Source: Radio New Zealand

A kayak has been found floating near Beachlands in Auckland, leading police to be concerned about its owner.

Auckland City District police said a member of the public contacted them at 7.20am on Wednesday about an unoccupied blue and green kayak floating in the water in the Tamaki Strait between Omana Beach and Beachlands.

They said on the kayak was a paddle, a chilly bin and a torch mounted on the front indicating that it was possibly used in the dark.

Police wanted to hear from anyone who recognised the kayak to determine whether its occupant made it to shore safely.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Sjaak van Unnik believes he’s gained a lot of aunties and uncles on the East Coast.

The Dutchman and his wife, Hessel Mulder, are among about a dozen people who’ve taken refuge at Hinerupe Marae, after last week’s destructive storm ripped through Te Araroa.

Follow updates on the weather aftermath with RNZ’s blog

The pair had been in their cabin at Te Araroa Holiday Park on 21 January when the campground was transformed into a raging torrent overnight.

Van Unnik said it was the sound that woke him.

“Enormous noise, at first you think it’s just the rain, then you realise it’s not just rain – it’s a lot more than rain.”

Te Araroa was one of the worst hit areas on the East Coast. It has been likened to a ‘war zone,’ and in the morning, van Unnik saw the destruction.

“You could see the meadow behind us – which was just an empty meadow – and now it was totally filled with wood, s**t.

“And the whole campsite was just a river. We lost water, we lost electricity and basically we had to get out.”

Grabbing phones, chargers, and about “three pieces of underwear” the couple left, wading through the still flowing water, and picking their way over rocks and debris with the help of firefighters.

Vehicle ‘goneburgers’

Nearby, after a sleepless night monitoring the water, Levin volunteer firefighter Byron Glover and his family, were doing the same.

“We’d seen the water turn a mud, silt colour, we knew obviously there’d been some slips happening around the area.”

They had let their children, 9 and 6, sleep so as not to “traumatise” them, but woke them up to self-evacuate at first light.

“When we’d seen the water had subsided a bit so, we deemed it safe to do so, between myself and missus piggybacking the kids to safety.

“We decided, ‘Nah we’ll just take the clothes on our back only.’ Looking at the vehicle, that was pretty much goneburgers.”

‘Astonishing’ level of support at marae

Van Unnik, Mulder, and Glover’s family were helicoptered out, and bar one trip back to the campground to grab supplies, have been sheltering at Hinerupe Marae ever since.

As the Te Araroa Civil Defence hub and welfare centre, the marae is humming with about 30 to 40 people at any one time.

Civil Defence coordinator Tash Wanoa said of those, between 14 and 19 people were staying every night.

The logistics meant there were a lot of unsung heroes behind the scenes.

The tourists said the hospitality they’d received had been “astonishing” and the “silver-lining” following the storm.

“It’s been nothing but unity,” Glover told RNZ.

“The wraparound support from them has been outstanding and also the amount of aroha that’s been given throughout.”

Van Unnik said: “It’s amazing. Really amazing.”

“This is not a very rich community, they don’t have a lot, but I understood they’re going around gardens of people, with consent obviously, and just picking everything which is okay to be eaten.

“And bringing that to the marae to cook.”

The families had also been mucking in where they could, helping out in the kitchen – with van Unnik and Mulder making a classic Dutch dish, hutspot – and Glover also lending a hand in the local fire brigade.

Glover said although his family was a priority to be evacuated to Gisborne, they weren’t in any rush, and felt like they’d been welcomed into the whānau.

He wasn’t the only one.

“We’re gaining a lot of aunties and uncles here. We’re part of the family basically … that’s how it feels,” van Unnik said.

“We’re very grateful for that. It’s of course not what we planned, but this is an experience nobody will ever take away from us.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Scrutiny has again come on the 111 emergency call system which still runs on an operating model set up in 1958.

An Australasian public safety working group linked to police says the old and fragmented system hinders emergency responders.

Agencies like NZ Police and Fire and Emergency (FENZ) have been calling for at least four years for an “urgent” overhaul of 111.

But a report from the National Emergency Communications Working Group of Australia and New Zealand lays out a raft of ongoing shortcomings, both day-to-day and when faced with a broad or intense disaster.

Experts are warning these, like Cyclone Gabrielle or the Mauao landslide, are coming more often.

“Emergency incidents often require coordination between multiple agencies, placing significant pressure on the existing 111 system,” the report, done in November, stated.

“ESOs’ [emergency service organisations’] ability to coordinate effectively is currently hindered by outdated systems, limiting real-time information sharing and collaborative response efforts.”

It described an old system that backed up with calls, or even dropped them, and could not properly prioritise especially during big disasters.

The report called for the police to take the box seat to drive research, criticised a lack of legislation and regulation for streamlining 111, and recommended setting up a new govenment agency to cut through the fog around who is in charge.

FENZ declined to comment on the 111 report, saying it may be relevant or within scope of the pending inquiry or coronial into the Mauao landslide.

A spokesperson for the National Emergency Management Agency echoed this and added NEMA was not part of the Australasian working group.

Police, ambulance and the government have been approached for comment.

Cabinet Minister Simeon Brown told Morning Report on Wednesday: “We as a country of course face many natural disasters and we need to make sure that we are always learning from these to improve our response but also our recovery.”

‘A model established in 1958’

The working group itself did not respond to requests for comment. Executive chair Craig Anderson is the Director of the Public Safety Communications Programme at Queensland Police.

Another of its reports, carried out last year into Australia’s equivalent 000 system, said similarly that it was a fragmented system facing unprecedented demand on more and more channels.

In New Zealand, meanwhile, “in the absence of a clear governance body, there is uncertainty about the future direction and development of this critical service,” the report said. “Despite increasing demand and more complex emergencies, the 111 service still operates under a model established in 1958.”

Its figures showed the system was handling 2.8 million calls a year to police, fire and ambulance, 2.5 million of those from mobile phones. Among the weaknesses was that is voice-only with no texting or visuals to speak of.

The agencies had known for years the old system had sometimes put people in danger; for instance, a woman killed by her partner after she made a voice call to 111 since texting was not an option. A fatal boat capsize showed up “unnecessary delays” and risks with 111, transport investigators said last year.

The official inquiry into the North Island storms of 2023 called for a comprehensive review of 111, calling the system “complex and confusing” so that “situational awareness and the ability to respond was compromised leaving many people and communities fearing for their safety and that of their families”.

Some of the 111 technology was 25 years old, a 2023 Cabinet paper said.

An overhaul has not been funded; the government has called finding a fix for 111 a “major priority” but had not committed to do it this term.

The police have said previously told RNZ that 111 was being improved and that problems were expected to decrease.

RNZ has asked for an update on that work.

‘First in, first served’

But the Australasian working group’s report said weaknesses persisted.

“This linear, voice-only model routes calls based on the caller’s request or defaults to Police if the caller is uncertain. With minimal investment, this model has not evolved to meet modern expectations or emergencies,” it said.

Being linear it queued calls “strictly in the order they arrive. While simple, this ‘first in, first served’ approach is highly limiting during high-demand situations”.

The new report said 111’s tech problems included that a big emergency sparked a surge in calls – including from automated alerts from devices like Apple or Google – that caused a ‘denial of service’ to other callers.

“The system lacks the ability to differentiate between duplicate reports and genuinely new, critical incidents.”

It could not handle new ways of communicating, or the rising volumes from people in crises, who quite often were not sure what service to ask for.

Added to all this was the increasing threat of cyber attack.

The report described how Victoria’s fire service system was hacked in 2022, forcing firefighters to drop their usual dispatch systems for patch-ins.

Even attempts to upgrade 111 tech by some telcos had hit coordination hurdles, for instance when one company after Gabrielle announced people would be able to use satellites to text 111 – without asking the responders and Spark, that routes 111 calls, if the system “had the capability to receive satellite text message”.

The telco-and-data industry senses an opportunity. Motorola last month promoted a report pushing for more use of artificial intelligence (AI) in New Zealand and and Australia’s emergency call systems.

Police told to take the lead

The report said there was “no formal government-led strategic body with overall responsibility… Nor are there enabling regulations.”

A new Emergency Communications Service and inter-operability across agencies had been set up, but lacked decision-making powers.

In place of that, the working group recommended police take the lead to set up two groups, one to seek legislative and regulations change, and the other technological solutions.

Emergency communications systems had been faulted in review after review of storms going back at least two decades.

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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 man is lucky to be alive after falling down a Northland cliff face and spending more than fiver hours stranded while rescuers worked to find him.

Police said various agencies pulled together on Saturday night to help the 53-year-old man who called police at 9.42pm to say he had fallen near Butterfly Bay, north of Tauranga Bay.

Detective Sergeant Ryan Cooper from Northland Search and Rescue said cell phone coverage in the area was poor making it difficult to pinpoint the man’s exact location.

As a result, there were long periods of time where police couldn’t speak to the man.

“From the first phone call we believed the man had fallen approximately 100-150ft down the cliff face, making it a threat to life,” Cooper said.

“A member of SAR managed to voice appeal the man using sound line techniques. This was very difficult to do as to be able to locate him our officer had to saddle the side of the cliff.”

At the same time the Northern Emergency Services Trust sent a helicopter to the area but due to the steep terrain and strong winds the man couldn’t be reached.

Cooper said once the man was found a ropes team was sent to the scene.

The man was winched to safety at 2.36am.

“He was extremely shaken up but miraculously hadn’t suffered any injuries aside from a few scrapes and bruises.”

The man was then able to be reunited with his son back at a nearby campground.

“It’s times like these where our LandSAR teams combined skills lead to a successful rescue,” Cooper said.

“This rescue presented challenges with the cell phone reception and weather being a factor, but we managed to rescue the man back to safety.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Warning: The story contains references to sexual abuse

More than two decades after departing St Bede’s College Fr Rowan Donoghue was unmasked as sexually abusing boys in his care. National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood investigates.

It was the end of the 2000 school year, another group of students were ending their five years at Christchurch’s St Bede’s College, the only Catholic boys’ boarding school in the South Island.

Like most schools, the end of year was marked with an annual magazine, the Bedean, which celebrated the students’ successes and also acknowledged staff that were leaving and who had just started.

Among the list of staff departing was a section devoted to the head of boarding Fr Rowan Donoghue, accompanied by a photo of the priest smiling back at the camera.

“Since 1993 Rowan has ensured that year after year the boarders are happy and totally confident in his genuine care and concern for them, and grateful for his extraordinary and limitless patience and generosity,” the newsletter read.

He had taught math, religious education, and directed several musicals. He had also coached cricket and rugby and even edited the Bedean magazine. The newsletter went on to list several other ways he contributed to the school including being the musician and celebrant at liturgies.

“And these are only the things that the school administration knew about!,” it ended.

It appeared to be an impressive resume.

However, behind the man’s smile was a secret. A secret that would not be revealed for more than two decades when police were notified of historical allegations that he sexually abused boys who were under his care.

On Wednesday, a suppression order was lifted allowing RNZ to reveal Fr Donoghue had pleaded guilty to six charges including indecent assault on a boy aged 12-16, indecent assault on a boy 16 and over and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection. The offending related to four boys.

The plea had been suppressed until other charges were dismissed. At the end of the hearing, Fr Donoghue was remanded in custody by Judge Jane Farish. He will be sentenced on May 13.

The court room was packed during Wednesday’s hearing. Crown prosecutor Courtney Martyn acknowledged the victims who were in court.

RNZ has spoken to two of the victims about the life-long impact of Fr Donoghue’s offending, how they feel it was “normalised” and why they believe there are others.

‘Silverstream’s loss is St Bede’s gain’

Fr Donoghue arrived at St Bede’s in 1993. The school’s end of year magazine says he began in term three.

“Fresh from renewal and students in Australia and America during the previous ten months, including a stint teaching at our College in Atlanta, Georgia, he did not take long to establish himself as the third form dormitory master and a very competent mathematics teacher.”

He had earlier spent 11 years teaching at St Patrick’s College Silverstream.

“He involved himself enthusiastically in many facets of school life from dean to producer of musicals, from co-ordinator of the Māori and Polynesian Club to teacher in charge of audio visuals, from dormitory master to sporting coach and referee.

“Silverstream’s loss is St Bede’s gain. We welcome him most warmly and hope in his time at St Bede’s he will have the opportunity to share his many talents with the Bedean Community.”

At St Bede’s College the third and fourth form borders resided in a dormitory building called Grimes.

There were no individual rooms for students, instead the dormitory had communal living with several pods of four beds separated by low partition walls.

Fr Donoghue was the Grimes dormitory master and had his own private room.

According to court documents, Fr Donoghue’s offending began in 1996.

His first victim was a 13-year-old boy. From the start of the school year, Fr Donoghue would sit on the boy’s bed at night and console him as he was struggling with homesickness.

At first, Fr Donoghue would rub his back and shoulders. However, within a short timeframe this progressed to him moving his hand down onto the boy’s buttocks.

Fr Donoghue would push the victim’s shorts down and rub his buttocks and inner thighs. He would also part the victim’s legs by pushing them wider with his hand before continuing to rub his inner thighs and buttocks.

Throughout his first year, the victim received multiple massages in Fr Donoghue’s room. The priest would either ask the victim to go with him to his room or at times when the victim was especially homesick the victim would go upset to Fr Donoghue’s room knocking on his door.

Once in his room, Fr Donoghue would put the boy in his bed and lay down behind him and begin rubbing his back, buttocks and legs.

Then, in 1997, he began offending against another 13-year-old boy. Again, it started with back and shoulder massages while the boy was in bed.

Over the first year Fr Donoghue progressed the massages to masturbating the victim’s penis, which he continued to do throughout the year as the boy lay in bed at night.

“The frequency increased to around three times a week. As a result, the victim struggles to differentiate between incidents,” the summary of facts said.

The victim remained in the Grimes Dormitory in 1998 and 1999, with Fr Donoghue continuing his offending against him. The offending was so frequent the victim felt that at times it was a nightly occurrence.

The victim recalled an incident in 1998 where he tried to prevent Fr Donoghue from masturbating him.

“The victim who was lying in bed at the time kept trying to roll away from the defendant’s advances. However, the defendant failed to stop and kept reaching over and handling the victim’s penis while continuing to masturbate him.”

In 2000, the victim, now 16, started sixth form and resided in Durham, the sixth and seventh form dormitory where he had his own room.

The offending then began to escalate further, with Fr Donoghue both masturbating and giving oral sex to the victim.

The victim believed the first incident of oral sex was after Fr Donoghue invited him to his private room in the Grimes dormitory. He recalled going to the room and being provided with sandwiches and beer.

After the incident the boy left the room and returned to his dormitory feeling “gross”.

For the rest of the 2000 school year, Fr Donoghue would walk to the victim’s room in the Durham dormitory, where he would carry out his offending.

“The frequency of this increased to around three or four times a week and when the defendant didn’t turn up the victim would wonder if something had happened.”

‘His behaviour was so normalised’

Fr Donoghue’s third victim, Stephen* started at St Bede’s in 1999, a year after his older brother left. Growing up outside Canterbury, he says the move to “the big smoke” was “an exciting adventure for a 13-year-old”.

“It looked like a hell of a lot of fun,” he told RNZ.

The first time he met Fr Donoghue was the day his parents dropped him off at school.

“He seemed like a caring, personable guy. He didn’t show any indications of the monster that he is.”

Within days of arriving at the school everything changed.

It was the last weekend of January and Fr Donoghue was overseeing the third and fourth form students playing cricket.

During the game Stephen got “sconed in the head” with a cricket ball. Fr Donoghue took him to the school’s first aid room.

While giving him first aid he began rubbing Stephen’s legs, according to court documents.

He then moved his hand up the inside of the boy’s leg, under his shorts and underwear and placed his hand on the victim’s penis and testicles. He started stroking the boy’s genitals a couple of times before Stephen pushed Fr Donoghue’s hand away and left the first aid room.

Stephen says he was in “shock” when the offending occurred.

“I had no real understanding of stranger danger or anything. I was a strong, independent kid.”

He wanted out of boarding “immediately”.

“My parents thought I was just really homesick. It sounds so stupid now, but back then I didn’t feel like… there wasn’t an outlet or an avenue to go down to complain.

“I’d gone to Catholic schools my whole life and had been around priests, but nothing had ever happened. I didn’t feel like I had an avenue, anyone to go to and even talk amongst.”

Stephen moved out of boarding after three terms to go back and live with his parents. Court documents say Fe Donoghue gave him numerous massages at night during his time boarding.

He says Donoghue’s offending was “normalised”.

“He would come in at night, pretty much every night from what I can remember, after lights out and go around beds and give us massages. It was normal…,” he says.

“It was like ‘that’s Rowan, that’s Fr Donoghue, just a friendly guy’. No one thought ‘shit, someone’s probably getting it more than this’.”

The fourth victim

Fr Donoghue’s fourth victim, Michael*, started at St Bede’s in 1997, but did not become a boarder until 2000 when his parents moved overseas.

Then 16, Michael says before boarding he’d heard rumours about the priest from older pupils.

“There was a story going around why he had a crooked nose, and we used to hear that it was because he used to try and touch the boys, and they’d smack him.”

Michael says he didn’t think much of the rumours, and thought Fr Donoghue seemed like a friendly staffer who was heavily involved in the school.

Michael began the year in the Durham Dormitory where the older students resided, but was later moved into his own room in the Grimes Dormitory halfway through the year in a tutoring role for the younger students.

Court documents say that shortly after Michael moved into the Grimes Dormitory, Fr Donoghue entered his room at “lights out” and sat on his bed asking if he wanted a massage. Michael initially consented to back massages.

After the first couple of times Fr Donoghue progressed to moving his hand down Michael’s back during the massage. Once his hands reached the victim’s lower back, he would try pull his pants down, however Michael would prevent this by rolling or shifting away.

Fr Donoghue would then continue the massage and move his hand under Michael’s underwear, placing his hand on his buttocks.

“Sometimes on occasion, the defendant would move his hand down the inside of [Michael’s] upper thigh close to his genitals and apply pressure trying to get the victim to open his legs. When the victim did not move, the defendant would try to move his hands around and underneath the victim’s hips and pelvis close to his penis,” the summary of facts says.

“However, the victim would again move or roll away generally resulting in the defendant stopping and leaving his room.”

The pattern of massaging happened on a weekly basis during Michael’s time in the dormitory.

Michael told RNZ that initially he thought it was a “once or two-time thing”.

“But after that, he would keep coming in and sitting at the end of my bed and talking. He would say ‘do you want a massage?’, or ‘do you want a rub?’ or ‘do you feel stressed?’ and I’d either say yes or no.

“And if I said no he would push it and then I’d say no and he’d go to the next cubicle.”

Michael says that as time went on, he didn’t feel he had a choice.

“He wouldn’t leave. He would just sit.”

Michael says the offending “killed the school buzz for me” and decided it would be his final year at the school as he did not want to return to boarding. He told his parents he wanted to drop out, but did not tell them why. He then joined the army.

Like Stephen, Michael says the offending was “normalised”.

“No one actually raised concerns that I knew of…

“It was never spoken about. No one ever said anything about it. It just f…ing happened.”

Fr Donoghue finished at St Bede’s in 2000. The school’s magazine said Fr Donoghue had been in charge of boarding for a number of years, in two separate stints.

“He would never claim to be a slave to best management practices nor a devotee of highly organised systems and policies.

“What Rowan has done is to produce boarders who ar

e happy and confident in his genuine care and concern for them and grateful for his extraordinary and limitless patience and generosity.

“We thank you, Rowan, for the significant contribution you have made and we wish you well in your new ministry.”

Little is publicly available about his movements after leaving St Bede’s, but in 2002 he was at St Francis Xavier Parish and Pompallier Catholic College Chaplain in Whangārei.

The teaching council’s database says Donoghue’s teaching certification expired in October 2002.

‘He broke my trust, he broke me’

While Fr Donoghue’s offending remained secret for decades, the impact on those he had abused was severe.

Stephen says he “went off the rails,” and struggled at school, finishing after fifth form once he got school certificate.

“I was a teenage asshole,” he recalls, adding he battled with drugs and alcohol abuse.

“I stopped caring about myself. I felt like I lost my mana… it’s so hard keeping it a secret but then it was also like this internal cry for help but not being able to ask anyone or having an avenue to speak to someone and actually getting it out.”

As he got older, Stephen says he was fortunate that he was able to hold down good jobs, but that he struggled to open up to people.

He went on to have children; however he felt uncomfortable being intimate with them.

“I couldn’t even cuddle my own kids really, like I could hold them and all that, but I couldn’t. I’d feel uncomfortable. I feel like I’m invading their space or privacy.”

It wasn’t until about five years ago that Stephen confided in a relative about what happened to him.

“That was the first time I’d got it off my chest and then I left it at that… I always thought oh, it’s only me, it’s not worth going to the police, nothing’s going to happen, I won’t waste my time and go through it. I’ll just move on. But you never do move on.”

Michael says he has had issues with trust ever since.

“I was 16… mum and dad had left… I had no real male role model, so I turned to Fr Donoghue being a priest, being at a Catholic school, having time with him in the dorms.

“He broke my trust, and he broke me… I was vulnerable, and he groomed me to gain my trust.”

He too went down the path of drugs and alcohol abuse and became violent.

Then, about three years ago, Michael assaulted his partner. He was arrested and did a 16-month period of intensive supervision.

It was then that he says he reached out to the Salvation Army to get help with his drug and alcohol abuse.

Later, while attending a sexual violence services course he was asked a series of questions, including whether he had ever been sexually abused.

“That was the first time anyone ever asked me. I just broke down in tears. And from that day forward, that was when I started dealing with this.

“If I hadn’t done that three years ago, I would say I’d still be on the road of drugs and alcohol.”

Michael says from that day forward he’s stuck with his support group, including his partner who he calls his “rock”. He also started weaving, which he credits for keeping him on the “straight and narrow”.

“I just weave and weave and weave. It keeps the fingers going. It keeps the mind ticking over. It’s balanced. You’re working with nature. It’s just awesome,” he says

“A lot of self-work as well, sophisticated self-awareness and just being present instead of dwelling on too much past and what’s going to happen, or what could happen. Acknowledge it, live with it, and then you just carry on going.”

The police investigation

In early 2023, police were contacted with allegations of sexual abuse by Fr Donoghue and an investigation began.

Stephen told RNZ he first heard of the investigation the following year via his brother who had heard from a friend who went to St Bede’s that there had been a complaint about Fr Donoghue. Stephen knew who the complainant was and reached out to him.

The complainant gave Stephen the number of the police officer who was investigating the allegations. Stephen called the officer, who asked him to come to the Christchurch Central Police Station for an interview. He says it felt “empowering” knowing he wasn’t alone.

“I knew then that there were going to be others like me, and it would no doubt have had the same impact on their lives as well. And because it was such a relief for me, it was like well if the cops are taking this seriously, like there’s going to be others out there who are going to get the same kind of relief or validation.”

Around the same time Michael received a call from the officer in charge.

The officer told him police were investigating a case in relation to St Bede’s and that Michael’s name had come up and asked whether he would be happy to speak with police.

Michael says speaking to police brought everything back from more than 20 years ago.

“It almost made a picture in my head of him doing it again… because I remember it like it was yesterday, just every movement – the smell, his breathing, everything.

“So when those certain questions were asked, like, where did he place his hands, or how did he start, or what was he doing, those sort of things it triggered me. But it felt good to release it and get it off my chest. It had been weighing me down most of my life.”

In September 2024, Fr Donoghue was arrested in relation to Michael, Stephen and another victim.

The following month, the case made the media and police appealed for any further information. However, Fr Donoghue had name suppression, limiting how much police could say.

Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons said at the time police believed Fr Donoghue, who had name suppression at the time and was referred to as “the alleged offender”, targeted those boarding at the school during this time, and the investigations were ongoing to determine if there was any further offending not yet reported to Police.

According to the summary of facts, Fr Donoghue admitted to police that he engaged in sexual behaviour with the second victim.

“He stated that he only ever masturbated or performed oral sex on the victim and never received anything. He stated that everything was initiated by the victim and that he only ever did what the victim asked for.

“The defendant stated that he enjoyed the interaction with the victim but was concerned about what it was doing to him.”

Fr Donoghue denied the incidents with Michael and Stephen, saying he had no recollection of any sexual interactions with them at all.

‘He’s out of the shadows’

It wasn’t until Fr Donoghue’s name was published in the media along with a current photo of him that Stephen got to see how the man who offended against him more than two decades ago looked now.

“He just looked like a little man… he was a grown adult as I remember him as a 13-year-old boy. I just thought, what a frail little man, a weak little man.

“Here he is being this monster in the back of my head for so long.”

Fr Donoghue, now 69, pleaded guilty last year to six charges, five of which are representative, including indecent assault on a boy aged 12-16, indecent assault on a boy 16 and over and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.

Stephen says for decades he hated Fr Donoghue, but now he feels nothing towards the man he describes as a “prolific predator”.

“He’s out of the shadows, he’s not that scary guy down the alley anymore. He’s just this pathetic little man, he’s nothing,” he says.

“He has to live with that shame, that stench that he’ll never get rid of, and that, for me, has been enough.”

Stephen recently started seeing a counsellor and a psychologist, which he says is helping him come to terms with what happened.

“I’ve sat there my whole life and always rued the opportunities I missed, I ruminated about bad things and always wish I could go back in time. But now I’m trying to learn how to look forward and actually live my life.”

Michael says there will be no relief until he sees Fr Donoghue be jailed for what he did.

“To see him in cuffs and sentenced, that’s going to be a good day for everyone.”

He says Fr Donoghue is “untrustworthy and sneaky and a manipulator”.

Both Stephen and Michael are adamant that there are other victims out there.

“I don’t believe that there’s only four,” Stephen says.

“I certainly believe there are others out there.”

Michael says he wants to know whether St Bede’s knew of the allegations about Fr Donoghue earlier, and if so, what action was taken.

He says he loves St Bede’s, but believes the school should apologise to the victims.

“I want something out of them. I want a sorry, or I want a compensation. I want them to say ‘we’re sorry’.”

RNZ asked St Bede’s College rector Jon McDowall for comment this week on when the school was first notified of any allegations regarding Fr Donoghue.

He said the school was “formally notified” of the allegations by police and had “worked openly with them since that time”.

“We hold victims and survivors in our thoughts and remain focused on providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community – past, present and future.”

Where to get help

If it’s an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

If you have been abused, remember it’s not your fault.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Explainer – A series of unprovoked attacks on Auckland public transport – including a fatal stabbing last month – have raised concerns about the safety of riders and drivers in Aotearoa’s biggest city.

Auckland Transport says the vast majority of public transport goes by without incident, and it has set up a variety of public safety measures.

What can people do if they’re worried about their own safety on public transport? Here’s what you need to know.

What’s been happening on Auckland public transport?

From January to December 2025, there were 2161 reported incidents of “aggression, violence, racism, discrimination, and inappropriate behaviour” on Auckland public transport, said Auckland Transport’s Director of Public Transport and Active Modes, Stacey van der Putten.

“The number of reported cases fluctuates across the months, ranging from a low of 84 cases in December 2025 to a peak of 249 cases in March 2025,” she said.

The rough average from those numbers would work out to about six reported incidents per day in 2025.

There have been several violent incidents on or around Auckland transport in recent weeks. A passenger suffered moderate injuries in an apparently unprovoked attack by a group of people earlier this month, while a young woman was arrested after two people were assaulted at a bus station in Ōrewa. A 32-year-old man was also arrested after a bus driver was allegedly sprayed with a fire extinguisher in Auckland on 13 January.

Some attacks in the past few years have been fatal.

On 8 December, a 59-year-old was fatally stabbed on a bus travelling from Glen Innes towards Ōrakei in East Auckland. Another man, 41, was seriously injured after boarding the same bus a short time later. A suspect has since been arrested.

In October 2024, an Auckland woman was stabbed to death on a bus in Onehunga and a 16-year-old was charged with murder after another fatal attack at an Albany bus station in 2023, while an American PhD student died after an assault while waiting at a Meadowbank bus stop in April 2025.

“We are very, very concerned about those specific incidents,” NZ Police Inspector Charles Ip, the area prevention manager for Auckland City East, told RNZ.

“The commissioner has made it quite clear for us as an organisation to ensure that everyone in New Zealand is safe and they feel safe.”

Is violence actually getting worse? Are buses safe?

With schools restarting and the traditional “March madness” traffic surge soon to begin, Auckland’s public transport numbers will be on the rise.

“Public transport is safe,” van der Putten said. “These incidents are an absolute minority; it is important to remember that last week Aucklanders took around 1.8 million public transport trips, with the vast majority having safe, comfortable, and enjoyable journeys.”

AT’s data showed that March 2025 was the peak month last year for incidents, at 249, while only 84 incidents were reported in December.

Van der Putten said that data is based on reports from the public.

“This data is based solely on public submissions and may include subjective or anecdotal accounts. As such, they represent perceived incidents rather than confirmed legal breaches or verified violations of operational policy.”

According to AT, there were also slightly fewer assaults against public transport drivers from 2024 to 2025, down from 60 to 55, although December 2025’s numbers are not yet included in that total.

“This is largely driven through the rollout of bus driver safety screens, with over 650 buses now having them installed,” van der Putten said.

Police are working hand in hand with AT to address the issues.

“We’re also working very, very hard with our partner agencies such as the local council and AT to do everything that we can to understand what we are facing and how we work together to reduce as much of these incidents as we can,” Ip said.

“The nature of these incidents appears to reflect broader trends in society as many cities have seen violence rise in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, amid wider social pressures and economic strain,” van der Putten said.

What public safety measures are being taken?

Auckland Transport has a page on its website with resources to improve safety.

AT is “continuously monitoring and adapting our strategies to prevent harm and respond” when incidents happen, van der Putten said.

People can report dangerous or threatening behaviour immediately by:

“Our awareness of incidents is increasing as we’ve made it easier for customers to report their experience through to us,” van der Putten said.

There are also bright orange “safety points” at every major bus, train and ferry terminal. The help button on them will connect people to the Auckland Transport Operations Centre which operates 24 hours a day. It won’t connect directly to emergency services so if people are in immediate danger they should contact 111.

AT said it has seen a “moderate” increase in safety point usage and has also launched a public awareness campaign to draw more attention to them.

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There are red emergency buttons on trains which immediately alert the driver to incidents on board.

Auckland Transport also has more than 4800 CCTV cameras in place around the city which are monitored from the operations centre.

There are also a total of 54 Auckland Transport Officers and six supervisors who monitor buses, trains and ferries.

“They are trained in self-awareness, situational awareness, incident management and de-escalation and tactical communication techniques,” van der Putten said.

They also are trained to escalate incidents to NZ Police but not physically intervene.

“We will be there at the earliest opportunity,” Ip said.

Police do not patrol buses and trains on a regular basis.

“We can’t be there on every single bus, it’s just not feasible,” Ip said.

The transport officers get a comprehensive six-week induction course supplemented through ongoing mentored field training, van der Putten said.

“We can confidently say, addressing these complexities has proven challenging across all sectors and takes a collective approach, working with police, other agencies, and communities.”

Should I be worried about getting on a bus? What can the public do?

“Our recommendation is that everyone stay vigilant regardless of how they move around our city and communities,” van der Putten said.

“Stay aware of your surroundings, secure your belongings, and know how to get help when needed.”

“Trust your gut feeling,” Ip said. Avoid confrontations if you can or try to move away or get off the public transport, he said.

“The key is to try to de-escalate, not to increase the risk to your personal safety.”

Basic safety tips like keeping valuables out of sight and avoiding being too distracted by your headphones also is important, van der Putten said.

If a violent incident is unfolding in front of you while on a bus or train, keep calm, Ip said, and contact police as soon as you can when it’s safe to do so.

“I think the main message that we want to get out there is that whilst reporting an incident is important, nothing is as important as your safety, everyone’s safety.”

It’s also important that friends or family generally know where and when you are travelling, and you have access to a phone for emergencies.

If you’re a tourist, you should be aware of how to contact New Zealand authorities using 111.

If you’re travelling alone and have concerns, staying in visible lighting, with people around you if possible, or sitting close to the driver can also help.

“Just trying to be more visible in terms of where you are is actually quite important,” Ip said.

It’s going to be a big year for Auckland Transport with the upcoming $5.5 billion City Rail Link opening, and van der Putten said the agency is well positioned for it.

“We have developed extensive training and development programmes for our network staff, including transport officers, security and customer service teams, control centre operators.

“These initiatives aim to enhance monitoring, increase visibility, bolster security, and ensure a rapid response to incidents from the very first day.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Emergency services are responding to a helicopter crash in the Paekākāriki Hill area, north of Wellington.

Police said they were notified at 7.30am by an activation of an automated crash alert.

Maritime NZ’s Rescue Coordination Centre is coordinating the search efforts. It told RNZ search efforts in the area were “ongoing”.

A spokesperson said two rescue helicopters and police were at the scene, and support from Fire and Emergency was being organised.

Fire and Emergency said it had sent one crew from Porirua to assist the police.

Currently, two helicopters appear to be flying search patterns in the area.

More to come…

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A store owner says he cannot understand why NZ Post plans to close his store’s postal service.

This week, NZ Post confirmed it would be removing 142 partner stores, like convenience stores and pharmacies that also offer postal services, by the end of the year.

The state-owned company said 567 post shops would remain open nationwide and rural post shops would not be affected.

For Te Kauwhata residents, that means their only post shop will be gone.

Manjit Singh said his small convenience store in the rural Waikato town runs a postal service which is regularly used by residents.

“It doesn’t make sense to me at all,” he told Morning Report.

“Right opposite my shop, there’s an old-age home, and people quite enjoy our service.

“They will have to go to Huntly or Pukekohe.”

The next closest postal store is more than 15 kilometres away along State Highway 1.

Singh said he had not observed a decline in people using his store’s postal service, which he ran as a side business to his convenience store.

“It would be really inconvenient for people if we aren’t there.”

He said NZ Post had told him it would be updating him on its future with the store later this year.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland Council says using AI to help sort through bins will make the region’s rubbish management more cost-effective.

Almost a third of Auckland’s recycling now ends up in landfill, and the council said it was costing ratepayers about $3.5 million a year.

Auckland Council general waste manager Justine Hayes said that people putting the wrong items in the recycling bin was a big problem.

“We are getting rubbish in the recycling bins, which essentially means that the sorting process takes longer, and we have to pay to dispose of that rubbish in a landfill rather than recycling it.

“We’re seeing people bagging recyclable items that unfortunately end up going into the rubbish, and nappies and soft plastics are unfortunately a common find in recycling bins.”

Hayes said the council conducting inspections and giving warning notices before confiscating bins, had been effective, but the new AI technology they had started using would speed up this process.

“AI is being trialled to see whether we can monitor the recycling that’s coming into the truck. Through the use of AI, we can pick up the contamination as it enters the truck instead of having to inspect every bin manually.”

She said the AI technology would help them focus on areas where rubbish contamination was highest.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

By Jeremy Parkinson, First Up Producer

The Auckland Anniversary floods of January 2023 devastated much of the North Shore’s Wairau Valley. Particularly badly hit were the suburbs of Milford, Sunnynook, Forrest Hill, and Totara Vale. In Milford alone, 150 houses were classified as Category 3, land now considered to be too dangerous to live on.

Three years later, the community is working together to redesign the increasingly empty streets, and to turn the Wairau creek catchment into something that locals will treasure rather than fear.

Before the 1960s, flooding was common along Milford’s Nile Road. Two major floods, in 1928 and 1953, prompted the former Takapuna City Council to seek ways to tame the creek that drains the Wairau Valley.

Longtime resident Sean D’Souza, who lives near Nile Road, said he understood much of the area “was always muddy, always filled with water”, before modern development.

In the mid-1960s, a network of concrete stormwater culverts was built to channel water parallel to Wairau Road. The system begins near the Northern Motorway north of Tristram Avenue and winds down through the valley toward Milford, where Wairau Creek meets its outlet near the shops two kilometres away. The construction appeared to solve flooding problems and opened the area to commercial and residential expansion.

On Auckland Anniversary Day 2023, the city endured a record deluge of around 245 millimetres in 24 hours. The Wairau culvert system from Target Road through to Milford was overwhelmed. Floodwaters surged through homes, businesses, and properties. Two men lost their lives, and more than 250 homes across the Wairau Valley and nearby suburbs were red or yellow stickered as unsafe.

By late 2025, over 150 properties in Milford had been purchased by Auckland Council. Roughly 45 Category 3 houses had already been removed or demolished, leaving wide stretches of cleared land where neighbourhoods once stood.

The Milford Residents Association, led by co-chair Debbie Dunsford, consulted locals about the future of the cleared areas.

“We’ve probably spoken to or engaged with about 500 people over some months last year, and quite a few themes have come out, and the big one is the idea of a blue-green network with paths and cycleway and little bits of park and community activities running alongside or close to the stream,” Dunsford said.

Locals envisioned an interconnected corridor that improved safety while enhancing the area’s liveability.

In a statement to First Up, Auckland Council’s group recovery manager, Mace Ward, said the approach was about recovery and redesign, not merely repair.

“What we’re doing in Milford is about making the area safer from future flooding and creating a place the community can enjoy and feel proud of,” he said.

Some of the Category 3 land was expected to become part of a blue-green network to allow water to flow more naturally during heavy rain, framed by public green spaces.

The Ngā Wairau Flood Resilience Project, the council’s long-term plan, would be delivered in phases. The first stage involves reshaping nearby parkland, which is currently the home to the Takapuna Golf Course, to store floodwaters diverted from the Wairau culvert system, reducing pressure on the main channel.

Work is due to begin in 2027, with funding in place both for phase one of the project and for the property removals in the Wairau catchment.

Uncertainty over future

For residents still living near the creek, uncertainty remained. Large tracts of bare land were now scattered through Milford and the valley. Some wondered if rebuilding could occur on higher ground once flood mitigation was complete, while others urged caution.

“Well, I hope there’s no building there, because if flooding happens again, something has to go higher. But if replacements are built at higher elevations, that makes sense,” said D’Souza.

He believed significant engineering work was needed to widen and strengthen the waterway. “If they don’t open it up or find more room for water to get through, it’s going to come onto properties. Water is unstoppable.”

Still, he favoured patience over haste. “It’s not going to flood every day, it’s not going to flood every year, I don’t see the need to rush through the decision making. But there needs to be clarity.”

The council still seemed to be figuring out what to do, he added.

Neighbouring resident Graeme Treeby agreed the future vision was promising, though funding remained uncertain. “I’m kind of more excited about perhaps the bolder plan of widening the creek, of having walkways and cycleways along there as far as it will go,” he said.

Despite some frustration about slow progress, optimism persisted that something positive could emerge from the devastation. Dunsford, representing the Milford Residents Association, believed the transformation could ultimately enhance local life.

“There will be an opportunity to have open space that the public can use on a daily basis and the sort of recreation of that stream, a naturalised stream we are hoping for and something that does become a local treasure.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Bar managers say they are stepping up security after a series of armed robberies in the Hutt Valley.

Since December, three Hutt Valley bars have been targeted in similar ways and police say the crimes may be linked.

Police said in each robbery the offenders used weapons, including a firearm, to demand money and other items.

For the Hardware Bar & Restaurant in Stokes Valley, it made for a rough start to the year when it was targeted on New Years Day.

Duty manager Mohammad Usama said because of the public holiday, it was a quiet night and it was the only place that was open.

He said his colleague was the one to close the bar.

He said a man was “hiding himself in the bush” across the road waiting for his colleague to exit the building.

Usama said he was however on the phone with his colleague at the time as they were taking precautions after an earlier robbery, and the Police were quickly called.

He said his colleague did however experience some anxiety following the robbery.

That earlier robbery was at Quinn’s Post in Upper Hutt.

Duty manager Harmony Weherua said an offender was also waiting in the bushes as her colleague exited the building.

“He was pretty shaken up.”

She said it also made some other staff nervous.

Weherua said they were also in quite an isolated area, with rest homes on both sides.

She said staff now were continually looking out the windows.

They had also increased the number of staff at closing.

“We always make sure there’s two staff on now, ’till we all leave. Sometimes there’s four of us as well as the cook.”

The most recent robbery was at 7 Bar & Restaurant, just over two weeks ago.

Police said two people entered the bar with weapons, including a gun, and threatened employees.

After making various demands, the offenders then fled in a stolen vehicle which was later located on a nearby street.

7 Bar & Restaurant declined to comment.

Neighbouring Blend Bar & Bistro, which shared a back exit with the bar was also open that night.

Duty manager Faye Biascan said the robbery had made a lot of staff there nervous.

“We’ve been more tight with the security,” she said. “Like going outside, we always have to have someone else come with us. It’s been very scary.”

Last week Upper Hutt City Council held a community meeting alongside Police, where the community was able to talk through some areas of concern.

Upper Hutt mayor Peri Zee said the community indicated it would like to see more cameras around the city. She said that could be considered in upcoming budgets and planning.

“The police are doing a really good job,” she said. “We also have an awesome local community patrol who are well resourced with volunteers as well. So there’s lots of people working on this together.”

Meanwhile Police have released images of a ‘Nike Academy’ sweatshirt with distinctive white stripes and metallic coloured shoes with a reflective marking on the heel.

They would like to hear from anyone who may know someone who has worn items that match these.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow the latest updates in RNZ’s blog

Crews continue to search for six people buried in a landslide at Mount Maunganui, while police say they will investigate whether there is any criminal liability.

A rāhui is in place at the site where six people – including two teenagers – were caught in the slip, which came down on the holiday camp.

Police say they [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/585156/police-say-they-did-not-attend-mt-maunganui-campground-over-disorder-call did not attend the campground after receiving a call about a disorder incident[ that referenced a potential landslip about three hours before a deadly landslide as it was unclear if the disorder resulted in any property damage.

The government is mulling an independent inquiry into the disaster.

For all the latest updates, check RNZ’s blog at the top of this page.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

With prison numbers at their highest ever and still rising, one former prisoner and critic of this government’s tough-on-crime policies has put his hope in a controversial programme.

As the prison population ticked over to a new record above 11,000 this month, one expert says controversial military-style academies are one of the best ways to keep troubled young men and women out of jail.

“I have never come away from anything to do with the justice system with more hope in my heart than I have when I visited the military-style academy,” says Paul Wood, a former prisoner who promotes rehabilitation programmes for men and women.

Wood is a critic of the current government’s prison policies and admits his stance on the academies, also known as boot camps, would surprise many people.

During the 12-month pilot academy, which ended last August, participants ran away, one was booted off the programme and another was killed in a car crash. Most of the 10 young men involved re-offended.

An ndependent report out late last year said the pilot contributed to “meaningful and positive change” but also said the cohort was too small to draw firm conclusions.

Wood, a convicted murderer who now has a PhD after starting his tertiary studies in prison, was on the advisory committee for the pilot programme. He is also an ambassador for other rehabilitation programmes.

“We have to be doing early intervention, we have to be identifying and supporting kids who are at risk of ending up exposed to the justice system once they’re teenagers. By the time people are in prison, by the time people are caught we have already missed the best, most useful opportunity to turn people around,” he says.

But his support of the academies comes with a big ‘but’.

The programme must be well-resourced, and right now the justice system and rehabilitation schemes are poorly funded, he says.

“When you use the term ‘boot camp’ that means a variety of different things but what we know is that the so-called boot camps that have a therapeutic focus as well as the discipline, those are actually really effective,” Wood says.

A system under pressure

The Detail looks at why the number of people in prison is now over 11,000 when earlier projections said that figure would not be reached until 2030.

Latest figures show there are 199 per 100,000 people in prison in Aotearoa, more than double Canada’s number and 29 more per 100,000 than Australia.

The coalition government’s tough-on-crime policies, including the reinstatement of three strikes legislation and sentencing changes, are factors in the sharp rise, says Wood.

“Can I just say this government is tough on crime, and unfortunately rehabilitation and reintegration.

“I do believe that they’re succeeding in terms of punishing people, that piece of the imprisonment experience, which is a legitimate part of what imprisonment is about, to punish you for misdeeds.

“But I think unfortunately they’re doing so at the expense of the capacity to rehabilitate and reintegrate people back into society.”

Criminal barrister Emma Priest says the record numbers affect the whole justice system.

Priest is also the convenor of the Law Association’s parole and prisoner rights committee and says it means prisoners on remand are being moved all the time to make way for more remand prisoners.

“We are really feeling it on the ground,” she says.

“They are literally playing Tetris trying to fit prisoners in beds.”

One of her clients is a teenager facing a serious criminal charge in Wairarapa, whose family lives further north and cannot afford to visit him in the youth facility. His trial date is set for mid-2028.

“That’s one very difficult and poignant example of how difficult it is for him.”

The teen is cut off from his family and Priest limits her visits to him to less frequent but extended meetings because of the cost to the taxpayer through legal aid.

“But his family are limited to phone calls,” she says.

“We’ve got these increased prison numbers but we also have real deficits in resource around the courts.”

Regions are worse off with court delays than the main cities which have high courts.

“There’s just a lot of flow on. So more prisoners mean you need more judges, you need more court rooms, you need more lawyers.”

Increased prisoners also puts pressure on programmes.

“People are just waiting for longer before they can start their substantive rehabilitation. And to be direct, until they’ve done their rehabilitation, they’re not going to get released on parole.

“They really need to do that criminogenic, substantive rehabilitation which allows them to come up with a safety and release plan, which allows the parole board to be satisfied that they don’t present an undue risk to the community and that allows them to be released safely.”

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police say they did not attend the Mount Maunganui campground after receiving a call about a disorder incident that referenced a potential landslip about three hours before a deadly landslide as it was unclear if the disorder resulted in any property damage.

It comes after a camper who contacted emergency services on the morning of the landslide told RNZ she saw a local council representative drive through the Mount Maunganui campground and directly past three slips about two hours before the deadly landslide.

The victims of the landslide have been named as Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50, Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20, Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71, Susan Doreen Knowles, 71, Sharon Maccanico, 15, and Max Furse-Kee, 15.

A woman, who was woken by Maclennan, spoke with RNZ on Monday about efforts to raise emergency services earlier that morning, including her own call to police three hours before the landslide.

Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

A call log provided by the woman confirms she called police at 6.18am. The outgoing call lasted eight minutes.

“I explained to them about the slips. I said, ‘look, I understand that you guys will be really busy, and this might not be anything, but this is what’s happened here’. 

“It was enough to push the ladies’ campervan forward, and there’s a homeless man in the toilet block, and he was actually going crazy and sort of banging on the walls and smashing things.

“And so I said, maybe you should send someone to have a look at that, just in case. You know, there’s a lot of kids here… and they said, yeah, it is a really busy night. It’s been a busy night. It’s a busy morning, we’ll try and get a unit there.”

In response to questions from RNZ, a police spokesperson confirmed police received an emergency call at 6.18am in relation to a disorder incident that had occurred at the campsite.

“During the call, the informant also referenced a potential landslip.

“Police did not attend as it was unclear whether the disorder resulted in any property damage.

“Fire and Emergency New Zealand were earlier alerted to the slip, and the council was in turn notified.”

Between 5am and 9.30am in the Mt Maunganui area, Police received one other call about a slip on the base track.

“The informant left the area safely and noted cones had been placed to restrict further access.”

The woman earlier told RNZ no-one arrived until about 7.45am, when she said she saw what she described as a ute that was sign-written with Tauranga City Council. The ute stopped and the woman says she called out:

“Look, I don’t know if you can see them from where you are, but there’s these slips up here, I think, you know, someone should look at them.”

The woman was unsure the man heard her. The woman said the ute then drove through the Pilot Bay side of the campground slowly past the slips that she had filmed directly in front of several campsites.

“I figured, well, everything will be fine. Someone from the council’s come, they’ve seen the slips, he’s driven past them, he’s driven through the water that was coming down from that corner that collapsed. So I had no worries after that.”

RNZ asked Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale for comment on the woman’s account.

In a statement sent via the council’s media team, Drysdale said “all relevant matters relating to the lead-up to this tragic event will be considered as part of the independent review we are currently initiating”.

“This will be reported back to the community as quickly as possible.

“The detailed scope, timeframes and personnel involved in this independent review process are currently being worked through and will be communicated publicly as soon as finalised.”

It comes after Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said there was a “strong case” for a government inquiry into the landslide.

He announced the possibility during a media conference on Tuesday afternoon, and said many questions about last Thursday’s slip were being asked, including whether there was a missed opportunity to evacuate people sooner.

“Six families are grieving the unimaginable loss of their loved ones, and they deserve answers. I acknowledge that the Tauranga City Council has ordered its own inquiry into the events leading up to the landslide at the campground.

“However, I do believe there is a strong case for an independent government inquiry, and we’ll be talking to Tauranga City Council about that.”

Luxon said it would be important not only for the grieving families but for helping to ensure lessons were learned to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

While an independent inquiry had already been announced by local council, Luxon said there were concerns it would not be impartial if it was conducted by the council.

“There’s a potentially an inherent conflict between the ownership of the campground and the council, but it’s also coming from conversations directly with the families that Mark [Mitchell] and I had in the last 48 hours with people in Tauranga at the Mount, and their big desires to actually understand what did happen here.

“I think doing that dispassionately, being able to do that very objectively, through an independent government inquiry would be the way forward.”

RNZ approached the Tauranga City Council and police for comment on Monday evening on the woman’s account.

“Once the recovery efforts are completed, we have secured the site and have geotechnical assessments that the landslide area is stable, there will be a process undertaken to examine the events that took place before and during this tragic event,” the council’s controller Tom McEntyre said.

“It would not be appropriate to make any comment now that could affect that process or pre-empt the outcome.”

In response to earlier questions from RNZ, deputy national commander Megan Stiffler confirmed FENZ received a 111 call at 5.48am on Thursday, 22 January, from a person reporting a slip near the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.

“Our call takers made contact with the Tauranga City Council, the landowners of the camping ground, and notified them of this information at 5.51am.

“The landslip that was referenced in the 111 call received at 5.48am did not impact life or property and therefore Fire and Emergency did not respond firefighters to attend, instead we notified Tauranga City Council as the landowner responsible.”

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Tauranga City Council chief executive Marty Grenfell said there was no record of a 111 call being referred to the council.

However, a council statement released only hours later backtracked on this version of events.

“After further enquiries, we can confirm that the Tauranga City Council’s main Contact Centre received a call from Fire and Emergency New Zealand at around 5.50am on Thursday, 22 January.”

The council said the chief executive’s earlier comments referred specifically to information logged in the council’s Emergency Operations Centre, which did not receive a call.

At about 9.30am a slip came down at the Beachside Holiday Park at Mount Maunganui, smashing into campervans, tents, vehicles and an ablution block near the Mount Hot Pools.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Crews searching for six people buried in a landslide at Mount Maunganui have so far had the weather they’ve been hoping for today.

It’s warm – 20 degrees – and sunny, with some cloud cover and a very gentle breeze.

Officials yesterday labelled moisture “the enemy” – because with it, the clay-like ground they’re working with could become unstable and risk further slips.

The rain has held off so far, however showers are forecast late afternoon and early evening.

An independent review, announced by Tauranga City Council, will look at events leading up to the landslide. Meanwhile, WorkSafe says it will looking into the organisations that had a duty of care for everyone at the Mt Maunganui holiday park.

See how the day unfolded in RNZ’s blog at the top of this page.

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