Source: Radio New Zealand

The Charter School Agency signed a charter school contract with a trust that did not exist.

In October, Associate Education Minister David Seymour posted a notice in the New Zealand Gazette that the agency had entered a contract with the “NZPAA Charitable Trust” to set up the New Zealand Performance Academy Aotearoa as a charter school.

But no such trust or trust with a variation of that name existed or exists in the Charities Register.

The secondary school is to be established in Trentham next year with a focus on young athletes in Years 11-13.

It would be based at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport, which hosts organisations including the Wellington Phoenix Football Club and the Wellington Hurricanes rugby team.

Charter school opponent John O’Neill from the Aotearoa Educators Collective spotted the problem.

He said he investigated the school’s sponsor – the organisation that owns and sets up a charter school – because he did not understand why public money should be spent on a specialist school for sports.

He said it was only after he began asking questions that a limited company, the New Zealand Performance Academy Aotearoa, ultimately owned by Welnix the owners of the Wellington Phoenix, was registered. That happened last week on 6 November.

O’Neill told RNZ he was surprised the charter school agency signed a contract with a non-existent organisation.

“I started asking myself, how on earth could this have happened given the great attention given to due diligence processes that are supposed to surround these applications and consideration and approval of applications to be a charter school,” he said.

O’Neill said he wanted to know how two parties could have entered into a contract when one of them didn’t exist and how could the Charter School Authorisation Board have recommended approval of the application.

In a written response to RNZ, the agency said:

“The Charter School Agency received an application from a proposed sponsor seeking approval to operate a new charter school.

“During the application and contracting process, the proposed sponsor indicated it would establish a separate entity to contract with the agency. This resulted in a complication around the name used in the contract. We are working with the sponsor to resolve this. This is not expected to impact on plans for the school to open in February next year.”

Asked if the contract with the non-existent trust was valid the agency said in a statement: “The Charter School Agency is seeking advice on the existing contract. It is unable to comment until this advice has been received.”

Wellington Phonenix general manager David Dome told RNZ he could not go into whether the contract was valid.

“I’m not comfortable talking about that because there’s sort of legal issues there now,” he said.

Nor would he talk about why the agency thought it was signing a contract with a trust.

“During the the contracting process we were always going to set up a separate contracting or business structure to run the school and we’re doing that with the agency now,” he said.

However, he said the issue would have no effect on work to set the school up and nor would setting the school up with a limited company rather than a trust as the sponsor.

He said he fully expected the school would be operational by February next year.

Dome said he expected the school would start with 100 students.

“The kids in the Phoenix Academy would obviously have some interest in it, but it’s really open to any student who wants to pursue an education that has a sports inclination. It’s open to anybody,” he said.

He said the school would offer more than just a physical education-heavy curriculum.

“It’s not just PE. It is everything to do around sports and sports development. So there will be mental skills, sports preparation, life after sports, nutrition, strength and conditioning. So there’s a whole lot to it,” he said.

Associate Education Minister David Seymour did not explain what action he had taken over the matter or whether it had affected his confidence in the agency.

Instead, he said in a statement that he understood “there was a complication with a changing name which the sponsor and the agency are working together to resolve”.

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

RNZ understands MPs Oriini Kaipara, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, Tākuta Ferris and a representative for Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke met without their party co-leaders.

It comes on the day the party was due to meet with the Iwi Chairs Forum in the aftermath of the National Council decision to expel Kapa-Kingi and Ferris.

Kaipara and Maipi-Clarke have not yet spoken publicly about the decision, but both have posted to social media since it was reported.

Kaipara, who posted on social media her support of Kapa-Kingi late last month, made a post directed at her electorate Tāmaki Makaurau.

“I am still here,” she wrote.

“Standing by you, for you and with you. The fight will continue, but for now rest is required.

“I won’t be long, I want us to come together, to meet, to talk. Very soon.”

Similarly, Maipi-Clarke wrote on social media, “Waikato, Kia mau.”

“I’ve made the decision for our rohe of Hauraki-Waikato to hold the line.”

She said she would speak in a week’s time, but for now, “remain calm, and have grace.”

“No one owns this movement, it belongs to the people.”

Asked about the meeting at Parliament on Wednesday afternoon, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said they were entitled to meet with “whoever they want to meet with”.

“We have every confidence in what the National Council has decided, and what they do for them is what they do for them,” she said.

Ngarewa-Packer said the leaders still had support from Kaipara and Maipi-Clarke.

Rawiri Waititi referenced the social media posts, saying “they have put out that they are holding the line”.

“And that line is to ensure that this is a one term government and we look forward to seeing them next week.”

A post shared on Kapa-Kingi’s social media on Wednesday evening said Kohewhata Marae’s chair, Mane Tahere, had written directly to the party’s national executive “expressing disappointment regarding the approach and unconstitutional removal” of the MP.

Ngāpuhi would facilitate a discussion with the executive at the marae on 23 November, the post said, to affirm “Te Tai Tokerau will speak for Te Taitokerau”.

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

Residents in the east Christchurch suburb of South Brighton are unhappy that emergency housing apartments may be built on a land in their quiet cul-de-sac.

A housing trust has been given the green light for a peppercorn lease on Blake Street and to build up to 10 relocatable homes for “single people who are living rough or hard”.

Some Blake Street residents had expressed concern over the project, arguing the location was unsuitable.

South Brighton Residents Association chair Hugo Kristinsson lives directly opposite to the 81 Blake Street land.

He feared “rising crime, parties and nuisance”.

“People that the trust [would pick] for this, they have typical needs, they have typical behaviour,” he said.

“These are not single women or anything like that. These are people…males in their 40s or 50s, and some with mental problems. Is there any suburb that you know of that would welcome these people?”

The East Christchurch Housing Trust was approved to lease the land off the Christchurch City Council at a nominal cost in September.

A larger piece of red-zoned land on Admirals Way, New Brighton was also proposed by the trust during a presentation to the council earlier this year.

Kristinsson said the land, situated at the edge of the South Brighton estuary, was in a flood-risk area with inadequate ground conditions.

Instead, he felt the land should be developed into a community garden.

“You could build 15 houses for what you can build 10 houses for here. And they are much more permanent, at much lower flood risk, and they will be much more durable,” he said.

“It doesn’t make sense putting this sort of project in such a wrong area.”

The section had previously been used for a 24-unit social housing complex.

It was demolished after sustaining damage during the Canterbury earthquakes.

Seamus O’Cromtha, who lives next door to Kristinsson, said Blake Street was too far from key amenities, like shops and healthcare providers.

“It would be bad for the people involved to be moved here, to be in collective units.

“If they’re alcohol dependent there would be the danger of them swapping alcohol or procuring alcohol, if they’re drug dependent the same thing would apply. So you wonder who is this going to benefit?”

Helen also lives on Blake Street.

The 80-year-old said she had delivered food parcels in the past and was saddened that more people were living rough.

But she said housing them on her street was not the answer.

“It’s not that we don’t care about these people, it’s just what are they bringing into our street.”

A young woman from a neighbouring street told Helen that she would no longer walk down Blake Street if emergency housing was there, she said.

A case of NIMBYism?

Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger said some in the community were thinking about worst case scenarios.

“People are worried about what could happen rather than what will happen,” he said.

Another social housing development in Spreydon had proven the concept was effective, Mauger said.

“We’ve got to help these people go somewhere. They’re all one bedroom [units] so people won’t get into too much strife.

“The trust I’m sure will look after it because they wont want to see all their stuff smashed up.”

RNZ asked Mauger if concerns were an example of NIMBYism (‘Not in my back yard’).

“There’s possibly a bit of that,” he replied.

Census data showed housing deprivation in Christchurch had increased.

As of May 2025, there were at least 1500 people on the social housing register awaiting placement.

East Christchurch Housing Trust chairman David Close said uneasiness among the community was misplaced.

“One cannot control anyone who lives in a street. For all I know there could be a great criminal person living in the street,” he said.

“A person is entitled to live somewhere. These people are good people who are homeless and I don’t see why they should be discriminated against.”

Like other community housing developments, Close expected support service providers would manage tenants at 81 Blake Street, on the trust’s behalf.

The trust was planning to commission a geotechnical assessment of the site, to check the location’s viability.

Funding for the project also needed to be finalised.

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

A woman who accused former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming of sexual offending remains before the court on charges of harassing another police officer and his wife.

A damning report released this week by the Independent Police Conduct Authority found serious misconduct at the highest levels, including former Commissioner Andrew Coster, over how police responded to the allegations.

The claims arose from an affair between McSkimming and the woman, who at the time was a junior non-sworn police employee.

The woman was charged in May last year with causing harm by posting digital communication in relation to over 300 emails she allegedly sent to McSkimming’s work email address between December 2023 and April 2024.

The emails included abusive and derogatory language directed towards McSkimming and other people.

The charge against the woman was withdrawn in the Wellington District Court in September because McSkimming did not wish to give evidence.

However, a suppression order on McSkimming’s identity as a complainant remained until it was lifted on Tuesday.

The woman remains before the court on two charges of causing harm by posting a digital communication.

RNZ has asked police whether they had any comment on charges she still faced and whether police would now drop them.

Speaking to Checkpoint on Wednesday, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said the IPCA report’s findings were “incredibly disappointing”.

“It’s a kick in the guts for New Zealand police, and frankly for our country, because New Zealanders deserve better.

“We had very sound systems and processes in place to deal with those types of complaints, that was not followed, they departed from it and they took control of it themselves. Group-think and self interest were issues here.”

He said he was keeping an “open mind” about compensation being paid to the victim.

“I have reached out to counsel to express my apology on behalf of NZ police, I did that yesterday afternoon, he was happy to hear from me and I see that no doubt there would be a further conversation because I would like to personally apologise to his client.”

In a statement to RNZ on Tuesday, the woman’s lawyer Steven Lack, said police “failed my client”.

“Over a period of years, she attempted to report allegations of serious physical, psychological and sexual offending by Mr McSkimming, then one of the most senior Police Officers in the country. Instead of being heard, she was dismissed and ultimately prosecuted for speaking out and raising her concerns.

“At every stage, the Police had the opportunity to engage with her, to properly assess what she was saying, and to investigate her allegations. They could have viewed her as a traumatised victim. They chose not to. They accepted Mr McSkimming’s denials without meaningful inquiry and placed the full weight of the criminal justice system on my client for more than a year until the charge against her was withdrawn. Understandably this has had a devastating impact on her.

“The way her complaints were handled should alarm all New Zealanders. It suggests that the Police were more focused on protecting Mr McSkimming’s career and advancement than on properly assessing serious allegations of offending against him.”

Lack said the police were an organisation “entrusted by the community to protect and serve”.

“In my client’s case, they did neither.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Technology, rather than taxing methane emissions, will be what brings New Zealand’s agricultural emissions down, the climate change minister says.

It was “not economically rational” to bring down emissions by reducing the herd size, Simon Watts said.

Watts made the remarks ahead of travelling to Brazil later this week to attend the high-level portion of COP30, the annual global climate summit.

A former climate change commissioner and internationally respected climate scientist, James Renwick, says banking on agritech alone was “risky”. The government should be heading to the summit with a strengthened emissions target, not a weakened one, he said.

The government announced last month it would lower New Zealand’s methane emissions target, from a 24-47 percent reduction by 2050 to a 14-24 percent reduction, after a review found that was sufficient to meet a ‘no additional warming’ goal, advocated for by industry.

The government has also ruled out a tax on agricultural methane. The 2050 net-zero carbon target remains in place for now, with the government due to respond this month to advice from the Climate Change commission to shift to a net-negative target.

Watts said he was prepared to explain the rationale for the new methane target at COP, which is being held in Belém in the Amazon.

“What we will be outlining is the work that we’ve done around the resetting of our targets in that area based on the scientific assessment that we’ve undertaken.”

However, he expected most of the interest would come from countries with similar challenges to New Zealand with agricultural methane emissions.

“If we get questions around that, which will potentially be the case, particularly from other countries that have pastoral farming systems, then we’ll be dialoguing on that.”

Unlike carbon dioxide, which warms the atmosphere for centuries, methane is a short-lived gas but has huge warming potential while it exists.

Reducing methane has attracted growing attention as a way to temporarily curb warming while the world works on technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and remove them from the air.

A ‘Methane Summit’ supported by the COP30 presidency was held in Brazil just before the main summit started, calling for the “climate emergency brake” to be pulled by drastically reducing methane emissions from the fossil fuel sector.

Unlike many other countries, though, New Zealand’s methane emissions – which make up half our overall emissions – mostly come from agriculture, where methane reductions are harder-won.

Watts said COP30 would be a chance for New Zealand to share the work it was doing to reduce on-farm methane emissions.

“For example, India has the largest dairy herd in the world. And so they’ll be looking for opportunities to decarbonise their herd as well.”

The government and industry itself was investing significantly in agritech, Watts said.

“That’s why we’re confident that we don’t require a pricing mechanism.”

Among the tech the government is banking on is a New Zealand-developed bolus, or small metal capsule, that delivers a slow-release dose of methane-suppressing medicine in a cow’s body.

The bolus has been delayed but the latest estimate from Ruminant Biotech, its developer, is that it will be available to New Zealand farmers from 2027.

Other technologies, such as vaccines and genetic advances, were also in the pipeline.

Asked if it was a gamble to rely solely on technology, Watts said there was “a risk for anything”.

“The bigger risk that I’m concerned about is not having any options available that reduce emissions and only having a pricing mechanism, because the only way, therefore, to reduce emissions is to reduce the herd size tangibly, and that’s just not an economically rational place to be at.”

There was still a financial incentive for farmers without a methane tax, he said.

“The majority of these interventions increase productivity as well as reduce emissions and that is the best shot that we have of increasing uptake, because farmers want to increase productivity because we’re an export country.”

But James Renwick, who was among dozens of scientists who signed an open letter earlier this year urging against a weaker methane target, said he did not expect other countries at COP would be impressed with New Zealand’s new approach to methane.

“Countries are supposed to show up in Belém with stronger emissions targets to what they had before, and we are not doing that.

“It matters in terms of our international stature, our voice on the global stage being diminished. And it matters for our trade relationships as many countries are looking for ‘green’ imports, so we may be shut out of markets over time.”

Officials from the Pacific have already criticised the weakened target.

New Zealand should not be relying on unproven future technologies alone, Dr Renwick said.

“One or several may work at scale in the paddock. But we cannot say right now if that will happen.

“Banking on this as the solution to agricultural emissions is risky. In the meantime, some reduction in farming intensity would definitely reduce emissions.”

The other risk from New Zealand’s lower target was that it gave permission to other countries with similar economies to follow suit, Dr Renwick said.

“Obvious candidates are Ireland and Uruguay as they have similar reliance on agriculture, but several others may follow.”

While at COP, Simon Watts said he would also support Australia and Pacific Island nations’ joint bid to host COP31 next year.

The Australia-Pacific bid faces a rival bid from Turkey, and COP’s consensus decision-making process requires one or the other to be withdrawn.

If both parties refuse to yield, then hosting will revert to Bonn in Germany.

“I … anticipate to spend quite a bit of time with our Pacific and Australian counterparts to hopefully lock down Australia’s hosting for COP next year, which will have a Pacific focus,” Watts said.

COPs were an important moment “in the context of geopolitical fragmentation”, he said.

“[It’s] the single biggest opportunity for governments and business to come together to discuss and look at opportunities in the area of climate change, and so it’s important for me to be part of that.”

The New Zealand delegation will also include Labour’s climate change spokesperson Deborah Russell. Green Party climate spokesperson and co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick attended alongside Watts last year.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The email addresses of more than a thousand Kāinga Ora tenants were mistakenly shared in a group email sent by the agency.

Kāinga Ora’s regional director for Auckland North and West, Taina Jones, said in a statement that they were aware of an error that occurred on Monday.

“The email addresses of more than 1000 customers were mistakenly shared in a group email.

“No other personal information or data was released,” she said.

Jones said they took incidents like this very seriously and had rigorous processes in place to protect customer information.

“We have notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner about the incident and are contacting those who received the email to apologise for any disruption this error may have caused,” she said.

A west Auckland tenant, who didn’t want to be named due to privacy concerns, said the email from Kāinga Ora asked how they wanted to receive future correspondence – by mail or by email.

They said after they replied to Kāinga Ora, they’ve been continuously receiving responses from other tenants who’d been copied in the same email.

“You can see the numbers, the emails, their replies as well, and also [them] asking for homes and that, you know, people that have had issues with them, that are talking personally about their stuff,” the person said.

The tenant said they were concerned that everyone’s private information and affairs was being exposed, and inboxes were getting clogged.

“People’s email boxes are being filled up in blocks, so we can’t actually receive our normal everyday emails that we need to for pay our bills or whatever,” the tenant said.

Their Kāinga Ora case manager contacted them on Tuesday to apologise.

The tenant said they were told by the case manager that Kainga Ora was trying to stop people from replying to that email chain by making changes from within the system.

Kāinga Ora has been approached for further comment.

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

An attack on a satellite can take modern life offline, affecting everything from basic communication to banking. But international law is lagging, and an expert warns we risk turning the final frontier into the next frontline.

The next battleground for global security may not be on Earth, but above it.

As satellites control everything from navigation and banking to weather forecasting and military operations, experts warn that space is now a target for terrorism – and say we aren’t prepared.

“It’s no longer a question whether space terrorism occurs, but how we, as an international community, respond when it does,” says Anna Marie Brennan, a law lecturer at Waikato University, who has been researching outer space law and governance for the past seven years.

“If we don’t have those clear rules, if we don’t have accountability mechanisms, corporate strategies between states and also between states and space companies, do we actually run the risk of turning the final frontier into the next battlefield?”

Satellites, she says, have already been caught in the crossfire of cyber attacks and espionage.

In March 2022, Network Battalion (NB65), a group affiliated with Anonymous, allegedly hacked the Russian civilian space agency Roscosmos in protest of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

More recently, in September this year, the navigation system of a plane carrying Ursula von der Leyen was disrupted due to suspected Russian interference.

It’s alleged that the “GPS jamming” happened while the European Commission president was about to arrive in Bulgaria, forcing the pilot to use paper maps to land safely.

“We are seeing a number of incidents emerging where very quickly us experts are starting to realise that we need a legal framework to try and combat it,” Brennan says.

“It’s very much a problem that is on the rise worldwide … but our laws are not catching up at all, and there is a considerable vacuum. We are reaching the point now of no return.

“If we don’t adopt laws, if we don’t have some sort of mechanism at the international level to ensure accountability, to engage in monitoring, we could see quite a severe attack on space infrastructure.

“And, of course, this infrastructure is vital for everyday life on earth – from climate and environmental monitoring to giving us a heads-up if there is a bad weather front on the way to our business and finance communications, even to us monitoring and responding to disasters. We need satellites to do all these activities,” she says.

“If we don’t have that legal framework, if we don’t have those protections in place, what experts fear is a rise in terrorist activities against this infrastructure.”

Modern life interrupted

So, in a world increasingly dependent on space-based systems – “there are about 10,000 satellites in orbit around us and that number is growing year on year” – she tells The Detail that a single disruption could ground flights, cripple stock exchanges or cut off communications for millions.

Even some of the most basic conveniences of modern life would be interrupted.

“If you are somebody like me, who really needs the Sat-Nav in their car to try to get from A to B, if a key satellite to provide that service is knocked out, you’d really struggle.”

Brennan says there are “currently five outer space treaties at the international level, but these were crafted at a time when only a handful of states had access to orbit”.

“Countries like New Zealand have a very strong legal framework. If you want to launch anything … you have to have a license from the minister. But not all countries have that legal framework.

“So, experts over several years will be trying to explore how to support states to craft laws to address space terrorism, how do we prevent this from happening, firstly, and how do we hold those to account who engage in this type of activity and criminal behaviour.

“How do we define an act of terrorism in space, how do we establish protocols for instant reporting, and determining liability for attacks on commercial and civilian infrastructure?”

She says as humanity expands its footprint beyond the planet, so too does the threat. And without clear international rules, the final frontier could become the next front line.

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

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook ph or following us on Twitter.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ understands MPs Oriini Kaipara, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, Tākuta Ferris and a representative for Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke met without their party co-leaders.

It comes on the day the party was due to meet with the Iwi Chairs Forum in the aftermath of the National Council decision to expel Kapa-Kingi and Ferris.

Kaipara and Maipi-Clarke have not yet spoken publicly about the decision, but both have posted to social media since it was reported.

Kaipara, who posted on social media her support of Kapa-Kingi late last month, made a post directed at her electorate Tāmaki Makaurau.

“I am still here,” she wrote.

“Standing by you, for you and with you. The fight will continue, but for now rest is required.

“I won’t be long, I want us to come together, to meet, to talk. Very soon.”

Similarly, Maipi-Clarke wrote on social media, “Waikato, Kia mau.”

“I’ve made the decision for our rohe of Hauraki-Waikato to hold the line.”

She said she would speak in a week’s time, but for now, “remain calm, and have grace.”

“No one owns this movement, it belongs to the people.”

Asked about the meeting at Parliament on Wednesday afternoon, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said they were entitled to meet with “whoever they want to meet with”.

“We have every confidence in what the National Council has decided, and what they do for them is what they do for them,” she said.

Ngarewa-Packer said the leaders still had support from Kaipara and Maipi-Clarke.

Rawiri Waititi referenced the social media posts, saying “they have put out that they are holding the line”.

“And that line is to ensure that this is a one term government and we look forward to seeing them next week.”

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

Survivors have criticised the government’s response to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission and have used the National Day of Reflection as a platform to call for promises to be kept.

A year on from the Prime Minister’s apology for abuse in care, survivors have come together at more than 60 events around the country.

In Christchurch, more than 100 survivors and their supporters gathered at Validation Park, the site of the former Marylands School where horrific abuse was inflicted on children.

Eddie Marriott – who suffered sexual, physical and psychological abuse at the hands of the Brothers of St John of God at Marylands School – said he was hurt no politicians joined survivors on Wednesday.

“They don’t want to front us, which is traumatising in itself because it’s like we don’t count,” Marriott said.

“That’s the thing – we’re not seen, not heard, not important.”

He said he was suffering from the heartache of promises not kept by the government.

At last November’s apology, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told survivors that a new independent redress scheme would be established and the government would “do the right thing by you and provide you with the support you need”.

In this year’s budget the government declined to create the independent redress system and only increased redress payments available to survivors by about $10,000 to an average of $30,000 – about a third of what survivors in Australia receive.

Mental Health Minister and Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey was invited to Wednesday’s event in Christchurch, but could not attend as he had to be in Wellington to attend parliament.

Hanz Freller, who this year received a King’s Service Medal for services to survivors, agreed with Marriott that the survivors were being forgotten.

“Where are the MPs? I would’ve thought that they would’ve been here today. Not all of them, of course, but definitely some of the more prominent ones who have overseen the Royal Commission … and they’re not and that’s really sad. They’re saying they’re here for us and they’re not – they’re not even here on our day,” Freller said.

Terry Kingi sat in parliament as the Prime Minister made the apology on behalf of the government last year.

“I’m very disappointed,” he said.

“The promises they made on the 12th of November last year in parliament do not reflect what we have seen a year later. There’s been a lot of broken promises, a lot of disillusion and a lot of survivors feel totally let down.”

David Williams, who suffered abuse in state care at boys homes and borstals, said the government’s words now seemed hollow.

“This Day of Reflection is for survivors. I don’t look at it as a year on from the apology because the apology didn’t mean nothing. It stood for nothing,” Williams said.

Advocate Ken Clearwater laid down a challenge to the government.

“Support survivors, don’t treat us as second-class citizens. We have lived experience and we know the damage that can be done and we also know what needs to be done for healing,” Clearwater said.

“It takes a village to raise a child. The government have had 100 years since the Children’s Act and you’ve f****d that up badly, so it’s time now that you gave the children back to the village.”

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

A Tongariro local who leapt into action at the weekend did not sleep for the first 30 hours of the devastating wildfire in the area.

The blaze torched almost 3000 hectares in the national park, with numerous volunteers supporting firefighters and the department of conservation.

Bubs Smith – from hapu Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro – told Checkpoint that after the fire was doused from the air, firefighters wanted to create a firebreak.

He said local digger operators, who understood the importance of the whenua, were tasked with the job.

“It was a tough decision when you’ve got a world heritage park that’s recognised for both its natural and cultural values, to get a 40-tonne digger and bulldozer to put those in.”

Combined Fire and Emergency and Department of Conservation (DOC) crews were continuing to dampen down hotspots today.

Smith said DOC rangers were happy today after finding far fewer hotspots than expected.

“That was really, really positive.”

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing and tracks in the vicinity of Whakapapa Village remain closed until at least Monday next week.

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

A police officer who wrongly labelled the accusations against Jevon McSkimming as “false” still works for police, but no longer has anything to do with the handling of evidence or interacting with victims of crime, says the police commissioner.

A damning report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority, released yesterday, found serious misconduct at the highest levels of police over how they handled accusations of sexual offending by the former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.

Some of those heavily criticised in the report are still employed by police, while others have been able to resign. Former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has been placed on leave from his role as chief executive of the Social Investment Agency, following the release of the report.

Three staff members highlighted in the report still work for police, and Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told Checkpoint that he had appointed a King’s Counsel to oversee the employment process involving those three people.

“They are still on active duty and we’ve worked through that process to make sure that’s the right decision.

“There’s a process to follow, and we need to let it take its course.”

‘Officer B’ – who labelled the allegations made by McSkimming’s accuser as ‘false’, according to the IPCA report – still worked for police, but no longer dealt with the handling of evidence or interacting with victims of crime.

He would not rule out the possibility of further criminal prosecutions over the “residual” issues raised in the report, but stressed that it was still very early in the process.

“There are other matters that are under investigation that relate to credit card transactions and various other things. But the primary matters that were brought to our concern have been resolved.”

Chambers said the actions described in the IPCA report were “incredibly disappointing”.

“It’s a kick in the guts for New Zealand Police, and frankly for our country, because New Zealanders deserve better.

“We had very sound systems and processes in place to deal with those types of complaints, that was not followed, they departed from it and they took control of it themselves. Group-think and self interest were issues here.”

He said he was keeping an “open mind” about compensation being paid to the victim.

“I have reached out to counsel to express my apology on behalf of NZ Police, I did that yesterday afternoon, he was happy to hear from me and I see that no doubt there would be a further conversation because I would like to personally apologise to his client.”

He said there were still some “outstanding” senior leaders in New Zealand Police.

“I look forward to having some new deputy commissioners, some new assistant commissioners and I look forward to steering NZ police in the right direction.”

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

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

Transpower has issued a grid emergency notice ahead of a severe geomagnetic storm and removed some South Island electricity transmission lines from service.

The national grid operator says the move won’t affect the electricity supply to homes and businesses, but will prevent damage to critical equipment if the storm worsens.

Geomagnetic storms can send unwanted currents through electricity circuits, and have the potential to cause serious damage if they reach substations transformers or large hydroelectric dams.

The storms are caused by space weather, when the Sun ejects plasma and other matter in Earth’s direction.

Coronal mass ejections (CME) are rare, and generally aren’t noticed on earth thanks to the planet’s magnetic field shielding the planet from particles, Transpower said.

The University of Otago’s Aurora Australis Alert website rated the chances of Southern New Zealand seeing an Aurora thanks to the increased geomagnetic activity as high.

If the sky was clear, the lights would be visible to the naked eye and clearly visible with a camera, it said.

However, cloudy weather is forecast for Dunedin overnight.

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

Rainbow sand from Educational Colours and coloured sand from Creatistics has been recalled because Tremolite (a naturally occurring asbestos in quartz) has been found in samples during lab testing.

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said people need to stop using the products immediately.

“We are taking immediate precautionary action, while we establish the extent and risk of the potentially contaminated product,” said Ian Caplin, MBIE product safety spokesperson.

“We urge anyone who has bought these products, either for personal use or potential use in a school or other setting to act immediately. Stop using the sand, contain it, secure it in a safe place and arrange for safe disposal through licensed professionals, a list of these is available on the Worksafe website.”

Asbestos contamination has been found in similar products in Australia.

MBIE said while testing of New Zealand product is ongoing, as a precautionary measure, the company Educational Colours has issued a recall notice.

“Asbestos is a serious health hazard and we are working with Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora, the Ministry of Education and WorkSafe to provide guidance for consumers and educational facilities which may have bought these products.”

The sand was sold at Paper Plus, Hobby Land, NZ School Shop, Office Products Depot, Discount Office, Acquire, and Qizzle, Modern Teaching Aids, Creative Classrooms Ltd and ACME Supplies.

MBIE said it may have also been sold online.

What to do if you have the sand:

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The head coach of Wairoa Boxing Club says they’re “devastated” police have declined the permit for their fund-raising fight night – in the week leading up to event.

But police said they had identified several people involved – with gang associations – that could lead to confrontations or violence among supporters.

Wairoa Boxing Club’s Jamie Cox said the club had sold 500 tickets – at $120 per head – for the night.

He said cancelling the event would leave them with no funding to support their free boxing programme for local youth and put the future of the gym in doubt.

“They’re pretty much shutting down a local gym that’s been going on for 25 years because they felt there was some risk that they couldn’t manage.

“All the work that we’ve done over the years contributing to our town and contributing to the well being and behaviour of youth – that’s what they’re shutting down – so I feel it was a short sighted decision,” Cox said.

Wairoa’s showcase

Cox said organisers had already invested over $20,000 in the lead up to the fundraiser.

“It’s Wairoa’s little bit of a show case where everybody’s got to dress up.

“It’s not general admission; you have tables and there’s food and platters and there’s a bar and it’s all pretty well behaved.

“We’ve bought food and hired a whole lot of stuff and booked venue’s and booked judges with travel costs so it’s going to wipe out our bank balance basically,” Cox said.

Club’s impact on youth inspires locals to compete

Wairoa local Courtney Hayward had been training for the last three months after putting her hand up to fight for the club.

She said she’d been inspired to take on the challenge after turning up for a few sessions and seeing the impact the club had on local rangitahi.

Hayward said she was one of the last people that would have expected to find herself in the ring.

“It has been really physically challenging but it’s also been so rewarding to see how you could improve. [When] I started off I couldn’t even step with my punches.

“Seeing the kids and the discipline that they had – and [their] growth – just made it so much more motivating,” Hayward said.

Hayward said she had persuaded 30 friends to purchase tickets and the cancellation was “absolutely gutting”.

“We don’t have a lot of events. There’s not enough people [in Wairoa] to sustain the types of access to services that there is in the bigger centres and when you’ve got something that is so amazing.

“And you’ve got opportunities for rangitahi to do something really cool – you’ve got to cherish these things,” Hayward said.

Mayor supports police decision

Wairoa Mayor Craig little said he had been to one of the club’s four previous events and enjoyed it.

But he said he trusted the police perspective that there was the potential for trouble with people who might have attended the event.

“You’ve got to make sure you’ve got all your ducks in a line for an event like this.

“So the police have acted – because at the end of the day the police were responsible to keep everyone safe – and they believe probably that there could’ve been a risk,” Little said.

He said a lot of people in the community were sick of gang activity and incidents in the area.

Gang conflict warrant approved to address heightened tensions

In a statement Tairāwhiti area commander, inspector Danny Kirk said police were investigating two shootings, an aggravated robbery and an arson alleged to have been committed by gang members in the previous month.

He said a firearm and ammunition were also discovered when four gang members fled police last week.

“For this particular event, police identified several people with gang associations.

“As would be expected, contestants are generally supported at these events by their friends, family and supporters, which – in this case – heightens the risk of confrontation and therefore violence either during or after the event.

“I have been in communication with both the Mayor and the local organiser and make no apology for taking this community’s safety seriously.

“In my view an opportunity now exists for police, community leaders and gang leaders to come together for a robust conversation about how the unlawful behaviour of a few can impact pro-social community events like this, and to seek solutions to bring an end to long standing instances of intermittent gang violence,” Kirk said.

Inspector Kirk said a gang conflict warrant had been approved to provide police with additional enforcement tools to bring heightened conflict and tensions between gangs in the area under control.

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

Several people were injured after a man walked down a West Auckland road assaulting people he came across, police say.

The alleged offender is facing more than 10 charges before the courts after being arrested in West Auckland last night.

Officers were called about 5.24pm to multiple reports of violent assaults on Railside Avenue, Henderson.

A 30-year-old man was arrested shortly after.

Waitematā West Area Commander, Inspector Simon Walker said the man’s behaviour wasunacceptable and did not reflect the standards and values of the Henderson community.

The 30-year-old appeared before Waitākere District Court today where he faced five charges of assault with intent to injure, two of injuring with intent to injure, a common assault charge, two charges of resisting police, and another two charges of obstructing police.

He was also charged with theft.

The man was remanded in custody and was expected to reappear in December.

Walker said the public nearby quickly assisted and made sure others were safe until police arrived at the scene.

“Their actions demonstrate the strength and resilience of our community, and we commend their courage while reminding everyone that the safest course of action is always to contact police immediately,” he said.

Any witnesses or those with information about what happened were encouraged to contact police.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Department of Conservation (DOC) has freed a humpback whale which was entangled in a crayfish pot line south of Kaikōura for more than 18 hours.

The entangled whale was reported Tuesday afternoon but crews were not able to find it.

DOC South Marlborough operations manager Stacey Wren said the whale was found and freed on Wednesday morning.

“The whale was entangled for more than 18 hours and will be extremely tired but appears to be otherwise healthy. We ask that any boats in the area give it space so it can rest and recover,” she said.

“We want to thank the wildlife watching tour operators who helped by reporting the whale’s location to us.”

Wren said people should never attempt to disentangle a whale themselves as it could only be done safely with specialised equipment and training.

“Do not approach an entangled whale or attempt to cut any lines entangling it if you see one while out naturing on the water,” she said.

“Instead, please report it immediately to our 24-hour hotline 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468). If you can do so safely, monitor the whale from a distance and advise our disentanglement teams exactly where it is.”

Wren said humpback whales were inquisitive and had a large tail and flippers, so they were vulnerable to getting caught up in craypot lines.

“People setting cray pots can reduce the risk by minimising floating slack in the line, allowing just enough for tidal movements. Not setting pots during June and July, when most humpbacks are migrating along our coasts, would also reduce the risk.

“The procedure for cutting whales free can take several hours. It follows internationally-accepted best practice and is designed to minimise risks to both people and the animal.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A group of patients with advanced breast cancer will be the first to be able to receive a taxpayer-funded medicine in private hospitals.

So-called “transitional access” has been criticised by opposition politicians as “a subsidy for private insurers”, which already cover the cost of medicines newly funded by Pharmac.

However, Associate Health Minister David Seymour, who has championed the change, said it was about making patients’ lives easier and reducing pressure on the health system.

“Subcutaneous pertuzumab with trastuzumab (Phesgo) will be the first cancer medicine available in private clinics,” he said.

The drug, which is used to treat HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer, is one of five new medicines to be funded by Pharmac from 1 December.

Cancer patients already being treated with Phesgo in private facilities will now get the drug itself for free, although they will still need to pay infusion costs, if not covered by insurance.

“When Pharmac fund a new cancer treatment, people already paying for that treatment privately are forced to make a very difficult choice: spend their savings to continue private treatment undisrupted, or transfer to a public hospital,” Seymour said.

“Patients told Pharmac the latter was hugely disruptive and caused significant stress during an immensely difficult period.”

From 1 December, Pharmac will also fund:

• Subcutaneous ocrelizumab (Ocrevus SC) for multiple sclerosis
• Faricimab (Vabysmo) for diabetic macular oedema and wet age-related macular degeneration (eye conditions)
• Entrectinib (Rozlytrek) for ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer

And fund ongoing access to:

• Bevacizumab (Avastin) for people with eye conditions

Seymour said the new subcutaneous injections were much quicker to administer than current intravenous treatments.

They were expected to save about 7500 hospital infusion hours in the first year, 12,800 by year five, saving the health system $11m over five years.

“This frees up money and health professionals to deliver other treatments. This is exactly what I expect Pharmac to consider.”

Pharmac had also removed the Health New Zealand-only restriction for Faricimab (Vabysmo) to improve access, he said.

“This is another great example of Pharmac listening to consumers. I expect to see more of this.”

At this stage, transitional access funding only applies to newly-funded cancer medicines, although the Minister has previously said he may consider extending it to other funded drugs.

The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, which represents 6500 senior hospital doctors and dentists, said its members working in oncology and haematology had “significant concerns” the change would widen inequities for patients.

The original eligibility criteria for Pharmac – excluding private patients – was designed to ensure public funding for medicines was prioritised for those in the public system assessed by need rather than ability to pay.

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

Police have confirmed one person has died following a crash in Whitianga.

Emergency services were called to the two vehicle crash at the intersection of State Highway 25 and Moewai Road just after 10am on Wednesday.

Police said the person died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.

One other person was treated for minor injuries.

The road is closed while the Serious Crash Unit conducts a scene examination.

Police are asking people avoid the area or delay travel as there are no diversions in place.

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

The Dunedin City Council’s plan for delivering water services has been given a green light by the secretary for local government.

All councils were required to prepare a plan as part of the government’s Local Water Done Well reform.

The council opted to retain in-house control of its drinking water, wastewater and stormwater, detailing how it will sustainably deliver and fund the services over the next decade.

Chief executive Sandy Graham said the accepted plan would make it easier to coordinate water with the other services the council provided while carefully managing debt levels.

“The accepted water services delivery plan reflects (the council’s) ownership and responsibility for our water infrastructure, while being directly accountable to the Dunedin community,” she said.

Mayor Sophie Barker said it was a significant milestone that reflected the call from the community to keep their water services local and managed by the council.

“I’m really pleased our plan has been accepted, which means we can move ahead with a model that puts our people first and reflects what they’ve asked for,” Barker said.

Most of the lower South Island councils have had their plans for delivering water services accepted.

Last month, the Central Otago, Clutha and Gore district councils’ plan to create the South Island’s biggest joint council water company was approved.

Around the same time the Waitaki District Council – which was formerly part of the Southern Waters partnership – found out its standalone plan had been rejected.

The council has since agreed to accept Crown intervention with former minister Amy Adams appointed to help the council resubmit its plan.

Last week, the Queenstown Lakes District Council received approval for its plan to establish a new council-controlled organisation.

The Invercargill City Council also received a tick of approval to keep its water services delivery in-house.

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

The Public Service Association (PSA) says the government must step in to stop Fire and Emergency’s (FENZ) new proposal to cut almost 170 jobs.

FENZ is circulating its restructure proposal to its staff this afternoon but told RNZ it would not release it publicly.

It previously promised not to cut frontline firefighter or comms centre jobs

But thePSA said the proposal amounted to decimating the agency’s front line support staff and would undermine firefighting in a bid to save $70m a year.

“The government must step in and stop these short-sighted cuts – FENZ is telling its workers to do more with less, which will impact FENZ’s ability to deal with emergencies and prevent future emergencies,” said national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

The proposal included cutting 46 roles in the Operational Response branch central, as well as four wildfire specialists at a time when Tongariro had been hit by such a fire, the PSA said.

It was also proposing to cut 45 roles in the prevention branch that worked to reduce risk and harm before emergencies occur, Fitzsimons said.

RNZ has not seen a copy of the change proposal.

It has previously reported an internal document quoting FENZ as trying to save $50m a year for three years.

FENZ has been approached for comment.

RNZ today previewed the cuts proposal, with FENZ chief executive Kerry Gregory telling staff, “This change is looking at the whole organisation and how we operate, but frontline firefighters and ComCen call takers will not be losing their jobs as part of these proposals.”

The PSA said the government was deliberately allowing the underfunding of FENZ.

RNZ has approached the government for comment.

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

A million dollar deal has been struck after another sewage overflow hit under-strain oyster farmers north of Auckland.

A power surge tripping pumps at Warkworth sent about 1200 metres of wastewater overflowing, with about half of that thought to have gone into the Mahurangi River.

It meant an almost month-long halt on harvesting and one farmer said he had to dump 60,000 oysters in a week.

A settlement involving short-term relief has been agreed to between Aquaculture New Zealand, the Oyster Industry Association and Watercare.

“This incident has struck at the heart of our oyster farming community,” Aquaculture New Zealand chief executive Tee Hale Pennington said.

“Our farmers have endured immense stress and uncertainty through no fault of their own.”

Aquaculture New Zealand said the deal gives immediate relief but that it would still be chasing financial settlement for total losses, while demanding systemic changes.

“It is vital that Watercare learns from this disastrous incident and takes appropriate actions and decisions that restores confidence, protects livelihoods, and ensures the ongoing sustainability of the region’s marine environment and aquaculture industry,” Hale Pennington said.

The latest sewage overflow, believed to be the year’s biggest, came at the peak of the season.

Local oyster farmers say they have been battling against sewage issues for seven years.

Watercare said the $1m settlement relates solely to the most recent overflow.

“The incident was caused by a unique chain of events – a power surge that was compounded by our alert system and monitoring not operating as intended,” chief executive Jamie Sinclair said.

“We are appointing an external expert to assist us in quantifying the impact on the oyster farmers.”

Sinclair said Watercare knows the disruption came at a very challenging time.

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

Only a handful of people remain without power nearly three weeks after strong winds tore through the lower South Island.

PowerNet said electricity had been restored to more than 50,000 people since the October storm.

Chief executive Paul Blue said recovery efforts were still underway and staff were in contact with the few customers who did not have power to understand their needs and ensure they had generators until the power could be restored.

“The network damage we saw in this storm was unprecedented and it’s quite an achievement to have power restored to so many,” he said.

“If there’s anybody who hasn’t heard from us and doesn’t have power, they need to get in touch urgently on 0800 808 587.”

In some cases, he said, power could not be restored quickly due to extensive damage to the service lines on their property.

Most PowerNet staff were starting to return to planned work.

He warned that some damage might not be immediately visible so there could be unplanned outages in the coming months.

“It’s important that we get back to our planned maintenance as quickly as possible to ensure our networks are resilient to future weather events.

“Our customers should be notified by their retailer of any planned outages and they can also keep an eye on our website for information,” Blue said.

“Everyone, from the PowerNet staff, our electricity industry colleagues from around the country, our contractors, suppliers and the entire community, rallied together to get through this and that’s something to be very proud of.”

The state of emergency was lifted for Southland and Clutha last Friday.

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