Fear from our public agencies may have contributed to failure in the Tom Phillips case.  

Phillips was shot dead by police a year ago after being on the run for four years with his children.  

An inquiry has found public agencies missed opportunities to find the children earlier, and criticised Police and Oranga Tamariki for their lack of information sharing. 

Social Development Minister Louise Upston told Mike Hosking it needs to be reiterated that information can be shared if a child is in danger.  

She says they may have been scared of getting in trouble or worried that information wasn't kept safe. 

LISTEN ABOVE  

Fear from our public agencies may have contributed to failure in the Tom Phillips case. &nbsp;
Phillips was shot dead by police a year ago after being on the run for four years with his children. &nbsp;
An inquiry has found public agencies missed opportunities to find the children earlier, and criticised Police and Oranga Tamariki for their lack of information sharing.&nbsp;
Social Development Minister Louise Upston told Mike Hosking it needs to be reiterated that information can be shared if a child is in danger. &nbsp;
She says they may have been scared of getting in trouble or worried that information wasn't kept safe.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

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Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show. Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda. The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion, delivers the best talent, and always leaves you wanting more. The Mike Hosking Breakfast always cuts through and delivers the best daily on Newstalk ZB.

Open your mind to the world with New Zealand’s number one breakfast radio show.Without question, as New Zealand’s number one talk host, Mike Hosking sets the day’s agenda.The sharpest voice and mind in the business, Mike drives strong opinion,...

The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Louise Upston: Social Development Minister on the results of the inquiry into the Tom Phillips case, lack of information sharing

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/b82f5c6f-a8be-4ce6-b192-b4c6014a748d/transcript

An admission of failures —and missed opportunities— over the long disappearance of Tom Phillips and his children. 

A four-year hunt for the fugitives ended in gunfire last September when Police killed Phillips. 

An inquiry's exposed numerous failures by Police and Oranga Tamariki and a lack of information sharing. 

Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers told Mike Hosking they ultimately achieved what they set out to do, which was recover the children. 

However, she says four years in the bush was absolutely too long, and she can't deny that the conditions the children were kept in were inhumane. 

LISTEN ABOVE  

An admission of failures —and missed opportunities— over the long disappearance of Tom Phillips and his children.&nbsp;
A four-year hunt for the fugitives ended in gunfire last September when Police killed Phillips.&nbsp;
An inquiry's exposed numerous failures by Police and Oranga Tamariki and a lack of information sharing.&nbsp;
Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers told Mike Hosking they ultimately achieved what they set out to do, which was recover the children.&nbsp;
However, she says four years in the bush was absolutely too long, and she can't deny that the conditions the children were kept in were inhumane.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

Jill Rogers: Deputy Police Commissioner on the findings of the Tom Phillips inquiry, missed opportunities to recover the children

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/69f6b463-b641-450d-bb74-b4c601548e92/transcript

Immigration New Zealand is targeting unlawful employers as it tackles more than 19,000 visa overstayers. 

More than 6,500 visas have expired since 2023 without the holders leaving New Zealand shores.  

Americans topped the list of overstayers, followed by people from Tonga, China, the UK, and India. 

Compliance and Investigations General Manager Steve Watson told Mike Hosking employment is a major drawcard for people who overstay. 

He says Immigration NZ is focusing on employers who unlawfully hire migrants, which can lead to exploitation. 

But Watson says they're not entirely sure yet why so many Americans have overstayed in the last three years, with the count sitting at 925. 

He says Americans don't rank highly in immigration's four priority areas —criminality, character, exhausted appeals, or employment— so more work is needed to work out what is going on with that group. 

LISTEN ABOVE  

Immigration New Zealand is targeting unlawful employers as it tackles more than 19,000 visa overstayers.&nbsp;
More than 6,500 visas have expired since 2023 without the holders leaving New Zealand shores. &nbsp;
Americans topped the list of overstayers, followed by people from Tonga, China, the UK, and India.&nbsp;
Compliance and Investigations General Manager Steve Watson told Mike Hosking employment is a major drawcard for people who overstay.&nbsp;
He says Immigration NZ is focusing on employers who unlawfully hire migrants, which can lead to exploitation.&nbsp;
But Watson says they're not entirely sure yet why so many Americans have overstayed in the last three years, with the count sitting at 925.&nbsp;
He says Americans don't rank highly in immigration's four priority areas —criminality, character, exhausted appeals, or employment— so more work is needed to work out what is going on with that group.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

Steve Watson: Immigration NZ Compliance and Investigations General Manager on the over 19,000 people estimated to have overstayed their visas

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/6a2c294e-a57f-4e0d-a7bd-b4c6014f6707/transcript

I read that nearly a third of students who would have passed NCEA Level 2 under the current system will struggle under the new one. 

BERL have done research that suggests 15,000 students have followed pathways that may be harder to replicate. 

I'm not sure what the point of this research is. 

They also claim the changes come at a cost of $50 million, most of which goes into relief teachers to cover staff working on changes. 

The narrative is sort of presented as one of potential trouble, or a bleak future for kids that won't cope. 

Here is what I know as a parent of five, who all dealt with NCEA at various levels – it’s a joke. Not all of it, but a lot of it. 

The sad truth is that if 15,000 are not going to be able to carry on the way they were under this new system, I say not a moment too soon. 

NCEA was, without putting too fine a point on it, a piss-take. 

On paper the idea you could pick from a myriad of nice-to-haves, anything you want that didn’t need to be relevant to the real world or your chances at a job, was fun. You could piece together your eclectic selection of hobby topics and before you knew it, you had your credits. 

This was a farce. In theory it's fantastic. In reality it was a rort to game the system. 

When BERL say replicate the old system, this is what they mean; subjects no one cares about, or is getting work in, or subjects you may be interested in as a night class at polytech. None of it was designed to set you up for life. 

It was designed to produce a factory of success stories so schools could say look at our pass rate. 

You weren't passing anything of note. 

So the next problem is when students turn up to real subjects, with real expectations, and they struggle. That will show up in figures. 

It will show up in fails. Oh, I used that word that can't be used in education – "fail", "did not achieve", "not passed". 

But that is how countries who succeed do it. They educate their kids in real-world subjects at real-world rates because, guess what, they are going out into the real world. 

Our foray into educational fantasy was always going to end in tears. Between Covid and 25 years of NCEA we have sold a generation of kids short, if not down the river. 

Sure, lots did fine. But that’s always the way. 

Good kids never fail. It's the rest who didn’t know better, or who took the mickey, that will, and are, paying the price. 

I read that nearly a third of students who would have passed NCEA Level 2 under the current system will struggle under the new one.&nbsp;
BERL have done research that suggests 15,000 students have followed pathways that may be harder to replicate.&nbsp;
I'm not sure what the point of this research is.&nbsp;
They also claim the changes come at a cost of $50 million, most of which goes into relief teachers to cover staff working on changes.&nbsp;
The narrative is sort of presented as one of potential trouble, or a bleak future for kids that won't cope.&nbsp;
Here is what I know as a parent of five, who all dealt with NCEA at various levels – it’s a joke. Not all of it, but a lot of it.&nbsp;
The sad truth is that if 15,000 are not going to be able to carry on the way they were under this new system, I say not a moment too soon.&nbsp;
NCEA was, without putting too fine a point on it, a piss-take.&nbsp;
On paper the idea you could pick from a myriad of nice-to-haves, anything you want that didn’t need to be relevant to the real world or your chances at a job, was fun. You could piece together your eclectic selection of hobby topics and before you knew it, you had your credits.&nbsp;
This was a farce. In theory it's fantastic. In reality it was a rort to game the system.&nbsp;
When BERL say replicate the old system, this is what they mean; subjects no one cares about, or is getting work in, or subjects you may be interested in as a night class at polytech. None of it was designed to set you up for life.&nbsp;
It was designed to produce a factory of success stories so schools could say look at our pass rate.&nbsp;
You weren't passing anything of note.&nbsp;
So the next problem is when students turn up to real subjects, with real expectations, and they struggle. That will show up in figures.&nbsp;
It will show up in fails. Oh, I used that word that can't be used in education – "fail", "did not achieve", "not passed".&nbsp;
But that is how countries who succeed do it. They educate their kids in real-world subjects at real-world rates because, guess what, they are going out into the real world.&nbsp;
Our foray into educational fantasy was always going to end in tears. Between Covid and 25 years of NCEA we have sold a generation of kids short, if not down the river.&nbsp;
Sure, lots did fine. But that’s always the way.&nbsp;
Good kids never fail. It's the rest who didn’t know better, or who took the mickey, that will, and are, paying the price.&nbsp;

Mike's Minute: We are moving forward into real-world education

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/e0e2a9a7-c3e2-43b2-864c-b4c50179a411/transcript

Louise Upston: Social Development Minister on the results of the inquiry into the Tom Phillips case, lack of information sharing

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