Source: Radio New Zealand

Corrections has terminated its contract with a prisoner reintegration service run by a former drug lord following what it described as “serious sexual allegations”.

RNZ can reveal that Tikanga Aroro Charitable Trust general manager and founder of the Pūwhakamua rehabilitation service Billy Macfarlane faces allegations in relation to a woman who was on bail.

Macfarlane told RNZ he had a sexual encounter with the woman on one occasion, but said it was consensual and there was “nothing inappropriate about anything going on”.

Corrections, which contracted the trust to operate Pūwhakamua, has confirmed to RNZ it has terminated the contract.

Corrections began funding the service in November 2022. Since then, it had contributed around $3.9 million in ongoing funding, with a current agreement to fund $800k per year until 2027. About $880,000 of the $3.9m was part of a conditional grant for infrastructure upgrades.

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

In a statement to RNZ on Monday, Corrections deputy chief executive of communities, partnerships and pathways Juanita Ryan said it “terminated” its contract with the reintegration service on Friday.

“As soon as we became aware of the serious sexual allegations made against a Pūwhakamua staff member on Monday 16 March 2026, we requested that the staff member be stood down and replaced immediately.

“Given the sexual nature of the allegations and the potential conflict of interest in delivering a rehabilitation service, we urgently sought further information and assurances from the Tikanga Aroro Charitable Trust (TACT), who is contracted to deliver the service.”

Ryan said Corrections had not received these assurances, nor confirmation on whether the trust stood down the staff member.

“Corrections is committed to ensuring the men who currently use this reintegration service have safe, suitable accommodation and our focus remains on ensuring public safety is upheld.

“We are working to finalise alternative approved accommodation for each of these seven men, and we will be working with them in the coming days to safely relocate them to their new addresses.”

Ryan said Corrections valued “trusted relationships” with their partners.

“We work alongside them to deliver programmes in our community that support the people we manage to make meaningful change and lead them towards a life free from crime.

“These trusted relationships are critical to reduce reoffending and ensure the safety of our communities. Therefore, the integrity of our programmes, and the programmes delivered on our behalf, is paramount.”

Macfarlane, who was jailed for 14 years after being caught running a large methamphetamine operation, denied any allegations of wrongdoing when contacted by RNZ on Friday.

He said there had been a “crusade” against him that had lasted for about two years.

“There’s a whole lot of lies that have started up about this whole episode. There’s been allegations of grooming, all this sort of shit. And it’s not at the stage where the newspaper should be reporting on it.

“It should be in the hands of the police first to sort out the truth from the lies. I’ve got a whole lot of proof around this whole thing but I’m not prepared to play it out on media and then some of it needs to go into the courts…”

When approached for comment on Monday, Macfarlane said he had sex with the woman, who had been released on bail to a property in Auckland, on one occasion.

“It was just two consenting adults, and it had nothing to do with Corrections…”

He said he had consulted a lawyer to see whether he had broken any rules, and that it appeared he had not. He said the property the woman was bailed to was a “private address” where two others had also been bailed to.

He said the property was not associated with the Tikanga Aroro Charitable Trust or the Pūwhakamua rehabilitation service.

“My organisation has had their funding stopped due to somebody’s false allegations.”

He believed Corrections was “just looking for any excuse to stop our contract”.

“We’re not the only ones who had their contract stopped … I’ve working in the correctional space for 14 years now, and no one even had the decency to talk to me. No one from Corrections asked me what happened. They’ve just taken it off social media post. That’s really unprofessional. No one’s asked me for the truth.”

Macfarlane said before he went to visit the woman in prison he met with the prison director “to declare my conflict of interest, if there was any…”.

“The prison director told me I need to come in either professional visitor or personal visitor. I can’t do both. I can’t blur the lines… so I chose to go in there as a personal visitor and visit her in the visiting room with other inmates.”

He said it was not a sexual relationship at that time.

“I slept with her one night following her release…”

He said he “categorically” denied any serious sexual allegations.

He said he was “offended” that Corrections had terminated the contract.

“In any normal space… if I thought I’d done something wrong, it would be me resigning. But they’ve resigned the whole kaupapa. They’ve resigned 14 years of hard work,” he said.

He said he had been stood down from the trust.

“There is an independent investigation going on now, so the truth will be discovered. But you know that will never repair my relationship with the Department of Corrections if they’re going to treat me like this…”

Macfarlane said the ceasing of funding from Corrections would not stop him from doing the work.

“It just means I’m going to stop getting funded by Corrections. I’m going to continue to try and help my people in a justice space as long as I can for those who appreciate me.”

However, he said the loss of funding would have a “huge impact”.

“All the people we provide custodial support for, and everything is going to go out the door. And I just think Corrections is managing this, excuse my language, really piss poorly, and it’s just because they don’t care.

“They never have appeared to care. And you know, you know, I’m ready to up and walk away… if this is how I get treated for something that I’ve put my heart and soul into.”

He said he would go to Māori organisations to support him.

RNZ also spoke to the chairman of the Tikanga Aroro Charitable Trust Doug Macredie.

He said Corrections had informed the trust that it was a “suspension” not a termination.

“They’ve done this before, probably three times since I’ve been involved with this, where they say one word that means something completely different to the formal letter that they’ve sent us.”

Asked about Corrections’ comments that they had not had assurances about Macfarlane being stood down, Macredie said that was because they had not picked up the phone or listened to voice messages.

“The assurances were given to them immediately by voice message and by text, and as Billy probably confirmed, he’s stood down. So you need to understand that when you’re dealing with Corrections, you are dealing with a hideously kerfuddled organisation where the left hand often doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.”

He said Corrections had “pretty much told us nothing”.

“They’ve told us exactly what you’ve said, which is somewhere out there in the Great Blue Yonder, there’s an allegation. And I said, ‘well, who? where? from who and how does it relate to the programme?

“So unless you can tell me an allegation that relates to the men, the eight men that are currently on our programme I’m not sure if you want me to comment on someone’s personal life and innuendo and social media pages. I’m not going to.”

Macredie said there were no women on the programme and that he did not know of any serious sexual allegation.

On Wednesday, a police spokesperson confirmed a complaint had been received “which is in the early stages of investigation by the Counties Manukau Adult Sexual Assault Team”.

Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell said in a statement to RNZ any contractual decisions were a matter for Corrections.

“I encourage anyone with allegations of this nature to report them to Police.”

According to its website, which appeared to now be offline, Pūwhakamua was a tikanga Māori reintegration service for people who “require support to return and readapt into the community”.

“The Tikanga Aroro Charitable Trust, endorsed by Te Arawa elders, sponsors the Pūwhakamua concept which has been providing a pathway for men released to the community by the New Zealand Parole Board.

“These men observe stringent parole conditions alongside our own rigorous set of site rules, with high levels of accountability for the duration of their stay.”

Pūwhakamua provided a live-in residential programme in Rotorua.

“It has garnered support from key public agencies including the New Zealand Police, The Department of Corrections and the Ministry of Social Development,” the website said.

Macfarlane founded Pūwhakamua in 2018.

The website said the programme had “grown from strength to strength under his leadership and unique vision to offer an alternative pathway for men released from prison. Billy continues to deliver cognitive wānanga and te reo Māori lessons in both prison and community settings”.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has warned it will not have enough government funding to cover all domestic enrolments next year – the third consecutive year funding was expected to fall short of demand for tertiary education.

The warning came in the commission’s guidance to institutions applying for government funding in 2027.

“Investment planning for 2027 is taking place in a very challenging fiscal environment. We expect demand to remain strong and available funding to be unlikely to match it. Trade-offs will be required and most providers will see reduced investment,” it said.

It said the commission would base its funding decisions on factors including evidence of improvements in student pass rates, financial performance, and institutions’ contribution to the network of tertiary courses provided around the country.

The commission also warned some institutes could lose some, or even all, funding.

“We expect to actively disinvest where these requirements are not met,” it said.

“In exceptional circumstances we may disinvest from all [of] your provision.”

Last year, the commission said it had enough funding for 99 percent of expected enrolments in 2025 and in 2026 and would use its reserves to provide funding for up to 102 percent of forecast enrolments this year.

However, 2025’s domestic enrolments exceeded forecasts and the commission said it was still calculating the result for that year.

“The final 2025 position across the entire tertiary sector is still being processed as we work through the annual wash up process over the next couple of months,” it said.

The commission said the government’s Budget could affect the outlook for this year.

“Unfunded learner numbers for 2026 will not be able to be forecast until after Budget ’26 decisions are taken and TEC receives it first data return on enrolments,” it said.

“The signalling in the plan guidance document reflects the current situation where the government is operating in a very tight fiscal environment and where economic conditions, the job market and demographics are driving enrolment growth. The sector needs to be prepared that not all programmes they wish to deliver can be fully funded with the focus being on supporting programmes in priority areas.”

The guidance also cautioned against rapid growth in foreign enrolments.

“Providers need to ensure growth in international education is sustainable, and that the quality of education and educational experience for international students and domestic learners is maintained or enhanced,” it said.

“This will support New Zealand’s reputation as a competitive global provider of high-quality education… Any potential negative impacts, such as on placement capacity, need to be carefully managed.”

Universities New Zealand chief executive Chris Whelan said historically governments had funded all enrolments because they did not want students to be turned away from courses.

“The government has funded the forecast numbers, the problem is actual numbers keep exceeding forecast,” he said.

Whelan said institutions could cope with small numbers of unfunded students, but not with large numbers and the effect varied depending on what proportion of a student’s education was covered by government subisdies.

In some subjects, the split was 50/50 between student fees and government subsidies, in others it was more like 33/67.

Whelan said as a result some institutions were refusing unfunded enrolments.

“Certainly I’m hearing, even though it’s quite early, that is happening in some places where universities are discouraging enrolments because they are unfunded places… And in other places, of course, universities are simply saying, yep, we can take on a smallish number of unfunded places.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Corrections failed to properly monitor a man with ADHD and addiction problems who died by suicide in Christchurch Men’s Prison, a coroner has ruled.

Alexander Nicholls-Braddock, who was 29, was found dead in his cell on 19 March 2021, just over five weeks after he arrived.

It was his first time in prison, and he was sent there after being sentenced on his sixth charge of driving with excess breath alcohol.

Coroner Alexandra Cunninghame’s report into his death was released to RNZ. She ruled he died by suicide, but the way in which he died cannot be reported.

The report noted Nicholls-Braddock had a long history of addiction and mental health problems, and prison was an unsuitable place for him. The Coroner also found failings by the Department of Corrections.

Coroner Cunninghame said when Nicholls-Braddock was seven he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).

His mother gave evidence that he had talked about wanting to kill himself from when he was a child, and since his teens he had struggled with alcohol and substance use, she said.

Nicholls-Braddock was charged with driving with excess breath alcohol for the first time in 2011.

The sixth time was in 2020, after he crashed his vehicle on his way to whitebait at the beach. He was hurt in the accident, as was a dog which belonged to a member of the public.

“Alex was a person who enjoyed the outdoors, and he had made Haast his home. He had a partner and a supportive family, and was well-liked. Sadly, Alex had a long history of addiction and poor mental health, which affected his functioning and brought him before the Courts,” the Coroner said.

After the 2020 charge, in relation to the possibility of Nicholls-Braddock being sentenced to prison, his GP in a referral letter to an alcohol and drug service questioned if jail was the right place for him given how “fragile he is psychiatrically”, the report said.

Nicholls-Braddock was sentenced to 11 months imprisonment with leave to apply for home detention if a bed became available at mental health and addiction service Odyssey House.

He faced difficulties in prison, and died after being in there just over five weeks.

Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Erik Monasterio, who gave evidence at the inquest into Nicholls-Braddock’s death, outlined risk factors present in the lead up to the death.

They were alcohol and drug addiction and coping in the early stages of enforced remission, persisting anxiety and distress, thoughts of suicide, fears for his safety, an unexpected fine added to his sentence and the expectation of detention in his cell following internal prison charges.

“The combination of these factors occurring in the context of Alex’s vulnerable personality while isolated from his partner and family in custody “likely overwhelmed his limited coping skills and contributed to his death”, the Coroner said.

Dr Monasterio noted that a number of these risk factors had not been disclosed by Nicholls-Braddock to Corrections staff, and that since he seemed happy with the plan for him to be placed in the drug treatment programme while the Odyssey House referral was explored, “his risk for suicide was not considered to be elevated in the lead up and at the time of his death”.

Coroner Cunninghame found Nicholls-Braddock was bullied by other prisoners, and that Corrections did not adequately recognise or manage the risk which other prisoners posed to him.

“This resulted in his possessions being taken, his involvement in misconduct charges, and, on his account to Ms Pearce [Nicholls-Braddock’s partner], assaults. Alex’s phone conversations with Ms Pearce make it clear that these incidents were distressing to him, and that he believed that nothing could be done to assist him,” she said.

“Dr Monasterio recognised the bullying as impacting on Alex’s ability to cope in prison and increasing his suicide risk.”

The report said Nicholls-Braddock’s medical history and GP records, which referred to his mental health history and self-harm, were not requested when he was received into prison.

“Dr Monasterio considered the absence of these records “unfortunate” because it prevented prison staff from knowing the full picture about his suicide and self-harm risk. This is particularly important in the case of a prisoner such as Alex, who denied suicidal or self-harm thoughts or behaviour when he was assessed at the prison,” the Coroner said.

Dr Monasterio described the use of the ISU [Intervention and Support Unit] for the management of drug and alcohol withdrawal and for the detention and supervision of inmates with symptoms of mental illness as “inappropriate”. The report described how Nicholls-Braddock struggled in the ISU when he first arrived at prison.

Coroner Cunninghame made five recommendations to the Department of Corrections.

These included that concerns about bullying in prisons should be pro-actively managed and custodial staff should be trained to consistently record and manage these concerns, the process for obtaining prisoner’s health records should be reviewed to ensure that it is appropriate and consistently followed, and processes for contact and engagement with family/whānau, especially for first-time prisoners, including opportunities for direct contact with unit staff and case managers, should be improved.

“The strong feeling that ran through the evidence was that Alex should not have been in prison. Alex’s family and Ms Pearce were very concerned about how he would cope, as was his GP, and sadly these concerns came to pass,” Coroner Cunninghame said.

“Those of us who were in Court for the inquest heard Alex’s voice on the recordings of his phone calls. He was in distress in his last days, but I also heard his love for his family and his ability to find humour even in dark times. It is a tragedy that he was overcome by his ADHD and addiction, and that he ended up in prison, which everyone recognised was an unsuitable place for him. May he rest in peace.”

Christchurch Men’s Prison general manager Jo Harrex said while the causes of suicide were multifaceted and complex, Corrections was committed to doing everything it could to prevent deaths in custody.

“We would like to express our sincere condolences to the loved ones of Mr Nicholls-Braddock and acknowledge the ongoing pain they experience as a result of his death,” she said.

“Corrections accepts all of the coroners’ findings and recommendations. Since the man’s passing, Corrections has made multiple changes to help support prisoners with their mental health and wellbeing.”

Upon reception into prison, all people were screened for suicide or self-harm risk in the Receiving Office by a corrections officer and again during the reception health screen assessment, Harrex said.

Other changes included implementing additional training packages at Christchurch Men’s Prison for custodial and case management staff and holding regular multi‑disciplinary team meetings involving staff such as case management and custodial staff to support those who had been identified as vulnerable, high‑risk, complex, or who required additional oversight for other reasons.

Harrex said Corrections expected to release its updated Suicide Prevention and Postvention Action Plan soon.

“Relevant medical and health information is managed in accordance with health privacy requirements, which limits routine sharing amongst health and non-health staff. Where such information is identified and considered helpful, custodial and case management staff work closely with their health services colleagues. However, some court ordered documentation remains restricted, and cannot be shared without the consent of the court and/or the prisoner. With prisoner consent, relevant non-restricted health information may be loaded on our internal systems,” she said.

“Acknowledging there is a need to improve access to support, we are currently collaborating with Health NZ, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice and other partners to ensure people in prison who have severe and acute mental health needs, or an intellectual disability, are receiving timely support.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow Kākāpō Files on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Kākāpō are one of the rarest birds in New Zealand, with an adult population of just 235 individuals.

Imagine then, the pressure on Auckland Zoo vet Adam Naylor when he arrived at a nest to discover a young chick, named Huhu-A3-2026, looking floppy and an unhealthy purple colour.

“My vet training kicked in, and I started doing some very tiny CPR,” Adam told the Kākāpō Files podcast.

“I just blew gently into its mouth, to try and get some air into it and get it breathing again. And after a minute or so it suddenly took a breath.

“It was a scary moment for all of us, including the DOC [Department of Conservation] ranger,” said Adam, “[but] by the next day, I’m happy to report, it had bounced back remarkably well.”

It was not the only time on his trip to Whenua Hou / Codfish Island that Adam’s ER skills were called into action. He was also able to save the life of a 12-day old chick, Rakiura-A2-2026, which was found in the nest with a significant wound.

“It was actually a pretty deep and fresh laceration at the base of the neck, right across the jugular vein,” said Adam.

After cleaning the wound, Adam closed it with stitches, which he described as “pretty tiny sutures”.

He reports that by the end of the day the “chick was as happy as anything and begging for food, so I walked up and popped it back on the nest again”.

Chick Rakiura-A2-2026 is a bit of a celebrity, having been the first egg that watching members of the public saw laid live on the Kākāpō Cam live feed, on the 25th January. Chicks are named after their mum, their clutch and egg number, and year of birth. Rakiura-A2-2026 is being raised by various foster mothers, while its mother Rakiura fosters another chick, Nora-A2-2026, as interested YouTubers watch on.

Adam was assisting with kākāpō management on Whenua Hou, which lies just off Rakiura / Stewart Island, and is one of the three predator-free kākāpō breeding islands – the other two are in Fiordland.

With 78 females nesting across those islands, a huge milestone was reached earlier this week when the 100th chick of the 2026 breeding season hatched. This cements its status as the biggest ever kākāpō breeding season on record.

Plus, a handful of remaining fertile eggs are expected to hatch over the next few days, meaning it will well surpass the previous 2019 record of 85 chicks hatched.

Unfortunately though, not all these chicks will make it.

Kākāpō Recovery Programme ranger Sarah Manktelow told the Kākāpō Files podcast that seven chicks have died so far. “We have to expect to lose some chicks,” she said.

Four chicks have also been transported to Dunedin Wildlife Hospital where they are currently receiving treatment.

Those who manage kākāpō are hoping these record-breaking numbers will ultimately help boost the total population. However, because there are many potential pitfalls for the newly hatched chicks, they don’t get counted as adults until they reach 150 days of age, and are independent. For the first chicks hatched this year, that’s around mid-July.

To get regular updates about this record-breaking breeding season, follow and listen to the Kākāpō Files podcast.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Fire and Emergency is urging residents in storm-affected areas to be ready to evacuate if necessary, following a night of heavy rain.

A red weather warning remains in place for Northland east of Kaikohe from Doubtless Bay to Whangārei, with the worst of the downpours expected to hit on Thursday afternoon.

Marae in the region have been opened for those in need of support, and Fire and Emergency has deployed 19 specialist rescue personnel to Northland and Auckland.

MetService said the heaviest rain and largest volumes were likely to be in the upper North Island, from Northland to western Bay of Plenty.

Downpours, flooding, and slips were also possible on Thursday and Friday.

Fire and Emergency assistant national commander Ken Cooper warned residents in upper parts of Northland to be ready in case the situation deteriorated.

“For that upper part of Northland, the intelligence we’ve got is there’s a large amount of rainfall over a very short period of time. I would certainly advise people to be prepared, if they’re in low lying areas or near rivers, be prepared to move.”

Cooper said anyone concerned about a risk to life or property should call 111.

Northland Civil Defence expected the worst of the rain to hit the northeast coast on Thursday night.

In a post on social media, it warned residents not to go into flood water, to avoid unnecessary travel, and to be aware of slips.

“Leave immediately if you notice cracks in the ground, leaning trees or power poles, unusual sounds, or sudden changes in streams,” it said.

Follow the latest updates in our live blog above.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Specialist rescue teams are being deployed to Northland as the region hunkers down for the worst of the severe weather.

A red weather warning is in place, with the worst of the downpours expected to hit on Thursday afternoon.

Marae in the region have been opened for those in need of support.

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) assistant national commander Ken Cooper told RNZ it had prepared its response across the region, pre-deploying crews to where they would be most needed.

“We are pre-positioning our specialists water rescue team, and some urban search and rescue teams,” he said.

“These are severe situations that our people are going to be encountering so we want to ensure that we’ve got the right people in the right place.”

Cooper said 17 specialists would be deployed to Northland, while eight would be in Auckland.

FENZ had to pre-position crews strategically, he said.

“We get informed that it’s going to impact a very large geographic area, so it’s always very challenging for Fire and Emergency to pre-position exactly where a storm is going to hit and where the impacts would be.”

His advice for locals was to keep an eye on news and alerts put out by authorities, and to get out if the situation turns dangerous.

“If people feel that life and property is endangered or at risk then please do call 111.

“For that upper part of Northland, the intellegence we’ve got is there’s a large amount of rainfall over a very short period of time. I would certainly advise people to be prepared, if they’re in low lying areas or near rivers, be prepared to move,” Cooper said.

Meanwhile, residents in Northland were facing the oncoming storm.

Max Thompson lived in Mokau, near Ōakura, but the creek crossing to get to his house had been washed out.

He was staying in a campervan at Mokau marae said most people knew they could come to the marae if need be.

“These weather events have prompted our communities, our marae communities, to get into action and to build capacity for when they happen,” he said.

“I don’t want to sound too blasé, but I’m quite comfortable and confident that we’ll ride this storm out.”

Robynne Cooper owned the Whangaruru beachfront camp and said the weather had made it a difficult summer season.

“We should still have quite a few campers out there,” she said.

“It hit us in peak season, so we’ve lost a lot of income and a lot of campers, that’s for sure. We’ve had pretty much 80 percent cancellation.”

Robynne Cooper said she was worried about the sustainability of the business.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, I haven’t lost any sleep over it, I’m not that person that’s going to stress and kill myself with a heart attack, but it is going to be a very, very tough year that’s for sure.”

Ngātiwai kaiwhiriwhiri Jude Thompson lived in Tūparehuia/Bland Bay, in the north of Whangaruru.

“It’s probably one of the safest areas on the flat. In saying that last time my house flooded, so I’ll probably be staying up quite a bit through the night just to see what happens here. Most of the communities out in this area last time were individually cut off for one reason or another, either through trees falling or through slips. So everybody needs to be ready to be independent and look after themselves.

“All of our marae have stood up and are just absolutely amazing and have everything that we need to keep our whānau safe.”

She said it would be a very long night. Rain had been falling throughout the day, but began to intensify once night fell. Her power went out around 9.30pm. As of 10.30pm, Northpower reported around 1500 homes without power, including in Aranga, Mamaranui, Kamo and Whangaruru.

Thompson said many residents were tired and quite anxious following January’s widespread and destructive flooding. Punarurku, to the west of Whangaruru Harbour, was hit with 285.5mm of rain over a day during the January floods. That was more than the approximately 260mm that typically fell over the area over the whole of summer.

January’s severe weather also caused a significant slip at the southern end of Whangaruru which would take months to clear, and had left those entering from the south during the day having to drive in convoy following a pilot vehicle.

“It’s quite a long road, it’s gravel, it’s windy, there’s some quite significant drop-offs, and it’s having quite an impact on people’s vehicles.”

Many residents were very anxious about the forecast rain, and warnings about the incoming storm had left many on edge.

“People are anxious about this event and given it’s a red warning that does come with a risk to life so we have to be very vigilant to take it so seriously.

“We’ve seen since the event in January that the impacts on people’s mental health, the rise in anxiety, the psychosocial effects have been significant, right across Whangaruru and with our whānau who are up in Whangaroa who were very impacted as well.

“A couple of days ago when the forecast was communicated and as it’s got closer and we went to a red warning today, people are really, really anxious and feel quite triggered given what they went through.

“Some of our whānau arrived at the marae literally in just what they were standing in. They had lost absolutely everything. Everything had washed away and they were just standing in wet clothes. So to hear even the sound of rain since then … has been really difficult.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Specialist rescue teams are being deployed to Northland as the region hunkers down for the worst of the severe weather.

A red weather warning is in place, with the worst of the downpours expected to hit on Thursday afternoon.

Marae in the region have been opened for those in need of support.

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) assistant national commander Ken Cooper told RNZ it had prepared its response across the region, pre-deploying crews to where they would be most needed.

“We are pre-positioning our specialists water rescue team, and some urban search and rescue teams,” he said.

“These are severe situations that our people are going to be encountering so we want to ensure that we’ve got the right people in the right place.”

Cooper said 17 specialists would be deployed to Northland, while eight would be in Auckland.

FENZ had to pre-position crews strategically, he said.

“We get informed that it’s going to impact a very large geographic area, so it’s always very challenging for Fire and Emergency to pre-position exactly where a storm is going to hit and where the impacts would be.”

His advice for locals was to keep an eye on news and alerts put out by authorities, and to get out if the situation turns dangerous.

“If people feel that life and property is endangered or at risk then please do call 111.

“For that upper part of Northland, the intellegence we’ve got is there’s a large amount of rainfall over a very short period of time. I would certainly advise people to be prepared, if they’re in low lying areas or near rivers, be prepared to move,” Cooper said.

Meanwhile, residents in Northland were facing the oncoming storm.

Max Thompson lived in Mokau, near Ōakura, but the creek crossing to get to his house had been washed out.

He was staying in a campervan at Mokau marae said most people knew they could come to the marae if need be.

“These weather events have prompted our communities, our marae communities, to get into action and to build capacity for when they happen,” he said.

“I don’t want to sound too blasé, but I’m quite comfortable and confident that we’ll ride this storm out.”

Robynne Cooper owned the Whangaruru beachfront camp and said the weather had made it a difficult summer season.

“We should still have quite a few campers out there,” she said.

“It hit us in peak season, so we’ve lost a lot of income and a lot of campers, that’s for sure. We’ve had pretty much 80 percent cancellation.”

Robynne Cooper said she was worried about the sustainability of the business.

“We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, I haven’t lost any sleep over it, I’m not that person that’s going to stress and kill myself with a heart attack, but it is going to be a very, very tough year that’s for sure.”

Ngātiwai kaiwhiriwhiri Jude Thompson lived in Tūparehuia/Bland Bay, in the north of Whangaruru.

“It’s probably one of the safest areas on the flat. In saying that last time my house flooded, so I’ll probably be staying up quite a bit through the night just to see what happens here. Most of the communities out in this area last time were individually cut off for one reason or another, either through trees falling or through slips. So everybody needs to be ready to be independent and look after themselves.

“All of our marae have stood up and are just absolutely amazing and have everything that we need to keep our whānau safe.”

She said it would be a very long night. Rain had been falling throughout the day, but began to intensify once night fell. Her power went out around 9.30pm. As of 10.30pm, Northpower reported around 1500 homes without power, including in Aranga, Mamaranui, Kamo and Whangaruru.

Thompson said many residents were tired and quite anxious following January’s widespread and destructive flooding. Punarurku, to the west of Whangaruru Harbour, was hit with 285.5mm of rain over a day during the January floods. That was more than the approximately 260mm that typically fell over the area over the whole of summer.

January’s severe weather also caused a significant slip at the southern end of Whangaruru which would take months to clear, and had left those entering from the south during the day having to drive in convoy following a pilot vehicle.

“It’s quite a long road, it’s gravel, it’s windy, there’s some quite significant drop-offs, and it’s having quite an impact on people’s vehicles.”

Many residents were very anxious about the forecast rain, and warnings about the incoming storm had left many on edge.

“People are anxious about this event and given it’s a red warning that does come with a risk to life so we have to be very vigilant to take it so seriously.

“We’ve seen since the event in January that the impacts on people’s mental health, the rise in anxiety, the psychosocial effects have been significant, right across Whangaruru and with our whānau who are up in Whangaroa who were very impacted as well.

“A couple of days ago when the forecast was communicated and as it’s got closer and we went to a red warning today, people are really, really anxious and feel quite triggered given what they went through.

“Some of our whānau arrived at the marae literally in just what they were standing in. They had lost absolutely everything. Everything had washed away and they were just standing in wet clothes. So to hear even the sound of rain since then … has been really difficult.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Lincoln University has confirmed plans to cut 40 full-time equivalent jobs, as the union raises concerns about the speed and impact of the changes.

The university informed staff today it was calling for early retirements and voluntary redundancies, before beginning formal processes in the middle of this year.

A Lincoln University spokesperson said the move was to maintain financial stability in 2026 and beyond, “and to position the university to continue our focus as a specialist university for the land-based sectors”.

Tertiary Education Union (TEU) delegate Professor Cor Vink said the news came as a bombshell.

“People were surprised, they’re obviously upset, people are worried about increasing workload as well as it doesn’t sound like if anyone takes redundancy that they would be replaced.”

Staff were told the university was losing some of its government funding and enrolments had not hit targets, Vink said.

The university revealed the plan at an all-staff meeting this afternoon, where it announced all permanent staff would be offered “enhanced retirement and enhanced voluntary cessation packages,” and had until 23 April to apply.

There was a lack of detail in the announcement, Vink said.

“There wasn’t a lot of clarity in the messaging at the meeting. There was supposed to be a memo for people to have a look at after the meeting, but that didn’t come out for another hour, so we’re sitting around twiddling our thumbs wondering what it’s all about.

“There is a degree of vagueness about the whole thing.”

The union would prioritise clarifying details, including information on how and why it had come to this, he said.

The university invited staff to propose ideas to save money, increase student numbers or improve the university’s finances, but Vink said he did not believe it was staff’s role to propose those type of solutions.

“The Vice Chancellor said if anyone can think of ideas to come to him, but I would think that’s why he gets paid the big bucks, because he should be thinking of those sorts of things.”

Questions were raised about the university’s capital programme, which included a number of new buildings, and whether those works could be stopped or put on hold.

“I know students don’t come to a university to see the buildings, they come to university to be taught by the experts. That’s certainly how I remember my university – I really don’t remember the buildings much at all, I remember the inspirational lectures I had.”

The speed of the process was worrying, especially given existing concerns about workload, Vink said.

“This is all supposed to be decided on in late May and wrapped up by June.

“That gives us just over a month to try and figure out the workload the people leaving have had and then be able to school up everyone else who’s got to carry the burden on how to do those jobs before the person leaves.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Former Interislander ferry Aratere is expected to arrive in Port Nelson later this week for the first time in nearly four months.

RNZ understands the ship, which has since been renamed Vega, will undergo a crew change and be restocked with fuel and provisions.

KiwiRail retired the ferry last August and announced in October it had been sold to a buyer who would deliver it to a shipbreaking yard in India.

Since being renamed Vega, the Interislander logos had been painted over and it is now flagged in the Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

It is still not known when the ship will leave the country.

It has been anchored in Tasman Bay since early December with a crew from India, who had been onboard since October.

A Maritime NZ spokesperson said inspectors last visited the vessel in mid-February while it was in Tasman Bay, and planned to do so again while it was berthed in Nelson.

Inspectors had been regularly engaging with Vega, its operator and flag state regarding crew welfare and compliance with international requirements, Maritime NZ said.

“During these visits, inspectors speak directly with crew and assess compliance with relevant international conventions and flag state requirements relating to crew conditions and vessel safety.”

The Maritime Union has previously raised concerns about the wages and living conditions of those onboard.

Nelson branch president Paul Stewart said he understood Vega was coming in to Port Nelson this week for a crew change, to get rid of rubbish and resupply with food and water.

The union was planning to board the ship, if the captain granted permission, to check on the crew’s welfare and ensure they were being paid correctly, Stewart said.

There had been lots of rumours floating around so the union were keen to speak to the crew directly, he said.

“We haven’t had any contact with them. You hear rumours floating around that they’re not getting paid right or one member wants to jump off because the conditions are bad and that sort of thing. So we just want to get on board just to verify everything, pull the crew aside and just have a chat with them and touch base – see how they’re actually doing and get some definitive answers.”

The union had previously said the crew were being paid “significantly below international and domestic benchmarks”.

Whether the ship would leave for India after coming into port or return to anchor in Tasman Bay was the “million dollar question”, Stewart said.

RNZ understands some crew had been swapped out from the ship, with one person flown home to be with a sick family member, while a delivery of five pallets of food supplies was made several months ago.

RNZ understands issues with paperwork for the ship’s entry to India are the reason it had not left New Zealand.

The Environmental Protection Authority last month said the application for the ship’s export was complete but it had not received an update from the Competent Authority in India about the requested import consent.

The authority told RNZ this week it was unable to provide an update.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Getting an annual influenza vaccine can reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke by a third, according to the Immunisation Advisory Centre.

The centre said there was a growing amount of evidence which showed that getting the vaccine was about as effective as using common heart medication.

Heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death in New Zealand, accounting for 12,000 deaths per year.

Since 2003, strong evidence has emerged demonstrating that the flu vaccine offered substantial cardiovascular protection.

This protection comes directly from reducing the risk and severity of influenza, plus likely further non-specific immune protection.

Dr Philip Shirley from the Immunisation Advisory Centre told Midday Report that it had been known for about 100 years that in a really bad flu season the number of people having heart attacks and strokes increased.

“More recently we’ve been able to show that if you take a swab of someone in the community and they have influenza, they’ve got a six to 10 times the base rate of having a heart attack for the next seven to 10 days after they’re proven to have influenza.”

That happened for two reasons, he said.

The first was if you catch the flu it goes into your nose and then your chest, he said.

“From there the virus can actually relocate, so into your heart and when it gets to your heart it can cause conditions like myocarditis, peridcarditis, kind of inflammation of the heart, but even more concerning it can actually move into the blood vessels.

“When it’s in the blood vessels it can disrupt plaques that are here and disrupted plaques are what causes heart attacks because they rupture, they block the blood vessel, and that’s a heart attack. If it happens in the brain then it’s a stroke.”

Another issue was that the lungs of those suffering from severe influenza did not transport oxygen as well as usual, he said.

“And because your lungs aren’t working properly your heart starts beating faster and harder and that’s a problem – that increases your risk.”

The main way that the influenza vaccine protects people is because it protects you from getting influenza which can cause heart attacks and strokes, he said.

The influenza vaccination also “changes the way that the heart responds to stress and inflammation”, he said.

“They did some really interesting studies where people undergoing open heart surgery, some of them had an influenza vaccine the week before, some of them didn’t.

“And when you measure their inflammatory markers after the operation, the people who had the flu vaccine had less inflammation and they showed less signs of heart stress, after one of the most stressful things you can do to your heart.”

A third way the vaccine helps protect people was with “trained immunity”.

“I think of it like this – if our immune system is responding to things frequently, if we’re getting vaccinated regularly, then the immune system gets stronger, not just against the target disease, but it protects you from a wide range of bio-illnesses.

“Nearly any illness you catch can increase your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke – not as badly as influenza, but it can a bit. And getting the flu vaccine every year seems to protect you from lots of respiratory illnesses.”

Dr Shirley said the biggest benefits of getting the vaccine would be for those with chronic health conditions or were over the age of 65, but there were also benefits for healthier people.

“If you’re a healthy person, getting influenza is no picnic. Your rate of heart attacks and strokes might be low, but even increasing a low risk of heart attacks or strokes by six or 10 times isn’t something I would want to be doing.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Former Interislander ferry Aratere is expected to arrive in Port Nelson later this week for the first time in nearly four months.

RNZ understands the ship, which has since been renamed Vega, will undergo a crew change and be restocked with fuel and provisions.

KiwiRail retired the ferry last August and announced in October it had been sold to a buyer who would deliver it to a shipbreaking yard in India.

Since being renamed Vega, the Interislander logos had been painted over and it is now flagged in the Caribbean nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

It is still not known when the ship will leave the country.

It has been anchored in Tasman Bay since early December with a crew from India, who had been onboard since October.

A Maritime NZ spokesperson said inspectors last visited the vessel in mid-February while it was in Tasman Bay, and planned to do so again while it was berthed in Nelson.

Inspectors had been regularly engaging with Vega, its operator and flag state regarding crew welfare and compliance with international requirements, Maritime NZ said.

“During these visits, inspectors speak directly with crew and assess compliance with relevant international conventions and flag state requirements relating to crew conditions and vessel safety.”

The Maritime Union has previously raised concerns about the wages and living conditions of those onboard.

Nelson branch president Paul Stewart said he understood Vega was coming in to Port Nelson this week for a crew change, to get rid of rubbish and resupply with food and water.

The union was planning to board the ship, if the captain granted permission, to check on the crew’s welfare and ensure they were being paid correctly, Stewart said.

There had been lots of rumours floating around so the union were keen to speak to the crew directly, he said.

“We haven’t had any contact with them. You hear rumours floating around that they’re not getting paid right or one member wants to jump off because the conditions are bad and that sort of thing. So we just want to get on board just to verify everything, pull the crew aside and just have a chat with them and touch base – see how they’re actually doing and get some definitive answers.”

The union had previously said the crew were being paid “significantly below international and domestic benchmarks”.

Whether the ship would leave for India after coming into port or return to anchor in Tasman Bay was the “million dollar question”, Stewart said.

RNZ understands some crew had been swapped out from the ship, with one person flown home to be with a sick family member, while a delivery of five pallets of food supplies was made several months ago.

RNZ understands issues with paperwork for the ship’s entry to India are the reason it had not left New Zealand.

The Environmental Protection Authority last month said the application for the ship’s export was complete but it had not received an update from the Competent Authority in India about the requested import consent.

The authority told RNZ this week it was unable to provide an update.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

More needs to be done to discourage the use of super-sized vehicles in urban areas – and not just because they guzzle far more petrol at a time when there are growing concerns over price and supply, says a University of Auckland professor.

Double cab utes and SUVs are regularly among New Zealand’s top selling new vehicles.

Their capacity to guzzle fuel is in sharp focus at the moment with prices rising at the pump, along with concerns about diesel which largely keeps industry moving, including freight and farming.

Those concerns have led to calls for more regulation to discourage people buying supersized vehicles.

Professor Alistair Woodward – from the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences – told Checkpoint that while bigger vehicles are still widely used in rural areas and by tradies in the cities, the big rise in buyers in recent years had been in urban areas.

“They are becoming used more and more as the family vehicle, so their use is pretty widespread.

“What has changed is that they have become very popular as an alternative to cars.”

Woodward said more people needed to be aware of how inefficient the bigger vehicles were – “A Ford Ranger uses roughly twice as much fuel per kilometre as a Toyota Corolla.”

But he said the bigger vehicles created a number of other challenges beyond the petrol pump.

“They are bad for the climate with twice as much carbon monoxide, and they are very nasty if they run into you and cause problems.”

He cited a recent study in the US which found that if a child was struck by a light truck, they were seven times as more likely to die than if they were struck by a car.

He said two ways to discourage the rising number of bigger vehicles on urban streets were things like higher sales taxes, and resisting pressure to supersize parking spaces.

“As these double cab utes and other vehicles get larger, they really have difficulty fitting in what used to be an adequate carpark, they cause overhangs and cause frustrations for drivers.

“Rather than taking up more space for parking, we should do something about restricting the use of supersized vehicles in urban areas.”

But Woodward said there did not appear to be much enthusiasm in the current government to make these kinds of moves.

“The previous government introduced incentives for lower emission vehicles and by implication higher costs for people who buy double cab utes. The present government felt that this was not justified, and they have removed that discount scheme.

“So we’re waiting for good moves, but in the 1970s we downsized our cars because of the oil shocks, so maybe we’ve got something to learn from 50 years ago.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

After a million hours of labour, Te Rua – Archive New Zealand’s brand new Wellington building – is now open.

The 10-level, $290 million building is described as one of the world’s most technologically advanced archive protection facilities and forms part of Te Kahu, a new heritage campus.

The campus, which sees Archives New Zealand and the National Library physically joined, includes Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision and the Alexander Turnbull Library in its wider net.

Delivered on budget and on time, Te Rua has been held up as a win for public-private partnerships, but where the nation’s archives will ultimately be stored – and how much it will cost to do so – remains unclear.

Preserving windows into the past

Under the bright lights of the brand new Te Rua facility, research archivist Shaun McGuire points to a cluster of carefully laid out black and white photographs of the 488 Squadron.

“It was a fighter squadron that was sent to Singapore prior to the outbreak of hostilities with Japan. As you can see from their general posture, they’re green as grass and not particularly military,” he said.

“This chap here playing in the puddle – because it’s monsoonish – is Pete Gifford and the fellow playing with him is Len Farr. They’re both pilot officers.”

McGuire said the Brewster Buffalo planes they flew were outdated by World War II, and while Peter Gifford survived the war, others were not so lucky.

The photographs of the young men are but a taste of the historical material that will eventually be housed in Te Rua.

The bronze-accented state-of-the-art archive facility – boasting more than 19,000sqm of floor space and 90km of storage under tightly controlled environmental condition – will ultimately be home to millions of photographs, films and records, documenting the nation’s political, cultural and social history.

According to Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden, the new facility could not come soon enough.

“I think it’s a really awesome day for New Zealanders because it means that our nation’s history will be preserved. And I have to tell you, a couple of years ago when I went to visit the old archives building I could feel for myself that it was damp and that it was falling apart.”

She said it was “wonderful” that country will have preserved archival material for centuries to come.

“For all our children’s children.”

A public-private partnership

Van Velden, who is also deputy leader of the ACT Party, heralded the facility as a win for public-private partnerships over successive governments, with the contract signed under the previous Labour government.

While the taonga within the building and its fit-out is publicly owned, the building base and land belongs to Canadian Mutual Fund, PSPIB/CPPIB Waiheke Inc. and is managed by Australasian real estate assets manager Dexus – also the developer.

The 25-year lease agreement with the Crown has the option to extend for another 25 years.

A spokesperson for the Department of Internal Affairs said the rent has been fixed – with yearly increases agreed upfront and budgeted for – but the amount can’t be made public due to commercial sensitivity.

Van Velden said given the building’s specifications it would be unlikely for the lease not to be renewed.

She said collaborations between business and the public sector, highlighted the private sector’s expertise.

“Government has a lot of interest and expertise in particular areas, but they’re not building things all the time. They’re not experts in seismic strengthening.”

Dexus portfolio manager for New Zealand Phill Stanley said the Kaikoura earthquake in 2016 was a “learning curve for everyone”.

The site, which previously housed the quake-damaged Defence House, now featured a building on 36 base isolators that could drift up to 1.3m horizontally and up to 300mm vertically, during an earthquake, he said.

In order to meet UNESCO standards, climate control within the building must hold within ±1°C for at least 48 hours in the event of a power failure.

“In layman’s terms, we have built the most beautiful chilly-bin on base isolators.”

He said the project had been a career highlight and hinted at more partnerships with the Crown in the pipeline.

Space for taonga unknown

The relocation of more than 150,000 containers of historical material from the Mulgrave Street facility is currently underway.

A massive undertaking, that chief archivist Poumanaaki Anahera Morehu hoped would be completed by December this year.

However, Te Rua won’t be able to hold all the material – and how much it can take remains to be seen.

National Librarian Te Pouhuaki Rachel Esson said while there were estimates, they won’t truly know until the material has been shifted.

“Part of the process of bringing things over is we’re rehousing them. So some things have been in boxes that aren’t quite as good as they could be, so they’re being put in new boxes.

“Sometimes things have been crammed into a box so they might be split out into two. We’re just not quite sure yet exactly.”

Morehu said the new facility was never going to house everything contained in Mulgrave Street and anticipated the wider heritage campus – Te Kahu – would absorb overflow.

She said access to the archives was just as important as preservation.

“It’s all good to preserve it and hold on to it, but it’s no good if nobody’s got access to it.

“This is creating that opportunity and the campus is creating that opportunity, while it opens the doors to other facilities to think about how we play a role as archives and libraries in making this more collaborative and sharing.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Two bodies have been found inside a car that was discovered upside down in a stream in rural Wellington this morning.

Police, Fire and Emergency and Wellington Free Ambulance were called to the crash in Mākara just after 8am.

Fire and Emergency shift manager Alex Norris said crews arrived to find a car partially submerged in the stream on Mākara Beach Road – a narrow, winding road between Karori and Mākara Beach.

The bodies were found by police when they arrived at the scene.

The road was closed for several hours but has since reopened.

A local resident who did not want to be named said they could see the crash site from their home.

They said they saw at least four police vehicles, two ambulances and a fire appliance attending the crash as well as white blanket laid on the ground.

“Usually you hear stuff a night but we didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. Our neighbour told me it’s quite a common place where people go off there’s about a two to three metre drop from the road down to the stream.

“I’ve witnessed cars having a head on collision on the stretch before and a bunch of near misses. I haven’t really had a chance to let it sink in. I’ve talked to some of the locals this morning and they’re really shocked” he said.

The road skirts a small stream bordered by wire fencing down the bank from Mākara Road.

Mākara Village cattery owner Cody Stephens said he saw police cars and a fire engine fly past his property this morning, heading towards the beach.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The local makers of a temporary, reusable dam say it’s got the potential to protect homes, businesses and critical infrastructure across the motu from flooding.

Two councils that have dealt with the fallout from devastating storms time and again have bought Tarpaulin Makers’ ARK flood barriers, which they say are a quick and easy alternative to sandbags.

Wairoa civil defence crews deployed them for the first time last month, when the Hawke’s Bay town was forecast to be hit hard by a storm.

It escaped the worst of the weather so the barriers were not needed, but Mayor Craig Little said it was a good exercise.

“It just gives people a little bit of security,” he said. Plus, it was far easier than filling and lugging hundreds of sandbags around town.

“The cost of the damage from flooding afterwards far outweighs the cost of having those,” said Little.

The 14.5 metre long PVC tubes join together to create a continuous barrier, equivalent to 160 sandbags.

Once they’re filled with water – via a fire hydrant or water truck, in about ten minutes – they’re half a metre high, heavy and strong.

After a flood, they can be emptied, rolled up and stored.

Klint Brittain-Freemantle from Tarpaulin Makers is the brains behind the gear.

Well before he joined the Tauranga-based company he’d seen similar products overseas, but couldn’t find anything home grown so took up the challenge himself.

Living in Napier, he’d witnessed homes under water time and again, and then Cyclone Cook hit in 2017.

“I drove in from home and deployed it out the front of my workshop across our big front roller doors and office.

“The water came right up to the doors, and it basically stopped it getting flooded, the places next door to us got flooded, all through the workshop floors, but we weren’t.”

What’s now known as the ARK flood barrier, sold by Tarpaulin Makers, was born.

Brittain-Freemantle urged local authorities to consider them.

“It’s almost soul-destroying at this point because we’ve got this product that’s so good and we know it works so well, and seeing people getting flooded around the country, like the recent ones in Wairoa [after Cyclone Gabrielle] … something like 400 houses got flooded.

“Even if we would have saved a fraction of that, that’s huge for those people.”

Tarpaulin Makers owner and general manager Beni Hafoka said many communities had big plans for flood resilience infrastructure.

“They might take ten years to put in place, and in the meantime, communities need some short-term solutions,” he said.

“That’s what ARK is.”

While the product would not prevent major flooding, it could be used strategically, he said.

“In [Cyclone] Gabrielle, there was a particular power station that only just flooded up a couple of hundred mil.

“So if we had ARK wrapped around that power station, we save that power station.”

Tairāwhiti civil defence made the first purchase.

For controller Ben Green, it added an element of speed to flood response.

“You don’t have time, you’re dealing with something that’s situational, and the ability to rapidly deploy… that type of equipment … can be quite a game changer,” he said.

Green said they bought 10 at about about $4000 each, but the cost would come down for larger orders.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Filmmakers across indigenous cultures the world over are gathering in Ōtaki on the Kapiti Coast this week to connect and collaborate at the Māoriland Film Festival.

The film festival, which runs until Saturday, is now in it’s 13th year, having grown from simply a place for indigenous filmmakers to come together to screening more than 100 short and feature films this year.

Isobel and Dakoda are two young indigenous filmmakers from Australia who have been staying at Raukawa marae in Ōtaki as part of a cultural and filmmaking exchange between Victoria and Aotearoa.

“It feels very safe for us and I feel very connected to everyone here. We’ve been sleeping in the same room and we’re mainly outside just playing and that, so it’s good,” said Dakoda a Yorta Yorta, Wemba Wemba, Barapa Barapa and Wiradjuri woman.

Isobel a Djadjawarung woman from Gunditjmara land in Victoria said it’s been inspiring to see how connected Māori are to their culture.

She created a headpiece from emu feathers, echidna quills and kangaroo leather as a gift for former Māoriland festival director Libby Hakaraia who helped make their film a reality.

“So we put it into a headpiece just to show our culture and our connection to land to give to Libby.”

Head of Funding at the New Zealand Film Commission Ainsley Gardiner (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Pikiao, Whakatōhea, Te Whānau a Apanui) said it was cool to see the students from Australia bring their films to Aotearoa.

“What’s incredible about that is that rangatahi who have been taught here at Māoriland how to make films have then gone over to Australia to teach other young people about how to make films and they’re also sharing culture. So it’s just this really dual, multifaceted experience for these young people.”

Bringing filmmakers together is one of the most successful things Māoriland does, she said.

“They bring together emerging filmmakers from around the world and they’re doing at a really grassroots level what we as a funding agency are trying to do at a really top level which is bring together filmmakers from around the world to make films together, to find ways to make co-productions.

“So there’s just a really kind of essential foundational thing that happens here which is about building those relationships which actually go on to make a real difference in our industry and in the industries around the world.”

Gardiner said despite the fact it was a really tough time for filmmakers at the moment she was never surprised by how good indigenous filmmakers are.

“It’s always quite tough to be a filmmaker. I think when I was starting out and when young people are starting out, the thing to remember is that filmmaking is not a career pathway. It’s an art form and actually finding your people and finding your tribe and actually making your stories and telling your stories with the people who understand them, for people who long to hear them, is the most important part of the process.

“So while the industry itself really struggles, I don’t think filmmaking as a kind of storytelling art is ever at risk of going away.”

It’s filmmaker Taniora Ormsby’s second year at the festival but first time with a film as part of the programme. He said one of his favourite things about Māoriland is how it brings so many different indigenous people together.

“Last year I was lucky enough to speak with people all the way from the other side of the planet, which I’ve never been able to do anywhere else except for here. To me, that’s part of the appeal, part of the reason why I came back, and to have my film shown amongst all these other amazing filmmakers, it’s a privilege.”

Ormsby’s horror short film Devil in the Gat is playing at Māoriland, exploring the ambitions of a young Māori musician, how far he’s willing to go to achieve his dreams and “how bloody they can be.”

“For Devil in the Gat, that’s where I started. I feel like the story of a young artist trying to break out into an industry is such a universal idea that when you naturally add the te ao Māori elements into it, it feels strangely like a good fit,” he said.

Ormsby said Māori were natural-born storytellers, so recontextualising the stories they had been telling for years would allow filmmakers to break out into different genres, like horror.

“A big kaupapa of mine is seeing Māori in genre spaces. I feel like we can tend to tell the same sort of colonial stories when it comes to movies, short films and TV. So I’m always excited to seeing us in different spaces like Māori horror, for instance. But who’s to say that we can’t be in a sci-fi or a comedy or all the other genres out there.”

“Māori horror” had recently drawn attention with the release of Mārama, which was directed by Māoriland alumni Taratoa Stappard.

Māoriland director Tainui Stephens (Te Rarawa) said it’s hard to believe how far the festival had come in 13 years, it started out simply as place for filmmakers to meet and get together.

“It’s an extravagant mix of cultures and beliefs. But everyone’s united with one aim, and that’s an indigenous heart. To do things for our young people, to tell stories that bring light and entertainment and meaning to our world.”

Stephens said more and more collaborations between indigenous peoples are happening in film and TV, pointing to the series Chief of War as one example. https://www.rnz.co.nz/life/screens/tv/a-hawaiian-epic-made-in-nz-why-jason-momoa-s-chief-of-war-wasn-t-filmed-in-its-star-s-homeland

“This is a chance for people to meet, swap ideas, to dream of collaboration. They leave here and many of them do it. It’s a beautiful thing to see,” he said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The local government minister has called Wellington’s mayor for an explanation of the huge water bills that residents are facing – and are forecast to hit almost $7000 a year by the end of the decade.

Wellington’s new water entity Tiaki Wai is a council-controlled organisation taking over Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua City Councils water assets from July.

It announced this morning that residents will face an average nearly 15 percent hike in water charges this coming financial year – from $2100 to $2400.

Those bills may rise by nearly a quarter the following year – and keep increasing – to reach an estimated $6800 per year for water services by 2036 as the water entity tries to fix old, failing infrastructure.

Local government minister Simon Watts said those costs were higher than he was expecting.

“I’m concerned for Wellington ratepayers again, you know we’ve got a long string of issues in this area.”

Watts said the plan that Tiaki Wai presented to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) and the water regulator last year did not forecast such high costs.

He said he phoned Wellington’s Mayor Andrew Little about this today.

“I outlined to him that we received a plan from you which outlined a profile of cost increases, and as a result the entity has now published a price which is not in the plan, which is much higher, I need to understand, and have an explanation around that.”

A Tiaki Wai spokesperson said the Water Services Delivery plan it presented in August last year was based on the best available information at the time, and the organisation will continue to review its costs as investment plans develop.

Little said Tiaki Wai was responsible for what it sent to DIA last year, and he did not control or veto the organisation’s decisions under the new system.

He said he shared the minister’s concerns about bills, but the government campaigned on this model under its Local Water Done Well policy.

He said he will be scrutinising Tiaki Wai’s performance and pricing closely.

“If the increases follow the path that Tiaki Wai are saying, then people are going to expect high quality, that leaks are repaired quickly, also that they can contact their water company, at any time of the day.”

He wanted the Commerce Commission to be granted the power to intervene if water entity’s bills became unreasonable.

Watts did not confirm if the Commerce Commission would have the power to step in over sky-rocketing bills, but said he had called in the commission in this instance to work with Tiaki Wai and the councils over the projected prices.

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker said bills reaching nearly $7000 a year in a decade were horrendous, and could drive people away from the region.

“At those sort of prices, who’s going to be living here? I can’t pay $6000 in water, and $6000 in rates… we have to do something.”

She said while she supported the establishment of the water entity, and understood the scale of the work at hand, water charges still needed to be affordable.

Wellingtonians divided over jump in bills

Some Wellingtonians RNZ spoke to were worried about the charges due to cost of living pressures, while others said the region’s assets had to be fixed.

Dale said she did not look forward to the future knowing those charges lay ahead.

“That sounds pretty crap. I’m 28, so the way it will be, by the time I am 38, that doesn’t sound like I’ll be living a great life.”

But another resident Daniel Freese said the city had ignored failing assets for too long.

“I think it has to happen, I think we’re paying for under-investment over many years, and although it’s not good news, we just need to suck it up and pay for it.

“If we don’t pay now, we’re going have to pay later, and it’s going to be more.”

Resident Tom Arkell said he was keen to see water meters brought in for the city.

“I’d like to think we could bring in some pay-per-use water monitors, that we can actually incentivise people to use less water, and to track, and therefore they could pay within what they’re comfortable, rather than getting a fixed bill no matter how much water you use.”

Tiaki Wai is considering water meters, and the organisation expects they will take up to seven years to roll out across Wellington, and cost $590 million in total.

Peet yesterday told reporters the dire state of the region’s infrastructure could no longer be ignored after decades of under-investment.

“We know we’ve got a lot of leaks, we know we’ve got compliance issues with wastewater, and we all know that stormwater continues to be a significant challenge for many cities – but Wellington in particular.”

Peet said fixing the failed Moa Point plant – which has been spewing raw sewage into the sea for nearly six weeks – will be a top priority.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

More than four million New Zealanders are missing out on modern medicines languishing on Pharmac’s drug wish list.

A new report commissioned by Medicines New Zealand – a group representing the pharmaceutical industry – has shown hefty delays in funding medicines.

It found that 137 modern medicines have spent an average of six and half years on Pharmac’s ‘Options for Investment’ list – the drug buying agency’s top priority medicines list.

The report said 83 percent of those medicines are standard-of-care drugs in other countries, meaning they are the go-to treatments.

Medicines New Zealand is calling for ongoing material increases to the drug budget, so Aotearoa can catch up.

Chief executive Graeme Jarvis told Checkpoint it was the result of 30 years of under-investment in the medicines budget.

“We invest about a third of what the rest of the OECD does in their medicines budgets in terms of the publicly funded medicines budgets. So we’ve really got to look at a long-term corrective action that needs to be taken to try and get us towards that OECD average.”

From gathering publicly available information, including information from Pharmac, Jarvis said it will cost about $328 million to clear the priority medicines list.

“We think a step change approach should be looked at, and it’s really the year-on-year increases that we’re going to need to do.”

Jarvis said it would only take about one percent of Vote Health – the primary funding mechanism for the country’s public health system – to clear the list.

“At the moment, Pharmac’s getting about 4.9 percent of the vote health. So moving it to 6 percent of vote health, would actually see you in one year clearing that OFI list.

“Then you can start dealing with some of the other newer medicines that are coming through that have yet to be ranked as well.”

That would mean around an increase of $50-$100 million year-on-year to start moving towards the OECD average.

Jarvis said funding would potentially have to be reshuffled from other areas to cover the cost.

“Governments do this all the time and they move money around and, you know, internally within budgets or vote health would be in this case.

“The other option is that they have got operational allowance still available, despite what’s going on with the recent announcement around the potential relief. So there might be the potential to put $50 million in this year and then look at doing something next year as well – there is existing funding that is available for that.”

The drugs on the list covered a wide range of different conditions.

“Cancer drugs, there are rare disorder drugs, there are neurology drugs for mental health, epilepsy, chronic diseases like diabetes as well, heart failure drugs.”

Jarvis said that without the medicines, these diseases were having a massive material impact on the rest of the health system.

“So we’re ending up with essentially, unfortunately, our hospitals being literally the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.

“It is well established that medicines can actually keep people in a primary health setting through GPs and community and away from what is the expensive end of town, which is really into the into the hospitals.”

While the cost to fund all the medicines may sound high, Jarvis said any medicine that had made the list was on there for a reasonable price.

“The medicines that are on these priority lists, there has been health technology assessment done. They’ve been found to be very cost effective and therefore they are value for money.”

Many of the drugs on the list were up to 15 years old.

“We’re talking often about products that are generics, you know all genericized, so they’re quite old, they’re not what we would call new medicines.

“Other countries that are poorer than us are very happy to fund these medicines because they see they are valued for money.”

Health Minister Simeon Brown’s office said he was not in a position to comment on funding as discussions were sensitive ahead of Budget Day.

He pointed to a record $604 million investment in Pharmac in 2024.

The minister said that money covered 33 new cancer medicines and 33 treatments for other conditions. But he said there was more to do to expand access to life saving and life extending medicines.

The Minister responsible for Pharmac David Seymour acknowledged that funding of medicines still took too long.

While Pharmac was achieving better outcomes for patients and increasing access, he said there was room for improvement.

He said when Pharmac was given the money it needed, it acted quickly.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Allegations of bullying against one of the most senior staff at Corrections were raised more than a month ago.

RNZ earlier revealed Corrections commissioner of custodial services Leigh Marsh was facing an employment investigation in relation to allegations of bullying.

On Wednesday, Corrections chief executive Jeremy Lightfoot confirmed the concerns were raised on February 15.

“No other formal concerns have been raised about this individual, and they have not previously been subject to an employment investigation.”

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

After receiving the concerns, advice was sought from the human resources team and support was put in place for the staff member who raised the concerns, Lightfoot said.

“The decision was then taken to undertake a formal employment investigation.”

Lightfoot said it was important staff felt confident raising any concerns.

“And as an employer I have a duty of care to ensure the ongoing privacy and wellbeing of those involved.

“For these reasons, it would not be appropriate for us to provide further details about this employment matter at this time. I acknowledge the public interest in the conduct of our senior leaders and Corrections is committed to being transparent about the findings of this investigation at the appropriate time and in line with our obligations under the Official Information Act and Privacy Act.”

In response to questions about the inquiry into Marsh earlier this week Lightfoot told RNZ he expected “high standards of all our staff and take any allegations raised about their conduct extremely seriously”.

“Corrections can confirm that concerns have been raised about one senior leader that will be investigated by an external independent investigator.

“The concerns raised relate to alleged conduct around management processes and bullying within the employment relationship.”

The staff member who raised the concerns with Lightfoot was “being supported while this employment matter is ongoing”.

He also confirmed three operational deputy chief executives, including Marsh, would be undertaking six-month secondments into different DCE roles within Corrections.

“I had already been considering moving the operational DCEs into each other’s areas later this year. This is because I believe these secondments will allow each operational DCE to deepen their understanding of each other’s respective areas so we can continue building a coherent, cohesive organisation. Their employment agreements were developed to allow such secondments to take place.

“The decision to do this now was brought forward to ensure that a thorough and fair employment process for both parties in relation to the above complaint can be carried out.”

The secondment sees Marsh move to DCE of Pae Ora.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

People who are not eligible for the government’s fuel relief package – including beneficiaries or those living in rural communities with no children – say it is a “kick in the guts”.

The government announced on Tuesday that more than 140,000 working families with children will get an extra $50 a week to help counter rising fuel prices, with another 14,000 families qualifying for a part payment.

The government said the payment will target those struggling the most, but people living by themselves, without children, receiving the pension and living rurally feel as though they have been squeezed out.

A Christchurch single mother – who works part-time and receives a benefit – said she was left with just $93 for food after her bills were paid and her petrol tank was filled up.

“That doesn’t even take into account if someone needs a pair of shoes, or the car breaks down. $93 is all that is left over, with this increase in petrol.”

Sarah* said the $50 boost would have made a big difference to her family.

“It means that you’re constantly having to mentally juggle what choices you can make and what you can afford. Everything has to be calculated because it is so expensive.

“You end up eating the same thing over and over and having to make a batch of bolognese and that just goes for a whole week.

“My poor daughter has to moan and groan because there’s hardly any food for lunch boxes.”

In the past three weeks, Sarah has had no choice but to go to her local food bank, twice.

“We don’t buy takeaways at all, so there’s no stopping for an ice-cream on the way home, obviously the ability to buy clothes is non-existent.

“I had to buy my daughter a pair of sports shoes on Sunday, that money had come out of the power and internet that’s due, so I have to find that somewhere which is probably going to come out of food.”

A mum living in rural Mid-Canterbury, who did not want to be named, said she has to drive more than 100 kilometres each way to get to work, costing her $180 per tank of petrol.

But because she and her partner’s combined income added up to $130,000, they were just over the threshold to get the $50 boost.

“We’ve cut the shopping bill, luckily we have a decent amount of land, so we grow our own fruit and vegetables.

“But there will be more of a focus on growing as much of a winter crop as we can, although we are an alpine village so we get a lot of snow, so that cuts down on what we can grow.”

A woman living in rural Otago – who also did not want to be named – receives the pension and works part time, alongside caring for her elderly mother.

She has to drive 20 kilometres into town often to take her mother to her GP appointments, but it meant she would have to cut down on other things to be able to afford petrol for the week.

“It will be like blankets and jerseys and going to bed early, rather than having the heating on, but here down south it does get pretty cold in winter.”

Minister for Social Development and Employment Louise Upston was asked on Tuesday at Parliament about the assistance beneficiaries can access if they were struggling with fuel costs.

“One of the requirements at the moment is that they are fulfilling their obligations and if they have challenges meeting, for example, fuel costs, there is assistance available through MSD.

“I would always expect them to be talking to their case manager and to MSD about any challenges they face.”

But Sarah said it felt like a kick in the guts that the government had not taken single people and retirees into account.

“I just thought that was so offensive and a kick in the guts to block out, especially single parents who do work part-time, as non-working Kiwis.

“What’s the problem in supporting a parent to be a good parent? Is that not a form of work? I think to be excluded from that bracket was just so uncaring and humiliating.

“It feels like the sentiment is that being on a benefit is a choice, when it’s not a choice.”

The temporary $50 top up is being delivered through a boost in the in-work tax credit starting from April.

It is set to last a year or until the price of 91 octane petrol drops below $3 a litre for four consecutive weeks.

*Name changed to protect identity

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Source: Radio New Zealand

An Auckland man has died after being arrested by police in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill this morning.

Acting Auckland City District Commander Inspector Grant Tetzlaff said a critical incident investigation was now underway after the man’s death in custody.

The man was arrested shortly before 10am this morning on Morrie Laing Avenue, after officers responded to several reports of “a disorder”.

He was arrested without incident and taken to the Auckland District Custody Unit, where he collapsed.

An ambulance was called and first aid was given to the man, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Tetzlaff said next of kin had been informed. He said support had been provided to the family, as well as police staff who had been involved.

“Several investigations will now get underway, including the critical incident investigation, which will examine the course of events this morning.

“As part of this process police have notified the Independent Police Conduct Authority.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Conservationists in Otago are celebrating the return of whio to the Rees Valley after more than 50 years.

Southern Lakes Sanctuary staff spotted a pair of the endangered blue ducks on a recent trip to install a new trapline in the valley, north of Glenorchy.

Southern Lakes Sanctuary chief executive Paul Kavanagh said the sighting was very significant and exciting following years of predator control work by his organisation, the Routeburn Dart Wildlife Trust, Rees Valley Station, Ngāi Tahu and the Department of Conservation.

“Our staff were lucky enough to be watching a pair of takahē feeding beside a pair of whio on the river. It’s so exciting and I guess it’s validating for the work we’ve been doing in partnership with many people for quite a long time,” he said.

“This why we do this sort of mahi, so we’re absolutely delighted.”

Takahē were released in the Rees Valley last year but the whio had returned of their own accord, Kavanagh said.

“Whio are really good indicators of healthy waterways but also the threats that face whio are the same that face takahē and the same that face kea, so the work that we’re doing to protect takahē do have that kind of cascade impact,” he said.

Iris Scott, who has lived at Rees Valley Station for more than 50 years, said it had been a personal dream to see whio return.

“I remember seeing them when I first started farming here in the 1970s,” she said.

“Seeing whio again is beyond what I’d hoped for.”

The return of the river birds followed that of the western weka last year, which also had not been seen in years.

Southern Lakes Sanctuary trustee Estelle Pura Pērā-Leask (Ngāi Tahu, Whakatōhea, Ngāti Ruanui) said the return of the native species was of deep significance to mana whenua.

“For Ngāi Tahu the return of species like whio reflects the restoration of relationships between people, whenua and waterways and the responsibility of kaitiakitanga to protect them for future generations,” she said.

Kavanagh said conservationists hoped the whio would draw others to the area though it was too early to know if the whio were a breeding pair.

Whio were vulnerable to stoats and the new trapline in the alpine – consisting of 50 traps – would play a key role in protecting them, he said.

“Our conservation efforts, it just has to keep going. You can’t take your foot off the gas so hopefully this pair of whio stay in the area, others naturally return and we get a breeding population of whio soon.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A plan is needed to ensure Aotearoa’s food production is protected, says Eat NZ.

McCain announced yesterday it will close its Hastings frozen vegetable plant early next year.

Wattie’s has also proposed stopping all frozen vegetable production, as well as some other food products, which would see three manufacturing plants close.

Growers have also been feeling the bite from both rising fuel and fertiliser prices, and Angela Clifford – chief executive not-for-profit Eat New Zealand – says now is the time for a national food security plan.

“We tend to lurch from crises to crises without doing the work in between times to make us more resilient for the next time these crises arrive.”

Clifford highlighted the Hunger Monitor report, which showed that one in three Kiwi families struggled for food in the past year, and she says New Zealanders are losing access to their own food.

“That is often framed as our fault because we can’t afford it, but I would argue that there is also an opportunity for supermarket to ensure our own food remains on our shelves to create better long-term security for our country.”

Clifford said more and more of the food New Zealanders eat was imported, such as US butter being sold in supermarkets as the cheaper option, as well as the sourcing of supermarket homebrand lines from overseas.

When asked about this, Foodstuffs said nearly 70 percent of the products that it sourced for its own brand Pams was from New Zealand.

A spokesperson told RNZ that Wattie’s was a significant supplier of Pams frozen vegetables and other items and it was now looking for alternative suppliers.

Foodstuffs said it was always looking to work with local producers.

“At the same time, any supplier needs to be able to deliver consistent quality, reliable volume at scale, and good value for customers. Where New Zealand producers can do that, they’ll absolutely be part of the mix.”

Woolworths said about 45 percent of its own brand frozen vegetables were grown in New Zealand, and Wattie’s and McCain are not among the suppliers.

“Across our Own Brand range we will always look for New Zealand-sourced products where we can find solutions that meet our customers’ needs and offer them value.”

It added that it was a low-margin, high volume business.

“Of every dollar spent in our stores, around 62 cents goes to our suppliers. We keep about 2.3 cents and the remainder goes to paying wages and other operational costs, and investing in our store network.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A traditional symbol of connection will embrace visitors when they enter the arena at the $50 million Tūparikino Active Community Hub when it opens in New Plymouth racecourse in 2028.

With groundworks and design work done and the project on budget, the district council said, construction will begin in May.

The indoor arena will host sport, recreation and cultural activities, and feature six basketball or netball-sized courts that can be configured into 12 volleyball courts, 16 badminton or pickleball courts, or three futsal courts.

The façade design symbolises two interlocking hīnaki (woven eel nets), traditionally used by mana whenua to gather tuna (eels) from the nearby river.

Ngāti Tūparikino spokesperson Rita Rukuwai said it acknowledged the shared history of Ngāti Te Whiti and Ngāti Tūparikino, reflecting both the past and the future of the site as a place where communities came together.

“Tuna was a staple food source for Māori and represents the relationships woven over time between the two hapū, and the importance of their connection to the local landscape and waterways.

“We felt this represented not only the historical significance of this site, but also the connections that will continue to grow within the Tūparikino Hub. This place will see many different groups of people coming together for health, well-being and prosperity.”

New Plymouth firm Clelands Construction was awarded the construction contract for the indoor arena which would include an upper-level community space for local organisations and groups, a café, and event facilities.

Mayor Max Brough said the project was significant for the local economy.

“This will support jobs for more than 20 local subcontractors and suppliers at a time when the construction industry is feeling the pinch, so the benefits of this building work will flow back into our community.”

Brough said the stadium had been designed as a flexible and accessible space that could support a wide range of activities, from grassroots recreation and school groups to cultural performances, regional tournaments and everyday community use.

Additional playing fields inside the racecourse would be developed as further funding became available.

Sport Taranaki chief executive, Michael Carr, said the Tūparikino Hub would have far-reaching benefits for the region’s sport, recreation and well-being.

“Tūparikino will be a place that inspires people to be active, to connect and to belong.

“It will bring together people from across codes, activities, ages and backgrounds. The benefits will extend well beyond sport. It’s about health, confidence and community spirit.”

At a glance:

• The Tūparikino Hub will have a new indoor stadium and sports fields that could hold national sports tournaments and events such as kapa haka.
• Cost $50m.
• Groundworks started in late 2024
• Opening early 2028.
• An energy-efficient, low-maintenance building.
• The hub will share the site with Taranaki Racing, which has a 33-year lease.

Follow progress on @tuparikinohub on Instagram or find out more at npdc.govt.nz/Tūparikino.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Families of those killed in the Pike River Mine disaster fear the government’s proposed health and safety law changes will remove worker protections and risk another tragedy.

Sonya Rockhouse, who lost her 21-year-old son Ben, and Anna Osborne, who lost her husband Milt, told the Education and Workforce Select Committee on Wednesday they wanted health and safety laws strengthened.

A methane-fuelled explosion ripped through the Pike River coal mine in the rugged Paparoa Range on the South Island’s West Coast on 19 November 2010, killing 29 workers.

The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill was introduced to Parliament last month and the government said it was intended to reduce death and injury rates while also cutting compliance costs by focusing on the most serious critical risks and reducing confusion.

But critics said the changes could weaken worker protections and result in more workplace injuries.

Osborne said her husband’s death was preventable, it was not bad luck or an act of God.

“He was killed by a company that put its profit ahead of his life and the lives of 28 others, and that was allowed to happen by years of people, sitting in the same seats you are now, weakening the health and safety laws and regulations again and again,” she told the committee.

“This should never have happened and the travesty of justice that followed is a blight on New Zealand’s soul.”

‘This bill takes that away’

Workplace health and safety laws were strengthened in 2014 after the mining disaster, which had kept workplace deaths and injury rates at bay despite the population of the country growing larger, she said.

“People could be confident in speaking up and employers began to feel they needed to listen,” she said, of the 2014 changes.

But that was still not enough and Osborne and Rockhouse wanted to a corporate manslaughter charge introduced in New Zealand law.

“Milt always looked out for his people – he was a volunteer fireman, a local councillor – I have always thought that among all the bad that came from Pike he would have taken some heart in the fact his death helped keep others safe even just by a little bit,” Osborne said.

“This bill takes that away. It takes it away from every person at work in New Zealand and it takes it from the memory and the legacy of Milt and all the men he is lying with in that shithole of a mine.”

The pair made the submission on behalf of Stand With Pike outlining their concerns with the proposals in the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill.

Rockhouse said Ben was a intelligent, articulate, gentle boy who believed people were good.

“I don’t know what he would have made of how hard we’ve had to fight for truth that should have been ours by right. We should never have had to fight, protest and campaign for justice, accountability or truth,” she said.

“I don’t even know what to think of this right now, of the fact that we are having to come here again to tell people yet again about the consequences of taking people’s rights to health and safety from them.”

Osborne and Rockhouse met with Workplace Safety Minister Brooke van Velden at Parliament last November on the 15th anniversary of the disaster.

The minister, who admitted she had not read the Royal Commission’s report on the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy, and did not support the introduction of a corporate manslaughter charge, instead preferred to focus on “upfront guidance” for businesses.

Rockhouse said everyone had the right to go to work in the morning and come home safely.

“It feels like the authors of this Bill have failed to learn from history, they have wilfully ignored it and it makes me sick and angry”, Rockhouse said.

“To wind back health and safety despite the price our men and us – their families – have paid, despite the fact that all of New Zealand has seen that cost? Shameful does not even begin to describe it.”

‘Absolute conflict of interest’

Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March asked the pair about their concerns with the law change.

Rockhouse said both her sons – Dan was one of just two survivors from the disaster – told her if they tried to raise issues around health and safety, no matter how big or small, they were told to “just shut the F up and get on with your job, basically that was the mentality”.

Several miners told her they had been worried about an explosion at the mine and the chief executive had said, “if you don’t like it there’s the door, leave, you’re not in Australia now”, she said.

“It’s very hard in that context to think the CEO would have identified the appropriate critical risks under the financial pressure they were under.”

Osborne said methane levels in the mine peaked over 19 times in the two weeks before the explosion.

“Those 19 times the men should have been out of the mine and, until that mine re-ventilated, they should not have been allowed to work but [Peter] Whittle and the managers there wanted production to happen,” she said.

“It was almost like they were playing a game of Russian roulette – production over safety.”

Stand With Pike advisor Rob Egan said the Bill assumed the workplace health and safety regulator could police and provide guidance and consultation to employers.

“That’s exactly what happened at Pike River … it is an absolute conflict of interest,” he said.

Earlier this year police said they were nearing the final stages of the criminal investigation into the disaster.

Detective superintendent Darryl Sweeney said the investigation was legally complex and police had been working with the Wellington crown solicitor for more than 18 months.

Further investigation was still needed and an update was likely to be several months away, he said.

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