Source: Radio New Zealand

Charities are turning away people wanting to volunteer amidst a flood of interest they say is linked to the high rate of unemployment.

It comes as some businesses receive thousands of applications for paid roles and people look for experience anywhere they can.

The advocacy organisation Volunteering NZ has been tracking the trend. Spokesperson Margaret McLachlan said there has been a considerable rise in applications for volunteer roles across a range of charities.

Many application forms asks people to divulge if they are job hunters.

“Over the last year or so, they are seeing more people coming in who are saying they are in that category. They are looking for work but doing volunteering while that process is taking place.”

“As unemployment increases and the cost of living, times are tougher for everybody.”

At the same time, she said community organisations supporting social services were busier and needed more helpers.

McLachlan said depending on the organisation, they might want to do a police check, a reference check and an interview.

“In some cases it can be a process to go through and not always, and that can take some time.

“It’s actually the same barriers that a person might find in finding a job, can also apply to volunteering. It’s not always a easy option.”

SPCA had 120 op shops and animal rescue centres across the country in which volunteers worked.

General manager of retail Cathy Crichton said they received about 1300 extra applications for volunteer roles, a 32 percent increase, from June to November 2025, compared to 2024.

“There’s definitely a nudge forward which is very exciting and we’re very grateful.”

But it meant they were not accepting any more volunteers in some areas.

“Because the applications are up it’s a unique scenario. But at this point in time, in smaller locations, we’ve actually got a hold in 19 locations in New Zealand where we are at capacity – and that’s very rare and it’s a very new trend.”

Crichton said anyone seeking volunteer work should think creatively about what skills they can offer – it could be in administration or marketing.

“We’d love to welcome as many people as we could because the more hands on deck the more we can do and the more we can contribute to the community.”

She said people were self-motivated to apply for volunteer work.

The unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent in the September quarter, meaning 160,000 people were jobless. The next quarterly figures are out in February.

“There’s a willingness to give back and contribute to the community. Unemployment being high really does encourage people to engage with the workforce and get experience,” Crichton said.

“It really is about staying connected with the community and meeting others.”

She said they had also seen an increase in young people seeking volunteer work experience.

“It’s a great opportunity to get work experience and a reference and there’s an appeal there as an employer…I really do think it adds value to a CV.”

Stats NZ data showed over half of New Zealanders, 53 percent, volunteered during March 2025 and of those, 27.6 percent volunteered through an organisation and 40.8 percent volunteered directly for another person.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

The thunderstorm that lashed the South Island and brought widespread and large hail is one of the year’s most intense storms, MetService says.

Large parts of the mainland have been under brief severe thunderstorm warnings through Saturday afternoon.

The severe thunderstorm watch that had been in place for several parts of the South Island has now been lifted.

Regions including Timaru, Ashburton, Central Otago, Southern Lakes, Dunedin and Southland were under watch throughout Saturday afternoon and evening, with some parts experiencing heavy rain, lighting and hail.

At one point NZTA dispatched crews to State Highway 8 between Timaru and Fairlie after reports of hail blocking the road, and cars getting flooded.

“There has been some very active weather in parts of the South Island, that east and south eastern area, all the way down to Southland, Clutha, North Otago and Dunedin and up the Canterbury coast as well, there’s been lots of lightning, lots of thunder and also hail,” MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden said

“We’ve seen reports of widespread hail particularly in that Canterbury Plains area, as well as very long-lived thunderstorms and heavy downpours in that Canterbury area.”

He said storms like this could happen at any time of year.

“Particularly in summer, it’s often we see thunderstorms in summer,” he said.

“But what is unusual just how intense some of these thunderstorms have been, one of our forecasters was saying the cell over Canterbury is one of the strongest he’s seen this year,” Lynden said.

MetService confirmed that the most severe hailstorms have been from a supercell storm in the southern Canterbury Plains region, which is a powerful thunderstorm with a rotating updraft.

“This rotation allows the storm to last longer and become more intense than typical thunderstorms, increasing the risk of severe weather such as large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rain,” MetService said.

“That was some hail storm this afternoon!” Ashburton District Council said in a Facebook post.

It said its roading maintenance contractor was out after the hail storm clearing street gutters to make sure stormwater could drain away.

Horticulture New Zealand’s regional representative, Chelsea Donnelly, said there had been no reports so far of any damage to crops.

Two farms near Ashburton contacted by RNZ said the severe hail storms did not reach them.

MetService had said that very heavy rain can cause surface and/or flash flooding about streams, gullies and urban areas.

Poor visibility and surface flooding could make driving difficult, and large hail had the capacity to “cause significant damage to crops, orchards, vines, glasshouses and vehicles”.

“Should severe weather approach or if you feel threatened, take shelter immediately.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The thunderstorm that has lashed the South Island and brought widespread and large hail is one of the year’s most intense storms, MetService says.

Large parts of the mainland have been under brief severe thunderstorm warnings through Saturday afternoon.

Selwyn and Ashburton are currently still under severe thunderstorm warning.

Other parts of the South Island including Timaru, Christchurch city, Central Otago, Southern Lakes, Dunedin and Southland are under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9pm on Saturday.

At one point NZTA dispatched crews to State Highway 8 between Timaru and Fairlie after reports of hail blocking the road, and cars getting flooded.

“There has been some very active weather in parts of the South Island, that east and south eastern area, all the way down to Southland, Clutha, North Otago and Dunedin and up the Canterbury coast as well, there’s been lots of lightning, lots of thunder and also hail,” MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden said

“We’ve seen reports of widespread hail particularly in that Canterbury Plains area, as well as very long-lived thunderstorms and heavy downpours in that Canterbury area.”

He said storms like this could happen at any time of year.

“Particularly in summer, it’s often we see thunderstorms in summer,” he said.

“But what is unusual just how intense some of these thunderstorms have been, one of our forecasters was saying the cell over Canterbury is one of the strongest he’s seen this year,” Lynden said.

MetService confirmed that the most severe hailstorms have been from a supercell storm in the southern Canterbury Plains region, which is a powerful thunderstorm with a rotating updraft.

“This rotation allows the storm to last longer and become more intense than typical thunderstorms, increasing the risk of severe weather such as large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rain,” MetService said.

“That was some hail storm this afternoon!” Ashburton District Council said in a Facebook post.

It said its roading maintenance contractor was out after the hail storm clearing street gutters to make sure stormwater could drain away.

Horticulture New Zealand’s regional representative, Chelsea Donnelly, said there had been no reports so far of any damage to crops.

Two farms near Ashburton contacted by RNZ said the severe hail storms did not reach them.

MetService had said that very heavy rain can cause surface and/or flash flooding about streams, gullies and urban areas.

Poor visibility and surface flooding could make driving difficult, and large hail had the capacity to “cause significant damage to crops, orchards, vines, glasshouses and vehicles”.

“Should severe weather approach or if you feel threatened, take shelter immediately.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A new outreach service for homeless people in Christchurch encountered an 87-year-old woman living on the streets in its first week of operation.

Housing First Ōtautahi has started a new rapid response, trying to ensure people who have just started living on the streets don’t end up there long term.

Its primary focus is people who have been homeless for some time, and was set up using funding from the government in September 2025.

Manager Nicola Fleming said Housing First Ōtautahi was one of a number of organisations which received part of the $10 million in funding, and needed to make us of it by June 2026.

She said their normal criteria was people that had been homeless for at least 12 months and self-referred to them for help.

“So the people covered by the outreach rapid response group will take everyone who doesn’t fit in there. To try and prevent them coming into Housing First’s criteria. If they have just been made homeless, what does that look like, how did they get there, what can we do to help?”

Fleming said the team was made up of five outreach workers, a housing locator, and two nurses.

The outreach workers and nurses head out on to the street each day at 7am to talk to people they believe could be homeless. They speak to them about what they need and ensure they know about services available.

In their first week on the streets, the team encountered 19 people newly on the streets, including an 87-year-old woman, a 70 year old, and a 17 year old.

She said they are increasingly seeing older people living on the streets, and a variety of reasons why they end up homeless.

“They have been living with family, and then family have moved away or gone into hospital. Or there has been trauma with some kind of issue in the family, or people passing away and they haven’t known where to go.

“Sometimes they don’t want to live in a rest home, or they are still using or an addict and don’t want to go into a rest home. But where do they go?

“There are massive gaps which leaves people walking around Ōtautahi who are stuck because they just can’t find stable housing but also don’t want to go to a rest home or a mental health facility. So where can they go?”

Fleming said there was also a growing issue of people who leave hospital or jail with no proper arrangements for where they will live.

“People just out of jail dumped out on the street. We have to do better.”

Fleming said the new service will give them a much better idea of how many people are homeless in Christchurch, as it can be a hidden problem and hard to pin numbers down.

It will, however, leave them with the ongoing issue of where to house people they know are in need.

“Where is the housing? It’s horrible to build up someone’s expectations up – oh I’m in this service, I heard it’s really great but then I have to sit here and wait for housing, when is that going to happen?

“And the truth is, we just don’t know.”

Housing First Ōtautahi currently supports about 250 formerly homeless people in housing, and has about another 100 on its waitlist.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Three fishermen rescued on Friday night after their boat started taking on water did “everything right”, police say.

The trio embarked into Manukau Harbour from the Māngere Bridge boat ramp, and made it two kilometres off Puketutu Island when their vessel sank.

Unsure where they were, they called police just after midnight and were spotted by the police Eagle helicopter and taken aboard a rescue hovercraft at around 1.30am this morning.

Sergeant Jesse Jenden of the Auckland Police Maritime Unit said: “We’re happy these fishermen did all the right things when heading out on the water.

“Anything can happen and you really need to be prepared for that.

“They ticked all the boxes by having waterproof communication devices, were wearing life jackets, listened to the instructions from the rescuers and kept hold of some chilly bins for extra floatation if needed.”

Once back on shore, family members said the fishermen were in “good spirits”.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A rundown on some of the biggest public events to ring in 2026 – and where to catch the best fireworks displays.

Northland

A fireworks display launched at the stroke of midnight from a barge moored in the channel between Paihia and Russell will be seen in the skies at midnight.

The best viewing areas include Paihia Wharf and Maiki Hill lookout, and along the town’s waterfront. The fireworks can also be seen from Waitangi, Ōpua and Russell.

Auckland

New Year’s Eve celebrations in the city centre will include a collection of ‘special moments’ that will shine on the Sky Tower from 9pm, leading up to the midnight fireworks display from the tower. Auckland Harbour Bridge will also come to life from 9pm with Vector Lights, with promises of a “brand-new dynamic light and sound show”, starting in the minutes before midnight.

Many roads in the central city and Wynyard Quarter will be reserved for pedestrians from 10pm on 31 December to 1am on 1 January. Auckland Council says nearby maunga – Maungawhau / Mt Eden, Maungauika / North Head and Takarunga / Mt Victoria – will remain open until after midnight with security in place. Buses and ferries will be running on a Saturday timetable, with extra buses operating after midnight.

TVNZ will broadcast the countdown and NYE midnight moment live on TVNZ 1 and 2.

Napier

This annual council-run extravaganza at the Soundshell promises an “unforgettable night of music, community, and fireworks”.

The celebrations kick off at 7pm with live music, and there will be two fireworks displays – an early show at 9:45pm for the young ones and the main event at midnight.

Taupō

Fireworks will be launched from a barge on the lake as part of Taupō’s annual Big Bang event, with the main show at midnight and a Mini Bang fireworks event at 9.30pm. There will also be family-friendly activities and entertainment, with Roberts Street closed from 7am on 31 December to 2am on 1 January 2026.

New Plymouth

The Festival of Lights at Pukekura Park runs all summer, and this free council event is wheelchair accessible and very family-friendly – including an 8pm “countdown to midnight”. From 8.30pm live music and DJs take to two stages around the park in the run-up to midnight.

Palmerston North

The council’s free New Year’s Eve event kicks off in The Square from 5pm, with live music, as well as bouncy castles, face painting and other activities. There will be fireworks displays at 9.30pm and midnight.

Wellington

Head to Wairepo Lagoon on the capital’s waterfront for a free council-run New Year’s Eve party. It will start at 3pm with food trucks opening at Odlin’s Plaza, before the live music kicks off at 8pm with Orchestra Wellington taking the stage at 10 pm until midnight.

Celebrations will also include a kids’ countdown and fireworks at 9.30pm and the midnight fireworks display to welcome 2026,

Picton

Thousands head to the Picton foreshore every New Year’s for the Marlborough District Council event, with free performances and fireworks. From 6.30pm there’ll be bands and kids’ entertainers, before the midnight fireworks display.

Nelson

Head to 1903 Square at the top of Trafalgar Street from 6pm for Nelson’s New Year’s Eve Countdown, with kids activities, bands, DJs, a kids countdown at 9pm and fireworks at midnight.

Christchurch

Christchurch’s free NYE party in North Hagley Park is being headlined by Kora on the last night of the year, backed up by Kiwi talents Dillastrate, Brad Staley and DJ Sambora.

Organisers are also promising an ‘epic’ fireworks display at midnight, but make sure you are there early – entry into the event will close at 11.45pm.

Timaru

The annual Caroline Bay Carnival in Timaru will feature live music from 7pm, as well as the usual games and rides operating into the New Year, with the fireworks display down on the beach at midnight.

Queenstown

The waterfront in New Zealand’s tourism capital is a beautiful setting for the council-run New Year celebrations. Kicking off at 2pm, the event includes live bands, DJs, a family-friendly vibe and fireworks from the lake to usher in 2025.

Dunedin

The Golden Block on George Street in central Dunedin will be alive with family-friendly entertainment, face painting, workshops, and more from 5pm. A Kids’ Countdown with confetti cannons kicks off at 8pm, followed by a short parade leading families down to the Octagon accompanied by live musicians.

Live music will be played in the Octagon after that, and while there will be no fireworks display in Dunedin again this year, there will be light installations in

the Upper Octagon and the countdown at midnight will be accompanied by a piper.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A father, his two kids, and a friend were flung into treacherous waters when their boat capsized on a notorious west coast sandbar last month.

Maritime safety experts say it shows that even when boaties do everything right, things can still go wrong.

Reporter Mary Argue speaks to the skipper, credited with saving multiple lives that day.

Sunrise is still hours away when Darren Teague wakes his kids.

The 12 -and 14-year-old are bundled into the car, along with one of his mates, and they hit the road heading west from Waikato, his late-model fishing boat in tow.

They roll into Raglan and as daylight breaks on 1 November, launch the game fisher with Teague at the helm.

In a little over four hours’ time, all four will be in the water – their boat upside down in the surge and wash of the infamous Raglan Bar.

“I remember looking at just two waves standing up in front of me,” Teague says.

“[It was] like trying to put your seatbelt on halfway through a car crash. I couldn’t have done anything at the time.

“I can’t emphasise how fast it happened. It was seconds.”

Weeks later, he can clearly recall the panic on his kids’ faces.

A deadly and dangerous feature

According to Maritime NZ, bars are the most dangerous feature on New Zealand’s coast – costing five people their lives in 2024, and necessitating the rescue of more than twice as many.

The build up of sand at the entrance to a harbour, or river, can dramatically reduce the depth of the water and increase the height of waves – especially at low tide.

The Raglan Bar is one of about 100 in the country, and Teague, a keen fisherman – mostly in the Gulf and off the east coast of the North Island – is the first to say he’s no Raglan boatie.

But the Morrinsville father isn’t a novice either. He’s had a couple of boats and his fair share of dingies, and runabouts.

Over the years he’s made a point of ticking off as many boating courses as he could – skippers, radio, and one on bar crossings.

Teague checked the weather before embarking on his fourth Raglan outing. Conditions were pretty good, but as the boat approached the edge of the harbour, he pocketed his personal locator beacon (PLB), just in case.

“The bar was good at that stage,” he recalls, noting another boat was also biding its time for a break in the waves.

Both of them crossed without issue, and Teague and his crew headed to deeper water.

“We were looking forward to a good day’s fishing,” he says, but what began well, didn’t last.

“There was just a big swell coming through, and every now and again I get seasick … that day was just particularly bad, I started spewing.”

He says when the kids started feeling crook too, they called it. With a dozen snapper on board – “a few good feeds, more than enough” – the day’s fishing had wrapped before 10am, hours ahead of schedule.

Teague says the bar was rougher than anticipated as they headed to the harbour, but heard two boats confirm a successful crossing over the radio.

His locator beacon went back in his pocket and a crossing report was logged with Coastguard.

“I thought, ‘People are going in, it’s obviously okay.’ In hindsight, I probably should have sat there and watched it a bit longer.

“[But given] how I was feeling at the time, I was just bee-lining it back in.

“So, I just carried on, went over the bar, which was fine – my friend was standing behind me spotting waves out the back – and it was in the joggle where we came unstuck.”

‘I could see the panic’

The crew hit the frothing water on the harbour-side of the bar, and within seconds it was chaos, with two waves bearing down, Teague says there was nowhere to go, but directly into them.

The boat fell into a trough, spinning sideways as it nose-dived and waves crashed over the windscreen and side of the boat.

“One of them came straight over the side and just washed the kids straight out into the water – all in one hit.

“It was pretty surreal, but I knew it was happening and I looked at them and I could see the panic.”

Within seconds the boat had rolled.

“I only had enough time to tell them – they were trying to scramble back on the boat – and I just said, ‘Get out of it,’ and then I ripped it [the motor] out of gear.”

He tried to grab his mate, who’d become trapped in the back corner of the boat, and then it all went quiet.

At 10:12am, Coastguard Raglan was alerted to a report of a capsized boat on the Raglan Bar. The first rescue jetski hit the water within 10 minutes, followed by a second jetski and a rescue boat.

Around the same time, two senior Raglan lifeguards – who’d just arrived at the club for patrol – got a call about an overturned vessel.

A couple of minutes later, their Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) was on the water speeding towards the bar.

The underwater calm didn’t last long.

As he came to the surface, Teague clocked his kids but not his friend.

He tried desperately to get back under the boat, but couldn’t, and admits feeling a huge sense of relief when his mate finally popped up.

However, he was without a lifejacket – he’d been forced to unclip it to get out.

Teague grabbed the children and the four of them clung to the hull of the upturned boat.

“I’ve said it to a few people, but it turns out there’s not too much to hold on to on the bottom side of a boat … we ended up back in the water.”

A floating squab became their refuge, and it was around this time that his locator beacon floated out of his pocket – he grabbed it.

“I was trying to hold on to the kids – I didn’t want to let them go – I couldn’t set it off [immediately] but a boat had gone past us then, and I knew that they were going to radio for help.”

In between the onslaught of waves and reassuring the children, Teague managed to set the beacon off.

“I could see it flashing, it was going and then it was just a waiting game, I knew that people would be coming.”

Crew ‘did everything right’

Raglan Surf Lifesaving director, Fletcher Harnish had launched a jetski upon hearing about the distressed vessel and was in hot pursuit of his colleagues in the rescue boat.

Boaties inside the harbour directed the rescuers to where the stricken boat was last seen.

The Coastguard and surf lifesavers linked up and just beyond the surf zone, they saw them – four people and a capsized boat.

“The two children were picked up and put into the IRB and the adults on the back of the Coastguard jetskis,” Harnish says.

Back on shore the four patients were assessed by Hato Hone St John.

“They were in quite a good position, they’d done everything right. They were calm, just a little bit cold and shaken up.”

Coastguard Raglan volunteer and jetski Master, Harry Series agrees – Teague and his crew “did everything right” – logging a bar crossing trip report with Coastguard, wearing lifejackets, and activating their personal locator beacon.

“But unfortunately things can still go wrong,” he says.

Maritime NZ’s principal advisor recreational craft Matt Wood has investigated many fatal incidents and knows the “fine line between fatal and non-fatal”.

He’s unequivocal in his assessment.

“Darren’s actions have saved the lives of his children, his friend and himself. Many people don’t survive these things, and he has, as the result of the preparation and things he did.”

Wood says the majority of boaties get into trouble and die close to shore, with bars particularly deadly.

“They’re extremely hazardous and there’s a lot you need to do to cross safely – you need to make sure your boat’s seaworthy, and you’ve got the right safety equipment and knowledge.

“Be sure before you leave the shore.”

He says Teague did that.

He’d done a bar crossing course, his boat was fit-for-purpose, and maintained. He also had the right safety equipment, two forms of satellite-based emergency beacons – one on him and one on the boat – and the crew was wearing correctly fitted lifejackets, Wood says.

Despite that, things can still go pear-shaped.

Teague’s driver to get back to shore – seasickness – played a role in the accident, Wood says, but says once things had started to unravel and they were in the water, Teague made decisions that made a difference.

“They’ve got the ability to call for help and they stuck to the boat as long as they could – this increases your chances of being found and survival.

“Once they were separated from the boat they found some floating squabs. They huddled, he calmed the kids, they didn’t panic, which is just fantastic actions that he took.

“Undoubtedly, if he hadn’t done those things … I think this would have ended differently.”

Prepare, because accidents can happen

Speaking to RNZ about that day, weeks later, isn’t easy.

“I’m not really one to do this,” Teague says, “but if I can help someone else, I will”.

The capsize hasn’t put him off fishing – he’s been out since and plans to get another boat – but it’s in the back of his mind, and his advice for others is simple.

Take a personal locator beacon, wear a lifejacket and do up the crutch strap (because “hanging in the water for over half-an-hour by your neck” is pretty uncomfortable). Be aware of your surroundings.

“I don’t really know how I would have done it different today, other than manage the time of the tide when I was coming in.

“It was just one of those things eh, you run off the road in a car too, it was just an accident. It was lucky we had everything in place, I guess, to get away with it.”

*Information on how to stay safe in the water can be found on the Maritime NZ and Coastguard websites, which also includes a range of boating courses.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A search on Saturday morning for a person missing in the sea after a jet ski incident near Port Waikato has found a body.

Police said they believed the body, spotted by the Eagle helicopter, belonged to the missing man.

Three people were reported to be in distress after the incident on Christmas Day.

Two were later rescued, including a 5-year-old child.

Police said the death would be referred to the coroner.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A rāhui is in place in part of the Tongariro National Park after a death on Friday.

Police said a man became unresponsive while walking the Taranaki Falls Track.

“Despite efforts from those who were walking with the man and a passerby, he sadly died at the scene,” a spokesperson said.

“The death is not being treated as suspicious and has been referred to the coroner.”

The local hapū, Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro, has placed a rāhui on the Taranaki Falls and Tama Lakes tracks until 6am on Tuesday 30 December.

To show respect, all hikers in the area were asked to consider using alternative tracks during the rāhui.

This rāhui will also affect those wishing to hike the Tongariro Northern Circuit between Whakapapa Village and Waihohonu Hut.

“With deep respect and sadness, we acknowledge a recent passing within Tongariro National Park,” the hapū said in a statement shared by the Department of Conservation.

“Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro offers aroha to the whānau and recognises the significance of this loss within our rohe.”

Guiding and transport operators for the Taranaki Falls and Tama Lakes tracks have also been made aware of the rāhui.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Do you know what to do if you get caught in a rip? Or how to respond if you see someone else in trouble in the water?

“Only about a third of New Zealanders can actually identify a rip,” surf lifeguard Phoebe Havill says. “We don’t want people hopping into the water in an unsafe place.”

She suggests looking for discoloured water “heading out to sea, often the rip current will churn up the water and it will be a bit sandy. There will be a calm patch with waves breaking either side”.

“Sometimes people mistake that for the safest place, but the safest place is actually where the waves are breaking nicely in sets.”

If you find yourself caught in a rip, it’s important to know the “three Rs”, Havill says.

• Relax: Stay calm and don’t panic.
• Raise your hand: Signal for help
• Ride the rip out to a place where you’re comfortable to swim into shore, or someone can come and get you.

If you see someone stuck in a rip when you’re on shore, unless you’re on a patrolled/lifeguarded beach, you should call 111.

“Let them handle it, don’t go in there yourself,” Havill said.

“We’ve got such an awesome, amazing environment and coming into summer we want as many people getting home safe at the end of the day as possible after their time at the beach.

“Keep an eye out for your friends and family. Pick a lifeguarded beach. And stay sunsmart – hat, sunglasses and sunscreen – that’s really important.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The police commissioner and his deputies will take part in frontline duties over the New Year period across the country.

Commissioner Richard Chambers will be on the beat in Nelson on New Year’s Eve, as well as policing at the Rhythm and Vines event in Gisborne.

Chambers said it would be a year since Nelson police officer Lyn Fleming was killed and he wanted to support officers who worked with her.

“I will be joined by Eastern District Commander Jeanette Park before she is expected to take up a new assistant commissioner role.”

Chambers said he recently required all senior sworn staff to get out to help support the frontline.

“The new Frontline Service Model means over the next 12 months about 600 Level 2 Responders will be deployed for a total of at least 40 hours each.

“It applies to sworn staff who work in predominantly office-based roles.

“This will contribute more than 25,000 hours of additional support to our frontline colleagues.”

Deputy Commissioner Mike Pannett will take part in frontline duties in Tamaki Makaurau, and Acting Deputy Commissioner Tusha Penny will be in Wellington.

Chambers said helping out freed up frontline staff to work on “major investigations” and handle the busy summer period.

“Many have already stepped up for this, including helping with reassurance patrols after the Bondi attack, at the recent premiere of the Avatar movie, working on road policing operations, and area canvassing following major crimes such as homicides.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A search will continue Saturday morning for a person missing in the sea after a jet ski incident near Port Waikato.

Police said search and rescue teams and the Eagle helicopter will be dispatched.

Three people were reported to be in distress after the incident on Christmas Day.

Two have been rescued since, including a 5-year-old child.

Surf Life Saving said the missing person was a male.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for much of the South Island.

It covers Christchurch, Canterbury Plains, Canterbury High Country, North Otago, Central Otago, Southern Lakes, Dunedin, Clutha, Southland and Fiordland.

MetService said thunder could be accompanied by very heavy rain and large hail.

As of 8.30am Saturday, the watch was expected to be in place until 9pm.

“A cold and unstable air-mass affects the South Island. For much of Fiordland, Southland, Otago, and Canterbury from about Christchurch southwards, there is a moderate risk of thunderstorms this afternoon and evening,” MetService said.

“There is also a moderate risk that some of these storms may become SEVERE (sic) between 3pm and 9pm today (Saturday), which could produce localised downpours of 25 to 40mm/h and/or hail larger than 20mm.

“Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips.”

Poor visibility and surface flooding could make driving difficult, and large hail had the capacity to “cause significant damage to crops, orchards, vines, glasshouses and vehicles”.

“Should severe weather approach or if you feel threatened, take shelter

immediately.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A father, his two kids, and a friend were flung into treacherous waters when their boat capsized on a notorious west coast sandbar last month.

Maritime safety experts say it shows that even when boaties do everything right, things can still go wrong.

Reporter Mary Argue speaks to the skipper, credited with saving multiple lives that day.

Sunrise is still hours away when Darren Teague wakes his kids.

The 12 -and 14-year-old are bundled into the car, along with one of his mates, and they hit the road heading west from Waikato, his late-model fishing boat in tow.

They roll into Raglan and as daylight breaks on 1 November, launch the game fisher with Teague at the helm.

In a little over four hours’ time, all four will be in the water – their boat upside down in the surge and wash of the infamous Raglan Bar.

“I remember looking at just two waves standing up in front of me,” Teague says.

“[It was] like trying to put your seatbelt on halfway through a car crash. I couldn’t have done anything at the time.

“I can’t emphasise how fast it happened. It was seconds.”

Weeks later, he can clearly recall the panic on his kids’ faces.

A deadly and dangerous feature

According to Maritime NZ, bars are the most dangerous feature on New Zealand’s coast – costing five people their lives in 2024, and necessitating the rescue of more than twice as many.

The build up of sand at the entrance to a harbour, or river, can dramatically reduce the depth of the water and increase the height of waves – especially at low tide.

The Raglan Bar is one of about 100 in the country, and Teague, a keen fisherman – mostly in the Gulf and off the east coast of the North Island – is the first to say he’s no Raglan boatie.

But the Morrinsville father isn’t a novice either. He’s had a couple of boats and his fair share of dingies, and runabouts.

Over the years he’s made a point of ticking off as many boating courses as he could – skippers, radio, and one on bar crossings.

Teague checked the weather before embarking on his fourth Raglan outing. Conditions were pretty good, but as the boat approached the edge of the harbour, he pocketed his personal locator beacon (PLB), just in case.

“The bar was good at that stage,” he recalls, noting another boat was also biding its time for a break in the waves.

Both of them crossed without issue, and Teague and his crew headed to deeper water.

“We were looking forward to a good day’s fishing,” he says, but what began well, didn’t last.

“There was just a big swell coming through, and every now and again I get seasick … that day was just particularly bad, I started spewing.”

He says when the kids started feeling crook too, they called it. With a dozen snapper on board – “a few good feeds, more than enough” – the day’s fishing had wrapped before 10am, hours ahead of schedule.

Teague says the bar was rougher than anticipated as they headed to the harbour, but heard two boats confirm a successful crossing over the radio.

His locator beacon went back in his pocket and a crossing report was logged with Coastguard.

“I thought, ‘People are going in, it’s obviously okay.’ In hindsight, I probably should have sat there and watched it a bit longer.

“[But given] how I was feeling at the time, I was just bee-lining it back in.

“So, I just carried on, went over the bar, which was fine – my friend was standing behind me spotting waves out the back – and it was in the joggle where we came unstuck.”

‘I could see the panic’

The crew hit the frothing water on the harbour-side of the bar, and within seconds it was chaos, with two waves bearing down, Teague says there was nowhere to go, but directly into them.

The boat fell into a trough, spinning sideways as it nose-dived and waves crashed over the windscreen and side of the boat.

“One of them came straight over the side and just washed the kids straight out into the water – all in one hit.

“It was pretty surreal, but I knew it was happening and I looked at them and I could see the panic.”

Within seconds the boat had rolled.

“I only had enough time to tell them – they were trying to scramble back on the boat – and I just said, ‘Get out of it,’ and then I ripped it [the motor] out of gear.”

He tried to grab his mate, who’d become trapped in the back corner of the boat, and then it all went quiet.

At 10:12am, Coastguard Raglan was alerted to a report of a capsized boat on the Raglan Bar. The first rescue jetski hit the water within 10 minutes, followed by a second jetski and a rescue boat.

Around the same time, two senior Raglan lifeguards – who’d just arrived at the club for patrol – got a call about an overturned vessel.

A couple of minutes later, their Inflatable Rescue Boat (IRB) was on the water speeding towards the bar.

The underwater calm didn’t last long.

As he came to the surface, Teague clocked his kids but not his friend.

He tried desperately to get back under the boat, but couldn’t, and admits feeling a huge sense of relief when his mate finally popped up.

However, he was without a lifejacket – he’d been forced to unclip it to get out.

Teague grabbed the children and the four of them clung to the hull of the upturned boat.

“I’ve said it to a few people, but it turns out there’s not too much to hold on to on the bottom side of a boat … we ended up back in the water.”

A floating squab became their refuge, and it was around this time that his locator beacon floated out of his pocket – he grabbed it.

“I was trying to hold on to the kids – I didn’t want to let them go – I couldn’t set it off [immediately] but a boat had gone past us then, and I knew that they were going to radio for help.”

In between the onslaught of waves and reassuring the children, Teague managed to set the beacon off.

“I could see it flashing, it was going and then it was just a waiting game, I knew that people would be coming.”

Crew ‘did everything right’

Raglan Surf Lifesaving director, Fletcher Harnish had launched a jetski upon hearing about the distressed vessel and was in hot pursuit of his colleagues in the rescue boat.

Boaties inside the harbour directed the rescuers to where the stricken boat was last seen.

The Coastguard and surf lifesavers linked up and just beyond the surf zone, they saw them – four people and a capsized boat.

“The two children were picked up and put into the IRB and the adults on the back of the Coastguard jetskis,” Harnish says.

Back on shore the four patients were assessed by Hato Hone St John.

“They were in quite a good position, they’d done everything right. They were calm, just a little bit cold and shaken up.”

Coastguard Raglan volunteer and jetski Master, Harry Series agrees – Teague and his crew “did everything right” – logging a bar crossing trip report with Coastguard, wearing lifejackets, and activating their personal locator beacon.

“But unfortunately things can still go wrong,” he says.

Maritime NZ’s principal advisor recreational craft Matt Wood has investigated many fatal incidents and knows the “fine line between fatal and non-fatal”.

He’s unequivocal in his assessment.

“Darren’s actions have saved the lives of his children, his friend and himself. Many people don’t survive these things, and he has, as the result of the preparation and things he did.”

Wood says the majority of boaties get into trouble and die close to shore, with bars particularly deadly.

“They’re extremely hazardous and there’s a lot you need to do to cross safely – you need to make sure your boat’s seaworthy, and you’ve got the right safety equipment and knowledge.

“Be sure before you leave the shore.”

He says Teague did that.

He’d done a bar crossing course, his boat was fit-for-purpose, and maintained. He also had the right safety equipment, two forms of satellite-based emergency beacons – one on him and one on the boat – and the crew was wearing correctly fitted lifejackets, Wood says.

Despite that, things can still go pear-shaped.

Teague’s driver to get back to shore – seasickness – played a role in the accident, Wood says, but says once things had started to unravel and they were in the water, Teague made decisions that made a difference.

“They’ve got the ability to call for help and they stuck to the boat as long as they could – this increases your chances of being found and survival.

“Once they were separated from the boat they found some floating squabs. They huddled, he calmed the kids, they didn’t panic, which is just fantastic actions that he took.

“Undoubtedly, if he hadn’t done those things … I think this would have ended differently.”

Prepare, because accidents can happen

Speaking to RNZ about that day, weeks later, isn’t easy.

“I’m not really one to do this,” Teague says, “but if I can help someone else, I will”.

The capsize hasn’t put him off fishing – he’s been out since and plans to get another boat – but it’s in the back of his mind, and his advice for others is simple.

Take a personal locator beacon, wear a lifejacket and do up the crutch strap (because “hanging in the water for over half-an-hour by your neck” is pretty uncomfortable). Be aware of your surroundings.

“I don’t really know how I would have done it different today, other than manage the time of the tide when I was coming in.

“It was just one of those things eh, you run off the road in a car too, it was just an accident. It was lucky we had everything in place, I guess, to get away with it.”

*information on how to stay safe in the water can be found on the Maritime NZ and [https://www.coastguard.nz/boating-essentials/safety-on-the-water Coastguard websites, which also includes a range of boating courses.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

One person is seriously injured after a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 2 in Wellington.

Emergency services were called to the northbound lanes near Petone at 5.15am on Saturday.

The Serious Crash Unit has been notified.

The northbound lanes were closed and southbound had one lane open.

People were asked to expect delays.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

One person is seriously injured after a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 2 in Wellington.

Emergency services were called to the northbound lanes near Petone at 5.15am on Saturday.

The Serious Crash Unit has been notified.

The northbound lanes were closed and southbound had one lane open.

People were asked to expect delays.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

One person is seriously injured after a single-vehicle crash on State Highway 2 in Wellington.

Emergency services were called to the northbound lanes near Petone at 5.15am on Saturday.

The Serious Crash Unit has been notified.

The northbound lanes were closed and southbound had one lane open.

People were asked to expect delays.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A couple of crashes Saturday morning on State Highway 1 in Canterbury have closed roads.

A car caught on fire after a collision with a food truck at the intersection of Hoskyns Road and SH1 in Rolleston just before 6am.

No one was injured but the intersection was closed.

And a car and a truck collided on SH1 in the Saltwater Creek area around 6.30am.

Further details were not yet available.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Half a year ago, Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre was on the brink of closure.

The sanctuary – described as a taonga on the border of Wairarapa and Tararua – was in financial turmoil, forced to make a desperate bid for donations just as a stoush over a new home for an endangered bird hit the headlines.

Since then, the entire board has been replaced and a new general manager is at the helm.

But what became of the shore plover, the tiny wading bird at the centre of all the strife?

You hear them before you see them.

As Toby Cantwell moves towards the line of brand-new aviaries out the back of Pūkaha, a series of high-pitched cheeping erupts.

The conservation manager’s footsteps signal breakfast and the shore plovers seem to know it. They’re on high alert.

Today’s menu includes a reddish-brown mush of minced ox heart, kitten biscuits, insects and supplements all mixed in individual bowls, plus a handful of live, wriggling, mealworms – bred onsite and handpicked stoically by Cantwell.

He hates creepy-crawlies but they afford him an important once-over of the birds, a visual health check.

“The mealworms are quite good, because that means they [the shore plovers] come over to us nice and close, so you can get a good look.

“Often times you’ll employ a pair of binoculars as well, so you can really see the detail of their feet.

“Is there any sign of any problem? Are they using both their feet, are they walking properly? Do they look like they’ve hurt themselves?”

The birds, with their motley white and brown feathers, take a minute to spot amongst the pebbles and tussock of their artificial coastal environment.

About the size of a fist, the endemic tūturuatu/shore plover is one of the country’s most critically endangered birds.

Decades of habitat loss and predation, mean there are fewer than 250 left in the wild, according to the Department of Conservation (DOC), most of them on offshore islands.

Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre hopes its breed and release programme will help bolster those numbers, but earlier this year that ambition was hanging in the balance.

Pūkaha’s plea for financial help

Established in 1962, the wildlife sanctuary is perhaps best known for its first species – the takahē, a Fiordland bird once thought extinct.

The flightless bird marked the start of Pūkaha’s breed and release programme for endangered species, but in June this year the sanctuary’s days were suddenly numbered.

In a desperate plea for financial help, the then-board announced that without an immediate and significant cash injection of $600,000, Pūkaha would be forced to shut its doors.

“Pūkaha has enjoyed over 60 years of community support, and we are asking our local community and New Zealand to again step up – provide financial assistance – or face the potential closure of this magnificent national treasure, ” then-board co-chair Mavis Mullins said at the time.

Pūkaha’s financial woes escalated in a public stoush over payment for the construction of new aviaries for a critically endangered bird – the shore plover.

DOC had approved a grant for $530,000 for the aviaries – due to be completed before the end of 2024 – with funds to be released on the completion of agreed milestones.

But by May 2025, tensions regarding an unpaid $244,000 invoice from the contractor boiled over. BK Engineering walked off the job, and took its gear and the aviaries’ doors with it.

DOC said it hadn’t contracted the work and it was working with Pūkaha on finding a solution.

Ultimately, the department stepped in to finish the aviaries, saying they were integral for the shore plover breeding programme and urgently needed.

By mid-June the entire Pūkaha board had been replaced, and its new members were scrambling.

‘Sweat, tears and many hui’

It’s been a rollercoaster ride, according to Shane McManaway, the new board chair, who said the centre got itself into financial difficulties in the latter part of 2024 for “a whole host of reasons”.

Pūkaha’s 2023-2024 annual report shows soaring debt – hitting about $3 million – rising operational costs, and falling grant money.

While visitors numbers had increased, they were still about 12,000 below pre-pandemic levels.

By July this year, the new board closed a multi-million-dollar deal with iwi and creditors that kept Pūkaha’s doors open.

BK Engineering was paid, but McManaway says the board didn’t come up for air for months as its members sought to get a grip on Pūkaha’s finances and secure support.

“Day in and day out, all of June, all of July, and most of August we didn’t do anything else but really focus on making sure we got it back up on its feet,” McManaway says.

Rangitāne Tū Mai Rā Trust chair Sonya Rimene said the deal with the sanctuary came after a “lot of sweat, tears and many hui”.

Ultimately, the Trust agreed to buy the sanctuary’s education complex, Whare Wānanga, (which it did in August) helping relieve some of the centre’s debt and also took on a $1 million loan from the Tararua District Council.

Masterton District Council and Central Energy Trust also came to the party, as did “many, many supporters” from across the region, Rimene said.

She said with Trust members on the board, helping to put Pūkaha “back in the black”, and the Whare Wānanga already fully booked into mid-next year, they’re feeling positive.

So is McManaway. He said the centre is currently advertising for a ‘Chief of Awesome’ to help enhance people’s experience at the sanctuary and boost numbers through the door – a key part of future revenue and financial stability.

“We want to do more than wash our face to be fair, we want to make sure we can grow the business,” he said.

“We really are putting a big effort in. A lot of hard work, but given that it’s such a special thing for our beautiful region, it’s been worth every hour that we’ve put in.”

McManaway said the sanctuary’s financial position is looking “pretty good” – a turnaround made possible by those who “rolled up their sleeves” and the staff who stuck it out during a “very awkward time”.

Sights set on future

That tumultuous period is something interim general manager Rhys Watkins would sooner leave behind.

“It was a tricky time… When the new board came in, they obviously had some work to do.”

The “team of superstars” is getting things done, but he said running a conservation centre 364-days a year, doesn’t come cheap.

“[It’s] always a feel-good story and quite often it’s not wrapped around with bucketloads of money.”

Extensive trapping is required to ensure the survival of native species, such as kokako, kiwi, kakariki, and riroriro within and around the reserve’s 942 hectares, he said.

Infrastructure, for example aviaries for breeding programmes, also costs.

Despite the challenges, he’s optimistic.

“For myself, it’s a very exciting time and I think there’s opportunity on the horizon – and that’s great.

“From a place where you’re having discussions about doors closing… to now we’re opening doors left, right, and centre.”

DOC said work on stage one of the shore plover aviaries (whose doors were stripped) wrapped in August, and work is underway on a second aviary plus one for future chicks.

Lower North Island operations director Alice Heather said it took a lot of hard work to get the aviaries up-and-running and relocated the birds. There are currently 12 shore plovers on site.

She said Pūkaha is an important captive breeding site for endangered species and “the conservation of the critically endangered tūturuatu” is the current focus of DOC’s collaboration with the centre.

“While birds are co-housed, DOC is not encouraging breeding right now but will be actively encouraging the birds during the next breeding season, beginning in spring 2026.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The search for a jet skier missing in the water for more than 24 hours off Port Waikato has ended for a second night.

Emergency services responded to reports of three people in distress in the sea about 6:30pm last night, near the sandbar at the Waikato River mouth.

On Thursday two people, including a five year old child were rescued at the river mouth with help from the police Eagle helicopter. But searchers continued to scour the water on Friday, searching for a third person.

The trio were jet skiing near the notoriously dangerous sand bar at the river’s mouth on Christmas Day when they got into trouble.

Police said they responded to a report about the incident about 6:30pm on Thursday. The Police Eagle helicopter crew helped surf lifesavers to rescue two people, but the third had not yet been found.

Surf Life Saving NZ (SLSNZ) said on Christmas Day lifeguards from Sunset Beach and Kariaotahi had responded to the incident, with patrol lifeguards and search and rescue squads, using inflatable rescue boats and rescue water craft. The Northern Rescue helicopter had also helped search.

Lifeguards had been able to pull a five-year-old child from the water, and had kept searching until it became too dark to continue, at about 8pm on Thursday.

The remaining missing person was a male, SLSNZ said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Flooding has been reported in some areas, while MetService has issued more thunderstorm warnings, on top of earlier forecasts of stormy, wet weather for Boxing Day.

A new severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the Clutha District.

Thunderstorms were expected to lie near Balclutha, Nugget Point, Owaka, Kaitangata, Kaka Point and Offshore Nugget Point about 6pm.The thunderstorms could be accompanied by very heavy rain, large hail and frequent lightning.

Heavy rain has been making its way up the country, and causing flooding in parts of the North Island.

MetService said Taranaki, and the town of Hāwera in particular, had been hardest hit.

Warnings issued for storms

Several weather watches were issued earlier, for thunderstorms expected for the upper North Island and southeast of the South Island.

Including severe thunderstorm watches for Christchurch, Canterbury Plains, Canterbury High Country, North Otago, Central Otago, Dunedin, Clutha and Southland from 1pm until 8pm on Friday.

Forecasters said there was the possibility of hail larger than 20mm in these areas.

“A cold unstable air-mass affects parts of the South Island today. For coastal Canterbury from the Banks Peninsula southwards, eastern Otago and Southland there is a moderate risk of thunderstorms. These storms may become severe this afternoon and evening with hail, larger than 20mm.”

Meanwhile, up north, a complex trough embedded in a moist unstable air-mass was expected to move east across the upper North Island, MetService forecasters said.

They issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty and Rotorua from 2pm until 8pm on Friday.

And Gisborne was also under a watch from 7pm until 11pm Friday.

MetService said the downpours could bring hourly rainfall amounts of 25 to 40mm an hour.

Heavy rain watches were also issued for parts of Bay of Plenty, Taranaki Maunga, Tararua Range and Wellington.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Coastguard are helping police search for a jet skier missing on the Port Waikato coast for almost 24 hours.

Police responded to reports of three people in distress at sea about 6:30pm on Boxing Day.

The Police Eagle helicopter crew helped surf lifesavers to rescue two of them, but the third has not yet been found.

The Waiuku Coastguard and the Auckland Coastguard Air Patrol were out at first light on Friday, searching for them.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

All Wellington swimming spots have been marked with red ‘unsuitable for swimming’ labels, and warnings have been issued about pollution from two wastewater discharges.

Warning signs were being put up along parts of Wellington’s south coast after the discharge of untreated wastewater, while all Lower Hutt swimming spots – including Petone and Eastbourne – had been marked as unsuitable for swimming after another discharge to an urban stream.

Wellington Water said it was replacing its ultraviolet water disinfection system at the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, resulting in a discharge of partially-treated wastewater about 2km off the coast of Lyall Bay.

The area is popular with surfers, divers and swimmers.

The water disinfection system upgrade is expected to take until May next year, leaving the plant at reduced capacity, Land Air and Water Aotearoa said.

“When it’s raining, wastewater volumes are higher than usual, and some wastewater may bypass the full treatment, resulting in a discharge of partially treated wastewater via the long outfall pipe, 1.8km offshore. Any discharges in this location, will be heavily diluted due to significant tidal flows,” they said.

People should stay out of the water on Wellington’s south coast for at least 48 hours after rainfall. And it urged ongoing caution in the area: “due to potential discharges of partially treated wastewater on rainy days, we advise people take extra care if recreating (swimming) in this area after rainfall.”

They would continue to monitor the water quality in the area after rainfall and water discharges.

Wastewater had also been discharged into Wellington Harbour from the Waiwhetu Stream in Lower Hutt after heavy rain, Wellington Water said. It was fully treated, but could be smelly.

Boxing Day Enterococci bacteria results for all Lower Hutt swimming spots, including popular spots Petone and Eastbourne, showed the area was unsuitable for swimming, Land Air and Water said.

For both Wellington’s south coast, and Lower Hutt beaches, the waste could create cloudy or murky water, LAWA said.

You can find Land Air and Water’s Is it safe to Swim map here.

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