Source: Radio New Zealand

A person has been hospitalised after getting into trouble in the waters at Auckland’s Bethells Beach this afternoon.

Surf Life Saving said a group got into trouble in the water, and all made it back to shore, except for one person who had to be rescued.

St John ambulance said they were called to scene shortly after 2pm, and one patient was transported to North Shore Hospital in a moderate condition.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

One person has been critically injured in a three-vehicle crash on a busy Auckland road.

Emergency services were still at the scene of the crash at the intersection of Epsom’s Gillies Ave and Owens Rd.

A police spokesperson said the crash happened at 2.20pm on Friday and one person had been taken to hospital in a critical condition.

St John confirmed it was also at the scene and had sent two ambulances, a rapid response unit and an operations manager.

It said the person who had been critically injured was taken to Auckland City Hospital.

Traffic in the area was heavily congested at 3pm.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Jetstar has confirmed the use of portable power banks on all of its New Zealand flights will be banned from 15 December, as Air New Zealand looks into the matter also.

All Qantas Group flights, which included Jetstar would introduce the measures next month that would prohibit passengers from using or charging power banks on board.

A Jetstar spokesperson confirmed this would impact New Zealand flights.

“Due to the growing use of portable power banks by travellers and the safety risks of damaged or defective lithium battery-powered devices, the changes follow an internal safety review,” a release from Qantas group said.

Along with using or charging power banks during a flight, passengers on Jetstar flights would only be allowed to take up to two power banks with them in cabin baggage.

Power banks, spare batteries and personal electronic devices need to be with the passenger or within easy reach.

“It needs to be within easy reach during a flight to ensure in the rare event of an issue crew can respond quickly.”

It said power banks would continue to be prohibited from checked baggage.

A spokesperson for Air New Zealand said the airline was looking into the matter, and an update for Air NZ customers would be available next week.

The moves come amid growing concerns about the safety risks posed by lithium battery-powered devices.

International bans on power banks

Multiple international airlines including Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, South Korean Airlines and China Airlines banned the use of power banks on flights earlier this year.

Airlines have been making the changes to take extra preventative measures around fire hazards.

Power banks used lithium-ion batteries, which were known to be highly flammable and difficult to extinguish.

Since 2016, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which was the United Nations agency that coordinated aviation regulations across the world, has banned lithium-ion batteries of any kind from the cargo holds of passenger planes.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A Kāpiti Coast man has been jailed for possessing more than 30,000 objectionable photos and videos, including what Customs says is “some of the worst child sexual abuse content known to law enforcement globally.”

The 32-year-old man was sentenced at the Wellington District Court on Thursday to nine years and five months’ imprisonment in for a number of charges including the importation, distribution and possession of objectionable material and refusing to provide Customs with access to a computer system.

Customs said the man was already on the child sex offender register. His registration would continue and be “informed by this new conviction,” it said.

Customs identified the man’s activity in February 2023, and carried out a search warrant at his home.

Officers seized five electronic devices, after the man refused five times to hand them over.

They examined them at his home and arrested him on the spot after objectionable material was found on one of the devices.

Customs said further forensic analysis uncovered 31,238 objectionable image and video files including extreme sexual abuse of children and infants, some of which had been shared through a private messaging application. The video files amounted to 78 days of content.

The head of Customs’ child exploitation operations team, Simon Peterson said the man was importing the material and distributing it to people overseas.

“Much of this material is highly distressing and included some of the worst child sexual abuse content known to law enforcement globally,” he said.

“None of this offending is harmless – these are not just bad pictures or videos: they capture real children being horrifically harmed, and the existence of this material continues to cause enduring harm to those victims.”

Where to get help: Sexual Violence

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government has quietly rejected Climate Change Commission advice to set a much more ambitious ‘net negative’ long-term target for carbon emissions.

Instead, it will retain the original 2050 goal of net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide and other long-lived gases.

That’s despite warnings from the Climate Change Commission that the effects of climate change are hitting the country sooner and more severely than expected, and that New Zealand can and should be doing more.

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has previously told RNZ that – according to current projections – New Zealand could reach net-zero as early as 2042.

The decision not to change the net-zero target was included in the fine print of an announcement last month that the government was also lowering the methane emissions target.

The Commission had recommended a strengthened methane target, but the government said it would instead legislate to lower it, from a 24-47 percent emissions reduction by 2050 to a 14-24 percent emissions reduction.

The 2050 net-zero carbon decision was contained in a single line published on the Ministry for the Environment’s website last month.

Watts’ office confirmed the decision on Friday, saying it was included with materials released when the methane target was announced.

The government was due to communicate its formal decision to the Commission by Friday, with the response to be publicly released soon after.

A net negative target would have seen New Zealand removing more carbon from the atmosphere than it was producing.

In its advice recommending the more ambitious target, the Commission said the world was not on track to limit warming to 1.5°C.

“Climate change is driving more frequent and severe weather events, sea-level rise and ocean acidification,” it said.

“These are happening sooner, and with more intensity, than was expected when Aotearoa New Zealand’s emissions reduction target was set in 2019. Every tonne of emissions averted or removed from the atmosphere matters.”

Analysis showed it was possible for the country to move further and faster to reduce emissions, while still growing the economy.

“Delaying action will reduce the options available in the future. It will also result in higher risks and costs, and opportunities lost, for us and our children.”

The government has not yet announced its decision on the Commission’s third and final recommendation, which is to include emissions from international shipping and aviation in the 2050 target.

A spokesperson for Watts said that decision would be made public before the end of the year.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A Blenheim dump will be closed for some time after being badly damaged by fire.

Six crews battled the blaze for hours at the Marlborough District Council’s Resource Recovery Centre in Wither Road after fire took hold in a pile of cardboard on Thursday afternoon.

The council’s solid waste manager Mark Lucas said the fire soon spread to nearby cans, plastic and paper.

“The fire was extinguished at 1.30am and then reignited around one hour later so the fire crews worked through the early hours of the morning to put it out again,” he said.

“Around 20-30,000 litres of water was poured into the building and two or three times that outside.

“We are incredibly grateful to all the fire crews involved – many of whom are volunteers – including multiple units from Blenheim along with Wairau Valley, Renwick, Base Woodbourne and Nelson for their hard work in difficult circumstances.”

A large clean-up lay ahead but the council was working on a plan to ensure recycling continued in the district, Lucas said.

“Our kerbside collection will continue as normal and we are investigating options for handling these recyclable products while the Resource Recovery Centre is out of action. As soon as these arrangements are confirmed, we will let the public know,” he said.

“The Resource Recovery Centre, the Dump Shop, the Blenheim Transfer Station and the Hazardous Waste Centre all remain closed following the fire. We are working as quickly as we can to get the Blenheim Transfer Station and Hazardous Waste Centre open and will update the public as soon as this information is available.

“The Dump Shop has no fire damage but there is potential for smoke damaged items within it. It will remain closed until at least Monday to allow for clean up while the Resource Recovery Centre, where the fire started, will be closed for some time.”

A fire investigator had visited the site but the cause of the fire had not been identified.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

As the end of the year approaches, the government’s overhaul of the school system seems to have gone into overdrive and so has opposition to its changes.

In the past month, every major national organisation representing teachers and principals has spoken out against some aspect of reforms the government says will ensure every school is “teaching the basics brilliantly”.

Teacher subject associations have criticised recently published curriculums, nearly every day a different regional principals’ association publishes an open letter to Education Minister Erica Stanford, and the tally of school boards pledging to uphold the Treaty of Waitangi despite a law change removing the obligation has passed 800.

Much of the opposition has come from primary schools, where teachers, principals and education leaders spoken to by RNZ said many felt the pace and scale of change was overwhelming and unreasonable.

Even those who disagreed about the merit of the government’s changes agreed they were extremely significant.

One critic of the government’s direction described the changes as shifting the very foundations of the schooling system, while a strong supporter said they were “tectonic”.

In essence, the government is replacing an open, permissive school curriculum that relies on skilled teachers to do their job well, with one that makes it much clearer what teachers must teach at each year level.

The government says the changes are needed to ensure consistent teaching across the country so fewer children are left behind.

Educators told RNZ the change needed to happen, but the government was taking it to an extreme, and some said draft curriculums were more like syllabuses that spelled out exactly what to teach and how.

Principals said initial support for a tougher primary school maths curriculum and a more effective approach to teaching children to read had given way to exhaustion and shock.

They said the changes were starting to look shambolic and demonstrated no understanding of what it took to introduce curriculum change.

They were not mollified by the education minister’s assurance that schools would not be expected to implement the curriculum changes perfectly from day one.

They said the teacher-only days and training on offer were not sufficient.

Several said the surprise decision to axe school boards’ legal obligation to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi could be the last straw that galvanised teachers and principals to reject the government’s changes.

So what’s changed this year and what’s coming?

Primary school Maths and English curriculums introduced

Primary schools started the year with new English and maths curriculums for children in years 0-6.

They cemented two big changes – a national focus on structured literacy for teaching children to read, and a much harder maths curriculum aimed at improving New Zealand children’s poor performance in the subject.

Some teachers said the curriculums were rushed, but Stanford assured them they should make a start and would not be expected to fully implement the new material.

The Education Review Office later reported that most teachers were using the curriculums and about half said student achievement was better than last year.

However, schools were not teaching enough complex maths like algebra and probability.

New school lunch provider

A new cut-price lunch provider led by Compass Group took over the contract for providing lunches to many schools in the free school lunch scheme.

The change affected 440 secondary and intermediate schools and primary schools with students in Year 7 and above.

It soon provoked a chorus of complaints about late deliveries, excessively-hot meals, and unpalatable food.

By the end of the year criticism had died down but some schools told RNZ they still were not happy with the scheme.

Draft secondary school English curriculum

In April, the much-delayed draft intermediate and secondary school English curriculum was published.

The document covering years 7-13 proposed compulsory Shakespeare for senior secondary school students and spelling and keyboard lessons for children at intermediate schools.

It was revised again in October.

The New Zealand Association for the Teaching of English was highly critical of the way the document was developed, and warned that teachers had not received enough support and resources to begin using it at the start of 2026 for students in years 7-10.

A learning support Budget

The government’s Budget included a $747-million boost for learning support.

Stanford said it was the biggest increase in a generation and school leaders were enthusiastic.

The Ministry of Education said the allocation would take total learning support spending from $1.45-billion to $1.67b by 2028/29.

Half of the money came from cutting Kahui Ako, a scheme that paid teachers and principals to lead work in groups of schools.

It had its fans, but most principals seemed happy to trade the scheme for more teacher aides and specialist support.

NCEA goneburger

In August the government announced the national secondary school qualification would be replaced.

NCEA would be phased out, replaced at Level 1 by a certificate in foundational English and maths in 2028 and at Levels 2 and 3 by the New Zealand Certificate of Education and Advanced Certificate in 2029 and 2030.

Officials said the qualification would remain standards-based – the same as NCEA.

Sample certificates published with the announcement indicated there would be four standards per subject, with half assessed internally and half externally – the same as proposed under earlier reform of the NCEA, but contributing to an overall mark out of 100 and a corresponding A-D letter grade.

Critically, the new qualification would eliminate NCEA’s flexibility by requiring students to study five full subjects and pass four – no more mixing and matching of subjects.

It would also hand responsibility for “vocational” subjects to industry-led bodies in a push to raise the status of trade training and create a stronger pathway for students heading for apprenticeships rather than university degrees.

Though most secondary teachers agreed NCEA needed an overhaul, they were divided over the merit of the government’s plans.

A group of 90 secondary school principals signed a letter opposing the plan and about 64 countered with a letter in support.

Vocational versus academic

In September the Ministry of Education published a list of subjects that would be assessed by the new secondary school qualification in years 11-13.

It classified some subjects as “curriculum subjects” that would be developed by the Ministry of Education and some as “vocational”, meaning they would be developed by industry skills boards.

Some teachers were angry hospitality was dropped entirely as a year 11 subject, others were unhappy that subjects such as tourism and outdoor education were classed as vocational.

Critics said the rapid reversal of agriculture’s classification as a vocational subject indicated the change had been poorly thought-out.

Primary maths curriculum recalculated

In October the government changed the years 0-6 maths curriculum – even though it had been gazetted and schools had been using it since the start of the year – following a review by Australian consultants.

Maths education experts said the changes were extensive and made the curriculum even more difficult.

The announcement outraged some teachers and principals who said it was unreasonable to change the curriculum yet again, and increased their already significant workloads.

Curriculum drafts for six learning areas to years 10

In November the government published draft curriculums for Years 0-10 in the remaining six learning areas – science, social sciences, arts, technology, health and physical education, and learning languages.

The content was aimed at ensuring greater consistency and clarity about what schools should teach at each year level but it provoked complaints from some teacher subject associations.

They said it did not reflect their input to the writing process, seemed to have been compiled using AI and extensive borrowing from English and Australian curriculums, and in some cases indicated a complete lack of understanding of the subjects.

The government said teachers could have their say during consultation, but teacher groups told RNZ they had little confidence in the process given what they said had been a secretive development process.

Teaching Council – power grab or necessary intervention?

In November, the government announced it would move the Teaching Council’s responsibility for standard-setting and initial teacher education to the Ministry of Education.

It would also change its governing body so a majority of members were ministerial appointees.

The move was prompted by a Public Service Commission investigation of the council’s handling of conflicts of interest and procurement.

But it angered many education groups, prompting a joint letter to Stanford from 10 national organisations.

They warned the change eliminated the council’s independence and greatly increased the government’s ability to dictate how teachers are trained and what standards they must meet.

The government said the changes made the council similar to other professional bodies such as the Nursing Council.

Treaty clause goneburger

The government had been moving to downgrade a legal requirement for schools to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi – making it subsidiary to a focus on student achievement.

But in November it made the surprise announcement it would delete the requirement altogether.

It said the Treaty was the Crown’s obligation, not schools’.

The change was decried by all major school bodies, including the Principals Federation, Secondary Principals Association, School Boards’ Association, NZEI and PPTA.

It prompted more than 800 school boards to publicly state their support for the treaty.

Education and Training (System Reform) Bill

This week the government introduced a bill that it said would make system-level changes to support its overarching goal of improving students achievement.

The bill was the vehicle for making the afore-mentioned changes to the Teaching Council.

But it would also give the minister the power to change the curriculum at will, allow a new property agency to force schools to carry out building work, and speed up intervention in failing schools.

Teacher unions the NZEI and PPTA said it amounted to a ministerial power-grab.

What’s coming

English, maths curriculums extend to more students

This year schools had to teach new years 0-6 English and Y0-8 maths curriculums.

Next year they’ll be adding new English content for years 7-10 and new maths content for years 9-10.

Not forgetting the fact the earlier maths curriculum has been significantly changed and schools will have to change what they teach and when.

The government said draft Y11-13 curriculums would be available in term 1 “for wider feedback and to build familiarisation”.

Tougher line on attendance

Schools will have to start 2026 with an attendance management plan.

The government says the plans will show how a school will respond to declining attendance.

It has also signed new contracts with attendance service providers and says new case management software will help them to do their jobs better.

Latest data showed attendance rate improvement stalled in term 3 and families were still taking children out of school for holidays and family events.

School lunches – new providers for years 0-6 at primary schools

The government’s cut-price school lunch model will extend to 188 years 0-6 primary schools next year.

Ten providers have been selected – the Compass Group is not one of them.

The government said the average cost of the lunches would be $3.46.

Schools that make their own lunches are nervous about their ability to continue doing so once their funding falls.

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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 truck crash is blocking lanes in both directions on Auckland’s Northern Motorway near the Orewa offramp.

Motorists are advised to expect delays following the state highway one crash, which occured around midday. One lane northbound and one lane southbound have been closed as a result.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said a median barrier was damaged in the incident and lanes cannot be reopened until it is made safe.

UPDATE 1:30PM

One lane is still closed in each direction near the Orewa off-ramp due to a crash. The median barrier was damaged in the incident and lanes cannot be reopened until the barrier is made safe. https://t.co/yXLNPfuFc6

— NZ Transport Agency – Auckland & Northland (@nztaaklnth) November 21, 2025

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Two schools and a medical centre in the Bay of Plenty town of Katikati are in lockdown as police hunt for a person of interest in the town.

Katikati College posted on its social media shortly before 1pm that it’s been asked by police to go into lockdown.

Katikati Primary School and the local medical centre have also posted to their Facebook pages about going into lockdown.

Both schools say all students are safe and accounted for, and they’re waiting for instructions from police.

The police say they’re making enquiries to locate a person of interest in Katikati.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

While there was wet weather in parts of the country on Friday, forecasters say things should clear up for most at the weekend.

But that does not necessarily mean it will be warm, despite summer’s approach.

Just after midday Christchurch was at 28.7C, the hottest place in Aotearoa, but come Monday the garden city will barely make it into double-digits, MetService says.

“Monday will be a chilly day in Christchurch, with a forecast maximum of 13C after the southerly surge of a cold front in the early hours of the morning which will bring a line of showers,” it said on its website.

The chilliest place on Friday was Southland’s Gore, reaching just 10.4C. Nearby Fiordland and southern Westland were under a severe weather watch, with heavy rain expected until 8pm.

“As a front creeps north over the South Island today, bringing heavy rain to Fiordland, strengthening winds drive hot and dry northwesterlies for eastern areas – Christchurch has a forecast high of 30C,” MetService said on its social media.

The North Island was fine almost everywhere, and expected to stay that way through the weekend.

The second-hottest location was Gisborne, at 27C.

“The trend of morning cloud burning off to clear skies will continue for the North Island as a high pressure settles in for a few days,” MetService meteorologist Michael Pawley said. “Fluffy cumulus clouds will sprout inland in the afternoon, with the odd sprinkling of showers, particularly in Northland.”

The windiest spot in the country on Friday was Timaru, with gusts up to 41km/h. Milford Sound was the wettest.

“Most centres return to typical spring temperatures over the weekend, and we can all sleep easier with less muggy overnight conditions,” MetService said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The death of a beloved Auckland maths teacher has sent shock waves through the Chinese community.

Students and parents paid tribute to Kevin Hu, head of calculus at Takapuna Grammar School, who died in a diving accident in Fiji, according to an email the school sent parents on 17 November.

The email described Hu as a highly respected member of the faculty who worked primarily with Year 10 and senior classes and played a significant role in the school’s International Baccalaureate programme.

Krissi Yang, a Year 12 student at the school, described Hu as consistently upbeat, cheerful and full of energy.

“He had a natural ability to connect with us,” Yang said. “All the students enjoyed being around him and talking to him. If we had secrets or worries, we were happy to share them because we trusted him completely.”

Yang said Hu’s death had cast a heavy sadness over teachers and students.

“Even now, it’s still hard to accept,” she said. “Everyone was shocked, heartbroken, and full of regret and disbelief.

“He was such an incredible teacher and then, suddenly, he was gone.”

After the school announced the news Monday, Yang said students began paying tribute to Hu in a uniquely personal way: folding origami cranes.

“We wrote messages on the cranes and ended up making more than 1000,” she said.

“We hung strings of cranes around his classroom and placed some on his desk. Each of us also wrote him a letter and left it there.

“Just walking past his classroom makes people emotional. And going into his office, with his photo, our letters, the cranes and the flowers, makes it even harder to stay composed.”

Yang felt as if she still had something to say to the maths teacher.

“If I could say something to him, it would be this: We are all so grateful and so lucky to have had a teacher like you – so kind, warm, genuine and dedicated.”

Cherrie Gao, whose son is also a Year 12 student at Takapuna Grammar School, said Hu had a significant impact on her son’s learning and development.

“After my son joined his class, he changed a lot,” Gao said. “With Mr. Hu, [my son] started thinking more long term and became more willing to challenge himself. Mr. Hu also actively encouraged him to enter maths competitions.

“Mr. Hu was incredibly reliable, which is why my son trusted him so much. If you had a question, you could go to him and he would never turn you away.”

She said Hu’s passing has been deeply upsetting for her family.

“I was driving when I saw the principal’s email marked as important. I opened it while driving, and my mind just froze,” she said.

“It felt impossible. I even wondered if the principal had sent it by mistake,” she said.

“My son constantly talks about ‘Mr. Hu, Mr. Hu’ – he brings his name up all the time. I still can’t believe it was him. How could something like this happen to him?”

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

Beyond his work as a maths teacher, Hu was also well-known on Chinese social media platform Red Note, where he had thousands of followers who watched his videos and livestreams about his life and his teaching experience in New Zealand.

After several media outlets reported his death on Thursday, hundreds of people flocked to his account, posting “rest in peace” messages under his recent videos and leaving tributes expressing their respect and grief.

Felix Xu, an early childhood teacher in Auckland, said he had followed Hu’s social media for more than a year.

Xu said he often watched Hu’s videos and livestreams and occasionally asked him questions about teaching.

He described Hu as an exceptionally experienced maths teacher and said his death was a loss for the education sector.

He said Hu’s background as a migrant also resonated with him.

“I felt a sense of empathy because we’re both new immigrants,” he said. “I know how difficult the journey is.

“It felt like his life in New Zealand had just begun. At such a good age, he suddenly passed away. It feels like a huge loss.”

Sally Wang, who knew Hu and is a maths teacher at an Auckland secondary school, said several teachers were helping to set up a Givealittle page to support Hu’s family.

She said Hu had no family in New Zealand, and that his parents arrived on Wednesday but did not wish to be contacted by media.

Takapuna Grammar School said in an email to parents that Hu’s passion for teaching and dedication to his students would be deeply missed.

The school said its guidance staff would continue to support any students who might need help during this period.

Students who worked closely with Hu and believed their upcoming NCEA exams had been significantly affected could also contact the school to discuss the possibility of applying for derived grades, the school said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A model who used puberty blockers as a teenager says the government is “cursing an entire generation of young transgender women to social stigma” after it halted new prescriptions of the drug for young people with gender dysphoria.

Te Manahou Mackay says she can’t imagine what her life would have been like if she hadn’t had that “early intervention” and had to deal with the “lifelong implications” or going through male puberty.

The government is halting new prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria, saying “a precautionary approach” is needed while evidence remains uncertain.

The move has provoked strong feelings on both sides of the debate.

The drugs – known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues – would remain available for people already using them for gender dysphoria, as well as for other medical conditions such as early-onset puberty, endometriosis, and prostate cancer.

Mackay said she had started taking them at age 13-14 after “extensive” discussions with psychiatrists and therapists and nurse practitioners.

“They really do make you justify soundness of mind, she said. “It’s not something that is just handed out lightly.”

Mackay said the general practitioner she initially went to to explore her options became “one of the most important people in my life”.

She met with psychologists and therapists before starting puberty blockers and decided on it because the drugs were “so reversible”.

“If you just stop taking them, everything kind of goes back to baseline. That’s within two years, I believe.”

Mackay did that for around a year and a half before “ultimately deciding to go through hormone replacement therapy and transition properly”.

Having puberty blockers at that age gave her “an extra amount of time to really think before committing” to hormone replacement therapy, she said.

“To me, this [announcement] is basically cursing an entire generation of young transgender woman to social stigma, to moving through this world and having to deal with so much – I don’t have another word for it – violence.

“[Health Minister Simeon Brown] talks about the health implications, but what about the life implications this has on all of these young trans men and women?”

In a statement on Wednesday, Health Minister Simeon Brown said Cabinet had agreed to the new settings until the outcome of a major clinical trial in the United Kingdom, expected in 2031.

Brown said the new rules – which take effect on 19 December – would give families confidence that any treatment was “clinically sound and in the best interests of the young person”.

“These changes are about ensuring treatments are safe and carefully managed, while maintaining access to care for those who need it.”

Otago University Emeritus professor Charlotte Paul said she supported the extra restrictions, due to “substantial uncertainties” about the harms and benefits of puberty blockers.

“It’s not just the uncertainty about the balance of benefits and risks,” Paul said. “It’s that we don’t know enough about the population that we’re treating and that we could be harming a lot of kids.”

However, Paul said the government’s announcement did not give her any confidence about the “care of these young people”, and acknowledged young people with gender dysphoria were “distressed”.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The lawyer for Pike River families says police now have enough evidence to lay manslaughter charges over the disaster.

Nigel Hampton KC said police believe they have evidence showing specific acts of gross negligence, which are linked to the fatal explosion, in which 29 men were killed.

“From that, sufficient evidence has been collected by the police for them to conclude that they can now show specific acts of what they say were gross negligence and they can link those acts causatively to the explosion and therefore to the deaths.

“That equals potentially 29 charges of manslaughter being brought against certain individuals, the police have reached that view. It’s now with the Crown and the Crown have got to make a decision about what they’re going to do.”

Hampton said he was not able to comment on who those charges would be laid against, without breaching confidentiality.

“It’s been a cause of frustration and further anguish to the families, the time delay, but if it’s another month or two months or three months or whatever, they’re prepared to wait it out.”

‘Slap in the face’

Hampton said that anguish was exacerbated for Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse this week, after they were asked to meet with Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden on the 15th anniversary of the disaster, in a meeting they described as a complete waste of time.

“They attend at Parliament instead of being on the Coast with other families commemorating, grieving the deaths of their loved ones…then they are met with a negative response from the workplace minister indicating that from their point of view, the family’s point of view, there’s going to be rollback on health and safety stuff that came out of the Pike disaster and that only feels like a slap in the face for the women.”

Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori all expressed support for a corporate manslaughter charge.

A Royal Commission of Inquiry into the explosion in 2012 found New Zealand’s old safety laws lacked teeth, and there were catastrophic failings in the mining company’s systems, despite numerous warnings of a potential disaster.

Hampton said following the inquiry, police reached the view there were acts of gross negligence, both in terms of actions taken and actions not taken by the mining company and those in charge that would have formed the foundation of a prosecution for criminal nuisance under the Crimes Act, but the acts couldn’t be directly linked to the initial explosion and the deaths.

At the same time, the Department of Labour laid health and safety charges against Pike River Coal Ltd, its former chief executive Peter Whittall and a contractor, VLI Drilling Ltd.

The charges against Whittall were dropped in 2013 in exchange for payments to the victims’ families, which had since been declared unlawful by the Supreme Court.

Efforts by Pike River families, including Osborne and Rockhouse, to prevent the mine from being sealed in 2021 ultimately led to police being able to re-enter the mine and recover further material and evidence from the inside the drift.

In September 2022, police announced they were reopening the borehole drilling operation as part of the investigation and 10 boreholes were drilled, imaged, and resealed. Human remains were found in the mine in 2023.

Police have been working with the Crown Solicitor since the investigation concluded, over whether to lay charges.

A police spokesperson said they could not provide a timeframe for when a decision would be made on the matter.

The Crown Law office said the decision whether to prosecute ultimately sat with police and they were working with the Wellington Crown Solicitor on matters relating to the decision to prosecute.

The office said it was aware of that work and didn’t have anything further to add at present.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A New Zealand disability advocate caught up in the fire at the annual COP climate meeting in Brazil says she and her group were left to fend for themselves.

The fire took hold in a pavilion area while negotiations were still underway, forcing the evacuation of thousands of delegates from the venue.

There were no casualties but at least 13 people have been treated for smoke inhalation.

Kera Sherwood-O’Regan (Ngāi Tahu) is at COP30 representing the New Zealand Disabled Persons Assembly and her hapu, Te Rūnanga o Moeraki.

She was in a building next to the area where fire broke out but said there was no alarm or other alert.

“A lot of people initially thought, ‘Oh is this a protest?’”

Many in her group had disabilities so they decided not to take any chances, she said.

“We’re very conscious that oftentimes in emergency situations we really do get left behind and that’s why we’re here at the COP advocating.

“We made our way to one of the side doors to get outside and soon after that there was a massive influx of everybody getting out.”

At that point there was still no official information and people were instead coordinating in group chats, she said.

“There wasn’t a single clear alarm system, there was no signage on the screens or anything. People were really confused.”

Later she saw footage of the fire close to an area where she had spoken the day before.

“I received … a video of flames which were just floor to ceiling, over in the pavilions area … so that was obviously quite frightening for us.”

The UN body that oversees the COP talks said there had been “limited damage” but the site would reopen no sooner than 8pm (12pm Friday NZT).

The fire took place as ministers were deep in negotiations aimed at breaking a deadlock over fossil fuels, climate finance and trade measures, with one day left in the two-week conference.

-RNZ / AFP

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington’s mayor says a review of the Golden Mile project will give the council an opportunity to take another look at what the project was trying to achieve.

The Wellington City Council on Thursday voted for a review of the contentious project, which council officers predicted would now cost up to $220 million – up from $139m.

Mayor Andrew Little told Morning Report the area was in need of work, but the project had to be realistic and affordable.

“People certainly want to see that end of the Golden Mile, the Courtenay Place end, spruced up a bit and tidied up.

“But on all these things I always say: ‘let’s go back to these objectives, let’s see how we can cut the cloth to suit, and see whether we can achieve the objectives, but at a rate that’s more affordable for Wellingtonians’.”

The overall goals of the Golden Mile were good for the city, but the review was needed to work out how to rein in ballooning costs, Little said.

“They are important. Getting better passage of public transport so we get more reliable public transport services, improving places for people to walk and all that sort of stuff.”

The council and its ratepayers “simply cannot sustain another cost blowout”, Little said.

“The worst thing would be to box on, regardless of the numbers.”

The council also needed to work out why projects like the Town Hall and the Golden Mile kept going over budget.

“At some point we are going to have to go back over those projects. You can’t have cost blowouts of that magnitude and not see that there is something wrong with the way projects are being managed or planned or designed or whatever it is.

“We will, at some point, have to get to the bottom of that because, whatever it is, we have to improve our processes,” Little said.

Some works have already begun at the intersection of Cambridge and Kent Terraces, but council officers said in October it was discovered that the Courtenay Place works, which are currently under negotiation, are now expected to exceed budget by between $15m and $25m.

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

Little said on Thursday that asking for a review of the Golden Mile was one of his first actions as Mayor, because it was apparent Council no longer had a clear picture on the costs of the project.

Review might cost up to $400,000

The review would take three to six months, with council officers providing an estimation of the review costing between $200,000 to $400,000.

It would include economic analysis on both the long-term impacts of the project and also in the short term across the full corridor from Lambton Quay to Courtenay Place.

One of the concerns raised by officers was if the project was rescoped to reduce costs, it could risk losing funding from central government.

“Although the government has agreed to fund 51 percent of the project, that was based on a business case done four years ago.

Meanwhile, the council was potentially on the hook for any cost escalations.” That’s why we need this review,” Little said.

“The review does not relitigate the benefits of the Golden Mile project, and as such will maintain the project’s current level of central government support.”

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

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The police minister says the correct process was followed by his electorate staff who forwarded emails containing allegations about former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming to his ministerial office, months before he was made aware.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority’s report found ” the emails allegedy sent by Ms Z dramatically increased in their number and distribution” in December 2023 and January 2024.

The report said the emails were sent to a range of people and organisations, including McSkimming himself, then-Commissioner Andrew Coster, then-Deputy Commissioner Tania Kura, the Prime Minister, the Police Minister, the IPCA, and various media outlets.

Mark Mitchell, who is also MP for Whangaparāoa, said 17 of the 36 emails in relation to McSkimming went to his electorate office.

“The correct process was followed, with those emails forwarded to the ministerial inbox for actioning. Electorate Staff are not employed by Ministerial services and do not deal with Ministerial Correspondence.”

The Post has reported the staffer in his electorate office, who is also his sister, responded to one of the emails in January 2024, to say the email address was for matters related to his electorate, and because the content related to his ministerial portfolios they would be managed by his ministerial team in the Beehive.

But because of a protocol put in place by Coster, the emails sent to Mitchell’s ministerial team were forwarded on to Coster’s office, and not shared with Mitchell.

The minister said the first time he was alerted to the situation regarding McSkimming and Ms Z was on 6th November 2024, when Coster briefed him. The next day, he called a meeting with the Public Service Commission and the Solicitor General to express his concerns.

“I am satisfied that all my team at both electorate and ministerial level have acted appropriately and diligently. No one knew at that stage there were integrity issues with the Police Executive,” he said.

Shortly after the release of the IPCA report, Mitchell said 36 emails containing the allegations were sent to his office, but he never saw them.

A protocol had been put in place for police staff in Mitchell’s ministerial office to forward the emails directly to then-Commissioner Andrew Coster’s office, and not share them with Mitchell or his political staff.

Mitchell has previously also defended the police staff in his ministerial office, saying they were put in an “awful situation” by the protocol, which he was unaware of.

Coster remains on leave from his role as Social Investment Agency chief executive while an employment process is carried out between him and the Public Service Commission.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland Pride says it has taken the government to court, filing for judicial review in the High Court.

The organisation said released documents through the Official Information Act, show the minister for sport and recreation had directed Sport NZ in July this year to withdraw Guiding Principles for the Inclusion of Transgender People in Community Sport.

The organisation which advocates for Tākatāpui and Rainbow communities made the announcement on Friday morning.

Auckland Pride spokesperson Bhen Goodsir said documents released by Minister Mark Mitchell show he did not consider the Bill of Rights Act, the Human Rights Act or Sport NZ’s legal obligations when making this decision.

“The Government has also been clear that the Human Rights Act and the Bill of Rights Act protect transgender people from discrimination, and we agree,” Goodsir said in a statement.

“Human rights are for everyone. When Ministers make decisions, they must follow the law and uphold New Zealanders’ rights.

“The development of the Guiding Principles followed a robust consultation process shaped by affected communities. The Minister’s decision did not.”

Auckland Pride said Sport NZ’s statutory role was to promote and advocate participation in physical activity.

Goodsir said Auckland Pride was asking the courts to send this decision back to Minister Mitchell “so he can consider the impact of his decision on our communities”.

Auckland Pride said documents showed sports organisations asked for support navigating some of the nuanced challenges of inclusion and that Sport NZ consulted widely on the Guiding Principles, which were published in 2022.

Goodsir said the document offered practical guidance for local clubs on inclusion, such as utilising existing tools like weight bands and age brackets.

The Auckland Pride spokesperson said a government-initiated review began in 2024 but was halted when the principles were withdrawn before local organisations could have their say.

“Community sport is for the whole community… It makes sense for Sport NZ to support local organisations that are asking for guidance on how best to achieve that.

“Overseas culture-war tactics have turned this topic into a vector for misinformation elsewhere, but our focus is on work here. Our case simply asks that the minister consider his legal obligations, and the needs of the community, before making a decision,” Goodsir said.

Asked about the judicial review, Mitchell’s office replied: “The Minister won’t be commenting on the matter at this time.”

Why were the guidelines scrapped?

In 2023, New Zealand First campaigned on making any publicly funded sporting body “that does not have an exclusive biological female category, where ordinarily appropriate” ineligible for public funding.

Announcing the review, former sport and recreation minister Chris Bishop said the principles did “not reflect legitimate community expectations that sport at a community level should not just be focused on diversity, inclusion, and equity, but also prioritise fairness and safety”.

The completed review was handed over to Bishop’s successor Mark Mitchell.

Rather than an update, the government told Sport NZ to stop all work on the guiding principles and remove them altogether.

In August, Mitchell said he took coalition commitments seriously and believed the best decision was made in the long run.

“I just don’t think government should be meddling and getting into areas that… the sports themselves are best placed to know how to run their code in a safe and fair way.”

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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 jury has found Auckland man Moeaia Tuai guilty of slavery, and a string of sexual attacks on one of the slavery victims.

The 63-year-old has been on trial for the past month on 20 charges, including two charges of dealing in slaves.

The charges relate to a young man and a young woman who Tuai enslaved over different time periods from 2016 until last year.

He put them to work, restricted their movements and communication, and controlled their money, paying them little for their work. He threatened both with deportation if they spoke out.

Tuai was also found guilty of two counts of rape, eight indecent assaults, six sexual violations, and an assault.

The jury at the High Court in Auckland was told he treated the pair as if they were his property. He denied all the charges.

The jury took almost two days to reach their verdicts.

Tuai has been remanded in custody until his sentencing in February.

The ‘very definition of slavery’

The Crown said Tuai kept their passports, bank cards and wages, forcing one to take out a loan.

Justice Wilkinson-Smith, summing up the case, said prosecutors alleged Tuai’s actions were the ‘very definition of slavery’, in exercising rights of ownership over the complainants.

“It can include conduct such as restricting freedom of movement – where a person can go, restricting freedom of association – who they can spend time with, restricting freedom of communication – who they can contact and talk to, using actual or threatened violence for breach of rules, retaining income and denying access to money, threatening consequences such as deportation to ensure compliance, restricting access to education to maintain control.

“All of these things can be used to control a person in a way that is tantamount to possession.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The mother of three children who died following a fire in the Manawatū town of Sanson has spoken out for the first time. August, Hugo and Goldie died last weekend, in what is being treated as a murder-suicide. Their father, Dean Field, also died. Below are Chelsey Field’s words in full.

August, Hugo and Goldie were taken from me and all those who love them in the most horrible of circumstances, but I do not want their deaths to define the important, beautiful lives that they lived.

My babies were my absolute world. I have been a stay-at-home Mum since I had Hugo in 2020. Before that, I was an early childhood teacher and August came to work with me every day, and I am so glad I got this time with my darlings. I enjoyed so much quality time with them; trips to gymnastics, music groups, playgroups and play dates with friends. We had so much fun together and many holidays away. I will forever cherish all these special memories.

Not only did I lose my children and my home that day, but I also lost our beloved miniature schnauzer, Marlo, who would have been six this Christmas. She was the children’s best friend, and one of Goldie’s first words was dog.

I also had a stillborn daughter, Iris, who would have been nine this year. I have lost her ashes, photos and all her special keepsakes. I know my darlings will be reunited with their big sister.

This incident has left me heartbroken and devastated. My children did not deserve this.

I would like to acknowledge the first responders who responded to the incident and have helped me since. Their support has been so appreciated.

Finally, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the many thousands of people around New Zealand who have been so generous during this difficult time. I have felt the aroha of those around me, in my community and around the country. This support has given me the strength to carry on in honour of the short lives my children lived and the impressions they left on so many people’s hearts.

August

August would have turned eight next Thursday and was looking forward to his birthday party at Timezone with five of his best friends. He was such a happy, kind and outgoing boy. He loved sport, especially football, he was a massive Messi fan. I had been planning on taking him to a Wellington Phoenix game soon. He loved going to the stock cars, fishing at the beach and playing with his best friend Levi. August was a fantastic big brother and he loved his siblings, especially his baby sister. He liked to get her out of bed in the morning, he would make her bottles and feed her. He loved his brother Hugo and they were always glued at the hip, either wrestling or playing outside making huts, digging in the sandpit or playing on the trampoline.

Hugo

Hugo was such a Mama’s boy. He was so kind, thoughtful and considerate, he would always come and tell me “Mum I got Goldie’s nappy and wipes ready for you, Mum I put your bag by the car for you”. He loved dinosaurs and Hot Wheels. He started school at the beginning of Term 2 and was taking it in his stride. He had begun to read so confidently, he was learning to count so proudly and he loved writing stories. Hugo loved going to the beach fishing also and riding his motorbike. He had just enjoyed his first pet day at school where he took his lamb Nigel and he won an award for care and attention. He loved his little sister Goldie too and was such a doting big brother.

Goldie

Goldie was my special little girl I had waited so long for. I am so glad I never spent a day or night away from her in her short life. She had just gotten her top two teeth and was pulling herself up to standing and attempting to coast around furniture. Her first words were ‘Hi’ and ‘dog’, she even said ‘Marlo’ the dog’s name before she said Mum. She loved going to music group every Tuesday, she enjoyed the drums and dancing to music. She was the happiest little girl and such a cruisy baby. She loved to have big snuggly cuddles and her brothers were the best things in the world to her. She followed them around the house getting into their Lego and toys. She loved going into the boy’s school every morning and afternoon and she had a massive fan club with the younger girls there.

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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.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A podcast that led to the discovery of one of New Zealand’s oldest European artefacts has been named Podcast of the Year at the NZ Podcast Awards.

Kelly Tarlton’s Final Treasure Hunt, produced by RNZ and the Motuihe Group, tells the story of famous entrepreneur and underwater adventurer Kelly Tarlton.

It traverses the story behind his life as a treasure and shipwreck hunter and the development of his aquarium on Auckland’s waterfront, while also re-igniting the search for a 256 year-old anchor off the Northland coast that Tarlton had been hunting for before he died.

Thanks to the podcast the anchor, lost by the French ship Saint Jean Baptiste in 1769, was rediscovered at the bottom of Doubtless Bay.

The podcast was the most decorated at this year’s podcast awards, winning gold in both the Best Documentary and Best History categories and silver in Best Factual, as well as the top honour.

The NZ Podcast Awards organisers said “its success is recognition for locally grounded storytelling that connects New Zealanders with our history”.

The podcast’s host and producer Hamish Williams said he was delighted with the win and immensely grateful to the Tarlton family for sharing their stories.

Kelly’s daughter Fiona Tarlton said on Facebook that “Dad would be thrilled” and thanked Williams for his dedication and talent in creating such a fascinating podcast.

She added: “My family and I are extremely grateful to RNZ and every team member involved for bringing this adventurous idea to reality.”

Tarlton was hunting for the anchor in 1982 and wrote down its coordinates, but his papers were lost for 40 years before they were rediscovered as part of the six-part podcast’s production.

The Saint Jean Baptiste was sailing in New Zealand waters at the same time as James Cook’s first expedition. It lost three anchors in a storm. Two had been found over the years and are on display at Te Papa and Te Ahu Museum in Kaitaia, but the location of the third anchor, described by Heritage New Zealand as “one of the oldest relics of early European contact with New Zealand”, remained a mystery until this year.

Marine engineer Brendan Wade, the partner of one of the other producers of the podcast Ellie Callahan, found the French anchor in a stunning conclusion to the series.

Heritage New Zealand has recommended it remain on the sea floor until tangata whenua have been consulted and archaeologists can properly survey the area.

RNZ’s daily news podcast The Detail, produced by Newsroom, won Current Affairs Podcast of the Year, while season two of Did Titanic Sink? by comedians Tim Batt and Carlo Ritchie silver in the Best Comedy and Best Fiction categories.

Earlier in the week, RNZ’s interview podcast Kim Hill Wants to Know was named by Apple Podcasts as New Zealand’s top new show of 2025, with cult podcast The Lodge in fourth.

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– 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

New Zealand’s best-known opponent of letting cats wander where they please is thrilled the government has stopped “pussyfooting” around the issue.

Describing feral cats as “stone cold killers”, Conservation Minister Tama Potaka told RNZ on Thursday they would “join their buddies, stoats, ferrets, weasels – mustelids, rats and possums” on the official Predator Free 2050 hitlist.

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

The move comes two years after then-prime ministerial candidate Christopher Luxon promised they would be added, and 12 years after economist-turned politician Gareth Morgan controversially called for an end to all wandering cats – feral or domestic.

The ‘Cats to Go’ proposal was widely criticised at the time and was dismissed by many as being a bit extreme.

“The condemnation was absolutely universal,” Morgan told Morning Report on Friday.

“I went from, according to Reader’s Digest, the sixth-most trusted New Zealander that we had at the time because of my work on funds management, to the most-hated New Zealander, in a period of about six weeks – so it just showed you the intensity of the opposition.

“But I think people misunderstand the issue. The issue is not anti-cat. The issue is anti-wandering cats, and feral cats are a big part of that crime family.”

No one knows just how many feral cats there were in New Zealand. Estimates range from 2.5 million to 14 million.

Morgan said the government’s move was “better late than never”, but still did not go far enough.

“Cats wander to kill – they don’t wander for the exercise. So feral cats are just part of this greater crime family that’s out there killing New Zealand wildlife.

“Wandering cats are the issue. Feral cats are a subset of that. So the next step is to deal with domestic cats that are let out wandering.

“The only cat that should be protected is the cat in the lap, the one that you own, and the plea, I think, from rational people, is keep it to yourself.”

Morgan suggested previous prime ministers’ cat ownership – John Key’s Moonbeam and Jacinda Ardern’s ill-fated Paddles, for example – got in the way.

But he praised Key and the National-led government of the time for creating the predator-free goal in the first place, and for extending it to cover some cats.

“I think we can all be forgiven for being a bit ecstatic for achieving this step, even though it’s just one small step with respect to cats.”

He doubted however the hitlist would be extended to cover wandering domestic cats.

“Oh, no, it’ll be another 12 years of intensive lobbying because the opposition to this is entrenched.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• 1145 reports submitted with 1247 “issues” identified
• Dose issues most common (25.93 percent), followed by quantities, missing details and inappropriate medications
• 26 percent of problems “high risk of harm” to patients
• Pharmacists spent 347 hours in total resolving problems
• Mean resolution time just under 19 minutes

More than one in four prescription errors picked up by pharmacists had a potentially serious risk of harm to patients, an audit has found.

In total, 68 pharmacies in the Midland Region took part in the week-long Script Audit – the first exploration of electronic scripts in New Zealand – using a purpose-built reporting app.

The Midland Region covers areas like Waikato, Lakes, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, and Tairāwhiti.

Midland Community Pharmacy Group chief executive Pete Chandler – who co-ordinated the audit and built the app for it using AI – said a major driver for the initiative was the tragic death of a two-month old baby in Manawatū earlier this year.

This came on top of long-standing concerns among pharmacists about system-wide clinical risk, he said.

“That was a wake up call for pharmacists around the country to the fact that if they miss something on the script, the consequences can be tragic.”

In Bellamere Duncan’s case it was an error at the pharmacy – but pharmacists say in most cases, they are the ones picking up problems.

During the week-long audit, pharmacists reported 1257 problems in prescriptions sent by GPs, specialists, midwives, dentists and other prescribers.

The most common related to inaccurate drug doses, followed by wrong quantities, missing details or patients prescribed “inappropriate” drugs, which could interfere with other medicines they were taking, for instance.

Most disturbingly, 26 percent of mistakes had a high risk of patient harm, if the pharmacist had not intervened.

The estimated rate of “interventions” varied widely between individual pharmacies, ranging from problems found in fewer than 1 percent of scripts to some identifying problems with 11.25 percent of total prescriptions sent to them.

The report noted the pharmacies with the highest intervention rates were known to the leadership teams of Bay of Plenty Community Pharmacy Group and MidCentral Community Pharmacy Group as “highly competent and thorough in clinical checking”, which suggested it could reflect more robust identification.

“Pharmacists have become the default safeguard against electronic deficiencies and other prescribing issues, yet this safeguard is neither resourced nor acknowledged in current funding or workforce planning. This is happening at a time when pharmacists should be contributing far

more to reducing hospital and primary care pressures.”

Chandler said whenever there was a problem with a script, pharmacists had to contact the prescriber involved and sort it out – and that could take minutes, hours or even days.

“You can see the minutes ticking away into hours while the pharmacist is waiting for a response.”

This could involve trying to track down a junior doctor who had now finished a hospital shift, or getting through to a busy GP.

“Some things are just irritating rather than being unsafe. So if your barcode won’t scan, it’s a pain and it wastes time. If a patient’s details don’t come through on a script, it needs chasing up.

“There are a range of issues that can happen, but this is time that we really need to use for something else.”

Invisible work of pharmacists not funded

A smaller survey of 20 pharmacists by the Pharmaceutical Society earlier this year found 45 percent were making up to five clinical interventions every day and 6 percent were making up to 40.

North Shore pharmacist Michael Hammond, president of the Pharmaceutical Society, said problems with scripts were annoying for everyone involved, including the patient having to wait for it to be sorted out.

“There are supply chain issues as well, so we’re having to have conversations with patients about why something is out of stock and then go to the prescriber and explain they need an alternative, or they can only dispense one month’s supply.

“So there’s a lot of unseen activity by pharmacists that needs to be recognised and funded appropriately.”

While electronic prescribing had fixed the historic problem of illegible handwriting, this audit revealed that technology had spawned a new set of problems.

The report on the audit found training, knowledge of drug changes and the inherent complexity of patient care remained contributing factors.

“However, the scale and pattern of findings indicate that IT system flaws do appear to be responsible for a substantial proportion of script issues increasing the workload and risk for both pharmacists and prescribers.”

Pete Chandler said it was frustrating for everyone involved.

“Often what the GP thinks they’ve asked for is not what the pharmacist sees. And pharmacists are obsessively diligent in their work, they’re very careful people, so they will do what it takes to sort it out.”

GPs also frustrated

The College of General Practitioners medical director, Dr Prabani Wood, said none of the software systems available were completely fit-for-purpose.

“There aren’t really those fail-safe mechanisms in our electronic health systems that stop you from making a crazy error by multiplying the number of tablets you’re asking for by a factor of 10 or 100. That still doesn’t happen.”

While Health NZ was working towards a shared digital health record, it was almost impossible for busy GPs to keep up with which medicines were currently funded by Pharmac or subject to supply problems, she said.

“I did a prescription last week for a person with ADHD and they are on a number of different medications and different doses, a couple of which were available at their normal pharmacy and one that isn’t. So it gets quite tricky.

“The system is not in place to help things run more smoothly. For me, I think having easier communication between general practice and pharmacy would help.”

The report itself concluded that many of the problems reported could be significantly reduced with co-ordinated action and “a willingness to address root causes rather than relying on workarounds”.

Promising micro-improvements were already emerging, including a dedicated text-only line for pharmacy prescription enquiries at one GP practice.

However, systemic improvement would require some national level, some regional level and some local level (i.e. local pharmacy and general practice) quality improvement, including working with IT providers to improve their systems.

“This small snapshot validates the significant concerns pharmacists across Aotearoa have been signalling for years – that script issues are increasing, clinical risk is rising and the system is not responding to make at the pace required.

“Doing nothing is no longer a defensible option.”

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