf6-bf5c-b1b1004d8977/transcript

Some small kiwi businesses have been surprised by Facebook's newest fees. Meta has launched a new subscription service that charges businesses a monthly fee to post links to their websites. 

It will cost $260 a month in New Zealand, and businesses will still be limited to posting just 20 links in the comments. 

Tech commentator Bill Bennett told Heather du Plessis-Allan that Meta hasn't considered the impact this could have on New Zealand small businesses which often aren't as profitable as those in the United States. 

He suggested businesses look at getting their own websites from local New Zealand sources. 

LISTEN ABOVE

Some small kiwi businesses have been surprised by Facebook's newest fees. Meta has launched a new subscription service that charges businesses a monthly fee to post links to their websites.&nbsp;
It will cost $260 a month in New Zealand, and businesses will still be limited to posting just 20 links in the comments.&nbsp;
Tech commentator Bill Bennett told Heather du Plessis-Allan that Meta hasn't considered the impact this could have on New Zealand small businesses which often aren't as profitable as those in the United States.&nbsp;
He suggested businesses look at getting their own websites from local New Zealand sources.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Bill Bennett: Tech commentator on Meta launching a new subscription service which will charge businesses

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/97b4a245-c8b8-438c-9aaa-b4e50064dfbf/transcript

30,000 people in Wellington have failed to pay their first water bill under the new Tiaki Wai water services company, almost one in five customers.  

Wellington's Mayor Andrew Little told Heather du Plessis-Allan there are a variety of reasons why people haven't paid their new water bills. Some were surprised to get the bill separately from their rates while others are finding it unaffordable and have set up payment plans.  

He says there have been some mistakes with some properties without water connections being charged. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

30,000 people in Wellington have failed to pay their first water bill under the new Tiaki Wai water services company, almost one in five customers. &nbsp;
Wellington's Mayor Andrew Little told Heather du Plessis-Allan there are a variety of reasons why people haven't paid their new water bills. Some were surprised to get the bill separately from their rates while others are finding it unaffordable and have set up payment plans. &nbsp;
He says there have been some mistakes with some properties without water connections being charged.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE&nbsp;

Andrew Little: Wellington's Mayor on 30,000 people failing to their first Tiaki Wai water services bill

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/741bd7c5-8bc2-4035-8acb-b4e5005e0c17/transcript

Right, so the question is whether the Taxpayers' Union has gone too far with its AI advert about Chris Hipkins.

If you haven't seen the ad yet, let me explain it. It's a short video that starts with a ginger-haired man in a suit and red tie sprinting down a suburban street. He kicks in a door and runs into a house where a family is having dinner. He grabs all their wallets from the table and runs off. Then he kicks in the door of another house. A woman is watching TV. He rushes in, takes her wallet and bolts out the door. 

Next, he steals a wallet from a renovation site and then takes all the money lying on a table at a barbecue. After that, he runs back out onto the street, jumps into a clapped-out red Toyota, looks into the rear-view mirror and it's Chippy. 

Then the ad says: "We can't afford Labour." 

As you can imagine, commentators on the left are absolutely losing their minds over it. Hipkins has called it nasty and desperate, saying it shows how out of touch the rich boys who run the Taxpayers' Union are. 

Frankly, I think it's brilliant. 

I saw it weeks ago, funnily enough, before the Taxpayers' Union released it and I thought it was very funny the first time I watched it. 

It doesn't cross any ethical lines. No one is going to think it's really Hipkins, not only because the AI actor doesn't actually look like him, but because the behaviour is so outrageously over the top. There's no way anyone could seriously believe this is Chris Hipkins. You'd have to be an idiot to think it was real. 

The use of AI is also perfectly acceptable. In fact, political parties would be idiots not to use something this cheap and effective. And I think that's the key point here. 

This is the most effective attack ad on Labour yet. It's a thousand times more effective than every National MP going on about "nine new taxes" as part of some 1995-style political strategy in the hope that someone will take the claim seriously. 

The ad takes the idea that Chippy is after your money, which supporters of the message would argue is true, and exaggerates it to the point of being funny. Because it's funny, and because it's visual, it sticks. 

Now, you might not like the Taxpayers' Union. You might not like its politics. You might not like its strategies. But you have to admit that it is one of the best organisations in the business at campaigning and making a political point with a bit of humour. 

My advice to Chippy would be this: stop talking about the ad, mate, because you're only drawing attention to it. Thousands more people are now going to want to see it, and they're going to remember it because it's quite funny. 

Right, so the question is whether the Taxpayers' Union has gone too far with its AI advert about Chris Hipkins.
If you haven't seen the ad yet, let me explain it. It's a short video that starts with a ginger-haired man in a suit and red tie sprinting down a suburban street. He kicks in a door and runs into a house where a family is having dinner. He grabs all their wallets from the table and runs off. Then he kicks in the door of another house. A woman is watching TV. He rushes in, takes her wallet and bolts out the door.&nbsp;
Next, he steals a wallet from a renovation site and then takes all the money lying on a table at a barbecue. After that, he runs back out onto the street, jumps into a clapped-out red Toyota, looks into the rear-view mirror and it's Chippy.&nbsp;
Then the ad says: "We can't afford Labour."&nbsp;
As you can imagine, commentators on the left are absolutely losing their minds over it. Hipkins has called it nasty and desperate, saying it shows how out of touch the rich boys who run the Taxpayers' Union are.&nbsp;
Frankly, I think it's brilliant.&nbsp;
I saw it weeks ago, funnily enough, before the Taxpayers' Union released it and I thought it was very funny the first time I watched it.&nbsp;
It doesn't cross any ethical lines. No one is going to think it's really Hipkins, not only because the AI actor doesn't actually look like him, but because the behaviour is so outrageously over the top. There's no way anyone could seriously believe this is Chris Hipkins. You'd have to be an idiot to think it was real.&nbsp;
The use of AI is also perfectly acceptable. In fact, political parties would be idiots not to use something this cheap and effective. And I think that's the key point here.&nbsp;
This is the most effective attack ad on Labour yet. It's a thousand times more effective than every National MP going on about "nine new taxes" as part of some 1995-style political strategy in the hope that someone will take the claim seriously.&nbsp;
The ad takes the idea that Chippy is after your money, which supporters of the message would argue is true, and exaggerates it to the point of being funny. Because it's funny, and because it's visual, it sticks.&nbsp;
Now, you might not like the Taxpayers' Union. You might not like its politics. You might not like its strategies. But you have to admit that it is one of the best organisations in the business at campaigning and making a political point with a bit of humour.&nbsp;
My advice to Chippy would be this: stop talking about the ad, mate, because you're only drawing attention to it. Thousands more people are now going to want to see it, and they're going to remember it because it's quite funny.&nbsp;

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The Taxpayers' Union's Chris Hipkins AI advert is brilliant campaigning

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/6930522a-b2d4-477c-89c2-b4e50051dd15/transcript

Tim O'Connor: Auckland Grammar Headmaster responds to three schools defying Ministry orders to enrol expelled students

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