Source: Radio New Zealand

Calls for Asians to be deported and threats of physical violence are among some of the latest social media comments aimed at people accused of stripping rockpools and breaching fishing rules.

On Saturday, at least a hundred people demonstrated at Army Bay in Auckland’s Whangaparāoa for the protection of local rock pools, and residents earlier told RNZ that rockpools were being stripped bare of sea life – including shellfish, or any animal life that lives in the pools.

The term “bucket people” has been widely used on social media to refer to those accused of over-harvesting, and many have anecdotally pointed to tourism buses and visitors, blaming them for the depletion of the rockpools.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said Whangaparāoa has a recreational fishing compliance rate of 93 percent between November 1, 2025, and January 5, with 14 non-compliance incidents across 189 inspections conducted in the period – four involved excessive taking of shellfish (cockles), seven were for undersized snapper, two involved illegal netsetting, and non involved tour buses.

Over the past week, more posts on the controversy have appeared on Facebook pages, targeting the Asian community – including one person who wrote they were prepared to give a few “knuckle burgers and black eye rings” to those breaking the rules; there have also been several posts calling for the gatherers to be deported.

Meanwhile, there have also been posts by rockpools protection advocates calling out the racist comments and urging people to focus on the environmental cause.

On Monday, fisheries minister Shane Jones pointed to what he called “unfettered immigration” when interviewed on the topic, and said he’s seeking urgent advice from fisheries on the issues.

Asian New Zealanders nervous about racial tensions arising from rockpools issues

A Chinese New Zealander living near Whangaparāoa said he doesn’t personally collect shellfish, but is worried about the rising tensions over the issue.

The man, who did not want to be named, said he’s now nervous about taking his kids to the beach.

“Eventually we’ll get targeted, like if we go to the beach, even if we don’t bring the bucket, and we just relax on the beach, and people may come up and say something hurtful to me,

“My kids are going to grow up here in New Zealand, they’re going to contribute to society, what are they going to feel like? They’re going to be like ‘I’m surrounded by people who hate us only because of our looks’”, he said.

The man said he’s seen videos posted to social media by people filming the contents of people’s buckets, and urging people to throw things back into the ocean.

He said he feels it violates people’s private space and that the residents doing the patrolling shouldn’t be behaving like law enforcement.

He said Asian communities are left with the blame when the government has failed to revise the limits on gathering shellfish.

A Wellington woman, who posted a photo of her Chinese husband holding a bucket of mussels on Facebook earlier this month, was shocked to see dozens of racist comments under the post.

The woman said the photo came from a family outing to the beach with her in-laws and kids, and the mussels collected came under the limit for seven people.

She said the post explained their awareness of gathering limits, but that didn’t stop the abuse.

“It’s just like, ‘These Chinese people bring their family and hoard everything from New Zealand, they don’t know the rules, they should be deported’, those kinds of things,” she said, noting that about one of five of the over 260 comments were hurtful.

The woman said her family hasn’t been to the beach since the online abuse.

Rockpools protection advocate: no place for racism

Rockpools protection advocate Mark Lenton, who leads the “Protect Whangaparāoa Rockpools” group, said racism is not helpful to the cause and will not be tolerated on their Facebook page.

“There’s no place for this uneducated bigotry, which only amplifies a lack of intelligence, and it’s not a good look for the author,

“So look, we do not encourage it in any way, and any comments raised and deleted, and the author is banned,” he said.

Lenton said such comments are the quickest thing that will undermine their credibility as a group.

He said he’s been talking to gatherers at Army Bay and makes the point that even when people gather within the limits, the sheer volume of gatherers is causing problems for the marine ecology.

“We’re really focused on an attitude change here, we’re really trying to amplify conservation,” he added.

Lenton said he estimates that on any given day at low tide during the weekends, there may be 100 to 300 gatherers on the beach.

Researcher of Asians in Aotearoa: “bucket people” trope dehumanizing

Auckland based writer and researcher of Asian diasporas, Tze Ming Mok, said she’s concerned that certain ministers in government may be more interested in whipping up division against a small minority than they are in constructively addressing the issue.

Mok said the term “bucket people” is creepy and is yet another racial slur being created, which dehumanises communities.

“The stereotype of the rapacious Asian stripping the coastlines is a trope and a stereotype that has been wielded against us since at least the early 90s, and the thing is that we have approached this issue in good faith, constructive ways before,

“By building relationships between new migrants, government, iwi and local communities so we can all learn and educate each other, and protect our ecosystems together,” she said.

Meanwhile, Lenton said he didn’t think the term “bucket people” was discriminatory.

“The term bucket people does not discriminate by age, by gender, nor by race,

“It is simply a collective term that accurately describes people who rape and pillage rock pools and coastal sea life to fill their buckets,” he said.

Auckland-based university student of Chinese descent One Wang, who has an interest in researching the relationship between tauiwi and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, said the labelling and online bullying around the rockpools issues have diverted attention away from the environmental issue itself.

“At this point our focus should be on the whenua, on papatūānuku, and on moana, what people could help with is make information and education accessible to all people who interact with marine life, so they can do that responsibly,” said Wang.

Wang said it’s been devastating to see the environmental impacts on moana, but equally devastating to see how quickly blame has been directed at an entire ethnic group.

Ngati Manuhiri, whose rohe extends from Mangawhai to the Okura river mouth south of Whangaparāoa, has applied for a two-year-ban on harvesting shellfish from the city’s Eastern Coastline.

The minister is expected to make a decision next month.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow the RNZ liveblog at the top of the page for the latest updates.

Bands of heavy rain are expected to spread south across the motu on Wednesday, as orange heavy rain warnings continue for Northland, Coromandel, Rotorua and Gisborne. It comes after days of downpours flooded areas of the north, washing out roads and cutting power.

People in Auckland and Waikato are also warned to expect strong gales through the day, as well as potential heavy rain across the region and in large parts of the South Island.

Follow the RNZ liveblog at the top of the page for the latest updates.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper says the storm damage he witnessed on Tuesday was as severe as any he’s seen in Northland.

A precautionary state of emergency is already declared for the Whangārei District as large areas of the country brace for more bad weather.

Northland and Coromandel Peninsula are under an orange heavy rain until Thursday, with MetService saying there’s a high chance of upgrading to red.

There are also heavy rain warnings for Bay of Plenty and Gisborne, and MetService has issued strong wind watches for Auckland and Waikato from 8am .

Couper visited the areas worst hit by Sunday’s deluge, including the seaside settlement of Ōakura, northeast of Whangārei, to see the effects for himself.

“It was as bad as you see in the north, in terms of the damage to property, the hillsides coming down behind houses, the damage to the wastewater infrastructure, things like that. It is quite localised, thank goodness, but where it’s bad, it’s bad.”

However, Couper said the people he spoke to were unbowed.

“They’re a resilient bunch. They’re used to living remotely.

“They look after themselves. They acknowledge they’ve had a hit, but they’re very pro-active about getting on with life.”

Residents in Ōakura in particular were “extremely upset” about damage to the community hall they had worked so hard to renovate little more than a year ago.

“It’s been taken out by the slip behind it, so they’re very sad about that, but people aren’t down in the dumps. They’re just frustrated with the fact that they have now a big clean-up job.”

Couper said the damage already caused and the prospect of more extreme weather in coming days had persuaded him to declare a state of emergency, which came into force at 4pm Tuesday and would last an initial seven days..

“With a further weather event coming, we felt that it was wise to declare a state of emergency, which allows certain powers to be released, if required. We didn’t want to wait until it’s proved that it is required – we wanted to get ahead of the game.”

Couper said those extra powers included the right for police to order evacuations or close roads, if they believed lives were in danger.

The council’s emergency operations centre was already up and running, and Northland Civil Defence was engaged in a full regional response.

“They are ready to respond, and are in place should this weather event come along and cause us more trouble.”

Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell visited Whangarei on Tuesday and supported the council’s decision to declare an emergency early.

“We certainly didn’t take that decision lightly and there was a full discussion with all the emergency services before the decision was made.

“Our hillsides and roading network are already saturated, we have 47 slips, there are cracks above those slips and any more rain will potentially cause more problems. Part of our community is significantly affected already and we have people in emergency shelters.”

Couper said Northlanders looked out for each other when the going was tough and he expected that would happen again, if there was more extreme weather in coming days.

“I think now is a time for us to demonstrate how resilient and how connected we can be as a community, and of course, we will. We always do up here in the north.

“It’s just a case of being prepared, as much as we can.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A young woman was left seriously ill after she was mistakenly given an antidepressant by a pharmacy instead of the prescribed pain relief for endometriosis.

The woman, in her mid-20s, said she fainted and remained unconscious for about 15 minutes, and suffered other severe symptoms, which left her seeking medical help.

She had earlier been diagnosed with endometriosis, which caused severe pelvic pain, and was prescribed cyproterone, branded Siterone, to ease the pain.

However, when she collected a repeat prescription as scheduled, she was mistakenly given the antidepressant sertraline, which carried the brand name Setrona.

The woman told the Health & Disability Commissioner that the antidepressant, sertraline, taken in conjunction with other prescribed medication she took for anxiety, caused “serotonin syndrome”, described as a toxic state caused mainly by excess serotonin in the central nervous system.

She fainted and had other symptoms, including nausea, diarrhoea, uncontrollable sweating, a racing heart, hypertension, and hypotension.

She sought help at a hospital after-hours clinic and required “multiple” GP visits afterwards.

The woman then notified the pharmacy of the dispensing error once she became aware of it, Deputy Health & Disability Commissioner Dr Vanessa Caldwell said in a decision released today.

Caldwell found the dispensing error was a “significant incident” because of the apparent harm caused.

Similar brand names led to error

The pharmacy stated that the error was the result of confusion caused by similarities between the brand name of the prescribed medication and the medication dispensed in error.

It has since revised its standard operating procedure for dispensing to emphasise that medications should be processed under their generic names, not brand names.

Caldwell found the pharmacist who checked the prescription in breach of a section of the health consumer’s code, and was critical of the technician who prepared it.

The pharmacy told the HDC that in June 2024, its dispensing software had identified that the woman was due for her repeat prescriptions.

After it was processed, it was dispensed by a pharmacy technician who selected the medications, applied computer-generated labels, and placed the medications in a basket for checking by a pharmacist.

The medication was then checked, bagged up and placed on a shelf for collection.

Caldwell said, based on evidence from the pharmacy, it appeared the technician misread the label and selected sertraline 50mg instead of cyproterone 50mg.

She said the error was not picked up by the pharmacist when he did a final check, likely for the same reason.

Caldwell said she notified the pharmacist of the pending HDC investigation last February, and a month later, he accepted that his conduct was in breach of the code.

He and the pharmacy had since apologised to the woman, placed additional warning signs on the medicine shelf next to the two medications in question, and further staff training on standard operating procedures and the dispensing process had been completed.

Caldwell said the HDC’s office had said in a similar case that it was a “fundamental patient safety and quality assurance step in the dispensing process” to adequately check the medication being dispensed against the prescription.

This involved checking that the correct medicine, dose, form, strength, and quantity were being dispensed, and checking for any interactions.

Caldwell said a check of therapeutic appropriateness, or that it was the correct medication for the indication, would have identified the error, the same as checking whether the medication would interact negatively with the woman’s other prescribed medication.

Responsibility lay with pharmacist

She said while the onus was on the technician to dispense the medication correctly, the ultimate responsibility for the final check lay with the pharmacist.

She said that by not carrying out the final check adequately, he failed to adhere to industry standards and the pharmacy’s own operating procedures.

Among a list of recommendations, including that the technician also apologise to the woman, Caldwell advised the pharmacy do a random audit of medication for 20 prescriptions, to assess staff compliance with the dispensing and checking procedures.

The pharmacy then had to report the outcome to the HDC and any action plan to address the findings.

* This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

An Auckland duty lawyer isn’t ruling out further action, after not working for a week to raise awareness for poor pay and conditions.

Duty lawyers are paid by the Justice Ministry to give free legal advice to those appearing in court who cannot afford a lawyer.

Last year, some duty lawyers announced they would make themselves unavailable to work for a week in January.

Dennis Ansley has been a duty lawyer in Auckland for more than 38 years and told RNZ other lawyers were pulled in to plug the gap during last week’s industrial action.

“The Ministry [of Justice] brought in people from other courts, including Tauranga, and replaced those of us on the roster, who were taking industrial action,” he said. “There was very little disruption to the courts, except there were new lawyers here that didn’t know the system in Auckland.”

He said their message had been delivered.

“We’ve got publicity, we’ve got awareness now,” he said. “People are talking about it.”

Ansley said he had messages of support from other lawyers.

“I’ve had a lot of calls since from lawyers all over the country, as far as Southland, who had read about what happened and offered their support.”

Communication had been an issue, Ansley said.

“If we plan something next time – and I’ve already got something in mind – the communication will be far better,” he said.

Potential future action would be better planned and more effective, Ansley said, although he hoped more industrial action wouldn’t be necessary.

He said he had yet to hear from the justice minister or ministry.

“Talk to us,” he urged officials. “Instigate the recommendation from the review of the duty lawyer scheme, which was to urgently look at our remuneration, because of the problems with attraction and retention of lawyers onto the duty lawyer roster.

“It’s in a crisis stage now and it needs to be addressed.”

Ansley said that review was with the minister.

The Criminal Bar Association said the hourly rates and work conditions imposed on duty lawyers were far below those of lawyers in private practice.

President Annabel Cresswell said they stood with duty lawyers for a country where everyone could access justice, no matter their income.

“The treatment and pay provided to duty lawyers by successive governments has made this work unsustainable or even unsafe,” she said. “That is, in turn, a breach of the rights of all New Zealanders to access justice and fairness in our courts.”

Cresswell said duty lawyers spent every day at the frontlines of an under-resourced justice system.

“They take care of those who cannot afford legal fees in the most high-pressured conditions, dealing with addiction issues and mental health challenges.

“This service needs to be preserved.”

The government must support duty lawyers to protect the right of the most vulnerable in court, Cresswell said.

Ministry of Justice acting national service delivery group manager Louisa Carroll said the courts were not disrupted during the industrial action.

“The ministry was advised of a possible reduction in duty lawyer availability in Auckland, Christchurch and Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay,” she said. “Only one duty lawyer from a different region was rostered to maintain coverage, in accordance with the Duty Lawyer Operational Policy.”

Local duty lawyers were rostered where possible, she said.

“The Legal Aid Triennial review includes a review of remuneration across the legal aid scheme, including proposals related to the duty lawyer service that were outlined in the discussion document.

“The proposals are currently with the minister for consideration.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Plans for Lake Hāwea’s first standalone liquor store have been approved despite record community opposition.

Queenstown Lakes District Licensing Committee has approved a liquor licence for a Super Liquor franchise in the Longview subdivision, where more than [www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/573991/record-number-of-objections-to-liquor-licence-in-lake-hawea 500 submissions] argued it should not be allowed to operate.

A three-day hearing took place November where the applicant, Keyrouz Holdings Ltd, set out its case.

In a decision published on Tuesday, the committee said the applicant – which operates several Super Liquor franchises around the south – had “considerable experience” and could supply liquor responsibly.

The committee noted the company had sold alcohol safely in its other stores and had the resources to do the same in Lake Hāwea.

Earlier, residents voiced concerns that the store would be too close to children, too far from healthcare, and sent the wrong signal about the town’s priorities.

Some argued there were already enough liquor outlets in the town – with four existing off-licences – while others argued the company should not have applied for a licence before building the store.

The committee rejected claims that Lake Hāwea faced unique risks due to demographics or limited healthcare, adding that those factors did not disqualify a recent grocery store licence application in the area.

Lake Hāwea was not uniquely vulnerable, it said.

The committee decided it was impractical to require a completed building before granting a licence – instead issuing a legal waiver requiring Queenstown Lakes District Council to provide a Certificate of Public Use or Building Code Compliance Certification before the licence could take effect.

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act did not limit the number of licensed premises in a community, the committee noted.

The Super Liquor will be able to sell alcohol from 9am – 9pm, Monday to Sunday.

The committee imposed a ban on single-unit sales of mainstream beer and RTDs, a requirement for frosted glass on the exterior, and a total prohibition on external product or price advertising.

Community vows to keep fighting

Community group Voices Against Hāwea announced on Tuesday afternoon that it would appeal the decision.

Resident Lisa Riley called the committee’s decision deeply disappointing but not unexpected.

She said during the hearing: “It was clear that the threshold being applied was so high that community and public health concerns were never realistically going to succeed.”

“There was a strong sense that unless harm could be proven with near certainty before the store even exists, the decision had effectively already been made.”

The appeal will argue that the decision gave too little weight to widespread and consistent community opposition, set an unrealistically high bar for public health evidence, and overlooked long-term risks in a rapidly growing residential area, Riley said.

The appeal will also contend that approving a liquor licence before the business is built could lock in its use before the community has fully formed, she said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A much-loved teacher and sportsman in the Auckland and Northland communities is being mourned following his death on a road in Northland’s Bay of Islands.

Harry Darkins, 36, died after being struck by a vehicle on Puketona Rd in Haruru, near Paihia, in the early hours of Sunday.

Darkins had worked at a number of schools in Northland and Auckland including Whangārei Intermediate School, Whangārei Boys High School and more recently, Auckland’s Ormistion Junior College. He was also a keen sportsman playing cricket for Onerahi Central Cricket Club and Northern Māori Cricket.

Sam Walker, from Onerahi Central Cricket Club, said words couldn’t cut the loss the community was feeling.

“Harry will be missed by so many people, he engaged and helped so many within the community that this is a huge loss, everyone from the club is thinking of his family at this time, so tragic.”

The club said Darkins was a “massive force” in the club who played in both senior teams and served on the club’s committee until he moved to Auckland to teach at Ormiston Junior College.

“Even whilst teaching in Auckland, Harry regularly made the trip north to play for the club, nothing was ever too much hassle for Harry who was willing to help out in any way possible.

“Harry will be a massive loss to the club and community and many of us have lost a great friend far too soon.”

Whangārei Boys High School said Darkins was both an old boy of the school who graduated in 2006, and a staff member until 2022.

He worked primarily as a PE and health teacher who also served as a year level Dean.

“Harry’s strength, dedication, and unwavering commitment to our boys were evident in everything he did. Beyond the classroom, he gave enormously to the life of the school as our First XV coach, proudly committed to the anchor and all it represents.

“He was passionate about young people, deeply loyal to this kura, and leaves behind a lasting legacy through the many students and colleagues whose lives he shaped.”

The school said he would be remembered with great respect, appreciation and fondness.

The principal of Whangārei Intermediate School, Haley Read, said on social media, Darkins had aspirations of becoming a school principal and spoke with real excitement about the next step in his journey.

“Harry was an exceptional teacher with strengths across PE and health, mathematics, and inquiry learning. He was thoughtful, organised, and deeply committed to his students offering meaningful guidance and mentoring.

“His passing is a tremendous loss to education and to the many communities he was part of. Our thoughts are with Harry’s whānau, friends, colleagues, and students at this incredibly difficult time. At this time, funeral arrangements have not yet been confirmed.”

IPCA investigation underway

Northland District Commander Superintendent Matt Srhoj, said at the time of the crash a marked police patrol car was in the area and had spoken with a group of pedestrians seen walking on the road.

“The crash occurred a short time later, where a member of the public’s vehicle struck one of the pedestrians.”

Srhoj said due to the patrol car being present just before the crash police had decided to refer the incident to the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA).

A critical incident investigation would also be carried out.

The driver of the vehicle which hit Darkins stopped immediately, Srhoj said, and the vehicle had been seized by police.

“This is an incredibly tragic event for all concerned, and our thoughts are with the pedestrian’s family at this difficult time.

“Support is also in place for our two frontline members who were in the police vehicle at the time the crash occurred.

“This has been devastating for them, and it is the last thing anyone would have wanted to happen.”

As part of the investigation police wanted to hear from anyone in the area or with information.

Srhoj said police particularly wanted to hear from anyone travelling through Haruru between 11.55pm on Saturday, January 17 and 12.10am on Sunday, January 18.

Anyone with dash camera footage or who saw the pedestrians should call police on 105 using the reference number 260118/4319.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

About 80 campers trapped at Whangaruru since Sunday have finally made it home after earlier having to walk to safety over a massive slip.

Jude Thompson, of the Whangaruru Residents and Ratepayers Association, said the campers were staying at the popular DOC Puriri Bay campsite when the deluge hit.

The torrential rain sent floodwaters pouring through the campground and triggered a 50-metre-wide slip across the only access road.

Thompson said many tents were flooded or swept away, and campers had to hike over the slip to safety.

From there, rescuers shuttled the campers about a kilometre to Tūparehuia Marae in Bland Bay.

“The local community were able to provide them with food, clothing and bedding. Many of them literally only had what they were standing in, so they were very happy to be looked after by the local hapū.”

Since then, Thompson said DOC and its contractors had worked hard to clear the slip, and by late Monday campers were able to return to collect their vehicles and what was left of their camping gear.

“Some of their belongings have washed away and much of what they had was destroyed in the floodwaters … So I guess they’ll be looking to replace that, and maybe some of those items will appear further down the coast.”

The main road south from Whangaruru was still closed due to a washout, but the campers were able to get home by heading north via Russell.

The campground at nearby Bland Bay was also affected by flooding, but more importantly by a lengthy power cut which meant the toilets couldn’t be used.

Fortunately, those campers were able to stay across the road at Tūparehuia Marae.

Thompson said the local hapū, Te Uri o Hikihiki, had carried out a major upgrade after Cyclone Gabrielle, including the installation of solar power to boost resilience in future natural disasters.

Up to 100 people were staying at the marae at any one time, she said.

“The campground, which has a small but very well-supplied shop, was able to bring the kai they had over to feed everyone at the marae, because of course there was no access in or out of the community.”

Thompson said the Whangaruru community was worried by the prospect of more severe weather later today and on Wednesday.

“We’re highly concerned for our area with both the hillsides and the flats very sodden. Our treasured pā, Whakatūria, has already had significant slips down into Bland Bay.”

She urged residents to prepare for power outages by charging up devices, storing drinking water, and readying buckets of water for toilet flushing.

Anyone who might have to evacuate to higher ground should also pack a “go bag” with warm clothes, some food, a torch, a phone and medication.

Thompson said the road had already flooded this morning just south of Punaruku, so residents between there and the washed-out bridge at Ngaiotonga were once again cut off.

She said the Northern Regional Council and the local community had done “a significant amount” of flood mitigation work, but the rivers had been overwhelmed by Sunday’s torrential rain.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A man has been sentenced to nine months’ home detention after obtaining more than $2 million through mortgage fraud.

Gurraj Singh Bhachu pleaded guilty in the Auckland District Court last September to 12 charges relating to four properties.

The Serious Fraud Office said he faked documents relating to business income and cash gifts, and gave false information to banks and property lawyers to get bank loans totalling $2,862,650 for three residential properties.

“He also made false representations to obtain control of residential properties, either for himself or others.”

Bhachu left the country in 2019, and was arrested and charged when he returned in December 2023.

Serious Fraud Office Director, Karen Chang, said deliberately providing false information to banks for a mortgage undermined the integrity of the lending system.

“The banks were misled in a number of ways, including the financial position of the borrower and the level of risk to the bank. This affects the ability of hard-working New Zealanders to obtain lending for their own homes,” she said.

The Serious Fraud Office has charged six others in the same case, claiming they were part of a scheme to fraudulently obtain credit and properties.

Bhachu was the second to be sentenced after Francis Peters, who was sentenced in August 2024 to nine months and two weeks’ home detention for four charges of obtaining by deception.

The group is alleged to have obtained more than $8.6 million in lending, and tried to get a further $2.9m.

Charges have also been filed against Christopher Peters, Robert Peters, Gerard Peters and Serene Peters for obtaining $1.8m by deception in an alleged investment fraud, the Serious Fraud Office said.

“Christopher and Robert Peters have also been charged with obtaining those funds by forgery as an alternative charge,” it said.

Those two were expected to face trial in February, while trial dates for the other defendants had not been set.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Earring-sized transmitters are being attached to worker hornets as Auckland’s war on the insect pest continues.

Biosecurity New Zealand said the new technology imported from the Netherlands had been a success in helping hunt down nests of yellow-legged hornets.

Since October last year, 43 queen hornets had been found in the Glenfield and Birkdale areas on Auckland’s North Shore.

The pest, not known to be established in New Zealand, was considered a biosecurity concern due to the potential impact on honeybee and wild bee populations.

Biosecurity Commissioner Mike Inglis said since Christmas, they had been luring workers to feeding stations and attaching small radio transmitters to them to observe their movements.

“Tiny transmitters weighing less than 160mg are then attached to the workers, and we’ve been able to track their flight path back to the nests using signals from the transmitter to a radio receiver.”

He said they were also using thermal drones to pinpoint where nests were and to assess how big the population inside was.

He said the technology had helped find hundreds of workers and three hornet nests in the past three weeks.

“We’ve been able to destroy the nests with any queens and workers inside them. So far its been very successful.

“Our focus is on locating and destroying queens to stop them from producing any new generations.

“It’s really important as we go through the summer, and more workers build secondary nests sometimes in higher up trees, that we continue to use these trackers alongside thermal drones, so we can locate these nests and destroy them, and hopefully the queen is in that secondary nest.”

Two specialists from the United Kingdom who had experience managing yellow-legged hornets arrived in New Zealand this week.

“Every summer, they have incursions in Europe. In terms of using the technology to find secondary nests, particularly in taller trees, and how you deal with that we’re really keen to get their advice.

“They’re already included in our technical advisory group, so we’ve built a good relationship. The first week they’re here, they’ll be involved in operations on the ground, working with our staff.”

Inglis said between $2m and $3m had been spent on the hornet eradication operation.

He said the highest cost had been staffing.

“We’ve got over 575 beekeepers engaged in an 11km search zone. We also engage beekeepers throughout the country, making sure there are eyes and ears on the ground.

“There’s up to 170 staff involved in this response at any given time. A variety of entomologists, people answering notifications from the public, staff on the ground, and contractors.

“It’s a heavy investment, but it’s absolutely worth it to make sure we’re on top of this and we eradicate the hornet.”

Biosecurity earlier said it had received almost 10,000 reports of possible sightings this summer.

Biosecurity encouraged anyone who believed they had seen a suspected yellow-legged hornet, located a possible nest, or had taken a clear photo to report it online at report.mpi.govt.nz or by calling Biosecurity NZ’s exotic pest and disease hotline on 0800 809 966.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A van believed to be have been atthe scene of a shooting in the Auckland suburb of Onehunga has been seized by police.

Police were called to a house on Arthur Street on 16 January following reports several people had arrived at a house and fired shots toward the front of the home.

A man inside the home was critically injured.

Detective Senior Sergeant Matt Bunce said a dark-coloured van that was considered a vehicle of interest had been seized by police in recent days.

He said the Toyota van had been seen pulling up in front of the house that day just after 11am.

“As the van pulled into the driveway a group of people got out and fired shots towards the victim through the closed front door, before getting back in the van and driving away.”

CCTV helped police identify the van, Bunce said and it was found in Māngere on Saturday.

“The person who reported the van to us thought it looked suspicious and called to tell us its location.

“Subsequently, we’ve now got another piece of the puzzle to help the investigation as the van has been forensically examined.”

The injured man remained in hospital in a stable condition, Bunce said.

The investigation was ongoing, he said and he was pleased with how it was progressing.

Information could be reported online at 105.police.govt.nz, or by calling 105. The reference number 260116/9278 should be used.

Anonymous reports could be made through Crime Stoppers, by calling 0800 555 111.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Firefighters have extinguished a fire at Christchurch Hospital.

Eight crews were called to the hospital after being alerted by an automatic alarm about 12.25pm.

A fire was found in a power supply room.

Fire and Emergency says crews remain at the hospital going through salvage operations.

Police are assisting with traffic control.

Health NZ is yet to respond to requests for comment.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A multi-vehicle crash has been cleared off State Highway 8 in the Lindis Pass.

Police were called to the four-vehicle crash near Birchwood Road between Omarama and Tarras shortly after 11am on Tuesday.

The northbound lane was previously blocked, but Waka Kotahi said the lane has been cleared and traffic is flowing again.

St John were contacted but said their assistance was not needed.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

• Man with Prader-Willi Syndrome died of multi-organ failure from a complication of undiagnosed diabetes, triggered by perforated bowel that went unnoticed
• Care staff failed to recognise the severity of his condition or seek timely medical assistance, according to the Health and Disability Commission report
• He was not supervised, monitored, nor cared for adequately when he became unwell, investigation shows.

Caregivers at a secure residence for people with intellectual disabilities failed to notice that a 20-year-old man was dying under their watch after suffering a perforated bowel the week before, an investigation has found.

In a report released on Tuesday, the Health and Disability Commission has found “severe systemic shortcomings” in the care by the unnamed provider, including poor staff training and oversight.

The man, referred to as “Mr B” in the report, had the rare genetic condition Prader-Willi Syndrome, which causes people to eat life-threatening quantities of food if unsupervised.

He died in May 2023 after being rushed to the hospital three days earlier, critically ill with diabetic ketoacidosis – a buildup of acids in the blood – triggered by sepsis from the undiagnosed rupture in his small intestine.

His parents complained to the health watchdog that the provider and individual staff members did not adequately care for their son, and failed to manage his Prader-Willi syndrome, which allowed his weight to balloon 20kg in six months.

Furthermore, they said staff failed to recognise clear warning signs that he was seriously unwell in the days before he was hospitalised.

Staff accounts ‘differ’

According to the provider’s account, Mr B “went about his day as usual” (except he declined to attend a morning outing) before his condition suddenly deteriorated.

“At handover (3pm), staff were advised that Mr B had spent most of the day in his room. Staff member A recollected that Mr B had been unwell during the day, but the provider noted that this was not staff member B’s recollection.”

At about 4pm, Mr B called out that he was “dizzy and thirsty”, and was brought drinks.

“The staff member stated that Mr B said that he had felt sick since breakfast and that the morning staff did not check on him, and he had had nothing to eat since breakfast (which is in contrast to a statement by the other staff member, who advised that Mr B had had lunch).”

As he said he was unable to eat solid food, he was given some Weet-Bix softened with milk and reportedly “felt better”.

Staff members checked on him after that, but when they came in to wake him for his medication at 8pm, his speech was slurred, he had wet the bed, and he told them “he could not really move”.

Shortly after taking his medication, staff noticed he seemed “hot” and had developed a red rash on his skin, dry lips and dark bags around his eyes with visible veins on his stomach.

After phoning the duty manager and the on-call health advisor, they were advised to call 111.

Mr B was picked up by ambulance at 8.48pm and taken to the hospital.

The company conceded it had been struggling with staff recruitment and retention at the time, but based on its own review, it said “the actions taken by [staff] were appropriate in the circumstances”.

Care failings ‘severe’

However, an expert adviser to the Commission, John Taylor, who has 37 years’ experience in the disability sector, including working closely with people with Prader-Willi Syndrome, said the service provided to Mr B “severely departed from the expected standard of care in a number of aspects”.

Systemic failures included the ineffective management of Mr B’s syndrome, inadequate leadership oversight, poor record-keeping, and inadequate staff member supervision of Mr B.

Its many failings contributed to Mr B’s rapid weight-gain, and “food incidents” such as Mr B eating an entire plate of ham and “drinking all the milk” in the fridge, he wrote.

From 20 May 2023, there were “multiple failures” in passing on essential information in shift handovers, such as Mr B’s loss of appetite – a major red flag in someone with Prader-Willi Syndrome – frequent bathroom visits, abdominal pain and distension.

“Staff did not recognise the severity of [Mr B’s] condition and failed to seek timely medical assistance.

“They also failed to check on him, monitor his condition or provide adequate hydration.”

Instead, they relied entirely on Mr B to “self-report” health problems.

“It appears that he was largely left alone in his room with no proactive checking. On the morning he was taken to hospital, it appears that the usual staff member didn’t turn up to work and a reliever was called in and this reliever was unaware [Mr B] was in the house for quite some time.”

Death ‘avoidable’

Deputy Commissioner Rose Wall said the company failed to put safety plans in place to “mitigate staff shortages”.

“I accept Mr Taylor’s advice, and I am critical that Mr B was not supervised, monitored, and cared for adequately when he became unwell. I am concerned that the provider staff members’ recollection of events on 27 May 2023 varied greatly, which raises doubts about the accuracy of the staff statements.”

It was “more likely than not” that Mr B was seriously ill much earlier than indicated by staff (due to their lack of knowledge of PWS), and the lack of adequate supervision also explained how he came to eat something that caused his intestinal perforation and subsequent abscess.

“Accordingly, I disagree with the provider’s statement that Mr B was receiving appropriate services.”

Mr B’s worsening health and ultimately his death were “avoidable”, Wall said.

“I am very critical that the provider did not engage in learning about PWS [Prader-Willi Syndrome], and it did not provide appropriate training and resources to its staff members to allow it to provide a safe standard of care to Mr B.

“There was also a missed opportunity to utilise the family resources available to the provider that had been provided by Mrs A, who effectively had been supporting Mr B to manage his PWS when he was residing at home.”

Wall has told the provider to apologise to the man’s family, and made several recommendations, including that it audit management plans for compulsory care residents, revise operating procedures, train staff and review its daily notes and shift handovers.

Provider makes changes

The provider accepted the finding of a breach and the Commission’s recommendations.

It said it had made “numerous changes” since Mr B’s death, including recruiting more staff, creating a new quality manager role, and changed the way it grouped residents in care homes.

“Mr B’s death and the investigation into care provided to him has been taken very seriously by our team, and we are committed to using the learnings from this investigation to support improvements in our services.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Firefighters are working to extinguish a fire at Christchurch Hospital.

Fire and Emergency confirmed eight crews are at the hospital after being alerted by an automatic alarm about 12.25pm.

A fire was found in a power supply room.

A St John spokesperson said their assistance was not required at present.

Health NZ has been approached for comment.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A 37-year old man has been arrested after a serious assault in Taranaki last night.

Police were called to Ihaia Road in Ōpunake at around 10.15pm on Monday after reports a person had been seriously assaulted.

Detective Sergeant Chris Allemann said when officers arrived, they found a person who had been hit by a vehicle and subsequently assaulted.

The injured person was flown to Waikato Hospital by helicopter, where they remain in a critical condition.

Detective Sergeant Allemann said a man was taken into custody at an address on King Street in the Taranaki town at 8.45am on Tuesday.

He was due to appear in the Hawera District Court later on Tuesday charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Ihaia Road, which had been cordoned off, had since reopened.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand