Sam Sachdeva

Wellington

National Affairs Editor at Newsroom New Zealand

Foreign affairs + more @NewsroomNZ. Trying out the other app (🦋), so in theory won't be on here as much.

Featured in: Favicon

newsroom.co.nz Favicon

msn.com

theguardian.com Favicon

smh.com.au Favicon

stuff.co.nz Favicon

rnz.co.nz

cnas.org

pina.com.fj Favicon

inkl.com

flipboard.com + 1 more

Articles

MPs recommend new safeguards for foreign interference law

5 days ago | newsroom.co.nz | Sam Sachdeva

New safeguards are set to be added to controversial new foreign interference law, following concerns that legitimate protest activity could be criminalised as a result. However, one political party remains opposed to the legislation, arguing the changes amount to “state overreach and a significant threat to civil liberties”. Already have an account?
Govt's modern slavery trade commitments questioned in the UK

1 week ago | newsroom.co.nz | Sam Sachdeva

New Zealand’s lack of effort in tackling modern slavery has been criticised by British observers scrutinising a trade deal signed between the two countries, as hopes of a cross-party deal to pass a new law fade. The last Labour government announced plans to make businesses publicly report on what they were doing to address exploitation risks in their operations and supply chains, in a move supported by National. Already have an account?
Stanford's 'ill-mannered and inappropriate' India comments criticised

1 week ago | newsroom.co.nz | Sam Sachdeva

A senior minister’s “ill-mannered, dismissive and inappropriate” remarks about unsolicited emails from Indians give an impression of bias against the community and risks damaging trust in the immigration process, a community association says. However, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he has no concerns about the comments made by Immigration Minister Erica Stanford and any potential impact they could have on sensitive trade negotiations between the two countries.
Pay equity specialists in firing line after Govt changes

1 week ago | newsroom.co.nz | Sam Sachdeva

Some of the country’s leading pay equity specialists may be at risk of losing their jobs following the Government’s overhaul of the system, with one ministry confirming it is examining the structure of its team. Unions say any cuts to the Ministry of Education’s pay equity unit would contradict claims made by coalition ministers that pay equity claims remain viable under the new law. Already have an account?
Parliament takes 'nuclear option' to kill off tikanga regulation

1 week ago | newsroom.co.nz | Sam Sachdeva

Law schools will no longer have to teach tikanga Māori in all their compulsory subjects, after Parliament narrowly overturned rules set by legal experts in a move described by one academic as the “nuclear option”. Debate about the role of tikanga in the law has grown following high-profile court judgments in recent years, as well as the NZ Council of Legal Education’s decision to include it among the compulsory subjects for a law degree. Already have an account?
Govt's climate aid reduction 'betrayal' of Pacific, NGOs say

2 weeks ago | newsroom.co.nz | Sam Sachdeva

A $100 million reduction in New Zealand’s annual climate aid shows a lack of leadership and is a betrayal of the country’s Pacific neighbours, disappointed aid groups say. Foreign Minister Winston Peters had conceded the Government’s aid commitments are lower than he wanted – but has placed the blame on Labour for leaving a “fiscal cliff” that could not be easily filled.
Pay equity savings ploughed back into tax breaks, health, education and gas

2 weeks ago | newsroom.co.nz | Sam Sachdeva

A tax incentive for businesses, boosts to health and education spending, and Crown funding for new gas fields are among new Budget initiatives made viable by nearly $13 billion in cuts to the pay equity regime. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has stood by the decision to raise the bar for future pay equity claims, saying “trade-offs” had to be made to fund the Government’s priorities.
Take military talks out from behind closed doors - academic

2 weeks ago | newsroom.co.nz | Sam Sachdeva

The Government must be more upfront about its plans for New Zealand’s military relationships, an academic says, as officials continue to hold meetings about a polarising security alliance behind closed doors. Debate over the trilateral security deal between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, and New Zealand’s potential role in elements of the pact related to advanced technologies (better known as Pillar II), peaked last year. Already have an account?
NZ-backed trade plan picks up steam

2 weeks ago | newsroom.co.nz | Sam Sachdeva

A New Zealand-backed plan to link the European Union and the Indo-Pacific together on trade in the wake of Donald Trump’s tariffs is gathering pace, says Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon raised the possibility of building formal links between the CPTPP and the EU in a speech last month, saying the two blocs could jointly “champion rules-based trade and make specific commitments on how that support plays out in practice”. Already have an account?
Pay equity changes make new claims 'virtually impossible' – unions

2 weeks ago | newsroom.co.nz | Sam Sachdeva

Changes to the pay equity system have made it “virtually impossible” for new claims to succeed, unions say, with all successful previous settlements having used job comparisons that are now off limits. The Government’s controversial changes to pay equity legislation, rushed through under legislation this month and applying retrospectively, have sparked anger from workers who say they will now have to wait years to secure justice – if at all. Already have an account?