Concerned parents and teachers have been bagging up and delivering children’s play sand which could be contaminated with asbestos to designated council centres.
At the Auckland Council asbestos lab in Auckland’s Grafton, Kedgley Intermediate learning and support coordinator Jane Goodill was shocked to learn they had the sand at her school.
She said she felt “horror” when she realised.
“We had some of the sand. I looked at the bar code and found it was a different bar code than the recalled ones but it was the same product, same colours, same seller, but different weight.”
Adrian Blake throws away potentially hazardous sand contaminated with asbestos.RNZ/Calvin Samuel
To be perfectly safe, she said it was decided to get rid of it.
Adrian Blake, an Auckland father, said he and his wife were “pretty shocked” when they heard about the recall.
He said his children had played with the sand.
“I’m shocked that the product standard hasn’t been met. Surprised for a product that kids play with that it wasn’t checked more.”
The free drop off in Auckland’s Grafton.RNZ/Calvin Samuel
Blake said he was pleased the council had come up with a solution for families unsure of what to do with the sand.
Auckland Council set up a drop-off site for the sand at the council asbestos lab on Kari St in Grafton.
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New Zealand’s mainstay drug law turned 50 this year – yet we still don’t have a clear, comprehensive picture of the social harms different drugs pose.
When the Misuse of Drugs Act was introduced in 1975, it codified a set of prohibitions shaped not only by evidence of social harm, but also by the politics and anxieties of the time.
Drug bans have historically reflected a mix of genuine harms, moral panic, political expediency, prevailing attitudes, prejudice against minority groups and industry influence.
More recently, scheduling decisions have been influenced by media coverage, public concern, piecemeal social statistics and the views of academics and agencies.
A common proxy for judging a drug’s harm is the extent to which it is linked to dependency.
Several self-reported screening tools are used to assess dependency – but these typically bring a psychological framing to an issue that we know is multi-dimensional, with societal impacts that reach beyond the drug user.
Some progress has been made in developing broader harm rankings for different substances, but such assessments rely on small, select panels with narrowly focused expertise.
To help address such limitations, we developed the Substance Outcome Harm Index (SO_HI) which is grounded in the idea that people who use drugs can offer valuable, experience-based insight.
Although its methodology is still being developed, our early findings provide new insights that challenge common beliefs about drug use and harm.
What our new index revealed
Our SO_HI index draws on data from more than 4,800 anonymous respondents to the 2025 New Zealand Drug Trends Survey, whose large sample broadly mirrors the wider population.
Respondents were first asked whether, in the past six months, they had experienced harm from alcohol or drug use in any of 12 identified life “dimensions”. These range from physical and mental health to relationships, personal safety, work/study performance, parenting and care giving, violence and money.
The harms described are largely acute problems to make it easier for substance users to link them to their recent alcohol and drug use. Some substances, such as tobacco, are also responsible for long term chronic illnesses and these harms are not well captured in our index.
For each area where harm was reported, respondents were shown short descriptions of four escalating levels of seriousness and asked to choose the highest they had experienced.
Interestingly, nearly two thirds of respondents (63.1%) did not report any negative outcomes from drug use across any of the dimensions.
The drug-related problems most commonly reported were mental health issues (19.0%), money problems (18.2%), physical health impacts (14.6%), and relationship difficulties (14.3%).
Fewer participants reported work or study problems (10.5%), unsafe driving (6.7%), or personal safety concerns (6.7%). Only a small proportion (3.1%) reported legal issues linked to their substance use.
When asked which substances were responsible, 60% of respondents identified a single drug (59.7%), a quarter identified two (26.3%), and around 9% identified three.
On our index, heroin/morphine, methamphetamine and GHB/GBL (also known as fantasy, liquid ecstasy or G) carried the highest cumulative mean harm scores across the 12 dimensions.
At the other end of the scale, LSD had the lowest harm mean score, followed by cocaine and MDMA (ecstasy) – with the latter scoring only a fraction of methamphetamine’s harm level.
For example, cocaine’s low score likely reflects the low availability and low frequency of use in New Zealand. In our sample, 71% of cocaine users had used it only once or twice in the past six months and 21% used it monthly.
Alcohol ranked sixth in our index, behind heroin, methamphetamine and GHB.
This differs from some published international rankings that place alcohol at the top. However, our index measures individual risk of harm, not total societal harm, which would account for prevalence of use.
Some harm assessments were also based on relatively small numbers of respondents naming a drug as responsible for harm.
Where our research goes next
Our preliminary findings illustrate the value of engaging with drug users to assess and compare the risk of harm of different drug types to inform policy response and health service resourcing.
The risk-of-harm scores can also be broken down for demographic groups that may be more vulnerable to drug harm – such as young people or those with mental health issues – and for ethnicities often poorly served by health services, including Māori and Pacific peoples.
Our questions could also be posed to specific groups, such as heroin users, to improve estimates for substances that are rarely used.
We are now developing a method for weighting different harm attributes and severity levels. For instance, some people may consider harms related to parenting more serious than those related to property crime or poor work performance.
We are also validating our findings against other harm measures and assessment tools, and further refinement will be coming.
There is a need to account for harm related to poly-drug use, given that 40% of our sample named more than one substance as responsible for their problems.
Applying our index in other countries, where drug availability and patterns of problematic use differ, will also be important for enabling robust international comparisons.
Chris Wilkins receives funding from the New Zealand Royal Society Te Apārangi Marsden Fund Grant MAU1812 and Health Research Council of New Zealand Grants HRC22/245 and 23/244
Marta Rychert receives salary support through the Rutherford Discovery Fellowship administered by the New Zealand Royal Society Te Apārangi and research grant funding from the NZ Health Research Council and the NZ Royal Society Te Apārangi Marsden Fund.
Jose S. Romeo and Robin van der Sanden do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Queenstown Lakes District Council infrastructure general manager Tony Avery.RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The Queenstown Lakes District Council has received two abatement notices following a series of failures at Wānaka’s wastewater treatment plant.
Heavy rain hit last month while the Project Pure Wastewater Plant was being upgraded and working at reduced capacity, causing nitrogen levels to spike and treated wastewater to flood disposal fields and run off.
The Otago Regional Council has since issued the two notices calling for the district council to stop discharging treated wastewater to land without complying with its consent.
One of the abatement notices described effluent flowing down an access road, into a nearby property and forcing grazing stock to drive through it to access other paddocks.
Five of the last 12 consecutive sample results for total nitrogen were “very high”, and at least three of them breached the consented limit this year.
District council property and infrastructure manager Tony Avery said the council was fully cooperating and trying to address the issues to become fully compliant as quickly as possible.
But he acknowledged the situation was disappointing.
“With the recent upgrade work now complete, and all three reactors operating as expected, we’re already seeing material improvements in the treated wastewater quality,” Avery said.
“We will continue to keep the community informed while we work through these issues.”
The Otago Regional Council warned that enforcement officers might do inspections to check compliance.
The district council also reported three wastewater ponding incidents between August and early October.
Another ponding incident was reported on 28 October following the heavy rain and a mechanical failure that reduced the capacity of the plant.
The abatement notice said staff diverted process wastewater to the disposal field.
“However, the disposal field was inundated and could not cope with the volume, causing ponding and the overland flow of wastewater down an access road,” the notice said.
When enforcement officers checked the plant on the same day, they estimated effluent to be about 80 millimetres deep throughout the disposal field zones, sludge with the ponded effluent, an odour on occasions and effluent flowing about 300 metres down an access road.
Some of that was discharging through a culvert and onto an adjacent property.
The effluent runoff flooded an access road to a property, forced stock from grazing areas to drive through the effluent to access other paddocks, contaminated silage and concerns were raised about the impact on the health of people, animals and the paddocks, the notice said.
The council did not rule out prosecution under the Resource Management Act if the district council did not comply.
The latest abatement notices followed a spate of recent compliance issues with two of the district council’s treatment plants.
The district council has a permit for its Wānaka treatment plant to discharge no more than 26,400 cubic metres of wastewater to the disposal field per calendar day.
The groundwater quality in the bores sampled are not meant to exceed 11.3 grams per cubic metre of nitrate nitrogen.
It also has conditions requiring no ponding or surface run off of treated wastewater and does not allow the discharge of sludge to land or water apart from to an approved landfill.
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The plane landed safely, Air New Zealand said.RNZ / Dan Cook
An engineering issue on a Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Nelson has forced the plane to return to Auckland.
Fire and Emergency said they were called to the airport shortly after 3pm on Thursday, after being told there’d been an “engine shutdown” on the flight.
Nine fire trucks and more than 30 firefighters were on standby at the airport.
St John ambulance also sent more than a dozen ambulances and its major incident support team.
Air New Zealand said the flight landed safely, and its maintenance team will now inspect the aircraft.
It said the plane had an “engineering issue”.
“We regret the inconvenience this has caused our customers travelling to Nelson this afternoon and we are working to get them to their destination as quickly as possible,” said its chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw.
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Wellington City Council has voted to do a review of the Golden Mile project.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The new Wellington City Council have voted to do a review of the contentious Golden Mile project.
Council officers are now predicting the project, which was budgeted to cost $139 million, could cost up to $220 million.
Some works have already begun on the project, 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 $15 to $25 million dollars.
It’s the second time this year a budget blowout has been reported on the project. In August a $20 million blowout was reported, but the project was brought back into budget.
Mayor Andrew Little described the review as the responsible thing to do, he said the cost of the project had got to a level where they could not proceed in good conscious as if nothing had changed.
But he said the objectives of the Golden Mile were good.
Meanwhile Deputy Mayor Ben McNaulty said the council couldn’t afford the cost blow out, particularly in light of recent blow outs with the Town Hall and the Sludge Minimisation Plant.
“We can’t afford it, it’s just that black and white”
Councillor Rebecca Matthews said the council had far too many times pressed paused when they should have pressed fast forward.
She was concerned the review could represent the first step in terminating the project. She said she hoped she was wrong in her fears.
The vote passed with 12 in favour and 4 opposed. Those opposed were Matthews, Laurie Foon, Jonny Osborne and Geordie Rogers.
New Eastern Ward Councillor Karl Tiefenbacher.Supplied
‘Council needs to create an environment where people can afford to live’
New Eastern Ward Councillor Tiefenbacher told councillors he wanted to be proud, but couldn’t be until the council looked back at the end of the term and saw Wellington was a better place than it is now.
He said the council needed to create an environment where people could afford to live, businesses could thrive and there were opportunities for youth.
Fellow new Eastern Ward Councillor Sam O’Brien said many of the challenges Wellington faced were a result of choices, not chance.
He pointed to an infrastructure deficit, unaffordable rents and water challenges.
“None of this is inevitable it is the consequence of decisions to defer and deflect and hope that someone else will deal with it later.”
He said the council needed to invest in public services that made people’s lives better on a day-to-day basis.
Other councillors who made their maiden speeches were Matthew Reweti, Jonny Osborne, Afnan Al-Rubayee and Andrea Compton.
Councillor Ray Chung has kept his position as chairperson.RNZ / Mark Papalii
Some Councillors oppose appointment of Ray Chung as chairperson
While discussing chairperson appointments, new councillor Osborne said he, Foon, Matthews and Rogers did not support Ray Chung’s appointment.
“Undermining the mana and integrity of your colleagues by spreading offensive and misogynistic rumours is not good leadership,” he said.
Early this year former Mayor Tory Whanau released an email Chung sent to three fellow councillors in early 2023 recounting a story he’d been told by his neighbour about the neighbour’s son allegedly having a sexual encounter with the mayor.
But Osborne said as “constructive partners” and recognising this was a decision for the mayor, the green faction would vote in favour of the paper.
The vote passed unopposed.
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Feral cats will be added to Predator Free 2050’s hitlist, a sharp change of policy announced by Conservation Minister Tama Potaka.
Describing feral cats as “stone cold killers”, Potaka told RNZ they would “join their buddies, stoats, ferrets, weasels – mustelids, rats and possums” on the official list for eradication.
A proposal recently circulated by the government suggested feral cats should continue to be excluded from the strategy and Potaka made no mention of including them when approached by RNZ earlier this month about Luxon’s campaign promise.
But today, Potaka said it had been decided a couple of weeks ago to include them. He would not say why it was announced today.
It marks the first change to the list of species since the target’s inception in 2016, when then-Prime Minister John Key announced the predator free goal.
Potaka said feral cats were “stone cold killers”, responsible for killing birds, bats, lizards and insects.
“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 number of feral cats in New Zealand is unknown, but estimates range from 2.4 million upwards. They’re apex predators, which have been linked to the extinction of several native bird species. They also hunt bats, lizards, frogs and even insects such as wētā.
A feral cat eating kākāriki on Maukahuka/Auckland Island.SUPPLIED / DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION
The announcement comes ahead of the results of a review of the Predator Free 2050 strategy due to be publicly revealed early next year.
The review included a proposal the public was invited to give feedback on. The proposal suggested feral cats be excluded at present, saying eradication wasn’t feasible. However, it did ask for public feedback on the benefits and risks of not including them.
The decision to not include them in the review drew criticism from conservationists, who said it was a “misread of the room” and the dial had shifted on the public’s understanding and acceptance of the issue.
Potaka said the proposal generated a large number of submissions and the majority called for feral cats to be included in the target species list.
The U-turn on feral cats inclusion, announced today, was welcomed by conservation groups. Chief executive of the charity group Predator Free New Zealand Trust, Jessi Morgan, said she’d been hoping for the inclusion for years.
Jessi MorganSupplied / Predator Free New Zealand
“I can’t believe it really, I’m thrilled that decision has been made and I think it’s the right decision for New Zealand and I think New Zealand is ready.”
She said public opinion had shifted on the topic.
“There’s understanding that feral cats are a completely different kettle of fish to the cats that are sitting on your lap at night watching Shortland Street with you.”
What will this mean?
Potaka said the inclusion will drive an increased focus on eradication of feral cats.
This could involve investigating different ways to target them through poisoning, such as sausage baits laced with poison, or “spit” based methods where a poison is sprayed on the cat.
“There may be other options in the future, like genetic options or genetic solutions that can help reduce and eliminate any of these predators. Those are yet to be found, of course”
Potaka said scientist Sir Peter Gluckman had been in touch with him on possible scientific advancements which could be implemented.
Potaka didn’t specify what funding would be put behind eradicating feral cats, but said money from the International Visitor Levy was already going toward predator eradication.
Revenue from the levy has emerged at the same time as Jobs for Nature funding came to an end, and the company set up under Key to spearhead Predator Free New Zealand was wound up earlier this year to save $12.6m over three years.
The functions of the company were handed to the Department of Conservation (DOC). Costs for managing the company’s existing projects and contracts fell to DOC, which got no extra money earmarked for Predator Free 2050 other than a transfer of $2.3m already allocated to Predator Free 2050 Ltd.
Morgan, from Predator Free New Zealand Trust, said the inclusion of cats would send a strong message to councils that feral cats are now in the hit list.
“It will impact, hopefully, the policies that regional councils are putting out there to include better measures around feral cats,” she said.
What is a ‘feral’ cat?
The inclusion on the predator hit list has the potential to drive other changes.
Feral cats are wild cats, which survive without human help, and are the only cats targeted for eradication. But the challenge of including a common pet species in the predator free line up could mean pet cats will need protection.
This may come in the form of regulations, such as registration and microchipping. Potaka said he couldn’t confirm if this would happen.
“That’s for another day, and I’m sure that our government, at some stage will look at that more intensely,” he said, adding that it was a hot topic for National MP Barbara Kuriger.
Kuriger and Green MP Celia Wade-Brown have a member’s bill calling for compulsory microchipping and registration of companion cats. Currently, the bill would need to be drawn from a ballot in order to be considered, although the government could also adopt it. Kuriger and Wade-Brown could also get the support of 61 backbench MPs across Parliament for it to be advanced for a first reading.
Potaka said he’s a cat person himself, and owns two rescue cats, Haku and Scout, which has only three legs. He said as a cat lover he has no qualms about cats being added to Predator Free 2050.
“No, I don’t but I want to make sure my cats have their relevant microchips , which they do, and they’re looked after and there’s a very clear distinction between companion cats and feral cats.”
See more about New Zealand’s growing feral cat problem inFeral, a special RNZ investigation]
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At the last possible minute, Australia has backed away from its bid to host the United Nations COP31 climate summit next year in Adelaide alongside Pacific nations.
Under a compromise struck with rival bidder Turkey, the 2026 talks will be held in the Turkish city of Antalya. In return, Australia will shape the agenda and federal Minister for Climate and Energy Chris Bowen will preside over the two weeks of formal negotiations. The Pacific will host a pre-COP event ahead of the summit.
Struck in the final days of the COP30 summit in Belém, Brazil, the compromise deal comes as a bitter disappointment to many – including me. It follows three years of concerted Australian diplomacy to host the world’s biggest climate talks. The deal does salvage some important wins for Australia and the Pacific.
At a press conference in Brazil, Bowen said: “Obviously, it would be great if Australia could have it all. But we can’t have it all. This process works on consensus.” He described Australia’s role as COP President as a “significant concession” offered by Turkey.
Australia will have a central role to play over the next year in maintaining global momentum in shifting away from fossil fuels and accelerating the renewable rollout even faster. Pacific island countries also have a chance to shape summit outcomes and attract vital investment as they push to reach 100% renewables.
Bowen will be holding the gavel in Anatalya instead of Adelaide, but his workload will begin now. Australia will need to carry forward the agenda set in Brazil, where the COP30 presidency is working toward the first-ever global roadmap to phase out fossil fuels.
How did this happen?
The Australia-Pacific bid was widely favoured to win. Minister Bowen has effectively been auditioning to head the talks by taking on key roles in recent years.
What happened? Partly United Nations procedure and partly domestic politics.
The annual summit is rotated between five different UN country groupings.
In 2026, Australia’s grouping – “Western Europe and Other” has its turn. By convention, countries choose a host country by consensus. Australia’s bid had overwhelming support within our UN grouping, as 26 of 28 countries in the group backed it publicly.
But Turkey simply refused to give way. This was deeply frustrating for Bowen and Pacific island leaders. Palau’s president Surangel Whipps Jr called for Turkey to “clear the way” for an Australia-Pacific summit.
After withdrawing an earlier bid in 2020, Turkey’s leaders felt it was their turn. It’s not how the process formally works, but it meant Turkey wouldn’t give up.
For well over a year, Australian and Turkish diplomats engaged in drawn-out negotiations. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last year and wrote to him in recent days to ask him to withdraw his bid. Bowen and Foreign Minister Penny Wong recently discussed the issue with their Turkish counterparts.
If neither Turkey or Australia had backed down this week, the talks would have reverted to Bonn, Germany, the home of the UN climate process. As negotiations reached a crunch point at COP30, Australia struck a deal.
The long-runnning saga took a domestic political toll. Internal support within the Labor government had reportedly dropped in recent months.
What does this mean for Australia?
The backdown is a significant economic and diplomatic blow. It’s a major loss for Adelaide especially. The South Australian government had estimated hosting the talks would be a A$500 million boon, from tourism receipts to a chance to attract vital investment for Australia’s ongoing energy transition and for future clean energy industries such as critical minerals and green iron.
UK government analysis of the 2021 Glasgow talks found the net benefit of hosting was double the cost, bringing around A$1 billion in benefits, including trade deals and foreign investment. Australia will miss out on much of this.
Having an Australian president of the COP31 talks is more than a consolation prize. Minister Bowen will hold the pen when the world decides a path forward for climate action next year.
This will be useful in attracting investment. More than 70% of all investment in clean energy in Australia comes from international sources.
It’s unusual for a host country to not preside over the COP talks, but it has been done before.
For Pacific nations, the news will come as a blow. Pacific nations have been instrumental in pushing the world to go faster on climate. The region is hugely exposed to climate threats, from rising sea levels to intensified natural disasters to coral bleaching to acidifying oceans.
Australia had hoped to host COP31 for strategic reasons as well as economic. Hosting would have shown Canberra’s commitment to address the Pacific’s key security threat at a time of increasing geostrategic rivalry.
As the deal stands, Australia has salvaged a commitment to hold a pre-COP meeting in the Pacific. This will showcase Pacific plans to become the first region powered 100% by renewables. Australia should work with Pacific leaders to ensure this is a serious event shaping expectations for COP31.
It will likely also act as a pledging conference for countries to commit finance to the Pacific Resilience Facility, a Pacific fund to help island nations adapt to changes already arriving.
What’s next?
As the COP30 talks head toward their conclusion, Brazil is hoping to broker an unexpected breakthrough: a global roadmap to phase out fossil fuels.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva surprised observers by calling for this roadmap to be a signature outcome. While countries had already agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels” at climate talks in 2023, leaders had yet to agree on a plan to actually do this. The roadmap wasn’t expected to be central to this year’s talks, but has increasingly become so.
If President Lula secures a roadmap in Belém, it would likely be developed in greater detail at next year’s talks and beyond as countries hash out measures to phase out fossil fuel production and consumption in the national climate plans required under Paris Agreement obligations.
There’s welcome progress here. Over 80 countries now back the call for a roadmap, including major fossil fuel producers such as Norway. But Australia, the world’s largest exporter of coal and one of the largest of liquefied natural gas, has yet to add its support.
As Bowen and his colleagues reckon with the COP31 compromise deal, they will have to take a position. Will an Australian COP president be able to drive the urgently needed shift away from the fossil fuels which steadily worsen climate change?
If so, it will show Australia is ready to carry the baton from Brazil – and deliver the change its Pacific neighbours and the wider world needs.
Wesley Morgan is a fellow with the Climate Council of Australia
Butter prices have been a hot topic of conversation this year.RNZ / screenshots
The price of butter fell 7.6 percent at Wednesday’s Global Dairy Auction , but what will this mean for the price consumers are paying at the supermarket?
Dairy prices fell for the seventh time in a row at the auction, with butter falling the most, but an agricultural expert told Afternoons, the public wouldn’t see a change in supermarket prices straight away.
The auction falls were partly due to a glut of dairy products as farmers produced more to capitalise on strong prices.
NZX Head Of Dairy Insights Cristina Alvarado said labour costs affected the price of butter in supermarkets, but over time, there should be a fall in butter prices.
“We need to take into account there’s a lot of cost that goes into the local supply chain, including manufacturing, and even though the ingredient itself has dropped internationally it’s only been in the last few months.
“It will take time for them to come through.”
However, Alvarado said if the prices of butter kept dropping there would be a downward pressure that would soon be seen coming through at supermarkets.
Alvarado believed New Zealanders were paying a “fair” price for butter at the supermarket.
“If we had much cheaper product it would bring horrible problems internationally for us as a lot of free trade agreements would be in conflict of that.
“In terms of what you pay for butter I would say we should probably accept it a little bit more to help our economy.”
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Severe wind and heavy rain warnings were issued for much of the South Island and the lower North Island.
A wind storm on 23 October cut power to tens of thousands of homes, tore off roofs, and downed trees and fences, leading to a state of emergency being declared in Southland and Clutha.
The Insurance Council said about 70 percent of claims were from Southland and Otago.
“Most of the claims received to date are for wind-related damage, and insurers are working with customers to assess and progress these as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson said.
FMG – the country’s biggest rural insurer – said it had received more than 3000 claims from severe wind on 23 October that were expected to cost more than $28 million.
Damage in Southland. (File photo)Supplied / Emergency Management Southland
“Of these claims, approximately 1,500 are from Southland and 700 are from Otago,” a spokesperson said.
“We had over 650 claims for Canterbury and over 80 of those related to irrigators.
“We’re not expecting the number of claims to change significantly now. We’re continuing to work to resolve claims as quickly as possible – with 10 percent of claims closed and over $1.5m already in communities.”
FMG had also received about 350 claims from severe wind on October 21 with about 100 coming from Canterbury.
Tower’s head of natural disaster response Lisa Maxwell said Tower received 850 claims from the storm.
“260 of these are from our customers in the Southland region and 150 from our customers in Otago,” Maxwell said.
“The majority of claims are for minor damage, for example, fences, roofing and damage from debris.”
An IAG spokesperson said its AMI, State and NZI brands had received more than 4300 claims from 23 October.
“More than 3,000 of those claims were received from customers in Southland and Otago regions,” the spokesperson said.
“Most of the strong wind damage caused smashed windows and doors, flying roofs and sheds, and also spoiled food as a result of the power outages.
“Additionally, the hailstorm affecting Timaru and South Canterbury on 15 November has prompted more than 1,000 claims.
“At this stage, it’s too early to put a cost to these events.”
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Dr Jacob Goldenberg and his company, Total Health Dentistry in Ponsonby, face 21 charges.RNZ / Liu Chen
An Auckland dentist accused of treating patients while his license was suspended can now be named.
Dr Jacob Goldenberg and his company, Total Health Dentistry in Ponsonby, face 21 charges under the Health Practitioners Competence and Assurance Act 2003 and the Fair Trading Act 1986.
The charges, filed by the Ministry of Health, alleged he worked as a health practitioner without holding a current practising certificate and falsely claimed dental services were being supplied by a registered dentist.
Goldenberg has not entered any pleas to the charges.
He had his practising certificate suspended by the Dental Council in March 2023, pending the completion of an investigation.
His practice was put into liquidation in April 2024.
He was granted temporary name suppression when initial charges were filed against him by the Ministry of Health in 2024, after previously being named by RNZ in its investigation of Goldenberg’s practice.
But at the Auckland District Court on Wednesday morning, Judge Kevin Muir denied Goldenberg’s request to keep name suppression until a verdict was delivered.
Speaking to Judge Muir in court, Goldenberg argued that he should not be named until he could give evidence because he considered the allegations against him to be inaccurate.
“The clinical facts won’t support the charges,” he said.
Judge Muir said there was no evidence that publicly naming the dentist would cause him extreme hardship and that the public had a right to know about the proceedings.
He said Goldenberg was given “ample time” to file an application in support of his bid for name suppression, which he did not do.
RNZ also opposed name suppression on the basis that publication might assist in alerting other people who might be affected to come forward.
Judge Muir decided Goldenberg’s name suppression would lapse at 4pm on 20 November, to allow him an opportunity to obtain legal advice.
Goldenberg is due back in court in January when a trial date is expected to be set.
Judge Muir urged Goldenberg, who has chosen to represent himself, to get legal representation.
He said standby counsel would be appointed to assist Goldenberg during the trial.
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jennifer Power, Principal Research Fellow, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University
About one in ten perimenopausal or menopausal women masturbate to relieve their symptoms, according to a study that has generated media interest around the world.
The attention is likely because masturbation is a novel (and possibly somewhat salacious) strategy to ease these symptoms, and older women are often seen as asexual.
So does masturbating really relieve symptoms, as the study published in the journal Menopause suggests? Let’s see if the evidence stacks up.
The health benefits of masturbation
The study was conducted in the United States and was led by researchers at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, one of the world’s best known research institutes that specialises in sex and relationships. The study was funded by sex toy company Womanizer.
Researchers surveyed a representative sample of 1,178 perimenopausal and menopausal women aged 40–65.
Women who reported changes in their periods but still had at least one period in the previous year were categorised as perimenopausal. Women who said they had not have a period in a year or longer were categorised as menopausal.
About four in five of the women said they had ever masturbated. Of those, about 20% said masturbating relieved their symptoms to some degree.
For perimenopausal women, the most improved symptoms were sleep difficulties and irritability. For a small number of menopausal women, it helped most with vaginal pain, bloating and painful urination.
The findings are consistent with previous research showing masturbating to orgasm may help reduce anxiety and psychological distress, improve sleep and reduce vaginal pain.
However, research on the health, social or relationship benefits of masturbation, including for menopause relief, is sparse.
In particular, we cannot be sure exactly how masturbating might improve symptoms. But researchers propose the relaxation effects of orgasm, and the release of endorphins, can improve mood, help sleep and reduce pain. Sexual stimulation may also induce vaginal lubrication and blood flow to the genital area, which can help maintain vaginal function.
A small number of women in the study said masturbating worsened their symptoms, although it was unclear why.
There’s still stigma around masturbation
Masturbation is mostly no longer regarded as sinful or dangerous. But it still carries a level of stigma.
Women, in particular, often associate masturbation with sexual shame and tend not to talk openly about their masturbation habits.
So the stigma and invisibility of masturbation means it is rarely the subject of clinical research investigating its benefits.
As a result, we have very little evidence on its effectiveness to relieve menopause symptoms, especially compared to other non-medical interventions such as physical activity or stress relief.
The US study showed women were substantially more likely to manage menopause symptoms through evidence-based strategies of physical activity, diet or stress reduction, than with masturbation.
However, many women in the study might have never considered masturbation to relieve their symptoms.
Masturbation isn’t for everyone
Masturbation is free, relatively easy and, for most women, enjoyable. There is no reason why it should not be promoted as an accessible menopause relief strategy that may benefit some women. However, it is not always so simple. There may be barriers for some women.
Not all women masturbate or enjoy masturbation. The US study showed nearly one in five women surveyed had never masturbated. This number was higher among older, menopausal women, perhaps reflecting generational change in attitudes about masturbation. Some women in the study indicated a moral or religious resistance to masturbation.
Other studies have similarly shown that a number of women do not masturbate. There may be many reasons for this, from lack of desire through to limited privacy or “alone time”. Older women may experience complex physical barriers, including loss of libido or limited dexterity and flexibility.
Silence and stigma around masturbation may also make it difficult for health professionals to discuss masturbation with women. This was evident in the US study, with almost all reporting they had never spoken to a doctor about masturbation for any reason.
Many women were open to these conversations, however, with about 56% of perimenopausal women indicating they would masturbate more often to treat menopause symptoms if their doctor recommended it.
Masturbation as a novel strategy
Although there can be no guarantee masturbation will relieve menopause symptoms for all women, suggesting women give it a go is unlikely to cause harm. It is the safest sex available.
We don’t talk much about masturbation, especially among older women. But by demonstrating that most older women do masturbate and this may offer health benefits, this latest study is novel and valuable.
Jennifer Power receives funding from the Australian Research Council and The Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and has previously received funding from ViiV Healthcare and Gilead Sciences for projects unrelated to this topic.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on November 20, 2025.
Auditory illusions: new research discovers how our ears play tricks on us Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sam Schwarzkopf, Associate Professor of Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Inspired by owls and their amazing ability to find their prey by hearing alone, my team decided to test how good humans are at discerning sounds. We were surprised to find just
Australia cedes COP31 but negotiates role for Chris Bowen and Pacific countries Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Australia has ceded next year’s United Nations climate conference – COP 31 – to Turkey, but has negotiated a fall back that gives Climate Minister Chris Bowen a prominent role. Under the arrangement, Australia has also secured a pre-COP meeting
As AI leader Nvidia posts record results, Warren Buffett’s made a surprise bet on Google Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Shackell, Adjunct Fellow, Centre for Policy Futures, The University of Queensland; Queensland University of Technology Fortune Live Media, CC BY-NC-ND The world’s most valuable publicly listed company, US microchip maker Nvidia, has reported record $US57 billion ($A88 billion) revenue in the third quarter of 2025, beating
Canberra pandering to Prabowo, while ignoring unrest in West Papua While Indonesians worry about President Prabowo Subianto’s undemocratic moves, the failures of his flagship “breakfast” policy, and a faltering economy, Australia enters into another “treaty” of little import. Duncan Graham reports. COMMENTARY: By Duncan Graham Under-reported in the Australian and New Zealand media, Indonesia has been gripped by protests this year, some of them violent.
Australia’s algal bloom catastrophe has left more than 87,000 animals dead. What will happen this summer? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jochen Kaempf, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences (Oceanography), Flinders University An underwater bloom of toxic algae has wreaked havoc off the coast of South Australia since mid-March 2025. After eight months, this harmful algal bloom is the longest and one of the most environmentally devastating events ever
Perfectly preserved rock art site reveals 1,700 years of Aboriginal string craft Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynley Wallis, Professor, School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, Griffith University Imagine you’re in south-east Cape York Peninsula, heading north from the tiny town of Laura – population 133. You’re in a dusty four wheel drive, bumping over a rough gravel road to a remote location
Exercising in mid and later life can reduce dementia risk – new study Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joyce Siette, Associate Professor | Deputy Director, The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development, Western Sydney University Centre for Ageing Better/Unsplash For years, scientists have known that moving our bodies can sharpen our minds. Physical activity boosts blood flow to the brain, enhances neuroplasticity and reduces
Perfectly preserved rock art site reveals 1700 years of Aboriginal string craft Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lynley Wallis, Professor, School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, Griffith University Imagine you’re in south-east Cape York Peninsula, heading north from the tiny town of Laura – population 133. You’re in a dusty four wheel drive, bumping over a rough gravel road to a remote location
Behind every COP is a global data project that predicts Earth’s future. Here’s how it works Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andy Hogg, Professor and Director of ACCESS-NRI, Australian National University Arash Hedieh/Unspalsh Over the past week we’ve witnessed the many political discussions that go with the territory of a COP – or, more verbosely, the “Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Is the UK headed for a new prime minister? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Manwaring, Associate Professor, Politics and Public Policy, Flinders University These are troubled times for British Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer. In July 2024, Starmer’s government swept to power on the back on a landslide win. Labour won 411/650 seats in the parliament, and had a commanding
Australia’s algal bloom catastrophe has left more than 87,000 animals dead, and summer’s approaching Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jochen Kaempf, Associate Professor of Natural Sciences (Oceanography), Flinders University An underwater bloom of toxic algae has wreaked havoc off the coast of South Australia since mid-March 2025. After eight months, this harmful algal bloom is the longest and one of the most environmentally devastating events ever
Brazil is trying to stop fossil fuel interests derailing COP30 with one simple measure Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Downie, Professor of Political Science, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University Pablo Porciuncula/Getty In recent years, more and more lobbyists from the oil, gas and coal industries have taken part in international climate negotiations. Estimates of lobbyist numbers have risen sharply, from 503
View from The Hill: Former Liberal senator accuses ‘the boys’ of using women to undermine Sussan Ley Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Former senator Hollie Hughes has gone on a verbal rampage to defend Opposition leader Sussan Ley, accusing “the boys” who want her job of using prominent female colleagues in their efforts to undermine her. Hughes this week resigned from the
A shameful mandate for force: What the UNSC’s Gaza resolution means in practice The UN Security Council passed a regime change resolution against Gaza on Monday, effectively issuing a mandate for an invasion force to enter the besieged coastal enclave and install a US-led ruling authority by force. ANALYSIS: By Robert Inlakesh Passing with 13 votes in favour and none in defiance, the new UN Security Council (UNSC)
Regional Pacific student journalists condemn Samoa PM’s ban as ‘deeply troubling’ Pacific Media Watch Regional student journalists at the University of the South Pacific have condemned the Samoan Prime Minister’s ban on the Samoa Observer newspaper, branding it as a “deliberate and systemic attempt to restrict public scrutiny”. The Journalism Students’ Association (JSA) at USP said in a statement today it was “deeplyconcerned” about Samoan Prime
Will social workers in schools stop young people committing violent crimes? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rosemary Sheehan, Professor of Social Work, Monash University The Victorian government has announced it will send social workers to 20 of the state’s schools to try to reduce violent youth crime. It will spend A$5.6 million on “targeted” schools next year. The aim is to “intervene early
Real wages have grown – just – over the past year. But they’re still down near 2011 levels Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janine Dixon, Director, Centre of Policy Studies, Victoria University New data show wages have risen by a bit more than inflation, but overall real wages are still languishing near 2011 levels. Over the year to September, wages rose 3.4% in seasonally adjusted terms. That’s according to the
Violent extremists wield words as weapons. New study reveals 6 tactics they use Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Awni Etaywe, Lecturer in Linguistics | Forensic Linguist Analysing Cyber Terrorism, Threatening Communications and Incitement | Media Researcher Investigating How Language Shapes Peace, Compassion and Empathy, Charles Darwin University Words are powerful tools. Violent extremists know this well, often choosing their phrasing extremely carefully to build loyalty
Nature, carbon, nutrition: 3 ways farming can shift from climate culprit to solution Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Budiman Minasny, Professor in Soil-Landscape Modelling, University of Sydney Meaghan Skinner Photography/Getty Producing and distributing food is responsible for roughly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. But food systems are highly vulnerable to the droughts, floods, fires and heatwaves made more intense by climate change. Agriculture
Roblox set to start checking people’s ages. But it will need to do more to keep kids safe Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa M. Given, Professor of Information Sciences & Director, Social Change Enabling Impact Platform, RMIT University Online gaming giant Roblox has just announced it will start checking users’ ages from early December in an attempt to stop children and teenagers talking with adults. In what the company
NZ First leader Winston Peters told Radio Waatea his party will repeal the Regulatory Standards Bill if re-elected.RNZ / Mark Papalii
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has vowed to repeal the Regulatory Standards Bill (RSB) if re-elected next year.
It’s prompted the bill’s key proponent, ACT leader David Seymour, to warn Peters could be jumping ship to Labour.
Peters told Radio Waatea’s Dale Husband he wanted the bill gone earlier on Thursday, having voted it through its third reading this time last week.
“It was their deal, the ACT Party’s deal with the National Party. We were opposed to this from the word go but you’ve only got so many cards you can play.
“We did our best to neutralise its adverse effects and we will campaign at the next election to repeal it.”
The Bill is the brainchild of ACT Party leader and Minister for Regulation David Seymour, who says it will “help New Zealand get its mojo back”.
It seeks to limit future lawmakers from introducing what Seymour considers unnecessary red tape into legislation, prioritising private property rights.
As part of this, it proposes establishing a Regulatory Standards Board, which would assess whether proposed laws align with several principles outlined in the Bill.
The Bill has faced fierce pushback from the public, with more than 98 percent of public submissions opposed.
Its critics say the principles are ideological, could favour big corporations, and would add delays and cost to lawmaking.
Speaking at Parliament on Thursday afternoon, Peters said he had done his best to “fix” the bill up.
“That sort of intervention in the democratic process is not fit for a modern democracy.
“It was in the coalition agreement but we will campaign against it in 2026.”
RNZ / Mark Papalii
‘Sounds like he’s getting ready to go with Labour again’ – Seymour
Seymour said it was a “pretty worrying” development.
“That’s Labour’s position. It sounds like he’s getting ready to go with Labour again.
“This is a landmark piece of legislation that ACT would never vote to get rid of so if he wants to do that, he’s got to go with Labour.
“What’s more, for the best interests of New Zealand, we need to get on top of red tape and regulation. It’s making us poorer. It’s ruining lives. It’s ruining our country and the Regulatory Standards Act is there to do exactly that; cut the red tape long term.”
Asked if he thought Peters was respecting the conventions of Cabinet, Seymour said it was an interesting question.
“Frankly, the government’s position is to have the Regulatory Standards Act and continue to develop it.
“I would have thought of all the things we could be focused on right now for New Zealand, it would be how do we get the cost of living under control, get some economic activity back, rather than speculating about what you might do in another scenario that the voters haven’t even had a say on yet.”
Seymour said the RSB was non-negotiable for his party.
“We’ve worked on this for 20 years because red tape is strangling our country, and the regulatory standards act is the way to deal with it.”
Asked if he was gearing up to work with Labour next year, Peters laughed.
“Don’t make me laugh,” he said.
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Inspired by owls and their amazing ability to find their prey by hearing alone, my team decided to test how good humans are at discerning sounds.
We were surprised to find just how bad we are. As our research shows, our hearing is fooled in dramatic ways.
Our experiment was simple. We tapped two metal spoons together in different positions around a blindfolded person.
It was easy for them to distinguish between sounds coming from the left or right, but when we clapped the spoons directly in front of them, they almost always heard the sound as coming from behind them.
You can try this yourself – it makes for a great trick for your next dinner party. All you need is two spoons and a blindfold. You need to ask the participants to keep their head still and you should avoid giving away where you are.
When you click the spoons in front of their face or down near their lap, they will typically hear it behind them. It can be incredibly compelling: participants often heard the sound behind them even when they knew it was in front of them.
We have repeated this in many environments – in a lab, an office, a lecture theatre, a soundproof room and even out on a rural lawn. We also tested participants while standing or sitting down and we tried different kinds of sounds, including pure tones, explosions and a ringing bell.
The result was always the same. We have now also confirmed this under controlled laboratory conditions where a computer selects locations at random and a researcher taps the spoons there.
Why is this happening?
With only two ears to rely on, our hearing infers direction from subtle timing and intensity cues. But these cues can be misleading. They will be similar for sounds directly in front and behind us.
However, this only means we should be bad at telling where the sound is, known as “front-back confusion”.
It does not explain why we hear the sound so convincingly behind us.
One reason for the illusion could be that the sounds we used are very brief. Many sounds in the real world last longer. Moving your head – and with it your ears – would break the illusion because each ear would hear the sound differently.
Perhaps that is why we rarely notice this illusion in everyday situations.
Our discovery highlights a limitation in how we interpret the soundscape around us. Understanding this better will help us figure out how our brain works.
Does our hearing rely on expectations about where sounds “should” come from? Perhaps our hearing prefers locations outside our field of view when we can’t see anything. We want to test this possibility in future research.
We can test how the illusion changes after people have worn a blindfold for a longer time. We also want to find out whether blind people or those with low vision experience this illusion.
This last point is important. Hearing where things are in the world matters for all of us – such as when crossing the road. But those with impaired vision must rely on their hearing.
People who lost their sight only recently could be especially at risk. A better understanding of why we mishear sounds could help avoid dangerous confusions.
Sam Schwarzkopf received internal funding to pay research participants for their time.
A wildfire expert says a proposal to axe wildfire specialist roles could lead to underprepared firefighters being sent to tackle blazes.
Staff were told last week of proposed changes designed to slash $50 million from Fire and Emergency’s (FENZ) annual costs.
FENZ said the restructure would not include any front line roles, but more than 140 jobs could be cut if the changes go through including six wildfire specialist roles and 45 in its prevention branch.
Former FENZ regional rural manager Richard McNamara, who is currently a Marlborough Civil Defence Controller, told Nine to Noon there was a huge difference between the specialist skills needed for rural and urban firefighting.
“Just talk to some of the rural crews and they’ll quickly tell you that it’s not all about, as some of our urban colleagues would say, ‘putting the wet stuff on the hot stuff’, because a structure doesn’t walk away.”
Wildfires were considered a “complex adaptive system” because of their ability to spread rapidly and adapt to their environment, McNamara said.
“If you looked at the Tongariro fire and the speed at which that accelerated, from some rather small burns to something that encased thousands and thousands of hectares.”
Former FENZ regional rural manager Richard McNamara.Ricky Wilson / STUFF
FENZ needed a plan if it was going to disestablish the roles, as the risk of wildfires was increasing, McNamara said.
“We’re getting more and more wildfire conditions, or pre-conditions occurring.
“You only have to look at our cousins in Australia, California and what happens in Europe now almost every year to see that human habitation is increasingly being threatened by wildfires.”
FENZ told RNZ it would not comment while proposals were under consultation – which would end on 17 December.
It said it remained committed to consulting with staff about the proposed restructure.
FENZ said in its proposal document some of the suggested changes were to reflect a “broader focus” across both the natural and built environments.
“You need resources, and you need expertise and you need knowledge to deepen that pool. And if you’re broadening it, it sounds like you’re going into the shallow end of that pool,” McNamara said
FENZ needed to be clear to the public about how they were going to deal with the increasing risk of wildfires, he said.
Firefighters’ Union delegate Peter Hallett, who is also a senior advisor for risk reduction at FENZ, told Nine to Noon that prevention and risk reduction roles were incredibly important, and should be considered front line roles.
“It’s always been considered an operational forward-facing front-line role, and we interact with the same members of the public, building owners, fire investigations, people at fires.
“Every day we’re out there in uniform,” Hallett said.
He was concerned the proposed changes could put people who had potentially less expertise in charge of specialists – such as the risk reduction team.
‘Last resort’
FENZ chief executive Kerry GregoryRNZ / Samuel Rillstone
FENZ chief executive Kerry Gregory said the proposal was about ensuring it was positioned to deliver a “modern and responsive emergency service”.
“The primary focus is to provide a trusted service that keeps New Zealanders safe. Our dedicated team does an amazing job looking after our communities and this proposal is about ensuring we are best positioned to continue doing that,” he said.
“I acknowledge this is difficult for the teams and individuals impacted. We are committed to constructively working through their feedback to ensure we get the best outcome.”
Subject to consultation, the proposed restructure would impact about 700 roles across the organisation, he said.
FENZ would not comment on any specific proposals until all feedback was considered and decisions were made.
Gregory wrote in the proposal document that the overall changes were not personal.
“I know for some of you, the changes we are proposing may feel personal and disrespectful towards the amazing effort you put in. They are not,” he wrote.
“The reality of our rapidly evolving operating environment, the variability of our levy revenue and the need [to] have space to reinvest, reinforces the need for us to make smart, disciplined choices,” Gregory said.
FENZ promised no changes to what it responds to, whether that be fires, medical emergencies or flood rescues, but Gregory had also told staff, “we can’t keep doing everything for everybody”.
Kevin Hu was a maths teacher at Takapuna Grammar School.SUPPLIED
An Auckland secondary school is mourning the loss of a much-loved maths teacher who died following a diving accident in Fiji.
Kevin Hu, was the head of calculus at Takapuna Grammar School.
In a notice to the school community, the school said it was informed of Hu’s death earlier this week.
It said Hu had been loved by his students and colleagues and made a significant impact during the three years he worked at the school.
“Students enjoyed being in Mr Hu’s Maths class because he made the subject accessible and fun.
“This week, we have shared stories about Kevin and supported one another,” it said.
“We have received so many lovely messages from parents, students, and members of the wider community, and we truly appreciate them.
“Our thoughts are with Kevin’s family, friends, and everyone who knew him.”
The school had professional help available for anyone who needed it.
Hu had previously been a maths teacher at Avondale College and before that spent seven years teaching in Nanjing, China.
Avondale College have been approached for comment.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) confirmed they were aware of reports of the death of a New Zealander in Fiji.
The spokesperson said MFAT had not been approached for assistance.
You can attribute to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade: “We are aware of reports of the death of a New Zealander in Fiji. We have not been approached for assistance.”
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Australia has ceded next year’s United Nations climate conference – COP 31 – to Turkey, but has negotiated a fall back that gives Climate Minister Chris Bowen a prominent role.
Under the arrangement, Australia has also secured a pre-COP meeting to be held in the Pacific.
While the failure to obtain the COP – which was to be held in Adelaide – will be seen as a major blow by the climate lobby, some in the Albanese government will privately welcome it. The cost of the COP was being estimated at least A$1 billion and possibly $2 billion, and enthusiasm for it in senior levels of the government had been declining in recent months.
Turkey and Australia have been deadlocked for months over the hosting of the climate meeting, which attracts tens of thousands of people. Australia had the support of most other countries for its bid, but under the rules of the conference Turkey had to withdraw for Australia to succeed. Turkey refused to give way. If there was no resolution the conference would have defaulted to Bonn in Germany.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday described the outcome as an “outstanding result”.
“COP31 will be hosted by Turkiye. Turkiye will have the COP presidency, but Chris Bowen and Australia will have the COP presidency for negotiations in the lead-up to the conference in Turkiye but also at the conference in Turkiye,” he said.
He said there would be a pre-COP meeting held in the Pacific “at a location to be determined by our Pacific family friends”.
“And that will enable us to invite world leaders to make sure that the issues confronting this region – the very existence of island states such as Tuvalu and Kiribati, the issue of our oceans – all of those issues will be front and centre,” Albanese said.
Bowen, who is at the current COP meeting in Brazil and has been negotiating with Turkey, said it was important to strike an agreement with that country.
He knew some people would be disappointed with the outcome but other people would have been “more disappointed if it had gone to Bonn without a COP president in place”.
“As COP President of Negotiations, I would have all the powers of COP presidency to manage, to handle the negotiations, to appoint co-facilitators, to prepare draft text, and to issue the cover decision.”
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Broken glass and other items can be seen in the gutter.RNZ / Marika Khabazi
A person who saw a crash between two buses and a car in Auckland’s Glen Innes says he thought a bus was going to crash into nearby shops.
Emergency services were at the scene of the crash on Apirana Avenue, which was reported just after 9am.
Police said one person had been taken to hospital in a moderate condition.
Apirana Avenue was closed between Taniwha Street and Delwyn Lane while the scene was cleared.
Dom Nash.RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Dom Nash told RNZ he was in the butchery when he heard loud bangs.
“I saw a bus hit another bus, then a car driving up the road swerved towards us, which I thought the bus was going to come into the shop, all of a sudden it hit the brakes, and yeah, chaos everywhere.”
Nash said the road was cleared shortly after 10:30am.
Diversions were in place and motorists were told to expect delays.
The scene in Glen Innes.RNZ / Marika Khabazi
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cameron Shackell, Adjunct Fellow, Centre for Policy Futures, The University of Queensland; Queensland University of Technology
The world’s most valuable publicly listed company, US microchip maker Nvidia, has reported record $US57 billion ($A88 billion) revenue in the third quarter of 2025, beating Wall Street estimates. The chipmaker said revenue will rise again to $US65 billion in the last part of the year.
Just weeks ago, Nvidia became the first company valued at more than $US5 trillion – surpassing others in the “magnificent seven” tech companies: Alphabet (owner of Google), Amazon, Apple, Tesla, Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp) and Microsoft.
Nvidia stocks were up more than 5% to $US196 in after-hours trading immediately following the results.
Over the past week, news broke that tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s hedge fund had sold its entire stake in Nvidia in the third quarter of 2025 – more than half a million shares, worth around $US100 million.
But in that same quarter, an even more famous billionaire’s firm made a surprise bet on Alphabet, signalling confidence in Google’s ability to profit from the AI era.
Buffett’s new stake in Google
Based in Omaha, Nebraska in the United States, Berkshire Hathaway is a global investing giant, led for decades by 95-year-old veteran Warren Buffett.
Berkshire Hathaway’s latest quarterly filing reveals the company accumulated a US$4.3 billion stake in Alphabet over the September quarter.
The size of the investment suggests a strategic decision – especially as the same filing showed Berkshire had significantly sold down its massive Apple position. (Apple remains Berkshire’s single largest stock holding, currently worth about US$64 billion.)
Buffett is about to step down as Berkshire’s chief executive. Analysts are speculating this investment may offer a pre-retirement clue about where durable profits in the digital economy could come from.
Buffett’s record of picking winners with ‘moats’
Buffett has picked many winners over the decades, from American Express to Coca Cola.
Yet he has long expressed scepticism toward technology businesses. He also has form in getting big tech bets wrong, most notably his underwhelming investment in IBM a decade ago.
But that framing misunderstands Buffett’s investment philosophy and the nature of Google’s business.
Buffett is not late to AI. He is doing what he’s always done: betting on a company he believes has an “economic moat”: a built-in advantage that keeps competitors out.
His firm’s latest move signals they see Google’s moat as widening in the generative-AI era.
Two alligators in Google’s moat
Google won the search engine wars of the late 1990s because it excelled in two key areas: reducing search cost and navigating the law.
Over the years, those advantages have acted like alligators in Google’s moat, keeping competitors at bay.
Google understood earlier and better than anyone that reducing search cost – the time and effort to find reliable information – was the internet’s core economic opportunity.
Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page in 2008, ten years after launching the company. Joi Ito/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY
Company founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page started with a revolutionary search algorithm. But the real innovation was the business model that followed: giving away search for free, then auctioning off highly targeted advertising beside the results.
Berkshire Hathaway likely sees Google’s track record in these areas as an advantage rivals cannot easily copy.
What if the AI bubble bursts?
Perhaps the genius of Berkshire’s investment is recognising that if the AI bubble bursts, it could bring down some of the “magnificent seven” tech leaders – but perhaps not its most durable members.
Consumer-facing giants like Google and Apple would probably weather an AI crash well. Google’s core advertising business sailed through the global financial crisis of 2008, the COVID crash, and the inflationary bear market of 2022.
By contrast, newer “megacaps” like Nvidia may struggle in a downturn.
There’s no guarantee Google will be able to capitalise on the new economics of AI, especially with so many ongoing intellectual property and regulatory risks.
Google’s brand, like Buffett, could just get old. Younger people are using search engines less, with more using AI or social media to get their answers.
But with its rivers of online advertising gold, experience back to the dawn of the commercial internet, and capacity to use its platforms to nurture new habits among its vast user base, Alphabet is far from a bad bet.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. It is not intended as financial advice. All investments carry risk.
Cameron Shackell works primarily as an Adjunct Fellow at The University of Queensland and Sessional Academic at QUT. He also works one day a week as CEO of a firm using AI to analyse brands and trademarks.
A previous report concluded the waka, unearthed by father and son Vincent and Nikau Dix, was of pre-European construction and likely from a time before significant cultural separation between Aotearoa and the Pacific.
Lead Archaeologist Dr Justin Maxwell, from Sunrise Archaeology, said recent archaeological research has suggested that the first arrival of people on Rēkohu occurred between 1450 and 1650 AD.
“Additional evidence from ancient peat samples shows that significant changes to the environment began after 1500 AD.”
The newly obtained dating results show:
Most results show narrow ranges between 1440 and 1470 AD, indicating this as the likely growth period of these plant tissues.
One piece of cordage predates 1415 AD.
A sample suggests cultivation around 1400 AD or earlier.
Radiocarbon dates obtained from wood can be much older than the event we are interested in, Lead Archaeologist Dr Justin Maxwell says.Supplied by Maui Solomon
This is the first known bottle gourd, also known as calabash or hue in te reo Māori, found in an archaeological site on Chatham Island, Maxwell said.
“Short-lived local plant materials tested are of similar age and suggest the cultural layer surrounding the waka was formed shortly after its arrival.
“Testing short-lived plant materials is important to get accurate dates for a find such as this. We don’t want to date the timbers because trees can live for a long time.”
“Radiocarbon dates obtained from wood can be much older than the event we are interested in – which is when this waka was in use.
“Together, these findings point to the arrival of the waka on Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Island between 1440 and 1470 AD. It is important to note that nearly all dated samples from the waka were on short-lived materials, such as cordage that may have been replaced over time. Some materials were older, suggesting the main components of the waka itself could be considerably older than the dated items,” Maxwell said.
Pou Mataaho o Te Hua Deputy secretary delivery and investment, Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Glenis Philip-Barbara, said the interim radiocarbon dating results had been released ahead of the final archaeological report.
“The final report released by February 2026 will provide finalised radiocarbon results with further analysis and context. These interim results mark a significant milestone in understanding the early settlement and cultural history of Rēkohu Wharekauri Chatham Island.”
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A government bill will stop schools opting out of international maths and reading tests and speed up intervention in failing schools.
It will also give a new property agency the power to force schools to spend money on building works.
The Education and Training (System Reform) Bill was introduced to Parliament this week.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said the bill would ensure the education system supported the government’s priorities.
She said a key aspect was raising the quality of initial teacher education.
That part of the bill would enable changes to the Teaching Council announced earlier in the month.
They included shifting the council’s responsibility for teacher education and teachers’ professional standards to the Education Ministry, and changing the make-up of its governing body to include only three representatives elected by teachers and four to six ministerial appointees.
The bill would require the Education Review Office to notify the ministry and minister within two working days if it decided a school “may be of serious concern”, followed within 28 working days by a report and recommended statutory interventions.
It would establish a new Crown agency, the New Zealand School Property Agency, to manage school property.
The agency’s powers would include recovering costs for maintenance and repairs and requiring boards to take action.
The bill would require the Education Ministry to review curriculum areas on a rolling basis and allow different curriculum statements to be made for different groups of schools.
The bill would remove the ability of state, charter and private schools to opt out of studies such as the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment – a change apparently responding to a high refusal rate in the 2022 tests.
The Educational Institute, Te Riu Roa, warned the bill was a bulldozer that significantly increased ministerial control over the school system.
It said the bill would politicise education.
“What we are seeing is what we’ve seen in the curriculum changes – a government hell-bent on making a one-size-fits-all education system and controlling it in its entirety, without thought for the diversity and needs of our tamariki and our communities. We cannot see in any of the proposed changes a world where tamariki, kaiako or their whānau will be better off,” it said.
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An aerial appliance.FIRE AND EMERGENCY NZ / SUPPLIED
Operators of the country’s largest fire trucks with the longest ladders are going to get a bigger say in a long overdue national strategy.
“I have invited specialist aerial frontline firefighters to provide those insights and they are scheduled to start meeting in early December 2025,” deputy national commander Megan Stiffler told RNZ.
Fire and Emergency was told five years ago to come up with a plan for what type of big trucks it needs and where to put them, but has not.
The Professional Firefighters’ Union said a strategy was crucial to answer questions like whether Northland needed its own aerial, or Tauranga, given both had ports and industry where the extra reach of an aerial to fight a fire can be crucial.
“Probably the most important [thing] is how are those aerials going to be staffed. Because if we’re adding extra trucks there, it may be that we need to add extra firefighter positions,” union national vice-president Martin Campbell said.
“Here we are, six years, still not done,” Campbell said.
“Now… Megan Stiffler has come and joined the organisation and recognised that what they’ve been working on wasn’t fit for purpose, so it’s pretty much having to go back to the drawing board.”
FENZ only revealed its change of tack late on Wednesday after RNZ asked why the strategy had been in draft form for at least six months.
“Fire and Emergency New Zealand recognised the draft strategy needed further consultation with frontline operators to ensure insights and contributions captured operational needs and experience,” Stiffler said in a statement.
The meeting with operators had been pushed back to next month at the unions’ request, to allow firefighters to have input to FENZ’s proposed mass restructure, she said.
How long now? Union asks
Campbell said Stiffler asked him two months ago about which experts to include.
“To her credit, she has taken up that advice and has shoulder-tapped some of those people,” he said.
“Hopefully it doesn’t mean we’re going to have to sit and wait for another five years before something’s produced.”
Lock the right people away and they could produce a strategy in two months, he said.
However, the restructure had meant everything that was “not critical has been put on the back burner”.
On Tuesday, FENZ said a draft of the aerial strategy was under active development, which was the same thing it had said in May.
It refused to release the draft on the grounds that was likely to inhibit officials working on it, and “could compromise the quality of the final advice and decision-making process”.
Later, it said it was going back to the operators.
“At least now, Megan has recognised the need for operational input from firefighters,” Campbell said.
Campbell said a working group that included firefighters had input to an initial aerial strategy draft.
“Unfortunately, it seems those recommendations weren’t acted upon.”
The union last saw the draft two years ago, when it told FENZ it was not fit for purpose, he said.
He had since made multiple Official Information Act requests to get a copy but had been refused.
Delay getting new aerials
There were already five new aerials on order, however, FENZ said they were a year late – instead of getting them in mid-2025 it would now be mid-2026.
Together worth over $11m, the five have been on order since at least the Loafers Lodge fire in 2023, and since last year had been getting bodywork and lockers done in Wellington and Brisbane.
Only the main centres that already had an aerial would get one of the new ones: Auckland the one with the longest 45m ladder; and Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin would each get a new 32m-ladder truck.
In addition, various brigades had trucks with 17m ladders (about 20 trucks all up).
The 29 larger-ladder trucks are on average 20 years old – the newest 12 and oldest 39 years old. Some may be retired when the five new ones arrive.
The union had protested since at least 2018 that a lack of aerial trucks and the old ones breaking down, were putting lives at risk, which FENZ had routinely disputed.
The readiness of the country’s whole fire truck fleet had been a feature of the ongoing industrial dispute between the two sides.
Earlier this month FENZ said it had inherited an ageing fleet in 2017 but had a fleet programme that had replaced 317 fire trucks, with 78 more in the pipeline, including heavy aerial trucks. Many of the others were smaller utes.
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Ali’s truck, laden with 20 tonnes of roading material, rolled backwards towards the roadworkers when the brakes failed, hitting Walters and running over his legs and pelvic area.
Its last Certificate of Fitness was in 2019, and it had a non-operation order issued in 2021.
Walters’ death was preventable, the Crown said.
Ashik Ali.Kim Baker Wilson / RNZ
“Mr Ali’s truck was in such a poor state of repair it should not have been on the road,” prosecutor Clare Antenen told Justice Graham Lang.
“Mr Ali’s truck had been stopped on many occasions by Police vehicle safety teams, the truck had been inspected and had been found to have very serious safety defects including an air leak to the breaking system,” she said.
She said a non-operation order had been issued against the truck and there was a history of non-compliance stretching from 2018 to 2022.
The truck had also been given “at various times” either pink or green stickers.
“In any event, the truck was driven by Mr Ali on more than one occasion completely disregarding the orders by the Police in relation to the truck,” Antenen said.
“The Crown submits the death of Mr Walters is a direct result of Mr Ali refusing to comply with the orders he was given to maintain a roadworthy truck, to keep his truck in a state where it would not cause injury to others on the road,” she said.
The Crown’s comments came after tearful victim impact statements from whānau were given in court.
Walters sister, Karin Fraser, was in anguish as she explained how she never got to Auckland before her brother died
“He had already passed, I did not get a chance to say goodbye,” she said.
“Being denied that has caused long-standing mamae that I will carry for the rest of my life,” she said.
Fraser said her brother was a loving father and devoted uncle and a steady presence for the whānau’s tamariki.
“His absence has left a painful gap for our younger whanay and our younger generationm” she said.
Fraser said she since has had deep concerns for other family members doing the same work.
“Because of your actions, I now carry a consistent anxiety that they too may go to work one day and not return to their whanau,” she told Ali.
Walters’ niece, Aliyah Tautahi-Fraser, said his mokopuna have been robbed of a life that includes him.
“How we can we ensure the safety of these whanau members to make sure that this doesn’t happen again?” she asked.
Ali’s lawyer, Ron Mansfied, KC said he was in a financial bind and desperate.
Ron Mansfield KC was Ali’s lawyer. (File photo)Stuff/Chris McKeen
“He couldn’t afford to keep the truck roadworthy and he also couldn’t afford to turn away work and it was that sense of desperation that has let to the truck not being repaired and roadworthy and him accepting the job which was offered,” he said.
Mansfield said Ali feared he would not be offered work again.
He said Ali made a grave mistake that had resulted in a terrible loss.
“He never contemplated this… he never wanted it, he should have thought it through, he didn’t but certainly this was not offending he intended or envisaged.”
Justice Lang, before jailing Ali, told him his financial pressures did not justify using the truck and putting others at risk.
His actions fell well short of what would be expected of a reasonable person, Justice Lang said.
Justice Lang said Walters’ death has had catastrophic consequences for his family and workmates.
The National Road Carriers Association earlier said it was systemic failure that killed Walters.
It was a call the NZTA rejected at the time, when it said an individual was to blame and not a system.
“NZTA had applied the regulatory levers available to identify the poor state of the vehicle and to address the immediate risk to public safety,” it earlier told RNZ.
“Regardless, an individual subsequently made a decision to illegally drive this unregistered and unsafe vehicle after it had been ordered off the road.”
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This year’s World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE) has arrived at what organisers describe as the “perfect time” – with thousands of delegates gathering in Tāmaki Makaurau as Indigenous rights face renewed pressure in Aotearoa and abroad.
Held in partnership with mana whenua, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, the week-long hui brings together delegates from across the world.
While the focus is on education, global shifts in geopolitics – including policy rollbacks, reforms, and debates over Indigenous rights – have shaped much of the kōrero.
WIPCE 2025 co-chair Professor Meihana Durie told RNZ although the kaupapa was about celebrating and recognising the place of indigeneity in the world, it could not have come at a better time.
“The thing which worries us all here at this hui is that the New Zealand government, in particular, seems hell-bent on removing any reference to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and it sends a message to our people that they don’t care about Māori education.
“We, on the other hand, are here to find the solutions.”
The WIPCE Parade of Nations 2025.Tamaira Hook / WIPCE
Political climate ‘cannot be ignored’
Across Aotearoa, hundreds of schools have publicly pushed back at the government’s plan to remove the requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, saying their commitment to the Treaty will remain unchanged.
The Treaty requirement previously in the Education Act said schools would give effect to Te Tiriti, including by ensuring plans, policies, and local curriculum reflected local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori; taking all reasonable steps to make instruction available in tikanga Māori and te reo Māori; and achieving equitable outcomes for Māori students.
The world’s largest indigenous education conference has kicked off in Auckland, bringing with it thousands of indigenous educators from around the world.Supplied / WIPCE 2025
Education Minister Erica Stanford said they made the change because the treaty was the Crown’s responsibility, not schools’.
“School boards should have direction and we are giving very clear direction. You need to ensure equitable outcomes for Māori students, you need to be offering te reo Māori and you need to be culturally competent,” she said.
“But what is not clear is a conferred and unreasonable treaty duty that they are expected to decipher.”
As a response, a growing number of New Zealand schools are reaffirming their support for Te Tiriti. Te Rārangi Rangatira, an official list of the schools reaffirming their support had reached 792 as of 19 November.
WIPCE 2025 Co-Chair Professor Meihana Durie says WIPCE 2025 is focused on finding the solutions.Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Durie said that feeling of support was also being felt strongly by educators attending the conference.
“It’s important to call that out. It’s important to hold the government accountable for their continual removal of any sense of honouring and upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi,” he said.
“In the last two weeks, we’ve now had hundreds of schools saying to the government, ‘we disagree vehemently with that directive’.”
He said Aotearoa was not alone in facing political pressure. Indigenous communities in several countries are confronting governments taking approaches “whereby, in their view, indigeneity doesn’t matter”.
“That’s why we’re here. We share what we’re going through with our Indigenous brothers and sisters, but we also take so much inspiration from what others are doing across various nations.”
Thousands of indigenous educators from around the world are attending the conference.Tamaira Hook / WIPCE
Sharing mātauranga (knowledge)
Aotearoa has long been regarded as a global example of language and cultural revitalisation, Durie said.
Delegations from Canada, Hawai’i, Samoa, the Sámi region and across the Pacific have been seeking insights into Māori immersion education, iwi-led school models, and community-driven revitalisation initiatives.
Durie said those exchanges were grounded in reciprocity.
“He aroha ki te tangata. Anything that we’ve done in the past and in the present, we share our journey with other Indigenous nations,” he said.
“But at the same time, there’s this tauutuutu – this reciprocity, this give and take – where we have just been amazed by what others are doing in education.”
A consistent theme throughout the week is that Indigenous nations cannot afford to become complacent.
“We can’t be stagnant. We can’t just reach a particular point and expect that things will continue to flourish.”
Dr. Spero M. Manson (Little Shell Tribe) is an Indigenous health researcher with more than 200 publications on Native mental health and addiction. He is also a national leader in Indigenous health equity.Manihera Te Hei
Alongside keynote speakers and hundreds of presentations, discussions this week have centred on kotahitanga (unity), shared strategy, and the reaffirmation of Indigenous sovereignty.
Sessions have included youth leadership, health and wellbeing, the protection of ancestral knowledge, and linguistics and cultural revitalisation.
“This week has been all about affirming the status and the sovereign rights of us as indigenous nations,” Durie said.
“That’s the first thing. Secondly, to remind Aotearoa about the fact that we are an Indigenous nation, lest the government, and lest others, forget.”
He said delegates want the voices and images from the gathering to reach far beyond Tāmaki Makaurau.
“We want the messages from this hui… to go out around the world to remind the world about their role and responsibility in ensuring that the sovereign rights of Indigenous nations are acknowledged and accepted.”
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RNZ earlier revealed about 120 staff were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”.RNZ
A “small number” of police officers who either falsely or erroneously recorded alcohol breath tests have been stood down for additional misconduct – but police won’t say what that misconduct was.
Their investigation has also found some staff have committed serious misconduct, however none of the cases were considered to be criminal offending.
RNZ earlier revealed about 120 staff were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”.
The results were only discovered after police built a new algorithm to analyse the data, as the devices themselves could not distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate tests.
Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz
Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers earlier this month said none of the staff had been stood down, and did not rule out criminal investigations.
This week Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson told RNZ police had progressed disciplinary processes for 130 staff members.
“Outcomes of the process vary between a finding of misconduct or serious misconduct depending on the particular circumstances.
“A case is more likely to be serious misconduct where the misconduct was repeated a number of times, or the officer involved was of more senior rank.”
Assistant Commissioner Mike JohnsonNathan Mckinnon
Johnsons said no employees have been stood down for this matter alone.
“There has been a small number of employees stood down for additional misconduct issues.”
RNZ asked police if they could be more specific about the number of staff stood down, what sort of additional misconduct was involved and what rationale staff had given for their behaviour.
Police replied: “We will not be supplying these further details as we do not want to risk identifying individuals who are engaged in an active employment process.”
In relation to what was happening to the staff who committed serious misconduct, Johnson said that was an employment matter and would most likely be a “formal warning of varying lengths, starting from six months”.
Johnson said none of the cases were considered to be criminal.
Johnson said a third had already been “addressed and closed”. Those cases were managed as “misconduct/employment conversation” with a mix of outcomes, he said.
The remainder were ongoing.
“In most cases the officers have accepted the warning and have acknowledged their behaviour as unacceptable.
“For all employees clear expectations from the organisation have been set through organisation wide messaging and updated refresher training specifically on this topic.”
Following RNZ’s coverage every police officer across the country was ordered to do an online training module for alcohol breath testing
Johnson said more than 70 per cent of staff had completed their “refresher training”.
A memo sent to staff on 5 November said the “recent discovery” of breath tests being falsely recorded by some staff across the country had “led to trust and confidence impacts for police, including with our partner agencies.
“Police is committed to restoring that trust and confidence.
“As part of our assurance response, the Police Executive has made the decision to require all constabulary staff to complete a mandatory online training module for alcohol breath testing. This is especially timely as we had into the summer surge period.”
The module must be completed by 4 December.
The Defence Lawyers Association earlier said the revelations called into question the integrity of their current and past work, including prosecutions they’ve been involved in.
Te Matakahi Defence Lawyers Association New Zealand co-chair Elizabeth Hall said there needed to be a criminal investigation launched following the “unprecedented” revelations and support a “full, independent audit” of historical data.
Rogers earlier told RNZ how the tests were being falsely recorded.
“What these staff have done is, either at the start of the shift or during the shift, at the end of the shift, they’ve clicked the device that they’re all issued with more times than have actually seen them interacting with a motorist.”
The tests were done while the officers were in moving cars, which allowed the algorithm to pick up the numbers “outside the normal parameters”.
Rogers said she did not know who the staff were working with, but said there were some work groups that had more than one staff member represented in the figures.
“A higher number of people have been identified who are in our dedicated road policing teams. And that’s the disappointing thing. You know, we’ve done 4.2 million legitimate tests. We had the lowest number of alcohol related deaths on our roads last year. So I’m baffled why they felt the need to clip the ticket.”
Asked what reason there would be for falsifying tests, other than meeting targets Rogers said police were working to identify the rationale and said it may be that staff “exceeded the numbers that they’ve legitimately done for reasons of making it look like they’re doing work that they haven’t done”.
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While Indonesians worry about President Prabowo Subianto’s undemocratic moves, the failures of his flagship “breakfast” policy, and a faltering economy, Australia enters into another “treaty” of little import. Duncan Graham reports.
COMMENTARY:By Duncan Graham
Under-reported in the Australian and New Zealand media, Indonesia has been gripped by protests this year, some of them violent.
The protests have been over grievances ranging from cuts to the national budget and a proposed new law expanding the role of the military in political affairs, President Prabowo Subianto’s disastrous free school meals programme, and politicians receiving a $3000 housing allowance.
More recently, further anger against the President has been fuelled by his moves to make corrupt former dictator Soeharto (also Prabowo’s former father-in-law) a “national hero“.
Ignoring both his present travails, as well as his history of historical human rights abuses (that saw him exiled from Indonesia for years), Prabowo has been walking the 27,500-tonne HMAS Canberra, the fleet flagship of the Royal Australian Navy, along with PM Anthony Albanese.
The location was multipurpose: It showed off Australia’s naval hardware and reinforced the signing of a thin “upgraded security treaty” between unequals. Australia’s land mass is four times larger, but there are 11 Indonesians to every one Aussie.
Ignoring the past Although Canberra’s flight deck was designed for helicopters, the crew found a desk for the leaders to lean on as they scribbled their names. The location also served to keep away disrespectful Australian journalists asking about Prabowo’s past, an issue their Jakarta colleagues rarely raise for fear of being banned.
Contrast this one-day dash with the relaxed three-day 2018 visit by Jokowi and his wife Iriana when Malcolm Turnbull was PM. The two men strolled through the Botanical Gardens and seemed to enjoy the ambience. The President was mobbed by Indonesian admirers.
This month, Prabowo and Albanese smiled for the few allowed cameras, but there was no feeling that this was “fair dinkum”. Indonesia said the trip was “also a form of reciprocation for Prime Minister Albanese’s trip to Jakarta last May,” another one-day come n’go chore.
Analysing the treaty needs some mental athleticism and linguistic skills because the Republic likes to call itself part of a “non-aligned movement”, meaning it doesn’t couple itself to any other world power.
The policy was developed in the 1940s after the new nation had freed itself from the colonial Netherlands and rejected US and Russian suitors.
It’s now a cliché — “sailing between two reefs” and “a friend of all and enemy of none”. Two years ago, former Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi explained:
“Indonesia refuses to see the Indo-Pacific fall victim to geopolitical confrontation. …This is where Indonesia’s independent and active foreign policy becomes relevant. For almost eight decades, these principles have been a compass for Indonesia in interacting with other nations.
“…(it’s) independent and active foreign policy is not a neutral policy; it is one that does not align with the superpowers nor does it bind the country to any military pact.”
Pact or treaty? Is a “pact” a “treaty”? For most of us, the terms are synonyms; to the word-twisting pollies, they’re whatever the user wants them to mean.
We do not know the new “security treaty” details although the ABC speculated it meant there will be “leader and ministerial consultations on matters of common security, to develop cooperation, and to consult each other in the case of threats and consider individual or joint measures” and “share information on matters that would be important for Australia’s security, and vice-versa.”
Much of the “analysis” came from Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s media statement, so no revelations here.
What does it really mean? Not much from a close read of Albanese’s interpretation: ”If either or both countries’ security is threatened,
to consult and consider what measures may be taken either individually or jointly to deal with those threats.”
Careful readers will spot the elastic “consult and consider”. If this were on a highway sign warning of hazards ahead, few would ease up on the pedal.
Whence commeth the threat? In the minds of the rigid right, that would be China — the nation that both Indonesia and Australia rely on for trade.
Indonesia’s militaristic president Prabowo Subianto is seizing books which undermine his political agenda. Duncan Graham #indonesiahttps://t.co/akvGdOqC9d
Keating and Soeharto The last “security treaty” to be signed was between PM Paul Keating and Soeharto in 1995. Penny Wong said the new document is “modelled closely” on the old deal.
The Keating document went into the shredder when paramilitary militia and Indonesian troops ravaged East Timor in 1999, and Australia took the side of the wee state and its independence fighters.
Would Australia do the same for the guerrillas in West Papua if we knew what was happening in the mountains and jungles next door? We do not because the province is closed to journos, and it seems both governments are at ease with the secrecy. The main protests come from NGOs, particularly those in New Zealand.
Foreign Minister Wong added that “the Treaty will reflect the close friendship, partnership and deep trust between Australia and Indonesia”.
Sorry, Senator, that’s fiction. Another awkward fact: Indonesians and Australians distrust each other, according to polls run by the Lowy Institute. “Over the course of 19 years . . . attitudes towards Indonesia have been — at best — lukewarm.
And at worst, they betray a lurking suspicion.
These feelings will remain until we get serious about telling our stories and listening to theirs, with both parties consistently striving to understand and respect the other. “Security treaties” involving weapons, destruction and killings are not the best foundations for friendship between neighbours.
Future documents should be signed in Sydney’s The Domain.
Duncan Graham has a Walkley Award, two Human Rights Commission awards and other prizes for his radio, TV and print journalism in Australia. He now lives in Indonesia. This article was first published by Michael West Media and is republished with permission.
The Authority conducted an independent investigation into the matter and found the officer demonstrated poor judgement and decision making, but did not act dishonestly.RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Police say they accept the Independent Police Conduct Authority’s (IPCA) findings after an off-duty officer used the police database to access a driver’s contact details.
According to the IPCA report, the officer was involved in an incident where two cars attempted to merge into the same lane on 24 July 2024.
The officer then took note of the other car’s registration and the next day, and while on duty discussed the matter with a senior officer.
The officer believed from that conversation that he was authorised to access the police database to obtain the other driver’s information details and subsequently contacted the other driver to discuss the incident and their manner of driving.
This person has complained to the Authority that the officer had been aggressive over the phone and shouldn’t have been able to access his personal information.
The Authority conducted an independent investigation into the matter and found the officer demonstrated poor judgement and decision making, but did not act dishonestly or breach police policy because he consulted a senior officer.
The Authority accepts the officer was not conscious of his conflict of interest and believed he had authorisation to obtain information from the police database.
Acting Waikato District Commander, Acting Superintendent Will Loughrin, said the behaviour wasn’t consistent with the expectations police and the public have of staff.
“In this instance Officer A has been given advice by a senior officer and proceeded to access the police database inappropriately.
“While it is common practice for police to contact people about their driving, the circumstances that have led to this are not acceptable.
“We understand Officer A believed he was justified in accessing the database in this instance, in the interests of providing education to the other driver. However, the circumstances of this incident and follow-on behaviour falls short of what we expect from our staff.
“Police conducted an employment process, and I am satisfied that Officer A now has a full understanding of how to identify a conflict of interest.
“Correct process has also been discussed with the senior officer to prevent this sort of occurrence happening again.”
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Back in the early days of home video, one of the first beneficiaries was a documentary – or “rockumentary”, if you will – called This is Spinal Tap. It did very little business at all until it came out on video
This fake coverage of a fake rock band created its own genre – the so-called mockumentary, the basis of everything from The Office and Parks and Recreation to What We Do in the Shadows.
The creator of This is Spinal Tap seemed to be director and interviewer, Rob Reiner. But in fact, the three stars Michael McKean (David St Hubbins) Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls) and particularly Christopher Guest (Nigel Tufnel) had been doing this sort of thing for years.
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An underwater bloom of toxic algae has wreaked havoc off the coast of South Australia since mid-March 2025. After eight months, this harmful algal bloom is the longest and one of the most environmentally devastating events ever recorded in Australian waters.
There is still no end in sight for this environmental disaster. It’s impossible to know exactly what might happen to this vast toxic bloom this summer, as the ocean heats up.
But we have models and scientific knowledge to guide our predictions.
Algal rollercoaster
The algal bloom has led to troubling times in South Australia. The commercial and recreational fishing sectors, tourist industry, the public and even politicians have suffered from its detrimental effects.
The algal bloom saga is full of surprise twists and turns, including the initial identification of the algae as Karenia mikimotoi, government speculation about its causes (frequently aired in television ads), and the resignation of South Australia’s Environment Minister Susan Close.
This was followed by a statement from South Australia’s Premier, Peter Malinauskas, that the algal bloom was not toxic (it is). Then came the dangerous relocation of algae-affected oysters that could have introduced the algae to other pristine waters.
The saga continued, with Malinauskas announcing in late October that the algal bloom may eventually disappear, which turned out to be overly optimistic and incorrect.
Then came the recent discovery of a novel brevetoxin-producing species, K. cristata that appears to have dominated the algal bloom since July. Recently, the algal bloom reappeared near Victor Harbor, while the worst fish kill since the bloom started occurred along Adelaide’s beaches.
There have been federal and state senate inquiries into the algal bloom, and now important research on the algal bloom won’t be able to continue as six researchers in this space, including myself, have lost their positions at Flinders University in a restructure.
A surfer in the seafoam of the algal bloom at Christies Beach (Adelaide), October 22 2025. Troy Rigney, CC BY-ND
The turning point
From the beginning, state authorities were optimistic about the algal bloom. They said storms and colder waters would make it soon disappear and downplayed potential public health impacts, claiming the algae did not produce a toxin.
In the worst-case scenario, the model predicted the algal bloom would initially weaken and shrink over the cooler winter months but intensify and affect new areas, including Spencer Gulf, the following summer.
My modelling predictions, based on the known growth characteristics of K. mikimotoi, were the first science-based research suggesting the algae may become an ongoing problem.
The game changer
Shauna Murray, a marine biologist at the University of Technology Sydney, and her colleagues eventually unravelled several Karenia species that were previously prematurely grouped as K. mikimotoi. This discovery, which was made public in a pre-print article that has not yet been peer-reviewed, was another significant game changer for two reasons.
First, unlike K. mikimotoi, three species in the mix of algae – K. cristata, K. brevisulacata and K. papilionacea – produce toxins that affect human health. These include brevetoxins, which cause illness.
For instance, K. brevisulcata featured in a devastating toxic algal bloom in Wellington Harbour, New Zealand, in 1998. It caused long-term ecological damage and respiratory distress in harbour bystanders.
The growth characteristics of these species may also differ from that of K. mikimotoi. Unlike K. mikimotoi, K. cristata may grow better in colder water, which could could extend the life of the algal bloom mix.
A new hope?
Cell counts of Karenia species are published on the state government’s algal bloom water testing open data dashboard. Over the entire measurement period, K. cristata, which dominates the algal bloom mix, showed very high concentrations of several million cells per litre in Gulf St. Vincent.
Such high algal concentrations are different to my modelling predictions. Based on the growth characteristics of K. mikimotoi, these suggested a decrease in algal levels over the winter months.
In comparison, Spencer Gulf and the northwest marine region had low toxic algal concentrations during the entire period, which my model predicted. Relatively high levels (>100,000 cells per litre) near the Arno Bay jetty, which could be due to human influences rather than current, are still concerning.
Recent declines in algal cell counts of K. cristata along South Australian metropolitan beaches gave the state government a new reason to believe the algal bloom may eventually disppear. But could this be false hope?
Possible future scenarios
It is not possible to predict the future development of toxic algal bloom in South Australian waters with any certainty. However, it seems the worst-case scenario of my predictions still holds. This suggests the algal bloom will remain a permanent feature of the two gulfs for many years.
The important difference could be that K. cristata (not included in the model yet) will flare up during the colder months, when it may grow best. And other Karenia species such as K. mikimotoi may dominate the algal bloom during the warmer months, in a never ending cycle. Only good scientific monitoring and high-quality research can verify this hypothesis.
It’s difficult for me to imagine the scientific mechanisms that would see the algal bloom disappear. While the bloom cannot be controlled by human intervention, continued scientific studies are required to understand how it functions. Like many others, I too hope the algal bloom will eventually disappear.
Jochen Kaempf does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
An aerial appliance.FIRE AND EMERGENCY NZ / SUPPLIED
Operators of the country’s largest fire trucks with the longest ladders are going to get a bigger say in a long overdue national strategy.
“I have invited specialist aerial frontline firefighters to provide those insights and they are scheduled to start meeting in early December 2025,” deputy national commander Megan Stiffler told RNZ.
Fire and Emergency was told five years ago to come up with a plan for what type of big trucks it needs and where to put them, but has not.
The Professional Firefighters’ Union said a strategy was crucial to answer questions like whether Northland needed its own aerial, or Tauranga, given both had ports and industry where the extra reach of an aerial to fight a fire can be crucial.
“Probably the most important [thing] is how are those aerials going to be staffed. Because if we’re adding extra trucks there, it may be that we need to add extra firefighter positions,” union national vice-president Martin Campbell said.
“Here we are, six years, still not done,” Campbell said.
“Now… Megan Stiffler has come and joined the organisation and recognised that what they’ve been working on wasn’t fit for purpose, so it’s pretty much having to go back to the drawing board.”
FENZ only revealed its change of tack late on Wednesday after RNZ asked why the strategy had been in draft form for at least six months.
“Fire and Emergency New Zealand recognised the draft strategy needed further consultation with frontline operators to ensure insights and contributions captured operational needs and experience,” Stiffler said in a statement.
The meeting with operators had been pushed back to next month at the unions’ request, to allow firefighters to have input to FENZ’s proposed mass restructure, she said.
How long now? Union asks
Campbell said Stiffler asked him two months ago about which experts to include.
“To her credit, she has taken up that advice and has shoulder-tapped some of those people,” he said.
“Hopefully it doesn’t mean we’re going to have to sit and wait for another five years before something’s produced.”
Lock the right people away and they could produce a strategy in two months, he said.
However, the restructure had meant everything that was “not critical has been put on the back burner”.
On Tuesday, FENZ said a draft of the aerial strategy was under active development, which was the same thing it had said in May.
It refused to release the draft on the grounds that was likely to inhibit officials working on it, and “could compromise the quality of the final advice and decision-making process”.
Later, it said it was going back to the operators.
“At least now, Megan has recognised the need for operational input from firefighters,” Campbell said.
Campbell said a working group that included firefighters had input to an initial aerial strategy draft.
“Unfortunately, it seems those recommendations weren’t acted upon.”
The union last saw the draft two years ago, when it told FENZ it was not fit for purpose, he said.
He had since made multiple Official Information Act requests to get a copy but had been refused.
Delay getting new aerials
There were already five new aerials on order, however, FENZ said they were a year late – instead of getting them in mid-2025 it would now be mid-2026.
Together worth over $11m, the five have been on order since at least the Loafers Lodge fire in 2023, and since last year had been getting bodywork and lockers done in Wellington and Brisbane.
Only the main centres that already had an aerial would get one of the new ones: Auckland the one with the longest 45m ladder; and Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin would each get a new 32m-ladder truck.
In addition, various brigades had trucks with 17m ladders (about 20 trucks all up).
The 29 larger-ladder trucks are on average 20 years old – the newest 12 and oldest 39 years old. Some may be retired when the five new ones arrive.
The union had protested since at least 2018 that a lack of aerial trucks and the old ones breaking down, were putting lives at risk, which FENZ had routinely disputed.
The readiness of the country’s whole fire truck fleet had been a feature of the ongoing industrial dispute between the two sides.
Earlier this month FENZ said it had inherited an ageing fleet in 2017 but had a fleet programme that had replaced 317 fire trucks, with 78 more in the pipeline, including heavy aerial trucks. Many of the others were smaller utes.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
AFT Pharmaceuticals expected second half sales and earnings to be greater than the first half.OKSANA KAZYKINA/123RF
Drug maker AFT Pharmaceuticals has reported a strong first-half result with revenue up a third over the year earlier.
The company best known for its Maxigesic pain medication made a first net half profit compared with a loss the year earlier, with the businesses Australian divison being its largest generator of revenue and profit.
Key numbers for the six months ended September compared with a year ago:
Net profit $2.7.m vs $2.5m net loss
Revenue $114.9m vs $86.7m
Underlying profit $4.7m vs $1.8m loss
“We’re seeing some good, solid growth right across the board,” managing director Dr Hartley Atkinson said.
Atkinson said the company was continuing to invest in research and development, which was expected to pay off in the long run.
“Despite our big spend in R&D and on advancing the business, we’ve still got a really good increase – 363 percent increase in profit over the year, which is really driven by higher sales.”
AFT expected second half sales and earnings to be greater than the first half.
He said AFT was on track to deliver a full year operating profit in a range of $20m to $24m and to further advance its multi-year growth strategy.
“We continue to make good progress advancing the development of our international business hubs in markets that share similar characteristics with our highly successful Australasian operations,” he said.
“We expect our business hubs in the United Kingdom and South Africa to begin to contribute to earnings in the second half of the year, validating the potential we see in these markets and our investment in them.
“We meanwhile are seeing continuing strong interest in our development portfolio with an out-licensing agreement for our novel iron therapy secured in China, the worlds’ second largest pharma market after the end of the period. We are excited about the expanding prospects for our company.”
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Imagine you’re in south-east Cape York Peninsula, heading north from the tiny town of Laura – population 133. You’re in a dusty four wheel drive, bumping over a rough gravel road to a remote location known only to traditional Kuku Warra custodians.
All too soon, the road becomes a station track winding through the woodland, leaving signs of civilisation behind.
You exit the vehicle, and start hiking up the rugged and spectacularly beautiful landscape in the heart of the National Heritage-listed Quinkan Country. Your final destination is a fascinating archaeological site that preserves more than 1,700 years of unbroken Aboriginal traditions.
The perfect conditions
The most common archaeological objects in Australia are stone artefacts. These weren’t necessarily the things Aboriginal people made and used most often, but simply the ones that are preserved the best in most circumstances.
In reality, more than 90% of the artefacts Aboriginal people used in daily life were made from plant and animal materials that are unlikely to survive in archaeological sites.
But sometimes, very rarely, the environmental conditions align, allowing the survival of objects you would normally only find in a museum.
The site of Windmill Way is one place where the conditions for organic preservation are “just right”. Excavated in 2022, this fascinating rock shelter has revealed more than 500 fragments of string and string objects made from plant fibres.
The presence of a hooked piece of thick wire, and a strip of red cloth – both of which are European objects – shows Aboriginal people were still using the Windmill Way site in the so-called “contact period” after 1873. This was the year explorer William Hann discovered gold on the Palmer River. About 20,000 miners flooded in to the area over the following two decades.
Direct radiocarbon dating of 13 of the strings shows the oldest pieces were made 1,700 years ago, and the most recent during the contact period. Dated fragments of charcoal from campfires at the site are even older, extending back 2,100 years.
Following the contact period, a combination of Native Mounted Police, miners, pastoralists, disease and government policies decimated the local population in this region and forced most survivors into missions elsewhere or a fringe camp located just outside Laura.
While most of the objects are now fragmented (as even the best preservation conditions haven’t allowed them to fully withstand the passage of time), it is still possible to identify what many of them once were.
To do this, we compared our archaeological specimens to fibrecraft objects from the same region held in the Queensland Museum.
Such items were typically collected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before traditional Aboriginal ways of living were disrupted and cheap, mass-produced consumer goods replaced handcrafted items.
Queensland Museum’s acting Senior Curator of Archaeology, Nicholas Hadnutt (also a coauthor of this research) said:
This project enabled us to leverage the museum’s extensive collections to support Traditional Owners in telling their generations-old stories. In this way we were able to connect ancient artefacts with complete objects collected far more recently.
Many of the pieces of string clearly derive from dillybags, which often combine fibres from different plant species to create coloured stripes without the need for natural dyes. Dillybags were the equivalent of today’s backpacks, used by Aboriginal men, women and children to carry and store items.
Other pieces appear to be fragments of nets. While these were likely used for catching fish in the nearby Laura River, the presence of bird feathers caught up in many of them suggests they may have also been used for netting birds.
Rarer pieces are probably fragments of tassel string belts. Such objects were worn by adult men or women during ceremonies, or as ordinary pubic coverings. Young boys would occasionally also wear string belts as they went through various initiation stages.
Some fragments may be from mourning necklaces, which were traditionally worn by men and women as a part of traditional ceremonies after a death.
The form of the string – as well as the knots, mesh, gauge and loops created from it – changed little over time, showing how this craft was passed down through generations.
Objects from earlier stages of string production were also preserved, such as bundles of bark stripped into different components, which would have later been twisted into string.
These findings have led our team to think of the site as a kind of “string manufacturing” workshop.
Rock art also tells the story
Surprisingly, the walls of Windmill Way also reveal snippets of information about ancient string use. The shelter’s rock surfaces are adorned with vivid painted motifs, some of which show dillybags.
Other pictures depict women wearing tassel string belts, with mourning strings draped across their chests, and headbands decorating their foreheads. These images are typical of the Quinkan style, featuring solid bright-coloured interiors, white outlines and decorative infill.
With large swathes of the remote Cape York Peninsula now preserved in national parks, and potentially destined for World Heritage status, these unique finds from Windmill Way are an excellent example of exactly why this part of Australia deserves to be treasured by all.
Lynley Wallis receives funding from the Australia Research Council. She is affiliated with the Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists Inc. and Wallis Heritage Consulting Pty Ltd.
Christine Musgrave is a Laura Land and Sea Ranger, Laura Custodian and Kuku Warra Native Title holder.
Heather Burke receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
Roseanne George is a Laura Custodian and Kuku Warra Native Title holder.
A man has been charged with murder after a death in the New Plymouth CBD.
Emergency services were alerted to a fight on St Aubyn Street shortly before 7pm on Wednesday and found a man with critical injuries.
CPR was performed but he died at the scene.
The police said two people were arrested.
Robin Martin
One of them, a 44-year-old man, has been charged with murder and is due to appear today in the New Plymouth District Court, while the other person was released without charge.
A blue police gazebo is set up beside beside the railway line at the Len Lyne Wind Wand sculpture on the Coastal Walkway.
The police said a scene guard has been in place overnight, and cordons will remain in place today while a scene examination is carried out.
Robin Martin
Meanwhile, part of St Aubyn Street remains closed this morning, and motorists should avoid the area if possible, or expect delays.
Police would like to hear from anyone who might have witnessed this incident unfolding, or who has information about those involved.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
A 32-year-old Swiss national has been charged with careless driving causing death after a fatal crash near Sheffield in Canterbury’s Selwyn district on Wednesday.
In 1962, Dunedin farmer Alan MacLeod said to his wife Joan and six kids, ‘how about going for a drive’?’
Little did they know the ‘harebrained scheme’ Alan had cooked up would see them travelling the world in a homemade house truck a year later.
He wanted to reconnect the family with their MacLeod ancestry on the Island of Skye in Scotland, and visit friends he had made fighting in the Italian campaign in World War II.
Hannah Bulloch has written a book about her grandparents decision to take six kids around the world on a house truck.
Supplied by Otago University Press
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
