Source: Radio New Zealand

Warning: This story contains content some may find disturbing.

There are calls for a public awareness and education campaign about domestic violence, after fresh data has revealed its prevalence around the globe.

A new report from the World Health Organisation has found a quarter of women have been physically or sexually abused by a partner.

It shows there’s been no improvements in that statistic in the last two decades.

In Australia and New Zealand, 24.5 percent of women have been sexually or physically abused by a partner.

The head of Women’s Refuge, Ang Jury, is disappointed but not at all surprised.

“Until such time as men realise that they don’t own their women, nothing’s gonna change,” she said.

Jury said big societal shifts have been achieved before in Aotearoa, like attitudes towards smoking and drink driving.

But part of that shift was long-lasting, expensive public campaigns. She wants to see something similar – “long running, sustained action” – for domestic violence prevention.

“It would have to be a bipartisan thing, with the understanding that nothing is gonna change overnight.”

In the mid-2000s, the “It’s Not Okay” campaign advertisements beamed into living rooms across the country.

University of Auckland professor Janet Fanslow, who’s researched violence for nearly 40 years, said it was brilliant.

“At the beginning it was not only the national campaign around the messaging and building the understanding, but that campaign was actually backed with 150 community-based prevention projects. And then we let it drop.”

Fanslow advised the World Health Organisation on interpreting and analysing data for the report.

She said to force change in New Zealand, a similar nationwide campaign is needed, underpinned with well-resourced advocates educating people about things like power in relationships.

Fanslow said in some places overseas, those community programmes saw intimate partner violence drop by 50 percent in four years.

“It’s huge, and it’s fast,” she said.

“We often talk about it as an intergenerational problem, but I think what we actually mean is that we need intergenerational funding to implement it consistently across whole populations, long enough to get the change in behaviour that we would really like to see.”

Political reaction

Politicians on either side of the aisle agreed the statistics were horrific – and that a bipartisan approach was the way forward.

“Fully agree, and that’s why we have continued the previous government’s programme that they put in place,” said Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

That’s called Te Aorerekura – a 25-year strategy to eliminate family and sexual violence, with a series of shorter-term action plans.

The minister for family and sexual violence prevention, Karen Chhour said the government’s second action plan has accomplished all its early milestones, like improving multi-agency responses, expanding access to safety programmes for survivors, and extending rehabilitation support for prisoners on remand.

“In recent years there has been an increase in reporting, meaning more people are aware these behaviours are unacceptable and are seeking help,” she said.

Chhour encouraged anyone experiencing family or sexual violence to seek help.

Labour’s family and sexual violence prevention spokesperson Helen White said there were emerging challenges to deal with.

“We have a really strong wind of misogyny coming through our social media, and it is really taking its toll on the way that young people think about their sexual relationships,” she said.

White believes change starts with young people.

“Education is absolutely key. We do need to make sure that this is cross-party, we should be able to cooperate on something like this. It’s huge.”

Family Violence

Sexual Violence

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Marlborough District Council are warning residents to be cautious of residual smoke after a Blenheim rubbish treatment plant blaze.

Fire crews were called to the Resource Recovery Centre in Wither Road at 2:50pm on Thursday.

Over two and a half hours later the council said the blaze was still burning, with it taking possibly three to four hours before it is put out completely.

All staff were evacuated and were safe.

The council said the cause of the fire was not yet known and a investigation team has been called.

The facility, and the dump shop will remain closed until further notice.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Concerned parents and teachers have been bagging up and delivering children’s play sand which could be contaminated with asbestos to designated council centres.

The products had been sold in both New Zealand and Australia and subject to multiple safety recalls.

At the Auckland Council asbestos lab in Auckland’s Grafton, Kedgley Intermediate learning and support coordinator Jane Goodill was shocked to learn they had the sand at her school.

She said she felt “horror” when she realised.

“We had some of the sand. I looked at the bar code and found it was a different bar code than the recalled ones but it was the same product, same colours, same seller, but different weight.”

To be perfectly safe, she said it was decided to get rid of it.

Adrian Blake, an Auckland father, said he and his wife were “pretty shocked” when they heard about the recall.

He said his children had played with the sand.

“I’m shocked that the product standard hasn’t been met. Surprised for a product that kids play with that it wasn’t checked more.”

Blake said he was pleased the council had come up with a solution for families unsure of what to do with the sand.

Auckland Council set up a drop-off site for the sand at the council asbestos lab on Kari St in Grafton.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police say they believe two incidents – where one man died and another suffered serious injuries – in Waikanae on Wednesday are related.

Three men aged 20, 25 and 26 are facing charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after a man was found critically injured in Kakariki Grove about 3.15pm.

At the time, Detective Inspector Jamie Woods said the man died at the scene despite medical attention.

On Thursday, Woods said police were treating the death as a homicide and further charges were “currently being considered”.

He said another man was found with serious injuries just over eight kilometres away in Hadleigh Court, Paraparaumu at about 4.25pm on Wednesday.

“We believe the incidents in Kakariki Grove and Hadleigh Court are related, and we are working to establish exactly what has occurred, and to identify and locate anyone else who may have been involved,” Woods said.

A neighbour of the Kakariki Grove address told RNZ they were outside on Wednesday afternoon when they heard loud voices and what “appeared to be a gunshot”.

“Then the screaming got louder and there was a second shot, I think.”

The person said the commotion was followed by the sound of cars “taking off down the street”.

They said neighbours were a little bit nervous and shaken up.

Woods appealed to members of the public who had information about either incident to get in touch.

“A large number of officers from across Wellington District have been deployed to assist in this investigation, and Waikanae residents can expect to see a continued police presence in the Kakariki Grove and Hadleigh Court areas as we continue our enquiries,” Woods said.

Another neighbour told RNZ armed police were stationed outside the property on Thursday morning.

“They’re the big guns, not the small ones.”

They said there were tents and plastic on the ground at the house and residents were signing in and out of the street cordon.

Residents were “battening down,” they said.

“It’s kinda freaky.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

It’s been revealed Kmart NZ’s sold tens of thousands of pots of potentially asbestos-laced children’s play sand.

The retail giant has sold 67,000 units of coloured children’s sand across the four products. That number doesn’t include suspect products sold through different retailers.

The sand has been sold at Kmart for several years, with the pink magic sand sales dating back to 2015, according to the Product Safety website.

In a statement, Kmart apologised for the inconvenience caused by the recalled products. It said whenever there is any potential risk associated with a product, they act “swiftly and proactively”.

Kmart has withdrawn all sand-based toys from sale as a precaution.

It said the risk that any asbestos found is likely to be airborne or fine enough for inhalation is low.

The sand is part of a massive recall that’s expanded even further on Thursday.

The latest contaminated item added to the list is 380 gram pots of craft sand in 15 different colours.

Samples of the product, which are sold in dozens of cut price retailers and dollar stores, have tested positive for asbestos.

MBIE and other agencies are proactively testing samples from other similar products that are available in New Zealand.

Testing of other play sands in New Zealand is ongoing, MBIE said.

“MBIE and other agencies are proactively testing samples from other similar products identified available in the New Zealand market. We are expecting to receive the first further results later this week and will update our partners and New Zealanders as they are received,” an MBIE spokesperson said.

Some councils have set up drop-offs sites for the recalled products.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A crash south of Hokitika on the West Coast has left eight people injured, four seriously.

The multi-vehicle crash happened on State Highway 6 near Donoghues Road in Ross, shortly after 1pm on Thursday.

St John says two people in a serious condition were flown by helicopter to Christchurch Hospital and two others were taken to Greymouth Hospital.

Two people in a moderate condition and two with minor injuries were also taken to Greymouth.

The highway is closed between Kakapotahi and Ross and is expected to be blocked for some time.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Concerned parents and teachers have been bagging up and delivering children’s play sand which could be contaminated with asbestos to designated council centres.

The products had been sold in both New Zealand and Australia and subject to multiple safety recalls.

At the Auckland Council asbestos lab in Auckland’s Grafton, Kedgley Intermediate learning and support coordinator Jane Goodill was shocked to learn they had the sand at her school.

She said she felt “horror” when she realised.

“We had some of the sand. I looked at the bar code and found it was a different bar code than the recalled ones but it was the same product, same colours, same seller, but different weight.”

To be perfectly safe, she said it was decided to get rid of it.

Adrian Blake, an Auckland father, said he and his wife were “pretty shocked” when they heard about the recall.

He said his children had played with the sand.

“I’m shocked that the product standard hasn’t been met. Surprised for a product that kids play with that it wasn’t checked more.”

Blake said he was pleased the council had come up with a solution for families unsure of what to do with the sand.

Auckland Council set up a drop-off site for the sand at the council asbestos lab on Kari St in Grafton.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has received two abatement notices following a series of failures at Wānaka’s wastewater treatment plant.

Heavy rain hit last month while the Project Pure Wastewater Plant was being upgraded and working at reduced capacity, causing nitrogen levels to spike and treated wastewater to flood disposal fields and run off.

The Otago Regional Council has since issued the two notices calling for the district council to stop discharging treated wastewater to land without complying with its consent.

One of the abatement notices described effluent flowing down an access road, into a nearby property and forcing grazing stock to drive through it to access other paddocks.

Five of the last 12 consecutive sample results for total nitrogen were “very high”, and at least three of them breached the consented limit this year.

District council property and infrastructure manager Tony Avery said the council was fully cooperating and trying to address the issues to become fully compliant as quickly as possible.

But he acknowledged the situation was disappointing.

“With the recent upgrade work now complete, and all three reactors operating as expected, we’re already seeing material improvements in the treated wastewater quality,” Avery said.

“We will continue to keep the community informed while we work through these issues.”

The Otago Regional Council warned that enforcement officers might do inspections to check compliance.

The district council also reported three wastewater ponding incidents between August and early October.

Another ponding incident was reported on 28 October following the heavy rain and a mechanical failure that reduced the capacity of the plant.

The abatement notice said staff diverted process wastewater to the disposal field.

“However, the disposal field was inundated and could not cope with the volume, causing ponding and the overland flow of wastewater down an access road,” the notice said.

When enforcement officers checked the plant on the same day, they estimated effluent to be about 80 millimetres deep throughout the disposal field zones, sludge with the ponded effluent, an odour on occasions and effluent flowing about 300 metres down an access road.

Some of that was discharging through a culvert and onto an adjacent property.

The effluent runoff flooded an access road to a property, forced stock from grazing areas to drive through the effluent to access other paddocks, contaminated silage and concerns were raised about the impact on the health of people, animals and the paddocks, the notice said.

The council did not rule out prosecution under the Resource Management Act if the district council did not comply.

The latest abatement notices followed a spate of recent compliance issues with two of the district council’s treatment plants.

In June, the Environment Court ruled that the council must fix the issues with its Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant after it was issued with 10 infringement notices and two abatement notices over about a year and half.

The district council has a permit for its Wānaka treatment plant to discharge no more than 26,400 cubic metres of wastewater to the disposal field per calendar day.

The groundwater quality in the bores sampled are not meant to exceed 11.3 grams per cubic metre of nitrate nitrogen.

It also has conditions requiring no ponding or surface run off of treated wastewater and does not allow the discharge of sludge to land or water apart from to an approved landfill.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

An engineering issue on a Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Nelson has forced the plane to return to Auckland.

Fire and Emergency said they were called to the airport shortly after 3pm on Thursday, after being told there’d been an “engine shutdown” on the flight.

Nine fire trucks and more than 30 firefighters were on standby at the airport.

St John ambulance also sent more than a dozen ambulances and its major incident support team.

Air New Zealand said the flight landed safely, and its maintenance team will now inspect the aircraft.

It said the plane had an “engineering issue”.

“We regret the inconvenience this has caused our customers travelling to Nelson this afternoon and we are working to get them to their destination as quickly as possible,” said its chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The new Wellington City Council have voted to do a review of the contentious Golden Mile project.

Council officers are now predicting the project, which was budgeted to cost $139 million, could cost up to $220 million.

Some works have already begun on the project, but council officers said in October it was discovered that the Courtenay Place works, which are currently under negotiation, are now expected to exceed budget by $15 to $25 million dollars.

It’s the second time this year a budget blowout has been reported on the project. In August a $20 million blowout was reported, but the project was brought back into budget.

Mayor Andrew Little described the review as the responsible thing to do, he said the cost of the project had got to a level where they could not proceed in good conscious as if nothing had changed.

But he said the objectives of the Golden Mile were good.

Meanwhile Deputy Mayor Ben McNaulty said the council couldn’t afford the cost blow out, particularly in light of recent blow outs with the Town Hall and the Sludge Minimisation Plant.

“We can’t afford it, it’s just that black and white”

Councillor Rebecca Matthews said the council had far too many times pressed paused when they should have pressed fast forward.

She was concerned the review could represent the first step in terminating the project. She said she hoped she was wrong in her fears.

The vote passed with 12 in favour and 4 opposed. Those opposed were Matthews, Laurie Foon, Jonny Osborne and Geordie Rogers.

‘Council needs to create an environment where people can afford to live’

New Eastern Ward Councillor Tiefenbacher told councillors he wanted to be proud, but couldn’t be until the council looked back at the end of the term and saw Wellington was a better place than it is now.

He said the council needed to create an environment where people could afford to live, businesses could thrive and there were opportunities for youth.

Fellow new Eastern Ward Councillor Sam O’Brien said many of the challenges Wellington faced were a result of choices, not chance.

He pointed to an infrastructure deficit, unaffordable rents and water challenges.

“None of this is inevitable it is the consequence of decisions to defer and deflect and hope that someone else will deal with it later.”

He said the council needed to invest in public services that made people’s lives better on a day-to-day basis.

Other councillors who made their maiden speeches were Matthew Reweti, Jonny Osborne, Afnan Al-Rubayee and Andrea Compton.

Some Councillors oppose appointment of Ray Chung as chairperson

While discussing chairperson appointments, new councillor Osborne said he, Foon, Matthews and Rogers did not support Ray Chung’s appointment.

“Undermining the mana and integrity of your colleagues by spreading offensive and misogynistic rumours is not good leadership,” he said.

Early this year former Mayor Tory Whanau released an email Chung sent to three fellow councillors in early 2023 recounting a story he’d been told by his neighbour about the neighbour’s son allegedly having a sexual encounter with the mayor.

But Osborne said as “constructive partners” and recognising this was a decision for the mayor, the green faction would vote in favour of the paper.

The vote passed unopposed.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Feral cats will be added to Predator Free 2050’s hitlist, a sharp change of policy announced by Conservation Minister Tama Potaka.

Describing feral cats as “stone cold killers”, Potaka told RNZ they would “join their buddies, stoats, ferrets, weasels – mustelids, rats and possums” on the official list for eradication.

The move appears to be a sudden change of tack after RNZ’s reporting this week pointed out Prime Minister Christopher Luxon had promised during a 2023 election debate to add feral cats but failed to do so.

A proposal recently circulated by the government suggested feral cats should continue to be excluded from the strategy and Potaka made no mention of including them when approached by RNZ earlier this month about Luxon’s campaign promise.

But today, Potaka said it had been decided a couple of weeks ago to include them. He would not say why it was announced today.

It marks the first change to the list of species since the target’s inception in 2016, when then-Prime Minister John Key announced the predator free goal.

* See RNZ’s special report on the advance of destructive wild cats across NZ’s native heartland

‘We’ve got to get rid of these killers’

Potaka said feral cats were “stone cold killers”, responsible for killing birds, bats, lizards and insects.

“In order to boost biodiversity, to boost heritage landscape and to boost the type of place we want to see, we’ve got to get rid of some of these killers.”

The number of feral cats in New Zealand is unknown, but estimates range from 2.4 million upwards. They’re apex predators, which have been linked to the extinction of several native bird species. They also hunt bats, lizards, frogs and even insects such as wētā.

The announcement comes ahead of the results of a review of the Predator Free 2050 strategy due to be publicly revealed early next year.

The review included a proposal the public was invited to give feedback on. The proposal suggested feral cats be excluded at present, saying eradication wasn’t feasible. However, it did ask for public feedback on the benefits and risks of not including them.

The decision to not include them in the review drew criticism from conservationists, who said it was a “misread of the room” and the dial had shifted on the public’s understanding and acceptance of the issue.

Potaka said the proposal generated a large number of submissions and the majority called for feral cats to be included in the target species list.

The U-turn on feral cats inclusion, announced today, was welcomed by conservation groups. Chief executive of the charity group Predator Free New Zealand Trust, Jessi Morgan, said she’d been hoping for the inclusion for years.

“I can’t believe it really, I’m thrilled that decision has been made and I think it’s the right decision for New Zealand and I think New Zealand is ready.”

She said public opinion had shifted on the topic.

“There’s understanding that feral cats are a completely different kettle of fish to the cats that are sitting on your lap at night watching Shortland Street with you.”

What will this mean?

Potaka said the inclusion will drive an increased focus on eradication of feral cats.

This could involve investigating different ways to target them through poisoning, such as sausage baits laced with poison, or “spit” based methods where a poison is sprayed on the cat.

“There may be other options in the future, like genetic options or genetic solutions that can help reduce and eliminate any of these predators. Those are yet to be found, of course”

Potaka said scientist Sir Peter Gluckman had been in touch with him on possible scientific advancements which could be implemented.

Potaka didn’t specify what funding would be put behind eradicating feral cats, but said money from the International Visitor Levy was already going toward predator eradication.

Revenue from the levy has emerged at the same time as Jobs for Nature funding came to an end, and the company set up under Key to spearhead Predator Free New Zealand was wound up earlier this year to save $12.6m over three years.

The functions of the company were handed to the Department of Conservation (DOC). Costs for managing the company’s existing projects and contracts fell to DOC, which got no extra money earmarked for Predator Free 2050 other than a transfer of $2.3m already allocated to Predator Free 2050 Ltd.

Morgan, from Predator Free New Zealand Trust, said the inclusion of cats would send a strong message to councils that feral cats are now in the hit list.

“It will impact, hopefully, the policies that regional councils are putting out there to include better measures around feral cats,” she said.

What is a ‘feral’ cat?

The inclusion on the predator hit list has the potential to drive other changes.

Feral cats are wild cats, which survive without human help, and are the only cats targeted for eradication. But the challenge of including a common pet species in the predator free line up could mean pet cats will need protection.

This may come in the form of regulations, such as registration and microchipping. Potaka said he couldn’t confirm if this would happen.

“That’s for another day, and I’m sure that our government, at some stage will look at that more intensely,” he said, adding that it was a hot topic for National MP Barbara Kuriger.

Kuriger and Green MP Celia Wade-Brown have a member’s bill calling for compulsory microchipping and registration of companion cats. Currently, the bill would need to be drawn from a ballot in order to be considered, although the government could also adopt it. Kuriger and Wade-Brown could also get the support of 61 backbench MPs across Parliament for it to be advanced for a first reading.

Potaka said he’s a cat person himself, and owns two rescue cats, Haku and Scout, which has only three legs. He said as a cat lover he has no qualms about cats being added to Predator Free 2050.

“No, I don’t but I want to make sure my cats have their relevant microchips , which they do, and they’re looked after and there’s a very clear distinction between companion cats and feral cats.”

See more about New Zealand’s growing feral cat problem in Feral, a special RNZ investigation]

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Source: Radio New Zealand

About 10,000 insurance claims have been lodged as a result of the wild weather that battered New Zealand last month.

Severe wind and heavy rain warnings were issued for much of the South Island and the lower North Island.

A wind storm on 23 October cut power to tens of thousands of homes, tore off roofs, and downed trees and fences, leading to a state of emergency being declared in Southland and Clutha.

The Insurance Council said about 70 percent of claims were from Southland and Otago.

“Most of the claims received to date are for wind-related damage, and insurers are working with customers to assess and progress these as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson said.

FMG – the country’s biggest rural insurer – said it had received more than 3000 claims from severe wind on 23 October that were expected to cost more than $28 million.

“Of these claims, approximately 1,500 are from Southland and 700 are from Otago,” a spokesperson said.

“We had over 650 claims for Canterbury and over 80 of those related to irrigators.

“We’re not expecting the number of claims to change significantly now. We’re continuing to work to resolve claims as quickly as possible – with 10 percent of claims closed and over $1.5m already in communities.”

FMG had also received about 350 claims from severe wind on October 21 with about 100 coming from Canterbury.

Tower’s head of natural disaster response Lisa Maxwell said Tower received 850 claims from the storm.

“260 of these are from our customers in the Southland region and 150 from our customers in Otago,” Maxwell said.

“The majority of claims are for minor damage, for example, fences, roofing and damage from debris.”

An IAG spokesperson said its AMI, State and NZI brands had received more than 4300 claims from 23 October.

“More than 3,000 of those claims were received from customers in Southland and Otago regions,” the spokesperson said.

“Most of the strong wind damage caused smashed windows and doors, flying roofs and sheds, and also spoiled food as a result of the power outages.

“Additionally, the hailstorm affecting Timaru and South Canterbury on 15 November has prompted more than 1,000 claims.

“At this stage, it’s too early to put a cost to these events.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

An Auckland dentist accused of treating patients while his license was suspended can now be named.

Dr Jacob Goldenberg and his company, Total Health Dentistry in Ponsonby, face 21 charges under the Health Practitioners Competence and Assurance Act 2003 and the Fair Trading Act 1986.

The charges, filed by the Ministry of Health, alleged he worked as a health practitioner without holding a current practising certificate and falsely claimed dental services were being supplied by a registered dentist.

Goldenberg has not entered any pleas to the charges.

He had his practising certificate suspended by the Dental Council in March 2023, pending the completion of an investigation.

His practice was put into liquidation in April 2024.

He was granted temporary name suppression when initial charges were filed against him by the Ministry of Health in 2024, after previously being named by RNZ in its investigation of Goldenberg’s practice.

But at the Auckland District Court on Wednesday morning, Judge Kevin Muir denied Goldenberg’s request to keep name suppression until a verdict was delivered.

Speaking to Judge Muir in court, Goldenberg argued that he should not be named until he could give evidence because he considered the allegations against him to be inaccurate.

“The clinical facts won’t support the charges,” he said.

Judge Muir said there was no evidence that publicly naming the dentist would cause him extreme hardship and that the public had a right to know about the proceedings.

He said Goldenberg was given “ample time” to file an application in support of his bid for name suppression, which he did not do.

RNZ also opposed name suppression on the basis that publication might assist in alerting other people who might be affected to come forward.

Judge Muir decided Goldenberg’s name suppression would lapse at 4pm on 20 November, to allow him an opportunity to obtain legal advice.

Goldenberg is due back in court in January when a trial date is expected to be set.

Judge Muir urged Goldenberg, who has chosen to represent himself, to get legal representation.

He said standby counsel would be appointed to assist Goldenberg during the trial.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A wildfire expert says a proposal to axe wildfire specialist roles could lead to underprepared firefighters being sent to tackle blazes.

Staff were told last week of proposed changes designed to slash $50 million from Fire and Emergency’s (FENZ) annual costs.

FENZ said the restructure would not include any front line roles, but more than 140 jobs could be cut if the changes go through including six wildfire specialist roles and 45 in its prevention branch.

Former FENZ regional rural manager Richard McNamara, who is currently a Marlborough Civil Defence Controller, told Nine to Noon there was a huge difference between the specialist skills needed for rural and urban firefighting.

“Just talk to some of the rural crews and they’ll quickly tell you that it’s not all about, as some of our urban colleagues would say, ‘putting the wet stuff on the hot stuff’, because a structure doesn’t walk away.”

Wildfires were considered a “complex adaptive system” because of their ability to spread rapidly and adapt to their environment, McNamara said.

“If you looked at the Tongariro fire and the speed at which that accelerated, from some rather small burns to something that encased thousands and thousands of hectares.”

FENZ needed a plan if it was going to disestablish the roles, as the risk of wildfires was increasing, McNamara said.

“We’re getting more and more wildfire conditions, or pre-conditions occurring.

“You only have to look at our cousins in Australia, California and what happens in Europe now almost every year to see that human habitation is increasingly being threatened by wildfires.”

FENZ told RNZ it would not comment while proposals were under consultation – which would end on 17 December.

It said it remained committed to consulting with staff about the proposed restructure.

FENZ said in its proposal document some of the suggested changes were to reflect a “broader focus” across both the natural and built environments.

“You need resources, and you need expertise and you need knowledge to deepen that pool. And if you’re broadening it, it sounds like you’re going into the shallow end of that pool,” McNamara said

FENZ needed to be clear to the public about how they were going to deal with the increasing risk of wildfires, he said.

Firefighters’ Union delegate Peter Hallett, who is also a senior advisor for risk reduction at FENZ, told Nine to Noon that prevention and risk reduction roles were incredibly important, and should be considered front line roles.

“It’s always been considered an operational forward-facing front-line role, and we interact with the same members of the public, building owners, fire investigations, people at fires.

“Every day we’re out there in uniform,” Hallett said.

He was concerned the proposed changes could put people who had potentially less expertise in charge of specialists – such as the risk reduction team.

‘Last resort’

FENZ chief executive Kerry Gregory said the proposal was about ensuring it was positioned to deliver a “modern and responsive emergency service”.

“The primary focus is to provide a trusted service that keeps New Zealanders safe. Our dedicated team does an amazing job looking after our communities and this proposal is about ensuring we are best positioned to continue doing that,” he said.

“I acknowledge this is difficult for the teams and individuals impacted. We are committed to constructively working through their feedback to ensure we get the best outcome.”

Subject to consultation, the proposed restructure would impact about 700 roles across the organisation, he said.

FENZ would not comment on any specific proposals until all feedback was considered and decisions were made.

Gregory wrote in the proposal document that the overall changes were not personal.

“I know for some of you, the changes we are proposing may feel personal and disrespectful towards the amazing effort you put in. They are not,” he wrote.

“The reality of our rapidly evolving operating environment, the variability of our levy revenue and the need [to] have space to reinvest, reinforces the need for us to make smart, disciplined choices,” Gregory said.

FENZ promised no changes to what it responds to, whether that be fires, medical emergencies or flood rescues, but Gregory had also told staff, “we can’t keep doing everything for everybody”.

“Redundancy will be a last resort,” he told staff in an update previously obtained by RNZ.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

An Auckland secondary school is mourning the loss of a much-loved maths teacher who died following a diving accident in Fiji.

Kevin Hu, was the head of calculus at Takapuna Grammar School.

In a notice to the school community, the school said it was informed of Hu’s death earlier this week.

It said Hu had been loved by his students and colleagues and made a significant impact during the three years he worked at the school.

“Students enjoyed being in Mr Hu’s Maths class because he made the subject accessible and fun.

“This week, we have shared stories about Kevin and supported one another,” it said.

“We have received so many lovely messages from parents, students, and members of the wider community, and we truly appreciate them.

“Our thoughts are with Kevin’s family, friends, and everyone who knew him.”

The school had professional help available for anyone who needed it.

Hu had previously been a maths teacher at Avondale College and before that spent seven years teaching in Nanjing, China.

Avondale College have been approached for comment.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) confirmed they were aware of reports of the death of a New Zealander in Fiji.

The spokesperson said MFAT had not been approached for assistance.

You can attribute to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade: “We are aware of reports of the death of a New Zealander in Fiji. We have not been approached for assistance.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

One person has died following a crash in Auckland’s Mt Eden.

Traffic was being diverted on Dominion Rd following the single-car crash at 10.18am.

Initial reports had suggested one person had been critically injured, however police have since confirmed the person died at the scene.

The road has since reopened and an investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A person who saw a crash between two buses and a car in Auckland’s Glen Innes says he thought a bus was going to crash into nearby shops.

Emergency services were at the scene of the crash on Apirana Avenue, which was reported just after 9am.

Police said one person had been taken to hospital in a moderate condition.

Apirana Avenue was closed between Taniwha Street and Delwyn Lane while the scene was cleared.

Dom Nash told RNZ he was in the butchery when he heard loud bangs.

“I saw a bus hit another bus, then a car driving up the road swerved towards us, which I thought the bus was going to come into the shop, all of a sudden it hit the brakes, and yeah, chaos everywhere.”

Nash said the road was cleared shortly after 10:30am.

Diversions were in place and motorists were told to expect delays.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Interim radiocarbon dating on a partially excavated waka in Chatham Islands has revealed the waka arrived on the islands in the mid 1400s.

A previous report concluded the waka, unearthed by father and son Vincent and Nikau Dix, was of pre-European construction and likely from a time before significant cultural separation between Aotearoa and the Pacific.

Lead Archaeologist Dr Justin Maxwell, from Sunrise Archaeology, said recent archaeological research has suggested that the first arrival of people on Rēkohu occurred between 1450 and 1650 AD.

“Additional evidence from ancient peat samples shows that significant changes to the environment began after 1500 AD.”

The newly obtained dating results show:

• Most results show narrow ranges between 1440 and 1470 AD, indicating this as the likely growth period of these plant tissues.
• One piece of cordage predates 1415 AD.
• A sample suggests cultivation around 1400 AD or earlier.

This is the first known bottle gourd, also known as calabash or hue in te reo Māori, found in an archaeological site on Chatham Island, Maxwell said.

“Short-lived local plant materials tested are of similar age and suggest the cultural layer surrounding the waka was formed shortly after its arrival.

“Testing short-lived plant materials is important to get accurate dates for a find such as this. We don’t want to date the timbers because trees can live for a long time.”

“Radiocarbon dates obtained from wood can be much older than the event we are interested in – which is when this waka was in use.

“Together, these findings point to the arrival of the waka on Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Island between 1440 and 1470 AD. It is important to note that nearly all dated samples from the waka were on short-lived materials, such as cordage that may have been replaced over time. Some materials were older, suggesting the main components of the waka itself could be considerably older than the dated items,” Maxwell said.

Pou Mataaho o Te Hua Deputy secretary delivery and investment, Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Glenis Philip-Barbara, said the interim radiocarbon dating results had been released ahead of the final archaeological report.

“The final report released by February 2026 will provide finalised radiocarbon results with further analysis and context. These interim results mark a significant milestone in understanding the early settlement and cultural history of Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Island.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Operators of the country’s largest fire trucks with the longest ladders are going to get a bigger say in a long overdue national strategy.

“I have invited specialist aerial frontline firefighters to provide those insights and they are scheduled to start meeting in early December 2025,” deputy national commander Megan Stiffler told RNZ.

Fire and Emergency was told five years ago to come up with a plan for what type of big trucks it needs and where to put them, but has not.

A big-ladder truck, called an aerial, had to travel two hours from Auckland to a big fire on Tuesday at Port Whangārei.

The Professional Firefighters’ Union said a strategy was crucial to answer questions like whether Northland needed its own aerial, or Tauranga, given both had ports and industry where the extra reach of an aerial to fight a fire can be crucial.

“Probably the most important [thing] is how are those aerials going to be staffed. Because if we’re adding extra trucks there, it may be that we need to add extra firefighter positions,” union national vice-president Martin Campbell said.

The inquiry into the 2019 Auckland international convention fire told FENZ to hurry up with a strategy for replacing aerials.

“Here we are, six years, still not done,” Campbell said.

“Now… Megan Stiffler has come and joined the organisation and recognised that what they’ve been working on wasn’t fit for purpose, so it’s pretty much having to go back to the drawing board.”

FENZ only revealed its change of tack late on Wednesday after RNZ asked why the strategy had been in draft form for at least six months.

“Fire and Emergency New Zealand recognised the draft strategy needed further consultation with frontline operators to ensure insights and contributions captured operational needs and experience,” Stiffler said in a statement.

The meeting with operators had been pushed back to next month at the unions’ request, to allow firefighters to have input to FENZ’s proposed mass restructure, she said.

How long now? Union asks

Campbell said Stiffler asked him two months ago about which experts to include.

“To her credit, she has taken up that advice and has shoulder-tapped some of those people,” he said.

“Hopefully it doesn’t mean we’re going to have to sit and wait for another five years before something’s produced.”

Lock the right people away and they could produce a strategy in two months, he said.

However, the restructure had meant everything that was “not critical has been put on the back burner”.

On Tuesday, FENZ said a draft of the aerial strategy was under active development, which was the same thing it had said in May.

It refused to release the draft on the grounds that was likely to inhibit officials working on it, and “could compromise the quality of the final advice and decision-making process”.

Later, it said it was going back to the operators.

“At least now, Megan has recognised the need for operational input from firefighters,” Campbell said.

Campbell said a working group that included firefighters had input to an initial aerial strategy draft.

“Unfortunately, it seems those recommendations weren’t acted upon.”

The union last saw the draft two years ago, when it told FENZ it was not fit for purpose, he said.

He had since made multiple Official Information Act requests to get a copy but had been refused.

Delay getting new aerials

There were already five new aerials on order, however, FENZ said they were a year late – instead of getting them in mid-2025 it would now be mid-2026.

Together worth over $11m, the five have been on order since at least the Loafers Lodge fire in 2023, and since last year had been getting bodywork and lockers done in Wellington and Brisbane.

Only the main centres that already had an aerial would get one of the new ones: Auckland the one with the longest 45m ladder; and Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin would each get a new 32m-ladder truck.

In addition, various brigades had trucks with 17m ladders (about 20 trucks all up).

The 29 larger-ladder trucks are on average 20 years old – the newest 12 and oldest 39 years old. Some may be retired when the five new ones arrive.

The union had protested since at least 2018 that a lack of aerial trucks and the old ones breaking down, were putting lives at risk, which FENZ had routinely disputed.

The readiness of the country’s whole fire truck fleet had been a feature of the ongoing industrial dispute between the two sides.

Earlier this month FENZ said it had inherited an ageing fleet in 2017 but had a fleet programme that had replaced 317 fire trucks, with 78 more in the pipeline, including heavy aerial trucks. Many of the others were smaller utes.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A truck driver whose dodgy and unregistered truck fatally ploughed into an Auckland roadworker has been jailed for three years.

Ashik Ali was sentenced for manslaughter at the High Court in Auckland over the killing of Jonathon Walters in Remuera, May 2024.

Walters was taken to hospital in a critical condition and died two days later.

Ali’s truck, laden with 20 tonnes of roading material, rolled backwards towards the roadworkers when the brakes failed, hitting Walters and running over his legs and pelvic area.

Its last Certificate of Fitness was in 2019, and it had a non-operation order issued in 2021.

Walters’ death was preventable, the Crown said.

“Mr Ali’s truck was in such a poor state of repair it should not have been on the road,” prosecutor Clare Antenen told Justice Graham Lang.

“Mr Ali’s truck had been stopped on many occasions by Police vehicle safety teams, the truck had been inspected and had been found to have very serious safety defects including an air leak to the breaking system,” she said.

She said a non-operation order had been issued against the truck and there was a history of non-compliance stretching from 2018 to 2022.

The truck had also been given “at various times” either pink or green stickers.

“In any event, the truck was driven by Mr Ali on more than one occasion completely disregarding the orders by the Police in relation to the truck,” Antenen said.

“The Crown submits the death of Mr Walters is a direct result of Mr Ali refusing to comply with the orders he was given to maintain a roadworthy truck, to keep his truck in a state where it would not cause injury to others on the road,” she said.

The Crown’s comments came after tearful victim impact statements from whānau were given in court.

Walters sister, Karin Fraser, was in anguish as she explained how she never got to Auckland before her brother died

“He had already passed, I did not get a chance to say goodbye,” she said.

“Being denied that has caused long-standing mamae that I will carry for the rest of my life,” she said.

Fraser said her brother was a loving father and devoted uncle and a steady presence for the whānau’s tamariki.

“His absence has left a painful gap for our younger whanay and our younger generationm” she said.

Fraser said she since has had deep concerns for other family members doing the same work.

“Because of your actions, I now carry a consistent anxiety that they too may go to work one day and not return to their whanau,” she told Ali.

Walters’ niece, Aliyah Tautahi-Fraser, said his mokopuna have been robbed of a life that includes him.

“How we can we ensure the safety of these whanau members to make sure that this doesn’t happen again?” she asked.

Ali’s lawyer, Ron Mansfied, KC said he was in a financial bind and desperate.

“He couldn’t afford to keep the truck roadworthy and he also couldn’t afford to turn away work and it was that sense of desperation that has let to the truck not being repaired and roadworthy and him accepting the job which was offered,” he said.

Mansfield said Ali feared he would not be offered work again.

He said Ali made a grave mistake that had resulted in a terrible loss.

“He never contemplated this… he never wanted it, he should have thought it through, he didn’t but certainly this was not offending he intended or envisaged.”

Justice Lang, before jailing Ali, told him his financial pressures did not justify using the truck and putting others at risk.

His actions fell well short of what would be expected of a reasonable person, Justice Lang said.

Justice Lang said Walters’ death has had catastrophic consequences for his family and workmates.

The National Road Carriers Association earlier said it was systemic failure that killed Walters.

It was a call the NZTA rejected at the time, when it said an individual was to blame and not a system.

“NZTA had applied the regulatory levers available to identify the poor state of the vehicle and to address the immediate risk to public safety,” it earlier told RNZ.

“Regardless, an individual subsequently made a decision to illegally drive this unregistered and unsafe vehicle after it had been ordered off the road.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A “small number” of police officers who either falsely or erroneously recorded alcohol breath tests have been stood down for additional misconduct – but police won’t say what that misconduct was.

Their investigation has also found some staff have committed serious misconduct, however none of the cases were considered to be criminal offending.

RNZ earlier revealed about 120 staff were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”.

The results were only discovered after police built a new algorithm to analyse the data, as the devices themselves could not distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate tests.

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

Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers earlier this month said none of the staff had been stood down, and did not rule out criminal investigations.

This week Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson told RNZ police had progressed disciplinary processes for 130 staff members.

“Outcomes of the process vary between a finding of misconduct or serious misconduct depending on the particular circumstances.

“A case is more likely to be serious misconduct where the misconduct was repeated a number of times, or the officer involved was of more senior rank.”

Johnsons said no employees have been stood down for this matter alone.

“There has been a small number of employees stood down for additional misconduct issues.”

RNZ asked police if they could be more specific about the number of staff stood down, what sort of additional misconduct was involved and what rationale staff had given for their behaviour.

Police replied: “We will not be supplying these further details as we do not want to risk identifying individuals who are engaged in an active employment process.”

In relation to what was happening to the staff who committed serious misconduct, Johnson said that was an employment matter and would most likely be a “formal warning of varying lengths, starting from six months”.

Johnson said none of the cases were considered to be criminal.

Johnson said a third had already been “addressed and closed”. Those cases were managed as “misconduct/employment conversation” with a mix of outcomes, he said.

The remainder were ongoing.

“In most cases the officers have accepted the warning and have acknowledged their behaviour as unacceptable.

“For all employees clear expectations from the organisation have been set through organisation wide messaging and updated refresher training specifically on this topic.”

Following RNZ’s coverage every police officer across the country was ordered to do an online training module for alcohol breath testing

Johnson said more than 70 per cent of staff had completed their “refresher training”.

A memo sent to staff on 5 November said the “recent discovery” of breath tests being falsely recorded by some staff across the country had “led to trust and confidence impacts for police, including with our partner agencies.

“Police is committed to restoring that trust and confidence.

“As part of our assurance response, the Police Executive has made the decision to require all constabulary staff to complete a mandatory online training module for alcohol breath testing. This is especially timely as we had into the summer surge period.”

The module must be completed by 4 December.

The Defence Lawyers Association earlier said the revelations called into question the integrity of their current and past work, including prosecutions they’ve been involved in.

Te Matakahi Defence Lawyers Association New Zealand co-chair Elizabeth Hall said there needed to be a criminal investigation launched following the “unprecedented” revelations and support a “full, independent audit” of historical data.

Rogers earlier told RNZ how the tests were being falsely recorded.

“What these staff have done is, either at the start of the shift or during the shift, at the end of the shift, they’ve clicked the device that they’re all issued with more times than have actually seen them interacting with a motorist.”

The tests were done while the officers were in moving cars, which allowed the algorithm to pick up the numbers “outside the normal parameters”.

Rogers said she did not know who the staff were working with, but said there were some work groups that had more than one staff member represented in the figures.

“A higher number of people have been identified who are in our dedicated road policing teams. And that’s the disappointing thing. You know, we’ve done 4.2 million legitimate tests. We had the lowest number of alcohol related deaths on our roads last year. So I’m baffled why they felt the need to clip the ticket.”

Asked what reason there would be for falsifying tests, other than meeting targets Rogers said police were working to identify the rationale and said it may be that staff “exceeded the numbers that they’ve legitimately done for reasons of making it look like they’re doing work that they haven’t done”.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Part of a busy road in Auckland’s Mt Eden is closed following a serious crash.

Police said traffic was being divereted on Dominion Rd following a single-car crash at 10.18am.

A police spokesperson said early reports suggested one person had been critically injured.

Dominion Rd between Milton Rd and Elizabeth St was closed and diversions were in place.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police say they accept the Independent Police Conduct Authority’s (IPCA) findings after an off-duty officer used the police database to access a driver’s contact details.

According to the IPCA report, the officer was involved in an incident where two cars attempted to merge into the same lane on 24 July 2024.

The officer then took note of the other car’s registration and the next day, and while on duty discussed the matter with a senior officer.

The officer believed from that conversation that he was authorised to access the police database to obtain the other driver’s information details and subsequently contacted the other driver to discuss the incident and their manner of driving.

This person has complained to the Authority that the officer had been aggressive over the phone and shouldn’t have been able to access his personal information.

The Authority conducted an independent investigation into the matter and found the officer demonstrated poor judgement and decision making, but did not act dishonestly or breach police policy because he consulted a senior officer.

The Authority accepts the officer was not conscious of his conflict of interest and believed he had authorisation to obtain information from the police database.

Acting Waikato District Commander, Acting Superintendent Will Loughrin, said the behaviour wasn’t consistent with the expectations police and the public have of staff.

“In this instance Officer A has been given advice by a senior officer and proceeded to access the police database inappropriately.

“While it is common practice for police to contact people about their driving, the circumstances that have led to this are not acceptable.

“We understand Officer A believed he was justified in accessing the database in this instance, in the interests of providing education to the other driver. However, the circumstances of this incident and follow-on behaviour falls short of what we expect from our staff.

“Police conducted an employment process, and I am satisfied that Officer A now has a full understanding of how to identify a conflict of interest.

“Correct process has also been discussed with the senior officer to prevent this sort of occurrence happening again.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A Waikanae resident has described hearing raised voices and what sounded like gunshots before a man died in Waikanae on Wednesday.

Emergency services were called to a property on Kakariki Grove just before 3.30pm on Wednesday.

Police confirmed a homicide investigation was underway after a “reported altercation” which left a man critically injured.

Detective Inspector Jamie Woods said the man died at the scene despite medical attention.

A neighbour told RNZ police were still at a house on Thursday morning, and a street cordon remains in place.

They said they were outside yesterday afternoon when they heard loud voices and what “appeared to be a gunshot”.

“Then the screaming got louder and there was a second shot, I think.”

The person said the commotion was followed by the sound of cars “taking off down the street”.

The street remained closed for several hours yesterday the neighbour said, but has since opened to residents only.

They said neighbours were a little bit nervous and shaken up.

Woods said two cars left the area shortly after the altercation and one was stopped by police a short time later and a man was arrested.

The second car had also been found and the male driver arrested.

Charges were being considered, Woods said.

“A scene guard remains in place at Kakariki Grove, and inquiries are ongoing to identify and locate others involved in the incident.”

Another neighbour told RNZ armed police were stationed outside the property on Thursday morning.

“They’re the big guns, not the small ones.”

They said there were tents and plastic on the ground at the house and residents were signing in and out of the street cordon.

Residents were “battening down,” they said.

“It’s kinda freaky.”

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