Source: Radio New Zealand

A coroner has found everything possible went wrong for Malachi Subecz in the last six months of his life, when opportunites to identify the abuse and torture he suffered were not picked up.

Coroner Janet Anderson also warned that it was a national disgrace that in the five years since his death not enough had changed to prevent other children dying at the hands of those looking after them.

An inquest into the death of the five-year-old in 2021 was held last year, after his caregiver Michaela Barriball was convicted of his murder and sent to prison.

Malachi’s mother Jasmine Cotter had been sent to prison on drugs charges and he was placed in the care of her then friend Barriball, who subjected him to months of horrific abuse.

He died of a blunt force head injury at Starship Hospital in 2021, weighing just 16 kilograms because he had been starved.

Coroner Anderson released her findings on Wednesday.

“In the last six months of Malachi’s life, everything possible went wrong for him. Not only was the poor boy the victim of unspeakable cruelty and deliberate evil, potential opportunities to identify what was going on were not picked up by those who could have intervened,” she said.

“One reason for this is that Malachi’s interests were not given priority in important decisions that had a direct or indirect impact on his wellbeing.”

Anderson said the lack of focus on his safety and welfare effectively allowed the abuse to go unreported.

“This lack of focus on the primacy of his safety and welfare enabled the environment in which the tragic events of 1 November 2021 unfolded.”

She agreed with the Children’s Commissioner’s evidence that the violent abuse Malachi experienced, which caused his death, were grievous violations of his rights as a child under the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child.

In a statement, Jasmine Cotter urged the government and agencies to action the coroner’s recommendations.

“I would like to thank the Coroner for all her care and diligence during this process. I completely tautoko her findings and summary and beg the Government as a whole, and all of its separate Ministries and agencies to stop the compartmentalising,” Cotter said.

“Malachi and I were tragically failed by a system of silos – how many more whanau must die before these fragmented processes are corrected?

“As part of the work that has started, all agencies must urgently train and resource for child protection so that all staff understand the rights of every child to be protected. Please action this for Malachi – he is and will be forever loved.”

Malachi’s death sparked national outrage and a series of reviews into the child protection system – six government agencies completed reviews of their own processes, and chief executives also commissioned a system-wide review from the late Dame Karen Poutasi.

A 2024 review of the recommendations by the Poutasi Review found children were no safer than when Malachi had died and that the system change she had called for had not happened.

Coroner Anderson found change had been too slow.

“While a number of important changes have been made since Malachi was murdered, I do not consider that these are sufficient to reduce the likelihood of further deaths occurring in similar circumstances in the future.”

She made recommendations that aim to reduce the chance of further deaths occurring in similar circumstances in the future.

Anderson said these should be considered in conjunction with previous reports and recommendations made before and after Malachi’s death.

The inquest heard that in a 34-week timeframe between November 2021 and July 2022, doctors at Starship Hospital treated 16 children with serious abusive head trauma, almost one every two weeks.

Of those 16, six died including Malachi.

“Malachi is only one of many children who have lost their lives or suffered grievous injury due to the actions of a person who was meant to be caring for them,” she said.

“It is utterly heartbreaking to see similar themes and recommendations being made year after year, often with little evidence of substantive change taking place.”

Her recommendations include wide-ranging policy and practice changes and that the child protection system be properly resourced.

“Urgent action is needed to protect our tamariki and to address this national disgrace.”

During the inquest, the Children’s Commissioner Claire Achmad said it was devastating to her that Malachi’s life was cut short, and that he was prevented from flourishing and experiencing his potential.

“Malachi had the right to be growing up safe, loved, nurtured, and supported by his family, whānau, hapū, iwi and community to live a full life and to fulfil his full potential.”

The commissioner said the violent abuse experienced by Malachi and his death by homicide were grievous violations of his rights as a child under the UN convention.

Achmad later told RNZ she felt the government had taken positive steps since Malachi’s death, but those steps were too few.

“What’s clear to me is that the pace of change over the last few years since Malachi’s death … It hasn’t been urgent enough,” she said.

“That’s why I’m pleased that last year the government did accept the recommendations of the late Dr Dame Karen Poutasi, now it’s crucial that there is urgent and continued focus on making real those changes.

“Collectively we need to remember that every child death that occurs by abuse is 100 percent preventable, and put simply we can’t rest until all children in New Zealand are safe from this kind of harm.”

The Children’s Commissioner advocates for tamariki in the system while the Independent Children’s Monitor shares information about how well the system is performing.

The monitor is due to release a second review of the Poutasi Review’s recommendations next week.

Last October, the government accepted all the review’s recommendations and tasked child and youth ministers to oversee the government’s response to ensure children’s safety.

The monitor’s chief executive, Arran Jones, said this was heartening.

“Accepting the recommendations and putting a work programme in place is a start and part of our role from here will be to see how well those changes are implemented and are they making a difference.”

Jones said it was important to first ensure those that worked with children, including teachers and heatlh professionals, were trained to spot signs of risk and then know what do to.

“It’s incredibly sad, what happended to Malachi and the opportunities that were missed to keep him safe,” he said.

“What’s being raised here through his case [is] the opportunity to do better and the question is how quickly are we moving to do the things that are needed to be done, to keep children safe.”

Chief Ombudsman John Allen said Coroner Anderson’s recommendations underlined the need for improvement across the child protection sector.

“As the coroner has observed, repeated calls for change has been made over the years. There needs to be a sustained improvement in the way agencies in health, education, welfare, and justice connect with each other when it comes to identifying and reporting suspected child abuse,” Allen said.

The coroner said it was important Malachi’s death not frame how he was remembered.

“Malachi was a loving and cheerful child who was robbed of his future,” Anderson said.

“His story is an important one to tell, but the tragedy that befell him should not overshadow his memory or define the life that he lived. He was a treasured and cherished young boy who should be acknowledged and remembered in his own right, and not just as the victim of a barbaric and senseless crime.”

Mandatory reporting

During the inquest, the coroner considered whether there was any evidence that mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse to Oranga Tamariki by early childhood centres and schools might help reduce the chance of further deaths.

Many of the expert witnesses called for comprehensive training and education for those working with children to identify the signs of potential abuse.

The coroner noted that since then, the government had announced that mandatory reporting would be introduced, and Child Poverty Reduction Minister Louise Upston had recognised the importance of associated education and training.

Last October, Upston said work would start on designing a mandatory reporting regime, with a staged approach to maximise child safety while mitigating risk.

“This will begin with mandatory training for designated workforces to ensure people working in the system clearly know how to identify and report child abuse while also sequencing further action to build system capacity.”

Anderson recommended the Ministry of Education introduce mandatory standardised policies and training for early childhood education centres.

She also recommended the New Zealand College of General Practitioners consider whether there should be regular mandatory child protection education for GPs.

Oranga Tamariki

The coroner said changes within Oranga Tamariki, recommended in previous reports, were taking too long.

“The changes that must take place within Oranga Tamariki and other government agencies to make children safer have already been identified. They are just not happening fast enough.”

The Poutasi Review recommended the agency run a public awareness campaign to help anyone identify possible signs of abuse and how to take action – but that had still not happened.

Coroner Anderson said there were people who had contact with Malachi and his caregiver before his death who might have been in a position to intervene.

“It appears that they did not realise he was injured and/or they accepted Michaela’s false claims that the injuries were accidental, and that medical treatment had been sought. This demonstrates how important it is for the community to be equipped to identify possible signs of abuse and to take action.”

Anderson said a public awareness campaign about the red flags to look out for was a tangible action that could help prevent further deaths.

“It is hard to understand why this has not yet happened given the Oranga Tamariki Chief Executive’s statutory duties, and the previous recommendations that have been made about this matter, including by Dame Poutasi over three years ago.”

She recommended Oranga Tamariki prioritise and roll out an awareness campaign, and that “it must no longer be delayed”.

At the end of last year, the Children’s Commissioner launched an urgent nationwide campaign against child abuse, calling on every adult to front up to the problem.

Oranga Tamariki acting deputy chief executive for system leadership, Nicolette Dickson, said it was working alongside other agencies in the children’s system to consider the best approach to raising public awareness about how to recognise and respond to child abuse. 

She said the agency accepted the coroner’s findings and recommendations and had started work on the Poutasi Review recommendations.

“I can confirm Oranga Tamariki, as part of the wider children’s system, is working at pace to progress the recommendations, this builds on considerable changes Oranga Tamariki had already made to its own practices in relation to review findings.”

Dickson said a multi-agency hub opened earlier this month in Auckland, bringing together staff from six key children’s agencies.

“The role of the hub is to identify and address risks and make decisions about the safety and wellbeing for around 2000 children whose sole parent (or sole carer) is remanded in custody or sentenced to a term of imprisonment each year.”

She said the hub would aim to ensure information was shared safely and appropriately between key agencies to start an initial assessment within 48 hours.

“I acknowledge Oranga Tamariki has an important role in ensuring our communities can recognise possible signs of child abuse and know what action to take if they have concerns about a child’s safety and wellbeing.” 

Protecting children whose sole caregivers are in jail

Chief among the recommendations was that children of sole caregivers who were imprisoned should be identified and safeguards put in place to ensure their safety.

“I have formed the view that the arrangements made to ensure Malachi’s safety when [his mother] went to prison were grossly inadequate. This was not the fault of any single individual or agency,” Coroner Anderson said.

“It resulted from the absence of a clear, child-centred framework that could identify and respond to the particular risks that he was facing when his mother was incarcerated,” she said.

“There were no independent safeguards in place to ensure that Malachi’s safety and wellbeing were prioritised when initial decisions about his care were made.”

The coroner said it was “alarming” that Malachi was placed in the care of a third party with no requirement for oversight, vetting or prior checks.

His placement with Barriball became the subject of Family Court proceedings, when his mother Jasmine Cotter sought to formalise the agreement.

Anderson noted Cotter had been “completely deceived” by Barriball and was not in a suitable emotional or mental state to make a good decision about her son’s care.

“Given the inherent vulnerability of this cohort of children, this state of affairs is alarming. A heightened degree of scrutiny and oversight of their care arrangements is not merely warranted, but in my view is an absolute necessity,” she said.

“We cannot rely on parents to make the best decisions for their children in these circumstances.”

Anderson said there were too many complex factors at play and too much risk that may not be identified by parents in that situation.

She said Malachi would likely have benefited from a Gateway Assessment by Oranga Tamariki, a comprehensive assessment of his health, education and wellbeing, but this did not occur.

“Depending on the timing, such a process would also likely have picked up physical or other indicators that he was being abused. A comprehensive child focussed assessment when he left the care of his mother would have had few downsides, and many potential benefits.”

Anderson said that was a call to action.

“Take urgent action to identify dependent children when sole caregivers are incarcerated, and to ensure that there are independent safeguards to confirm that any care arrangements in place are safe and appropriate,” she said.

“More could, and should, be done to protect the rights of innocent children whose parents are imprisoned by the State.”

The coroner noted that the government had commited to enhancing the existing process, called Report of Concern, to ensure that children whose sole parent was arrested and/or taken into custody were identified and their needs were met.

A Cabinet briefing paper estimated that between 1280 to 1430 sole caregivers were sent to prison each year and this was estimated to affect about 2300 children.

“The paper records that modelling indicates that children whose parents are incarcerated have significantly worse outcomes than other children, and that there are further risks where the incarcerated parent is a sole caregiver and is therefore unable to monitor and ensure a child’s safety,” Anderson said.

Family Court

The coroner called for the Family Court to be adequately resourced and for lawyers acting for children to be trained to identify potential abuse.

Anderson looked at whether there were any matters arising from the Family Court proceedings, in progress at the time Malachi died, that could assist in preventing future deaths.

“The proceedings relating to Malachi’s care were given priority by the Family Court and a hearing was allocated on an urgent basis. While waiting for the hearing date, Malachi remained in the care of the woman who later murdered him. During this intervening period, he was abused and tortured.”

Important information about Malachi’s safety was not available to the court or to the lawyer who was appointed to represent Malachi.

“While I intend no criticism of the court in this case, the tragic circumstances demonstrate how crucial it is for the Family Court to be adequately resourced so that the court, and court participants, have the resources they need when dealing with matters that involve potential risk to children.”

She recommended the New Zealand Law Society engage with stakeholders including the Family Court to review the education and training requirements for lawyer for the child in order to strengthen the child protection components of the current framework.

“I acknowledge that practitioners who act as lawyer for the child are not specialist child abuse investigators, and their role is to make submissions to the court, not to give evidence. However, it is important for these practitioners to be equipped with up-to-date knowledge and skills that will assist them to obtain information relevant to the safety of the children they represent, and to identify possible risks.”

Training could include possible indicators of child abuse, factors that might place a child at increased risk (such as incarceration of a parent), and useful collateral sources of information (such as daycare centres).

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

St Bede’s College was told nearly 20 years ago of allegations of sexual offending by a priest who has recently been convicted of historical abuse at the school.

The rector says if there was inaction regarding the allegations it would be “appalling”.

RNZ earlier revealed Friar Rowan Donoghue had admitted six charges including indecent assault on a boy aged 12-16, indecent assault on a boy 16 and over and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.

He is now awaiting sentencing.

The offending related to four boys who were boarding at St Bede’s College in Christchurch between 1996 and 2000.

Since then, RNZ has revealed that Fr Donoghue admitted sexual abuse to leaders of his religious order, the Society of Mary, in 2007. However, he was unable to identify the anonymous complainant and instead of notifying police, the order sent him to Australia for a six month-programme that provided “professional risk assessment and therapy” for people accused of sexual abuse.

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

In response to further questions from RNZ this week, St Bede’s College rector Jon McDowall confirmed the school had been notified nearly 20 years ago of allegations involving Fr Donoghue.

“As Rector, I have been made aware in recent weeks of further historical information indicating that, in the mid-2000s, College leadership was advised that an anonymous complaint of a sexual nature relating to Fr Donoghue had been made to the Society of Mary, and that he was subsequently withdrawn from ministry.

“Fr Donoghue had not worked at the College since 2000. The information conveyed to the College at that time was informal and verbal, there is no written record held by the College, and the matter was understood to be managed by the Society of Mary.”

McDowall said the details of the case were “deeply distressing”.

“If there was inaction regarding allegations of abuse that’s appalling.

“My thoughts are with the victims and survivors who continue to live with the impact of that harm. Abuse has no place at St Bede’s – past, present, or future – and I continue to invite anyone who is impacted by this matter, or who has concerns, to contact me directly.”

He said that after being formally notified by police of allegations relating to Fr Donoghue, the College took “immediate steps” to locate any relevant information it might still hold and had worked openly with police throughout.

A Society of Mary spokesperson has also confirmed that while Fr Donoghue could not identify the complainant in 2007, he was “certain” they were from St Bede’s College.

“No year was specified, but he was at St Bede’s from 1993-2000, The Society of Mary leader at the time advised schools with which Donoghue had been associated that he had been withdrawn from ministry.”

The spokesperson said two schools were told of the allegations.

“Our records show that the schools were told that Donoghue was withdrawn from ministry immediately. To the best of our knowledge, and cognisant of the policy and practice of the SM leadership at the time, we are confident the reason would have been made very clear.”

The spokesperson said the society was not aware of the allegations to which Fr Dongohue pleaded guilty until police laid charges.

“At the time of the initial complaint the Society made strenuous efforts over many months to encourage the complainant to contact the Police.

“As reported by RNZ previously, our first thoughts have always been with Donoghue’s victims and their families. We deeply regret the hurt and harm caused. We extend our sincere apologies to them, and will seek to provide appropriate support when they decide the time is right.”

The society said information regarding any other Marists attending external courses, such as the one Fr Donoghue was sent on was not publicly available.

The Society of Mary provided the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care with every complaint of abuse received, including the anonymous one, it said.

The anonymous complaint

A Society of Mary spokesperson earlier told RNZ a complaint alleging offending by Fr Donoghue was received by the priest via an anonymous Hotmail account in October 2007.

“He advised Society of Mary administration and in a conversation with leaders of the Society of Mary, Donoghue admitted that he was guilty of abuse but could not identify the complainant.

“He was removed from his ministry as a priest immediately. This permanent removal from ministry and subsequent ongoing monitoring has continued to the present day.”

The spokesperson said the society reached out to the anonymous emailer “encouraging him to identify himself” and make a complaint to the police so the matter might be properly investigated, and so that he might receive appropriate support.

“Donoghue was sent for a six-month programme to Encompass, an institute in Australia that provided professional risk assessment and therapy for those accused of sexual abuse.”

Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons earlier told RNZ police were unable to comment on processes of other organisations and their decision making and whether they decide to call the police, but that police encouraged people to do so if they had information they believed could be relevant to any investigation or suspected offending.

In response to earlier questions from RNZ, a Teaching Council spokesperson said in general, the council did not comment on complaints or mandatory reports to the council.

“However, given the level of public interest, we can confirm that we have been working closely with New Zealand Police since early 2025 in support of their investigation into offending by Mr Donoghue.

“The legal requirement for mandatory reporting to the New Zealand Teachers Council (now the Teaching Council) relating to the dismissal, resignation under investigation, serious misconduct, competence concerns, or specified convictions of teachers was first inserted into the Education Act 1989 by the Education Standards Act 2001 to protect the safety of children and young people in our education system.”

Now the criminal process had concluded, the council’s professional disciplinary process would resume.

“This process will include consideration of whether obligations have been met to report conduct or competence concerns to the council that were known at the time, and appropriate action depending on the findings.”

Asked who the disciplinary process would look at, the spokesperson said the council would “into the actions of everyone involved”.

“We are committed to ensuring the safety of children and young people and the quality of teaching in our education system, and we encourage anyone who has concerns about the conduct or competence of a formally registered teacher to reach out to us.”

St Patrick’s Silverstream rector Rob Ferreira told RNZ the school had not been made aware of any allegations of abuse in care while Fr Donoghue worked at the school between 1982 to 1992.

“We have not had any inquiries from the police either.

“We operate according to clearly set out guidelines and best practice and you should note that our primary concern is the wellbeing of our students. Given that – our protection of the privacy and any other rights of survivors of abuse and other individuals would be paramount.”

He said the school had informed the community that Donoghue’s name suppression had lifted.

St Patrick’s College Wellington rector Mike Savali confirmed to RNZ that Donoghue was on the college staff from 2003 to 2007.

Where to get help

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Overall violent crime has decreased but family violence is at its highest since 2018, a report by the Salvation Army has found.

The charity’s State of the Nation report collects data from agencies like Police and the Ministry of Justice.

It estimates 147,000 people were victims of violent crime in the 12 months to August 2025, compared to around 200,000 the previous year.

“This improvement is largely driven by steep reductions in non‑sexual assault and robbery, which fell from 108,000 to 81,000, reaching their lowest levels in the series,” the report stated.

“Sexual assault declined more modestly … The recent downturn is attributed to several factors, including increased frontline policing in high‑harm urban areas and significant reductions in non-family violence.”

But the report found the number of charges for family harm had increased by 3.9 percent, and police had issued 9.7 percent more safety orders due to domestic violence.

“Police safety orders (PSOs) saw the most significant growth, climbing to 27,077 in 2025 (compared to 24,676 in 2024),” the report said.

“For the police, the steady rise in PSOs reflects a broader shift toward proactive policing and early intervention.”

The latest data on child poverty was from 2024, but showed the situation had worsened since 2023.

In 2024, 156,000 children were in material hardship, compared to 144,000 in 2023.

Other findings in the report included a decrease in drug use and charges for driving under the influence.

Police performed 4.22 million breath tests in 2025, up from 3.58m in 2024, but the number of people charged for driving under the influence modestly decreased, by 2 percent.

Overall drug use was also down, but the number of people using cocaine remained high.

In 2025, 2.4 percent of the population used cocaine, slightly down from 2.5 percent in 2024 but still double what it had been in 2022 (1.2 percent).

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police say a cyclist has died following a crash with a vehicle in Upper Hutt on Tuesday.

Emergency services received a report of the crash, involving a vehicle and a cyclist, about 4pm.

The intersection of Messines Avenue and Seddul Bahr Road in Trentham were closed while the Serious Crash Unit made enquiries.

The death will be referred to the Coroner.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Residents in the Far North community of Ahipara are arming themselves with sticks to protect against roaming dogs in their neighbourhood.

Local father Tyrone Biddle and his young daughters witnessed a pack of dogs attacking another neighbourhood dog last week.

“At first it looked like they were just playing, and then just within seconds it just turned to something like just really violent. So five of those dogs turned on one dog and just started mauling her,” he told Checkpoint.

“My four-year-old, I recall her just screaming and crying, because the dog that was getting mauled was a dog that was known to us. So my four-year-old screaming out this dog’s name, my seven-year-old just screaming ‘stop, stop’.”

In a statement, Far North District Council’s Hilary Sumpter said it had received 1087 reports of roaming dogs across the district at large during the last financial year, with 396 impounded.

Biddle said many parents in Ahipara were scared to let their kids walk to school on their own, and some residents had taken to arming themselves.

“This is the first time we’ve kind of seen that pack mentality kind of take effect, but my girls have been chased previously by dogs, people now walk around our community with weapons, with sticks, because they’re too scared to kind of go walking without one,” he said.

“There’s a school at the end of Ahipara that a lot of the tamariki go to, parents don’t let them walk or ride to school because of fear of all these dogs.”

Biddle said it wasn’t fair for residents to feel unsafe.

“This can’t be out of our control. This can’t be a situation in which we are kind of prisoners [in] our own community and can’t just go for a walk or let our kids experience the outdoors,” he said.

“This isn’t an anti-dog thing. This is just anti-irresponsible owners, people that choose to have dogs but don’t choose the responsibility of what comes with owning the dog.”

He criticised the council for what he viewed as a reactive approach.

“When I called the council about these dogs, they said, ‘yeah, we’re aware of these dogs.’ So if you’re aware of these dogs, what is it that you’re waiting for? What is currently happening is just not good enough for our community,” Biddle said.

“I’m just scared that the worst case scenario is that this thing getting mauled is not a dog and it’s one of our tamariki or our kaumātua or whoever it might be, because that is where I see this going.”

Sumpter said the council was taking proactive actions to prevent future issues.

“The council is currently working with the SPCA on a programme to provide dog de-sexing services in high-need communities,” she said.

“We are also actively following up on lapsed registrations. About 800 infringements have been issued district-wide in last two weeks for non-registration. Getting more dogs registered and on record means we can identify owners when their dogs are picked up. More infringements will be issued in coming weeks.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• Manawatū community starts user-pays school bus after cancellation of ministry-funded service.
• Parents and guardians take loans and use savings to pay for it.
• Ministry has cancelled 13 services after a review it says is routine.

Manawatū parents and caregivers are dipping into their savings and even taking out loans to fund a bus service to get their children to school.

This comes after some school buses that used to run into Palmerston North were axed as a result of a Ministry of Education review into more than 250 routes nationwide.

One high school reports that 300 of its students are affected by the changes.

‘Just not fair’

Rongotea is one of the areas affected by the changes, where high school students have a 15-minute ride into Palmerston North.

Families now have to pay for the bus that was previously free for decades.

Nikita Walker has helped lead efforts to organise the user-pays service for children, at a cost of more than $500 a term per child.

“I’ve had to ask family members to help me come up with funds to pay for my daughter’s term pass because we are a one-income family and we just can’t pull that off, and I don’t see it being able to be pulled off for future terms,” she said.

“It’s causing hardship for a lot of us and it’s just not fair.”

The ministry has reviewed routes to ensure compliance with its policies, including that students must go to their closest school.

Since then it has cancelled 13 services, including the one that used to run from Rongotea and Tangimoana into Palmerston North, which fell foul of these rules but had been in place for as long as residents can recall.

Walker’s daughter Jasmine would be eligible for a bus to Manawatū College in Foxton, rather than Palmerston North Girls’ High School, where she attends – but she said changing schools with her two senior years remaining was not an option.

“I honestly wouldn’t go. I really would not go. Honestly, I’d probably just get homeschooled.”

Nikita said while about 30 students caught the user-pays bus, not everyone could afford it.

“They are currently stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Some of them are managing to do carpooling. I’ve had families reach out to me that are saying, ‘Well, we might actually have to quit our jobs and relocate’, and sell their homes because they just can’t manage this.”

Loans and savings pay for service

Other parents and guardians in Rongotea have found ways to pay for the bus, for now at least.

“My boss is actually paying for it. I actually have to pay that back otherwise my daughter wouldn’t be going to school because I cannot afford that, being a single-income family.” said Stacey Monks.

“At the moment I’ve had to go into my savings to get the teenager who’s at [Palmerston North school] QEC, just for the term, to get him to school,” said a Rongotea grandmother, who asked not to be named.

“We’ve already started saving for next term because that’s another bill that has to be there, but at this time of the year you’ve got a high school uniform that needs to be paid for and you’ve got devices and stationery and all the rest of it. It’s just a cost that’s just unfair for our rural communities,” said Jess Greene, who is also leading the charge to stand up for affected families.

Review is routine – ministry

Ministry group manager, school transport, James Meffan said reviewing school bus routes was routine, as the location and number of eligible students constantly changed.

Last year it looked at 265 routes, out of more than 1400.

As well as the 13 cancelled routes it added 13 new ones, merged 23, lengthened 73 and shortened 114.

Meffan said it would put on buses in places such as Rongotea if enough students were enrolled at their closest school.

The ministry did not review bus routes with the intention of saving money.

School ponders user-pays buses

At Palmerston North Boys’ High School, rector David Bovey said more than 300 students were affected by the changes, and the school was thinking of putting on its own user-pays services.

“A number of young men who were due to come here in year nine this year, who are from surrounding areas, decided not to because they can’t get in here on the bus,” he said.

“We’ve had some of the senior boys who have been trying to make their own way here, but it’s been a real issue for a number of parents. We had a couple of boys who couldn’t start on time, at the same time as everyone else, because they had to organise transport.”

Education Minister Erica Stanford said bus routes weren’t for her to decide.

“The school bus rules and regulations have been in place for over 100 years and have never been changed and at some point in the future we’ll need to take a look at them, but it is an operational job for the ministry so ministers don’t get involved.”

For now, parents such as Nikita Walker were hoping the ministry does a U-turn – something that has happened before, when services were under threat in the 1990s.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police are working with Australian counterparts on an investigation into a satanic child sex abuse material ring with alleged links to New Zealand.

New South Wales police announced last week that detectives from their Sex Crimes Squad had charged a sixth man and were referring a further 145 suspects to international law enforcement agencies following an investigation into a satanic child sex abuse material ring as part of an operation called Strike Force Constantine.

Police said investigators had identified offenders from New Zealand, USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America, and South East Asia.

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

RNZ asked New South Wales police for information on the New Zealand-based suspects and how many there were.

A spokesperson said any questions needed to be directed to New Zealand police.

RNZ asked police what work was being done by New Zealand officers in relation to the investigation, what co-operation there had been with overseas authorities and how many suspects were based in this country.

Detective Inspector Stuart Mills said New Zealand Police were “working with the New South Wales Police on this matter and will support them as requested”.

“We are not in a position to comment further at this time.”

New South Wales police said last week that Strike Force Constantine was established by State Crime Command’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit to investigate the online distribution of child sexual abuse involving ritualistic or satanic themes.

“During the investigation, detectives uncovered a Sydney-based paedophile network actively involved in possessing, distributing, and facilitating this material through a website administered internationally.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A marine biologist says the impacts of Wellington’s sewage overflow on a nearby marine reserve is depressing to witness.

About 70 million litres of untreated waste is now being pumped 1.8 kilometres out into Cook Strait after the Moa Point treatment plant failed last week.

The waste is now being screened for solid items like wet wipes and sanitary items but is otherwise raw sewage.

The capital’s South Coast beaches are currently off limits because of contamination.

Dr Christopher Cornwall is a senior lecturer in Marine Biology at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington told Checkpoint that sewage was still potentially getting out onto the area’s rocky reef ecosystems and the kelp forests around places like Taputeranga Marine Reserve and the rest of the South Coast, but also into some of the deep reefs.

“So that untreated sewage is still having ecological impacts, as to how big those impacts are we don’t really know at the moment.”

The South Coast marine reserve near where the sewage was being released was one of the best examples of marine protection in Aotearoa, he said.

“So we have things like increased numbers and sizes of pāua, koura, crayfish, we have things like a lot of fin fish species, so these will, towards the pipeline these will probably all be impacted.

“As to what those impacts are we’re not 100 percent sure, they could range from small immeasurable impacts if this sewage pumping is stopped soon or they could range to larger ecological impacts such as the mortality of that kelp forest and the abalone that lives in it, the pāua.”

Asked whether there were any historical examples that could give some indication of what might happen, Cornwall said that during the 1950s untreated sewage went out to a kelp forest off the California coastline and “it caused long term die-off of that kelp forest”.

“In the 80s there was treated sewage that came out into that same area and it had lesser impacts.”

In New Zealand, the treated sewage had measurable impacts on the seaweed community and potentially on the pāua at a Porirua reef although that data was still being analysed, he said.

Research that had been done at Porirua showed that there was a loss of some of the forest forming brown seaweeds or big kelp which were the habitats and food for a large range of shellfish and fin fish species, he said.

Seaweed takes up nitrogen naturally but things like the sewage outfall can cause this to become elevated, he said.

“That means the seaweeds taking advantage of that excess nitrogen and it can shift the balance in that seaweed ecosystem, so essentially it’s taken up into their tissues and other nasties are also taken up into there and it can change the way that they function, for example it can cause some species that are invasive or opportunistic to increase their growth rates and out compete our native species.”

The worst case scenario, which is less likely, would be the die-off of that kelp forest ecosystem – pāua, kina, koura and the fin fish species that live in that area, he said.

“We don’t know at this point whether that will occur, it will depend on how long it takes for that sewage to actually start being treated.”

Smaller impacts are more likely, he said.

“You can get things like green tide algae, so ulva, which will start out-competing some of the natives and increase.”

That had happened in the past when there had been problems at Moa Point, he said.

If the sewage kept being pumped out it could also lead to things like harmful algal blooms, he said.

There was no way to mitigate the effects if sewage kept being pumped into the area, he said.

“The only way that we can actually mitigate this is by making sure that this doesn’t happen in the first place and then secondly I guess we need to use this as an example of why we shouldn’t be pumping our sewage out onto places like the South Coast, like the jewel in Wellington’s crown as some people have put it recently. So we really need to think about using this as an example of what we shouldn’t be doing for our wastewater management system.”

It was depressing and disheartening to see sewage pumping out so close to the Taputeranga marine reserve, he said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

One of the survivors of the Christchurch terror attack says the terrorist is just seeking attention with his Court of Appeal bid.

White supremacist Brenton Tarrant is serving a life sentence without parole for the mass shootings in March 2019 and has gone to the Court of Appeal to overturn his convictions and sentence.

Temel Atacocugu, who was shot during the massacre at Al Noor Mosque, said he believed this was all for the terrorist’s entertainment and so he could get the public’s attention again.

“He doesn’t want to be forgotten, but he lost that chance. He is forgotten already. I don’t think it will make any difference to his conditions in jail after all this court case is finished,” Atacocugu said.

Atacocugu was shot nine times in the attack and said it was still challenging for him physically and mentally.

He has been watching the court hearing via livestream in Christchurch and said it was difficult to see the terrorist’s face on screen.

“When I saw his face on the screen, flashbacks started bombarding my mind, and remembering that day. And my body reacted and was aching and my disabled arm on my left side. So it’s not easy for us to be still dealing with this court case,” he said.

The terrorist should stop with the self-pity and face what he had done like a man, Atacocugu said.

Federation of Islamic Associations chair Abdur Razzaq said the latest court appearance by the Australian terrorist followed a well-known pattern used by convicted right-wing terrorists globally to exploit legal systems in order to regain publicity, amplify their ideology and inspire online supporters.

The white supremacist was following an almost identical trajectory to the man responsible for the 2011 Norway attacks that killed 77 people, he said.

“After initially confessing guilt, the Oslo terrorist systematically exploited the Norwegian and European legal systems through repeated court actions following his 2012 conviction, including cases in 2016, 2017, and again in 2024, largely focused on alleged prison conditions. This is quite similar to the Australian 15 March terrorist who is now exploiting the NZ legal system claiming he pleaded guilty under duress by torture,” Abdur Razzaq said.

The terrorist was using the New Zealand legal system not to seek genuine redress but to re-enter the public arena, garner repeated media reporting and ensure continued visibility, he said.

The legal challenges brought societal costs to the March 15 families, who were already suffering from PTSD and large financial costs, Abdur Razzaq said.

“Unfortunately, as a society, we must confront an uncomfortable reality.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Experts say it is safe to swim at beaches in the capital’s harbour, but Wellingtonians are taking a cautious approach.

Nearly a week ago, the Moa Point Treatment Plant started pumping raw sewage into the ocean off the south coast after it completely failed early Wednesday morning.

The following Thursday evening, the raw sewage was diverted from being dumped near the coast to a 1.8-kilometre outfall pipe.

Wellington Water had warned it may need to use the short outfall pipe if it were to rain in the city.

There was no evidence to suggest sewage was reaching the city’s inner harbour, but at Oriental Bay most people RNZ spoke to thought locals were being careful around the water.

Keita said there was nobody on the beach when normally it would be “a shocker”.

“People would be everywhere, especially this whole sand beach would be full of people.”

She would “definitely reconsider” swimming in the area despite there not being current warnings about entering the water there.

“I think everyone has their own little mindsets on it I guess you could say.”

Munroe said people would continue to be cautious until there was a fix for the sewage plant.

LAWA said people should monitor their website for the latest risk assessments for beaches people were planning to swim at.

“These predictions are based on a combination of environmental conditions such as rainfall along with the swim spot monitoring history.

“This afternoon, there are dozens of beaches in the region that are predicted to be suitable for swimming.”

Auckland University professor Karin Bryan said based on the evidence she would swim there.

“Because it is incredibly high delusion rates and I’m pretty sure that LAWA and the council is being really, really careful to make sure the advice is really sound.

“So, I would definitely trust them.”

Bryan said Cook Strait had extremely strong currents which would likely keep the inner harbour unaffected.

Calypso Science was a New Plymouth based oceanography research company, with a focus on coastal currents.

It created a model of Wellington’s south coast after the news of the Moa Point sewage plant failure.

Physical oceanographer Remy Zyngfogel told RNZ based on that work, the sewage was not seeming to flow into the inner harbour.

“I didn’t see anything near Lower Hutt, it is mainly concentrated near Lyall Bay and Ōwhiro Bay.”

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little has called for an independent inquiry into the sewage plant failure.

Separately to that, Greater Wellington Regional Council would be investigating the matter as the water regulator for the region.

“As the discharge from Moa Point is currently a live event, we are unable to comment further on the discharge or the details of our investigation.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A dirt bike rider has been seriously injured in a crash in Whangārei, just as Northland police were warning of the dangers of joyriding on city streets.

The latest crash occurred about 5.20pm on Monday in the suburb of Raumanga, near the intersection of Otaika Road and Abbotts Way.

A car and a dirt bike were involved, with the rider suffering severe injuries.

St John Ambulance confirmed the rider had been transported to Whangārei Hospital in a serious condition.

Police said the rider was now in a stable condition and the Serious Crash Unit was investigating.

RNZ was unable to confirm if the rider was licensed or wearing a helmet, but it is understood the bike was unregistered and unwarranted.

That same day Senior Sergeant Clem Armstrong, of Northland police, had issued a stark warning about the dangers of dirt bikes on urban streets.

He said the problem was particularly bad in Kaikohe and Whangārei, but many places in Northland – and around the country – were affected.

Armstrong was especially concerned about a trend of people taking young children joyriding on city streets without helmets or protective clothing, on bikes that often had poor brakes and bald tyres.

The danger had been highlighted by the severe facial injuries suffered by a three-year-old boy in a dirt bike crash in Kaikohe.

Armstrong said the boy’s 22-year-old father had been charged with driving and child welfare offences, and was now going through the courts.

RNZ understands the child’s injuries included a broken jaw and facial lacerations.

Armstrong said the riders showed no consideration for children or other road users.

“It’s just a huge safety concern for us. I’ve seen first-hand people who have been seriously hurt, and the absolute last thing we want is for somebody to lose their life as a result of this sort of stuff,” he said.

Monday’s crash in Whangārei was on the same stretch of road – Otaika Road or State Highway 1 – where a 29-year-old man was critically injured when his dirt bike and a car collided last March.

He died later in hospital.

A Kaikohe resident, who did want to be named for fear of retribution, said he often saw people tearing up and down his street on dirt bikes – sometimes taking small children for joyrides.

Thinking about what would happen in a crash made him “deeply, deeply anxious”.

“Parents, mothers and fathers alike, will take a little, tiny baby for a ride down the street, and the child is sitting in front of them with no restraints … They have no idea what would happen if they suddenly hit something. They would just go flying like a bag of cement and have to be scraped off the road 20 metres ahead.”

The crash involving the three-year-old had not stopped people taking children for joyrides, he said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

An Auckland mum is unhappy with the response from a local pool after her son smashed his front teeth while on a hydroslide – only weeks after a man lost his finger.

Tanya Rusher said she understands accidents happen, but felt the way her 12-year-old son was dealt with by staff at Mt Albert Aquatic Centre was not good enough.

It comes as Worksafe confirmed it would revisit the centre this month after learning about the second injury. It said improvements had been made when its inspector visited the centre two days after a man lost his finger when a ring caught on a bolt inside the slide.

Rusher said her son banged his teeth on the metal hydroslide when his head was thrown around while enjoying a day out with his family on January 2.

“He came up to me and said his tooth was feeling all fuzzy and sore and he felt sick.”

Rusher said when she looked at his teeth one had been broken in half and the pulp of his tooth was visible.

“We told reception what happened and asked if they had an incident form we could fill out to give to a dentist, but they said they didn’t have anything.”

Instead, Rusher said she was told to fill out her details on a piece of paper and staff would get in contact with her later.

She said her son, who was in a state of shock, was given an ice pack and told to sit in the public cafeteria, in full view of all the other patrons.

“As it was a public holiday, we didn’t know what to do… we rang up dental places but no answer, so we rang Healthline.”

Rusher said Healthline instructed her to give her son Pamol and Ibuprofen, and the next day they were able to get an emergency appointment at a dental company on Auckland’s North Shore.

A temporary cover was put over her son’s chipped tooth, but was told it was possible the tooth next to it was dying and may need work done in the future.

The family paid $289 for two dental appointments and Rusher worried her son may have lifelong dental problems as a result.

Rusher said the centre needed to have health and safety policies in place and incident forms for when accidents did happen.

She also wanted to see the centre create an area for injured people to go that wasn’t in the full view of the public.

“No one said we’ll stop the slide and see if we can find the tooth… it felt like no one wanted to know.”

She said someone from the centre called her the day after the incident, but only to ask for her to return the ice pack.

The manager rang the following week to say an incident report was being completed, but she had not heard more since then.

“They weren’t helpful and I still haven’t had any incident form sent to me.”

Rusher said her family used to go the Mt Albert Aquatic Centre regularly, but she wouldn’t be going back now.

“Accidents do happen but we weren’t helped… the fact this was the second incident shows something is going on with that slide.”

Operator Community Leisure Management (CLM)’s director Kirsty Knowles said staff followed the right process when dealing with Rusher’s son by recording details.

“It’s normal practice for our staff to apply first aid in the foyer, reception area or at poolside as the facility has no dedicated first aid room.”

She said the incident was captured in the centre’s health and safety system and would be tracked through usual processes.

The slide was regularly checked for operational safety, she said.

“We stress that following pool rules or guidance and the instructions of lifeguards is important in keeping everyone safe.”

She said signs around the slide were being improved and would be in place within the week.

Auckland Council’s head of service partner delivery Garth Dawson, said the slide had been inspected twice since August 2025.

He said if WorkSafe found an issue with the slide or the operating procedures beyond what had already been identified, council would work with the slide manufacturer and CLM on further steps.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

• Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime to disband four months early
• Winding up comes after three of its five members resigned
• Group’s spending has come under fire.

The ministerial advisory group charged with tackling retail crime will be disbanded months earlier than planned after a string of resignations.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has confirmed today that the group – which has faced criticism for its spending – will wind up in May.

The Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime was originally set up for two years until September.

Confirmation of its early demise comes after RNZ revealed last month that three of the group’s five members had resigned in recent weeks.

One of them – Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young – said her relationship with chairman Sunny Kaushal had become untenable.

Foodstuffs North Island senior manager Lindsay Rowles also resigned this year and Michael Hill national retail manager Michael Bell quit late last year.

This left just Kaushal and Hamilton liquor retailer Ash Parmar.

Young told RNZ Kaushal was not the right person to chair the group, which had an “unpleasant environment”.

RNZ has contacted Kaushal for comment.

The group has faced criticism over its spending, including on catered meetings around New Zealand and for its inner-city Auckland office space, which is rented for $120,000 a year.

It has also faced questions about its value for money after it was revealed that Kaushal invoiced more than $230,000 for work in its first 12 months.

Kaushal has previously the group’s work, saying it operates under its $1.8 million annual budget, which comes from the proceeds of crime fund.

Minister defends group’s work

Goldsmith confirmed the group would cease earlier than planned.

“For various reasons, three of the members have left, and we could either go through the performance of reappointing them, or just wind it up early,” he said.

“The MAG has been very successful in getting all the work done. We’ve got the Crimes Act changes in the House.

“They’ve provided advice on, sort of, anti-social behaviour, which we’ll have more to say on the next couple of weeks, and they’ve also work around trespass laws.

“They’ve got a couple of issues that they’re going to finish – one on facial recognition, and the other one on the security industry.”

RNZ revealed last year that one of the proposals the group had recommended was allowing shop keepers to defend themselves with pepper spray – a restricted weapon.

At the time, Young told RNZ that Retail NZ was opposed to that move due to safety fears.

The Security Association also made a submission opposing the move.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A firefighter clambered on to the side-roof of a burning building at Taupō’s largest school after the ladder-truck that hoses down fires from height broke down.

The fire that gutted a two-storey block of classrooms at Taupō-nui-a-Tia College resulted in arson charges laid against two young people.

After the first ladder-truck – called an ‘aerial’ – from Rotorua broke down as it set up the hose on its boom, another large ladder-truck was rushed in from Hamilton almost two hours away.

In the meantime, “firefighters successfully used other tactics to contain the fire to the building of origin and protect all neighbouring structures”, Fire and Emergency said.

The Professional Firefighters’ Union said such a delay mattered at fires of this scale.

A video posted online showed the firefighter on the roof hosing through the second-storey classroom windows for about a minute as flames billowed out and began to consume the roof at the other end, before he got down on a ladder held by another firefighter.

Taupō retiree Les Wills was watching.

“It didn’t look very safe at all,” he said.

“I think other people around me were thinking pretty much the same sort of thing.”

He’d seen online commentary he agreed with, that it was “dumb but brave”.

FENZ deputy national commander Megan Stiffler said firefighters were trained to use various tactics.

“Firefighters can apply a range of tactics, including using hoses at height to direct water onto a fire,” she said.

“Doing this from an aerial appliance or from a roof are both tactics which an incident commander may consider, depending on the circumstances, the type of incident and the resources available.”

They also applied the so-called safe person concept and dynamic risk assessment.

“If one particular type of fire truck is unavailable, they can adapt their tactics to the resources that they have.”

Des Chan who was on the Rotorua truck said they got some water to the boom but not enough, and had to adopt a tactic that was “very much” less safe.

He was not referring to the firefighter on the roof, which he did not know about, but having to get very close-in to the flames.

“We were trying to stop the fire spreading to the library next door just across a little gap.

“With the aerial [ladder] we would have contained it completely, as it was we had to stand there, right underneath,” Chan, the union’s Rotorua local secretary, said.

‘The angst, the anguish, the frustration’

Wills had watched the Rotorua ladder-truck crew set up the boom to get their hose in the air, amid other smaller fire trucks and their crews.

“The water came out from behind the cab of the truck and simply flooded the ground. There was a very thin trickle of water came out of the boom itself onto the fire.

“I think what struck me more than anything else was looking at the angst, the anguish, the frustration, if not the actual anger on the faces of the firefighters who had just driven from Rotorua to assist putting out a huge fire and their equipment failed on them.”

Union spokesperson in Waikato, Jay Culhane said the boom would have allowed the high hose to penetrate deeply into the burning classroom in a way that ground-based hoses could not.

Stiffler said a sticking valve was the problem, and they had learned this had happened before but not been reported for repairs, and it was “critical” firefighters reported faults.

But Chan said two previous times the boom did not work, the firefighters had checked then restarted it and it had been okay. To report all such faults meant mechanics would be getting a lot of reports, he added.

Culhane said the Hamilton ladder-truck had to be nursed on its emergency run down to Taupō as it regularly overheated and was often laid up for repairs.

FENZ confirmed a second breakdown on Sunday, of the emissions control system in a command-unit truck coming down from Greerton station in Tauranga.

“As a command unit from Rotorua was already at the scene, this second command unit was not required,” Stiffler said.

The agency’s network approach enabled relief vehicles to be called on “whenever and wherever they are needed”, she added.

“All our trucks are maintained in a fully operational condition regardless of age. We have a proactive servicing regime for all trucks and replace any worn parts as required to keep them at an operational standard. These are large, complicated vehicles but they are well maintained, safe, certified, and legally compliant.”

FENZ was spending over $20m annually over the next three years on its fleet and $12.5 million on new aerials. Contracts were in place “although we acknowledge this will take some time”.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A two-week salvage operation has begun to recover the wrecked Black Cat Cruises boat from Akaroa Harbour on Banks Peninsula.

More than 40 people were rescued from the catamaran when it ran into trouble at Nikau Palm Valley Bay in the Akaroa Marine Reserve on 31 January.

The Canterbury Regional Council said work to recover parts of the tourist boat from the beach and the sea could take two weeks, depending on the conditions.

The boat was carrying 2240 litres of marine diesel fuel and around 120 litres of other oils in sealed containers and engines combined.

The catamaran was stuck on rocks near the heads but swells last week dislodged part of the boat, leaving it broken up on shore.

Regional on-scene commander Emma Parr said safety was a top priority.

“Recovery activities will only be undertaken when conditions are safe for crews and any potential environmental impacts have been minimised. This includes pre and post wildlife surveys and hydrocarbon testing of water, sediment and shellfish,” she said.

The salvage team will first dismantle the top of the boat and remove debris from the beach.

The council said the work would involve cutting up and removing the wreckage using a barge and crane over about five days.

Sections of the submerged hull and other debris will then be removed from the sea.

Parr said a 200-metre exclusion zone remained in place about the boat.

“The exclusion area is critical to keeping people safe while complex recovery work is underway. We ask the public to please respect all signage, on-water restrictions and advice from response crews,” she said.

“Removing the vessel and debris from this sensitive area is a priority and all parties involved remain committed to completing the recovery as safely and efficiently as possible.”

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) is investigating the grounding.

Several agencies are working together on the recovery effort with the council, including the Department of Conservation, Maritime New Zealand, TAIC, Wildbase and NZ Defence Force.

The tour operator has previously said the grounding was the first incident of its kind in more than 40 years.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A panel of three senior military officers have retired to deliberate on the verdict for a senior navy officer accused of encouraging a junior officer to kiss them on the cheek at a bar during an overseas operation.

The senior officer pleaded not guilty to a charge of doing an act likely to prejudice service discipline, which is an offence punishable by up to two years in prison.

Under the Armed Forces Discipline Act, this includes any act likely to bring discredit on the service of the Armed Forces.

The military hearing has been sitting at the Devonport Naval Base in Auckland this week.

Judge William Hastings declined an application for interim name suppression from the accused, but their name is still suppressed pending an appeal.

On Monday, a former junior officer gave evidence on the alleged interaction during an operation in Fiji in March 2023, when officers were given leave for a few days and were drinking at a bar in town.

He said the senior officer first caught the attention of him and another junior officer when they tapped on a glass pane and gestured for a kiss through the other side of the glass, and later gestured for them to come inside the bar and tapped on their cheeks to gesture for a kiss.

The officer said he obliged and kissed them on the cheek, as he felt it was expected.

He conceded during cross-examination by the accused’s lawyer that he “downplayed” the interaction and didn’t tell the whole truth when first approached by the military police in August 2024, as he didn’t think he’d be taken seriously and that he was worried his career would be affected if he spoke up.

The accused senior officer also gave evidence and said they did not encourage the junior officer to kiss them.

Under questioning by their own lawyer, they told the court the interaction didn’t happen, and if it did, it wouldn’t have seemed out of ordinary for an officer to kiss them as “people kiss me on the cheek every day”.

Another navy officer, who said they were with the accused senior officer during the majority of the evening of the alleged interaction, said they didn’t see the senior officer interacting with the junior officer that night.

Judge Hastings told the military panel during his summing up of the case on Tuesday, that they need to be sure on whether the crown has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the senior officer encouraged the junior officer to kiss them, and if so, did they intend to encourage him, did they know they were acting improperly, and was the conduct in the circumstances likely to prejudice service discipline.

Judge Hastings said the answer would need to be yes to all the questions for a member to return a guilty verdict.

In a court martial, all three members of a military panel must agree unanimously on a verdict.

More to come…

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police say they recovered a body from the Waioweka River on Tuesday morning after a search for a man who was swept downstream after falling from a boat in the Bay of Plenty town of Ōpōtiki last month.

Inspector Nicky Cooney, Eastern Bay of Plenty Area Commander, said the body was recovered from the river at about 9am.

“This has been a long slow search, hindered at times by the weather as well as impacted by the slips on SH2,” Cooney said in a statement.

Police earlier said that they were called out at about 5.30pm on Friday 23 January after reports that a man had fallen from a boat and a search of the area was carried out with a vessel found nearby.

Cooney thanked all those who assisted in the search efforts including Land SAR volunteers, local jet boat and helicopter operators, the Police National Dive Squad and iwi whose knowledge of the river and surrounding terrain had been invaluable.

The formal identification process is underway, and the man’s death has been referred to the Coroner.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Multiple fire crews are battling a blaze that’s engulfed a workshop in Eskdale, north of Napier.

Emergency services were called to the rural Seafield Road property about 1.20pm.

Fire and Emergency says it has five fire trucks and two water tankers working in the building that is about the size of a three bay garage.

It could not say whether anyone was injured.

St John confirmed it was at the scene.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Two Auckland students are in Starship Hospital after being struck by cars before school on Monday.

Police said one intermediate-aged student was hit by a car at about 8.15am while crossing Whangaparāoa Road in Stanmore Bay.

In a statement, Whangaparāoa College confirmed one of its students was hit.

It said the student was receiving medical treatment and would make a full recovery.

Police said another intermediate child was hit by a different car on Onewa Road in Northcote at 8.26am.

St John said both children who suffered moderate injuries were taken to Starship in ambulances.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A rule change that electrical inspectors say elevates the risk of people being electrocuted is being reviewed.

The change – made late last year – lifted a ban on inserting a switch, circuit or fuse into mains power earthing systems in houses and businesses.

The Electrical Inspectors Association wrote to the government a week ago, asking it to intervene with Worksafe.

Energy Minister Simon Watts said he took feedback from stakeholders seriously.

“The regulatory amendment lays the foundation for future measures to ensure electric vehicle charging meets safety expectations, and allow for improved disaster resilience,” Watts said in a statement.

WorkSafe’s Energy Safety team had commissioned an independent review by an international expert to provide assurance on their advice to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, which instituted the rule change.

Worksafe issued initial guidance to the industry and had said it was working on further technical guidance on protective earth neutral conductor (PEN) switching.

The inspectors’ letter on 29 January said they had failed to persuade Worksafe.

“The PEN conductor is the single most important wire in any electrical installation,” they wrote.

If it was broken or ‘switched-off’, the installation’s earth moved up toward a phase voltage.

“This is very dangerous and can result in multiple fatalities. Now, a compliant New Zealand electrical installation with no faults present can now be lethal.”

They offered to provide a tabletop demonstration of this and for Worksafe to demonstrate the converse if it could.

“Please use independent thought and guidance when replying to this issue as we believe WorkSafe is in ‘cover-up’ mode,” association president Warren Willets wrote to Workplace Safety Minister Brooke van Velden, who transferred it to Watts.

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