All Blacks captain showing artistic style in pandemic lockdown

Christchurch - The coronavirus pandemic lockdown has prompted All Blacks rugby captain Kieran Read to stick a few fridge magnets around a sketch from one of his first overseas tours, in 2006. Read has posted the French streetscape 2006 sketch on Instagram, from when he was staying in Vichy, in the Clermont-Ferrand

Exercise experts producing NZ’s biggest online directory during lockdown

Christchurch - ExerciseNZ is working with the New Zealand Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) to produce the country’s largest directory of online exercise providers. REPs has 3500 members and more than 250 facilities, representing about 70 percent of the workforce of the industry. ExerciseNZ chief executive Richard Beddie says around 80 percent of trainers

NZHIT creates a national online jobs board

Auckland - NZ Health IT (NZHIT) has launched a national digital health jobs board to help organisations and people looking for work during lockdown. This move is to support member organisations (employers) and people (candidates) looking for work during the COVID-19 pandemic, NZHIT chief executive Scott Arrol says. “We just want to support

80 percent of NZ trainers and exercise facilities operating online

Christchurch - Eighty percent of trainers and exercise facilities in New Zealand are now operating online during the coronavirus lockdown, ExerciseNZ chief executive Richard Beddie estimates. Some clubs have comprehensive systems such as Les Mills and CityFitness while smaller exercise, pilates and yoga businesses have up to 60 classes in their online

Amazing switch to NZ virtual healthcare during covid-19 work lockdown

Auckland - Into the second week of coronavirus lockdown, New Zealand’s primary care doctors, nurses and staff are putting in an amazing effort to switch to phone and online health consultations in such a very short timeframe, a leading New Zealand IT health expert says. GP clinics across the country have moved

Alcohol and cigarettes can be delivered but not exercise equipment

Christchurch - Leading New Zealand exercise expert is extremely disappointed that alcohol and cigarettes can be delivered to people by courier because they are ‘essential’ and for their welfare, whereas exercise equipment isn’t essential, so can’t be delivered even if someone is working from a home business. ExerciseNZ chief executive says exercise

Lock-down day one: exercise never more important

Christchurch - Most of New Zealand is closed down today in the grip of the covid-19 pandemic but exercise has never been more important in the country’s history, ExerciseNZ chief executive Richard Beddie says. “One thing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has stressed in recent days it is still okay for Kiwis

GPs should be paid for virtual health consultation during COVID-19

Christchurch - The government must immediately assist the urgent uptake of virtual healthcare services by paying GPs for every video consultation they undertake during the coronavirus pandemic, NZ Health IT (NZHIT) chief executive Scott Arrol says. He says unprecedented measures need to be taken as New Zealand is on the verge of