The Queen is laid to rest
The final committal ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II was the only thing kept private as millions broadcast, captured and watched the Queen’s funeral and journey through London and Windsor.
Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Tuesday, September 20, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.
In today’s edition: one in five applications to return to nursing programme successful; Sam Uffindell given a second chance, children as young as six working at Gloriavale; but first, Queen Elizabeth II is laid to rest.
Queen Elizabeth II’s committal service at St George's Chapel (Photo: Ben Birchall/Getty Images)
“You wonder if you’ve muted the sound by accident”
The private burial of Queen Elizabeth II has just taken place at King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor. The last of the ceremonial broadcast here wrapped up at 4.10am on 1News and the final public coverage of the committal ceremony captured by the BBC as the Queen’s casket was lowered into the vault. Unlike Alex Casey and Tara Ward who did live updates on The Spinoff until 1.10am, I went to bed after the funeral service ended. It was, as the Queen specified, a short, solemn and dignified event. The Irish Times described the BBC’s coverage as so hushed, “you wonder if you’ve muted the sound by accident”. For all that we might roll our eyes at the pomp of the BBC, they did not err once. They did not ramble on and the camera never lingered on anyone, too long.
Moments of levity and inevitable online reaction
I only suffered one mild anxiety attack during a proceeding that was exactly as military and precise as you’d expect. A bishop dropped a note card - the BBC camera op just zoomed in so it was no longer in view. To post online about any and all of the lighter details is human and the Guardian has a wrap of those moments. The whole thing was a reminder that among the chaos of the last few years, this high ceremony is something the British do very well. Charlotte Higgins doesn’t mince words this morning, writing “It feels that the more wretched, bitter and badly governed the country becomes, the more splendid and gilded the royal ceremonies, and the more outrageous the national self-delusion.”
“I will be at the queen’s funeral with a hat from an Amazon page”
At the time of sending, photographers have loaded 4,063 photos of the funeral to Getty Images. All the main metro papers here but the Waikato Times are leading with farewell tributes on the front pages this morning. The Times is leading with a story about a motel that received $3m from the government in emergency housing grants and then went into liquidation. The world continues to turn, issues continue to be issues. I enjoyed the coverage from the New York Times of the non-dignitaries attending the funeral, including Natalie Queiroz and her hat off Amazon. Away from the ceremony and dignitaries, a very large number of people in anoraks, hoodies and beanies lined the procession path, mobile phones raised. The Guardian’s “alternative photos” gallery is worth a look. Made me miss London.
Prime minister heads to New York
I am assuming our correspondents in the UK have had a cup of tea and a lie-down as many of them are now back on breakfast television recapping events. Prime minister Jacinda Ardern will now travel from London to New York for the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly. It will be the first time leaders have met face-to-face in three years. After that the prime minister will return home and probably head straight to the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul where the national memorial service will take place on Monday, September 26. There will be a nation-wide minute’s silence at 2pm that day, which is also a public holiday. The government will pass law today to enact that.
Business Is Boring, in proud partnership with Spark Lab
After observing the powers of seaweed fertilisers on an orchard, the founders of Agrisea decided to start looking into all the other ways this abundant plant could help our ecosystem to thrive. Now in the hands of the second-generation of the family, Agrisea is pioneering in the seaweed and algae research space. CEO Clare Bradley and chief innovation officer Tane Bradley joined Simon Pound on Business is Boring to talk about the unique magic of seaweed and the exciting future of Agrisea. Listen to the podcast here.
One out of five application to return to work nursing fund successful
As Stuff’s Hamish McNeilly reports, the first round of funding for the government's Return to Nursing fund resulted in 65 successful applications (paying out $205,000 in total) and 297 unsuccessful applications. That’s one in five. The fund is designed to remove financial barriers for nurses who wish to return to nursing but need training because of their time out of the workforce. One nurse spoken to by Hamish McNeilly had done an intensive retraining course to return to nursing, got a job in aged care and didn't realise you needed to apply for the funding before securing a job. New Zealand is short of an estimated 4000 nurses.
Uffindell hangs on
Back home, National party MP Sam Uffindell will return to caucus after the inquiry by Maria Dews KC “did not substantiate any allegations of bullying”. It’s not quite a clean slate but in a “he said/she said'' situation, opposition leader Christopher Luxon said he believed in forgiveness and second chances. The public and media will not see the report from Dews. The University of Auckland’s Lara Greaves said while it was good the investigation did not discover anything further about Uffindell, as a new MP it was "not clear what future he can have". As the Herald's political editor Claire Trevett writes (paywalled), questions will linger, especially if there are compelling challengers for selection by the party in Tauranga for the 2023 election.
Children as young as six were put to work at Gloriavale
The employment court case involving Glorivale resumed in Christchurch yesterday. Six former Gloriavale women are seeking a ruling that they were employees, not volunteers, during their time in the community. A former Gloriavale leader, Zion Pilgrim revealed yesterday that the children of Gloriavale were the community's largest income earners through the childcare centre, school and the money received from Working for Families. “This amount comes to approximately $4m to $4.5m” said Pilgrim. Pilgrim also explained that children as young as six were expected to work.
Click and collect
Climate change commission chair calls for reform of emissions trading scheme.
Election billboard campaign falls foul of council's own rules.
Iwi leaders in Rotorua take a stand on emergency housing.
An op-ed from the mayor of Christchurch on the council’s pushback against government housing intensification rules.
Activity in the services sector is at its highest level in nearly a year following the return of tourists.
Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz.
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Question mark over Silver Ferns v Jamaica netball series
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The tragedy of King Charles III
Long read for you today from Politico. This will be the last of the royal coverage from me for a bit, but it’s an interesting look at what King Charles loses as he steps into a role constrained by the conventions of monarchy.
