Source: Radio New Zealand

This story is part of a series sharing the voices of whānau of the 28th Māori Battalion, keeping their memories alive.

A soldier, sportsman and survivor of one of the most brutal campaigns of the Second World War, George Manapiri Pitman is remembered by his whānau as both a “hard man” and a devoted father.

A member of the 28th Māori Battalion, Pitman carried what his son Herbert Manapiri describes as a “warrior” spirit, shaped by his whakapapa, upbringing, and the realities of war.

“He had that warrior thing in him … he was proud of his Māori side,” Manapiri said.

But behind that strength was a man who endured loss early, survived near-death overseas, was held as a prisoner of war, and returned home to a life marked by both resilience and hardship.

Pitman was just six months old when he lost both his parents.

Born in 1913 in Whakapara, north of Whangārei, he was raised by his grandparents after his mother and father died during an influenza outbreak.

From those early beginnings, Pitman would go on to become a skilled carpenter and a talented rugby player, earning trials for both the Kiwis and the All Blacks before the Second World War.

“He was so good … a brilliant player,” Manapiri said.

But like many young Māori men of his time, he chose to enlist.

“They got told they were going to get paid more than what they were getting working … but at the end they got nothing.”

Pitman joined the 28th Māori Battalion, and became known not just for his physical strength but his sporting ability too. He was part of the 28 Māori Battalion team that played against Wales during the war.

Manapiri has previously expressed his disappointment for the lack of recognition of that team.

“They’re like forgotten people. These guys are forgotten,” he told RNZ at the time.

The side impressed crowds during the winter of 1940-41 in England, earning an invitation from the Welsh Rugby Union to play in Cardiff, where more than 12,000 spectators attended under the constant threat of German bombers.

The war took Pitman across England, Wales, Scotland and South Africa before he was deployed to Crete, one of the most devastating campaigns for the Māori Battalion.

“He said the sky was black with parachutes,” Manapiri recalled.

“He said, how could we fight them? … It was a losing battle from day one.”

Pitman was part of a mortar crew sent ahead of infantry, with limited ammunition.

“They only had about 30 rounds … he said we would have been better to throw rocks.”

During the battle in Crete, Pitman was shot in the back, the bullet exiting through his neck. He was left on the battlefield among the dead and wounded.

“He said that was the scariest part of his life … when he saw his own people running over the top of him … not even seeing if he was still alive.”

It was local villagers who eventually found him and two other wounded soldiers, taking them in and treating them before German forces arrived.

Pitman was taken prisoner of war and held in Austria, where he remained for years.

“He said they were forgotten,” Manapiri said.

“They didn’t know if they were going to make it, so they made their life.”

While imprisoned, Pitman found ways to survive, and even make money, earning himself the nickname “the rat man”.

“They called him George Manapiri, the rat man. And he used to go around and catch rats, skin them, and then sell them as chicken,” Manapiri recalled laughing.

“He was one of these guys who could do things from nothing.”

Manapiri said his father also spoke about what he witnessed in captivity, including the treatment of other prisoners during raids.

He said they saw a lot, and were made to bury many people.

“That stayed with him,” he said.

The physical and psychological toll of war followed him home.

As a child, Manapiri remembers hearing his father relive those experiences.

“I used to hear him screaming … wake up screaming, shaking,” he said.

“He never slept with the light off.”

Compounding that mamae was the fact Pitman had already been declared dead during the war.

“He was pronounced dead because he wasn’t in the total. They pronounced him dead.”

His grandmother, who raised him, died “heartbroken”, believing he had been killed.

“That was her baby.

“They didn’t know he was alive until he walked off the train at Whakapara.”

Pitman also spent decades separated from his sister, only reconnecting with her in 1965.

“She always thought he was dead.”

A homecoming without recognition

Pitman returned to Aotearoa in 1945, but the homecoming he and others expected never came.

“They thought they were going to get a good welcome, but they got no welcome,” Manapiri said

Instead, tensions with American servicemen led to confrontations both overseas and in Auckland.

“They were told not to walk on the same side of the street as the Americans … and then they had a brawl.”

Even within their own communities, returning soldiers faced judgement.

“They used to call him … ‘you were a prisoner of war, you couldn’t handle it’.

“The worst part,” Manapiri said, “Was when they got back, they got nothing.

“They were forgotten. And even today, a lot of our people forget them.”

Despite everything, Manapiri said his father rarely spoke openly about the war.

“It was his friends … at Māori Battalion dos … that told the stories.”

Instead, he focused on providing for his whānau and worked as a carpenter, farmer, and on major infrastructure projects.

“He was a hard worker … worked right up to his 70s.”

But the effects of his injuries never fully left him.

“He had sand in his lungs … he had to go to hospital to get it pumped out.”

Even in later life, his humour remained.

“He was a comedian,” Manapiri recalled.

In his last years of life, when doctors told him he would not live to see another Christmas, his response reflected the same spirit that carried him through war.

“We were sitting there and he said, well it’s up to that fellow up there anyway, not to you. He said I lasted through the war. And that’s the type of guy he was.”

Manapiri said his father’s strong whakapapa remained central to who he was.

“He comes from Eruera Maihi Patuone … from Ngāti Toa, from Ngāpuhi … all those fighters.”

In his final moments, surrounded by whānau, Pitman chose how he would leave.

“He said, ‘if I’m going to go, celebrate’ … and had a whisky with everyone.”

Then, according to his son, he spoke his last words after sharing his love with his whānau.

“He said hurray to all the whānau. And he said to me, I had enough. Turn the machine off, boy … And he said to the doctor, my son’s turning the machine off.

“So I looked at him .. He said yeah, I’m going back to Patuone … Back to his kaumātua.

“He said I’m going back. They’re waiting for me. They’re standing all there … I’m going back with my people.

“Then I turned the machine off. Two minutes later, he coughed and his hand come up. And he said, tihei mauriora … Then he passed away.”

Pitman now rests alongside his tūpuna.

“I never forget him,” Manapiri said.

“It’s one thing you never forget. I never forget the 28th Māori battalion.”

Today, he said it was up to the next generation to carry those stories forward.

“They were great soldiers … but they were forgotten,” he said.

“You’ve got to pass it on … get it out there.There’s so many stories … but they’re not being told.”

The Manapiri Pitman whānau remember their tupuna and the 28 Maori Battalion every day of their lives. Manapiri said the experiences of those who served, and those who never came home, were not lost.

“The heroes are the ones who never got noticed,” Manapiri said.

“They were the heroes … and we will never forget.”

Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou – we will remember them.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Northland police officer claimed he had worked hours he had not for more than a year before it was discovered, RNZ can reveal.

Riki Toby, who was paid nearly $30,000 for overtime he did not do, said the offending started after going through a break-up, which put “extra financial pressure” on him.

He was eventually caught and charged with obtaining by deception and will be sentenced next month.

Court documents released to RNZ reveal Riki Toby was working as an authorised officer at the Kaitaia Police Station.

The 32-year-old’s primary work involved processing and looking after people in police custody in the watchhouse or cell area at the station.

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

Toby worked a full-time, 10-day roster, which involved working six days followed by four days off.

Between 3 August 2024 and 22 December 2025, he submitted 42 time sheets claiming for extra days he had not worked.

“He did this by opening the Police system called ‘My Police’ and manually entering the shift he would represent that he had worked.

“These time sheets were approved by the custody Sergeant, who was unaware that the dates had not been worked.”

In total, Toby was paid an extra $29,000 for the 42 days.

“This was eventually picked up by the Sergeant, approving the defendant’s time sheets and an investigation was commenced.”

When questioned, Toby said he initially claimed for one extra shift that he had not worked and was not paid.

“He said that he then began claiming for shifts he hadn’t worked on a regular basis until this was picked up by the Sergeant, approving the time sheets and was declined.”

Police sought reparation for the money claimed.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) earlier released a summary of the investigation into Toby.

The IPCA said the sergeant in charge of checking the timesheets was unaware that the dates had not been worked until they became suspicious of the volume of overtime claimed.

“Police investigated and found sufficient evidence that the authorised officer had not worked the hours claimed in approximately 40 submitted timesheets.”

He resigned before police started an employment process.

“Police also investigated the process for approving timesheets and identified general process issues with how timesheets were reviewed and approved. Police have made several adjustments to procedures and staffing levels to reduce the risk of this happening again.”

The IPCA said it was “satisfied with the thorough police investigations” and agreed with the outcomes.

Northland District Commander Superintendent Matt Srhoj earlier said Toby’s behaviour was “totally unacceptable”.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A community conservation group has won a legal victory against a multinational gold mining company, but the company says the ruling will not thwart its plans to tunnel under conservation land in the Coromandel.

Ours Not Mines has spent the past three years fighting OceanaGold’s license to put vents on an unformed “paper road” for a proposed underground mine at Wharekirauponga that extends its operations in the Waihī area.

This week Ours Not Mines won in the Court of Appeal, voiding the license granted by the local council.

But according to OceanaGold, the consents they have under the government’s Fast-track Approvals regime means it can forge ahead.

OceanaGold plans to tunnel 7km beneath Wharekirauponga, a forest park administered by the Department of Conservation, to extract gold and silver ore.

But the plan requires no more than four ventilation and escape shafts above ground for safety reasons.

In 2021, the Hauraki District Council gave OceanaGold a 40-year license over a paper road it owns to allow the gold mining company to install vents for the tunnel.

The paper road is legally designated as a public road, but it is indistinguishable from the surrounding forest and not easily accessible, even on foot.

OceanaGold would have paid just $1 a year to use it.

But the Court of Appeal found the license was unlawful as it interfered with the public’s right to access the road, overturning an earlier High Court decision.

Ours Not Mines co-founder, Morgan Donoghue, a prominent music industry figure, said he had a personal connection to the Coromandel.

“I went to school there. Mum still lives down there, and it was something that was really important to me to fight for what we think is right.”

He questions why the council agreed to license the road to a multi-million dollar company.

“They did it for $40.

“They will have spent tens of thousands of dollars defending this position [in court], to make no money out of it, which is a terrible waste of council money. They should never have let this happen.”

Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki is another group opposing mining in the area.

Chairperson Catherine Delahunty said the court’s decision means OceanaGold cannot claim its underground mine will have no above-ground impacts on conservation land.

“They wanted to be able to say, we are not building these vents for the next 40 years on conservation land.

“They wanted to get away with using the paper road, and they have failed.”

She said the case validated that public roads are for the public.

“This case has led to a very useful decision that actually gives status to paper roads and acknowledges the importance of mining not being given a 40-year consent over something that belongs to the public of this country.”

OceanaGold senior vice president for Legal and Public Affairs, Alison Paul, was unavailable for an interview, but in a statement she said the mine, including an option for alternative vent locations, had already been approved.

“While we are surprised by this decision, it is important to understand that it in no way affects the fast-track approval of the Waihi North Project, which we received in December 2025 or the Company’s plans.

“Our timeline for project development and eventual ore production from Wharekirauponga remains unchanged.”

But Donoghue feared OceanaGold’s activities would have devastating consequences.

“The reality is, it’s underground, but you’re still going to have to pull all of the tailings out of the ground. It’s going to be a huge mess. And if something happens, a major once-in-a-100-year weather event, which seems to be happening more than once a year now, then that could wash all of that toxic tailings into the rivers.”

Both Donoghue and Delahunty felt their concerns had not been properly heard during the fast-track process.

In a statement, Hauraki District Council chief executive David Speirs said while councils could grant licences over roads they own, the Court’s decision came down to “the scale and length of the particular licence”.

“We will consider the implications carefully.”

The council said a nominal fee, like one dollar a year, was standard for licensing agreements like this one, and as road reserves are public assets held in trust for the community, fees are not set on a commercial basis.

The council declined to answer questions about how the license would benefit the community.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Corrections says it will conduct a full review into how two prisoners came to escape cells inside a prisoner escort van on Thursday.

The van was travelling to Whanganui prison when the men exited individual holding cells within the vehicle at 4.40pm.

Deputy commissioner of men’s prisons, Neil Beales said a third prisoner remained in his cell.

“The prisoner escort van has arrived at Whanganui Prison and the three prisoners are in custody at the prison. All three prisoners were contained within the van at all times. There was no threat to public safety,” Beales said.

Beales thanked police who accompanied the staff to ensure the van arrived at the prison “without incident”.

“A full review of how the prisoners exited the cells within the van will be carried out. This sort of behaviour will not be tolerated and the prisoners involved will be held to account for their actions,” Beales said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police are appealing for witnesses after a cyclist was seriously injured in a crash in the Tasman district on Wednesday afternoon.

Emergency services were called to the intersection of Bateup Road and Main Road in Hope – known locally as Three Brothers Corner – about 3.10pm.

Police said a ute struck a cyclist as it exited the roundabout.

The cyclist suffered significant injuries and remains in hospital in a stable condition.

Police said there was heavy after-school traffic in the area at the time, and they wanted to hear from anyone who saw the crash and had not yet spoken to officers.

They are also requesting any photos or video footage that witnesses may have taken.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 105 and quote file number 260423/6885.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Dunedin City Councillors have decided a service for the homeless is best handled in-house.

Councillors have voted to set up a council-led housing outreach service to address rising homelessness, at a cost of $270,000 annually.

Councillors already supported establishing an outreach service, and at Thursday’s meeting debated whether to deliver it in-house or use an external provider.

Council housing principal policy adviser Gill Brown said homelessness and housing insecurity remained a growing problem in the city, and the need for an outreach service was “incredibly urgent”.

“The current single worker is unable to meet some of the demand or some of the comments that we’re getting from the members of the public.

“We’re also hearing that more people are in very tenuous living situations because of the cost of living, only exacerbated by the fuel prices now.

“It is incredibly challenging and ultimately we need to get help to people before winter.”

A council report said the benefits of an in-house model for the outreach service would be greater control, integration, and long-term system capability but using an external provider would mean faster implementation and lower short-term risk.

Councillor Doug Hall believed the in-house option was best.

“If we’re serious about reducing homelessness in Dunedin then this service should not sit at arm’s length from the council. It should sit close to the rest of the work we already do across housing, community well-being policy, planning and partnerships,” he said.

“If council is funding this service, if council is going to be held accountable for it, and if the costs are broadly similar across the options then I believe the council should keep its hands firmly on the wheel.”

Councillor Andrew Simms believed the service should be delivered by an established social services provider.

“They are already operating in this space, some of them 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. They know the challenges, they know the people and most importantly they already have the trust of the homeless whānau,” he said.

“It makes less sense to me for the Dunedin City Council to set up a homeless outreach service from scratch.”

During the debate, different councillors flagged the horror stories they knew about in the city – people living in doorways, in cars, and tents set up in parks, and there was consensus change needed to happen.

The in-house housing outreach service was set to be in place by June.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A young child is in hospital with serious injuries after a hit-and-run in the central North Island.

Police said the child was on their bike when they were struck by a car on Torphin Crescent in Tokoroa around 4.30pm on Wednesday.

The crash happened near the Woolworths supermarket and the driver sped off, police said.

Police were now looking for a grey Nissan sedan with an unknown registration.

They said the alleged driver was described as a “as fair skinned male wearing glasses with shoulder length hair”.

Police asked that anyone with information about the driver, or the car, to contact Police on 105 quoting file number 260422/6148.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

After a years-long inquiry into the death of an Auckland construction worker, a coroner has delivered a clear message.

Cardan shaft parking brakes, the braking system used by a piece of heavy machinery that failed and caused Graeme Rabbits’ death, are inherently unsafe, Coroner Erin Woolley found.

She made a series of recommendations to reduce the chances of further deaths, but there is no requirement for the organisations they’re aimed at to follow them or say why they’re not accepted.

Graeme Rabbits father Selwyn, who for eight years launched his own investigation into the braking system, said a formal register of recommendations and responses to them was required.

It’s an idea that’s gained support, although it’s not on the radar of officials.

Plea for transparency

When Graeme Rabbits parked a telehandler – a heavy machine that does the work of a crane and a fork lift – on a slope at an Auckland construction site in January 2018, he had no idea the braking system could fail.

But as he attached a tow rope, it did just that, rolling on to him, causing fatal injuries.

Coroner Woolley’s investigation concluded the braking system’s not safe, and she made a series of recommendations, such as better registration practices and publicity campaigns.

Graeme’s father Selwyn Rabbits said he worried her work might be left to languish.

“The organisations are not obliged to follow the coroner’s findings, but there should at least be some formal process where the organisation has to respond to the findings and justify why they don’t accept them or reject them.

“That should go to a level that gives some transparency and exposure.”

Many of the recommendations were directed at the NZ Transport Agency, where officials have said they disagree with the coroner’s finding that the braking system is inherently unsafe.

The transport agency views it as safe if used, serviced and tested correctly.

“NZTA has been progressing a range of work following a review in 2025, and we have now integrated additional action into this work programme in response to the two separate coroner’s reports released late last year,” the transport agency’s group manager Mike Hargreaves said.

“Some of the coroner’s recommendations were aligned with what NZTA was already progressing, while other recommendations require extra action.

“In response, we are implementing a comprehensive, practical and evidence-based work programme spanning education, monitoring, compliance and other areas.”

The transport agency would release new warning labels for vehicles with cardan shaft parking brakes, including a QR code linking to safety information.

Hargreaves said a new safety video was being developed, adding to videos on how to correctly service the brakes and how to test them on a roller brake machine.

The agency has also organised free training workshops around the country for technicians and workshop managers.

Selwyn Rabbits met with the agency’s director late last year. However, he remains frustrated it doesn’t agree with his and the coroner’s views about the brakes’ dangers, despite her thorough findings.

Selwyn Rabbits realised it was impractical to ban the braking system, in use in tens of thousands of heavy vehicles, but would like to see a halt on imports with cardan shaft parking brakes. So far, this hasn’t happened.

“I’m just so disillusioned with an organisation that says all the right words in terms of ‘every life counts’ and all of that, but is just totally out of touch with the reality.

“It’s almost criminal.”

Coroner’s reports are publicly released and the coroner’s office regularly publishes summaries of recommendations.

Selwyn Rabbits, however, wants to see something more detailed.

“The coroner may publish the findings, but [a role] like the director of NZTA is not answerable to anyone in terms of justifying why they don’t accept them or follow up on them.”

Respond or face fines – victim’s brother

The push for more transparency about responses to recommendations also wins support from Ricky Gray, whose brother Shaun died in the Palmerston North Hospital mental health ward in 2014.

Coroner Matthew Bates found his death was preventable, and he made a slew of recommendations about patient assessments and care, as well as oversight and training of staff.

“I always think, particularly in Shaun’s case, there were a lot of repeat recommendations from previous deaths that are almost a carbon copy to Shaun,” Ricky Gray said.

“Time and time again the coroner’s making these statements, making these recommendations, and they’re either not getting looked at or they’re not even being received by these organisation.”

The coroner’s office has apologised for this in Shaun Gray’s case, when the Medical Council wasn’t informed of recommendations relating to it. Ricky Gray said it was left to him to do this when he followed up on their implementation.

Ricky Gray goes further than Selwyn Rabbits, saying coroners’ recommendations should be enforced, unless an agency can justify not following them.

“I believe that organisations should have to be reporting back to the justice system, to the coroners, and actually explain how they’re implementing these recommendations.

“Yes, there could be fines, in a corporate landscape.”

Not all recommendations are practicable or cost-effective – Minister

Recently retired lawyer Moira Macnab, who is experienced at appearing at inquests, liked the idea of more transparency.

“I think it’s a very good idea because, particularly in health you do, from one hospital to the next, get the same or similar recommendations,” she said.

“Frankly, some of the recommendations ought to have been followed up, but haven’t been.”

She didn’t see the process being too costly.

“I think that you could appoint somebody to go and have a look at a few of these things and go, right, ‘These are the recommendations. I want to check on this. I want to see it’s been taken seriously’.

“I don’t necessarily think you’d have to have a huge organisation to do that. I think if [organisations] were aware they would be followed up on they might be more keen to make changes.”

As well as publishing decisions and recommendations, coroners are required to give organisations or people those recommendations are directed at a chance to comment.

“That process ensures that coroners receive current information about any changes that have been made already, or any obstacles to the implementation of the proposed recommendations or comments, and, in some cases, organisations or individuals suggest alternative ways of achieving the aim of the recommendation or comment proposed,” a spokesperson for the Coroner’s Court said.

“Those responses are taken into account by coroners before they finalise their recommendations or comments.”

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee said changes to the process about recommendations weren’t on the Justice Ministry’s work programme.

“It is for each agency to determine how it responds to Coroner’s Court recommendations.

“Not all recommendations will be practicable or cost-effective, and there is currently no requirement for them to be.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

It’s been a bumper season for little blue penguins with nearly 1000 chicks fledged at Ōamaru’s blue penguin colony.

That’s up from last year’s 600.

Environmental team lead Henry Elsom told Checkpoint the penguins were looking “fantastic”.

“They all seem to be in really really good conditions, so we are hoping its going to be another great breading season on the cards.”

However, he said a few were looking a bit scruffy because they were going through their molt, meaning they lose all their feathers.

Elsom said the area was often packed with people hoping to catch a glimpse. He attribute the breeding success to decades of conservation efforts and the breeding season starting early.

“There was one pair that really stood out… in a good season these penguins will have multiple broods, we had one pair that was a triple brooder, so they produced six chicks in a season and yeah, we had never seen penguins successfully fledge six chicks.”

He said the breeding season is typically from July through to January.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Health New Zealand has sent nurses, midwives, and health care assistants their first offer since June last year.

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation has been in bargaining with Te Whatu Ora since September 2024.

The union’s chief executive, Paul Goulter, said its members had received a proposed terms of settlement.

“It will now be up to our 36,000 Te Whatu Ora members to decide collectively and democratically whether the offer is good enough or they want to continue campaigning,” he said.

The bargaining team would be spending the next few weeks speaking with members about the details of the offer.

Goulter said it would not reveal any details of the proposed terms of settlement until the ballot has taken place.

“While this process is underway in the lead up to a membership ballot, it is not appropriate for me to go into any details in the proposed terms of settlement,” he said.

“It is important that members hear the details first.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Homes will have to be gutted and businesses could be closed for months in the wake of Wellington’s Monday flood.

The damage is estimated to potentially run hundreds of millions of dollars across the city, where a state of emergency remains in effect.

Berhampore couple Tahni Daniels and Neal Jenkins are having to strip the contents of their house after it flooded on Monday.

Jenkins said the flood came towards their house like a tsunami, damaging most of the contents in the lower level of their home, little of which has been salvageable.

“it just felt within minutes it was knee-deep,” he said.

“Luckily we’ve got a little upstairs bedroom, so I […] had my youngest three-year-old girl in one hand and dog in the other hand and my little boy who’s six wading through the water with me and we just went upstairs.”

Daniels’ home hairdressing salon has also been destroyed and she said she’d have to start over.

She said some salons had reached out who were happy for her to work on their premises

“All the furniture’s trashed and gone because it was all wet and just really sad because I started this business six years ago and I had the babies and it’s like our life.”

Little has been salvageable in their home either.

“The saddest thing is the kids’ stuff, because all of theirs is low down. So it’s like all of their stuff, toys, beds, clothes.”

Meanwhile, restaurant Parla will be shut for a couple of months after being flooded by about forty centimetres of water.

Co-founder Tom Parsonson said it was surreal to see his business flooded by this week’s storm.

“It was a strange way to start the week. It’s just crazy to think that much water can appear so quickly.”

Parsonson said they have good insurance, which will cover support for staff and repairs.

“It’s still pretty shocking for staff to sort of wake up on a Monday and learn that their place of business is temporarily not operating.”

He said Parla’s customer-favourite Mont Blanc coffees will be sold at their sister business, Sourdough Wellington, from this weekend.

Mayoral fund launched

A $100,000 Mayoral Relief Fund has been launched to support Wellingtonians affected by Monday’s severe weather, with the city calling on Wellingtonians for further donations.

The fund will be administered by the Wellington City Mission, who is still helping people affected by the flood.

Missioner Murray Edridge expected their support would be needed for weeks, if not months yet.

“The problem with the weather becoming better, and we’re delighted that it is, is that all of us start to move on with our lives, and yet we’ve got people who are in really significant trauma and loss. Many of them will be uninsured or underinsured and they just need the support of the community around them.”

Edridge said he was working with nearly 40 families, getting them support and temporary accommodation.

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little said they were still finding out the full cost of the storm, but he believes it could be tens, if not hundreds of millions.

“Insurance assessors are still out and about assessing damage,” he said. “It might be some weeks before we know the true cost of these floods.”

Little was calling for donations from locals who could afford to kick in cash or things like furniture, saying some families had lost everything.

Storm claims flooding in

IAG said it had received 509 claims in the Greater Wellington region across AMI, State and NZI – three insurance brands underwritten by IAG, with 351 in Wellington City.

Tower meanwhile reported it had received less than 130 claims from the Wellington region.

The Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake said the Wellington weather event between 18 – 21 April had so far generated 43 claims for natural hazards insurance.

“We expect this number to increase over time as people often have other urgent priorities after events and damage to land doesn’t always show up straight away, and as the ground settles, issues like cracks, slips or drainage problems can become more visible.”

If homeowners were affected by a landslide, Natural Hazards Commission Toka Tū Ake provided cover for the home and land.

If affected by a storm or flood, NHC provided cover for land only, with the home to be covered by private insurance.

People rally on storm Givealittle pages

A couple of Givealittle pages have been started for those impacted by the storms with $37,000 already raised for an Ōwhiro Bay family of five who fled their flooded home with only their pyjamas on.

Another Givealittle campaign has raised $6,000 for an 87-year-old woman who was rescued by her son-in-law, Gavin Naftel, and emergency services.

Houses white and yellow stickered in Hutt City

Hutt City Council said five properties had been placarded in rapid building assessments following flooding in the last week.

Of the properties located in Stokes Valley and Eastbourne, four had been white stickered, which meant they were safe to occupy with monitoring, and one yellow stickered, meaning restricted access.

The council said its officers were continuing to work with affected homeowners.

It said as the state of emergency in Hutt City had now ended, further actions will be managed under the Building Act 2004.

The council said its roading network had also held up well with only minor cleanup work required.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Petrol station owners admit they are profiling people at the pump before letting them fill up amid a surge in fuel drive-offs.

As costs climb, those at the pump are getting desperate, with police reporting 100 extra fuel drive-offs a week since the start of March.

America’s war in Iran has sent prices soaring, with data from Stats NZ showing fuel prices rising nearly 19 percent for petrol and 43 percent for diesel last month compared to February.

Police have laid more than 370 charges over the thefts since last month, and are urging petrol stations to start using pre-pay at the pump. But some retailers say that’s not a solution.

Baltej Singh Dhaliwal owns a petrol station in Auckland’s Mangere.

He said his staff looked at customers before turning on the pump.

“We are pushing the staff to see every customer before opening the pump,” he said.

“We’re trying to put the risk down … we can control the risk, we can control the loss.”

But recently, it backfired.

“There was a nice Mitsubishi Outlander came to the site, it was a new one with the logo of Alert Taxi,” Dhaliwal said.

“The driver was fully suited, and then he filled the petrol, filled the tank nearly $200, and he just ran off.”

Dhaliwal called the taxi company, who told him the licence plate didn’t belong to any of their drivers.

Pre-pay not a simple solution

Police assistant commissioner Tusha Penny told RNZ tips from the public were helpful to catch thieves.

“We’re just saying it’s a zero tolerance, because whilst you said some people may not be able to afford petrol, we’ve also got to be cognisant,” she said.

“What we’re seeing is thefts from families who need to get their kids to school, thefts from businesses who are doing their best to survive and thefts from farmers who some would say are the backbone for what we do in this country.”

She said more stations needed to move to pre-pay only, but the Motor Trade Association’s Simon Bradwell said it was not that simple.

“Whilst that might reduce theft at the pump, it greatly impacts on the businesses profitability and operation,”

“A lot of service stations depend on people coming through the door to pay at the counter, pick up some milk, pick up some bread, that revenue is super important.”

Another petrol station owner, Amit Khanna in Hamilton, agrees.

“If there’s 500 customers coming into my station everyday, there’s only four or five who are the bad customers,” he said.

“Why are the 495 people being asked to go on pre-pay because of those five, why can’t police take action against those five people?”

Khanna said one drive off, and the days earnings were gone.

“We are small business owners, we’re not big corporates, we’re franchisee owners of gas stations,” he said.

“The big companies are taking all the profits, we are being given only something to keep operating.”

Family budgets take a hit

Manager of Tamaki Budgeting Alyson De Marco said the rising prices are adding roughly $80 a week to some families budget.

“A lot are behind in their power bills, for example, or they’re worried because they haven’t got enough money for rent, because they’ve had to spend it on that immediate purchase, which will be petrol and food.”

Chief executive of the Henderson Budget Service, Tracey Phillips said they had their busiest month in March.

“On an average month, we would receive maybe 60 new referrals a month [… ] in March it was over 90.”

Phillips said there needed to be sustainable funding for financial mentors.

“We basically operate on a short-term funding basis, and there’s a big need for us to change the way that the sector is funded so that we can have more longer term, sustainable funding, in order to be able to be really confident that we can continue to offer this service to people,” she said.

“Now more than ever, it’s really, really needed.”

De Marco said the situation was incredibly tough.

“There’s lots of reasons why people are actually still out on the road driving, but it’s adding phenomenal amounts of money to the family budget,” De Marco said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Christchurch police officer arrived at work on an unusual mode of transport this morning – a horse named Kitty.

RNZ was tipped off on Thursday that an officer had hoofed it into work.

It’s understood the horse caught the attention of fellow staff after it was stationed at the Christchurch Central Police Station alongside more conventional transport options, such as bicycles and scooters.

Christchurch metro area commander Superintendent Lane Todd told RNZ that an officer had ridden into work on the horse, named Kitty.

“Saddled up with the bicycles for about an hour, the horse was chomping at the bit to be returned home,” he said.

“This is nay an approved vehicle that can be parked onsite, and the officer was told to hold his horses, he did not have free rein to keep the horse there. It has since been scratched and sent home.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A woman who was reported missing from Auckland’s Waiheke Island has been found safe, police have said.

Inna, 61, went missing last Friday after last being seen boarding a bus to Matiatia about 9am.

At the time, police thought she might have been in the Mt Albert area or West Auckland.

Inna was located safe and well today, police said.

Police thanked the public for their assistance.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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