Source: Radio New Zealand

Four people charged over the death of a woman whose body was found in plastic bags in the waters of Auckland’s Gulf Harbour, have chosen to represent themselves at their trial next year.

The body, which was discovered by a fisherman in March last year, was later identified as 70-year-old Shulai Wang.

Two men and two women are facing charges of kidnapping and manslaughter, and are set to face trial in May next year.

All have interim name suppression.

The younger of the men is also facing additional charges of perverting the course of justice and giving false information to immigration officers.

At an administrative appearance at the High Court in Auckland on Wednesday, their lawyer Ron Mansfield told the court the four defendants wanted to act on their own behalf for their trial, and he was withdrawing from the case.

Justice Mathew Downs spoke to each of the defendants, two of whom needed the assistance of a Mandarin interpreter, to confirm their decision.

“You understand that you and other defendants are facing a serious charge as manslaughter,” Justice Downs asked the younger of the two male defendants.

The defendant said “We understand”.

Asked if he wished to represent himself, the man said: “yes we all do”.

Justice Downs said he would ask each of the defendants separately as the man shouldn’t be able to speak for all the others.

He also told the man “I don’t know a human on the earth that would recommend you defend yourself”, but later added he respected their decision.

The younger of the two female defendants also told the judge that she wished to defend herself in trial.

The remaining two defendants, who required interpretation, appeared confused when asked by Justice Downs what they wanted to do in the criminal trial.

Justice Downs told the younger male defendant that he could appoint standby lawyers to help them with their defences, and asked if he would like to do that.

The defendant said, “we still prefer we can communicate directly with the court so there will be no misunderstanding”.

Justice Downs approved Mansfield’s application to withdraw from the case and said he needed to reflect on what should be done in relation to the defendants.

He set a date in December to discuss with the defendants about their decision to self-represent, and whether standby lawyers will be appointed for each of them.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fire and Emergency says Auckland crews have been called in to assist with the dampening down of hotspots after a storage building fire at Port Whangārei.

It says crews were alerted to a fire on Kioreroa Road at the port about 7:30pm on Tuesday.

The two-storey commercial building is used for the storage and installation of solar panels and lithium batteries.

At the height of the incident there were 11 crews attending, including a ladder truck from Auckland.

Advice from emergency services for residents to keep their windows and doors closed due to smoke drift was lifted just before 1.30am on Wednesday.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police attended 7370 fewer mental health-related requests in the year to June, a result of the deliberate plan to wind back on responding to calls for help.

The department expects to respond to even fewer calls this year as it enters phase three of that plan.

Under phase three, which kicked off on Monday:

• Non-emergency mental health-related requests will be assessed against updated guidance to determine if police assistance is required. This includes requests for assistance under legislation, requests for assistance from in-patient mental health units and other requests from mental health services to police;
• Reports of missing persons with mental health concerns (including those who have left mental health facilities and services or EDs) will be assessed against updated guidance to determine the appropriate police involvement.

The phased approach began a year ago and has so far involved police limiting the time spent with someone in an emergency department, raising the threshold for transport of someone with a mental illness, and tightening rules around where mental health assessments can take place.

Police maintain they will attend calls if there has been an offence committed or if there is a risk to life or safety.

Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson told Nine to Noon they were comfortable with the roll-out of phases one and two and were now ready to move to the next level.

Health NZ director of specialist mental health and addiction Karla Bergquist said mental health practitioners in particular were being given much clearer guidance about when it is appropriate to seek police assistance.

“The other thing that has been happening in the background as we prepare for this phase is making that much more consistent across the country and helping our staff to communicate what’s needed very clearly to police so that they can make good decisions about their involvement.”

But while police were rolling back their attendance, they would still respond when situations met their updated guidelines.

Johnson said on the first day of the phase three roll-out they had an example of a non-urgent request for transport which was granted.

“We had a request in Gore down south on Monday where mental health services reached out for a transport. We did an assessment and sent some police staff to assist.”

Johnson said the process for responding when people were missing with mental health concerns had been streamlined and training for both police and health staff updated.

“We want to make sure that where it’s required we will absolutely get our police staff there, but that’s not in all cases.”

The fourth and final phase, which Johnson said was scheduled for early next year, would see 15-minute ED handovers, and police lifting the threshold for welfare checks where there is not believed to be a risk of criminality or safety.

In emergency situations both the public and health practitioners were still advised to 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

Former Māori Party MP Hone Harawira is calling for its ousted MPs to be brought back “into the team”, for the party to make a “public declaration of commitment”, and a national reconciliation tour before getting “back to ^#$% work”.

He also dispelled speculation he would be rejoining the party in a formal role, saying it was not time to “jockey” for positions or power.

“In case anyone is asking – I’m not putting my hand up for MP for the Tai Tokerau, nor am I wanting to be the president of Te Pāti Māori.”

In a Facebook post shortly after midnight on Wednesday, Harawira said he had stayed out of the “public debate raging over the Māori Party” until now, “because our comments often get misinterpreted, and because the right-wing media always churns our words into racist click-bait”.

Te Pāti Māori has been in a period of turmoil culminating in the expulsion of MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris.

On the anniversary of the Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi arriving at Parliament last year, Harawira said he had not read the “he said – she said” stuff, as sometimes the detail “clouds the bigger picture”.

He said Māori were having to deal with the “greatest barrage of racist, anti-treaty, anti-environment, anti-worker legislation we have ever seen from one government”.

Harawira said the “once all-powerful Te Pāti Māori” was now tearing itself apart with “not an enemy in sight” and the “rest of our people are wondering what the hell is going on?”

“These are the people we marched for just 12 months ago, the people we marched with when we took to the roads in the biggest protest march this country has ever seen.

“We arrived in Wellington in a blaze of treaty power. We gave our people hope that our unity could overcome, we gave them belief in themselves, and now we’re telling them ‘taihoa – we’ll just tear it all apart and start again’.”

Harawira said people did not understand what was happening with the party, but were more focused on “benefit cuts, rising prices, treaty rights stripped, land rights removed, school food programs slashed, language belittled, drugs and alcohol, homelessness, domestic violence, joblessness, jail, suicide all on the rise”.

He said “our people” should be at the forefront of the party’s priorities and focus.

“But they aren’t. They’re stranded on the sidelines, waiting for us to get this shit sorted out so we can get back to hammering the government and building our base.”

Harawira said people would not support the expulsion of two MPs – “so we need to bring them back in” – but neither would people support ousting the current leadership.

He said the solution was not in blaming anyone or one side winning, nor could the solution be found in a new party and “forcing our people to take sides”.

“A lasting memory I have from when I split with the Māori Party in 2011 was the confusion and sadness on the faces of our kuia, something I’d never want to see again.”

He made a list of recommendations:

1. Bring Meno and Takuta back into the team.

2. Bring the whole team together to discuss a way forward.

3. Outline plans to manage differences and disputes.

4. Agree to a workplan focussed on Te Pāti Māori kaupapa.

5. Make a public declaration of commitment and action to our people.

6. Take the team on a national reconciliation tour.

7. Then get back to ^#$% work. We got a government to overthrow.

Harawira said only with a strong united front of Te Pāti Māori MPs can a Māori, Greens, Labour coalition overthrow the current government in 2026.

“If we don’t get rid of them next year, all the damage they have done will be entrenched over the next three, and all the gains of the past 25 years will be lost.”

His warnings came with a call to everyone to step up and work together, to “rebuild the team”, not because “we love each other, let’s call that a work in progress” he said, “but because we love our people more”.

“Let us make the sacrifices necessary to rebuild the team that helped put us all into parliament in the first place – Te Pāti Māori.

“Let us find a quiet space without constitutional clauses, lawyers and too many relations, be open to hearing and sharing, and be willing to apologise for our own shortcomings and forgive others for theirs.

“Let us rebuild the strength, commitment and unity of Team Māori.”

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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 Far North District Council is warning Kāeo residents their decade-long water woes won’t be fixed instantly.

Late yesterday the national water authority used its legal powers to take over a private water supply and order the council to operate it.

It was the first time Taumata Arowai had invoked those powers under the Water Services Act 2021.

That unprecedented intervention followed 10 years of residents having to boil their drinking water, months of unsuccessful discussions, and 30 days with no running water at all.

The council’s head of infrastructure, Tanya Proctor, said people connected to Kāeo’s town supply would be relieved staff could now act to restore water.

However, she warned that goal would not be achieved immediately.

It was the first time Taumata Arowai had used its powers to take control of a water supply, so the council had to work through several legal issues – including access to the treatment plant, which was located on a property owned by a third party.

“We need to negotiate access with the owner and only then will we be able to inspect the water treatment plant.”

The next step would be to restore the water supply to residents and businesses as quickly as possible.

Once water was flowing again, it was likely customers would still have to boil it before drinking.

Before taps ran dry a month ago, the privately-owned Kāeo scheme had been on a boil water advisory for 10 years.

Council staff would then begin a full assessment of the treatment plant and pipe network, and come up with options for a long-term solution.

Ms Proctor said the council was grateful to the owner of Wai Care, the company that owned the water supply, for agreeing to forego the normal 90-day period for putting in place statutory management.

Kāeo’s water scheme, which supplied fewer than 30 homes and businesses along the town’s main street, was originally council owned but sold to Doubtless Bay Water in the year 2000.

In 2008 the company said the scheme was no longer viable and planned to close it down. It was instead bought by Wai Care Environmental Consultants for a nominal sum.

The owner of the land where the treatment plant is located trespassed Wai Care staff earlier this year, saying the company had failed to pay rent for the past seven years.

A water tanker, provided by the council, continues to be stationed in Kāeo from 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday.

The council had previously been reluctant to intervene in Kāeo’s troubled water scheme, saying there was no funding set aside for it in the Long Term Plan.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have named a man killed in a hit and run in Auckland.

He was 58-year-old Dion Raymond Kainamu.

He died after being critically hurt in Henderson on Sunday morning.

Police said the vehicle that hit him then left the scene.

A 47-year-old woman has been charged with failing to stop, and two counts of driving while disqualified.

Police said an investigation into what happened before Kainamu was hit is continuing.

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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 process for getting rid of potentially asbestos-contaminated play sand should be more straightforward, an Auckland teacher says.

Several coloured play sand products have been recalled after tests found a naturally occurring asbestos.

About 40 schools and early childcare centres have closed, or planned to, because of the contamination fears.

Auckland specialist outreach teacher Stephanie Pye told Morning Report getting rid of the sand was not an easy process.

“The guidelines about how to package it up and then to not put it into the general rubbish have been clear, but I found that after that, where do you take it? What do you do with it?”

“I missed an opportunity to dispose of my sand with my particular school just because it happened so quickly and the nature of my role meant it couldn’t be collected at the time it was being collected … when I went to investigate how to dispose of it, where to take it, I found it really challenging to find the correct place.

“It was one place not within my hours that I could drop it off, and in addition to that I ended up having to pay for it if I wanted to dispose it that way.”

Cleaning up the sand was also a mission, Pye said.

“It gets everywhere, there’s little speckles of stuff everywhere and even cleaning it up it’s difficult to be reassured you’ve captured it all,” she said.

Several hundred schools and childhood centres have contacted the Ministry of Education for advice.

Health NZ advice

On its website, Health NZ said people did not need to take any immediate steps to manage their health if they had been exposed to the products.

“We appreciate that the presence of asbestos in products that are used by children may cause worry for parents and caregivers. We are working rapidly with other agencies to assess the health risk posed by these products and will share more information when it is available.

“At this stage we do not have enough information to quantify the risk to people’s health, but we advise people to take a precautionary approach and stop using the products.”

Health NZ said anyone using the products in their home should stop immediately and, if it was still in its original container, place it into a thick plastic bag sealed securely with tape.

“Place that bag or container into a second thick plastic bag, seal it securely with tape, and label it clearly as asbestos-contaminated material.”

It needed to be taken to a landfill rather than going in a normal bin, it said, and parents should contact their local council for advice on where to go.

If the sand was not in its original container, PPE should be worn while cleaning it up. It should be put in a sealed container or thick plastic bag. All surfaces surrounding where it was should be wiped down with a damp cloth.

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment product safety spokesperson Ian Caplin said he understood how alarming the discovery would be for families.

“We appreciate that the presence of asbestos in products that are used by children will be concerning to parents and caregivers. We urge families who have purchased these products to stop using them immediately, secure them safely, and contact your local council for advice on where and how to dispose of the contaminated material safely,” he said.

“If you are a workplace, where you may have higher volumes of these products or more people may have come in contact with the products, you should contact a licensed asbestos assessor or removalist for immediate advice and support on your specific situation. A list of these is available on the WorkSafe website.”

The recalled Kmart products include:

• 14-piece Sandcastle Building Set
• Blue Magic Sand
• Green Magic Sand
• Pink Magic Sand

The newly identified products are in addition to the previously recalled sands from Educational Colours and Creatistics:

• EC Rainbow Sand (1.3kg)
• Creatistics Coloured Sand (1kg)

Full information was available here.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Households remain under pressure from high costs as they approach the busy shopping period, with many likely to turn to debt or additional income sources to pay for presents.

A nationwide survey by accounting software firm MYOB, showed 35 percent expected to feel financially better off in a year’s time, while 38 percent expected to be about the same, and 24 percent believed they would be worse off.

The survey polled just over 1000 adults across the country.

Looking back at the year, a third said their financial position was the same as it was this time last year, while a quarter felt better off, and 42 percent felt worse off.

“New Zealanders have shown remarkable resilience in what has been another challenging year for local households, and it’s clear from the response coming through in our survey that the financial strain continues to be felt deeply,” MYOB chief customer officer Dean Chadwick said.

“However, we are starting to see a shift in confidence, likely helped by easing interest rates and a sense that the worst of some cost pressures may be behind us.”

The survey also asked about households’ shopping plans for the Christmas period.

More than half expected to spend about the same on gifts last year, and 15 percent set to spend more, while more than a quarter planned to cut back.

MYOB said to help cover costs, people were turning to side hustles or additional income sources, or turn to credit or buy-now-pay-later options.

“For many Kiwi families, the pressure to spend up over the season can be particularly tough – especially when relying on credit – and taking on extra work to make Christmas possible can also put an extra load on already strained households,” Chadwick said.

On average, people expected to spend $140 on gifts per person in the holiday season, compared to $163 the year before.

The survey also showed, on average, people expected to spend $415 on food and drink over the Christmas/New Year period, compared to $468 a year ago.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Explainer – Schools and health authorities have been scrambling after the revelation that popular children’s play sand products have been contaminated with asbestos.

The product has been sold in both New Zealand and Australia and subject to multiple safety recalls.

What kind of asbestos is it, and just how dangerous can it be? Here’s a quick look at the facts.

What’s the worry about asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that’s highly heat resistant and had been used in construction industries for years. It’s made up of tiny fibres which can be released into the air. These fibres can become stuck in the lungs and cause disease, including cancer.

“Unfortunately it is a cancer causing, type 1 carcinogen,” AUT associate professor and asbestos expert Terri-Ann Berry told RNZ Afternoons.

There are six types of asbestos, all dangerous, and the kinds that have been found in the sand products are tremolite and chrysotile (often called white asbestos).

Crocidolite, or blue asbestos, is widely considered the most dangerous form of asbestos and has not yet been reported in the sand.

“Asbestos causes a rare form of lung cancer (mesothelioma) following inhalation,” University of Canterbury professor of toxicology Ian Shaw said.

“The risk of contracting cancer is high when exposed to airborne asbestos. The longer the exposure the greater the risk.”

So how dangerous is it?

Molecular pharmacologist Ian Musgrave from the University of Adelaide said the forms of asbestos found in the sand were less likely to create fibres than types like blue asbestos.

“Tremolite, the predominant form found in these play sands, in particular, is rarely used industrially, but can be found in minerals like talc or vermiculite,” he told the Science Media Centre.

“Asbestos typically causes lung issues and lung cancer from inhalation of the crystalline fibres that asbestos forms. Tremolite is typically non-fibrous, unlike the fibrous blue asbestos, but exposure to any asbestos type will increase the likelihood of lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.

“I would be worried if it were my children,” Berry said. “However, I do need to offer some reassurance and that is that not everyone that gets exposed to asbestos will develop cancer.”

Shaw said much depends on how much exposure children may have had to the sand.

“The children’s sand product asbestos contaminations are serious because the products are dry and played with which would cause asbestos fibres to become airborne and thus readily inhaled.

“The question is: how long have children been exposed to the asbestos-contaminated product? This will significantly affect the cancer risk.

“The rapid response when the contamination was found is good, since it has prevented further exposure and thus continued risk.”

How contaminated is the sand?

“We do not have any indication of actual levels of these asbestos forms in the play sand,” Musgrave said.

“However, both WorkSafe and the (Australian) ACCC say these are trace levels (and/or present only in some samples).”

Health New Zealand has said, “We are working rapidly with other agencies to assess the health risk posed by these products and will share more information when it is available.”

Laura Gemmell from Eco Choice Aotearoa told Morning Report recently she believed there was no indication that the asbestos had been intentionally added.

“Asbestos occurs naturally so it could be in a quarry where they got this sand, through equipment or storage containers that were also contaminated.

“I’m mystified as to exactly how it ended up in there and how it wasn’t checked,” Berry said.

“I would say that that sort of checking (in play sand) isn’t commonplace, checking it in a building material probably more so, probably because we expect it to be there.”

Robert McAllister, a director of the Faculty of Asbestos Management of Australia and New Zealand, alerted workplace safety authorities in NZ on 5 November and then Australian regulators were contacted.

Authorities in Australia have sought to reassure the public that the risks of harm are low and that asbestos fibres in the sand are not in a “respirable” form.

McAllister said he would “argue that the level of testing required to demonstrate that has not been done”.

“In this particular case, you’re talking about young children, who are highly susceptible to asbestos fibre, playing with this product up close and personal,” he said.

Will people see symptoms of asbestos problems right away?

It can be a long period of time – sometimes decades – between exposure to cancer-causing material like asbestos and the development of cancer.

“There is a time period between when you are exposed to asbestos and the development of any related disease (called the latency period) which is usually between 15 and 40 years,” Berry said. “This means that the impact of exposure is highly unlikely to be detected in the short term.”

A small amount of asbestos can be dangerous, but risks rise sharply with long-term exposure, University of Technology Sydney professor of life science Brian Oliver has written.

“Those who encounter asbestos once or twice in small amounts have a far lower risk of developing health complications, compared to people continually exposed to large quantities, as we’ve seen in the construction and mining industries.”

What do I do with the contaminated sand?

Short answer – get rid of it, safely, and don’t throw it in your rubbish bin. WorkSafe recommends contacting a licensed asbestos removalist.

Parents have expressed concern over what to do and the school closures have also caused angst.

There’s plenty of information out there on Health New Zealand’s website and the Product Safety Recall website.

I’m still worried, what’s the next step?

The clean-up and investigations over this sand scandal will carry on for some time, but there are resources galore out there for those with worries.

Berry is a trustee and board chairperson for the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Trust, which offers support to those with concerns.

“If they are worried and just want to talk, reach out to the MSAA trust, because we are there to help.

“I do think that this is a random and unfortunate one-off, however, I would say that asbestos awareness in New Zealand is generally relatively poor.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A rule change should make it easier to access someone’s KiwiSaver account when they die.

KiwiSaver money becomes part of an estate after a person’s death. When they have a will, it is distributed according to the wishes of the will.

A partner may have a claim to it as relationship property, too.

If there is no will, the KiwiSaver money still forms part of their estate, but is distributed according to the legal formula for intestacy. This gives money to spouses, children, parents and other relatives, roughly in that order.

Public Trust principal trustee Michelle Pope said providers would have different approaches to distributing KiwiSaver investments.

“Some will release funds to the estate executor or administrator before probate is granted, while others will require probate first.

“Waiting for probate to come through can present challenges in family situations, where funds might be needed right away, say, to pay for a funeral and other estate funds are limited.”

A rule change that took effect at the end of September has increased the threshold at which a High Court has to approve probate, from $15,000 to $40,000. This means estates below that amount can be paid out without the legal process.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the previous threshold was set before KiwiSaver was introduced.

Most estates now include KiwiSaver balances of more than $15,000, but the court process can result in a significant proportion of smaller estates being eaten up in court costs and legal fees.

In the last five years, the High Court processed about 17,500 applications a year.

Generate customer service manager Dan Alden said the new limit felt more appropriate.

“Accessing funds after someone has passed away can be a difficult time for families, so simplifying the process is encouraging,” he said. “That said, it’s still important that checks and safeguards remain in place to protect people’s money.

“The probate process isn’t unique to KiwiSaver – similar procedures apply when accessing any financial accounts after someone’s death to ensure funds are released securely and to the right people.”

A Ministry of Justice briefing said the feedback from stakeholders had been most people’s largest solely-owned asset was usually their KiwiSaver. Assets that are owned jointly, such as a house, do not need probate.

Fisher Funds KiwiSaver head David Boyle said the change would help people with smaller estates.

“The key is making sure they have an updated will to make sure the funds go to the family members they want to receive them.”

In one case, a man who was executor of his father’s will sought help accessing his KiwiSaver.

His father died while the threshold was still $15,000, but after he died and before his son claimed his KiwiSaver, its balance lifted beyond $15,000.

The man asked the KiwiSaver provider to release the funds, but the provider said it had to apply the $15,000 threshold at the date of the application, not the death.

The son complained to Financial Services Complaints Ltd, a dispute resolution service for financial services providers.

Because the threshold was about to increase to $40,000, FSCL said it would provide the solution the man needed.

“[His] father’s estate was paid out the KiwiSaver balance, without [him] having to obtain probate of his father’s will,” FSCL said.

“[He] was pleased that the threshold had increased. He thought it was a much more sensible amount than the previously low amount of $15,000.”

Pope said, in general, the administration process would take time. Before anything could be paid out to beneficiaries, the estate must pay any debts and expenses, along with dealing with any claims that may be made.

“In terms of releasing funds, KiwiSaver funds generally come through quickly, once the provider has the documentation they need.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A week after a bombshell IPCA report raised allegations of high-level cover-ups and triggered accusations of corruption, the fallout continues to grow, with public trust in our police in the spotlight.

New Zealand has long been considered one of the least corrupt jurisdictions in the world.

But a week ago, a scandal shook that perception.

New Zealand police were thrown into one of the most serious crises of confidence in recent memory, with allegations of corruption and high-level cover-ups involving our top officers, including former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster.

And eight days on, it’s still unclear whether promised changes and investigations will be enough to rebuild confidence in an institution which has had its appearance of integrity fundamentally shaken.

“This goes to the fundamental heart of trust, really,” Newsroom national affairs editor Sam Sachdeva tells The Detail.

“As a country, can we trust our police, the people who are meant to ensure the law and hold law-breakers to account? If they can’t be trusted to follow the law themselves, or [follow] due process, then how can we trust them? So, the stakes couldn’t be higher, really.”

After a fight by journalists, including the New Zealand Herald‘s Jared Savage, to lift suppression orders, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) released a damning report last Tuesday, outlining major leadership failures in the handling of complaints against former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.

The complaints were from a young woman – referred to as Ms Z – with whom McSkimming had an affair.

The Authority reported that despite allegations of coercive sexual behaviour, threatening conduct, and potential misuse of police systems, early efforts focused on pursuing the complainant under the Harmful Digital Communications Act, while concerns about McSkimming stalled or were minimised.

And top police leaders – including then-commissioner Coster and his deputy commissioner – engaged in serious misconduct in their handling of the case, accepting McSkimming’s explanations uncritically and failing to order timely, impartial investigations.

The IPCA findings have triggered public outrage, calls for new investigations, and intense scrutiny of the force’s culture and leadership – past and present. The police minister and commissioner have since publicly shown remorse and offered apologies and investigations.

But the woman still faces charges under the digital harassment law for sending “abusive messages” to the detective investigating her, and to his wife. The McSkimming-related charges were withdrawn.

This news was broken by Savage, a senior investigative journalist, who has been working on the scandal for more than a year.

“This big apology was put out to her publicly, everyone – the commissioner, the minister of police – all extending genuine apologies, I think, or heartfelt sympathies for the situation she has been put through … but she’s still facing charges because allegedly she sent some emails to the detective who had arrested her originally for the charges that we now know is misconduct,” he tells The Detail.

“Getting answers around this has been difficult, as well, because it’s all tied up in the legal process. You go back to the commission and say, ‘should she still be charged over this? What is the public interest?’ and they say, ‘our hands are tied, it’s with the Crown now’.”

He says the experience has had a “devastating impact” on the young woman, who was allegedly told by McSkimming that if she raised complaints he would distribute photos of her in compromising positions.

“So, you can imagine someone who was very scared to make a formal complaint sends through these emails, which on the face of it look quite abusive and hard to believe, because at this point McSkimming is a shining beacon, he’s the number two police officer in the country, clean cut guy. [These are] serious allegations, but police didn’t do their job.”

Instead, the police backed their own, and charged the complainant.

And all the information was suppressed until last week.

“I think the treatment of her is appalling, to be honest. The police will need to be accountable for that at some point, as well,” Savage says.

“To carry on with the second prosecution against her adds insult to injury.”

He says the police have a “huge job ahead of them” to rebuild and restore public confidence.

He believes the police involved in the cover-up should be looked into, and a ministerial inquiry should be launched, similar to the Commission of Inquiry led by Dame Margaret Bazley, whose scathing 2007 report described disgraceful conduct by police officers over 25 years, and a wall of silence protecting the men that women complained about.

The high-profile case of Louise Nicholas, who accused four police officers of rape, prompted the Commission of Inquiry to be established in 2004.

“I think this is such a big scandal that there needs to be a similar Commission of Inquiry or Ministerial Inquiry to look into the wider issues that we have got going on here,” Savage says.

“Twenty-odd years after the last report, I think it’s time to have another good look under the covers, really, because clearly not as much progress has been made as police would like us to believe.

“And again, it comes down to public trust and confidence.”

Police, politicians, and the public are now waiting for the next phase of investigations – and for answers about how such significant failures occurred at the very top of the organisation.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Central Auckland is bearing the brunt of the rain this morning, MetService says.

Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for Northland, Auckland and Great Barrier Island (until 2pm), Waitomo, Waikato and Taupō (until 6pm), Bay of Plenty (until 11pm) and Tongariro National Park (until 10pm).

MetService meteorologist Samkelo Magwala said all those areas had received a “decent amount” of rain overnight.

It was heaviest in Auckland, particularly in the central city, he said.

“Some stations in Auckland have recorded about 15.5mm of rain in the period of an hour, some even as high as 21mm of rain,” he said.

There was a possibility of flooding with that amount of rain, Magwala said.

The band of rain would move eastwards throughout the day, easing before another band was due to ramp up again in the afternoon.

Gisborne was not under a weather warning, but the rain was heading that way later this afternoon, he said.

After Wednesday, high pressure would begin to build, Magwala said, “giving us some more settled weather for a couple of days”.

Taumarunui and Taihape north of Ohakune, as well as Taranaki are also under heavy rain watches until Wednesday.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A nursing student says he’s “disappointed, but not surprised” by delays in announcing job offers to graduate nurses.

Graduating student nurses were notified on Tuesday they would not hear results of job applications the following day as expected.

Applications for jobs were made through the Advanced Choice of Employment (ACE) process, which matched nurses to positions in the health system.

An email sent to students sitting their final examinations this week said job offers would be pushed back to 28 November.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, but the extra time will be used to consider additional positions across Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora,” ACE organisers wrote.

National Student Unit (NSU) chair Davis Ferguson said he was excited to find out on Wednesday where he might be placed when he started work.

He said he was aware of controversy surrounding Health NZ plans to hire more graduate nurses on part-time hours, but had to hope that the health agency was acting in good faith.

“It’s a very powerless situation, because I can’t have any control over how many jobs there are going to be in nursing, so you’ve got to take it at face value,” Ferguson said. “There’s nothing you can really do about it.”

He said watching the changes in the health system had “been a rollercoaster” during his last three years of study.

“From when I first started – hearing students are pretty much guaranteed a job – to this year, where only 45 percent of nursing graduates got jobs in the mid-year intake.”.

He said the state of the health system had “strengthened my resolve” to make a difference in his future role.

“We go into nursing, because we want to help.

“I think it’s made a lot of people disheartened and more likely to go over to Australia, or seek other employment in places that they never considered, but I think everyone is doing the best they can at the moment.”

He hoped any additional positions uncovered in the delayed process would offer enough hours to properly support the nurses.

“I hope this delay leads to better quality jobs for nursing graduates. We’re wanting to be looked after by good quality jobs, so we can be the best nurses for our patients.

“Making sure that new grad nurses can put food on their table and a roof over their head, so we can provide a quality healthcare for our New Zealand public.”

Health New Zealand people, culture, health and safety executive national director Robyn Shearer would not comment on the reasons behind the delay.

She said the organisation was committed to “assisting graduate nurses into jobs across the health system”.

Shearer said HNZ was working to place as many graduates as possible into employment.

“We expect to be in a position to make offers by the end of this month.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fifty tiny, yellow songbirds have been released in a corner of Mount Aspiring National Park that hasn’t heard their chirps in years.

Conservationists hope the at-risk mohua can set up a new foothold in the Matukituki Valley, west of Wānaka, after years of intensive predator-control work by passionate locals.

Also called yellowhead, the birds were once among the most abundant species in South Island forests in the 1800s, but now number fewer than 5000.

To revive the population, the Department of Conservation has seeded populations on predator-free offshore islands, then returned small groups to carefully managed mainland sites.

Southern Lakes Sanctuary Matukituki hub co-ordinator Scotty Bewley said the valley’s new arrivals were delivered by helicopter from Anchor Island in Dusky Sound on 14 October.

“It just gives the species the opportunity to hopefully rebuild itself in a natural environment to become stronger, to become more resilient to the challenges that we face as the world changes and for people to enjoy them in multiple areas,” he said.

Southern Lakes Sanctuary staff carried out a census last week to see how the newcomers had settled and spotted a dozen birds across three sites – a result Bewley described as heartening, after a stretch of stormy weather.

“For 12 birds to be found in the first census over two days is quite encouraging,” he said. “It shows that the birds have survived through a pretty turbulent weather period, but also stayed in the area and haven’t found the need to vacate.

“They’ve found suitable habitat.”

For Bewley, watching three mohua flitting around the forest canopy on Monday near Cascade Hut, a kilometre from the release site, was a particularly special moment.

“It’s fantastic for the Mohua Recovery Group and the Department of Conservation to feel as though they can be released here,” he said.

“They’re a beautiful native bird. They were here at one point and now we have the opportunity to enjoy them again.”

Years of community work

Much of the Matukituki Valley’s predator control has been driven by locals, who refuse to watch their backyard fall silent.

Geoff Marks, a trustee with the Matukituki Charitable Trust, said residents noticed kea numbers slipping in 2013 and felt compelled to step in.

“Derek and Gillian Crombie, who set up the trust, walked into a Department of Conservation office and said, ‘What can we do to help?’” he said.

“While the translocation of mohua was never an original objective, we were hopeful that one day we might be able to translocate other species.

“This is just the culimnation of incredibly hard work by lots and lots of volunteers, and many, many hours of getting sweaty in the hills, and coming home stinking of dead rats and stoats.”

Southern Lakes Sanctuary came on board in 2021, helping co-ordinate the valley’s work, as part of a wider regional effort.

Bewley spent hours each week on steep trap-lines, testing new devices for rats, stoats, possums and feral cats.

Nearly 1000 traps are scattered across the valley, he said, from experimental stoat designs backed by Predator Free NZ to AI-enabled devices that powered down, whenever a curious kea hopped too close.

Many of the traps were on Mt Aspiring Station, which covered much of the valley floor.

Co-owner Sally Aspinall said letting conservation groups in was an easy decision.

“Getting rid of pests and predators is beneficial for everyone,” she said. “This is a special place.

“We farm it, but we want it to be in a better state when we leave it than when we arrived.”

Kererū numbers had surged in recent years, Aspinall said – she counted 22 in a single paddock not long ago – and birdlife in general had become noticeably more present.

“They’ve done a good job. We’ve definitely been noticing a lot more birdlife around the farm.”

A previous success story

Conservationists hoped the mohua would follow the same trajectory as the South Island robin.

Twenty-two robins were released into the valley in 2008 – that population had since ballooned to about 500.

Southern Lakes Sanctuary chief executive Paul Kavanagh said this year’s beech mast meant even more vigilance was required.

“We’ll be ramping up protection work, because with a beech-mast also comes an increase in rats and stoats,” he said. “This work has to continue in perpetuity to make sure they’re safe.

“It’s one thing getting the birds returned to that area, but now we have to make sure they’re as safe as possible.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Health NZ says another 10,000 people have been immunised against measles, but experts warn more coverage is needed to help those with immune deficiencies.

The National Public Service’s Nikki Canter-Burgoyne said 10,847 people were vaccinated against Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) last week.

It comes after an immunisation drive earlier this month which saw an extra 15,000 people vaccinated.

There are 19 confirmed cases in the current measles outbreak.

“It’s heartening to see continued interest in people protecting themselves and their tamariki from measles a week after Immunisation Week finished,” Canter-Burgoyne said.

The national childhood vaccination rate in New Zealand is at 82.6 percent. Coverage of 95 percent in the community is required to prevent outbreaks and protect populations, The World Health Organisation said.

Health New Zealand also has the target of 95 percent of two year olds being fully vaccinated.

Dr Nikki Turner, from the Immunisation Advisory Centre, said it was vital to reach community immunity when some people couldn’t get the vaccine.

She said as a live vaccine, MMR could pose risk for those with significant immune deficiencies, including people on medications for Crohn’s disease, arthritis, people undergoing chemotherapy, or those with HIV. It also cannot be given to those who are pregnant.

“MMR is what we call live attenuated, so it doesn’t cause measles, but when you give the vaccine it can replicate inside you, so that if you have a significant immune problem, it can replicate quite vigourously inside you, and cause what looks like measles.”

Turner said those with immune deficiencies were at higher risk of developing severe complications from measles – including pneumonia, brain inflammation or death.

“We do not want these people to get measles.”

Associate professor Andrew Harrison, medical director at Arthritis New Zealand, said this was an issue for a significant proportion of the population.

“I know it’s caused a fair amount of concern”.

He said a decision needed to be made on a case by case basis for patients with arthritis who did not have immunity to measles.

Harrison said the MMR vaccine could be given to people with certain lower-level treatments for inflammatory arthritis, whereas advice for those on heavy immunosuppressants – such as TNF inhibitors – was that they stopped medications if they needed the vaccine.

“If they carry on with their treatment – the risk is that the live vaccine will expand and proliferate in their bloodstream and tissues, and cause an infection, which can be harmful.”

He said guidelines differed between Health NZ’s Immunisation Handbook and guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology.

“The best approach is to tailor the advice for the individual patient according to their circumstances, and to balance the risks of developing measles against the risk of vaccine-related syndrome.”

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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 resident of a Far North town says it was “about time” the water watchdog stepped in, after being under a boil notice for more than 10 years.

Kāeo’s water supply has been under the management of private companies for 25 years, after it was sold by the Far North District Council.

Since then, a decade-long boil water notice has been in place, the water supply owner has been trespassed from the treatment plant and water hasn’t been running for the past month.

Now, for the first time, the water services authority – Taumata Arowai – has placed the town’s supply under statutory management and appointed the council to take care of it.

Local resident Anna Valentine told RNZ it was about time the community had change.

“It’s a relief for sure, but it seems like a lot of effort has gone in to get somebody to take notice of it.”

Valentine said getting information out of the private water company about their issues had been difficult.

“It has been like living under that Mad Max character that is like the lord of the water, and has turned it on and off at whim.”

She wanted accountability for what the town had gone through.

“What’s happened to all the money the town’s paid to the supplier, if he couldn’t even put a filter in or maintain the plant? That seems to have not happened, because the boil-water notice never got taken off.”

Taumata Arowai operations head Steve Taylor said the issues were unacceptable and went on for too long.

He said the Far North District Council would now need to consider how it managed the water, both short and long term.

Te Runanga o Whaingaroa pou arahi Rainera Kaio said his iwi organisation would like to be part of that work.

“We’re keen to work alongside Far North District Council to co-design something.

“Whether that looks like – a joint model situation or whether we look to other members of the community, or other contractors in the community that could take this on.”

Far North District Council was approached for comment.

Wai Care Environmental Consultants declined to comment, beyond saying it supported Taumata Arowai’s statement.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Pike River families are still waiting to hear if police will lay criminal charges, as a result of the disaster that left 29 men dead 15 years ago.

Bernie Monk, whose son Michael died in the mine, said it was outrageous to still be waiting for a prosecution.

“They owe this to the country to do the right thing and I can’t understand why we’re still here, still battling for the same thing.”

To honour the anniversary, Monk said families would meet at the memorial site in Atarau on Wednesday morning, before heading up to the mine in the afternoon.

“We’ll all gather at approximately the time of the explosion and have a roll call, so every member is remembered by individuals. If their families are not there, we still have their names recorded and then we have a minute silence.

“That’s a vigil that we’ve had every year since the day it’s happened and we’ll continue to do that, until the government, the police and the Crown see sense in bringing charges and possibly getting the men out.”

The 15th anniversary also comes after the release of the Pike River feature film, which has brought the families’ ongoing fight for justice back into focus.

Recently released research shows New Zealand’s health-and-safety record remains poor, with workers here more likely to die than in Australia or the United Kingdom.

The Public Health Communication Centre research identified persistent issues with workplace health and safety, including weak enforcement, inadequate fines, and poor understanding of legal duties among employers and political leaders.

Anna Osborne, whose son Milton died in the mine, and Sonya Rockhouse, whose son Ben was also killed in the disaster, are in Wellington to meet with Workplace Safety and Relations Minister Brooke van Velden.

Osborne said she was shocked, but not surprised there had been little change in the rate of workplace fatalities in the last 15 years, and she wanted to see health-and-safety regulations strengthened.

“We lobbied the government for stronger health-and-safety rules and regulations in the workplace, but to find that they’re being watered down at the moment by the government, it just makes me sick to think that another Pike River could actually happen again.”

Osborne said people dying at work and not returning home to their families was unacceptable.

“I’ve lived through losing my husband and it’s a nightmare. It’s an emotional rollercoaster and life just is not the same.

“I just hate the thought of any loved one not returning home after their day at work, so if I can help in any way to push these laws to make them stronger and make it safer, I’m going to do that.”

Osborne said she felt she owed it to the people of New Zealand, who had been so kind in supporting the Pike families, to keep fighting for safer health-and-safety regulations in the workplace.

A police spokesperson said they were still working with the crown solicitor and considering whether to lay charges over the Pike River Mine disaster.

They could not provide a timeframe for when a decision would be made on the matter.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand