AM Edition: Top 10 Politics Articles on LiveNews.co.nz for October 18, 2026 – Full Text

Source: Child Poverty Action Group and New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) are shining a light on the state of child poverty with the Pre-Election Child Poverty Update.

Saturday 17 October marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which began as World Child Poverty Day.

In the lead-up to the election, both organisations are calling on the next government to increase investment in reducing Aotearoa New Zealand’s shocking child poverty rates.

“Child poverty is a political choice,” says CPAG spokesperson Isaac Gunson.

“We’ve seen how political choices have made child poverty worse across the decades, and how they’ve made it better, too.”

The Pre-Election Child Poverty Update pulls together data from across Government agencies, original research by both organisations, and a timeline of policies which have positively and negatively contributed to child poverty rates, to paint a clear picture of the struggle our tamariki face.

“This document is not intended to attack one party over another. In fact, it makes clear that both governments led by both National and Labour have achieved reduction in child poverty,” says Gunson.

“Sadly, both parties have led governments which presided over increases in child poverty, too.”

NZCCSS Chief Executive Alicia Sudden says hardship and poverty are not inevitable.

“Poverty impacts children at all stages of childhood. It not only makes it harder to meet children’s basic needs, but limits their participation, achievement and sense of hope for their future. Too many families are being trapped in poverty and hardship by failing systems that no longer provide a safety net. Our member organisations see firsthand children arriving at their services with lingering coughs, shoes that are too small and the stress they are carrying.

“With the right policy choices and investment in our children, New Zealand can build a just and compassionate society where every child has enough.”

Both NZCCSS and CPAG have made clear policy asks of the next government to immediately address rising rates of material hardship and stagnating rates of income poverty.

“In 2018, our politicians made a promise to halve child poverty rates by 2028. Today, material hardship is worse than when the Child Poverty Reduction Act was signed into law, despite meaningful reductions in the early 2020s” says Gunson.

“Child poverty affects us all. A child who grows up in poverty faces significant barriers throughout their life, and with one in seven children (14.3%) living in material hardship, that will have a flow-on effect on our economic output in generations to come.”

The Pre-Election Child Poverty update lays bare both major parties’ record on dealing with this significant issue.

“We love all Kiwi kids. We know what we need to do. Let’s get on with it,” says Gunson.

“Enough is enough.”

32,000+ visitors, RM100,000 in local business revenue and international sporting participation put Sabak Bernam’s unique heritage landscape on the tourism map

SABAK BERNAM, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 October 2026 – From a 30-kilometre British-era waterway built to sustain Selangor’s paddy fields to a destination for sport, culture, tourism and community enterprise, Ban Canal is entering a new chapter — and Karnival Ban Canal 2026 is set to take it further.

Returning for its fourth edition from 6 to 8 November 2026 at Ban Canal Parit 14, Simpang Lima, Sabak Bernam, the award-winning Karnival Ban Canal (KBC 2026) is building a distinctive rural tourism platform around the theme Alam * Budaya * Lestari (Nature * Culture * Sustainability).

The festival attracted more than 32,190 visitors in 2025 and generated over RM100,000 in local business revenue. KBC 2026 aims to build on that momentum, attracting visitors from across Malaysia and internationally while creating greater economic opportunities for local communities.

Where heritage meets adventure

KBC 2026 brings together experiences rarely found in a single festival — from the Larian Bendang and fishing competitions to Kanu Slalom featuring international participants from countries including Japan and China, wall climbing and a flying fox spanning the historic Ban Canal.

The festival will also showcase Sabak Bernam’s multicultural heritage through traditional performances, Bual Bicara Malam Jumaat, local food and produce, Platform Selangor (PLATS) entrepreneur showcases, Jualan Eko Tani and nightly entertainment featuring leading Malaysian artists.

The result is more than a weekend festival. It is a platform connecting tourism, local enterprise, culture, sport and community participation, bringing visitors directly into the rural economy.

A growing platform for brands and partners

As visitor numbers and local economic activity grow, KBC 2026 is also emerging as an attractive platform for corporate partners looking to connect with audiences through experiential, community-driven and sustainability-led engagement.

Corporate partners can gain visibility across the festival ecosystem through digital and social media exposure, main-stage LED presence, on-ground branding and opportunities for direct audience engagement.

Sponsorship opportunities are available across Gold, Silver and Bronze partnerships, with scope for brands to develop activations aligned with their marketing, sustainability and community-impact objectives.

For brands looking beyond conventional advertising, KBC offers something different: the opportunity to be part of a growing destination story while putting the brand directly into the experiences of the people who visit it.

From historic waterway to living tourism destination

Ban Canal sits within the transition and buffer zones of the proposed Anjung Utara Selangor Biosphere Reserve (AUSBR) — Selangor’s 297,661-hectare “ridge-to-sea” living-economy nomination under UNESCO.

Originally constructed to channel water to the state’s interior paddy fields, the historic waterway is being reimagined as a platform for eco-tourism, rural enterprise and community development.

Karnival Ban Canal is a tangible expression of that transformation, demonstrating how natural and cultural assets can generate tourism activity, support local businesses and create new economic opportunities while preserving the character of the landscape.

Driven by the Selangor State Government, MBI Selangor, SABDA and the Sabak Bernam District Council (MDSB), KBC 2026 brings together government, communities, businesses, athletes, artists and visitors around a common proposition: that sustainable tourism can be both commercially vibrant and locally meaningful.

As Ban Canal continues its transformation, KBC 2026 offers visitors a reason to discover Sabak Bernam, businesses a platform to engage new audiences, and sponsors an opportunity to become part of a destination with a story that is still being written.

Hashtag: #SABDA

SABDA

Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporation) (MBI Selangor)

Source: Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa

15 October 2025

PSNA is congratulating the Wellington City Council which this afternoon (Thursday 15 October) voted 14 to one in favour of a motion to end procurement from companies on the United Nations Human Rights Council list of businesses profiting from illegal Israeli settlements.

It was an overwhelming vote in favour of Palestine with just Councillor Nicola Young isolated as being the only voter against the policy remit.

“This is our most decisive vote in favour of the motion so far” says PSNA Spokesperson Rinad Tamimi. “The one councillor who voted negatively didn’t even speak out against it.”

“We have positive momentum in line with public opinion which is solidly with Palestine and we expect more local bodies to follow with similar motions in the coming weeks and months”

Wellington joins Christchurch, Invercargill, Nelson, Palmerston North, Environment Canterbury and Environment Southland in taking similar action. Wellington adopted a policy last year of ceasing to invest in Israeli government bonds and Israeli state enterprises.

“This latest move by the capital city is a powerful symbol of international solidarity, while Palestinians are being ethnically cleansed from their land and homes in the Occupied West Bank and the genocide continues in Gaza.”

“Palestinians will take heart from this decision” says Tamimi. “It reaffirms Palestinian calls for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions to pressure Israel to end its genocide and apartheid practices.”

“A similar international boycott campaign helped end apartheid in South Africa and can play the same role to end Israeli apartheid.”

Source: Federated Farmers

National’s pledge to introduce 19 new national standards shows the party is serious about getting Wellington out of farming, Federated Farmers says.

“Introducing new national standards to make everyday farming activities a permitted activity will unlock farming’s potential,” Federated Farmers president Colin Hurst says.

“It will cut unnecessary cost and complexity, give farmers the confidence we need to get on with the business of farming, and help grow New Zealand’s export-led economy.

“That’s why this policy sat at the top of our priority list for the incoming Government. We think it has the most potential to help transform our primary sector.”

Federated Farmers released Backing Kiwi Farmers, a five-point plan to double farm productivity, cut costs and improve the environment, in June this year.

“We asked for 10 national standards but National have gone even further, announcing 19 new national standards for farming to help grow our economy,” Hurst says.

“This is going to be transformational for our primary sector, but it will also help everyday Kiwi families who are struggling with the cost of living.

“Farm production barriers and costs ultimately flow through to the cost of food on our supermarket shelves – especially fresh fruits and vegetables.

“This isn’t just a plan for farming; it’s a plan to grow the economy, grow our exports, and help New Zealanders get ahead.”

Permitted activity standards aren’t simply a licence to do whatever a farmer wants. They set a clear benchmark farmers must meet to ensure protection for the environment.

“If those standards are met and you’re farming within the guardrails, you can just get on with the job,” Hurst says.

“It means you don’t have all the unnecessary cost, complexity, uncertainty and delays that come with jumping through bureaucratic resource consenting hoops.”

National’s 19 national standards build on work already done to reform New Zealand’s resource management system.

“This is going to be what paves the way for farmers to double the value of agricultural exports to $106 billion by 2034,” Hurst says.

“We’ve sent the Government a consistent message that if they want to grow the economy, they just need to get out of the way and let farmers get on with it.

“They need to let us do what we do best: innovating, investing and increasing the production to really drive export growth and lift New Zealand’s standard of living.”

Federated Farmers’ proposed national standards included Farm Plans, vegetable growing, on-farm water storage, gravel extraction, drain maintenance, effluent management, fertiliser application, farm quarries, wetland restoration, and small and medium-scale solar.

The National Party has added micro-hydro, irrigation, energy storage, small-scale seasonal worker accommodation, farm tracks, agricultural aviation, culverts, offal holes and managing contaminated soils.

“This is an incredibly positive announcement that sets a clear vision and ambition for farming and growing in New Zealand,” Hurst says.

“With these standards replacing the need for consents, farmers can spend more time and money on growing their businesses and less on unnecessary bureaucracy.”

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders

Kinshasha, 16 October 2026 – Children are paying a devastating price in the Ebola outbreak unfolding in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While children face a higher risk of death from Ebola than adults, they also represent a significant proportion of those affected by the current outbreak. According to Epicentre, MSF’s epidemiological research centre, nearly one in four confirmed Ebola cases in North Kivu is a child. Médecins sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is deeply concerned by the disproportionate impact of the disease on children and calls for more attention to their specific vulnerabilities in both the medical and research response.

While Ebola remains a deadly disease for all age groups, the youngest children face the highest risk of death. In North Kivu, children have been particularly affected by the current outbreak: 24% of confirmed cases are among children under five years of age, compared with 13% in Ituri, while infants under one year old account for 13% of cases, compared with 6% in Ituri. At the Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in Butembo, North Kivu, MSF teams have observed that the case fatality rate among children was particularly high. Between June and September 2026, 24 out of 30 children—most of whom under the age of five—died from the Bundibugyo virus in this ETC alone. The rapid progression of the disease in communities and limited access to specialised care at health facility level are contributing to such alarming high fatality rates.

“Primary health facilities often lack the specialized expertise, equipment, and infection prevention and control measures needed to identify and safely manage suspected cases,” explains Stéphanie Hoffmann, project coordinator for MSF in Butembo. “Most of the paediatric cases admitted in our ETC in Butembo, North Kivu, over the summer, had already been hospitalised for other illnesses in several facilities during the days or weeks before their admission. Their family members did not have Ebola themselves, and it is highly likely that these children contracted the disease inside healthcare facilities.” Strengthening infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in health facilities, ensuring the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), and reinforcing the training of healthcare workers in non-Ebola health centres across at-risk areas are critical to maintaining essential services while preventing healthcare-associated transmission.

While efforts have been made to reduce the emotional toll of isolation on children in ETCs, including the creation of visibility areas where parents can see and communicate with their hospitalised children, being admitted to an Ebola Treatment Centre remains a deeply distressing experience for young patients. Children may be too young to understand their situation or meet their own basic needs. To help address this situation, MSF has recruited and trained caregivers who provide daily support and comfort to children inside several MSF-supported ETCs while wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE). These caregivers come from diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to Ebola survivors. Today, 13 caregivers are supporting children at Kitatumba Ebola Treatment Centre in Butembo. While far from a perfect solution, this initiative provides essential human contact and emotional support for children facing the outbreak.

“On top of enormous challenges caring for young patients, medical facilities are dealing with a lack of paediatric dosing guidance, and limited availability of child-friendly formulations of investigational medicines. A child-centred approach must be at the heart of medical care, operational planning, and research efforts”, said Dr. Guyguy Manangama, epidemiologist and deputy director of operations at MSF.

Children have been disproportionately affected by the current outbreak, yet they are left behind when it comes to access to innovative medical tools. Historically, children are often excluded from clinical research or included only after significant delays, creating dangerous gaps in evidence and access to potentially life-saving interventions.

“Treatments, vaccines, and other preventive tools should be evaluated for use in children from the outset of research efforts and made available to them without delay. Yet in the current outbreak, children are still being left behind, with very limited access to vaccination trials and campaigns, as well as the latest therapeutic innovations despite bearing a significant burden of disease. Children cannot continue to wait for data generated in adults before benefiting from advances in Ebola care and prevention,” added Dr. Guyguy Manangama.

MSF urges national authorities, research institutions, pharmaceutical developers, and international funders to prioritise the inclusion of children in all ongoing and future Bundibugyo virus studies. Ensuring equitable access to research and new medical tools, including vaccines, is essential to reducing preventable deaths and improving outcomes for one of the most vulnerable groups.

The impact of the outbreak on children extends beyond Ebola infection itself. Disruptions to essential health services can rapidly increase risks from vaccine-preventable diseases, malnutrition, and other common childhood illnesses. Preserving routine immunization, nutrition programmes, and access to primary healthcare must therefore be considered a core component of the outbreak response, not an afterthought.

Note to editors:

Treatment: One ongoing study, EBO-PEP, is evaluating an oral antiviral drug, obeldesivir, to prevent Ebola infection after high-risk exposure. If proven effective, the treatment could provide a practical way to protect people who have recently been in contact with an Ebola patient. While the trial is expected to expand eligibility to include some children, those under 20 kilograms remain excluded because an appropriate paediatric formulation is not yet available.

For the youngest children, the current alternative involves a 10-day course of intravenous treatment, an approach that is particularly difficult to implement in outbreak settings and can be especially challenging for young patients and their caregivers. More information: An urgent opportunity to ensure children’s access to oral post-exposure prophylaxis trials for Bundibugyo virus disease – The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

Vaccination: While the results of ongoing trials evaluating vaccines specifically designed for the Bundibugyo virus are not expected for several months, ERVEBO® is an immediately available option. Its safety profile is well established, it is approved for use in children aged one year and older, and health authorities in the DRC have extensive experience deploying it in outbreak settings. Emerging evidence also suggests that it may offer some protection against the Bundibugyo virus, although the degree of protection remains to be clarified. In areas at high risk of Ebola transmission, vaccinating contacts of confirmed cases, including children over one year of age, could help prevent severe illness and save lives

* This refers to cases not patients, including new or follow up consultations.

MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation. MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. Every year more than 120 Australians and New Zealanders go on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières working as: doctors, midwives, psychologists, laboratory technicians, human resource/finance coordinators, pharmacists, mental health specialists and logisticians. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au.

Official release.

BERLIN, GERMANY – Newsaktuell – 14 October 2026 – The World Health Summit 2026 concluded with new funding commitments, research findings, and initiatives. Under the theme “From Crisis to Resilience: Innovating for Health,” the Summit convened more than 4,000 on-site participants from 130 countries and territories, generated over 50,000 livestream views, and featured more than 400 speakers, including 20 ministers and state secretaries, across 76 sessions.

Major announcements and launches

• €250 million Women’s Health Initiative in Bangladesh: The Government of Bangladesh and the European Investment Bank outlined plans to improve women’s health and strengthen district hospitals and critical care services.
• US$100 million commitment to prevent stillbirths: The Gates Foundation and Wellcome Leap announced a joint commitment to Uzima: A Stillbirth Prevention Program, aiming to halve stillbirth rates within a decade in selected countries.
• Lancet Commission on 21st Century Global Threats to Health: The Commission identified two potential threats to human existence: malicious use of artificial intelligence and nuclear conflict.
• Wellcome Global Monitor 2026: Wellcome presented global findings showing that trust in science has declined compared with pre-COVID-19 levels.
• Gallup’s State of the World’s Emotional Health 2026 Report: Gallup and the World Health Summit presented findings on emotional health and well-being, revealing a complex relationship between social media use and well-being that varies by age, time spent online, and geographic location.
• €10 million German contribution to maternal and child health: Germany pledged €10 million to the Global Financing Facility’s Sustainable Commodities Access Program to improve access to family planning and maternal, newborn, and child health products.

The World Health Summit is the leading platform for global health. It brings together stakeholders from politics, science, the private sector, and civil society to set the agenda for a healthier future.

Hashtag: #WorldHealthSummit

Source: New Zealand Nurses Organisation

Te Whatu Ora must fully staff all wards at Starship Children’s Hospital including four vital wards which are short of a total of 18 full-time nurses, NZNO says.

Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO Kaiwhakahaere Kerri Nuku says the Shift Below Target data, obtained under the Official Information Act shows Starship’s intensive care unit, its medical specialties ward and two general wards are short-staffed.

“The data (see graph attached) covering January to the end of August shows these wards were short staffed during the peak of winter. Including the six nurses needed in oncology which led to cancer treatments being postponed, Starship was at least 24 FTE nurses short during Aotearoa New Zealand’s worst influenza outbreak in a decade.

“This includes nine FTE nurses short in Paediatric ICU, two short in Ward 24B for general surgery, ENT, plastics and trauma services, three short in Ward 26B for medical specialties and four short in Ward 25 which is a general paediatric ward,” Kerri Nuku says.

“ICU was short staffed 73% of all shifts in July and 56% in August. The children in ICU are among the sickest in the country. Staffing this ward should have been the utmost priority for Te Whatu Ora.

“Te Whatu has today said: ‘Experienced senior nurses from other parts of the service and the hospital are being redeployed to support staff’. This is robbing Peter to pay Paul and meet the Government’s arbitrary budget cuts, it has to stop for the sake of sick children,” Kerri Nuku says.

Meanwhile, two NZNO members working in Ward 27B haematology/oncology at Starship have spoken out anonymously, for fear of reprisal from management.

Nurse A

Management keeps saying there’s no hiring freeze, and while we have had some new nurses start, a lot of them are either newly qualified or have come from completely different clinical areas. The problem isn’t just the number of nurses we have, it’s the level of experience on the floor.

When I first started working in this area, you had to have a lot of experience before you could work with transplant patients. Even after years of working in the specialty, there was a period where you weren’t expected to work independently with those patients. Now we’re seeing nurses with only months of experience looking after incredibly vulnerable transplant patients.

These are really complex patients. When they become unwell, they can deteriorate very quickly. They often need multiple medications, antibiotics and other interventions. You need to know what you’re doing, and you need experienced people around you.

It’s the skill mix that’s the biggest issue. You might have enough nurses on paper, but that doesn’t mean you have enough people with the right experience to safely care for these patients.

I’ve never seen it this bad. I’ve never felt so unsafe at work, and I’ve never cried so much. It’s honestly broken me.

I feel terrible because I can’t support the newer nurses in the way I want to. I can see that they need help, but I’ve got so much going on with my own patients that I just don’t have the time.

I love my job. I really do. One of the things I’ve always loved about working here is that we have long-term patients. We get to know them and their families, and we get to be there with them throughout their journey. You build these relationships, and you become part of what they’re going through.

But we can’t do that anymore.

We’re so stretched that we barely have time to do what absolutely needs to be done, let alone spend time with patients and their families. And that’s such an important part of what we do.

It’s heartbreaking because we know what good care looks like. We know what these patients need, and we want to be able to give them that. But right now, we’re just trying to get through each shift.

Nurse B

We’re really short of experienced nurses, especially those who are qualified to give chemotherapy. Some of the newer nurses have been told they won’t be able to do their chemotherapy training until next year. They’ve put on extra training days, but it feels like people are being rushed through before they’ve had the chance to build up their skills and confidence.

Chemotherapy is absolutely being delayed because we don’t have enough nurses qualified to administer it, particularly on night shifts. Sometimes treatment gets pushed to the next day, or even a couple of days later, depending on who’s available.

We’re also not getting our breaks. We’re constantly trying to keep up, and there isn’t enough time to give patients the care and attention they need.

There’s so much happening, and it feels like there’s no time or support for any of us to process it.

It’s not that we don’t care. We care so much, and I think that’s why it’s affecting us so badly. We’re going home knowing we haven’t been able to give our patients the care they deserve, and that’s an awful feeling.

Editor notes:

Shift Below Target refers to whether the staffing levels for a shift are safe for both staff and patients. Shifts below target is the number of shifts where the difference in staffing hours supplied and the care hours needed by patient acuity is greater than negative 8.5% (or 40 minutes per FTE). Shifts below target indicate a heightened level of risk for patient safety, patient outcomes and nursing workforce safety and morale. Shifts below target mean there is inadequate staffing in either the numbers of staff on the floor or the skill mix and competencies of staff available to provide patient care. This can increase the incidence of adverse events or near misses such as falls or medication errors, care rationing where care is missed, delayed or suboptimally delivered or in some cases work left undone due to lack of time, resource or communication. Patient mortality increases with exposure to increased number of shifts below target.