Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said the minister had agreed to a meeting.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It just keeps coming at us.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She said rushing would do more harm than good.

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

An angry tenant says her landlord has not been transparent.

What the emails say

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

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

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

It asked TTM to drop the rent increase.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tenant says landlord’s comments are ‘deeply misleading’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Landlord defends rent rise

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What do tenants pay?

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

She said the man was married with two young children.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

The motorcyclist was found dead at the scene.

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

The Serious Crash Unit was attending.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

One person was assessed by ambulance staff.

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

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

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

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

Some of the coloured sands are laced with tremolite asbestos.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Warning: This story contains references to suicide

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

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

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

The ministry has apologised and says the breach was due to human error.

Breach found by chance

Wellington human rights lawyer Lydia Oosterhoff was searching online last week for an RNZ story when she discovered an Official Information Act request from her firm, Cooper Legal, on the MSD website.

In the published information she was shocked to find that the names of five clients weren’t redacted.

“These are five people who are seeking redress for serious sexual and physical abuse that they were subjected to by the state while in state care,” she said.

“In the scheme of things I cannot think of a more serious privacy breach. This is clearly identifiable that these five people are seeking redress and this is on the internet, accessible by everyone.”

One of the five in particular felt ashamed because of the abuse he suffered.

Oosterhoff worried information linking him to a redress claim was still available on Google’s AI summary when his name was searched yesterday.

“It wouldn’t be hard to figure out that he is taking a claim with MSD about serious sexual and physical abuse.

“So anyone who was to Google that young man [yesterday] morning would be able to figure that out.

“And I can tell you that if he finds that out or if he even Googled himself there is a real, real, real risk that this young man is going to take his own life.”

‘Over my dead body’ – lawyer shocked by MSD proposal

Oosterhoff alerted MSD to the breach on Friday morning.

“Obviously, they were quite distressed,” she said.

“I mean, who wouldn’t be? But they said, ‘Oh, we’ll just reach out to these people and let them know and apologise.’

“I said, ‘Over my dead body you will.’ These are some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable people.”

Cooper Legal and MSD would instead need to come up with a plan to tell the five people about the error in a sensitive manner, especially for the client who had suicidal thoughts, she said.

“If someone from MSD was just to randomly call him up and say, “Oh look, sorry, we published your details on a website to say you’re asking for redress,’ I have a real concern this young man would seriously harm himself.”

MSD has apologised unreservedly.

Its general manager for ministerial and executive services, Anna Graham, said Cooper Legal alerted it to the breach on Friday morning.

“The information was immediately removed from our website,” she said.

“We know the OIA was only viewed three times in the period between publication on 20 August and the time it was removed from our website.

“We have taken a precautionary approach and have notified the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. We have also let the Office of the Ombudsman know.”

Graham said MSD was working closely with Cooper Legal to contact the people affected to apologise directly to them.

“The privacy breach was a human error on our part. We take our responsibility to protect people’s privacy very seriously. We apologise unreservedly for this breach.”

Oosterhoff though said it took hours for the Official Information Act documents to be removed from the website.

She also disputes that they were only viewed three times, saying she knew of more than three people who saw it.

RNZ viewed the information on two separate devices.

Oosterhoff said she’d only had a brief email from the ministry since Friday.

AI presents new challenge

The AI summaries still visible for days after the document were removed from MSD’s website are a complicating factor.

Victoria University programme director of artificial intelligence Dr Andrew Lensen said fixing such an issue would depend on how Google had used the documents.

“One option is that they might have used it to train their model directly, in which case it can be quite challenging to potentially remove that because it might be baked into the model,” he said.

“Probably more likely is that they’re doing what we call retrieval augmented generation, which is when the model makes a summary it can find other documents that are online, so they almost to a live search.

“Then based on that it will incorporate that into its response.”

Lensen said that option was more likely, and that if that were the case the information should disappear from Google searches in days or weeks.

By yesterday afternoon it appeared to have gone.

“This is indicative of a bigger issue, where we have documents that have been ingested by these companies and then summarised and made public,” Lensen said.

“And of course those AI summaries themselves can be unreliable sometimes.”

Oosterhoff still can’t make sense of how the error happened.

“When I saw it I was shocked. I was flabbergasted,” she said.

“How on earth could someone not have stopped and said, ‘Wait, these are five names of people [and] literally the most sensitive information about them.’

“This is information about severe abuse that they were subjected to and that they are asking for a tiny little bit of money to recognise this from the state.

“Did not one person say, ‘Wait, we should not be publishing these people’s names online?’”

She said she would be seeking compensation for the five people.

She also worried about possible effects on future legal action connected to the five people, and said the episode reflected poorly on MSD, especially after findings from the Royal Commission brought to light the poor attitude to abuse survivors from government agencies.

Where to get help:

• Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357.
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
• Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202.
• Samaritans: 0800 726 666.
• Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz.
• What’s Up: 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787. This is free counselling for 5 to 19-year-olds.
• Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 or text 832. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, and English.
• Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254.
• Healthline: 0800 611 116.
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155.
• OUTLine: 0800 688 5463.

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

Sexual Violence

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A Bay of Plenty kiwifruit worker remains in hospital following a workplace accident yesterday.

Riverlock Packhouse General Manager Blair Simm says the worker was injured while undertaking a routine plant cleaning process.

They were airlifted to Waikato Hospital in a serious condition.

The packhouse, near Ōpōtiki, is not operating today.

The company is working with authorities and Mr Simm says it is focused on supporting the injured staff member, their family and the wider Riverlock team.

Worksafe is investigating the accident.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Another group of West Auckland homeowners – including young families and a single mum – have been blindsided by the council telling them that front and backyards of their newbuilds do not meet resource consent requirements, more than a year after they purchased the homes.

Faced with a much delayed council inspection and a liquidated developer, owners say they have been unfairly left to pay thousands for the landscaping work that should’ve been done when the homes were sold.

Auckland Council said its environmental monitoring team was stretched and struggling to keep up with the increasing workload from housing intensification.

It was unable to tell RNZ how much backlog of sold properties with unclosed resource consents it was dealing with, after a declined OIA request and multiple follow ups.

Since RNZ’s reporting on a group of new homeowners in Massey, who said they were misled into buying homes with unclosed resource consents, more homeowners in similar situations are speaking up.

Ten townhouses on Purapura Lane in a Kumeu development do not have the fences, or trees in the original resource consent plans. Where there was meant to be soil and plantings, there is concrete and live cables underneath.

The developer – Treasure North Limited – owes more than $1.6 million to creditors, and RNZ has not been able to reach them after an unsuccessful attempt trying to reach them through their liquidator and doorknocking director Qingmiao Liu’s address.

Auckland Council said it issued an abatement notice to the developer in late 2023, and had followed up five times.

Four families who are affected told RNZ that none of their lawyers or real estate agents warned them about the abatement notice or the unclosed Resource Consent, and agents had told them they could do what they wanted with the front and back of their homes.

Owners feel let down by the developer, agents, lawyers and council

Christine O’Conner, who purchased her home in early 2024, said she was shocked to be told by council last month that her house did not comply with its resource consent.

The mum of three was first told that her deck – which came with the house – was not the correct dimensions, and that she needed to replace an area of concrete in front of her home with soil and trees,

“There’s live cables under a slab that the environmental monitoring unit are telling us to rip up,” she said.

O’Connor said the council backtracked five days later, saying that she doesn’t need to make the changes and that they’ll let her meet the requirements, only to revert back a few days later to say that she still needs to make the changes.

O’Connor said she does not have the money for the work needed, or to take legal actions against anyone.

“I’m a single mum, I don’t have the funds to go up against a real estate agent, a liquidated developer or a lawyer, like to me it’s just in the too hard basket, I just want to get something resolved with the council,” she said.

“I think that they need to look at each property individually and say well we’ve actually done our landscaping, which actually fits quite nicely into the environment, well lets just stick to that,” she added.

Since RNZ’s queries to Auckland Council, O’Connor has received another email this week saying she and her neighbours no longer needed to replace the concrete area.

The email said after consulting an engineering specialist to review her concerns about the electrical cables beneath the concrete area, they’ve decided that the concrete are area can remain in place across the 10 homes.

O’Connor said she bought her property based on it being completed, and did not understand why the law allows the homes to be sold in the first place.

“Why should a developer sell a property when there’s an abatement notice, they shouldn’t be allowed to do that , how’s that fair for people that are purchasing a property, how do we know there’s issues with the developer, it’s absolutely disgusting, this country needs to… there needs to be something sorted,” she said.

The current Resource Management Act (RMA) does not stop a property being sold while an unresolved abatement notice is in place.

Properties can also be legally sold without having passed council’s final inspection for resource consent compliance.

O’Connor’s neighbour Dhruval Gosai, who also purchased on Purapura Lane more than a year ago, had done her own landscaping, but estimated it would cost her more than $10,000 to make changes to meet consent standards.

“We are a young couple, who are hardly earning anything, and we are just paying our mortgages… there’s no way we can pay,” she said.

Gosai said she felt deceived by the developer, and ripped off by her lawyer and her real estate agent who failed to disclose the unclosed consent.

She said the council’s environmental officer has told her that if she asked more questions, they will need to charge her for their time.

“Councils and environmental officers are being paid for what they’re doing – they just need to do their jobs, this need to be paid by council not customers,” she said.

Auckland Council said the RMA allowed them to recover reasonable costs of monitoring resource consents, and that it was not covered by general rates because they relate to activities that benefit individual property owners.

It said monitoring officers typically charge $198 per hour.

Gosai said this experience has made her lose confidence in New Zealand and the council.

“I think New Zealand is not even a developing country, that’s what I feel now by Auckland Council.

“I’m basically from India, so India is one of the developing countries, by the looks of it, when we are buying house back in our country, we know what we’re doing actually, and we know how councils in India work, but Auckland Council is shit,” she said.

Auckland Council admits inspection delay but says resources are limited

Auckland Council environmental monitoring manager Robert Laulala said he understood the frustration, but that he had limited tools and staffing to work with.

“Our priority is ensuring compliance and protecting the environment, but current legislation limits the tools available to us,

“We continue to use every option within the law and advocate for stronger enforcement powers to hold developers accountable.

He said in the Kumeu case, the developer failed to advise the council when works were completed, which was a key step in triggering the final inspection.

“Without this notification, the council is unaware that the site is ready for sign off,” he said.

Earlier Laulala told RNZ it could take anywhere between a month to seven months for the final resource consent checks to be done after the building is complete.

However RNZ has been sent news tips from owners who have been sent abatement notices three years after they purchased their homes.

RNZ has sent an OIA requesting data on the average number of days it takes for homes to have their final Resource Consent inspection signed off after the builds are completed, and the backlog of homes that have been waiting for sign-off for more than a year.

RNZ has also requested how many non-compliance with resource consent notices the council has issued for new builds this year.

Auckland Council declined the request after more than 20 working days, saying it could not provide the information without substantial collation.

It also declined when RNZ asked if any figures could be provided to show the extent of the backlog of unclosed consents on sold homes.

“Developers hold the responsibility for closing out resource consents, so the council does not track this process, and is not required to,” Laulala said in a statement.

Laulala said they’ll continue to talk to developers and the real estate industry about the issues.

Local MP wants to see pragmatic work-around

Northwest Auckland MP Chris Penk said the problem with unclosed resource consents had been a long-standing area of difficulty.

Penk said he hoped council can be more accommodating towards homeowners, in terms of the consent requirements and timelines.

“If there are ways they can find to be pragmatic, and not impose strict deadlines in accordance with the current law, then that will give people breathing space until we can sort out this whole area,” he said.

Penk said council needed to be wary of the irresponsible developers.

“The sooner that we can crack down on them from a regulatory point of view, but also in terms of council, you know, being suitably cautious about approving any further applications, the better off everyone will be, including the good operators in the system at the moment,” he said

Resource Management Minister Chris Bishop said he could not comment on the experience of the Kumeu owners, as these were “private sales agreements”.

When asked if he would considered making changes to the RMA to put more pressure on developers to close resource consents before they sell, he said work to replace the RMA 1991 will intend to have a greater focus on compliance and enforcement.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Mayors of city and district councils would take over the duties of regional councils, in a coalition proposal pitched as the biggest shake-up of local government in three decades.

The mayors would form 11 Combined Territories Boards (CTBs), which would meet regularly and – on top of handling the business of regional councils – would tasked with coming up with a “Regional Reorganisation Plan” for reorganising how their councils are structured in the long term.

The CTBs would also have responsibility under the government’s RMA reforms for developing the region-wide spatial plan chapter, and a national environment plan chapter, to be included in combined regional plans.

The changes are now out for consultation, which remains open until 20 February, with the resulting legislation expected to be introduced mid-next year and passed in 2027.

Local Government Minister Simon Watts and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop announced the moves on Tuesday, releasing the details at 5pm to avoid spooking the markets due to regional councils’ ownership of port companies around the country.

“Local government is meant to serve communities, not confuse them, but right now the system is tangled in duplication, disagreements and decisions that defy common sense,” Bishop said.

He said he expected the changes would put “downward pressure” on rates.

“The government’s belief is that local government has lost the social license and that New Zealanders have lost faith in local government – this is borne out by the fact that over half don’t bother to vote in local elections.”

He said it was clear to many the current structure was no longer fit for purpose, and the “status quo is not an option”.

Bishop said he could not guarantee the current elected regional councillors would stay in those roles for their full three-year term, only saying “it’s an option”.

“I think most New Zealanders, fair minded people, look at our current local government system and say we need change,” he said.

The government’s impending replacement of the Resource Management Act would mean a reduced role for regional councils, he said, with fewer plans and fewer consents – and presented a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to “reset” the structure of local government.

“Change is hard, and actually this government was elected to make tough decisions.”

Mayors would likely have a set number of votes on these boards based on population, but adjusted to ensure smaller communities still had a voice – although this was one of multiple options proposed.

A discussion document released alongside the decision gave three options for filling out the Combined Territories Boards with Crown Commissioners, to ensure the system “works in practice” by giving the government a stronger role.

These included:

• Observer only – the Crown Commissioner has no vote
• Veto power – the Crown Commissioner can override CTB decisions
• Majority vote – the Crown Commissioner has more than half the votes on the CTB with the remaining votes distributed among mayors

Watts said a “fair and balanced voting system” would ensure both regional and urban interests were represented in decisions about land and water.

The change would mean more efficient services, greater accountability, and smarter use of ratepayer funds, he said.

“This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It is a framework for regions to design what works best for them with clear expectations that the outcome must be better than what exists today… crucially, it is also not about centralising power. This is about empowering local leaders to lead their own reform.”

“It’s not a power grab,” Bishop said. “This is about making local government fit for purpose.”

As well as taking on the roles of Regional Councils, the boards would have two years from establishment to produce their Regional Reorganisation Plans (RRPs) which would then be assessed against “clear national criteria” before approval by the Local Government Minister.

“Importantly, ministerial approval does not bypass community input,” the discussion document said. “Public consultation by the CTB is required before any plan is finalised.”

The document said the alternative would be to hold a referendum which were “costly and slow” and typically had low voter turnout and a tendency to favour the status quo.

New Zealand has 11 regional councils tasked with resource management including flood protection and air quality, public transport, pest control, civil defence and more.

They were set up as part of the 1989 local government reforms to replace more than 700 local boards and the roles of the former county councils.

The regional councils are separate from the 67 “territorial” authorities – city and district councils – which handle roads, water services, waste and recycling collection, parks and libraries, public safety bylaws.

New Zealand also has six unitary authorities which combine the powers and responsibilities of both a regional council and a territorial authority.

Bishop said the reorganisation plans may end up leading to more unitary authorities. He said there was a “strong lobby” for having more unitary authorities, and many in the local government sector had been calling for local mayors to simply be given the responsibilities of regional councils.

Watts said the changes were “absolutely” consistent with National’s rhetoric around localism and devolution, as the different layers of local governments were often in competition with each other and it would instead mean more streamlined services and more accountability.

Treaty of Waitangi settlement obligations would be carried over.

Existing unitary authorities would have the opportunity to also produce Reorganisation Plans, but would not be required to.

Regional and district boundaries would remain unchanged, at least until further decisions were made under the RRPs.

However, some districts like Rotorua and Taupō have populations in more than one region – so the government proposes two options:

• to either have those areas “adopted” into a neighbouring district, with an option to have those districts able to vote on which neighbouring mayor would represent them
• give these districts a voting share in each of the regional groups they are covered by, with proportionate votes and possibly with local ward councillors to represent them instead of the mayor

The discussion document also noted regional constituencies “including Māori constituencies and general constituencies, would no longer exist”.

“This is because regional councillors themselves would be replaced by the mayors in the region … the mayor of the city or district council would represent voters from the Māori and general rolls.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

Canterbury Aoraki area commander inspector Vicki Walker said the group included two New Zealand mountain guides and two foreign nationals.

She said their bodies were found about 7am and had since been recovered from the mountain with the help of the Department of Conservation.

“We’re working under the jurisdiction of the coroner to return them to their loved ones. Police are contacting the next of kin. Until that process has been completed we won’t be releasing any further information,” she said.

“Most importantly our thoughts are with the clients’ families and friends in the community at this difficult time.”

Police were alerted to four climbers needing help late on Monday night after the two survivors used a device to alert the Rescue Coordination Centre, they said.

Two helicopters were dispatched to begin the search, with the survivors flown from the mountain at 2.15am.

Mountain Safety Council chief executive Mike Daisley said it was a busy mountaineering season.

“Recent fine weather has drawn many mountaineers to the high alpine, with multiple guided and recreational teams summiting Aoraki Mt Cook over the past week,” he said.

“Current conditions on the mountain are considered ideal for mountaineering, with firm overnight snow conditions and well-filled glaciers following early spring snowstorms.”

New Zealand Mountain Guides Association (NZMGA) president Anna Keeling said the guide, who was yet to be formally identified by police, was a respected and valued member.

“They were an integral part of our guiding community. NZMGA’s focus is now on those most affected and our priority is supporting the family, including their partner and children, as well as our wider guiding community during this extremely difficult time,” she said.

A formal investigation would take place, Keeling said.

“There will be an opportunity for the NZMGA to understand and share more about what happened in this tragic accident,” she said.

Three climbers – 56-year-old guide Kurt Blair, 50-year-old Carlos Romero from the United States and an unnamed Canadian guide – died while climbing Aoraki Mt Cook in December 2024.

Daisley said their bodies have not been recovered.

“These mountaineering fatalities are a reminder of the high-consequence environment of our alpine mountains, especially our highest peak,” he said.

“Mountaineering has very little margin for error. Even the most qualified professionals cannot eliminate all risk.”

Police said the two survivors were being offered support.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade directed inquiries to police.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington City Council could save tens of millions of dollars through cost-cutting, such as reducing staff, according to a new report.

In August, the then-new council chief executive Matt Prosser commissioned independent analysis from Deloitte of the council’s processes, and find opportunities to improve its performance and rates affordability.

That report was revealed on Tuesday afternoon, and highlighted issues such as the council’s aging technology, double-handling and ambiguity around the council’s roles and how it differed from central government.

It said through “right shaping” the council workforce and optimising spending through better governance, contract compliance and strategic sourcing, the council could save up to $79 million over three years.

Prosser said some of Deloitte’s recommendations were at odds with the wishes of the community and decisions previously made by the council.

“It’s important we don’t get ahead of the democratic decision processes at the heart of local government.

“We will critically assess everything in the report against the needs and aspirations of our communities.”

He said in the short-term the council would be focused on finding cost savings and making operational improvements.

“Throughout this process our staff will be kept informed, and we will seek their views on the initiatives raised in the report. As is council’s practice, we will also be engaging with the unions.”

The council had removed 58 roles over the past few months, he said.

“We’ve also kicked off a programme to improve our delivery across a number of areas including contract management, procurement and asset management.”

The report said the council had 330 more staff than it should, based on the number of full time employees per 1000 households.

It found that would result in a 18.5 percent reduction in employees and on an average it would save $33.9 million.

‘A flimsy PowerPoint presentation’ – PSA

PSA national secretary Duane Leo said the report was “fundamentally flawed”.

“This is a flimsy PowerPoint presentation that lacks any depth, rigour or even a basic understanding of what the Council’s role is.

“Hidden in the fine print, the report notes that its assumptions need to be validated and shouldn’t be relied upon for decision-making.”

Leo said it was based on crude benchmarking that ignored Wellington City Council provided services many other councils don’t such as social housing, city housing and addressing homelessness.

He said it also did not include that an extra 22,000 people come into the city every day for work.

“You cannot remove one in five positions without serious impacts. Building consent times will blow out. Libraries will have reduced hours. Parks will be less well maintained. Council has already removed 58 roles this year and staff are stretched thin.”

The Deloitte report made note that the council should make more use of AI for tasks such as triaging general enquiry’s from the public, creating reporting on project management and automate workflows.

Leo said the union was concerned about the proposed use of AI.

“Deloitte is assuming AI can deliver productivity gains of up to 50 percent but they haven’t done the work to show replacing experienced staff with ChatGPT would actually deliver those results.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Several flights to and from Tauranga have been cancelled on Tuesday due to volcanic ash from Whakaari – White Island.

GeoNet has the volcano at Alert Level 3, denoting a minor volcanic eruption, and images show a plume of steam and ash reaching over a kilometre high.

Earth Sciences NZ says it’s normal activity and isn’t suggestive of a larger eruption.

At least seven flights to Tauranga that were scheduled to depart from Auckland Airport have been cancelled throughout the day.

Steam from Whakaari also disrupted flights last week.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6385544673112

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Education Minister Erica Stanford are set to face questions as they visit a school.

It comes after a turbulent year for the education sector, with the government pushing through numerous changes, including to the curriculum, which have not always gone down well with teachers and principals.

As RNZ reported recently, more changes were in store for 2026, an election year.

Recent headlines include hundreds of schools opposing the government’s changes to how they should regard the Treaty of Waitangi, the Charter School Agency signing a contract with a trust that did not actually exist and the perennial disputes over pay and conditions.

Luxon and Stanford are expected to speak at 1.45pm from Northcross Intermediate in Brown’s Bay, Auckland. Watch it live at the top of this page.

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