Australia’s food labelling system isn’t working – here’s how we can fix it

February 13, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Lawrence, Professor of Public Health Nutrition, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University

If you’ve ever read a food label and come away feeling more confused, you’re not alone.

Since 2014, Australian shoppers have relied on the Health Star Rating scheme to help them choose which foods to eat. This system ranks food products on a scale from half a star to five stars, to help consumers compare the nutritional value of similar types of food.

This system is far from perfect. Nevertheless, Australia’s food ministers are meeting today to consider making it mandatory, with the aim of helping Australians eat more healthily.

Should we mandate a flawed system? And is there an alternative?

How does the current system work?

The Health Star Rating system was designed to help consumers make healthier eating choices, by providing accessible and relevant nutrition information.

The current system uses an algorithm that claims to assess how healthy or unhealthy a certain food product is. To do this, it looks at the nutritional value of some of the product’s ingredients, then rates it on a scale of half a star to five stars.

The system is currently voluntary. This means food companies are not obliged to include Health Star Ratings on their products. However those that do are encouraged to do so across their full product range.

A flawed system

The existing system is controversial for two main reasons.

1. What’s healthy?

First, it’s not an objective way of measuring how healthy a food is.

Over the past decade, some food companies have appeared to use the Health Star Ratings as a marketing tool. This is especially the case among companies that produce ultra-processed and discretionary foods such as breakfast cereals, muesli bars and protein drinks.

Under the current system, it is possible for companies to manipulate the Health Star Ratings algorithm. This involves replacing so-called “risk nutrients” with synthetic ingredients.

For example, a company may replace sugar with certain sweeteners, or fats with emulsifiers and gums. They might also add new ingredients such as fibre powders that improve their scores without making the product any healthier.

A study from 2020 found about three quarters of ultra-processed foods that display stars do so with at least 2.5 or more stars, giving them a “healthy” pass mark.

As a result, consumers often try to make healthier choices by swapping one lower-rated ultra-processed food for another higher-rated one. Unfortunately, they do not realise they are still consuming an unhealthy food.

There is no such thing as a healthy ultra-processed food.

2. It’s confusing

Second, it is a confusing system. Consumers find the current system difficult to navigate.

A 2024 report found only just over half (52.3%) of participants agreed the Health Star Rating system was accurate and honest. Less than half (41.3%) thought it had a good reputation.

Could this flawed system become mandatory?

Possibly. In 2020, food ministers from around Australia agreed to consider making the system mandatory if fewer than 70% of products were using it by 2025.

The latest data shows just 37% of products have a Health Star Rating. This has dropped by 4% since 2019.

The government’s push to mandate the Health Star Rating system appears to have divided the public health community.

Various organisations and practitioners have sent letters to food ministers, both supporting and opposing the proposal.

Those in favour of mandating the current system acknowledge the system is not perfect, but believe it is better than having no system.

Those who oppose this move would prefer to scrap the existing scheme and start from scratch. They point out that after 12 years of continual tweaks to the system and reassurances that it will improve, the health star ratings system is still fundamentally flawed. Food companies may still manipulate the algorithm, and consumers will remain in the dark. Another concern is instituting a flawed system would make it even harder to introduce a better one in the future.

So, is there an alternative?

Yes – warning labels.

Using simple statements or symbols, warning labels are designed to inform consumers if a food product is high in fat, sugar or salt. In future, they may also indicate whether a product is an ultra-processed food.

Several countries are already using warning labels. In Mexico, for example, consumers have embraced this system and have changed their food purchasing behaviours to be more in line with healthy eating recommendations.

In the past few months, countries including Canada and the United States have moved towards adopting the warning label approach.

And just this week, the Indian Supreme Court asked the country’s food standards agency to consider developing warning labels. Before this, India was on track to adopt a version of the Health Star Rating system.

A global study published in late 2025 suggests warning labels are the most effective way to reduce the consumption of ultra-processed foods. This is compared to other ranking-style labelling schemes such as Health Star Ratings.

Given its design and governance flaws, mandating the current health star rating system would be a mistake. Fortunately, there is a better option. Other countries have adopted a warning label system, with promising results. Now it is time for Australia to do the same.

Mark Lawrence receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. Previously he has received funding from the World Health Organization and the Australian Research Council.

Christina Mary Pollard received funding from Healthway for ‘Food Law, Policy and Communications to Improve Public Health’ Research Into Practice Grant; and Building Capacity for Public Health Advocacy. Christina Mary Pollard is on the board of Foodbank WA.

– ref. Australia’s food labelling system isn’t working – here’s how we can fix it – https://theconversation.com/australias-food-labelling-system-isnt-working-heres-how-we-can-fix-it-275673

As world trade shifts to invitation-only clubs, Australia is facing tough choices

By The Conversation -

February 13, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Naoise McDonagh, Senior Lecturer, School of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University

A profound shift is underway in global trade. Governments are moving beyond traditional free trade agreements open to all countries and embracing what are increasingly called “economic security agreements”.

This means the international trading system is moving from a club open to all prospective members who can meet the rules, to invitation-only clubs where security competition between nation states determines who can join or is excluded.

An example of this new type of economic security agreement is the US-led initiative to create a critical minerals trade bloc aimed at diversifying global supply of critical minerals currently concentrated in one country: China.

Critical minerals are hard-to-make niche metals essential to the production of smart phones, semiconductor chips, electric vehicle batteries and a wide range of high-tech military products.

The United States has invited more than 50 countries – including Australia – to discuss a club for critical minerals economic security. Only invited countries may participate, and China is not on the list.

Why are the US and partner countries building an exclusive minerals club? And what benefits and risks could it pose for the world?

The battle for influence

The US and China view each other as geopolitical rivals competing for influence over regional and global affairs. In my research, I analyse how this competition plays out as reduced economic dependence and more strategic trade policies.

For example, the US has been limiting exports of advanced technology such as semiconductors and waging a trade war against China to reduce economic ties and maintain technological leadership.

China in turn has used its dominance over global critical mineral supplies to influence US policy. Last year, China reduced exports to world markets in response to trade tensions with the US, causing major global disruptions in advanced manufacturing.

China also banned critical mineral exports destined for the US defence sector, impacting defence production supply chains.

The impact on US industry was enough to persuade the Trump administration to reverse some of its restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports to China. This was in return for Beijing promising a one-year export control freeze on rare earths.

Realising the extent of its vulnerability on critical minerals, the US is now leading a new form of economic security trade agreement for these metals.

Look who’s back

Last week, the US hosted a Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting in Washington with representatives from 54 countries and the European Union.

Australia’s Minister for Resources, Madeleine King, was in attendance. The irony here is that after 14 months of ignoring trade agreements and levelling tariffs on most of the world, the US is now seeking the help of other nations to help diversify supply.

Despite this, many other countries share an interest in loosening China’s grip on critical minerals production, and are willing to cooperate.

The US-led club plans to use a variety of market intervention tools to boost new supply. These include measures such as subsidies and multi-year guaranteed purchases to encourage new investment.

Only businesses from member countries will be able to access these benefits. Meanwhile, businesses from outside the club will face tariffs on their exports.

These interventions are typical of the new economic security era of government control over markets. If successful, this strategy could ensure global manufacturing is not vulnerable to a single country’s decision to reduce supply for political reasons.

Yet it also risks sparking a new trade war in the short term, as China warns countries against cutting it out of the agreement.

A big opportunity for Australia

My research highlights the fact Australia has the resources, mining capacity and government policies to play a major role in diversifying global mineral supplies.

The benefits of doing so include new investment, high-skilled jobs and geopolitical influence – all useful in an era of growing tensions.

Australian policies incorporate a production tax credit and funding support for major new rare earth refining operations.

Australia was also the first country to strike a critical minerals deal with the US, last October. This promises major investment, putting Australia in pole position for developing a significant new industry.

A hard choice

However, risks remain. The US is proposing the US-led trade bloc should apply tariffs to mineral imports from outside the bloc. This would apply to China. Australia has publicly stated it supports diversification, but is against using tariffs to do so.

If Australia sticks to this position, it could end up outside the trade bloc. This would be disastrous for its critical mineral strategy.

But if Australia agrees with the tariff plans, it will create tension with China, the biggest buyer of Australian exports.

This puts the government between a rock and a hard place. Nonetheless, it would most likely opt in to the agreement if it comes to an ultimatum.

In an economic security era, there are few easy choices. Australia will need to take risks to secure its critical mineral strategy.

Naoise McDonagh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. As world trade shifts to invitation-only clubs, Australia is facing tough choices – https://theconversation.com/as-world-trade-shifts-to-invitation-only-clubs-australia-is-facing-tough-choices-275438

The Normal Heart: the early years of the fight against AIDS in an articulate, but fierce, cry of anger

By The Conversation -

February 13, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Huw Griffiths, Associate Professor of English Literature, University of Sydney

Neil Bennett/Sydney Theatre Company

Larry Kramer – writer, playwright, activist, and author of the 1985 play The Normal Heart – has been a polarising figure in queer politics.

On the one hand, his activist energy in the early years of HIV/AIDS helped to galvanise community action, first in his own New York and later around the world. He co-founded two important organisations in the fight against AIDS: Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) in 1981 and, in 1987, the much more activist and campaigning AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP).

On the other hand, the particular message that he brought to the founding of GMHC – of sexual continence, of monogamy, or even abstinence – was neither welcome at the time nor something new from Kramer. In his pre-AIDS writings, particularly his satirical 1978 novel, Faggots, he had already been rebuking the New York gay community.

The thinly veiled autobiography traces the founding of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis.
Neil Bennett/Sydney Theatre Company

The novel lambastes gay men for a lifestyle that Kramer saw as decadent and unloving, complacent and apolitical. If post-Stonewall gay life was centred on a joyous celebration of sexuality, then Kramer’s writings were out of step with those times.

And so, when he carried this message through to the early years of the 1980s, it fell on deaf, even hostile, ears. His message felt to many like a betrayal of the freedom for which a generation had fought.

In The Normal Heart, now playing in Sydney, Kramer does something remarkable. He wrote it in the midst of multiple conflicts, as well as overwhelming personal grief. Some conflicts were internal to the burgeoning AIDS activist movement. But his most insistent fight was against the brutal indifference of political and medical authorities to the deaths of gay men.

From this chaotic and frightening situation, he puts together a play that condenses the story of the early years of the GMHC into an articulate, but fierce, cry of anger.

The importance of loving openly

The play is a very thinly veiled autobiography and the central character of Ned Weeks (played by the perennially brilliant Mitchell Butel) is a cypher for Kramer himself. Butel brings a compelling energy to the part, capturing the dizzying collision of personal and political life experienced by Kramer and his friends, colleagues and lovers during these years.

Another stand-out performance in a terrific ensemble cast is that of Emma Jones as Emma Brooker. This character is a fictionalised version of the real-life doctor Linda Laubenstein, one of the few doctors who investigated and helped treat AIDS patients in the early 1980s.

Kramer provides the doctor with a slow build to an extraordinarily angry speech, targeting the callous homophobia of the medical profession, and Jones is just great.

Mitchell Butel, right, brings a compelling energy to Ned Weeks, capturing the dizzying collision of personal and political life.
Neil Bennett/Sydney Theatre Company

Mark Saturno also turns in an absorbing performance as Weeks’ straight brother, a patrician lawyer who struggles into empathy with his brother’s experiences.

One of the strengths of Kramer’s text is that, despite his own (sometimes slightly too evident) biases, the play still manages to present alternative points of view.

While Weeks’ frustration with his fellow campaigners is obvious, the vehement attachment to sexual freedom articulated by other characters is not simply dismissed. Fellow activist, Mickey (an impassioned Evan Lever) has a galvanising speech in which he describes what might stand to be lost:

Can’t you see how important it is for us to love openly, without hiding and without guilt?

An urgent revival

Director Dean Bryant has put together a production which allows the story to unfold, its episodic scenes tied together by a composite set. The doctor’s consulting room is always present, even as we move into Weeks’ living room or his brother’s office. Short bursts of cello and piano music, filtering versions of New Order tunes, keep the action moving in what could feel like a very wordy play when read straight from the page.

Bryant first brought this production to the State Theatre Company of South Australia in 2022, in a world reeling from COVID. The contexts of this 2026 revival seem, if anything, more urgent.

Emma Jones gives a standout performance of Emma Brooker, a doctor who investigated and helped treat AIDS patients.
Neil Bennett/Sydney Theatre Company

Opening in a week where the United States federal government has ordered the removal of the Pride flag from the Stonewall monument, the ACT UP cry of “Silence = Death” might bear repeating.

Despite medical advances, there is no cure for AIDS and the current US administration is rolling back support for research and treatment both at home and overseas, effectively withdrawing life-saving medication from those who need it.

The Normal Heart is a flawed but important play. It can sometimes feel that Kramer is trying to settle too many old scores in it and, ultimately, the message of sexual abstinence that he repeated throughout his life was replaced by the more effective sex-positive messages of safer sex.

This production, though, does a fantastic job at presenting this history for new audiences at the same time as giving us, in 2026, a compelling picture of what it takes to fight for your life and for the lives of your friends and lovers.

The Normal Heart is a State Theatre Company of South Australia production, at Sydney Opera House for Sydney Theatre Company, until March 14.

Huw Griffiths does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. The Normal Heart: the early years of the fight against AIDS in an articulate, but fierce, cry of anger – https://theconversation.com/the-normal-heart-the-early-years-of-the-fight-against-aids-in-an-articulate-but-fierce-cry-of-anger-273571

What makes the perfect passionate kiss? 5 tips from history

By The Conversation -

February 13, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Barclay, ARC Future Fellow and Professor in History and Archaeology, Macquarie University

Wikimedia

You’ve booked the restaurant, chosen the outfit, and selected a romantic spot for the perfect nightcap. But have you planned the kiss?

I’m a historian and author of The Kiss: A History of Passion and Power. As the annual festival of love descends, European history has some tips for those getting ready to pucker their lips.

Open mouth to exchange breath

Medieval Christians valued the kiss as a symbol of unification, smooching each other on the mouth during worship. They believed the kiss allowed for a sharing of souls, and therefore needed to explain how that happened.

The open mouth allowed an exchange of breath, and with that, of spirits. As the English Cistercian monk Aelred of Rievaulx (1110–47 CE) explained:

from this mingling of spirits, there grows up a kind of mental agreeableness, which elicits and joins together the affection of those who kiss.

Love was the product of a shared breath.

The idea that the open mouth kiss enabled a union of souls remained popular well into the 20th century.

A kiss of homage, marginalia in a 13th century manuscript copy of the laws of the 9th century king Hywel Dda, National Library of Wales, Peniarth MS28.
National Library of Wales

Kiss deeply

Medieval and early modern European ideas about the kiss drew heavily on the bible book Song of Songs, love poetry that they interpreted as an allegory for the relationship between God and humankind. Drawing on this inspiration, kisses were always expected to be fulsome.

Here’s how Robert of Deutz, a 12th century French Benedictine theologian, spoke of his vision of a passionate encounter with Jesus Christ:

I took hold of him whom my soul loves, I held him, I embraced him, I kissed him lingeringly. I sense how gratefully he accepted this gesture of love, when between kissing he himself opened his mouth, in order that I kiss more deeply.

Ecstatic encounters with the divine continued over the centuries. Five hundred years later, the Presbyterian minister Samuel Rutherford expressed his relief when, after a period of religious doubt, he entered into God’s presence:

he hath taken the mask of His face, and saith ‘Kiss thy fill’.

A passionate holy kiss was not a quick peck. Instead human-divine lovers lingered, kissed deeply, and took their fill.

Wear lipstick

With the growth of dating culture in the early decades of the 20th century, fashionable young women wanted to kiss without misadventure. Cosmetic companies rose to the challenge, offering “kissproof” lipstick that allowed smooching without streaks.

In 1936, actor Gary Cooper was asked, in an advertising campaign, to select from three women: one wore no lipstick, one had ordinary lipstick, and a third used Tangee, a popular brand. Cooper selected Tangee because “her lips look kissable … they glow with natural colour”.

An old comic advertising the Tangee brand lipstick.
Facebook/Vintage Ads & Artwork

For many young people, lipstick became part of the experience of the kiss. The male protagonist in Graham Greene’s 1938 novel Brighton Rock was disappointed with his bride’s natural mouth:

He would have preferred the taste of Coty powder or Kissproof lipstick or any chemical compound.

Lipstick provided a smell and taste that became associated with a desirable kiss.

Pulse racing

In 1963, Miami University administrators were alarmed to discover that students had created a “kiss-o-meter” – a device they felt contravened public decency.

This machine measured the electric current that surged through the body as a couple kissed, and displayed the output on a scale from “dead fish” to “wowee”.

Kiss-o-meters had been used by scientists since the early 20th century, as one of several devices that sought to translate electric current, blood pressure, or heart rate into insight about a person’s emotions. In theory, the higher the response, the greater the feeling.

By the 1960s, such technology had little scientific legitimacy, but similar principles shaped 21st century technologies, such as the MEG machine that imaged blood flow in the brain.

In 2009, Sheril Kirshenbaum, a scientist at Michigan State University, worked with neuroscientists at the Poeppel Lab to measure the pleasure of the kiss by displaying pictures of people kissing to participants sitting in an MEG machine.

The scientists thought the ideal kiss would be one that stimulated the body – causing blood to flow, nerves to pulse and hearts to beat. Unfortunately, the results of their experiments were ambivalent and hard to repeat. If an ideal kiss should be stimulating, in practice, many weren’t!

On a less scientific note, the kiss-o-meter also became a popular arcade game.

A mid-twentieth-century American arcade ‘kiss-o-meter’ with a scale of kisses from ‘blah’ to ‘uncontrollable’, now held at the Musée Mécanique in San Francisco.
Wikimedia

Ask for consent

At many points in European history, stealing a kiss was treated rather lightly – the subject of humour. However, underpinning these jokes was often a concern about power.

In 17th century England, taking a kiss from a woman without permission from her father or husband was interpreted as an insult to the man ignored.

In the 19th and early 20th century, women’s rights activists showed concern about the indiscriminate kisses applied to young women.

As American feminist Clara Belle complained in 1909:

It would take a quick and ever-alert dodger to escape all the kisses that are aimed at girl’s face.

This 1945 photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt, taken on of V-J Day in New York’s Times Square, was published in Life with the caption, ‘In New York’s Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers’.
Wikimedia

Following the #metoo movement, a new script for the kiss emerged. The 2025 contribution to the Bridget Jones film franchise shows a young male lead asking permission to kiss Bridget. “Oh, a generation who asks”, Bridget thinks. A passionate kiss, preceded by permission.

Katie Barclay receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

– ref. What makes the perfect passionate kiss? 5 tips from history – https://theconversation.com/what-makes-the-perfect-passionate-kiss-5-tips-from-history-275225

Super Rugby Pacific: Highlanders v Crusaders live updates

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Timoci Tavatavanawai. © Photosport Ltd 2025 www.photosport.nz

Super Rugby Pacific opens with a southern clash under the roof, with the banged up Highlanders taking on the defending champion Crusaders. Kick-off is at 7:05pm NZT.

Follow all the action with RNZ’s live blog:

Team lists

Highlanders: 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Jack Taylor, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 4 Oliver Haig, 5 Mitch Dunshea, 6 Te Kamaka Howden, 7 Sean Withy, 8 Lucas Casey, 9 Folau Fakatava, 10 Cameron Millar, 11 Jona Nareki, 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai, 13 Jonah Lowe, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 15 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens

Bench: 16 Henry Bell, 17 Josh Bartlett, 18 Rohan Wingham, 19 Will Stodart, 20 Veveni Lasaqa, 21 Adam Lennox, 22 Reesjan Pasitoa, 23 Tanielu Tele’a

Crusaders: 1 Finlay Brewis, 2 George Bell, 3 Seb Calder, 4 Antonio Shalfoon, 5 Jamie Hannah, 6 Dom Gardiner, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 8 Christian Lio-Willie, 9 Noah Hotham, 10 Rivez Reihana, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 12 David Havili (c), 13 Braydon Ennor, 14 Sevu Reece, 15 Chay Fihaki

Bench: 16 Codie Taylor, 17 George Bower, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Tahlor Cahill, 20 Corey Kellow, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Taha Kemara, 23 Will Jordan

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

Businesses face hard times in months following Tongariro fire

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

A fire in November burnt through almost 3000 hectares of the Tongariro National Park Kristina Montgomerie / @kristinamonts

Waimarino business owners work through tough summer after November fire
Many hope for decent winter snow dump to boost coffers
DOC says burned area rejuvenating.

In early November, a wall of smoke loomed large over the tourism-dependent, central North Island town of Waimarino.

After a couple of days wet weather and the round-the-clock efforts of firefighters put out the blaze, which had burned through almost 3000 hectares of the Tongariro National Park.

But Waimarino continues to feels its effects. The fire closed the popular Tongariro Crossing walking track for more than a week – meaning the peak season started slowly.

And there were further blows when a smaller fire ignited in December, while wet weather has hit the region too.

All this has left business owners in the town hoping for a good dumping of winter snow on Mt Ruapehu to get the area and its tills humming again.

Worst summer in a decade: motel owner

Adventure Lodge and Motels was fully booked when RNZ visited this week, but owner Gillian Visser said until now the usual summer peak season had not taken off.

“I’ve been here 10 years and, I have to say, this is probably the worst summer we’ve had, income wise.

“This makes us a little bit worried for winter because normally we can be like little squirrels and squirrel away the money.”

Adventure Lodge and Motels owner Gillian Visser says this summer is the worst in her 10 years in the town. RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

Without that to see them through winter, Visser was among those hoping for lots of snow.

“We made no money in three quarters of November because people stayed away because of the fire. Then, everything was delayed.

“There was a trickle-over effect of people putting off their trip and now we’re really busy. February is fabulous.”

Chrissi Phillips-Ryburn at her food truck Tātahi – The Beach. RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

On State Highway 4, Chrissi Phillips-Ryburn’s food truck Tātahi – The Beach faced the wall of smoke shrouding the central plateau when the 8 November fire spread.

“It was quite catastrophic for the area to watch, as all events like that are,” she said.

“They take a personal toll on people.”

She said people were asking what was going to happen and how would it affect them.

And it has had an effect – this week Phillips-Ryburn had to let go an employee.

“The following weeks beyond that fire were quite catastrophic. Customers didn’t come. There was no tourism.

“It’s been really difficult for all the businesses locally because the numbers just haven’t been there.”

Poor summer weather a battle

Sam Wilson opened The Station cafe at Waimarino’s railway station last year and so far has traded through a tough winter and then the fire.

“The effect was short term and we got back up to pace pretty quickly,” he said.

The Station Cafe owner Sam Wilson says bad weather has affected trade more than the fire. RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

“Where we’ve seen a potential slowdown in trade is where they’ve put restrictions on the start of the crossing, whereby no private vehicles are allowed up there and it’s only accessed via commercial operators.”

The cost of about $70 for that could put off some travellers, he said.

RNZ visited the cafe during a busy weekday early afternoon with the sun shining.

But, for Wilson, the weather’s the biggest battle.

“This summer’s been horrendous, so that’s had a big effect.

“When the crossing is not doable due to wind and low visibility, that’s had a big effect on trade.

“Talking to other operators in the area, they say it’s down considerably and you wouldn’t put that down to the fires. I’d put that down to the atrocious weather.”

Enjoying the sun outside while his friends waited for a train was Adrian Boden, who spends summer in Waimarino – formerly known as National Park.

While he said the town had returned to normal, the nearby landscape was still scarred.

“When you drive along the main road of that area you do see it from a distance and it’s so different,” he said.

“You actually can see, wow, that was some fire. I think it was 3000ha and you can see the destruction that it wreaked.”

From left, English tourists Eva Eustace, Izzie Robertson and Lara Berzins say they didn’t see much fire damage from the Tongariro Crossing, which they walked this week. RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

English tourist Izzie Robertson also saw some fire damage when doing the Tongariro Crossing.

She said she and her friends did not consider cancelling after they had checked the walk was still possible.

“When we were driving up towards the site of the trail there was a lot of burnt vegetation and stuff like that.

“But, after we started doing the trail we didn’t notice much damage.”

Short-term effect

Tongariro Crossing Lodge owner Louis van Wyk said the fire’s effects didn’t last, but the region was owed a decent winter.

“We had quite a few cancellations because people couldn’t do the crossing for at least a week and there was uncertainty about how long that would last.

“We did definitely have an impact for those first few days and couple of weeks. Since then it’s almost like it didn’t happen.”

Van Wyk is a volunteer firefighter. He helped with efforts battling the November blaze and was one of the first on the scene for the smaller December fire.

“Just seeing it go was very sobering and sad. I was thinking, ‘is this going to be the same again?’ – but fortunately that one went on to be a bit smaller.”

Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton said the region was busy now, as plenty of groups of visiting walkers and cyclists took advantage of the more settled weather.

He expected electronic figures reported by council-controlled organisation Visit Ruapehu would show the effects of the fire.

Department of Conservation technical adviser, flora and ecosystems Paul Cashmore said the fire destroyed vegetation, and killed native birds, lizards and insects.

No critically endangered species were known to live in the burned area.

“Anyone who has visited the area recently can attest to the regrowth of plants and presence of birds in the burned zone,” he said.

“This regeneration began within the first couple of weeks post fire and shows the resilience of this landscape. While the system will naturally recover, pressures like invasive weeds threaten this process.

“Maunga Ora, the recovery plan led by Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro with DOC, will largely be focused on weed control.”

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

More than 30 kittens available for adoption at south Auckland animal shelter

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Senior feline attendant Michaela Foggin’s job involves caring, feeding, cleaning, medicating and giving love and attention to the cats during the day. RNZ / Amy Williams

Saturday is Caturday at a south Auckland animal shelter, where a bumper crop of kittens are in desperate need of forever homes.

The SPCA has more than 30 kittens available for adoption at its Māngere Centre, where it says the 40-year-old building is crumbling and part of the cattery floods when it rains.

The organisation has seen a surge in cats needing to be adopted across the country, and it hopes its Caturday events will see people heading home with a new family member in tow.

At the Māngere shelter, Michaela Foggin has a cat-lover’s dream job.

“I am a senior feline attendant so my job during the day is caring for the cats, feeding them, cleaning them, medicating them, making sure they get all the love and attention possible.”

The part of the Māngere animal shelter that does not flood. RNZ / Amy Williams

She will be helping to adopt out the bumper crop of kittens.

“We’ll do walk-ins and they can come through, look at all the kittens we have available for adoption, meet some, cuddle some and they usually pick you so it can be pretty easy when you’re coming in to meet and adopt a kitten.”

More than 30 kittens are available for adoption at the Māngere shelter, where vet Nathan Wong has worked for five years.

“We’re inundated with cats and kittens at this time. The reason for that is with the warmer weather they always want to have babies at this time of year which is really cute,” he said.

“There’s more cats than we’ve got cages to deal with so Caturdays is one of those things where we try to adopt out as many cats as we can because the more cats we adopt out, the more we can take in.”

The SPCA has more than 30 kittens available for adoption at its Māngere Centre. RNZ / Amy Williams

The decades-old shelter is falling apart, riddled with asbestos and rust.

The SPCA said the buildings would need to be vacated this year – a new purpose-built centre is being built in Wiri, due to be finished in November.

Graeme Ford manages the Māngere shelter and said the run-down buildings were risky for both staff and the animals.

He said a worker recently tripped and broke their wrist and thumb – and part of the cattery flooded when it rained.

“We’ve got 18 pens here and nine of them flood, every time we’ve got rain and it’s not heavy rain anymore now it’s just any rain.”

Graeme Ford says the run-down buildings are risky for both staff and the animals. RNZ / Amy Williams

The pens flood deep enough to fill the cats’ water bowls – there are platforms in each pen the cats can safely jump to.

“It’s not ideal for the animals and it’s not ideal for the staff who’ve got to come in the next morning and think this is what they’ve got to take an hour or two out of their day to clean up the mess from the flood.”

A rusty dog kennel at the shelter. RNZ / Amy Williams

Ford said some of the dog kennels were rusting and asbestos had been found in parts of the buildings.

“There’s a lot of asbestos on site. It is stable and it is marked where it is but it’s not ideal especially as the building starts to show some deterioration, we wouldn’t want the deterioration to be shown around the asbestos and put anyone at risk.”

The SPCA’s new shelter in Wiri is due for completion in November and will be a much larger hub, it’s still fundraising for $10 million.

“We need someone with some deep pockets to try and help out and get us there and get these cats and dogs into a better space,” Ford said.

The Māngere centre cared for more than 5500 animals last year and bigger buildings at Wiri will allow an additional 2000 animals to be helped.

Roma Timpson is a vet nurse and seasoned animal foster parent. RNZ / Amy Williams

Meanwhile, Ford said they also needed more foster parents to take animals home for short stays and relieve pressure on their kennels and pens – animal food and any medications are provided.

Roma Timpson is a vet nurse and seasoned foster parent, the day RNZ visited she was taking home two kittens, one had an eye removed, the other a leg amputated.

“It doesn’t have to be forever, it is really hard giving them back but knowing that you’ve done your part to help, you can send them off just knowing they’re ready to go to homes.”

The SPCA said anyone ready to give some T-L-C to some four legged friends can check online when Caturdays are held in their region.

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American Magic team with Denmark SailGP, as fastest get faster

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Denmark in action at Australian SailGP in Sydney 2025. Felix Diemer for SailGP

SailGP’s fastest may just have found even more speed.

Rockwool Denmark have never won the professional sailing league, but have the distinction of clocking the fastest-ever speed in the F50 boat, when they reached 103.93km/h at Sassnitz, Germany, last August.

In the process, they became the first team to top 100km/h.

As the fleet prepares for the New Zealand SailGP at Auckland this weekend, the Danish have confirmed they will join forces with American Magic in a deal reportedly worth US$60 million (NZ$99.3m), as they strive for more consistency in their racing performance.

American Magic founder Doug DeVos is one of the world’s leading investors, with ownership of the Orlando Magic NBA basketball franchise, but the organisation is perhaps best known to Kiwis as a challenger for the America’s Cup at Auckland and Barcelona.

At Auckland 2021, their boat ‘Patriot’ capsized and almost sank during round-robin stages of the Prada Cup. While they returned to competition for the challenger semi-finals, they were quickly dispatched by Italians Luna Rossa.

Four years later, they suffered an identical fate and, last October, announced they would not contest the next America’s Cup off Naples in 2027.

American Magic chief executive Mike Cazar (right) and SailGP boss Russell Coutts announce the new partnership. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Instead, the organisation has created a new training facility at Pensacola, Florida, where the Danish SailGP outfit will now develop their programme.

“It’s super exciting,” driver Nicolai Sehested. “I think it’s a vote of confidence that such a cool team as American Magic believe in our team and what we’ve built over the last few years.

“It gives us the opportunity to go all the way, which we’ve dreamt of since we started.”

“We’ve been watching SailGP grow in terms of the excitement, the fans, the number of teams and incredible venues, but also the product is incredibly compelling,” said American Magic chief executive Mike Cazer.

“We’ve been rooting for it and, along the way, we said we needed to be part of this incredible league.

“We believe in this team and what Nicolai and his team have developed is a high-performance platform on the water, but also their values off the water. We’re embracing the Danish character of the team, we’re investing in it and we’re developing it.”

NEW SPEED RECORD!! 103.93KM/H@SAILGPDEN officially break both racing and overall F50 speed record!#SailGP pic.twitter.com/Y4wktdvJUX

— SailGP (@SailGP) August 16, 2025

SailGP boss Russell Coutts hinted that American Magic’s interest may accelerate the creation of a second-tier ‘minor league’ to the professional sailing competition.

“American Magic bring a lot of expertise, not just in the sailing field, but in the business field,” he said. “To have them involved in the league and driving the league forward is enormous.

“The training centre at Pensacola is a state-of-the-art facility. They have an objective to train young talent, we obviously have a need to train young talent, so those goals are aligned.

“We are looking at a smaller catamaran, probably 25-30 feet [7.5-9 metres] long.

“We think there’s a model similar to other minor leagues in professional sports. We can develop a product that allowed the top young athletes in the world to develop their skills and be drafted into the top teams.”

That’s a hugely exciting pathway going forward, he said.

Denmark joined SailGP in 2021 and won their first event at Abu Dhabi last November.

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Super Rugby Pacific: Cody Vai set to fly for the Blues

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Cody Vai was signed straight out of school to travel the World Sevens circuit as an 18-year-old. PhotoSport NZ

Blues v Chiefs

Kick-off: 7:05pm Saturday 14 February

Eden Park, Auckland

Live blog updates on RNZ

Cody Vai doesn’t take the slow road.

The Auckland flyer was signed straight out of school to travel the World Sevens circuit as an 18-year-old.

His rapid ascent continued at his first event in Hong Kong, opening the scoring for New Zealand in the final after just 25 seconds.

The teenager was suddenly surrounded by his idols, including one who had been on the circuit since Vai was a toddler.

“I can’t really put it into words just how amazing it was. I watched those guys as a kid and to get to play with the likes of Joe Webber, Regan Ware, Scott Curry, Tim Mikkelson, it was pretty unreal. Tim started he debuted in 2007 or something like that, and I was only three years old, which is pretty funny.”

After three years ripping it up on the sevens scene, Codemeru ‘Cody’ Vai is back in Tamaki Makaurau, and has been quickly thrust into the 23 for the Blues as they open their season against the Chiefs at Eden Park tomorrow night.

“The end goal is to be in that All Blacks jersey.”

Vai never had to look outside his family for inspiration, with his brother Kitona also an All Black Sevens member, sister Corina Nanai-Vai a former Auckland Storm player, and father Kitiona Nanai Vai, a Samoan international who played at the 1991 World Cup.

However, the biggest influence came via former Blues star Melani Nanai, who played 64 times for the franchise between 2015-19.

“My older brother came through here as well. So it’s always been a dream of mine to be here and I watched some of these guys as well. And then getting the chance to put the jersey with them is obviously going to be special as well.”

Vai recalls playing in the backyard as a teenager with Nanai and his Blues teammates such as AJ Lam, whom Vai will line up alongside this weekend.

“I always grew up watching them and they used to come over to the house and play a bit of games as well. So yeah, it was pretty cool that now that I’m getting to play with them, it’s a crazy full circle moment.”

Vai said Nanai instilled a strong work ethic in him.

“He always told me to train hard, learn as much as you can. I take a lot of things as a joke and I like to have fun, but he told me you can have fun as long as you’re still 100 percent in the mind.”

Vai celebrates his try against South Africa and New Zealand in the Hong Kong Sevens in 2025. PhotoSport NZ

Vai admits the shoulders are still getting used to the transition.

Getting back into 15s, in preseason, that’s where you find your true self with the hard fitness and all the contact with the boys as well. The difference is the contact with tackling the big boys, but that’s another part of rugby and my favourite part of rugby is the contact part as well. So I enjoy getting some shoulders into the props, even if they can’t feel it.”

Named to wear the 23 jersey on Saturday night, Vai said his ultimate ambition is number 13.

“My end goal is probably around centre this year, but right now, I’m still learning the game.”

The Blues will be plugging a hole at centre in 2026 in the wake of Reiko Ioane’s sabbatical in ireland.

“Reiko was probably some of the players that I loved watching most, Beauden Barrett as well, so it’s actually an unreal experience coming in and just they’re really down to earth people and just so easy to talk to as well.”

Upon Ioane’s return however, Vai is excited to tussle for the start with his idol.

“This part of rugby is just that competitive side. And I love it. Obviously that’s their goal but I want to be there as well. “

Vai puts in a bit fend against Spain in the HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium on March 28, 2025. PhotoSport NZ

Teams

Blues: 1 Joshua Fusitu’a, 2 Bradley Slater, 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 4 Sam Darry, 5 Josh Beehre, 6 Torian Barnes, 7 Dalton Papali’I (c), 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 9 Finlay Christie, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 11 Caleb Clarke, 12 Pita Ahki, 13 AJ Lam, 14 Cole Forbes, 15 Zarn Sullivan

Bench: 16 James Mullan, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Laghlan McWhannell, 20 Anton Segner, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai

Chiefs: 1 Jared Proffit, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 3 George Dyer, 4 Josh Lord, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 6 Kaylum Bosher, 7 Jahrome Brown, 8 Luke Jacobson, 9 Xavier Roe, 10 Josh Jacomb, 11 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 13 Daniel Rona, 14 Kyren Taumoefolau, 15 Etene Nanai-Seturo

Bench: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Benet Kumeroa, 18 Reuben O’Neill, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Tepaea Cook-Savage, 23 Kyle Brown

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What’s with the AI caricatures taking over social media feeds?

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Has your social media feed been populated by amusing caricatures of your friends and whānau this week? As fun as these images may seem, their creation has raised questions around privacy and what is being done with personal information shared with AI software.

What is this trend?

People upload an image of themselves to the OpenAI platform and give it prompts to generate an animated image based off everything it knows about them.

The resulting image is a caricature of the person surrounded by their hobbies, job or any other interests that ChatGPT knows they might have.

.

Tom Hovey, director of AI consulting company Diagram, says that although this particular trend is recent, the idea of asking AI to create something that represents us is not new.

Tom Hovey joined in on the trend and made his own AI-generated caricature.

SUPPLIED

“People made all like the Studio Gimli images and people, you know, with access to VO3, the video generation model, can make videos, they can upload images of themselves and make deepfake videos.”

Hovey says that people may not know that ChatGPT’s default settings are created to remember things about them.

Why are people doing it?

Auckland makeup artist Ari Dayal hopped on the trend after seeing her friends make caricatures on Facebook.

“I decided to try it for myself, being curious to see what my outcome would be and what else ChatGPT knew about me. One of my friends posted the prompt and I used that.

“The outcome was fairly accurate as I have used ChatGPT for my makeup artistry Instagram page, so it knew I was a makeup artist.”

Ari Dayal’s ChatGPT generated caricature.

SUPPLIED

As for privacy concerns, Dayal says she knows there is always a risk when using any type of AI, but she feels she has done everything she can to be safe.

“I made sure that I used simple language and I have always given ChatGPT very basic information about myself so it was interesting to see what it would generate.”

University of Waikato Professor of AI Albert Bifet says he understands the appeal of the caricatures.

“It feels personal, creative, and a bit flattering. It’s also social, you share it, friends react, and it becomes a conversation.”

He says there is a novelty in showing off what AI can do with the information it already knows about us.

Professor of AI, Director of the AI Institute at the University of Waikato, Albert Bifet.

SUPPLIED

“These trends often start on social media when a few people post something fun, visual, and easy to copy. Once it’s simple to do and share, it spreads quickly.”

Hovey says the trend is addictive and creative, and it can be a way for people to get a positive reflection of themselves.

“ChatGPT is biased towards making you happy. It will take your conversations, if you have memory turned on, it will take those conversations and reflect the best version of yourself.”

Jess, another user, says they got in on the trend out of curiosity after being a frequent user of ChatGPT.

“I guess I was just curious to see what it would come up with. I’ve used ChatGPT before so I was interested to see what it knew about me and my life and how I might be pictured through AI, I guess.”

Although the end result was fun, Jess says it raised some questions over the information that ChatGPT had.

“I actually thought the outcome was pretty cool. But afterwards I started thinking about how much personal information I must have shared for it to create something so specific. It made me realise just how much private detail goes into ChatGPT, and now I’m kind of like, maybe that wasn’t the best idea?”

Is it all fun and games, or something more sinister?

Hovey says he doesn’t think there is necessarily anything sinister about the trend, but it is a “teaching moment”.

“It’s revealing that our AI literacy is still quite low.

“… The average person doesn’t know where the information is going, how large language models actually work, what the impacts are of using them.

“It’s a cute, fun game, but it is worth taking a moment and thinking about, do you really want to share that with Chat GPT?”

Tom Hovey

SUPPLIED

He says it not only raises questions for the user, but it also shows that there was more OpenAI could do to help people make decisions about privacy upfront.

Hovey says it would be useful for ChatGPT to produce a prompt that asked users if they wanted the memory turned off or if they wanted to learn more about privacy settings when presented with a sensitive topic.

Bifet says the trend risks normalising how much personal data exists online.

“When we find it cute or fun, we stop asking hard questions. AI doesn’t magically know us — it uses data we’ve shared, directly or indirectly.”

He says it’s important to be careful of the information people are sharing publicly and the prompts given to AI.

Information such as personal data, location, work details and opinions can all be inferred or reused, he says.

“We should also remember that these tools are run by companies, not neutral entities, and the data can be stored or used in ways we don’t fully see.

“We should enjoy the tools, but also stay aware, curious, and a bit sceptical. Asking “what am I giving away?” is just as important as asking “what can AI do?”

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

Christchurch terrorist made almost 700 complaints about life in prison

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fifty-one people were killed in two attacks on mosques in Christchurch in 2019. RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon

The Christchurch terrorist made almost 700 complaints about life behind bars but his claims of torturous prison conditions are exaggerated, a court has heard.

Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant made the 686 complaints from 16 March 2019 until September 2024, amounting to more than one complaint every three days.

The 35-year-old is serving a life sentence without parole for the 2019 shootings at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre but now wants the Court of Appeal to overturn his convictions and sentence.

The terrorist claims he was “forced” to plead guilty to 92 charges because he was irrational as a result of torturous and inhumane prison conditions.

The white supremacist left 51 people dead or dying in little over 15 minutes after taking an arsenal of semi-automatic rifles, shotguns and incendiary devices to the mosques as worshippers marked Jumu’ah – the most significant prayer of the Muslim week – and opening fire.

The terrorist initially pleaded not guilty in June 2019 to 51 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of committing terrorism.

The court has heard he wavered in late July 2019 and prepared to plead guilty before again changing his mind only days later.

In March 2020 he formally pleaded guilty to all charges and was jailed for life without the possibility of parole in August 2020.

The terrorist had 20 working days to file an appeal against his conviction or sentence but the “out of time” application came years later.

Crown solicitor Andrea Ewing told the court only four of the terrorist’s 686 complaints related to accessing a lawyer.

She said the terrorist had claimed a complaint was upheld in relation to some kind of physical incident.

“So what we have is a hearsay assertion from Mr Tarrant to his expert that a complaint was upheld,” she said.

The Crown called on the court to dismiss the terrorist’s application for leave to appeal.

Crown solicitor Madeleine Laracy said there was no possible risk of a miscarriage because the terrorist had no legal defence to offer a trial and conviction was certain.

She also called on the court to provide finality for his victims, New Zealand’s Muslim community and the wider public.

“There are literally hundreds of directly harmed victims in this case and keeping this case alive is source of immense distress for those individuals,” Laracy said.

The terrorist’s lawyers reiterated the conditions their client was confined in were unlike anything else present in the prison system.

Justices Christine French, Susan Thomas and David Collins reserved their decision.

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District court judges give evidence at conduct hearing for fellow judge Ema Aitken

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

District Court Judge Ema Aitken (centre) at the Judicial Conduct Panel on Monday. Finn Blackwell / RNZ

A district court judge described as one of the best on the bench, has had her behaviour scrutinised by a Judicial Conduct Panel this week.

Judge Ema Aitken is before the panel accused of yelling at Winston Peters during an event at Auckland’s Northern Club in 2024, calling him a liar.

She argues she did not yell, did not recognise Peters, and did not know it was a political event.

The panel hearing, which began earlier this, heard from district court judges on Friday who were there on the night of the alleged disruption.

They had been called after Special Counsel for the Inquiry requested the panel ask them to appear and give evidence.

Judge David McNaughton was among those sat at Judge Aitken’s table during a dinner of other judges and their partners.

He told the panel no one at the table was drinking to excess that night, with the “possible exception” of lawyer Michael Reed, KC.

Reed had been captured on video trying to photograph inside the NZ First event, despite being told not to.

Judge McNaughton read from his letter prepared for the Judicial Conduct Commissioner, but noted some of the words were not his.

“It’s not phrased exactly as I originally had,” he said.

“Some of this phrasing is not mine.”

He said there had been a panic to have the letter sent to the commissioner by deadline, and he signed it on a busy working day.

“It was emailed to me, it was a working day, I was very busy, I quickly read it, and signed it, and emailed it straight back because it had to go, I think, that day or the next day.”

Judge McNaughton had high praise to give Judge Aitken before the panel.

“I think she is one of the best judges on our bench,” he said.

“Her judgements are sound, they’re well reasoned, her reserve judgements are usually immaculate, of a very high standard.”

The judge would make an excellent High Court judge, Judge McNaughton said.

“In some ways, she was too good to be a district court judge, that’s my personal view of her.”

But by her own admission the day prior, the judge said she had acted rudely.

“I cannot really explain why I responded like this, other than that I was tired, and the speaker’s statement was so palpably wrong,” Judge Aitken said.

“It was reactionary, and rude of me which is not consistent with my character or reputation, I am not normally rude or intrusive in any setting.”

Another member of the bench, Judge Pippa Sinclair told the panel she had also been at a table with Judge Aitken, while the NZ First event was taking place in another part of building.

She recalled Judge Aitken coming back to the table at one point in the night, telling her she had called out Winston Peters.

“Sometime around the main course being served, Judge Aitken came back to the table and said ‘I’ve just told Winston Peters’, and I quote ‘he’s lying,’ and I further quote, ‘how could he say that,’ in response to him discussing tikanga in the law schools,” she said.

“Judge Aitken then said she realised it was Mr Peters when she saw a person whom she recognised and then, and I quote ‘clicked,’ it was Casey Costello.”

Judge Aitken told the panel on Thursday she had been at the club after a challenging day at court when she overheard comments about Tikanga Māori law overriding the Westminster system being taught in law schools.

She mouthed words to someone looking at her from inside the room where the event was taking place, who she later realised was NZ First MP Casey Costello.

“I made an audible remark once I reached the bottom of the stairs where I paused briefly,” Judge Aitken said.

Judge Sinclair told the panel she had not seen any signage for the NZ First event on her way in or out of the club that night.

The panel had been told on Thursday by NZ First Party president Julian Paul there had been a roughly two-metre tall banner by the door to their event.

Judge Sinclair was pressed on details about the night.

She said it was difficult to remember, given how much time had passed.

Under cross examination from the judge’s lawyer David Jones, KC, Judge Sinclair said she could be sure about the sequence of events, but not about what exactly was said.

“Of course I can’t be exactly sure down to the minutiae of what she said, because it was over a month after the incident, and I was recalling that, and I didn’t record the incident,” Judge Sinclair said.

“I’ve done the best to recall what I remember she said.”

Jones asked Judge Sinclair to share what she thought of the judge’s work.

“She is a very sound, and fine judge,” she said.

“I have the utmost respect for her ability as a judge and work as a judge.”

Judge Sinclair was asked by panel member Justice Jillian Mallon how loud Judge Aitken had been speaking when she returned to the table.

“She spoke clearly, she wasn’t shouting or anything like that,” Judge Sinclair said.

“She just spoke very clearly and matter of factly.”

The panel next heard from Judge Sinclair’s partner Trevor Haysom, who had also been at the judge’s table that night.

He was asked by special counsel if the judge had made any indication her comments had been an error or mistake.

“It wasn’t apparent to me at the time,” Haysom said.

“She made the statement but there was no significance in it, at that stage of the dinner anyway.”

The husband of another judge present that evening, Mark Sinclair, made glowing remarks about Judge Aitken and her husband Dr David Galler.

Sinclair said he had been made aware earlier that evening an NZ First event was also being held that night, saying he was surprised the party was holding a fundraiser at the Northern Club.

He described Judge Aitken as a useful mentor for his wife, Judge Allison Sinclair, who had been appointed after Judge Aitken.

Sinclair also spoke about the judge’s work establishing the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court as well as her and her husband’s time working in Samoa.

“I hope when all this is over, I wish them all the best, and that their good work is not forgotten, because of the accusations that have been made as part of this process.”

The inquiry continues next week.

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Wet weather may force use of outfall pipe near Wellington beaches

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Beaches on the south coast are still off limits after the sewage spill. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Wellington Water says it is monitoring wet weather forecast for the capital this weekend as its Moa Point plant continues to leak raw sewage.

The sewage plant melted down last week, flooding the building with waste and sending raw sewage into the nearby south coast.

Nearby beaches remained off limits due to tens of millions of litres of screened but untreated sewage flowing out the plant’s 1.8-kilometre outfall pipe each day.

The water company said it may have to use its outfall pipe nearby the beaches at short notice due to increased water flows.

It said if that happened a clean-up crew would be sent to the shoreline.

MetService was forecasting rain and large swells up to seven metres in size on Sunday and Monday in Wellington.

Wellington Water said removal of sewage from the plant and cleaning its rooms were ongoing.

It was also working on understanding the state of the plant’s equipment and operations.

“This assessment will take some time, and we still expect there will be an extended outage at the plant.”

Sewage spill raises bird strike fear at Wellington Airport

Wellington Airport says it has noticed increased bird activity near its runway this week, and it is taking safety measures for planes following the Moa Point failure.

Wellington Airport’s location is very close to Moa Point.

Wellington Airport is taking safety measures for planes following the Moa Point failure. RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

With the risk of bird strike for aircraft in mind, its head of operations, Matthew Palliser, told RNZ they were monitoring the animals.

“We are keeping a close eye on bird activity around the airport and have noticed some increased activity at times this week, but we are always prepared for this.”

Palliser said the airport had regular patrols checking the runway and that they worked closely with the Airways control tower.

“When required, we use a range of tools to scare birds off, including different noises.

“We also have a full-time Wildlife Officer who monitors bird activity.”

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Black Foils boss Peter Burling first to earn SailGP demerit points for Perth scrape with Swiss

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand SailGP

4pm Saturday, 14 February & Sunday, 15 February

Wynyard Point, Auckland

Live updates on RNZ

Black Foils driver Peter Burling has found himself on the wrong side of history, after the incident that sidelined his SailGP boat at Perth last month.

Early in the opening race of the new season, New Zealand and Switzerland collided at high speed, with the Swiss shearing the transom off ‘Amokura’.

While the Europeans were able to repair their F50 cataraman overnight and return to the water for the second day of competition, the Kiwis were consigned to their sheds, copping the blame for the melee and earning penalty points for causing it.

They finished the weekend with no championship points and faced a nervous process to bring their boat to full integrity before this weekend’s home event at Auckland’s Wynyard Point.

The punishment took on an even more personal note for Burling, when he became the first recipient of demerit points under the league’s new ‘Super Licence’ for drivers, similar to Formula One motor-racing requirements.

Black Foils driver Peter Burling at the New Zealand SailGP media conference. Marika Khabazi/RNZ

“I seem to have become the first driver with the ‘honour’ of getting demerit points on my license,” he told the official media conference. “It’s a whole new thing and I’m not even sure how many I can get in a season – I should probably work that out at some stage.

“Got the email the other day – all part of the fun.”

Burling revealed to RNZ he received three demerit points, but bore no grudges.

“To me, the demerit points and the new licensing system that SailGP has put in is a real sign of maturity in the league. It’s a really cool step to see the league putting protocols in, so people have to go through a process to get on the F50 and be responsible for one of the roles onboard.

Black Foils boat ‘Amokura’ is launched for testing before New Zealand SailGP at Auckland’s Wynyard Point. Marika Khabazi/RNZ

“Everyone has to pass a minimum standard in terms of their knowledge of the boat, knowledge of how the league operates… to be responsible for that role. It’s a good step for the league and also holding people accountable with its demerit points.

“Everyone’s going to have the odd crash. If you’re not bringing the boats close together, you’re not really racing.”

Burling still didn’t agree with the decision to penalise his team, but organisers seemed happy to play up the actual or perceived rivalry between the Kiwis and the Swiss.

“On the water, we got deemed that we didn’t turn quick enough, which – for me – is in the grey zone, if you look back at a lot of other incidents,” he said. “That’s the umpire’s call.

“In sailing, there’s Rule 14 as well, which is, if you can avoid a collision, you should. For me, at some stage, you can’t just disappear and I feel like there were two parties to the incident.

“That’s all in the past now, we’ve got to live by the decision and move forward.”

At the media conference, Burling was seated at the far end of the couch to Swiss counterpart Seb Schneiter, a detail that didn’t escape the attention of NZ-born Italy driver Phil Robertson.

“Why have you sat them so far apart?” Robertson chirped.

“We obviously spoke in the protest and a little bit after sailing,” Schneiter explained. “We had a birthday party last weekend and Pete was on the invite list, but he didn’t make it unfortunately.

“I think it’s part of the nature of racing these boats at such high speeds. It’s going to happen and, as Pete said, we have to learn as a league.

“No-one wants the boats to come together. Either you’re right or wrong, and there’s certainly a lot to learn from this.”

Burling was quick to explain his absence: “Just to set the story straight, last weekend, the weather was a bit nice down at Coromandel, so we decided with the family to stay there and not make the trip back to Auckland.”

He explained to RNZ that the Black Foils had history with the Swiss, who also clipped Amokura during a start at Abu Dhabi last November.

“Why have you sat them so far apart?” Peter Burling (extreme right) address the media conference, with Swiss counterpart Seb Schneiter (extreme left). Marika Khabazi/RNZ

“That’s two from two events they’ve hit that corner of the boat,” Burling chuckled. “Hopefully, we can keep apart this weekend and, hopefully as a league, we can learn from the incidents.

“The incident we had you probably see 5-10 times a weekend, where people make a tiny mistake on the timing and other boats help alleviate the problem, in terms of two boats not coming together, and both get to carry and race.

“Hopefully, the Swiss learn from that.”

Ironically, New Zealand have gained one tiny benefit from their misfortune.

With a weather bomb hovering over the North Island on Friday, SailGP teams lost their only official practice day in Auckland.

The only boats allowed on the water were the home team, Spain and Germany, which had all undergone major modifications since Perth and needed to test out repairs, before racing began on Saturday.

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‘It’s appalling’ – the Auckland academic who appears in the Epstein files

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

“Lolita will never cease to shock”, wrote Brian Boyd in the introduction to his two-volume biography about Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov.

Fourteen years ago, when he spoke to Jeffrey Epstein about funding to write a book about the novel, the billionaire financier’s child sex abuse conviction “was not well known at all,” he says.

“If I’d known he’d been convicted, the last thing I would ever have done would be to suggest a book on Lolita,” Boyd tells RNZ’s Nights.

Jeffrey Epstein with his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking underage girls.

CNN/US District Court for the Southern District of New York

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The Auckland University lecturer finds it “appalling” that his name appears in the US government’s latest dump of files related to the deceased paedophile.

“I really didn’t think that my name would emerge in the Epstein files. I thought I was too much of a minnow to feature against all the big names that are there.”

Auckland academic on Epstein files link

Nights

The 73-year-old met Epstein in 2012 after giving a talk on literature and evolution at Harvard University’s Centre for Evolutionary Dynamics, which Epstein sponsored.

The next month, after the financier contacted Boyd, they had brunch and later a Skype call, during which he offered funding for Boyd’s next book.

At the time, Boyd says he had three book ideas knocking around in his head, including a follow-up to his 2009 book On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction and a book on Shakespeare.

The book he was “most itching to write”, though, as he told Epstein, was about the novel Lolita.

“I think his eyebrows went up and he asked me, ‘Why that?’ Of course, I didn’t know [ about his crimes], or I would have, you know, recoiled and said, ‘let’s not talk about funding’.

“I have spent thousands of pages defending Nabokov’s magnitude as an artist, and Lolita is the one thing that people who know practically nothing else about Nabokov hold against him. To have Lolitatied up with this revolting paedophile would have been the last thing I would have wanted to do.”

Vladimir Nabokov was grateful for Lolita because its success allowed him to retire from teaching and focus on writing for the rest of his life, says his biographer Brian Boyd.

AFP

After years of teaching Nabokov’s novel to university students, Boyd says he sensed it contained “a puzzle that I haven’t yet fully solved, but that I can see is there and solvable”.

“That’s why I wanted to write the book, and I told [Epstein] that in less elaborate terms.”

A “passionate sense of the importance of the innocence of childhood” was what motivated Nabokov to write the controversial novel in which a 30-something professor becomes obsessed with and then abuses and abducts a 12-year-old girl, Boyd says.

“He was very, very interested in psychology, and he read a lot of studies about child sex abuse before he began the novel. He always did his research.

“He also would sit on school buses and eavesdrop on young girls’ conversations so that he could get their slang right. He wanted to get things right, just as he did with the psychology of a sex offender.”

The first edition of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, published in 1955.

Public Domain

In very tightly buttoned 1950s America, Lolita‘s appearance was “extraordinary”, Boyd says.

“Nobody had treated, certainly from a literary perspective, child sex abuse frankly, or at all. It just wasn’t considered.”

Boyd says he’s been contacted by child sex abuse therapists around the world who’ve told him how useful they find the novel as a resource because Nabokov gets so deep inside the mindset of a perpetrator.

“Paedophiles do seem to have taken [Lolita] as a license, but it’s utterly perverse that they should do so.

“Even though it’s the perpetrator’s voice that you hear all the way through the novel, there are little glimpses of what Lolita says. [Her abuser] Humbert reports “her sobs in the night – every night, every night – the moment I feigned sleep”, which is just so awful. It’s a very charged book.”

Where to get help

Help

Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.

Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.

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

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‘Golden visa’ update announced by Immigration Minister

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford has given an update on the government’s so-called ‘golden visa’, which aims to attract investors with at least $5 million to spend.

Changes to the Active Investor Plus visa took effect in April last year, bringing in two categories – riskier ‘growth’ investments of $5m-plus over three years and lower-risk ‘balanced’ investments of $10m-plus over five years – and reducing other barriers, including time spent in New Zealand and an English language test.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The minimum investment amount had previously been $15m.

Stanford said 573 applications had been received to date, totalling about $3.39 billion invested – with $1.05b of that already committed.

She said it compared to 116 applications and $70m of investment over the two-and-a-half years under the previous settings.

“I am delighted that our new visa settings are helping to open up possibility and opportunity for investment,” Stanford said.

“These investors bring not just capital, but global experience, expertise, and networks. I have had the pleasure of meeting some of these investors over the last year and I have seen firsthand their love for, and commitment to, New Zealand.”

She made the announcement at Hectre, an AI startup focused on orchard management and fruit quality.

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Firefighters take 30 minutes to respond to callout amid strike action

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Two trucks arrived 30 minutes after the report of smoke coming from Auckland’s ferry terminal. File picture. RNZ / Richard Tindiller

It took firefighters 30 minutes to respond to a callout in downtown Auckland on Friday afternoon, amid strike action.

The New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union walked off the job for one hour from 12-1pm on Friday.

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said two fire trucks arrived 30 minutes after a report of smoke coming from the top floor of Auckland’s Downtown ferry terminal was made at about 12.30pm.

The Waitakere and Laingholm Volunteer Brigades, both 30 minutes away from Auckland CBD, were the first at the scene.

Crews from Parnell and Silverdale arrived at just after 1pm.

A fire commander did arrive just after 12.40pm and was the first on site.

A Fire and Emergency spokesperson told RNZ that after gaining access to the building, their crews confirmed at about 1.30pm that there was no fire, and the smoke was from a chimney working normally.

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Watch live: ‘Golden visa’ update announced

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford is set to give an update on the government’s so-called ‘golden visa’, which aims to attract investors with at least $5 million to spend.

Stanford is expected to speak to media at 2.30pm.

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The minimum investment amount had previously been $15m.

An update showed Immigration had received 532 applications for the visas between 1 April 2025, when the settings changed and 19 January, with the bulk of those – 423 – being in the ‘growth’ category.

Of those, 392 had been approved, at least in principle, 134 were still being assessed, and six had been withdrawn.

In total, it amounted to a minimum investment of $3.16b – with $926.2m of that already committed.

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‘Decent economic growth’ as manufacturing expands – survey

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

The BNZ-Business NZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) fell 0.9 points in January to 55.2, but was comfortably above its long running average of 52.5. 123rf

The manufacturing sector’s turnaround continued into the new year as firms recorded growth in new orders and production, while employment also grew.

The BNZ-Business NZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) fell 0.9 points in January to 55.2, but was comfortably above its long running average of 52.5. A score above 50 indicated the sector was expanding.

“The January PMI provides further evidence that the economy has finally turned the corner,” BNZ senior economist Doug Steel said.

“It is consistent with our forecasts and a breadth of indicators suggesting decent economic growth.”

All five sub-indices in the survey showed expansion.

“This was led by the two key indices of production (56.6) and new orders (56.4), followed by deliveries (53.3),” BusinessNZ director of advocacy Catherine Beard said.

“Employment (52.9) recorded its third straight monthly expansion, which had last occurred in the first few months of 2025,” she said.

Steel said the turnaround in employment was “good news”.

“When you’ve got more production and using up spare capacity… it does mean more jobs, and that’s what we see in the survey on Friday,” he said.

“If you look back at last year it implies that the net labour shedding that was occurring has drawn to an end.”

But despite the headline PMI index remaining strong, the survey noted the proportion of positive comments fell from 57.1 percent in December to 47.7 percent.

It said some manufacturers did report weak demand, while the Christmas and summer holiday shutdowns disrupted production.

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Christchurch terrorist had ‘certainty of conviction’ regardless of plea, Crown says

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Al Noor Mosque where 51 people were killed in a terrorist attack in 2019. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

The terrorist who massacred 51 worshippers at two Christchurch mosques is in prison because he committed the crime, not because of a coerced guilty plea, the Crown says.

Australian Brenton Tarrant wants the Court of Appeal to overturn his convictions and sentence for the March 2019 shootings at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre.

The 35-year-old now claims he was “forced” to plead guilty to 92 charges because he was irrational as a result of torturous and inhumane prison conditions.

On Friday, Crown solicitor Madeleine Laracy told the court the terrorist was where he was always going to end up.

“Mr Tarrant made an informed choice in circumstances where he was between a rock and a rock,” she said.

“If he pleaded, he was certain of conviction. If he went to trial, the Crown says a conviction was a certainty.

“This is more than an overwhelming case so we say there was a certainty of conviction either way and either way, he would spend the rest of his life in prison likely without parole. He knew all of that.”

Laracy said the terrorist’s appeal lacked substance and had no merit.

“My learned friend said yesterday that this is one of the most difficult cases. Certainly, it is one of the most terrible and despicable but in terms of looking at this as an appeal, the Crown would disagree,” she said.

“It is not a legally difficult appeal because the evidence to support the argument is not there and the law is clear.”

The terrorist’s pleas also had no impact on his prison conditions because he would remain subject to very restrictive conditions for as long as he posed a risk to himself and others, Laracy said.

On Thursday, Tarrant’s lawyers claimed their client’s guilty pleas were not voluntary and were the result of the “oppressive” conditions in which he was held.

They argued the terrorist suffered a “complete destruction of his identity” because of the isolation, constant surveillance, deprivation and harassment of his prison conditions.

Crown solicitor Barnaby Hawes said the records and reports from the time showed the terrorist was not suffering from any mental illness and raised no issues about his capacity or fitness to plea.

On 31 July 2019 the terrorist decided he wanted to plead guilty to all charges.

The decision became so advanced that paperwork was prepared in anticipation of the pleas being entered in court.

Four days’ later he changed his mind again, only minutes before he was due to appear before the High Court.

In March 2020 the terrorist appeared via audio-visual link and formally pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of committing terrorism.

Hawes said the terrorist spoke to forensic psychiatrist Dr Jeremy Skipworth in August 2020 ahead of his sentencing.

“Crucially, Dr Skipworth says that Mr Tarrant was fit to plead when he did,” he said.

“At this point, Dr Skipworth is interviewing Mr Tarrant. Mr Tarrant said he was sleeping well. Dr Skipworth says that Mr Tarrant was affable, engaged, polite. He was an intelligent man who enjoys debate.

“No thought forms or disordered thinking was noted. No delusions or perceptual abnormalities. No psychotic disorder either now or in the past.”

Earlier reports and records showed the terrorist felt the “need to uphold the honour of his movement” in May 2019 and that caused him distress and anxiety.

In August 2019 concerns were raised about his depressed mood.

The terrorist told clinicians at that point that he “had been doing a lot of thinking and thinks the attacks may have been a waste of time, a complete waste of time”, Hawes told the court.

“So there’s early evidence there of that type of thought being expressed, whether it is a true reflection of his thoughts at that point or not is perhaps something that will never be known.

“That was around the time that Mr Tarrant had first indicated that he was going to plead guilty and then changed his mind.”

The following month it was reported that the terrorist’s mood had improved after he was allowed to review his manifesto.

In May 2020 he threatened to kill himself but reported his mood had improved after a good sleep and it was noted his recent guilty pleas would have increased his anxiety and stress.

The following month he was again referred to clinicians because he was showering in his gown and did not want to go to Christchurch for sentencing.

Hawes said the records were clear and did not show the extreme mental decline and impairment that the terrorist now claimed was happening at the time.

“If the contention is that he was experiencing the levels of impairment, distress to call into question the guilty pleas the contemporaneous record should show it,” he said.

“There is a picture of fluctuating mood and behaviour but that is brief, it’s situational and it’s responsive to external stressors without a sustained mood disorder or psychosis being identified.

“There are no indications of breakdown signs or clues as to what’s suggested.”

Hawes said lawyers who acted for the terrorist from late March 2019 until June 2020 had also called into question their former client’s claims.

Shane Tait and Jonathan Hudson told the court on Tuesday that once the terrorist indicated an intention to plead guilty, he maintained it from then on and only wished to control when the pleas were entered.

The pair had no reason to distort the record from that time and acted in the terrorist’s best interest and with real care, Hawes said.

“There are direct aspects that he says that he told his lawyers or the way that he was, which they simply refute,” he said.

“That’s of significance, not only in terms of the treatment of Mr Tarrant’s evidence, but also when looking at other evidence and whether it can be accepted or not.”

Hawes said the terrorist’s case boiled down to his word against all others who dealt and interacted with him at the time in question.

“Mr Tarrant is an unreliable witness and his evidence and his narrative should be treated with great caution,” he said.

Crown submissions would continue on Friday before the terrorist’s lawyers were allowed the right to respond.

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Timing critical as Kiwi wasp bait tech trialled on Auckland’s hornet invaders

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Vespex inventor Richard Toft’s specially formulated bait will soon be used to target the yellow legged hornet. Entecol

A homegrown scientific discovery from the South Island acclaimed worldwide for its wasp control is now taking on a deadly invader.

The specially formulated protein insecticide bait, which honey bees will not touch, will soon be at the forefront of yellow-legged hornet control on Auckland’s North Shore.

Called Vespex, it was developed by a Nelson-based entomologist.

Richard Toft was working at the then Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) in Nelson during the 1980s. He arrived in Tasman as common wasps were swarming South Island beech forests, and he set to work in his lab.

The discovery of the fiprinol-based protein bait provided a valuable new tool for controlling common and German wasps, designed to be used at a key point in their breeding cycle.

The yellow legged hornet. Washington State Department of Agriculture

Vespex was around 25 years in the making, and Toft’s work was honoured overseas with a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Conservation Innovation Award in 2015. The accolade recognised the significant breakthrough in conservation, helping protect native forests, insects and birdlife from invasive wasps.

The bait has been used extensively by the Department of Conservation to control wasps.

Now building on that success, Biosecurity New Zealand was analysing data to pinpoint the best time to feed it to the hornets.

South Island beech forest.

At this stage of the breeding cycle, wasps and hornets have shifted their diet to more protein-based food sources.

Biosecurity NZ’s Scott Sinclair explained it could be a critical time window.

“The Vespex bait works by either wasps or hornets rolling it into small balls at the bait station and then taking it back to the nest,” he said.

“It’s distributed around the nest to feed the growing colony.

“During that process that fiprinol-based bait gets ingested by a whole lot of either other hornets or wasps in the nest, and a large proportion of that nest [die] off.”

While it had become an extremely valued tool for the control of common and German wasps, Biosecurity was not sure how well it would work for controlling hornets.

Some work in France had suggested they would find it attractive.

“The protein-based baits are going to be more effective against the hornets later in the season,” Sinclair said.

“We’re trying to still determine exactly when we’re going to deploy based on our dissections on the hornet nests that we’re finding, because that allows us to understand how our population is developing. The likely window is in the coming weeks.”

To date, there have been 51 confirmed queen hornets found and 61 nests on Auckland’s North Shore.

Vespex was now manufactured and sold by Nelson company Merchento, of which Toft was the director.

What is Vespex?

Vespex is a protein-based bait formulation that contains 0.1 percent fipronil (a neonicotinoid insecticide) deployed in specialised bait stations. It is designed to be highly attractive to wasps, which take it back to the nest, resulting in the destruction of the nest. It is specifically designed to not impact bees or native insects and birds.

Where was it developed?

Vespex was developed by the Nelson-based company Merchento. Toft, a member of Biosecurity NZ’s Technical Advisory Group and a well-known entomologist in New Zealand, developed the product.

It had been used extensively in New Zealand, including by the Department of Conservation, in both small and large-scale wasp control programmes.

Why is it being used at this part of the breeding cycle?

The timing of the deployment of Vespex in the yellow-legged hornet Response is due to both:

a) the point in the life cycle, as earlier in season yellow-legged hornets favour more carbohydrate/sugar-based food sources, shifting to more protein-based food sources later in the life cycle
b) the need for us to have live hornets in the environment to facilitate our best shot at eradication. We need healthy, live hornets to track back to nests so that we can destroy the whole nest (including the queen) in one go. Vespex too early in the season may weaken these nests making them more difficult to detect.

What’s the latest with the hornet?

Ground operations are working to find and destroy nests. To date, there have been 51 confirmed queen hornets found and 61 nests on Auckland’s North Shore.

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Wet summer keeps electricity hydro lakes full

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hydro lakes are fuller than they would normally be at this time of year. Meridian Energy / supplied

A wet summer has kept Meridian’s hydro storage lakes topped up, which could help keep power prices in check down the track.

Record rainfall in both the North and South Islands in January saw flows coming into the lakes exceed historical averages.

Meridian spilled from both its Waitaki and Waiau schemes throughout December and January, with national storage falling from 135 percent to 117 percent of the historical average.

“Wholesale electricity prices through the month of January were as low as I ever remember them being – they were $1 per MWh which is, you know, [basically] free,” chief executive officer Mike Roan said.

He said lower wholesale prices were down to both the large amount of rain and investment in new generation into the system.

Benmore Dam. Meridian Energy / supplied

“Hydro lakes are fuller than they’d normally be this time of year, which bodes well as we approach winter.

“[The lakes] hold about four months of water and they’re above average.

“So we’ve got a lot of fuel in the system right now, but you jump four months ahead – that’s kind of end of June, early July – so we can see most of winter, which is great, and in a month’s time, we’ll be even more confident.”

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Chocolate recipes to show yourself some love

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Our chocolately recipe recommendations include a simple dairy-free cake by kitchen queen Alison Holst, a bananana-fied caramel slice and a chocolate-chip shortbread recipe nicknamed ‘Why Would I Make Another Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever Again?’.

Sweet-tart summer berries and dark chocolate equals instant love connection.

Rich baked banana-infused caramel packed into a malty biscuit base.

After eating cookies that were either too sweet, too soft or too chocolate, Alison Roman invented an instant classic.

Sure-to-be-moist brownies with a bit of extra nutrition.

Ascend to creamy, chocolate-y, nutty, spicy heaven when you’re low on time and energy.

The iconic Kiwi chef added a little spice to a simple dairy-free chocolate cake from her 1991 classic The Best of Alison Holst.

A cookie-pie loaded with dark, dark chocolate and sugar-pillows of marshmallow.

Studded with chunks of dark chocolate and topped with crunchy sesame seeds, these cookies are the perfect combination of flavours and textures.

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

Moa Point sewage spill raises bird strike fear at Wellington Airport

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington Airport is taking safety measures for planes following the Moa Point failure. RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

Wellington Airport says it has noticed increased bird activity near its runway this week, and it is taking safety measures for planes following the Moa Point failure.

The sewage plant melted down last week, flooding the building with waste and sending raw sewage into the nearby south coast.

Nearby beaches remained off limits due to tens of millions of litres of screened but untreated sewage flowing out the plant’s 1.8-kilometre outfall pipe each day.

Wellington Airport’s location is very close to Moa Point.

With the risk of bird strike for aircraft in mind, its head of operations, Matthew Palliser, told RNZ they were monitoring the animals.

“We are keeping a close eye on bird activity around the airport and have noticed some increased activity at times this week, but we are always prepared for this.”

Palliser said the airport had regular patrols checking the runway and that they worked closely with the Airways control tower.

“When required, we use a range of tools to scare birds off, including different noises.

“We also have a full-time Wildlife Officer who monitors bird activity.”

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One killed, others injured in crash on Canterbury highway

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / REECE BAKER

One person has died following a crash in north Canterbury that left multiple people trapped.

Emergency services were called to State Highway 7, north of Waikari, at about 6.40am on Friday after a car went off the road.

At least four Fire and Emergency NZ crews worked to help free people trapped in the car.

Police said despite best efforts of emergency services, a critically injured person died at the scene.

St John said two others were in a serious condition and a third person was in a moderate condition.

State Highway 7, between McRaes and Mt Alexander roads, was blocked as a result of the crash, a police spokesperson said.

“The road remains closed while emergency services work at the scene.

“Inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.”

St John had sent three ambulances and a helicopter to help.

The Serious Crash Unit has been notified.

“Traffic management is in place and motorists should expect delays.”

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Football: Injured All Whites star Chris Wood gets ‘positive news’

By Evening Report -

February 13, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

All Whites captain Chris Wood is on the comeback from injury. PHOTOSPORT

All Whites captain Chris Wood’s road to recovery from a knee injury has taken many routes, but the striker has had positive news as he looks ahead to the path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Wood suffered the injury in mid-October while playing in the English Premier League for Nottingham Forest and had surgery in December.

While he has been sidelined, Wood has watched Forest slip towards the relegation zone and fire a third manager this season.

“The easiest thing to say would be it’s part and parcel of football, but it’s been frustrating,” Wood said of his recovery in an interview recorded by Nottingham Forest.

“The manner of the injury has not been perfect because we’ve tried different things, had setbacks, having to go down different routes with surgery and things like that. It’s not been smooth sailing.”

Wood said by “suffering through the lows” of this season it would help him “come back stronger and better”.

“It’s getting better day by day, which is great. Had some positive news yesterday from the surgeon to say I can get on to the next stages and things like that, so it’s better for my rehab now.

“I’ve got to do the right things to get back fit and ready.”

The 34-year-old said he was looking forward to returning to play before the end of the Premier League in May and the World Cup, which kicks off in June.

“There is a lot on the horizon which will be fantastic to be a part of, and the World Cup is definitely one of them.”

He will miss the All Whites’ FIFA Series in Auckland next month.

The All Whites’ last warm-up game before the World Cup is against England.

“Coming up against England will be a great occasion, a tough opponent for us… we’ve always wanted to pit ourselves against the best and England is definitely one of the best and one of the favourites for the World Cup, so it will be a good experience, for sure.”

Wood was recognised with The New Zealand Society’s inaugural Pride of New Zealand award in London last week.

Aware of the influence he had on the next generation of football players in Aotearoa, Wood said he wanted to be an inspiration.

“We’ve had a lot of Kiwis playing across the world at great levels but we’ve only ever had six ever play in the Premier League, and that’s something you’ve got to be extremely proud [of].

“We want more Kiwis playing in the Premier League or playing at high levels around the world, and we’ve got quite a lot who do it, but hopefully there can be a lot more coming after seeing what can be achieved with Kiwis around the world.”

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Football: Injured All Whites star Chris Wood get ‘positive news’