Source: Radio New Zealand

One person has died after a single vehicle crash on State Highway 2 near Tangoio.

The single vehicle crash was reported just after 11:40am today.

The sole occupant of the vehicle died at the scene.

It is the first death on New Zealand roads in this holiday period, although a man died in hospital yesterday after being struck by a car in Napier on Friday.

State Highway 2 was closed for several hours, but has now re-opened.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Off the back of two devastating wildfires in Tongariro National Park, the country is facing another summer of increased fire risk. And while our wildfire history pales in comparison to our neighbours in Australia, New Zealand has had its share of raging hillside infurnos. Our reporter Kate Green takes a look back at some of the big ones, and a look forward at future risk.

It’s early February, 1946, and a long drought has left Taupō hot, and dry.

On one unassuming roadside, a dropped cigarette butt is about to light a fire that burns for days, fanned by a strong northerly wind, through more than 100,000 hectares of land, including 12,000 of pine forest.

“Where it is strongest, little can be done,” proclaimed one Newsreel special, which came out on 10 February. “Only rain can end it.”

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The blaze was extinguished in due course – although little information is available online about how this was done.

After destruction comes new life. Come autumn, an unexpected surge of life was observed when radiata pine sprung up in dense patches over burnt plantations; the fire had opened cones which were normally closed and liberated the seeds.

Victoria University ecologist Nicola Day said fire could often have unexpected or unseen effects, particularly for the soil below the fireground.

Her work has involved analysing firegrounds in Canada, and more recently, the sites of wildfires at Lake Pukaki and Lake Ōhau in 2020.

Historically, Aotearoa had experienced a low fire-risk and its plants hadn’t evolved to survive them – but Day said they’d found a number of natives were hardier than they looked.

“If you go into a site like that it looks like everything’s dead,” she said. “But actually, the top of the plants have burnt off and died, but the inside of them, the part that controls the growth of them, has survived.”

Woody species were the slowest to recover, she said, but even they could regenerate and look alive again within a year or two.

But in the meantime, it left a gap for exotic species – which tended to grow much faster than native species – to take over, making it even harder for natives to repopulate.

It happened at Lake Ōhau in 2020. The fire was lit by an electrical short circuit on a power pole, and it raged for nine days, destroying 48 homes and buildings and damaging 5043 hectares of land, making it one of New Zealand’s most significant wildfires in recent history.

Day said it took the landscape a couple of months to look green again, and for a while, the main species were exotic. But given another couple of years, nearly all the same species had returned, albeit in different quantities.

Let’s step back again in time: 25 November, 1955.

Over the next three days, a fire fanned by gale-force winds destroyed a third of the Balmoral State Forest in North Canterbury – 2400 hectares of timber.

News reports from the time described it as a “disastrous experience” for its owner, the Canterbury Forest Conservancy.

According to a booklet published by the New Zealand Forest Service in 2005 (The Balmoral Forest Fire of November 1955), the first signs of trouble came when residents heard “pistol-like cracks” and, “on investigation found the old mill burning fiercely” at about 10pm.

The only telephone nearby was in that very building, and very much on fire. So, one Mr Bailey drove six kilometres to the Forest Service headquarters to raise the alarm.

The booklet’s author John Ward, who worked as a forest ranger and a rural fire mediator, mused on this question in its final pages: “Would we have done better in 2005? I think yes, and no.”

“No amount of helicopters could have stopped that fire [in its early stages] but perhaps we could have made some real progress in aerial suppression when the wind dropped [on day three]. But would we have had enough men to patrol the Balmoral road and keep the main forest block safe?”

FENZ wildfire manager Tim Mitchell said while firefighting techniques had changed since those days, it still came down to “putting water on the red stuff”.

Water was still the most effective way of dousing fire, but now there were additives available that could made it more effective at cooling or stopping its spread.

Aircraft had also become more powerful, he said, meaning they could carry more water more safely.

And a good thing, too – Mitchell said going by the data on large wildfires (that is, anything larger than 1000 hectares) the risk was increasing.

In the five decades from 1964 to 2015, there had been 19 such fires. In the past decade from 2015 to present day, there had already been 13.

“Still quite a reasonable number, but over a much smaller timeframe,” Mitchell said. “On that basis, yes, you could say that certainly the trend is suggesting that the number of large wildfires is increasing.”

It was likely caused by a number of factors, he said: warmer, dryer, windier conditions at times due to climate change, but also, “where we’re living, and how we’re living”.

New developments meant towns were spreading outwards into rural areas with lots of vegetation and slopes which increased fire risk, and increased recreation ability meant people were accessing off-grid areas more often.

Farm and forestry equipment, too, was more powerful and ran hotter, making it more likely to cause a spark or ignite dry grass.

In fact, Mitchell said the data showed humans caused 98 percent of New Zealand’s wildfires.

Hugh Wallace, team lead for fire and atmospheric sciences at the Bioeconomy Science Institute, said that fact was actually a bright spot for him – something we had the ability to change.

“Unlike North America, unlike Australia, we don’t really get those lightning-caused fires. So basically, where you get more people, you get more fires.”

Wallace said climate change was complicated, but some areas would definitely be in for more hot, dry, windy days, “which is the kind of conditions you do get fires on”.

“My gut instinct is that we probably would get more big fires.”

The Port Hills have seen two major events in the past decade – the first, in February 2017, was when two separate blazes burned through more than 1600 hectares, claimed the life of a helicopter pilot, nine homes and damaged five others, and took 66 days to extinguish.

The cause of one of the fires was deemed to be an electrical fault, and the other remains unknown.

Seven years later almost to the day, the first calls came in just after 2pm on Valentines Day in 2024.

At its peak, more than 130 firefighters, 15 helicopters and two aircraft fought the blaze, as it burnt about 470 hectares across the Port Hills in three weeks.

One home – a tiny house built out of a shipping container – was destroyed.

Stats NZ expects the risk of fire to increase in many parts of the country due to higher temperatures, stronger winds, and less rainfall associated with climate change.

Using data from the last census in 2023, Stats NZ said there were 4683 wildfires per year on average in the five years to 30 June 2022.

Fire and Emergency NZ said the 2019/2020 and 1998/1999 years remained the worst on record for number and area burnt, respectively.

Mitchell said better awareness was needed of how individuals could prevent fires – even things as simple as choosing not to mow the lawns or burn rubbish on a hot day, and pouring water on ashes after a bonfire.

“It’s such an easy way to avoid a lot of the wildfires that we’re having,” he said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

After a soggy start, festivalgoers at Rhythm and Vines can expect to spend the next two days drying up in a gentle breeze.

The three-day music festival in Gisborne started yesterday as thousands turned up in gumboots and ponchos, with the city’s airport MetService station recording its wettest December day since 1937.

Lucy Parkinson – who is at the festival for the second time – was disappointed by the rain.

“I was originally put off going again but I thought that surely it wouldn’t happen for a second year in a row.”

She said she was worried about slipping risks after the heavy rainfall.

“The mud particularly around the toilets, water fountains and high traffic areas is really bad. With the weather last night, the staff were really good at making sure people were okay and preventing attendees from going up the hill during the massive downpour, but I think the grounds are in dire need of some wood chips! The grounds are a slip hazard and I’m worried that people will get injured.”

After a muddy experience at the 2024 festival, Parkinson equipped herself this year with a gazebo, gumboots and a decent tent, but it still felt insufficient against the heavy rain.

And after two consecutive soggy festivals, Parkinson said organisers could have communicated better.

“I also think the organisers could’ve prepared festival goers better with more warnings about the weather, as there’s lots of young people who came unprepared.”

Festival director Kieran Spillane said they had alerted festivalgoers on the possible weather condition and asked people to dress to the conditions.

He said more wood chips were out on Tuesday morning, which will help reduce slipping risks.

But with the weather set to clear, Spillane was confident the grounds will dry up in hours.

“The forecast for today is a very nice pleasant 25, 26 degrees with no rain for the remainder for the festival. We knew the rain was coming so we were prepared for it. The sites are actually holding up very, very well. It’s in as good condition as you would expect.”

The rain was good for business at The Warehouse.

Store manager Brett Mitchell said the festival season was their busiest time of the year.

“Yesterday was torrential rain, a lot of wet people coming in looking for ponchos, tents and towels. So it’s been really full on.”

Mitchell said due to the often wet weather and big crowds, they hired a local cleaning company during the festival for extra support.

“Just to help us keep the store tidy and public toilets clean.”

The store begin preparing stock for the festival nine months ahead and based orders on what was popular the previous year, but rain gear had been a staple.

“We always factor in there’s gonna be rain, because it seems that every year there is at the moment.”

But with the weather clearing up, he was still optimistic.

“We definitely got lots of bodyboards and beach stuff so if the weather does come right, people can certain come in to get all all the stuff for going to the beach, sunblocks. We’ve got plenty of that ready to go as well.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police are looking to publicly recognise the family who helped save an elderly lost tramper who collapsed in the Coromandel.

At the end of his ordeal, the 80-year old was taken to Thames Hospital in a moderate condition.

But that rescue was hours in the making, with the mother and her two teenagers the first to reach him when bad weather meant rescuers – and helicopters – could not.

The man was wearing only a singlet and shorts when he got lost while hiking on Sunday. He had also run out of water.

But he did have a mobile phone he used to call family, who then alerted police.

While they were able to pinpoint his location, the weather thwarted efforts to get two helicopters to him.

Police did have another option – the family staying in Crosbies Hut about 100 metres away.

“That’s six hours he could have been by himself if these members of the public hadn’t stepped up and help us out,” Waikato West area commander Mike Henwood said.

“It’s already being looked at higher up in terms of giving them some public recognition in terms of an award for their bravery and their actions to save somebody else who definitely needed it,” he told RNZ.

After being tasked with finding the man, the woman and her teenage children formed a human circle around him to keep him warm.

It was not until first light that search and rescue teams could reach them on foot several hours later.

“Definitely lucky, really it comes down to the fact that he was in close vicinity to one of the DOC huts and there were people staying in there at this time of year,” Henwood said.

“You have to expect that with the temperature and injuries they’ve certainly saved him in some shape or form,” he told RNZ.

“I suppose I would just like to think that any member of the public, any Kiwi would try to step up if they could to help somebody that was in trouble.”

Technology and the mobile location capability used to help find exactly where the man was also key to the rescue.

“Once we were able to obtain that we were able to actually work out it was very close to the Crosbies Hut location,” Henwood said.

“We were able to check with DOC if anyone had made bookings for that hut, and luckily because it’s a busy time of year, there was.”

Henwood had not spoken to the man’s family directly, but was aware they were “a little bit disappointed he had gone off on this mission and got himself in trouble”.

“Which often happens but you can’t tell some people, they like to be adventurous,” Henwood said.

He said a lot of people took more risks than they should while trying to squeeze things in during a busy holiday time.

“Often the weather is not right for them to do it, it can change really fast, and if you have to cancel the trip or the plan that you’ve been waiting months or even a year for sometimes you just have to do it when the weather is how it is,” he said.

Having warm clothes, extra food, a charged mobile and a plan with friends or family were also important.

So too was picking a right activity for your physical ability, Henwood said.

“If we hadn’t have had the family nearby it definitely would have increased his risk of more health issues and the inability due to the weather of helicopters to get in there.

“It took several hours, I think the LandSAR team managed to walk in at 4am in the morning after us initially being made aware at 10pm,” he said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wild weather continued to batter much of the country today, leaving thousands without power.

MetService reported that the wettest weather has moved off Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, with just the odd shower remaining.

However, rain has moved further south, while several Heavy Rain Watches and Warnings remain in place for the next couple of days.

Gusty southeasterlies continued today, especially over the South Island where an Orange Wind Warning remains in place this afternoon.

A strong wind warning was in place for Marlborough Sounds, Nelson and the West Coast north of Fox Glacier for much of the day, with Wellington under a wind watch until 9pm.

Heavy rain watches were in force for the Tararua District and Wairarapa until 4pm, and the Kaikoura Coast until 9pm.

While Wednesday does not see winds as strong as the past few days, winds will still be noticeable for most.

Thunderstorms will be something to keep an eye on throughout Wednesday, with localised intense rain and strong gusts possible.

This includes Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki, Manawatu-Whanganui, Kapiti, and Wairarapa, and northern Wellington in the North Island, as well as the West Coast Region in the South Island.

Electra was reporting power cuts on the Kapiti Coast affecting Paekakariki, Foxton and Shannon on Tuesday morning.

On the West Coast, Buller Electricity said the power was off to Karamea, Little Wanganui and Karamea Bluff.

Tauranga City Council has cancelled all five of its community New Year’s Eve events because of the bad weather forecast.

The council said weather reports indicated heavy rain and strong winds during event set-up, with conditions highly likely to continue into Wednesday. It said fireworks displays would hopefully still take place from various locations around the city on New Year’s Eve.

Cleanup continues

In the parts of the South Island, strong winds brought down trees overnight.

• Has your holiday been disrupted by the weather? Email iwitness@rnz.co.nz with your photos or information.

Fire and Emergency said State Highway 7 over the Rahu Saddle, between Reefton and Springs Junction, was affected.

State Highway 6 also had trees coming down, particularly through the Whangamoa Hills between Nelson and Blenheim.

Firefighters were still being called out into the evening across the North Island, taking the total number of weather-related jobs to about 140 in Auckland, Northland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.

PowerCo said hundreds of properties remain without power north of Whanganui, and around Palmerston North and Feilding.

Campground holidays disrupted

Campground managers in the North Island are hoping for sunnier weather leading up to New Year’s after a lashing of wind and rain.

Wild weather battered much of the North Island on Monday, disrupting campers, causing power outages and downing trees.

In Auckland a roof was torn off an unoccupied home in Hillsborough, as fire crews responded to more than 100 weather-related callouts.

The manager of Kūaotunu Campground on the Coromandel Peninsula, Yvette Davey, said the weather had caused a bit of disruption on Monday.

“We have had a couple of campers that their tents were destroyed so they had to go home, other than that people are hunkering down, it’s settled down here,” she said.

Leanne Mills, the owner of Long Bay Motor Camp in Coromandel said campers were not too put off by the wet weather.

“We’ve had a bit of rain [on Monday] but we’ve been lucky campers have just used it as a crash day, just chill out, read a book, sleep,” she said.

“We’ve just got continued support from our regulars, mostly 90 percent Kiwis, so they’ll come and just meet up every year with the same people year after year and they don’t really care if it rains.”

Festivalgoers for New Year’s events such as Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne have been warned to watch out for wild weather on the roads.

See how today’s weather events unfolded with RNZ’s live blog:

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Researchers are investigating “hotspots” of a venomous spider throughout the country this summer.

The invasive noble false widow spider was first spotted in Porirua last year with further sightings in Christchurch, Nelson, Waikato and Northland.

It’s not an aggressive spider, but it bites in defence and the toxins in its venom cause swelling, redness and pain.

In July, Massey University ecology professor Steven Trewick put the call out for suspected sightings to understand how widespread they are.

“We thought that with the level of interest in this spider, we would hear a bit more from people, perhaps slightly panicky kind of responses saying they found some spiders,” he said.

“And in fact it’s been surprisingly quiet.”

That could be because people have not recognised it, he said.

“The other possibility is that in fact, this new invasive species is not as widespread as … early indications suggested.

“So it could be that it is very locally abundant, possibly in a number of places around the country … and hasn’t spread sort of uniformly across the landscape.”

This summer, Massey researchers will search the “hotspots” where they’ve already been found, beginning in Porirua.

They’ll gradually move away from urban areas – metre by metre – to see if the spiders are still present as they head into grass, shrub and bush.

“It could be that they’re hotspots because that’s just where we’ve paid attention, or they’re real hotspots because there are relatively high densities of these spiders just in those places,” Trewick said.

Their locations could also be determined by the wind, he said.

“When the hatchlings pop out of their little bundle of eggs, this little sort of cocoon, very, very tiny, the first thing that they do is let out a little strand of silk … and that catches the wind and is enough to lift them off and take them away.

“Many of them, of course, will land up somewhere useless, but some might find just a nice little spot to make their first web.”

Researchers will also do population genetic work to understand how many spiders arrived in New Zealand, and which country they came from.

PhD students in the British Isles, Europe and Chile are undertaking similar efforts, Trewick said.

“It becomes a really interesting multinational effort dealing with, sort of a common problem.”

Biologists wanted to know whether the spider was moving into native environments, and interacting with other native spiders and animals, he said.

“If that happened, then that would be a bigger … biodiversity conservation issue.”

What to look out for – and where

The noble false widow is a pale reddish colour with distinctive white markings on the abdomen, “the big blobby part of the body,” said Trewick.

They have a large spherical abdomen, smaller “front end” and long, naked legs, Trewick said.

“Sort of a classic cartoon spider, not your hairy tarantula-y kind of spider at all,” he said.

The spiders are about a centimetre long, and the legs are another couple of centimetres, said Trewick.

They’ve been found around people’s homes, under pot plants, tarpaulin and in fence crevices.

The spiders are most active at night, and they’re speedy, so can disappear quickly once they’ve been disturbed, said Trewick.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have set up a dedicated portal for witnesses of a mass brawl in Auckland to upload any footage they might have.

The brawl happened on Karangahape Road in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Police estimate more than 50 people were present and say there were three serious assaults. In each case, someone was hospitalised with serious injuries.

One person has been arrested but police are seeking footage to identify others.

The incidents were:

• About 4.15am, a serious assault outside the Crown Bar on Queen Street. A 33-year-old man received serious injuries and was hospitalised. The offender is still unknown.
• About 4.30am, a serious assault on Cobden Steet, just off Karangahape Road. A 27-year-old man received serious injuries and was hospitalised. The offender is still unknown.
• About 5am, a serious assault at the Mobil Service Station at the corner or Karangahape and Ponsonby roads. A 46-year-old man received serious injuries and was hospitalised. A 21-year-old man has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and bailed to reappear in court on 16 January.

The portal can be found here at the NZ Police website.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

State Highway 2 near Tangoio in Hawke’s Bay is closed following a single vehicle crash.

The crash north of Tangoio Settlement Road was reported to police just after 11:40am.

Initial indications include serious injuries, while the number of people injured cannot be confirmed.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area and expect delays, detours are in place.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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An alien invasion that could threaten New Zealand’s entire economy is just a plane ride away.

That is the key message from a new video, which will be compulsory viewing for the country’s 6 million international arrivals from now on.

Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard said the updated video – which replaces the current 2019 version on all international flights – stressed the need for travellers to declare or dispose of any risk items, including food, plants, and animal products.

“It’s really vital that we keep invasive pests and plants out.

“The risk posed by threats such as foot and mouth disease and the brown marmorated stink bug could jeopardise our $60 billion primary sector export revenue, and also threaten our natural environment, which is the big drawcard for our tourism industry, another big export business.”

The video stars three current biosecurity officers, 2025 Young Farmer of the Year Hugh Jackson, champion kayaker Ashton Reiser, and others.

New Zealand had about six million international arrivals each year, and the biosecurity risk had increased hugely over time, Hoggard said.

“The new version keeps the same friendly tone but introduces fresh faces and updated content, including more detail on the potential impacts of biosecurity risks on New Zealand’s economy and outdoor lifestyle.”

The video will help airlines meet their legal obligations under the Biosecurity (Information for Incoming Passengers) Regulations 2023.

It was one of many measures Biosecurity New Zealand had in place to manage the expected increase in passenger volumes this summer, Hoggard said.

“It’s been great to see Biosecurity New Zealand bolster biosecurity by recruiting more front-line border staff in 2025. This includes 50 new quarantine officers and 26 part-time passenger facilitators to help travellers navigate biosecurity processes at international airports over the summer.”

The agency had also introduced new ways of assessing passengers for risk.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Explainer – What were some of the biggest topics RNZ’s journalists explained this year? Here’s a look back.

Explainer features have exploded in journalism the last few years as a way for writers to make sense of complicated topics in quick, digestible fashion, whether it’s the latest bills facing Parliament or new ideas in health, technology or business.

In an increasingly confusing world, we hope RNZ can help make sense of some of the things going on out there.

Here’s ten of the most read explainers RNZ has featured in 2025:

Why are our summer holidays so long?

After a post on LinkedIn claimed that New Zealand’s long summer breaks hurt business productivity, Kiwis spoke up in favour of our leisurely Christmas and January. Compared to some countries, Kiwis do get a generous amount of paid leave time. The latest version of the Holidays Act from 2003 entitles employees to at least four weeks of paid annual leave after 12 months of continuous work. That’s quite a contrast to, say, America, where there is no legally mandated paid holiday time. Here we looked at how our holidays became a cultural institution and why that isn’t too likely to change any time soon.

Read it here.

What happens if a political party decides to roll its leader?

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spent much of the year battling back against poor showings in the polls. The last poll of the year found Labour with an eight-point lead ahead of National as next year’s election looms. Talk about both National and Labour possibly changing leaders before then reached a fever pitch in media pundit circles as the year went on, which sparked us to take a closer look at how leadership challenges work. New Zealand history is filled with dramatic moments when confidence in a party leader has dropped and a leadership challenge is held. They’ve even happened to sitting prime ministers.

Read it here.

How pornographic deepfakes may soon be criminalised

When an ACT MP held up a digitally created nude photo of herself in Parliament earlier this year, she was making a point about the rise of online manipulation as a weapon. Laura McClure’s member’s bill to criminalise non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes has been pulled from the ballot and may be considered by Parliament in the year ahead. Here, RNZ looked at how the Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bill looks to close a loophole by amending existing laws to expand the definition of an ‘intimate visual recording’.

Read it here.

Fake New Zealand doctors are trying to sell you weight loss products

They’re smiling out from you in catchy Facebook ads and elsewhere on social media. But they’re not even real. It’s part of a flood of fake medical professionals flooding the internet hawking weight loss products and trying to capitalise on the popularity of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy. RNZ took a deeper look at how these operations work and try to deceive ordinary Kiwis, and what might be done to stop them.

Read it here.

Why were New Zealand musicians leaving Spotify this year?

Is Spotify over? This year rising discontent with the music streamer saw many bands move their music off the platform, including Kiwi icons like Tiki Taane and The Bats. “We refuse to be exploited by Spotify any longer,” a statement released by NZ musicians said. But what’s turned them against the streamer? RNZ takes a look at how profit sharing, artificial intelligence and even the sale of military technology has led to a larger exodus from Spotify this year.

Read it here.

How are our roads being repaired after Cyclone Gabrielle?

It’s been nearly three years since roads around the country were torn apart by Anniversary Weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle hitting in quick succession. The damage wasn’t easy to fix – requiring engineering analysis, careful management to allow resident access where needed and most importantly, futureproofing against future weather events made more likely by climate change. “Water’s a strange beast. It’s unbelievable what it can do,” one Auckland Transport staffer said. RNZ takes a look at one popular West Auckland road leading out to the beaches at Piha and how and why it took two and a half years for access to be restored on Scenic Drive.

Read it here.

Can US Customs legally search your phone?

The return of Donald Trump to the White House has led to a steady stream of headlines and big changes to who the United States is allowing to emigrate to or even visit the country. One of the biggest controversies was announcements that your social media history may be searched before you enter America, with the latest that such searches can go back up to five years. But is this legal? RNZ took a deep dive into why your phone isn’t the safe space you may think it is to vent about Trump or other political topics, and what you can do about it.

Read it here.

How ‘Run It’ style games can cause fatal brain injuries

One of the more bizarre fads of 2025 was ‘Run It,’ a combat sport where a ball runner and defender charge at full speed at one another without any helmets or safety gear. The “dominator” is the winner and could get large cash prizes. But it is also highly dangerous, made tragic by the death of a 19-year-old Palmerston North man in May. Here, RNZ looked at exactly how vulnerable the brain is to catastrophic injuries with contests like this and what medical experts say about them.

Read it here.

Is New Zealand’s weather getting more chaotic?

Do the seasons mean the same thing anymore? We can get hammered by torrential flooding in the peak of summer or scorched by wildfires in the middle of winter. Our seasons are actually changing, scientists say. What does this mean for spring, summer, autumn, and winter as we know and define them? RNZ takes a look at why the transition between seasons just isn’t what it used to be and what impacts that might have across Aotearoa.

Read it here.

How New Zealand plans to spend billions to boost our military

The world is a more dangerous place these days, with wars and conflict raging in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. Defence Minister Judith Collins unveiled New Zealand’s new Defence Capability Plan in April, setting out a $12 billion spending blueprint for the next 15 years. “Our current defence spending is simply too low,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said as it was announced. But where are these billions of dollars going to be spent, and where is the cash coming from? RNZ dove into the world of military spending and where it’s going.

Read it here.

You can also take a full look back at all of RNZ’s What You Need To Know stories here.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• Tourism New Zealand is confident it can hit $5 billion off-peak plan targets
• Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Rebecca Ingram is calling for their industry to remain on the radar of political parties this election and not lose momentum
• She says the sector is feel optimistic about next 12 months and forward bookings have been positive for summer
• Tourism New Zealand’s latest global campaign has been seen 178 million times

Tourism New Zealand says it’s on track to hit its visitor arrival targets after receiving millions of dollars from the government.

In April, the organisation received a $13.5 million boost to attract an extra 23,000 international visitors by the end of March 2026 and bring in an additional $100m.

Less than two months later, the government announced another $13.5m to help attract 72,000 visitors from China, Australia and the United States over the next few years.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive René de Monchy said the recent month-on-month visitor growth rate has been promising and there was a pretty positive outlook for the summer.

The funding meant they had worked closely with major markets to drive a bit of urgency around people deciding to book a trip to Aotearoa, he said.

In June, a new marketing campaign inviting the world to find their 100 percent Pure New Zealand was launched, which de Monchy said was able to go live earlier because of the additional funding.

“It means it’s been seen 178 million times in our key markets. It’s driven 300,000 people to visit NewZealand.com, which is our core website, to find out more about New Zealand to start their planning and hopefully entice them into getting the bookings,” he said.

“It’s doing its job in terms of really priming the audience.

The campaign cost more than $5m and was part of the 100% Pure NZ legacy campaign.

In 2024, Tourism New Zealand launched a strategy to grow tourism by $5 billion over the next four years, putting particular attention into enticing travellers outside of the busy summer season.

About 70 percent of that spending growth – or $3.5b – was meant to be achieved outside of peak season.

Total international visitor spend reached $12.3b, a 5.3 percent increase, in the year to September, according to the government figures.

De Monchy said it was positive progress.

“I’m confident we’ll get to those numbers.”

There had been a lot of focus on tourism this year and the industry had been buoyed by the momentum, he said.

“That’s a really good sign that people are feeling more optimistic and more certainty, hiring more people, investing in their products and in their businesses. Those are all really good positive signals, he said.

Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Rebecca Ingram agreed, saying forward bookings were looking positive and the industry had real momentum.

She attributed that to the government’s tourism focus and investments, targeted marketing from Tourism New Zealand, changes in visa settings and new and exciting changes on the horizon including the upcoming opening of the One NZ Stadium in Christchurch.

But businesses had different experiences based on where they were in the country with some of the main centres finding it tougher this year than parts of the South Island, Ingram said.

Domestic travel had also been quite variable and business travel was also down.

The government has set its sights on doubling the value of tourism exports by 2034, growing the number of Kiwis working in tourism and hospitality, and restoring international visitor arrivals to at least 2019 levels.

She was pleased by the work to meet those targets – the Tourism Growth Roadmap, saying it was an opportunity to “shift a gear in the way we do tourism”.

That included tackling issues including workforce, data, sustainability, funding, regions and communities.

But she did not want that energy or focus to be lost as New Zealand entered an election year.

“If there is a change of government next year, that that work isn’t lost and that focus isn’t lost and that we continue to have our eyes set on what do we want tourism to look like in the future and what does that mean for the decisions that we make today,” Ingram said.

De Monchy said the industry still faced challenges, travel was a discretionary spend, the cost of advertising was rising and competition was tough.

China had been slower to recover and travel from the United States, while strong overall, had been wobbly in recent months following geopolitical uncertainty, he said.

But there were also opportunities.

Currently, Australia, China and the United States account for about 60 percent of international visitors.

There would always be a big focus on those main markets, but Tourism New Zealand was considering where to branch out further, he said.

“Markets like India, that still is the medium term significant opportunity for New Zealand. At the moment, you can’t fly direct, it’s quite complicated,” he said.

But a partnership between Air New Zealand and Air India had paved the way for more optimism.

He also believed visitors from Thailand, Malaysia and other countries in South East Asia could be attracted to New Zealand.

The tourism industry was preparing for artificial intelligence to play a greater role in how people travel.

The sector has been facing a rapid rise in new technology with some hotels already using robots for room service and some airlines using digital bag tags.

Ingram said smartphones were now the most useful travel tool used for recommendations, translations and planning an itinerary.

“Unsurprisingly, AI is changing that landscape so 40 percent of travellers, this is some CANTAR research that was done recently, are using AI to plan their travel,” she said

There needed to be a concerted effort for how tourism businesses would show up in this world of AI, she said.

As for the travel trends ahead, embracing nature and wellness tourism were high on the agenda for many and New Zealand was well placed for travellers seeking to enhancing their well-being or those wanting wild wellness in the great outdoors, Ingram said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wild weather battered much of the North Island on Monday, disrupting campers, and there’s more stormy conditions on the way.

Follow the latest updates here:

What’s today’s forecast?

Strong wind warnings for the northern and central parts of the North Island have expired but several regions remain in the firing line.

Electra was reporting power cuts on the Kapiti Coast affecting Paekakariki, Foxton and Shannon on Tuesday morning.

On the West Coast, Buller Electricity Ltd said the power was off to Karamea, Little Wanganui and Karamea Bluff.

Metservice said another day of heavy rain and strong south-east gales was in store for central New Zealand.

A strong wind warning was in place for Marlborough Sounds, Nelson and the West Coast north of Fox Glacier until 2pm, with Wellington under a wind watch until 9pm.

Heavy rain watches are in force for the Tararua District and Wairarapa until 4pm, and the Kaikoura Coast until 9pm.

Tauranga City Council has cancelled all five of its community New Year’s Eve events because of the bad weather forecast.

The council said weather reports indicated heavy rain and strong winds during event set-up, with conditions highly likely to continue into Wednesday.

It said fireworks displays would hopefully still take place from various locations around the city on New Year’s Eve.

A Turbulent Tuesday today!

North Island

– A band of rain, stretching from Waitomo to the Bay of Plenty this morning, continues to track southwards followed by occasional showers and some afternoon fine breaks.
– Thunderstorms possible for Waitomo, Taumarunui and Taranaki… pic.twitter.com/M4ro4px9Ib

— MetService NZ (@MetService) December 29, 2025

Cleanup continues

In the parts of the South Island, strong winds brought down trees overnight.

• Has your holiday been disrupted by the weather? Email iwitness@rnz.co.nz with your photos or information.

Fire and Emergency said State Highway 7 over the Rahu Saddle, between Reefton and Springs Junction, was affected.

State Highway 6 also had trees coming down, particularly through the Whangamoa Hills between Nelson and Blenheim.

Firefighters were still being called out into the evening across the North Island, taking the total number of weather-related jobs to about 140 in Auckland, Northland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.

PowerCo said hundreds of properties remain without power north of Whanganui, and around Palmerston North and Feilding.

Campground holidays disrupted

Campground managers in the North Island are hoping for sunnier weather leading up to New Year’s after a lashing of wind and rain.

Wild weather battered much of the North Island on Monday, disrupting campers, causing power outages and downing trees.

In Auckland a roof was torn off an unoccupied home in Hillsborough, as fire crews responded to more than 100 weather-related callouts.

The manager of Kūaotunu Campground on the Coromandel Peninsula, Yvette Davey, said the weather had caused a bit of disruption on Monday.

“We have had a couple of campers that their tents were destroyed so they had to go home, other than that people are hunkering down, it’s settled down here,” she said.

Leanne Mills, the owner of Long Bay Motor Camp in Coromandel said campers were not too put off by the wet weather.

“We’ve had a bit of rain [on Monday] but we’ve been lucky campers have just used it as a crash day, just chill out, read a book, sleep,” she said.

“We’ve just got continued support from our regulars, mostly 90 percent Kiwis, so they’ll come and just meet up every year with the same people year after year and they don’t really care if it rains.”

Festivalgoers for New Year’s events such as Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne have been warned to watch out for wild weather on the roads.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A man has died in hospital after being struck by a car in Napier on Saturday.

The man was hit around 10pm on McGrath Street, and suffered critical injuries.

Police said the man died on Monday.

Police would like to speak to any witnesses and are continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone with information can contact police via 105 and quote file number 251227/1644.

Prior to this death, the holiday road toll had stood at zero for the period.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wild weather battered much of the North Island on Monday, disrupting campers, causing power outages and downing trees.

In the parts of the South Island, strong winds brought down trees overnight.

• Has your holiday been disrupted by the weather? Email iwitness@rnz.co.nz with your photos or information.

Fire and Emergency said State Highway 7 over the Rahu Saddle, between Reefton and Springs Junction, was affected.

State Highway 6 also had trees coming down, particularly through the Whangamoa Hills between Nelson and Blenheim.

Firefighters were still being called out into the evening across the North Island, taking the total number of weather-related jobs to about 140 in Auckland, Northland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.

PowerCo said hundreds of properties remain without power north of Whanganui, and around Palmerston North and Feilding.

Campground holidays disrupted

Campground managers in the North Island are hoping for sunnier weather leading up to New Year’s after a lashing of wind and rain.

Wild weather battered much of the North Island on Monday, disrupting campers, causing power outages and downing trees.

In Auckland a roof was torn off an unoccupied home in Hillsborough, as fire crews responded to more than 100 weather-related callouts.

The manager of Kūaotunu Campground on the Coromandel Peninsula, Yvette Davey, said the weather had caused a bit of disruption on Monday.

“We have had a couple of campers that their tents were destroyed so they had to go home, other than that people are hunkering down, it’s settled down here,” she said.

Leanne Mills, the owner of Long Bay Motor Camp in Coromandel said campers were not too put off by the wet weather.

“We’ve had a bit of rain [on Monday] but we’ve been lucky campers have just used it as a crash day, just chill out, read a book, sleep,” she said.

“We’ve just got continued support from our regulars, mostly 90 percent Kiwis, so they’ll come and just meet up every year with the same people year after year and they don’t really care if it rains.”

Festivalgoers for New Year’s events such as Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne have been warned to watch out for wild weather on the roads.

What’s today’s forecast?

Strong wind warnings for the northern and central parts of the North Island have expired but several regions remain in the firing line.

A strong wind warning is in effect for Wellington until 9pm Tuesday. South to southeast winds may approach severe gale in exposed places, MetService said.

Orange wind warnings remain for Manawatu, Horowhenua and Kapiti Coast until 9am Tuesday, and the Marlborough Sounds, Nelson and the West Coast north of Aoraki Mount Cook until 2pm Tuesday.

An orange heavy rain warning is in place for Hawke’s Bay until 8am Tuesday.

Tauranga City Council has cancelled all five of its community New Year’s Eve events because of the bad weather forecast.

The council said weather reports indicated heavy rain and strong winds during event set-up, with conditions highly likely to continue into Wednesday.

It said fireworks displays would hopefully still take place from various locations around the city on New Year’s Eve.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Animal rights advocates are calling for cameras in shearing sheds, saying “welfare training” for shearers is not enough to stop sheep being mistreated.

The government and the industry have this week announced a joint $75,000 fund to support this training.

It is in response to a damning exposé last year by PETA, which released covert footage of sheep being punched and kicked, and triggered an ongoing investigation by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

However, the SPCA’s chief scientific officer, Dr Arnja Dale, said she would be “really disappointed” if this were the only outcome.

“It’s been more than a year since that exposé. More training is absolutely needed, it’s a good start, but these are not new issues.”

The PETA investigation had attracted international attention and obviously embarrassed the government and the wool industry, she said.

“But if they really cared about animal welfare, they would have addressed these issues with shearing years ago.”

MPI’s own Verification Services had expressed concern about the number of animals arriving at freezing works with fresh and unhealed shearing cuts and injuries, Dale said.

The ministry’s evaluation report following public consultation on the new Code of Welfare for Sheep and Beef Cattle last year also noted NZ Shearing Contractors had reported an increase in cuts and injuries “over time”.

The government had yet to sign off on the new code, which would require farmers to identify and treat sheep with shearing cuts or injuries.

The SPCA would support camera surveillance in both shearing sheds and slaughter houses, Dale said.

“There is no record of how many cuts and significant injuries result in animals being euthanised. There’s no central repository of this information, so we don’t know the full extent of the problem.

“But it would also be great to have shearers being accredited and have compulsory training before they start and checks and balances as they go through their career.”

Part of the problem was that shearers were rewarded for speed and “through put”, she said.

“Some shearers and some farms are putting animal welfare first and putting the emphasis on keeping animals calm.

“We hope that we see not only more time and more care being taken, but also pain relief should be used routinely for all cuts and injuries, and inspection by vets of any injuries or wounds of a significant nature.”

PETA spokesperson Jason Baker said when animals were treated as economic commodities, “welfare loses out to economics every time”.

“A year on from our case, there is still not a single live feed coming from a single shed, because the industry would never dare show the world that shearing is anything but ‘just a haircut’.

“Regardless of what PR moves the industry or government throws up, there is no such thing as humane wool. Anyone who cares about sheep doesn’t wear wool.”

Government won’t fund cameras

However, both the government and the shearing industry have rejected video surveillance as “unnecessary and intrusive”.

Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard said New Zealand did not “spy” on its own citizens.

Furthermore, there would be major technical hurdles to such a scheme, he said.

“Connectivity is a massive challenge for a lot of farms. The key thing here is making sure people are aware of their responsibilities and rules, and that’s the best way of encouraging good behaviour.”

The training programme would help reinforce New Zealand’s reputation for high animal welfare standards, he said.

Industry has ‘nothing to hide’, say shearers

The New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association chief executive, Phil Holden, said if farmers wanted to place cameras in shearing sheds, that was up to them.

“It’s more about the practical implications of it: who funds them? Who sees the footage? What happens to the footage? All those privacy issues. It’s not as simple as just sticking a camera up. So it’s a rather naive response to what’s a more complicated issue.”

Some companies were trialling the use of cameras in sheds and properties, he said.

“The reality is we’ve got nothing to hide. The industry is in a real solid place and this animal welfare initiative is another step on the journey.

“It’s not something new, it’s been running over the course of the year. We’ve been able to secure another source of funding to just take it to the next level.”

Holden said he was not aware of any increase in shearing injuries to sheep.

Speed was not incompatible with animal welfare in his view: the main focus of the training was keeping the sheep “calm”.

“As long as the animal is calm then it can be shorn fast. I don’t think speed is the issue. It’s about making sure the animal is calm and in a state ready to be shorn and it’s done appropriately by a skilled person.”

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Campground managers in the North Island are hoping for sunnier weather leading up to New Year’s after a lashing of wind and rain.

Wild weather battered much of the North Island on Monday, disrupting campers, causing power outages and downing trees.

In Auckland a roof was torn off an unoccupied home in Hillsborough, as fire crews responded to more than 100 weather-related callouts.

The manager of Kūaotunu Campground on the Coromandel Peninsula, Yvette Davey, said the weather had caused a bit of disruption on Monday.

“We have had a couple of campers that their tents were destroyed so they had to go home, other than that people are hunkering down, it’s settled down here,” she said.

Leanne Mills, the owner of Long Bay Motor Camp in Coromandel said campers were not too put off by the wet weather.

“We’ve had a bit of rain [on Monday] but we’ve been lucky campers have just used it as a crash day, just chill out, read a book, sleep,” she said.

“We’ve just got continued support from our regulars, mostly 90 percent Kiwis, so they’ll come and just meet up every year with the same people year after year and they don’t really care if it rains.”

Festivalgoers for New Year’s events such as Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne have been warned to watch out for wild weather on the roads.

Strong wind warnings for the northern and central parts of the North Island have expired but several regions remain in the firing line.

Orange wind warnings remain for Manawatu, Horowhenua and Kapiti Coast until 9am Tuesday, and the Marlborough Sounds, Nelson and the West Coast north of Aoraki Mount Cook until 2pm Tuesday.

An orange heavy rain warning is in place for Hawke’s Bay until 8am Tuesday.

Tauranga City Council has cancelled all five of its community New Year’s Eve events because of the bad weather forecast.

The council said weather reports indicated heavy rain and strong winds during event set-up, with conditions highly likely to continue into Wednesday.

It said fireworks displays would hopefully still take place from various locations around the city on New Year’s Eve.

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Attention hijacked

Younger children are more susceptible

New guidelines

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Tourism Minister has signalled significant change could be on the horizon for the industry.

Louise Upston has set her sights on doubling the value of tourism exports by 2034, growing the number of Kiwis working in tourism and hospitality, and restoring international visitor arrivals to at least 2019 levels.

In June, she unveiled how the government plans to hit that target, but more details for the medium and long term picture were yet to be revealed.

The targets were ambitious, but she said the industry had pulled together this year.

“It’s getting the balance of continuing to push for visitors to choose New Zealand and then helping them throughout New Zealand where there is still strong capacity and options,” she said.

The industry had been pushing for bold change, and a working group had considered what that change was and how they planned to get there, she said.

Upston planned to review advice and proposals from officials about the next steps in the roadmap in January.

“Some of it is potentially quite significant change so I would be looking at probably taking something to Cabinet towards the end of quarter one or the beginning of quarter two,” she said.

The government was aiming to see international visitor arrivals reach at least 3.89 million by 2026.

Recent figures showed overseas arrivals hit 3.43 million in the year to September.

“We’ve got momentum, we’ve made significant investments, we are measuring the impact and I’m confident that we will achieve those visitor growth numbers by the end of next year,” Upston said.

That investment – which was often funded by the International Visitor Levy – included a $70 million major events and tourism package and more than $26m for Tourism New Zealand to attract more visitors.

She was confident that [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/557448/how-do-queenstown-residents-feel-about-increasing-tourism-and-its-impact

concerns from areas like Queenstown], where visitors numbers had already surpassed 2019 levels, were being addressed by mahi underway and planned in the Tourism Growth Roadmap.

She wanted to make sure every ounce of value was squeezed from investments in the industry as well as having consistent and predictable funding, Upston said.

Another priority was attracting more New Zealanders into hospitality and tourism by making sure they could see a career pathway and had ongoing training opportunities as a solid workforce would be a “critical part” in the success of tourism growth, Upston said.

In November, the government announced funding for a new industry-led qualification, Te Haeata, to boost the business events workforce.

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