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The ChatGPT effect: In 3 years the AI chatbot has changed the way people look things up

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Deborah Lee, Professor and Director of Research Impact and AI Strategy, Mississippi State University

ChatGPT has become the go-to app for hundreds of millions of people. AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato

Three years ago, if someone needed to fix a leaky faucet or understand inflation, they usually did one of three things: typed the question into Google, searched YouTube for a how-to video or shouted desperately at Alexa for help.

Today, millions of people start with a different approach: They open ChatGPT and just ask.

I’m a professor and director of research impact and AI strategy at Mississippi State University Libraries. As a scholar who studies information retrieval, I see that this shift of the tool people reach for first for finding information is at the heart of how ChatGPT has changed everyday technology use.

Change in searching

The biggest change isn’t that other tools have vanished. It’s that ChatGPT has become the new front door to information. Within months of its introduction on Nov. 30, 2022, ChatGPT had 100 million weekly users. By late 2025, that figure had grown to 800 million. That makes it one of the most widely used consumer technologies on the planet.

Surveys show that this use isn’t just curiosity – it reflects a real change in behavior. A 2025 Pew Research Center study found that 34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, roughly double the share found in 2023. Among adults under 30, a clear majority (58%) have tried it. An AP-NORC poll reports that about 60% of U.S. adults who use AI say they use it to search for information, making this the most common AI use case. The number rises to 74% for the under-30 crowd.

Traditional search engines are still the backbone of the online information ecosystem, but the kind of searching people do has shifted in measurable ways since ChatGPT entered the scene. People are changing which tool they reach for first.

For years, Google was the default for everything from “how to reset my router” to “explain the debt ceiling.” These basic informational queries made up a huge portion of search traffic. But these quick, clarifying, everyday “what does this mean” questions are the ones ChatGPT now answers faster and more cleanly than a page of links.

And people have noticed. A 2025 U.S. consumer survey found that 55% of respondents now use OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini AI chatbots about tasks they previously would have asked Google search to help them with, with even higher usage figures for the U.K. Another analysis of more than 1 billion search sessions found that traffic from generative AI platforms is growing 165 times faster than traditional searches, and about 13 million U.S. adults have already made generative AI their go-to tool for online discovery.

This doesn’t mean people have stopped “Googling,” but it means ChatGPT has peeled off the kinds of questions for which users want a direct explanation instead of a list of links. Curious about a policy update? Need a definition? Want a polite way to respond to an uncomfortable email? ChatGPT is faster, feels more conversational and feels more definitive.

At the same time, Google isn’t standing still. Its search results look different than they did three years ago because Google started weaving its AI system Gemini directly into the top of the page. The “AI Overview” summaries that appear above traditional search links now instantly answer many simple questions – sometimes accurately, sometimes less so.

But either way, many people never scroll past that AI-generated snapshot. This fact combined with the impact of ChatGPT are the reasons the number of “zero-click” searches has surged. One report using Similarweb data found that traffic from Google to news sites fell from over 2.3 billion visits in mid-2024 to under 1.7 billion in May 2025, while the share of news-related searches ending in zero clicks jumped from 56% to 69% in one year.

Google search excels at pointing to a wide range of sources and perspectives, but the results can feel cluttered and designed more for clicks than clarity. ChatGPT, by contract, delivers a more focused and conversational response that prioritizes explanation over ranking. The ChatGPT response can lack the source transparency and multiple viewpoints often found in a Google search.

In terms of accuracy, both tools can occasionally get it wrong. Google’s strength lies in letting users cross-check multiple sources, while ChatGPT’s accuracy depends heavily on the quality of the prompt and the user’s ability to recognize when a response should be verified elsewhere.

OpenAI is aiming to make it even more appealing to turn to ChatPGT first for search by trying to get people to use a browser with ChatGPT built in.

Smart speakers and YouTube

The impact of ChatGPT has reverberated beyond search engines. Voice assistants, such as Alexa speakers and Google Home, continue to report high ownership, but that number is down slightly. One 2025 summary of voice-search statistics estimates that about 34% of people ages 12 and up own a smart speaker, down from 35% in 2023. This is not a dramatic decline, but the lack of growth may indicate a shift of more complex queries to ChatGPT or similar tools. When people want a detailed explanation, a step-by-step plan or help drafting something, a voice assistant that answers in a short sentence suddenly feels limited.

By contrast, YouTube remains a giant. As of 2024, it had approximately 2.74 billion users, with that number increasing steadily since 2010. Among U.S. teens, about 90% say they use YouTube, making it the most widely used platform in that age group. But what kind of videos people are looking for is changing.

People now tend to start with ChatGPT and then move to YouTube if they need the additional information a how-to video conveys. For many everyday tasks, such as “explain my health benefits” or “help me write a complaint email,” people ask ChatGPT for a summary, script or checklist. They head to YouTube only if they need to see a physical process.

You can see a similar pattern in more specialized spaces. Software engineers, for instance, have long relied on sites such as Stack Overflow for tips and pieces of software code. But question volume there began dropping sharply after ChatGPT’s release, and one analysis suggests overall traffic fell by about 50% between 2022 and 2024. When a chatbot can generate a code snippet and an explanation on demand, fewer people bother typing a question into a public forum.

So where does that leave us?

Three years in, ChatGPT hasn’t replaced the rest of the tech stack; it’s reordered it. The default search has shifted. Search engines are still for deep dives and complex comparisons. YouTube is still for seeing real people do real things. Smart speakers are still for hands-free convenience.

But when people need to figure something out, many now start with a chat conversation, not a search box. That’s the real ChatGPT effect: It didn’t just add another app to our phones – it quietly changed how we look things up in the first place.

The Conversation

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

– ref. The ChatGPT effect: In 3 years the AI chatbot has changed the way people look things up – https://theconversation.com/the-chatgpt-effect-in-3-years-the-ai-chatbot-has-changed-the-way-people-look-things-up-270143

‘Robust growth’ drives Fisher & Paykel Healthcare to $213m half-year profit

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare managing director Lewis Gradon Supplied / Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

New Zealand’s largest exporter Fisher & Paykel Healthcare has beaten expectations with a 39 percent increase in first-half net profit with revenue up 14 percent.

The respiratory appliance manufacturer’s first-half net profit for the period ended September was $213 million, with record revenue of $1.09 billion.

“This is a strong result against the backdrop of robust growth in the first half of last year,” managing director Lewis Gradon said.

“We saw broad-based strength across the Hospital consumables portfolio during a period of lower seasonal respiratory hospitalisations, and in Homecare, our latest range of masks for treating obstructive sleep apnea has performed well.”

Key numbers for the six months ended September compared with a year ago:

  • Net profit $213m vs $153.2m
  • Revenue $1.09b $951.2m
  • Hospital operating profit $692.2m vs $591.4m
  • Homecare operating profit $359.9 m vs $359.4m
  • Operating margin 26.3% vs 22.9%
  • Interim dividend 19 cents per share vs 18.5 cps

Gradon said efficiency gains contributed to an improved gross margin despite the recent impact of US tariffs on Hospital products sourced from New Zealand.

Looking ahead

The company also lifted its full year revenue and profit guidance by $20m.

The consensus for full year revenue was in a range of $2.15b to $2.25b, with net profit of $436m, which was near the top of its guidance range of $390m and $440m.

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

Mountain guide who died on Aoraki Mt Cook described as ‘careful and diligent’

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Source: Radio New Zealand

On Tuesday police recovered the body of a mountain guide from Aoraki Mt Cook. Unsplash / Corey Serravite

The New Zealand Mountain Guides Association (NZMGA) says a guide who died on Aoraki Mount Cook was a careful diligent guide with experience climbing the mountain.

On Tuesday police recovered the bodies of an internationally-recognised mountain guide and their client who died in an overnight fall on Aoraki Mount Cook .

The climbers were in a party of four, made up of two New Zealand guides and two clients.

They were roped together in pairs, climbing from Empress Hut to the summit when the two fell from the mountain’s west ridge.

Police confirmed one of the climbers was from the US and said they were working with US consulate.

NZMGA president Anna Keeling said the guide, who was a member of their organisation, was “careful and diligent”, and had been guiding for at least 12 years.

She said the man was married with two young children.

Keeling said he was an internationally certified mountain guide, originally from overseas, but had been based in New Zealand for a decade.

She said the guide last climbed Aoraki Mount Cook just two weeks ago, “via the quite difficult East Ridge”.

“He was very qualified to be up there and knew the route well and knew the conditions well this year. So it’s very shocking.”

Keeling said the conditions on Aoraki Mount Cook at the moment were favourable after all the snow in the past couple of months, but that there was always some risk.

“We make our clients aware also that we are risk managers, that we cannot entirely eliminate risk.”

“But they’re willing to accept it for the opportunity for a really tremendous experience, especially on New Zealand’s highest peaks.”

“Being up on the summit ridge of Aoraki is an incredible experience with amazing views, […] it’s actually indescribable how amazing it is up there. But that reward comes with risk.”

She said Aoraki Mount Cook was considered a riskier mountain to guide.

“I have guided Aoraki a number of times. I would say it’s the hardest thing we do as New Zealand guides.”

Keeling said it was a difficult, arduous and incredibly long climb, and also involved climbing in the dark.

“Climbing at night is typical because it typically freezes at night and we like to travel on our crampons in firm snow rather than really punchy, soft snow,” she said.

Keeling said where the climbers fell was a very exposed spot with “no margin for error.”

She said the New Zealand mountain guiding community was like a family and the guide’s death was a huge blow to the community.

She said their hearts also went out to the guide’s family and friends.

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

How to donate your poo to science or medicine

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nadeem O. Kaakoush, Scientia Associate Professor, Host-Microbiome Interactions Group, UNSW Sydney

DBenitostock/Getty

When most people think about donating body parts to science or medicine, they might think of life-saving donations of organs, tissues or blood. But you can also donate your poo.

The idea is to use it for poo transplants, otherwise known as faecal microbiota transplantation. That’s when poo products made from healthy donor poo are transplanted into another person to improve their health.

Scientists like myself rely on poo donations to run clinical trials into this type of research. Some clinics rely on poo donations to treat patients.

To put it bluntly, we rely on people having a shit for science or medicine.

Here’s how to get involved and become a poo donor.

Why would you want to?

Think of a poo donation as donating a different type of “organ”, your gut microbiome. This is the community of microbes in your gut responsible for critical functions in the body, including shaping your immune system and how you metabolise food.

We’re learning more about the gut microbiome all the time. This includes identifying functions important to our health and discovering potential new antimicrobial products derived from poo.

To get involved with this type of science, you’d need to donate your poo or make a series of donations at set times that fit into a study’s design. Your microbiome would be profiled and the data used to answer questions relating to that study.

For instance, it was this type of science that led to researchers learning more about how we share our gut microbiome with our social networks, the people we interact with in person, day to day.

Poo donations can be used to treat people. This is now accepted as an option for recurrent infection with the bacterium Clostridioides difficile that hasn’t responded to conventional treatment.

Poo donations have also been explored to treat inflammatory bowel diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, liver diseases, long-term urinary tract infections, mental health issues, improving cancer immunotherapy, and more.

There’s a hierarchy of poo

Not all poo is created equal. All donations from individuals that pass study inclusion and exclusion criteria are welcome for research. But poo donations for treatment need to pass an exceptional threshold of safety and quality.

These poo donors undergo extensive medical screening before selection because of the many unknowns in poo. When we transplant poo, we want to make sure the donor is free from blood-borne viruses (such as HIV or hepatitis). We also want to make sure their poo is free from parasites, and disease-causing viruses and bacteria (such as C. difficile) and certain antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

To complicate matters, a commitment to donate consistently is expected. With that comes ongoing medical screening, which can be time-consuming.

Donors also have to avoid activities that increase their chances of acquiring a blood-borne infection, such as injecting drugs or having unprotected sex. They also have to avoid visiting countries where traveller’s diarrhoea is common.

Poo stability is also an issue as it doesn’t last long without proper storage. This means poo donation only works if you live or work near one of these sites.

All these restrictions quickly reduce the pool of donors we can recruit.

A decade ago we conducted our own clinical trial and quickly became aware of the difficulties of obtaining and maintaining a source of therapeutic poo.

Out of 116 potential donors we screened, an expensive and time-consuming process, only 12 individuals passed. That’s roughly 10%. Many decided not to participate due to the frequency of donations required. Some had medical conditions, parasites or detectable blood in their poo. Others had risk factors for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare brain disease associated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or “mad cow” disease).

You could improve someone’s life

Is there an upside? You could be saving someone’s life, or at least improving their quality of life significantly.

It is likely your donation will treat someone with recurrent C. difficile infection. Otherwise, it would be used in a clinical trial or study to treat another important medical condition.

As a poo donor, you’d also get a free, extensive and ongoing health check. Depending on where you donate, you might get paid.

However, the more of such health checks you have, the more chance of finding a medical condition (an incidental finding) that may need to be investigated, prompting a cascade of further tests.

Where can I sign up?

There are a number of organisations in Australia that recruit poo donors, including:

What’s the take-home message?

We’re a long way from replicating the entire gut microbial community in the lab. So we have to rely on live microbial products made from donated poo as research moves from the laboratory bench to the clinic.

As with all health products, the benefits and evidence need to be weighed with caution.

Yet, if we unlock the potential of the gut microbiome via donated poo, this opens exciting avenues to develop probiotics and more therapeutics.

The Conversation

Nadeem O. Kaakoush receives funding from Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation (US). BiomeBank and Centre for Digestive Diseases, mentioned in the article, currently supply or have previously supplied faecal microbiota transplantation products for clinical trials and studies.

– ref. How to donate your poo to science or medicine – https://theconversation.com/how-to-donate-your-poo-to-science-or-medicine-266361

‘The main thing you’ve got is TikTok’: how the social media ban could harm African diaspora youth

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melanie Baak, Senior Lecturer, UniSA Education Futures, University of South Australia

Cottonbro Studios/ Pexels

The Australian government’s social media ban will begin in about two weeks. From December 10, those under 16 will no longer be able to have personal accounts on sites such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. They will still be able to see publicly accessible content.

A lot of the debate around this change has focused on the harms of these platforms, such as cyberbullying, misinformation and screen addiction.

But we also know social media is an important way for young people to connect, especially for marginalised groups.

Our as yet unpublished new research shows the ban risks harming young Australians of African heritage by limiting vital pathways for identity formation, belonging and connection.

Our research

Since 2023, we have been working on a broader project on African Diaspora Youth Belonging. This has involved nine youth co-researchers from across Australia. Their experiences and reflections form part of the research and they have learned to design and carry out research themselves.

In this particular part of the research, the nine co-researchers conducted two rounds of conversations with 31 other African diaspora young people about belonging in Australia in 2023 and 2024. This included questions about social media use. Young people were invited through personal networks and social media.

Participants came from every state and territory except Tasmania, and from both urban and regional areas. The group included 26 young women, 13 young men, and one participant who identified as trans-female.

While a majority of the participants in our study were aged 17–20, most described having accessed social media from much younger ages.

‘I could actually find people like me’

Our interviewees described social media as a pivotal space for understanding their identity. These platforms enabled participants to “see people like me”, “learn about my culture”, and “find words to describe what I’ve always felt”.

In particular, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram were seen as everyday spaces where Black youth could go to connect. Umar* (18) from South Australia explained,

In Australia, there’s not really too much media for the youth in general, let alone Black youth. The main thing you’ve got is TikTok.

Another participant, Abebi (21) from the ACT, added social media was “always uplifting”:

I could actually find people like me because they were just everyday people posting, especially on YouTube. That was the first place I was able to look at curly hair care videos […] I felt so seen.

‘There’s a lot of people out there who can teach you’

Participants emphasised the information they accessed through social media wasn’t available elsewhere. Tresor (20) from New South Wales told us social media taught him important things he would not learn at school:

for example, what products to use on my hair […] There’s a lot of people out there [on social media] who can really teach you this stuff, and really help you understand how to better yourself as, for me, a Black man.

Keji (18) from the ACT similarly spoke of social media as a resource for learning about identity and culture:

TikTok does not get enough credit for being such a good learning tool […] it’s how I found some of my favourite books and essays that helped me understand who I am.

‘I can be anyone’

Afro-Blackness in Australia is often depicted in negative terms. The African gangs narrative, for example, presents African young people as deviant and a threat to the social order. Participants described how in everyday spaces in Australia, they felt they had to “shut your Blackness down […] because it wasn’t seen as a good thing”.

Social media, however, provided more complex, positive representations of Black identity. For example, Farai, a 21-year-old of Zimbabwean heritage, described how TikTok expanded her understanding of what it means to be Zimbabwean:

If I went online and saw how different everyone is, but they’re still like, yeah, I’m Zimbabwean […] it’s like, okay, I can be anyone, but I’m still Zimbabwean.

Similarly, Venus (18) from the ACT said social media helped her realise “there isn’t one type of Black person […] it’s okay to be different”.

Social media also provided young people with the language and tools for self-advocacy. James (19) from NSW told us:

[I] didn’t really understand what [racism] could look like until I saw Instagram posts and YouTube videos.

‘I could be like that’

Social media is often criticised for pushing toxic content at young people. Our participants acknowledged this. Tongai, (18) from NSW noted “looking at other people and what they’re doing is obviously not healthy”. Yet, many had developed the skills to curate their feeds and limit harmful content. As Addition (20), who identified as trans-female, shared:

You can consume news and what’s happening without having to feel like you’re in it […] I had to unfollow people because I can’t process that right now.

The social media ban ignores young people’s digital literacy – our research suggests many are already critically engaging with complex online worlds.

When implemented, the ban risks further marginalising this diverse group of young people by restricting access to a key source of identity, connection and culture. As Aaliyah (18) from South Australia told us,

once we see a Black person post something positive, it’s like – that’s me, I could be like that.

*names have been changed.

The authors would like to acknowledge the nine youth co-researchers who were essential in the data collection and analysis: Benjamin Grant-Skiba, Elaine Ncube, Shaza Hamed, Efon Luwala, Mwangaza Milunga, Jeanne Munyonge, Zamda Omba, and particularly Habibat Ogunbawo and Yahya Djomani-Ousmane who have been specifically involved in this article.

The Conversation

Melanie Baak receives funding from the Australian Research Council (DE230100249).

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

– ref. ‘The main thing you’ve got is TikTok’: how the social media ban could harm African diaspora youth – https://theconversation.com/the-main-thing-youve-got-is-tiktok-how-the-social-media-ban-could-harm-african-diaspora-youth-270288

A backlash against AI imagery in ads may have begun as brands promote ‘human-made’

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Harrison, Director, Master of Business Administration Program (MBA); Co-Director, Better Consumption Lab, Deakin University

In a wave of new ads, brands like Heineken, Polaroid and Cadbury have started hating on artificial intelligence (AI), celebrating their work as “human-made”.

But in these advertising campaigns on TV, billboards on New York streets and on social media, the companies are signalling something larger.

Even Apple’s new series release, Pluribus, includes the phrase “Made by Humans” in the closing credits.

Other brands including H&M and Guess have faced a backlash for using AI brand ambassadors instead of humans.

These gestures suggest we have reached a cultural moment in the evolution of this technology, where people are unsure what creativity means when machines can now produce much of what we see, hear and perhaps even be moved by.

This feels like efficiency – for executives

At a surface level, AI offers efficiencies such as faster production, cheaper visuals, instant personalisation, and automated decisions. Government and business have rushed toward it, drawn by promises of productivity and innovation. And there is no doubt that this promise is deeply seductive. Indeed, efficiency is what AI excels at.

In the context of marketing and advertising, this “promise”, at least at face value, seems to translate to smaller marketing budgets, better targeting, automated decisions (including by chatbots) and rapid deployment of ad campaigns.

For executives, this is exciting and feels like real progress, with cheaper, faster and more measurable brand campaigns.

But advertising has never really just been about efficiency. It has always relied on a degree of emotional truth and creative mystery. That psychological anchor – a belief that human intention sits behind what we are looking at – turns out to matter more than we like to admit.

Turns out, people care about authenticity

Indeed, people often value objects more when they believe those objects carry traces of a person’s intention or history. This is the case even when those images don’t differ in any material way from a computer-generated image.

To some degree, this signals consumers are sensitive to the presence of a human creator, because when visually compelling computer-generated images are labelled as machine-made, people tend to rate them less favourably.

Indeed, when the same paintings are randomly labelled as either “human created” or “AI created”, people consistently judge the works they believe to be “human created” as more beautiful, meaningful and profound.

It seems the simple presence of an AI label reduces the perceived creativity and value.

A betrayal of creativity

However, there is an important caveat here. These studies rely on people being told who made the work. The effect is a result of attribution, not perception. And so this limitation points towards a deeper problem.

If evaluations change purely because people believe a work was machine made, the response is not about quality, it is about meaning. It reflects a belief that creativity is tied to intention, effort and expression. These are qualities an algorithm doesn’t possess, even when it creates something visually persuasive. In other words, the label carries emotional weight.

The unnatural looking social media post from the Queensland Symphony Orchestra
The unnatural looking social media post from the Queensland Symphony Orchestra upset fans.
Queensland Symphony Orchestra on Facebook

There are, of course, obvious examples of when AI goes comedically wrong. In early 2024, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra promoted its brand using a very strange AI-generated image most people instantly recognised as unnatural. Part of the backlash, along with the unsettling weirdness of the image, was the perception an arts organisation was betraying human creativity.

But as AI systems improve, people often struggle to distinguish synthetic from real. Indeed, AI generated faces are judged by many to be just as real, and sometimes more trustworthy, than actual photographs.

Research shows people overestimate their ability to detect deepfakes, and often mistake deepfake videos as authentic.

Although we can see emerging patterns here, the empirical research in this area is being outpaced by AI’s evolving capabilities. So we are often trying to understand psychological responses to a technology that has already evolved since the research took place.

As AI becomes more sophisticated, the boundary between human and machine-made creativity will become harder to perceive. Commerce may not be particularly troubled by this. If the output performs well, the question of origin become secondary.

Why we value creativity

But creative work has never been only about generating content. It is a way for people to express emotion, experience, memory, dissent and interpretation.

And perhaps this is why the rise of “Made by Humans” actually matters. Marketers are not simply selling provenance, they are responding to a deeper cultural anxiety about authorship in a moment when the boundaries of creativity are becoming harder to perceive.

Indeed, one could argue there is an ironic tension here. Marketing is one of the professions most exposed to being superseded by the same technology marketers are now trying to differentiate themselves from.

So whether these human-made claims are a commercial tactic or a sincere defence of creative intention, there is significantly more at stake than just another way to drive sales.

The Conversation

Paul Harrison has previously received funding from ASIC, the Consumer Action Law Centre, and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. He is a member of the Consumer Policy Research Centre Board, the auDa General Advisory Committee, the VCCC Alliance Consumer Led Research Group, and the Rapid Regulatory Response Oversight Group of AHPRA.

– ref. A backlash against AI imagery in ads may have begun as brands promote ‘human-made’ – https://theconversation.com/a-backlash-against-ai-imagery-in-ads-may-have-begun-as-brands-promote-human-made-269276

Maths professor says Education Minister’s claims a school trial is ‘groundbreaking’ is problematic

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The 12-week trial involved 1500 Year 7 and 8 students who received small-group tutoring up to four times a week. Supplied / Ministry of Education

A maths professor has questioned the results of a school maths trial the Education Minister has labelled as “groundbreaking”.

Education Minister Erica Stanford said a maths acceleration programme for Year 7 and 8 students who needed extra support, has seen them make an average of one to two years progress in 12 weeks.

Stanford said the results showed the government’s focus on fixing the basics is working.

“Every parent wants their child to feel confident in maths. These results show that students are catching up faster than anyone expected, thanks to strong foundations, clear teaching, and teachers who are embracing the reforms across the country.”

The 12-week trial involved 1500 Year 7 and 8 students who received small-group tutoring up to four times a week.

Stanford said students not in the trial, simply learning under the new curriculum, also made progress.

“The biggest breakthrough was for the students who were working in their usual classes with their teacher. These students were not part of the first 12-week trial but were benefiting from hour-a-day maths, the new curriculum, and new workbooks. They made, on average, a full year’s progress in just 12 weeks. That shows the reforms are lifting achievement for all children, not just those receiving additional tutoring.”

Education Minister Erica Stanford. RNZ / Mark Papalii

But Massey University’s Jodie Hunter told Morning Report the minister needs to explain how she reached that conclusion.

“I think it’s very problematic to say that these children have made one to two years progress, when potentially looking at what has been released, they are only testing the children in one very small area of mathematics, which is numbers,” Hunter said.

“So you can’t make a claim that children have made one to two years progress when you’re only looking at one out of six areas of mathematics.”

Hunter said there is a lot of missing information.

“The information that’s been released basically says that the children were participating in a trial which was focused on number concepts, so structure of number, multiplication and division, and proportional reasoning and fractions.

“So that would indicate that was the focus of the trial and that was what was tested and the results were found for,”

Hunter said what’s missing is algebra, geometry, measurement, probability and statistics.

The results were collaborated using e-asTTle, an online assessment tool. Hunter said that is problematic in itself.

“E-asTTle is a tool that was developed for the previous curriculum, so that was the curriculum that was released in, I think, 2007 or 2008.

“So it’s not testing against the new curriculum, which then again, raises a whole lot of questions, because the previous 2008 curriculum had significantly lower expectations than what the new curriculum has, and then this makes me question things.

“For example, when we have had the claims of the maths crisis, which was last year, that was tested against the new curriculum.

“Now we’re having claims that everything is being solved and our results are that these interventions are having amazing results, we’re testing arguably against the previous curriculum.

“There needs to be consistency on what’s being tested and what tools are being used if you’re going to say there’s a crisis based on the new curriculum and then say problem is solved based against the old curriculum, that becomes problematic.”

Hunter said despite this, she is not against having extra mathematics for students that need it.

“I think having extra mathematics for students is a great thing and it would be very surprising if children didn’t make progress, if they’re having four small group tutoring sessions each week for 12 weeks.

“Of course, children are going to make progress, so I’m not arguing against that, but I’m arguing against these claims that we’ve solved everything and that these children are making one to two years progress.” she said.

The government is now rolling out the programme to 13,000 students nationwide, at a cost of $40m, which will begin in Term 1 2026.

RNZ approached the Minister, who referred RNZ to the Ministry of Education.

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

Another fire breaks out at scene of earlier suspicious blaze at Waiuku

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Source: Radio New Zealand

More than 60 firefighters tackled the first blaze at Waiuku recycling facility. Supplied

Shipping containers at an Auckland business park that were set alight late on Monday night were ablaze again in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Fire engulfed nearly 5000 square metres of plastic and six shipping containers at a recycling facility storage area in Waiuku Business Park on Monday.

Fire and Emergency shift manager Ryan Geen said they were called to the same business park about 3.30am on Wednesday.

“They found two shipping containers [on fire], that were involved in the fire the other night,” he said.

The fire was put out by about 5am, he said.

Crews did not call a fire investigator or the police, but the investigation into Monday night’s fire was ongoing, he said.

The police are treating Monday’s fire as suspicious.

The owner of Waiuku Business Park, Sam Wulff, told RNZ he leased out part of the industrial lot to the plastics recycling company, Future Post.

He was shocked to learn that the fire might have been deliberately lit there.

He said the recycling facility converted waste plastic into fence posts.

Residents near a huge fire at a recycling facility in Waiuku on Monday night were asked to stay indoors. Supplied

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One in five Auckland home sellers making a loss

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Almost 20 percent of Auckland homeowners are selling their properties for a loss. RNZ / Kate Newton

Almost 20 percent of Auckland homeowners are selling their properties for a loss.

Cotality has released its latest Pain and Gain report, which shows the number of properties being sold for a gain or loss around the country.

It reveals that in the third quarter of this year, 87.8 percent of properties nationwide were sold for more than the sellers had previously paid for them.

That is down from 89.4 percent the previous quarter and is the largest percentage making a loss since 2013.

In Auckland, 18.2 percent of owner-occupier sellers are making a loss, and 22.8 percent of investors.

It is the highest percentage of losses among the main centres. In other areas, South Wairarapa had 32 percent making a loss in the quarter and Masterton 18.8 percent.

The data does not include the costs of sale, including real estate commission, so the number making losses is likely to be higher.

In Wellington, 13.4 percent of owner-occupiers and 20.9 percent of investors made a loss.

Cotality chief property economist Kelvin Davidson said the data was consistent with prices still being well off their peaks in many areas, and buyers having most of the pricing power.

“Both Auckland and Wellington went through very strong growth during the boom period, so more recent buyers paid top prices and are now more vulnerable. Auckland’s larger pool of apartments also contributes to its higher loss rate, although that reflects long-run performance rather than short-term weakness,” he said.

The national median resale gain in the third quarter was $270,000, down from the late-2021 peak of $440,000 but still higher than anything recorded before late 2020. The median loss was $50,000, slightly below that of the second quarter.

Davidson said the difference was how long people had held a property before they sold it.

The median length of time sellers had owned a property that sold for a gain was 9.5 years, compared to just under four years for those making a loss.

“The resale performance of property is not weak in an absolute sense, but the figures highlight the role of time in the market. Longer ownership provides a much greater likelihood of securing a capital gain.

“Three-and-a-bit years ago places you [were] at a point in the cycle when prices were extremely high and mortgage rates were already rising. Anyone who bought then and has since faced a change in circumstances is more exposed to selling at a lower price than expected.”

Cotality chief property economist Kelvin Davidson. SUPPLIED

Standalone houses were less likely to sell at a loss than apartments.

They had a loss rate of 11.4 percent compared to 36.2 percent of apartments.

Queenstown Lakes was a standout in the data, with only 2.4 percent of sellers making a loss and a median gain of $486,000.

Davidson said while the data was weaker, it was not really weak. “If you look at the median gain of $270,000 most people would say that’s still pretty substantial. It is weaker than it’s been for quite some time but it’s not a complete blowout either. If you go back to the GFC around 2007, 2008, the share of resales made for a profit fell from pretty much 100 percent to close to 80 percent in about two years. This time it’s fallen from about 100 percent to about 90 percent in about four years. It’s been more of a slow burn.”

He said more people have been able to stretch out their mortgages to save cash. “It’s always going to be a bit lagged because if you think things have turned around …hold period is a big factor. Even if values have turned around in the past couple of months they are still 17 percent below where they were at the peak. Anybody who bought four years ago even if they have seen their property value tick up in the last few months there is still a likelihood of making a loss because they purchased at the peak of the market.”

He said anyone who bought at the peak might be in a difficult position for a few more years yet. “If you think we might get 4 percent or 5 percent growth maybe per year in the next three or four year the cycle itself could well be seven or eight years long. If you bought in 2021, perhaps the early months of 2022, that in hindsight was a difficult period to have made a purchase if circumstances changed and you’ve had to sell again in a short period of time.”

First-home buyers might particularly feel the impact if they had not been through property cycles before. “It’s all very well for people to say ‘oh well don’t’ worry about it you’ll ride the cycle out and house prices will rise’ but it’s very different if you’re in those shoes and you paid a price that was top dollar in 2021 and you’re still sitting on a paper loss four years later.”

The share of loss-making resales is expected to remain elevated in the near term, given the subdued market backdrop with outcomes to hinge on values, household sentiment and the volume of stock for sale.

“Vendors may need to meet the market, but gains will remain substantial for those who have held for a long period. Most owner-occupiers won’t see a cash windfall, as equity generally rolls straight into the next purchase unless they’re downsizing or moving to a cheaper location.”

There are early signs that rising sales volumes are reducing available stock, and the outlook for 2026 points to price growth supported by lower mortgage rates and a gradually strengthening economy.

“Property resellers may fare better in 2026, although a rapid turnaround looks unlikely,” Davidson said.

“Regions with strong affordability or tight supply, such as Queenstown Lakes and parts of the lower South Island, remain best placed to hold their ground.”

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Delays on Auckland Harbour Bridge after roadworks equipment breakdown

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The breakdown delaying reopening lanes after an overnight closure. NZTA / Waka Kotahi

Commuters heading south over the Auckland Harbour Bridge can expect delays after roadwork equipment broke down.

The New Zealand Transport Agency said a piece of roadworks equipment malfunctioned on the bridge overnight.

The breakdown delayed reopening lanes after an overnight closure.

Only two out of five lanes were available early on Wednesday morning, but all had reopened by about 6.20am.

The transport agency warned motorists they still needed to allow extra time for southbound travel due to “heavy congestion”.

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Heat alerts possible as temperatures begin to soar

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Forecast maximum temperatures for Wednesday 26 November. MetService/Facebook

MetService says heat alerts could be issued as temperatures begin to soar on Wednesday.

Timaru is expected to hit 30° on Wednesday, while it’s set to be 28° in Dunedin and 29° in Christchurch.

The high temperatures are set to also run into Thursday, when Christchurch is tipped to hit 30°.

Heat alerts are normally available from December through to February but conditions meant monitoring had started earlier this year, lead forecaster Chelsea Glue said.

“There are two things that can trigger a heat alert, the first is a one-off extreme high temperature for the maximum temperature for the day,” she said.

“The second is prolonged period of not quite so extreme, but still warm days and nights as well and it’s the second situation we might be finding ourselves in.”

MetService first started issuing heat alerts in 2021, and last summer they covered 46 towns and cities.

Thresholds for triggering a heat alert vary from one region to another.

Glue said the temperatures coming on Wednesday and Thursday, caused by warm north-westerly winds, were higher than usual.

Forecast maximum temperatures for Thursday 27 November. MetService/Facebook

“They are on the more extreme end and that’s why there is the potential for triggering an alert to warn people it could be a lot warmer than you might expect for this time of the year,” she said.

MetService’s advice was for people to stay hydrated and in the shade and to check on any vulnerable people and animals.

Meanwhile, MetService is also predicting heavy rain for parts of the country.

A warning is in place for Tasman west of Takaka until 2pm.

There’s also a heavy rain watch for Buller until 2pm, and the Westland ranges until 11am.

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Black Caps face tricky group at T20 World Cup

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Black Caps celebrate a wicket Photosport

The Black Caps have been grouped with South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada and UAE for this summer’s T20 World Cup.

New Zealand are currently fourth in the world T20 rankings, one place ahead of South Africa, while Afghanistan are tenth, but will be a challenge in the Asian conditions.

The tournament which is co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka will run from 7 February to 8 March.

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will meet in Colombo on 15 February.

It will be their first meeting since they contested three fiery matches at the 2025 Asia Cup.

India have been grouped with Pakistan, USA, Netherlands and Namibia in Group A.

In Group B are Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman.

England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal and debutants Italy are in Group C.

The top two teams in each group will advance to the Super Eights, where they are split into two groups of four.

The top two in each group will then progress to the semi-finals, which will be held on 4 March (in Kolkata or Colombo) and 5 March (in Mumbai).

Pakistan will play all of their matches in Sri Lanka because of ongoing political tensions with India.

The final will be hosted in Ahmedabad, unless Pakistan qualify, when it will be moved to Colombo.

The complete groups are as follows:

Group A: India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, Namibia

Group B: Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman

Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy

Group D: New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE

New Zealand games:

February 8: New Zealand v Afghanistan, Chennai.

February 10: New Zealand v UAE, Chennai.

February 14: New Zealand v South Africa, Ahmedabad.

February 17: New Zealand v Canada, Chennai

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Breakers development player Tukaha Cooper banned for cannabis use

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Tukaha Cooper of the Southland Sharks, 2025. PHOTOSPORT

Breakers development player Tukaha Cooper has been banned from basketball for a month after testing positive for cannabis.

The Sport Integrity Commission Te Kahu Raunui tested Cooper after the Southland Sharks National Basketball League game against Saints in Wellington on 20 July.

The commission’s statement said the 23-year-old later admitted recreational use of cannabis.

The commission accepted that the use was out-of-competition and unrelated to sporting performance.

Cannabis is banned under the Substances of Abuse category in the Sports Anti-Doping Rules, which acknowledge that some substances are used outside of sport.

Cooper incurred a one-month sanction, backdated to 24 October 2025, on the condition that he complete a treatment plan for substance abuse.

The athlete has completed the treatment programme and is now eligible to return to sport.

Commission chief executive Rebecca Rolls said the approach under the Substances of Abuse category reflected a balance between supporting athlete health and maintaining the integrity of competition.

She noted that while the pathway was supportive, cannabis is still banned in sport.

“We encourage athletes to make informed choices and reach out for help when needed,” said Basketball New Zealand chief executive officer Belinda Edwards.

Cooper has not played for the Breakers during the current NBL season.

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30 with Guyon Espiner: Sir Bill English believes Christopher Luxon will lead National to election victory

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Despite dropping in the polls and failing to resonate with voters on a range of issues, Sir Bill English is confident Christopher Luxon is the right person to lead National to victory at next year’s election.

Speaking to 30 with Guyon Espiner, the former Finance Minister said the government has done a “remarkably good job”, adding that Prime Minister Luxon, Winston Peters and David Seymour all deserve credit for what they have achieved.

“They’ve got an equilibrium, and I’m making those comments not just as a former politician, but sitting outside it, involved in running businesses, involved with a wide range of New Zealanders.

“It doesn’t work to change Prime Ministers,” he said. “It’s stable and it’s working.”

While suggesting New Zealand was going through a “rough patch”, Sir Bill said it wasn’t about the government showing “bold leadership”, but rather the government needed to sort out “those barriers that are getting in the way of productive investment and, more importantly, productive employment”.

“This government, it’s a bit less sort of clean cut and well presented, but it is stable. The government’s got a coherence, and it’s getting through a whole lot of serious issues. I think they’ve done a remarkably good job, and probably an unexpectedly good job, of managing themselves.”

On the economy, Sir Bill – who served as Finance Minister under Prime Minister Sir John Key from 2008 to 2016 – said in 12-18 months New Zealand’s will be growing faster than Australia’s.

The current economy feels like it is “struggling to get up out of the mud” because the usual cycle of house prices picking up, which makes people feel good and spend more money, isn’t happening.

“New Zealand’s dealing with some structural shifts in its economy, which means its recovery is slower.

“But in a sense, it will be a higher quality recovery, because it won’t be dependent on some big shift in house prices, and it won’t be as dependent on a surge in immigration.”

Sir Bill said “this amazing, almost bipartisan view that we need to change the rules for housing so that it’s more affordable” is cause for optimism.

When pushed on the increase in inequality, including rising homelessness, Sir Bill pointed to the impacts of previous policy.

“Our poor-quality housing policy in the past has driven a lot of inequality. It’s driven a lot of a burden on low-income people trying to afford housing.

“I don’t think the housing issues were to do with neoliberalism. They were actually to do with over-planning our city’s.

“Poor planning causes poverty, it causes higher costs than would otherwise be the case.”

Sir Bill English says New Zealand is going through a “rough patch”. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Sir Bill was also critical of the “state monopoly” which he said has done a “poor job for a long time” when it comes to social housing, and called for more housing to help tackle issues around homelessness.

While economists and politicians have been debating whether a Capital Gains Tax is worthwhile, Sir Bill said “there’s a lot of complexity, not much revenue,” and “the possibility of revenue is significantly less now than it would have been, say, 10 years ago, and certainly 20 years ago.”

On Te Pāti Māori, whom he worked with for three terms, Sir Bill described it as “an often-challenging experience” but “a satisfying one”, before saying the party as it was originally conceived was conservative.

“I don’t mean in the sort of National Party’s right-wing sense, but conservative in that they were trying to rebuild social connection, self-reliance.”

Sir Bill praised the increasing use of te reo Māori in everyday language, and how “in the business world dealing with iwi is now completely normal”, but said “particularly in the public service, performative biculturalism had got completely out of control.”

“I think what you’ve seen recently has been a kind of general political correction.

“What I find interesting is that there’s a debate going on in the political world about whether one party’s anti-Māori or whatever. In the real world the custom and the practice of the people just moves on.”

He added: “there’s nothing wrong with a bit of pushing and shoving when you think the Constitution’s at stake”.

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Milk production hits historic levels as Fonterra narrows payout forecast

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Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand milk production hit historic levels in October. 123rf

New Zealand milk production hit historic levels in October, with national collections rising 2.8 percent year-on-year.

It marked the biggest October since 2018 and the third-largest month for milk production in New Zealand’s history.

It came as high global supply of milk saw Fonterra lower its forecast farmgate milk price on Tuesday to a mid point of $9.50 per kilogram of milk solids for the current season, down from $10.

NZX dairy analyst Lewis Hoggard said the lower payout would discourage farmers to carry on record milk production.

“There’ll definitely be a correction over time,” he said.

“Farmers have a sort of break-even price for what’s necessary in order to justify how much feed input they need to use. So by lowering that forecast that is gonna disincentivise a little bit of production.

“But $9.50 is still pretty strong, so I still see production being relatively strong going forward.

“But as payouts come down that should bring the supplementary feed down as well.”

Strong pasture growth earlier in spring and a high milk price had farmers feeding more supplement, with palm kernal imports (PKE) up around 7 percent in October.

PKE imports for the season so far were sitting 32 percent higher than last year too.

Hoggard said this was a sign farmers had been pushing production while payout expectations remained strong.

He said despite the reduced payout, Fonterra had lifted its forecast milk collections for this season to 1.545 billion kilos of milk solids, which signalled ongoing production strength.

Meanwhile, in Europe, dairy farmers have warned of a deepening price crisis, with the European Milk Board calling for immediate voluntary production cuts to stop prices collapsing.

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‘I was engulfed in this huge cloud of orange and green slime’

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Source: Radio New Zealand

One of the most explosive tales in underwater cameraman Andrew Penniket’s new memoir comes courtesy of a snoozing sperm whale in Tonga.

“It was a big bull, and he was just floating along. And it was incredibly clear water.”

Penniket swam out to the whale, but the current had placed him in an unfortunate position behind its tail, he told RNZ’s Nine to Noon.

A close encounter with a Humpback calf.

Kim Westerskov

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The rising cost of taking a gamble on the what-ifs

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Generic image of insurance, homes, houses. 123rf

From house insurance to health insurance, mortgage to pet to funeral, the list of what can be insured seems to be growing. Insurance experts list the ones you can cancel.

As the cost of insurance balloons to more than $16 billion a year, more New Zealanders are taking money-saving risks by cutting cover on their homes and resorting to self-insurance.

Consumer NZ’s head of investigations Rebecca Styles says its annual surveys show people are increasingly dropping insurance altogether because they cannot afford to pay the premiums.

She says most worrying is the decision to cut house insurance. The number of house insurance policy holders who cancelled their policies has risen from seven percent in 2022 to 17 percent last year.

“We’re still crunching the number for the 2025 survey but I wouldn’t be surprised if that goes up a little bit again,” she says.

Extreme weather events drove a sharp increase in premiums in that time, but for that very reason dropping the insurance is a “huge risk”.

Today, The Detail looks at the steps people are taking to tackle soaring premium costs.

Figures from the Insurance Council show that the amount New Zealanders spent on insurance has jumped from $6.9 billion in 2020 to $10.7b last year.

On top of that are life and health insurance, which together rose from $4.58b to $5.73b in the same period, according to the Financial Services Council.

“Where does it all stop? How many costs in my life are taking a gamble on the what-ifs,” says Bianca Russell, who spends hundreds of dollars every month on several insurances.

Former hocky Olympian Bianca Russell spends hundreds of dollars every month on several insurances. Kelly Wilson

The 47-year-old is a former hockey Olympian who lives in Auckland on a middle management salary. She says her previous career in top level sport and her current high-risk, expensive hobbies mean she needs the cover.

But a closer look at her premiums before her interview with The Detail gave her a shock, she says.

Russell jokes that she’s permanently broke because of her “bougie lifestyle” but she’s very happy to keep paying insurance because she doesn’t want to be a burden to her family.

Overall, insurance has had the largest price rise of any item tracked in the consumer price index since 2000, but Styles says health insurance is one of the biggest concerns as premiums have shot up in the last year.

Stats NZ data shows that health insurance premiums, as measured in the consumer price index, were up almost 20 percent year-on-year in September and more than 200 percent over 15 years.

While Consumer NZ’s surveys show the number of people dropping their house insurance has risen to 17 percent, the Insurance Council says its own figures show that figure is four to six percent and that roughly 95 percent of homeowners retain house insurance.

Chris Walsh of the MoneyHub research website says people need insurance now more than ever because of climate change, and worries about the health system, but many are over or under-insured because they don’t understand their policies.

He’s also seeing a trend in ‘self insurance’.

“Self insurance is popular and I’m seeing it more and more … [with] health insurance for older New Zealanders. They are being faced with quite large bills once they reach 70, 75 and they look at that and they think actually if it’s a $10,000 renewal fee, or a $15,000 to $20,000 [fee] for a couple, [they would rather] take that money, cancel the policy and put that money aside.

“I certainly wouldn’t recommend people self insure a house … and the same with travel.”

MoneyHub’s website has a list of five insurances you don’t need, which Walsh says upset some people when it was first published in 2019 – but he still backs it.

“One of those was pet, it depends on the pet. Look we got a bit of backlash on this but I’ll stand by it because it is true.”

Also on this list: “certainly funeral [insurance] and certainly things like life insurance when you just don’t have the risk,” he says.

Both Styles and Walsh say they are not financial advisors and they recommend people with a range of insurances get expert help.

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Primary principals urge Minister to slow down curriculum changes

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Education Minister Erica Stanford. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Primary principals say they are at an impasse with the government over its school reforms.

In a series of open letters, regional principals associations have urged Education Minister Erica Stanford to slow down her curriculum changes and reverse her overhaul of the Teaching Council and the government’s recent removal of schools’ treaty obligations.

Association presidents told RNZ their members felt strongly about the situation and dissatisfaction was widespread.

Despite the complaints, Education Minister Erica Stanford said she was not losing the support of principals.

“In fact when I go around schools and classrooms the curriculum, as ERO has already said, is being implemented with fidelity around the country,” she said.

Asked if the principals’ concerns were unfounded, Stanford said: “Change is hard, right. Change is really hard and there are always principals who feel that there’s a lot coming at them. And we are there to support them,” she said.

“We’re there to make sure we’ve got resources, really good implementation, that we’re feeding back results early, we’re putting intervention teachers in to help those students who are falling behind, we’re doing everything we can.”

But principals told RNZ they could not possibly adopt the most recent changes to the maths curriculum in time for the new year.

They also said the government’s treaty change was “a massive mistake” and the Teaching Council overhaul was a power-grab that eliminated teachers’ control over their own professional body.

Auckland Primary Principals Association president Lucy Naylor said Stanford risked “losing” some teachers and principals if she did not compromise.

“The minister’s got a choice of knuckle down and keep going and lose some of the sector or we change direction and make some significant changes to to legislation,” she said.

“The implications of changing legislation are far reaching as well. So I do think that the minister is between a rock and a hard place at the moment, but we are going to have to have some definitive answers.”

She said the association surveyed its 428 members and found 77 percent of the 256 respondents felt negative about “the current educational landscape” and about 80 percent opposed the government’s Teaching Council and Treaty of Waitangi changes.

Naylor said many principals were likely too busy to complete the survey and she was confident the results were a fair representation of Auckland school leaders’ views.

She said the minister had agreed to a meeting.

“We’re planning to meet with her face to face in the next couple of weeks to work out a way forward, and I think that’s really important because there is so much negativity in the sector at the moment,” she said.

Otago Primary Principals Association president Kim Blackwood said Stanford often claimed that the sector supported her changes, but the association’s members were not convinced.

“The sector really feels like we’re not being listened to,” she said.

“The minister often makes remarks to say ‘the people have said’. When we get together, we’re all like, ‘Well where is this information coming from? That’s not what we’re saying on the ground’.”

Blackwood said schools were trying to cope with an unreasonable amount of change.

“On one hand, they’re saying, ‘this is for the betterment of children’. But actually, you’ve got the sector saying ‘I’ve got 30 kids in my class every day and I can’t get on top of what it is that I need to do because you keep changing it’,” she said.

Blackwood said schools were being asked to make a lot of effort to introduce changes that would likely be rolled back if there was a change of government next year because education was a political football.

“There’s no real traction because we’re always in a state of change,” she said.

Wellington Region Primary Principals Association vice-president Suzanne Su’a said the pace of change was putting unreasonable pressure on teachers and principals.

“Schools, principals, teachers, we’re not resistant to change. That’s not the issue at all,” she said.

“We’re absolutely open to change, but it needs to be change that is transparent, we need to be consulted around the change in a timely manner that’s manageable and achievable. It needs to all be evidence-based and we need to be involved in that process for change and that hasn’t really been the case,” she said.

Sua said the fourth school term was “chaos” and there was no way teachers and principals had the capacity to even think about changes to the English and maths curriculums.

“It’s not the time for teachers to be exploring the changes, particularly in English and maths and the maths changes that were recently introduced to us were quite different to what we’ve seen before. So to put into implementation at the beginning of next year is virtually impossible. It just it just can’t be done effectively, which then impacts on our kids.”

Rotorua Principals’ Association senior vice-president Hinei Taute said principals were feeling frustrated and let-down.

“There seems to be one thing after another,” she said.

“It just keeps coming at us.”

Principals Federation president Leanne Otene said the government was ignoring peak bodies like the federation, but it could not ignore local associations.

“This is hugely significant and it is coming from the regional associations,” she said.

She said the organisations consulted their members after an emergency meeting earlier this month and the feedback was clear.

“It was absolutely unanimous that the sector was reeling from all of these announcements,” she said.

Otene said the government had indicated schools did not have to use the revised English and maths curriculums from day one next year, but that was not good enough.

She said schools wanted to do the job properly and they needed more time to prepare.

Otene said teachers would also struggle to respond to consultation on drafts for other curriculum areas by April next year.

She said rushing would do more harm than good.

“When you have a curriculum where there’s not adequate professional development, where teachers and principals are not given the opportunity to be consulted on the process, where they’re not part of co-designing, where they don’t own the curriculum and they don’t understand the curriculum, what is going to happen is that it is going to be half-hearted,” she said.

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Auckland couple take legal action over refusal to buy out flood-damaged home

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Brendon and Stephanie Deacon at their property that was considered category one by Auckland Council despite their neighbours all being category three following flooding. RNZ / Luka Forman

An Auckland couple who had to kayak from their home in Huapai to escape flash flooding are taking the city council to court over its refusal to buyout their property after the devastating storms almost three years ago.

Brendon and Stephanie Deacon’s home near Kumeu River’s main channel has been hit by flooding multiple times and many of the neighbouring houses have been bought out and removed as part of the $1.2 billion scheme offered jointly by Auckland Council and government.

Two homes either side of theirs are among the nine gone on their street.

But according to council, the Deacons’ house is a low risk to life and not eligible for a buyout.

“You walk out your front door and you see the wasteland and you just get constantly reminded of the situation you’re in. There’s no getting away from it,” Brendon Deacon said.

Brendon and Stephanie Deacon at their property that was considered category one by Auckland Council despite their neighbours all being category three following flooding. RNZ / Luka Forman

They’ve applied to the High Court in Auckland for a judicial review of council’s decision.

“We just want to be treated fairly. We want our category three buyout, like we should have had from the start. Nothing makes sense as to why we’re still there.”

Deacon and his young family have twice had extreme flooding at their property, first in 2021 when they had to escape on a kayak in the middle of the night, and again in January 2023.

They applied for a buyout but the council deemed their property low risk, level one – category three means there is intolerable risk to life and the property meets the buyout criteria.

The Deacons then applied for a buyout under special circumstances but this was also declined.

He said they commissioned a hydrologist to assess their property’s flood risk against the buyout conditions, who found evidence it met the criteria, but council disagreed.

“It’s pretty obvious where we are, you know, like all our neighbours have been taken away.”

Deacon said they could have disputed with council its decision not to buyout their property but any resulting decision would have been binding.

Auckland Council expects to have bought just over 1200 high-risk homes by the end of this year when the $1.2 billion scheme shared with the government draws to a close.

Its group recovery manager, Mace Ward said it is the first judicial review related to the buyouts and the council will not comment specifically on matters before the court.

“We understand how challenging these situations are for storm-affected people, and we recognise that some individual outcomes may not be what people hoped for,” Ward said.

“Our priority is to support recovery in line with agreed government and council risk policies and risk frameworks, which are essential to ensure equity when using public funds.”

The Deacon’s lawyer, Grant Shand, said a judicial review would allow the process to be interrogated.

He said their property was initially categorised as three, eligible for buyout, but this was revised to one when there was a change to the criteria of “island” houses – when those surrounding are bought out.

“This is more about they’ve adopted the wrong process, they’ve used the wrong facts and they haven’t treated people equally or similarly,” Shand said.

“There are probably a lot more people than the Deacons who are in the same boat here, so if the High Court can form a view on the circumstances lots of other people can benefit from that as well, rather than a confidential dispute resolution process.”

Bredon Deacon said real estate agents won’t even list his house.

Heavy rain is forecast for next week and he is already thinking about whether the family will have to stay elsewhere.

“Multiple times this year, first thing we do is take the kids to one of the grandparents’ houses,” Deacon said.

“I guess I’m sitting here a week out worrying about what’s going to happen next week…It’s horrible. At times it’s all-consuming.”

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

Local government reforms: Need for local voices stressed

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Regional councils such as ECan may not exist for much longer, under new government plans. File photo. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

While opposition parties agree more needs to be done to make local government work better for everybody, they say the government’s proposals to scrap regional councils could remove a layer of community voice and expertise.

Under the proposals revealed on Tuesday, district and city mayors would take on the regional councils’ roles, forming Combined Territories Boards.

Those boards would then be tasked with coming up with plans to reorganise how their councils are structured long-term.

How those plans look is up to the boards, but they would be assessed against criteria like whether they are realistic, are financially responsible, provide fair and effective representation for communities of interest, and whether they support national priorities, strategies, and goals, are financially responsible.

They would have to be given the final sign-off by the Minister of Local Government.

The government has also stressed it would be “highly unlikely” the status quo is maintained, with Resource Management Act Reform Minister Chris Bishop saying it would be a “fair summation” that they ended up being unitary authorities.

“The status quo can’t remain locked in formaldehyde forever,” Bishop said.

Deon Swiggs RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Deon Swiggs is chair of Environment Canterbury, as well as chair of Local Government New Zealand’s regional sector.

He also recognised that the current model was “unsustainable,” but said it was important that accountability, localism, and local voice was transferred to whatever happened in the future.

“We all want to see our economy thrive. We all want to see things get done. And reorganising local government may not achieve those outcomes. It might achieve efficiencies in some areas, but it might not achieve the outcomes that the government wants to see.”

Wiggs was also a Christchurch City Councillor from 2016 to 2019, and said while there were tensions between district and regional councils, it was constructive.

“It’s never been ‘oh, the regional council’s stopping us from doing this’ or ‘the district council’s stopping us from doing that.’ It’s about outcomes,” he said.

“The regional council has a different focus, and the city council has a different focus. They want to drive down costs, and the regional council wants to drive environmental outcomes. Those constructive tensions shouldn’t be looked at as a failure of the system. They should be looked at as actually getting the best outcomes that have longevity in our system.”

Central Otago mayor Tamah Alley said it was a “dramatic shift,” and while mayors put their hands up to represent their communities, “sometimes that asks more of us than we thought at the beginning”.

“It will be a challenge for local government, already under the pump with so much reform on our plates to pick up the additional workload. If that’s the direction that comes from this consultation,” she said.

Alley, who is a Local Government New Zealand national council mayor, said local government had been talking about how to do things in a more efficient and economic way for a while, and the proposals had “pushed the conversation”.

Selwyn mayor Lydia Gliddon said while she could see the intention to streamline decision making, it raised big questions.

She said any new model must not be a restructure for the sake of it.

“These are not small responsibilities. If those functions are reorganised or absorbed, we need absolute clarity that oversight won’t be weakened.”

Nelson is one of the councils that currently operates under a unitary authority model, along with Tasman, Marlborough, Auckland, Chatham Islands, and Gisborne.

Nelson mayor Nick Smith. LDR / Max Frethey

Mayor Nick Smith said the proposed changes would make councils “simpler, less costly and will help deliver better services”.

He said the unitary model had meant the Nelson, Tasman, and Marlborough councils had worked “much better,” and it was a “no brainer” to merge Nelson and Tasman.

The Northland Mayoral Forum, which comprises the region’s three district mayors and regional council chair, agreed it was time to review the way local government was structured.

Far North mayor Moko Tepania said all four forum members were unanimous that whatever the outcome of reform, “we want to make sure it’s in the best interests of Northland as a whole. We do not need a ‘one size fits all’ solution imposed by Wellington”.

Whangārei mayor Ken Couper said the priority was “ensuring that any changes deliver real benefits for our communities and our region,” while Kaipara mayor Jonathan Larsen said he looked forward to working with the other Northland councils to get the best possible outcome for ratepayers.

With just under three months of consultation before a final draft, the legislation is not expected to be introduced to Parliament until the middle of next year.

Bishop said what the government had put forward was its preferred model, but it was open to “sensible changes” all the way through the process.

The government would seek to pass it in 2027, lining up with the phasing in of the resource management reforms.

It means, with an election in 2026, a change in government could mean the legislation is dropped.

But Labour’s local government spokesperson Tangi Utikere said Labour would need to look at the implications of the proposal first.

“We are open to looking at how we can make local government work better for everyone, and I think even people within the sector would accept that as well, how we simplify things. That’s where the focus needs to be on right now.”

Simon Watts & Chris Bishop. RNZ/Mark Papalii

The Minister of Local Government Simon Watts said the proposals were “absolutely” consistent with National’s advocacy for localism.

But Utikere disagreed.

“The government talks a lot about the need to empower local communities, but they’re looking to strip away what is a key layer of that.”

Utikere said with such long-lasting implications he was disappointed a bipartisan approach was not taken.

“What we want here is a real look at what works for communities, that local voice is part of that conversation, and also that those key sort of areas of environmental protection, public transport, waste, minimisation and management are taken care of.”

Bishop said consultation was open to everybody, and as Labour was part of the “ecosystem” it would get a chance to have its say.

The Green Party’s local government spokesperson, and former Wellington mayor, Celia Wade-Brown believed mayors had a different skill set to regional councils when it came to public transport, environmental protection, harbour management, and monitoring rivers.

“There is a complete disregard for the expertise for both officers and staff and elected members in these proposals. I think most of us think that there needs to be consideration of reform, but this has jumped to the end game of getting rid of regional councils,” she said.

Wade-Brown acknowledged there was a need for new funding models, and a conversation about planned reorganisation, but starting with getting rid of regional councils was not an inviting way to start.

“This is Christopher Luxon talking about localism and doing the opposite.”

The Combined Territories Boards’ plans would still need to uphold Treaty of Waitangi settlement commitment, but there was no requirement for iwi representation.

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said there were “great relationship agreements” between iwi and regional councils, and she did not want that to change.

“It’ll be really important that it doesn’t sideline the Treaty, and sideline the progress that Māori iwi and communities have achieved within these spaces,” she said.

She also agreed there needed to be a more efficient and effective way to manage the layers of bureaucracy, but said abolishing regional councils was a “direct assault” on Treaty settlements.

“We have to make sure that they’re not removing Māori and iwi from decision making, that they’re not removing environmental protection. And when you centralise power to Cabinet ministers, there’s a political imperative that takes over everything else.”

“It’ll be really important that it doesn’t sideline the Treaty, and sideline the progress that Māori iwi and communities have achieved within these spaces.”

Meanwhile ACT’s local government spokesperson Cameron Luxton called it a “good day for local democracy,” and it would remove overlap.

“For too long we have had territorial councils, regional councils, mayors, local MPs, area ministers and Cabinet all overlapping. People are left wondering who is responsible for what. Voters look at their papers for regional council and see a list of names they do not recognise and shrug their shoulders,” he said.

“Ratepayers don’t know who their regional chair is, but they do know who their mayor is. Under these reforms, they’ll know who to hold to account. By removing a layer of governance, we are making it clearer where responsibility sits.”

The Taxpayers’ Union wanted to see rates relief alongside the announcement.

Spokesperson Tory Relf said the government’s proposals were a “real chance” to cut back bureaucracy and reduce the costs to ratepayers, but would only work if the changes were genuine.

“That can’t mean shifting the same responsibilities and the same staff into district councils and pretending that’s reform. And it certainly can’t mean creating new roles or bodies in a manner that isn’t democratically accountable. Ratepayers need less bureaucracy, not a reshuffle from one layer to another,” she said.

Watts is still expected to bring a policy proposal around rates capping to Cabinet before the end of the year.

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

All Blacks: What will the end of season review reveal?

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Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson www.photosport.nz

Analysis – Ten wins, three losses. That’s how it stacks up for the All Blacks this season, although as per usual those numbers don’t tell the full story behind Scott Robertson’s campaign. There are more figures to help put some context around it all, however, it’s fair to say that no matter how it’s spun, the All Blacks could have done better in 2025.

NZ Rugby will have a review, which they do at the end of every test block and season. This one feels different though – Robertson is now two years into his tenure and should have his feet under the desk by now, so the sort of explanations that presumably were used last year probably won’t wash this time around.

Read more:

Here are the things that will likely be considered when the review happens:

Titles

Cam Roigard and Simon Parker with the Bledisloe Cup. ActionPress

The Bledisloe Cup is safe for the 23rd year in a row, plus both tests were won in convincing fashion. However, that may well be more indicative of the Wallabies considering they’ve been god-awful in the second half of the season.

Other than that, it’s a couple of sponsor’s series trophies but no Rugby Championship. That’s the first time since 2001 the All Blacks have failed to win it over a two-year period, so now something fans used to take for granted is becoming an elusive prize.

Job titles

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, centre, with coaching staff Jason Ryan,left, Jason Holland, Scott Hansen and Leon MacDonald following the All Blacks Squad Announcement. Joseph Johnson/ActionPress

Two assistants leaving in two seasons isn’t good, no matter how you spin it. Especially since Leon MacDonald and Jason Holland had no firm plans on what to do next when they headed for the door.

Captaincy

Scott Robertson (left) and Scott Barrett after the England v All Blacks at Twickenham Stadium, London. www.photosport.nz

Robertson went with Scott Barrett off the bat for his skipper, which made sense given that was the dynamic at the Crusaders and Barrett’s spot in the team has been assured in his 91-test career. From the start, the debate between him and Ardie Savea has been vocal, and after this season is a very compelling one.

However, it’s not particularly negative given the reasons why.

Savea started four tests and finished a couple more as captain, and generally made the correct calls and big plays expected of him. Plus, the emergence of Fabian Holland and Josh Lord means there is now a bit of depth in the second row, so it will be interesting to see what the picture looks like at the end of next year’s Super Rugby Pacific competition – one that Barrett is sitting out.

The way the All Blacks won

Sky is seeking to bid high to again secure exclusive live rights with NZ Rugby. Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz

The first and third tests against France, the first against Argentina, Ireland and Scotland, but most of all the win over the Springboks at Eden Park showed what this team’s mental fortitude can be when they are put in a tough situation.

All of those saw very assured performances at the business end, with the right calls and key plays made.

Damian Williamse of South Africa celebrates. Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz

Which is why the three losses are, in contrast, so disappointing. One week after Cordoba the All Blacks collapsed, unable to cope with a Pumas game plan designed to exploit their weaknesses. One week after Eden Park, they were destroyed by the Springboks for a record loss, basically giving up with 20 minutes to play. One week after Scotland, completely out-thought by England.

Nic Berry shows a yellow card to Sevu Reece. www.photosport.nz

Crucial yellow cards played big roles in the losses to Argentina and England, but the All Blacks were more unlucky than malicious overall. Especially when you compare them to the sort of craziness that happened in other tests over the last few weeks, so it’s probably likely that while these fine margins will be highlighted, so will the fact that not one All Black was suspended for foul play this season.

Maro Itoje of England lifts the Hilary Shield. England v All Blacks at Twickenham Stadium, 2025. www.photosport.nz

While Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks are firmly in control of the narrative of test rugby and the way it’s played, you could make a fair case that England are ahead of the All Blacks in the innovation stakes right now too and not just because they won that match on a very flexible game plan.

Robertson has talked about the need for his players to be adaptable, meanwhile Steve Borthwick has literally started Ben Earl in his midfield. They’ve developed their own ‘Pom Squad’ that took that test away from the All Blacks, and while the English media love to overhype the slightest bit of promise, they are looking like becoming a consistent powerhouse two years out from the next World Cup.

If anything, this review should be asking how the All Blacks can start being talked about in the same way again.

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Social housing agency Te Toi Mahana hikes rents at double the rate ministry initially agreed to

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A Wellington social housing agency has hiked its tenants’ rent at double the rate the housing ministry initially agreed to. RNZ / REECE BAKER

A Wellington social housing agency has hiked its tenants’ rent at double the rate the housing ministry initially agreed to, citing “financial pressures”.

Earlier this month RNZ reported Te Toi Mahana (TTM) tenants were despairing as their rent was put up while the cost of some private rentals were dropping across the capital.

A letter to tenants did not give a reason for the rent increase, which came into effect at the start of November.

When RNZ asked TTM why it was upping the rent, it said its costs had increased due to a rise in the consumers price index (CPI) – a measure of inflation.

However, emails between TTM and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reveal that’s not the whole picture.

An angry tenant says her landlord has not been transparent.

What the emails say

TTM has raised the rent an average of 2.2 percent, but emails between it and the housing ministry showed they had initially agreed on a 1.1 percent rise.

The emails, released under the Official Information Act, showed TTM had first asked HUD to approve a proposed rent increase of 2.7 percent, which it said was a “CPI indexed adjustment”.

But the ministry wrote back: “…the 2.7 percent relates to all inflation across New Zealand for all goods and services rather than actual rentals. HUD uses the actual rentals CPI for the appropriate region.”

It asked TTM to drop the rent increase.

“The CPI for the Wellington region is 1.1 percent, please recalculate your market rent increases with this percentage and resend it through for review.”

TTM recalculated its rents with a 1.1 percent increase, which was approved – but the following day, TTM asked the ministry to reconsider.

“While we understand that the proposed increase is consistent with rental CPI movement for the Wellington region, it does not adequately reflect the financial pressures Te Toi Mahana is currently facing,” wrote tenancy general manager Daniel Tai.

“Specifically, we are locked into a fixed 2 percent per annum increase in lease payments to Wellington City Council and our overall costs inflation (which includes both lease payment and incurred operating expenses) have increased by 2.2 percent.”

Tai proposed a 2.2 percent rent increase, saying it “strikes a fair balance between affordability for tenants and the financial sustainability of our services”.

The housing ministry approved that, but said: “For next year’s increase we must use the actual rentals CPI for Wellington.”

The ministry told RNZ that it worked with community housing providers (CHPs) to determine market rent for specific regions, and raising rents was not strictly tied to CPI.

“In cases where CHPs make reasonable and substantiated arguments for increases higher than local rentals CPI, we consider those requests seriously,” it said.

Tenant says landlord’s comments are ‘deeply misleading’

A TTM tenant, who RNZ has agreed not to name, is furious.

She said her landlord was passing its lease costs directly to tenants.

“But that’s not how the CPI system is supposed to work. CPI is meant to reflect market rental movements, not a landlord’s internal cost structure.

“If every landlord increased rent based on their own costs rather than the market, there’d be no limit.”

There was no mention of tenant affordability in the email chain between TTM and HUD, she said.

“No mention that tenants are using food banks. No mention of the $8 million support fund sitting unused.

“The entire negotiation was about Te Toi Mahana’s costs and what they wanted – not what tenants could afford. That tells you everything about whose interests are being prioritised.”

TTM’s comments to RNZ earlier in November that referred to a CPI increase of 2.7 percent were “deeply misleading”, she said.

“Te Toi Mahana knew they were comparing their rent increase to the wrong benchmark when they spoke to media – therefore the public was misled about the CPI justification.”

Landlord defends rent rise

In a statement, Te Toi Mahana said it would have been able to manage a rent increase lower than 2.2 percent.

“However, such a rental adjustment would not reflect the increase in costs that we face, [and] lead to a reduction in revenue and put greater pressure on rent increases in the future.”

It said the 2 percent increase in the payment to Wellington City Council was “standard practice” in commercial property leases.

Residential rents tended to track overall inflation “in the long run” as rising prices and wages were often correlated, it said.

“However, that relationship is imperfect as rents also reflect broader considerations such as housing supply, population growth, wage growth and so forth.

“This was the case in Wellington last year where consumer price inflation at 2.7% was higher than regional housing inflation at 1.1%.”

It said it would continue to work with HUD to agree appropriate rent changes for future years.

Wellington City Council said TTM had to pay the 2 percent lease payment increase for two more years, then it would be indexed to CPI.

What do tenants pay?

Te Toi Mahana said about a quarter of its tenants received the government’s rent subsidy (IRRS), meaning they paid no more than a quarter of their monthly income.

“Subsidies vary for those tenants which are not eligible for IRRS, but on average they pay less than 70 percent of market rent.”

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Mountain guide who died on Mt Cook described as ‘careful and diligent’

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Source: Radio New Zealand

On Tuesday police recovered the body of a mountain guide from Aoraki Mt Cook. Unsplash / Corey Serravite

The New Zealand Mountain Guides Association (NZMGA) says a guide who died on Aoraki Mount Cook was a careful diligent guide with experience climbing the mountain.

On Tuesday Police recovered the bodies of an internationally-recognised mountain guide and their client who died in an overnight fall on Aoraki Mount Cook .

The climbers were in a party of four, roped together in pairs, climbing from Empress Hut to the summit when the two fell from the mountain’s west ridge.

NZMGA president Anna Keeling said the guide, who was a member of their organisation, was “careful and diligent”, and had been guiding for at least 12 years.

She said the man was married with two young children.

Keeling said he was an internationally certified mountain guide, originally from overseas, but had been based in New Zealand for a decade.

She said the guide last climbed Aoraki Mount Cook just two weeks ago, “via the quite difficult East Ridge”.

“He was very qualified to be up there and knew the route well and knew the conditions well this year. So it’s very shocking.”

Keeling said the conditions on Aoraki Mount Cook at the moment were favourable after all the snow in the past couple of months, but that there was always some risk.

“We make our clients aware also that we are risk managers, that we cannot entirely eliminate risk.”

“But they’re willing to accept it for the opportunity for a really tremendous experience, especially on New Zealand’s highest peaks.”

“Being up on the summit ridge of Aoraki is an incredible experience with amazing views, […] it’s actually indescribable how amazing it is up there. But that reward comes with risk.”

She said Aoraki Mount Cook was considered a riskier mountain to guide.

“I have guided Aoraki a number of times. I would say it’s the hardest thing we do as New Zealand guides.”

Keeling said it was a difficult, arduous and incredibly long climb, and also involved climbing in the dark.

“Climbing at night is typical because it typically freezes at night and we like to travel on our crampons in firm snow rather than really punchy, soft snow,” she said.

Keeling said where the climbers fell was a very exposed spot with “no margin for error.”

She said the New Zealand mountain guiding community was like a family and the guide’s death was a huge blow to the community.

She said their hearts also went out to the guide’s family and friends.

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Heat alerts possible as temperatures continue to rise

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Forecast maximum temperatures for Wednesday 26 November. MetService/Facebook

MetService says heat alerts could be issued as temperatures begin to soar on Wednesday.

Timaru is expected to hit 30° on Wednesday, while it’s set to be 28° in Dunedin and 29° in Christchurch.

The high temperatures are set to also run into Thursday, when Christchurch is tipped to hit 30°.

Heat alerts are normally available from December through to February but conditions meant monitoring had started earlier this year, lead forecaster Chelsea Glue said.

“There are two things that can trigger a heat alert, the first is a one-off extreme high temperature for the maximum temperature for the day,” she said.

“The second is prolonged period of not quite so extreme, but still warm days and nights as well and it’s the second situation we might be finding ourselves in.”

MetService first started issuing heat alerts in 2021, and last summer they covered 46 towns and cities.

Thresholds for triggering a heat alert vary from one region to another.

Glue said the temperatures coming on Wednesday and Thursday, caused by warm north-westerly winds, were higher than usual.

Forecast maximum temperatures for Thursday 27 November. MetService/Facebook

“They are on the more extreme end and that’s why there is the potential for triggering an alert to warn people it could be a lot warmer than you might expect for this time of the year,” she said.

MetService’s advice was for people to stay hydrated and in the shade and to check on any vulnerable people and animals.

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One Love music festival cancelled, organisers cite economic climate

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The country’s biggest reggae music festival has been cancelled, with organisers blaming economic conditions. Supplied / One Love Festival

The country’s biggest reggae music festival is the latest gig to be cancelled, with organisers blaming economic conditions.

In a social media post on Tuesday night, Tauranga’s One Love Festival announced the event would not go ahead in 2026 after organisers “carefully reviewed several challenging situations”.

“With the cost-of-living crisis ongoing – and more than 80% of our audience travelling for two days – we know the strain this puts on household budgets. We hoped for a strong economic recovery heading into 2026, but that hasn’t happened,” the post read.

“Because of these factors, along with unforseen developments behind the scenes, our team has had to make the heartbreaking decision to place One Love Festival on hold for 2026.”

An earlier post in August said the full lineup and festival dates would be announced in September, however, this didn’t happen.

The recent post said organisers had considered offering a one-day, scaled down version of the event, but ultimately decided against this.

“As we take this pause, please know that we are continuing to work diligently on what comes next.

“We look forward to seeing you all again in 2027.”

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Chile plans to launch global campaign seeking to expel ‘pariah’ Israel from United Nations

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Ma’an News Agency in Santiago

Civil society forces in Chile are preparing to launch an international campaign to demand the expulsion of Israel from the United Nations.

This is based on Article 6 of the United Nations Charter against the backdrop of what the campaign describes as “continuous and systematic violations” of international law and resolutions of the UN General Assembly and Security Council.

The official launch of the campaign is due to take place tomorrow during a public event in the capital Santiago while a collection of signatures by electronic petition has already begun.

Campaign data indicated that the petition addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had already exceeded 57,000 signatures, with a goal of quickly reaching 100,000 signatures.

The organisers of the civil society initiative say the rapid response reflects a “broad popular response” to the dire humanitarian situation in Palestine, and embodies “international civil pressure” to get the international system moving after decades of inaction.

At the media event introducing the initiative, lawyer and former Chilean ambassador Nelson Haddad presented the legal framework for the campaign, explaining that Israel had become a “pariah state according to the definitions of international law,” and that it “does not abide by UN resolutions, nor by the basic rules of international humanitarian law, and practises systematic violations that have been ongoing for more than seven decades”.

Campaign organisers say this mechanism has been used in historical moments, such as the Korean War and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that activating it now could constitute an “institutional pressure tool” capable of overcoming obstruction within the UN Security Council.

‘Reforming the UN’
The organisers also believe that the goal is not limited to imposing measures against Israel, but extends to “reopening the file of reforming the structure of the United Nations”, restricting the power of the veto, and restoring the principle of legal equality between states in order to limit the ability of one state to “disrupt international justice.”

The petition read as follows:

“We, the undersigned, respectfully but firmly appeal to you to initiate formal procedures to expel the State of Israel from the Organisation, in accordance with Article 6 of the Charter of the United Nations, because of its repeated violations of the principles contained therein.”

The letter continues:

“Emphasising that Israel, through official statements, declares its intention to eliminate the State of Palestine with all its inhabitants, infrastructure, and memory, and accuses every party that criticises its policies of ‘anti-Semitism,’ and practices repression even against Jewish citizens who oppose genocide, thus making its violations extensive, deep, and directed against everyone who disagrees with its orientations.”

The letter describes what is happening in the Gaza Strip as a “complex war crime,” noting that the occupying state is killing “Palestinians with bombs and missiles, destroying medical infrastructure, and exterminating nearly two million people through hunger and thirst”.

‘Starving population, poisoning the land’
Israel is also depriving the population of water, food, and medicine, and destroying and poisoning the land, representing “one of the most serious documented crimes in the modern era”.

The letter adds that the continued dealings of international and academic institutions with Israel are “unjustified and unacceptable”, and that “Israel must be immediately expelled from all international activities, all institutional relations with it must be severed, and a comprehensive arms embargo imposed that contributes to the continuation of the genocide.”

The message concluded by saying: “With Gaza, humanity dies too. We want Palestine to live, for it is the heart of the world.”

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

View from The Hill: it’s been a carefully orchestrated political courtship, but the marriage could be rocky

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Pauline Hanson dines with Barnaby Joyce in her office at Parliament House

The Senate might be thoroughly sick of Pauline Hanson’s antics – on Tuesday it suspended her for seven days over her appearance in a burqa – but she’s Barnaby Joyce’s kind of politician.

Both are attention-seekers, and they know how to get the publicity they crave and need.

Days ahead of their likely political nuptials, Pauline cooked Barnaby a wagyu steak on her office sandwich press, serving it with a nice salad. Then (of course) the tableau appeared in the media.

Monday had already been eventful for the One Nation leader. After she was denied permission to introduce a bill to ban the burqa and other face coverings, she went to her office, grabbed her burqa (there from a similar stunt in 2017) and appeared back into the chamber in the garb.

Predictably, there was cross-chamber outrage; she was told to leave and take off the garment. When she refused, the Senate dealt with the situation by adjourning for more than an hour and a half.

On Tuesday it returned to the matter, with the government moving a censure against Hanson. The opposition tried unsuccessfully to water it down. But then in a decisive cross-party vote, 55-5, it was carried.

Hanson was given five minutes to explain or apologise. She told the chamber, “senators in this place have no respect for the Australian people, when they have an elected member who wants to move something and to represent them and have their say”.

Unmoved, the Senate then banished Hanson for seven days, which means she will miss the start of next year’s sitting.

Asked about the burqa affair, Joyce defended her and shrugged the incident off as “a bit of theatre in politics”.

But he didn’t want to get drawn too far.

“You talk to Pauline about it […] I’m not her dad. Go talk to her about it.”

Whatever Joyce really thinks about the burqa antic, it’s not likely to give him second thoughts about his apparent course.

One Nation is welcoming – a contrast to the Nationals where he has been relegated to the backbench without a shadow portfolio – and the minor party is riding on a polling high, rating 15% in the latest Newspoll.

Joyce said he will wait until the end of the week to announce his plans. “I just don’t want much of a circus,” he said, apparently seriously. “We’ll get to the end of the week and we’ll make a decision then.”

Assuming Joyce marches out the door, some among the Nationals will say good riddance. He’s been more than half way out for weeks, having declared he would not attend party meetings.

But for some Nationals, particularly Matt Canavan, who has always supported him and formerly worked for him, Joyce’s actions are a stab in the individual, as well as the collective, back.

“I mean, come on, Barnaby, do you really want to go and join the circus, or do you want to stay in a real team that’s really focused on delivering change?” Canavan said on Tuesday.

“The question is this. Is this move from Barnaby about the Australian people, or is it about himself?”

Joyce answered Canavan’s question decisively.

“I’m a front row forward and front row forwards wanna be in the middle of the ruck and that’s where I like to play,” he said. “And […] if I’m staying in politics that’s where I’m going to play,” he told Sydney radio. “I don’t like being sort of stuck down the back.”

With bridges in flames behind him in the Nationals, Joyce sees One Nation as the opportunity to play “in the middle of the ruck” and potentially, eventually to captain the team.

How will the Pauline Hanson-Barnaby Joyce show play out? Hanson, 71, who’s term ends in 2028, said on Tuesday that she will run for another term. It’s unclear when she will cede the leadership. If things dragged on too long, Joyce could become quite impatient.

And when leadership is concerned there can be many a slip between cup and lip.

Whether these two drama-creating, dominant personalities can co-exist without a blow up will test each of them.

The Conversation

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

– ref. View from The Hill: it’s been a carefully orchestrated political courtship, but the marriage could be rocky – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-its-been-a-carefully-orchestrated-political-courtship-but-the-marriage-could-be-rocky-269915

Chatham Island wind farm to slash power prices, cut carbon emissions

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The wind farm is designed to give the Chatham Islands a more stable and reliable electricity supply. File photo. 123rf

Chatham Island locals hope a new wind farm will help to slash power prices, cut carbon emissions and reduce their reliance on diesel.

The three turbines at Port Durham Windfarm can deliver more power than the current peak demand, making it possible for the Chatham Islands to run entirely on renewable energy.

The island uses diesel generators which are vulnerable to supply chain disruptions from an ageing ship and fuel price fluctuations.

It means electricity prices on the Chatham Island are about four times higher than the New Zealand average.

Associate Minister for Regional Development Mark Patterson said the wind farm meant the Chatham Islands would have a more stable and reliable electricity supply as well as reducing emissions.

“This initiative means households and businesses on the Chathams will benefit from significantly lower electricity costs, with expected savings of around 40 cents per kiloWatt hour,” he said.

Diesel use was expected to be cut by up to 68 percent, saving approximately $1.2 million each year, he said.

It would more than halve carbon emissions per person from 3.34 tonnes to 1.37 tonnes a year, Patterson said.

The wind farm will be officially opened on Thursday by Patterson after being built in two years on the remote archipelago.

It received a $10 million grant from the previous government’s Climate Emergency Response Fund in 2023.

It also received a $500,000 grant from the Provincial Growth Fund.

The wind farm includes three wind turbines, a storage battery and other infrastructure.

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Motorcyclist dies in Ashburton crash

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Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / REECE BAKER

A motorcyclist has died after a crash involving a car in Ashburton.

Police were called to the crash at the intersection of Hinds Arundel Road and Gills Road about 6pm.

The motorcyclist was found dead at the scene.

The road was expected to be closed for some time and motorists should avoid the area if possible, police said.

The Serious Crash Unit was attending.

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Fire at Auckland LGBTTQIA+ nightclub G.A.Y treated as suspicious

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Google Maps

A fire at an Auckland LGBTTQIA+ nightclub at the weekend is being treated as suspicious.

A blaze broke out in G.A.Y on Karangahape Road early on Sunday morning.

It activated a fire alarm, and the road was blocked for an hour while fire crews worked to put it out.

One person was assessed by ambulance staff.

Police have revealed the fire started in a rubbish bin in a bathroom.

They say enquiries are ongoing but the fire is considered suspicious on the information so far.

Investigators will be reviewing security camera footage and further speaking to witnesses.

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How the Trump administration tried to sell Ukraine a diplomatic debacle

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthew Sussex, Associate Professor (Adj), Griffith Asia Institute; and Fellow, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University

A flurry of recent diplomatic activity has seen two competing peace plans for Ukraine emerge.

The first, widely touted as a US plan, was apparently hashed out between Kremlin insider Kirill Dmitriev and Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Russia point-man.

The second, hurriedly drafted by the United Kingdom, France and Germany, is based on the 28 points in the US plan, but with key modifications and deletions.

Following the release of the US plan, Trump accused Ukraine of showing “zero gratitude” for US assistance in the war effort, and demanded Kyiv accept the terms by Thanksgiving in the United States – November 27 – or face being cut off from US intelligence sharing and military aid.

Unlike the US plan, the European counter-proposal places the blame for the war squarely at Russia’s feet. It proposes freezing Russian assets until reparations are made by Moscow. It also seeks to freeze the conflict in place, leaving the question of which party retains which part of Ukraine contingent on subsequent negotiations.

Speaking about the peace proposals, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made it clear the European Union was committed to several key positions:

  • that Ukraine’s borders cannot be altered by force
  • there cannot be limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces that would leave it vulnerable, and
  • the EU needed to have a seat at the table in any agreement.

Comparing the two plans, it is clear Russia and Europe remain as far apart as ever on Ukraine’s future. That much is unsurprising.

What should be more shocking to Western observers is just how much the US plan echoed Russian demands that have remained largely unaltered since President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

Lacking logic and specifics

Put simply, the US plan would have had as much credibility if it had been written in crayon.

For starters, it has wording that appears to make more sense in Russian than English (or perhaps AI-translated English).

And it seems more focused on bringing about a new era of friendly Russia-US economic cooperation than a serious attempt to resolve Europe’s biggest land war since the Second World War.

Typical of Trumpian robber-baron foreign policy, the document foresaw large cash grabs for the US, amounting to little more than attempts at extortion.

In return, Ukraine was offered a murky NATO-style security guarantee that could be reneged upon under flimsy pretexts.

The plan also demanded:

  • large territorial concessions from Kyiv
  • a limited army
  • a pledge enshrined in Ukraine’s constitution that it would never to join NATO, and
  • a promise to hold elections in 100 days.

And while it expected Ukraine to strategically emasculate itself, the document made only vague suggestions about what Russia is “expected” to do, with no means of enforcement.

No multinational force was put forward to monitor the peace. And Ukraine was required to give up key defensive positions by ceding the territory it still controls in the Donbas region to Russia. That would leave the centre of the country defenceless against future Russian attacks.

Accepting those terms, as originally written, would be politically suicidal for Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky. This was obvious in his sombre message that the plan forced Ukraine to choose between its dignity and continued US support.

A point-by-point breakdown

A closer look at just a selection of its key points illustrates just how bizarre the plan is.

  • Point 4 calls for “dialogue” between Russia and NATO, mediated by the US. That’s odd, since the US is a member of NATO.

  • Point 7 requires NATO to include a provision in its statutes that Ukraine will not be admitted. But the main purpose of NATO is that membership is open to all.

  • Point 9 says “European fighter jets” will be stationed in Poland, but doesn’t mention the American F-35s currently there.

  • Point 10 states that if Ukraine launches a missile “without cause” at St Petersburg or Moscow (strangely implying it’s fine to hit Smolensk or Voronezh, for instance) – then Kyiv loses its US security guarantee.

  • Point 13 says Russia will be invited to rejoin the G8 (the group now known as the G7 after Russia was expelled in 2014). But it says nothing about whether the other six members would agree to that.

  • Point 16 requires Russia to enshrine in law a policy of non-aggression towards Ukraine. However, it had already done so several times in the past, yet still invaded Ukraine in 2022.

  • Point 22 foresees a demilitarised zone in parts of Donetsk that Russian troops will not be able to enter. How to enforce that is left unspecified.

  • Point 26 gives everyone involved in the conflict full amnesty for their actions, including numerous alleged war criminals.

  • Point 27 establishes a “Peace Council” that would be overseen by Trump, similar to the “Board of Peace” envisioned in the Gaza peace plan, also headed by Trump. This gives him the ability to determine whether the agreement is being violated (and, crucially, by whom).

Where to next?

Ukrainians have been sold a diplomatic lemon before. In 1994, Ukraine signed the Budapest Memorandum, in which Kyiv agreed to give up the nuclear weapons it still held from the Soviet era, in return for commitments by Russia and the US that its sovereignty and borders would be respected.

Just as the current US plan has been rebuffed by Kyiv, there is no hope of the European alternative being endorsed by the Putin regime. Indeed, it has already been rejected by one of Putin’s senior advisers.

Where does this leave the peace process? US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already walked back the US plan from a concrete set of demands to a “living, breathing document”, and hinted at great progress in negotiations with Ukraine.

European and Ukrainian stakeholders have also made approving noises, knowing that if the White House loses interest, securing peace will be much harder.

Yet it’s below the surface that the real soul-searching will be happening, in Ukraine, as well as the broader West. Once again, the Trump administration has proven it is more interested in long-term deals with autocrats than achieving just and lasting resolutions to security crises.

That alone should give US allies pause, and not just in Europe. For those nations, it’s one thing to doubt Putin’s motives. But it’s another thing entirely to now have to doubt America’s as well.

The Conversation

Matthew Sussex has received funding from the Australian Research Council, the Atlantic Council, the Fulbright Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation, the Lowy Institute and various Australian government departments and agencies.

– ref. How the Trump administration tried to sell Ukraine a diplomatic debacle – https://theconversation.com/how-the-trump-administration-tried-to-sell-ukraine-a-diplomatic-debacle-270561

New data reveals how Australia’s threatened reptiles and frogs are disappearing – and what we have to do

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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoffrey Heard, Science Advisor, TSX, The University of Queensland; Australian National University

Nicolas Rakotopare, CC BY-ND

Australia is home to extraordinary reptiles and frogs, from giant lace monitors to tiny alpine froglets. Over 1,100 reptiles and 250 frog species are found across the Australian continent and islands. But we are losing them.

So far, one of Australia’s reptiles has become extinct, the delicate Christmas Island forest skink. And seven frogs are thought to be lost forever, including the only two species of gastric brooding frog – famous for their ability to brood their young in the female’s stomach.

We wanted to know how are other frogs and reptiles were faring. So, for the first time, we asked frog and reptile experts to contribute to the Threatened Species Index (TSX). This index uses robust and reliable data to measure changes in the relative abundance of Australia’s threatened and near-threatened species.

In all, we compiled data for 28 species of frogs and 24 species of reptiles. Unfortunately, the results were sobering. The first national monitoring dataset reveals their numbers have declined by 96% on average since 1985.

A mottled brown and yellow frog sits on leaf litter.
The endangered Fleay’s barred frog.
Geoff Heard, CC BY-ND

Steep declines

First, we urge caution with these findings because key datasets are yet to be included. But the trends are concerning.

Among the species and populations we gathered data for, declines among reptiles and frogs are steep: 94% on average for reptiles and 97% for frogs since 1985.

These substantial declines were evident even when using more recent reference years. For example, with a reference year of 2000, the average decline remains 88% for reptiles and 62% for frogs. Declines since 1985 have been far greater for reptiles and frogs than for the birds, mammals and plants included in the index to date.

Why is this happening?

For threatened reptiles, the drop in numbers has many causes. Disease-causing pathogens are responsible for some, such as Bellinger River saw-shelled turtles, which have declined due to a novel virus.

Others, including Merten’s water monitors and Mitchell’s water monitor in northern Australia, are being affected by invasive species, such as toxic cane toads. Grassland reptiles continue to lose habitat to clearing.

For frogs, the severe declines started when the invasive “chytrid fungus” spread across Australia in the 1980s. This fungus, which has decimated frog populations globally, caused the seven frog extinctions in Australia.

For the first time, we gathered national data on the numbers of reptile and frog species. The findings were worrying.

However, while several species hit hard by chytrid have recovered, other species have continued to decline. For example, data collated so far suggests declines in frog species not affected by chytrid fungus are steeper in recent years than for species affected by the fungus.

This likely reflects a weakening of disease impacts for some species. And other threats – such as bushfires, droughts and invasive species – having intensified for several frog species left largely untouched by chytrid fungus.

First national snapshot

In order to protect endangered species, we need to know the extent of the problem. The Threatened Species Index is the only national tool that aggregates data on the abundance of imperilled animals and plants.

Last year, we set out to broaden the index by including data on frogs and reptiles for the first time. We contacted scientists who study amphibians and reptiles across the country, many who have toiled for years collecting data on threatened species in remote locations. We also trawled the published and unpublished literature and scraped monitoring data from graphs and tables.

In all, we compiled data for 28 species of frogs and 24 species of reptiles, for a total of 894 monitoring time-series (“time-series” are repeated counts of a species at a particular location through time). While this number pales when compared to the number of time-series available for other groups (for example, more than 20,000 for birds), it’s a solid start.

A striped legless lizard, a threatened reptile species.
Geoff Heard, CC BY-ND

Working for recovery

Helping threatened species to thrive again is possible. For example, mammals we track in the index benefited from active conservation. Measures like controlling feral foxes or restoring habitat led to relatively stable mammal populations overall, declining by only 18% on average since 1990. But populations of mammals without direct conservation support have declined by 45% on average since 1990.

The pattern for plants is even more stark: threatened plant populations that are actively being conserved have increased by 2% on average since 1990, while those receiving no known intervention have declined by 81% on average.

These statistics show that with good management, turning around frog and reptile declines is possible. We have direct evidence of this too, such as the recovery of the Great Desert skink in central Australia that has benefited from fire management by Indigenous ranger groups.

In coming years, we will gather more data to provide a clearer picture of which animals and plants are recovering and which continue to decline. Collaboration between scientists, land managers and citizen scientists is vital to filling data gaps.

When Australians share observations through citizen science programs such as FrogID and iNaturalist, and support long-term monitoring, they can play a direct and meaningful role in safeguarding the future of our biodiversity.

The Conversation

Geoffrey Heard works for The University of Queensland on the Threatened Species Index project, a key part of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN). TERN is funded by the Australian Government, through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

Sarah McGrath is a current employee of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

Tayla Lawrie is a current employee of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN), funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.

– ref. New data reveals how Australia’s threatened reptiles and frogs are disappearing – and what we have to do – https://theconversation.com/new-data-reveals-how-australias-threatened-reptiles-and-frogs-are-disappearing-and-what-we-have-to-do-270253

Consumers warned to assume imported products not being tested after asbestos scare

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The latest coloured sand products to be recalled over asbestos fears. Supplied

Consumers are being warned to assume imported products including kids play things are not being tested and its best to avoid anything that could be contaminated or faulty.

An asbestos scare has prompted a recall of several brands of children coloured play sand.

It expanded yesterday with two more products added; Rainbow Sand Art Toy, approximately 800 units have been sold at various discount stores nationwide, and sand craft.

Some of the coloured sands are laced with tremolite asbestos.

That is despite it being illegal to import any product containing asbestos.

University of Auckland law professor Alex Sims said shoppers should not assume the law is being followed.

“We’ve just seen it with the with the coloured sand, but I think to be honest, it’s not sort of a product that people naturally thought would have asbestos in it.”

Sims told Checkpoint it is up to retailers and importers to do checks on products, but that doesn’t mean it is always being done.

“There’s a whole lot of laws that cover kids toys…. and if you’re importing product it can’t have asbestos in it.”

“There’s lots and lots of laws, but it is up to the people selling it and importing it to make sure that the law is being followed.”

She said products having safety issues is not uncommon and has happened in the past, but often consumers don’t hear about it.

“What often happens is something happens… where some poor child almost dies and then they look into it, and then the prosecutions happens, but this after the fact.”

“One thing that could happen is the Commerce Commission and other people could do spot checks to see that the products are actually meeting specifications, but there’s so many that it might be impossible to do.”

If parents wanted to be reimbursed the cost of asbestos testing or any clean up, Sims said the responsibility lies on the retailer, which is in many cases Kmart.

“Under the Consumer Guarantees Act if a good is not safe, and if it’s contaminated with asbestos it’s not safe, then yes [you are entitled to] a refund of the money, but also the cost of the testing the cost of cleaning,”

“If the colour sand is all through a carpet and it can’t be cleaned properly then the cost of replacing that carpet as well.”

Despite this, Sims said she would be surprised if this would occur.

“The only real way at the moment is for someone to go to the disputes tribunal.”

Schools are also covered under the consumer guarantees act, said Sims.

Despite the laws in place, she said it was ultimately down to buyers to be aware of what they are purchasing.

“Unfortunately the laws don’t work…yes, we’ve got laws, but then as we’ve seen here, they’re not protecting anybody, so it is buyer beware.”

With Christmas around the corner, Sims said for now it might be safest to stick to simpler and more traditional toys, such as wooden items without paint on them.

MBIE product safety spokesman Ian Caplin said the Ministry is working retailers of children’s sand products to understand supply chains and determine the origin of the sand.

The Ministry said it is the retailer’s responsibility to sell a safe product, and the importation of a product containing asbestos is not allowed without a permit.

Kmart did not respond to a request for an interview about its sand products.

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Tall Blacks’ familiar foes first challenge in World Cup cycle

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Tohi Smith-Milner from the Tall Blacks and Boomer Angus Glover will clash again in the world cup qualifiers. Jeremy Ward/Photosport

Boomers v Tall Blacks

Friday, 28 November

Tip-off 9.30pm

MyState Bank Arena, Hobart, Tasmania

Live blog updates on RNZ Sport

There will be no secrets between the Tall Blacks and Boomers when the Asia FIBA World Cup qualifiers tip off.

It is hard to have an air of mystery when the opposing coaches worked together for nearly a decade or when most of the players from both sides play in the same competition for 22 weeks at a time.

Tall Blacks coach Judd Flavell and Boomers coach Dean Vickerman have both predominately called on players based in the Australian NBL for two games that start the lengthy qualification process for the 2027 Basketball World Cup in Qatar.

Flavell works as an assistant for the Breakers when he is not with the national team, likewise Vickerman is head coach at Melbourne United when he is not stepping in to the Boomers top job to cover for head coach Adam Caporn who has not come back for this qualification window.

The links between the Tall Blacks and Boomers are numerous.

Flavell has coached some of the Boomers and Vickerman has the Tall Blacks captain Finn Delany in his NBL squad. Boomers big man Keanu Pinder matches up with Tall Blacks forward Yanni Wetzell every day in practice for their Akita Northern Happinets side in Japan’s B-League.

Alex Ducas who will represent the green and gold for the first time since 2023 is well aware of what Tall Blacks weapon Tyrell Harrison, who will pull on the black singlet for the first time this year, is capable of as they play together for the Brisbane Bullets.

Friday’s game in Hobart will be the fourth time the Tall Blacks and Boomers have played each other in 2025.

The Australians are leading this year’s tally 2-1 but the Tall Blacks were the winners of the last game played in the Trans-Tasman Throwdown in May in Hamilton.

There are some roster changes from that inaugural series with the New Zealanders injecting some height that Flavell has not had his disposal before now.

Brisbane Bullets centre Tyrell Harrison celebrates during their win over the New Zealand Breakers. photosport

“Sometimes we have the genuine bigs and sometimes we don’t but what a luxury it is to have [Harrison], Yanni Wetzell as well coming back and we have Sam Mennenga and we have Tohi Smith-Milner so genuine size all with a different skillset and our challenge is can we complement that all together and be a cohesive unit in this short window.

“Sometimes they are going to be asked to be interchangeable or be versatile and that is something I think Tall Blacks always have to do. Guys for their club team play a specific role and when they come into Tall Blacks they have to grow and they have to be able to step into these multi positional roles and that’s a strength of the Tall Blacks but that’s the way we have look at it and attack it.”

While the opposition in this qualification window is familiar, Flavell wants the Tall Blacks to also take a closer look at themselves while he looks at the big picture after 13 months in the head coach role.

“It’s given me a great opportunity to gather information over the last 12 months and have a good understanding of who we are again. Our focus for this window is to remember who we are and bring guys together.

“It’s a little bit of a start over again.

“We’re really laying a foundation for what lies ahead…that journey extends for a lot of these guys, for [17-year-old] Jackson [Ball] in particular, hopefully another 10 to 15 years for him so huge for us as Tall Blacks to keep developing our youth.”

The process to qualify for the Basketball World Cup starts in this window, continues in February and July next year. The Tall Blacks will plan to move into the second round of qualifying in August and November 2026 and March 2027. Before the global event in August 2027.

“I don’t think people can plan their lives over the next 16 months but while we can we want to continue to get as many people as we can back into the mix.

“This window is great, timing has worked out people are playing here or close to New Zealand, there are still a number of people who are not here as well but you can never really bank on what life is going to look like in six months time or whenever the next window is but while we have people we try to re-centre back to the Tall Blacks core and back to our kaupapa and remind themselves what it’s like to be a Tall Black and playing together.”

Re-establishing a long-time connection on the international stage

Tall Black Yanni Wetzell. Supplied

Wetzell has not played for the Tall Blacks so far this year and said it was “refreshing” to be back playing under Flavell who first brought him to basketball.

“I played for him as a junior, played for him in my first year as a professional when he was an assistant at South East [Melbourne Phoenix], now he got this job and it was an exciting call up and we have a great relationship so it was a no brainer for me to come back and join this team.

“I know what he likes out of players and we have that player-coach connection where there doesn’t need to be a ton of communication and we know how we see things so we will continue to grow that bond.”

Wetzell is also working on the connection and on-court chemistry with an eye on the world cup and the Olympics.

“There is nothing like playing with Kiwis it’s exciting to see a lot of the talent coming through I feel like we’re leaps and bounds from where we were 10 to 15 years ago.

“There is so much talent, not just within this group but you can see a bunch of these guys signing with big universities over in the States and there is going to be a massive influx of players coming through in the next few years to come.”

Harrison was first involved with the Tall Blacks in 2018 and he also played in Flavell’s first game in charge but the games against the Boomers mark a return to the side for the towering centre.

“I’d say we’re the underdogs but basketball is changing in New Zealand, it’s developing it’s improving and hopefully we can show that these two games as well.”

Harrison wants to be a regular for the national side as he too looks to the big events on the horizon.

“I try be available as much as I can and keep getting around this environment the culture and trying to get used to the coaching staff and the team.”

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Reserve Bank to deliver further cut to official cash rate

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Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ

  • Reserve Bank to deliver a 25 basis point cut to 2.25 percent
  • Attention on how wide the RBNZ leaves the door open for more if needed
  • Economy performing largely as forecast in August
  • Last appearance of short term governor Christian Hawkesby
  • New governor Anna Bremen starts on 1 December

The Reserve Bank is set to deliver a 25-basis-point cut to the official cash rate (OCR) to a three-year low, but attention will be on the central bank’s commentary and forecasts and how wide it leaves the door open for a further rate cut next year if needed.

The RBNZ has taken barely a year to cut the OCR from 5.5 percent to 2.5 percent, as it has tried to stimulate an economy going backwards while looking to control a revival of inflation pressures, which have edged to the top of the RBNZ’s 1-3 percent target band.

So is it one more cut and then an end to the easing cycle – the so-called ‘one and done’ strategy?

“Our base case is that November will bring the last OCR cut, but the risk remains for further easing in 2026,” ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley said.

“The statement’s forecasts and commentary will leave the door wide open for further easing if it is needed. Doing so will keep a lid on wholesale interest rates.”

Tuffley said such an approach would give the RBNZ breathing space to assess the state of the economy, and the strength of emerging signs of growth.

To an extent the RBNZ has boxed itself into a rate cut this week after saying in its October statement it was open to further cuts “as required for inflation to settle sustainably near the 2 percent target mid-point-in the medium term”.

Turning the economic corner

Partial indicators over the past two months have pointed to the economy turning the corner after it effectively stalled in the first half of the year.

BNZ head of research Stephen Toplis said a key question was how much slack – the output gap – was in the economy.

“Where it gets interesting is what does the RBNZ think is happening to potential growth?

“Net migration is coming in lower than the bank had assumed. Coupled with anecdotal evidence of increasing job shortages, this suggests that potential growth might need revising down again.”

Current picks for growth in the three months ended September range between 0.3 percent and 0.6 percent.

The slack in the economy is one factor expected to keep downward pressure on inflation.

HSBC chief economist for Australia and New Zealand Paul Bloxham said there were modest signs of an uptick in growth.

“Timely indicators of the manufacturing sector have risen for the past four months, and business sentiment has improved. Electronic card spending figures, building consents, and hours worked have all risen recently.”

He expected the RBNZ monetary policy committee to take a “dovish” tone in its statement with a clear signal that a further cut is on the cards.

The degree of dovishness will show through in its OCR rate track, which the RBNZ has said is only a signal of where the rate might be in coming meetings.

New year, new governor

The coming decision will be the last for governor Christian Hawkesby, who was rushed into the job after the abrupt and messy departure of Adrian Orr, added to by the departure of the chair of the RBNZ board, Neil Quigley.

Hawkesby was a candidate for the permanent appointment, losing out to Anna Bremen from the Swedish central bank who starts on 1 December.

It is expected in time he will return to private investment markets.

Bremen made much in her appointment news conference about the transparency of decision making.

“Will things at the RBNZ ever be the same again? A new governor starts next month who is likely to bring about a greater focus on transparency of the decisions made by the Monetary Policy Committee. We’ll see in February – OCR cut or not, ” Tuffley said.

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New building for equipment maintenance and repairs at Burnham Military Camp opened

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Defence Minister Judith Collins at the groundbreaking ceremony for the $82.7 million regional supply building. Construction is expected to take about two years. Anna Sargent

A new $58 million building for equipment maintenance and repairs at Canterbury’s Burnham Military Camp will help to modernise the Defence Force, the Defence Minister says.

Judith Collins opened The Forge – Te Toki, which housed weapons, army vehicles, tools and spare parts, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday.

She said it was a modern complex that would make it easier for personnel to do their job in an “increasingly complex and very contested world”.

“I just think it’s fabulous and everyone is so excited to be working in it. It’s purpose built, it’s just what the army needed. You’ve got to have your logistics together, you’ve got to be able to do what you have to do in one place,” she said.

Anna Sargent

“By following the same design and process as the Linton facility, it has been delivered ahead of time and $6.25 million under budget.”

Collins was also part of a ceremony marking the start of construction on a $82.7 million regional supply building at the Burnham camp that would act as a key hub for equipment and supplies.

Approximately 600 people would be employed during the construction phase of about two years.

Collins said upgrades to Defence Force infrastructure were important for national resilience and security.

“We are living through the most challenging times that I can remember in my lifetime,” she said.

“The global rules-based order is under pressure, regional sovereignty is being tested and the pace of technological change is accelerating. Defence is not something that can be mothballed until it’s needed. It must be ready, resilient and responsive.

“These new facilities represent a change in how we deliver logistics in support of our military activities.”

Defence Minister Judith Collins on a tour of the new $58 million building for equipment maintenance and repairs at Burnham Military Camp. Anna Sargent

Defence Force vice chief Rear Admiral Mathew Williams said New Zealand was facing its most challenging and dangerous strategic environment for decades.

“These two facilities are significant enablers of our ability to deliver the capabilities that New Zealand needs. At a superficial level, new buildings, equipment and better ways of working improve the job satisfaction of our soldiers and the ability of capabilities essential for a deployable army,” he said.

Selwyn MP Nicola Grigg said the upgrades were important for the district.

“A large amount of our military personnel live and reside here in Selwyn and their kids go to the local schools, and their partners work locally and this is all a big part of the defence upgrade which actually does a lot for the morale of the people and [makes them want to] stay here and be a part of it,” she said.

Collins said improving defence logistics was part of the government’s $12 billion defence capability plan released in April.

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

Man charged after 21yo died while hunting on Stewart Island

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Jock Grant Davies. Facebook

A man has been charged five months after 21-year-old Jock Grant Davies died while hunting on Stewart Island.

The 31-year-old from Ashburton has been charged with careless use of a firearm causing death.

Davies died near Lords River on 5 July, with police notified about midday.

Police say a search and rescue team was deployed to the island via helicopter, where he was found.

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

Ministry privacy breach sees the names of five people seeking compensation for sexual abuse published

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Lydia Oosterhoff is a human rights lawyer and senior associate at Cooper Legal. Jimmy Ellingham

Warning: This story contains references to suicide

  • Ministry of Social Development publishes online names of five people making compensation claims for sexual abuse in state care
  • Their lawyer says the privacy breach is the worst of its kind
  • The documents were taken down late last week but Google AI summaries still included information from them for days
  • MSD issues unreserved apology.

The names of five people seeking compensation for sexual abuse in state care were published online in a privacy breach by the Ministry of Social Development.

The ministry has removed the link to documents naming the five, but Google searches of the names were still bringing up the MSD information in the search engine’s AI summary yesterday morning.

The ministry has apologised and says the breach was due to human error.

Breach found by chance

Wellington human rights lawyer Lydia Oosterhoff was searching online last week for an RNZ story when she discovered an Official Information Act request from her firm, Cooper Legal, on the MSD website.

In the published information she was shocked to find that the names of five clients weren’t redacted.

“These are five people who are seeking redress for serious sexual and physical abuse that they were subjected to by the state while in state care,” she said.

“In the scheme of things I cannot think of a more serious privacy breach. This is clearly identifiable that these five people are seeking redress and this is on the internet, accessible by everyone.”

One of the five in particular felt ashamed because of the abuse he suffered.

Oosterhoff worried information linking him to a redress claim was still available on Google’s AI summary when his name was searched yesterday.

“It wouldn’t be hard to figure out that he is taking a claim with MSD about serious sexual and physical abuse.

“So anyone who was to Google that young man [yesterday] morning would be able to figure that out.

“And I can tell you that if he finds that out or if he even Googled himself there is a real, real, real risk that this young man is going to take his own life.”

‘Over my dead body’ – lawyer shocked by MSD proposal

Oosterhoff alerted MSD to the breach on Friday morning.

“Obviously, they were quite distressed,” she said.

“I mean, who wouldn’t be? But they said, ‘Oh, we’ll just reach out to these people and let them know and apologise.’

“I said, ‘Over my dead body you will.’ These are some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable people.”

Cooper Legal and MSD would instead need to come up with a plan to tell the five people about the error in a sensitive manner, especially for the client who had suicidal thoughts, she said.

“If someone from MSD was just to randomly call him up and say, “Oh look, sorry, we published your details on a website to say you’re asking for redress,’ I have a real concern this young man would seriously harm himself.”

MSD has apologised unreservedly.

Its general manager for ministerial and executive services, Anna Graham, said Cooper Legal alerted it to the breach on Friday morning.

“The information was immediately removed from our website,” she said.

“We know the OIA was only viewed three times in the period between publication on 20 August and the time it was removed from our website.

“We have taken a precautionary approach and have notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. We have also let the Office of the Ombudsman know.”

Graham said MSD was working closely with Cooper Legal to contact the people affected to apologise directly to them.

“The privacy breach was a human error on our part. We take our responsibility to protect people’s privacy very seriously. We apologise unreservedly for this breach.”

Oosterhoff though said it took hours for the Official Information Act documents to be removed from the website.

She also disputes that they were only viewed three times, saying she knew of more than three people who saw it.

RNZ viewed the information on two separate devices.

Oosterhoff said she’d only had a brief email from the ministry since Friday.

AI presents new challenge

The AI summaries still visible for days after the document were removed from MSD’s website are a complicating factor.

Victoria University programme director of artificial intelligence Dr Andrew Lensen said fixing such an issue would depend on how Google had used the documents.

“One option is that they might have used it to train their model directly, in which case it can be quite challenging to potentially remove that because it might be baked into the model,” he said.

Victoria University of Wellington AI programme director Andrew Lensen. Supplied / Robert Cross

“Probably more likely is that they’re doing what we call retrieval augmented generation, which is when the model makes a summary it can find other documents that are online, so they almost to a live search.

“Then based on that it will incorporate that into its response.”

Lensen said that option was more likely, and that if that were the case the information should disappear from Google searches in days or weeks.

By yesterday afternoon it appeared to have gone.

“This is indicative of a bigger issue, where we have documents that have been ingested by these companies and then summarised and made public,” Lensen said.

“And of course those AI summaries themselves can be unreliable sometimes.”

Oosterhoff still can’t make sense of how the error happened.

“When I saw it I was shocked. I was flabbergasted,” she said.

“How on earth could someone not have stopped and said, ‘Wait, these are five names of people [and] literally the most sensitive information about them.’

“This is information about severe abuse that they were subjected to and that they are asking for a tiny little bit of money to recognise this from the state.

“Did not one person say, ‘Wait, we should not be publishing these people’s names online?’”

She said she would be seeking compensation for the five people.

She also worried about possible effects on future legal action connected to the five people, and said the episode reflected poorly on MSD, especially after findings from the Royal Commission brought to light the poor attitude to abuse survivors from government agencies.

Where to get help:

  • Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.
  • Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357.
  • Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
  • Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202.
  • Samaritans: 0800 726 666.
  • Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz.
  • What’s Up: 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787. This is free counselling for 5 to 19-year-olds.
  • Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 or text 832. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, and English.
  • Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254.
  • Healthline: 0800 611 116.
  • Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155.
  • OUTLine: 0800 688 5463.

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

Sexual Violence

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

COP30 ends with ‘extremely weak’ outcomes, says Pacific campaigner

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By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist

The United Nations climate conference in Brazil this month finished with an “extremely weak” outcome, according to one Pacific campaigner.

Shiva Gounden, the head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said the multilateral process is currently being attacked, which is making it hard to reach a meaningful consensus on decisions.

“The credibility of COPs [Conference of Parties] is dropping somewhat but it can be salvaged if there’s a little bit of political will, that is visionary from across the world,” he said.

“The Pacific has showed leadership in this quite a bit in the last few COPs.”

Gounden said the outcomes of this COP and previous ones mean global temperature rise will not be limited to 1.5C — the threshold climate scientists say is needed to ensure a healthy planet.

“There are parties within the system who are attacking the science and the facts that show that we need to really be lot more ambitious than we are.

“If that continues there will be a lot more faith that’s lost by a lot of people across the world, and that can only be salvaged by political will and the unity of people across the world.”

No explicit cutting of fossil fuels
COP30 finished in Belém, Brazil, with an agreement that does not explicitly mention cutting fossil fuels. This is despite more than 80 countries pushing to advance previous commitments to transition away from oil, coal and gas.

“I feel the [outcome] was extremely weak,” Gounden said.

Pacific Islands Climate Action Network (PICAN) international policy lead Sindra Sharma said the outcome had not made much progress.

“It feels like just a waste of time to be honest, that we haven’t been able to close the ambition gap in any significant way, when a lot of the two weeks was also spent on reminding us that we are in a really bad place.

“We’re going to overshoot 1.5C and we need to do something about it.”

The meeting did finish a call to a least triple adaptation finance which Sharma said was a good signal.

“But if you look at the language, then it’s actually quite non-committal and weak.”

Australian Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen had been backing the Australia-Pacific COP31 bid at the climate talks in Brazil. Photo: Smart Energy Council/RNZ Pacific

Based in Türkiye next year
COP31 will take place at the coastal city Antalya, Türkiye, next year and Australia will be president of negotiations in the lead up and at the meeting. It gives Australia significant control over deliberations.

A pre-COP will also be hosted in the Pacific.

Gounden said he hoped the plan would become more clear in the next few months.

“This is a very complicated situation where you’ve got a negotiation president that is actually not a host of the presidency as well as the COP president across the whole year, so all of that stuff still needs to be clear and specified.”

He said three different groupings need to work together to make COP work — Türkiye, Australia and the Pacific.

Sharma said the co-presidency between Australia and Türkiye was unusual.

“There’s going to be a lot of work in terms of the push and pull of how those two presidencies are able to work together.”

Tuvalu’s Climate Minister Maina Talia . . . the disconnect between the words and deeds of Australia is “disheartening”. Image: Hall Contracting/RNZ Pacific

Disconnect between Australia and Pacific
 Meanwhile, Tuvalu’s Climate Minister Maina Talia said the disconnect between the words and deeds of Australia when it came to climate action was “disheartening”.

Talia’s comments are part of a new report from The Fossil Free Pacific Campaign, which argues Australia is undermining the regional solidarity on climate.

Talia said Australia was a long-time friend of Tuvalu, so it was “heartbreaking to see the Albanese government continue to proactively support the continued expansion of the fossil fuel industry”.

“Australia has dramatically increased the amount of energy it generates from clean, renewable sources. But at the same time, coal mines have been extended and the gas industry has been encouraged to continue polluting up to 2070,” Talia said.

“It’s a decision that is hard to reconcile with the government’s own net zero by 2050 target and is incompatible with a viable future for Tuvalu.”

In September, Australia extended the North West Shelf — one of the world’s biggest gas export projects.

The report said Australia’s climate and energy policies are not consistent with the action needed to secure a 1.5C world. It said Australia now had an obligation to align with the International Court of Justice advisory opinion in July which found states could be held legally responsible for their greenhouse gas emissions.

‘Real game changer’
University of Melbourne’s Dr Elizabeth Hicks, a legal academic who was featured in the report, told RNZ Pacific the advisory opinion was a “real game changer” for Australia’s legal obligations.

“We’ve seen that Australian executive government, both under Liberal and Labor, governments continue to approve new fossil fuel projects and industries receive significant subsidies,” Hicks said.

Australia is the leading donor to Pacific Island countries, making up 43 percent of official development finance.

Hicks said that Australia positioned itself as part of the Pacific family, with the nation giving aid and acting as a security partner.

But equally Australia was responsible for the vast majority of emissions coming from the Pacific and had done little to limit fossil fuel expansion, she said.

Individuals and groups could bring lawsuits against their own countries for failing to comply with the court’s opinion, and states could also return to the International Court of Justice to hold each other to account.

The decision by the world’s top court had opened the possibility for countries to sue each other, sje said.

“This is placing Australia, right now in a very uncertain position. It would not be helpful for Australia’s domestic credibility on climate policy, or regionally in the Pacific context, to have proceedings brought against it.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Chris Bishop says he’s not plotting to roll Christopher Luxon

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Chris Bishop says Luxon is doing a “wonderful job” as Prime Minister. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Senior National MP and minister Chris Bishop has categorically denied plotting a leadership challenge, insisting that Christopher Luxon remains the best person to be prime minister.

Speculation surrounding the prospect of a coup has intensified in the past week given dissatisfaction within the National caucus after a series of worrying polls.

Addressing reporters at Parliament on Tuesday, Bishop said he was “definitely not” planning to roll Luxon as leader and dismissed the commentary as people “interviewing their typewriters”.

Asked if he could give a firm commitment that Luxon would remain prime minister through to the election, Bishop responded simply: “yes”.

Bishop was asked several times whether Luxon was the best person for the top job, to which he said Luxon was “fantastic” and “outstanding”.

He eventually responded directly: “Correct… absolutely, he’s doing a wonderful job as prime minister.”

“We’re in difficult economic times, as I think everybody knows, and this is the first time we’ve had a three-way coalition Cabinet in New Zealand history,” Bishop said.

“That produces its own challenges and trials and tribulations. But he’s doing an excellent job leading a government that is… firmly focused on long term structural reform to drive higher living standards.”

Bishop said he spoke to Luxon “almost every day” including about the rumours.

Erica Stanford shrugged off questions. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Earlier on Tuesday, another MP touted as a future leader Erica Stanford shrugged off a question over whether anyone had approached her about potentially taking over.

“All I’m concentrated on… is doing my job,” she said. “I don’t talk to people about leadership.”

Standing alongside Stanford, Luxon said she was doing an “outstanding job” and the National Party had a “great team doing an amazing job”.

Asked whether he would step down if National sunk below a certain level in the polls, Luxon said that was “not a concern”.

He said he did not hold any concerns for those National MPs who would lose their jobs on current polling: “No.”

Speaking on NewstalkZB on Monday, Luxon said he did not believe the rumours and described Bishop as a “great minister” and “good friend”.

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