Source: Radio New Zealand

More than half a century after the last whale was caught and killed in New Zealand, humpbacks are showing promising signs of recovery.

An international study involving researchers from the University of Auckland shows humpback breeding is getting more competitive, which suggests the population is growing.

University of Auckland marine biologist Dr Emma Carroll had been working with researchers in New Caledonia to track the local humpback whales.

Comparing data collected over decades, Dr Carroll described a stark difference in breeding habits between the first part of the study, conducted in the 2000’s, and the second part, in the 2010’s.

“For the first part of the study, when the population was really small, young males and old males had the same number of babies or paternities,” she explained.

“But in the second half of the study, as the population is recovering from whaling, we see that older males are actually more dominant.”

What Carroll described was called a “reproductive skew”.

Many species had a reproductive skew that favoured older, larger males, and these “super-males” had the most children.

But when their population was decimated in the 60s and 70s, humpback whales lost the luxury to be picky.

To maintain genetic diversity, Carroll said the whales moved away from their reproductive skew.

“We think that when the population is low, the fact that young males and older males have the similar chances of having offspring, that is actually quite good for the population,” she said.

“Because it means that every male can contribute, which means lots more genetic diversity can be continued or carried through the population.”

As the decades rolled on, female whales had more options, and the males were getting more competitive.

“Then we see as the population gets bigger, there’s this kind of preference towards older males. And it just shows us that whaling and the reduction in the population size has led to changes in these behaviours through time.”

New Zealand’s relationship with whaling had a long and complicated history.

In a 1996 report by RNZ’s Spectrum, Marlborough whaler Joe Heberley described the moment his profession reached a tipping point.

“As time wore on, we knew that whaling was going to become history, and it was a sad day, you know,” Heberley said at the time.

“We knew that the Japanese and Russians had got in and slaughtered the pod of whales that were feeding the New Zealand coast. We knew that by the numbers that we had spotted coming through Cook Strait, that something had happened.”

By 1964, New Zealand’s whaling industry had made its last catch, and sentiment began to shift.

New Zealand voted in favour of an international moratorium that banned commercial whaling from 1986.

Greenpeace oceans campaigner Juan Parada is proud of that transformation, but feared New Zealand had lost its conservational edge in the decades since.

“It’s clear that New Zealand had a big turnaround, from being a whaling nation we became vocal defenders of whales, and that’s something to be really proud of,” he said.

“Our point of shame really is to be the last country that is bottom trawling in the South Pacific high seas.”

Parada said New Zealand’s reluctance to give up bottom trawling presented a massive threat to whales.

“When bottom trawlers drag their heavy nets on these delicate habitats, the entire ecosystem is wiped out,” he said.

“I definitely think that bottom trawling is the worst thing that we’re doing. It would be really easy to stop, really, and that would make a huge difference for the ocean.”

Carroll said only a couple of generations had passed since whaling was outlawed, and she hoped to track the whales’ changing behaviour in the decades to come.

“The fact that we’re seeing this shift now, that means if we continue to monitor this population, which is relatively small and easy to monitor, it means we can see this change in behaviour through time,” she said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

More children under 12 are ringing Youthline, with its latest figures showing that age group makes up 10 percent of calls for help.

At the charity’s inaugural youth mental health summit at Parliament on Wednesday, speakers called for cross-party support and a more connected model of care for young New Zealanders who, since Covid-19, are struggling more than ever.

Youthline runs free services including a helpline, face-to-face counselling, mentoring, and programmes in schools.

Its chief executive, Shae Ronald, said the helpline had 28,000 conversations a year but demand had been climbing for more than a decade, particularly since Covid-19.

“We had a big jump last year in January, and we’ve had another big jump over the last three months.”

And the cases were growing in seriousness, too – the number of rangatahi who were considered very high risk, and requiring emergency intervention, was up to four a day. Ronald said she remembered a time when it was one a week.

Today, many young people were battling something she called the “missing middle service gap”.

“Many young people fall into the space where their needs are serious, but do not meet the threshold for urgent or specialist intervention. As a result, they may face long wait lists, limited availability, or uncertainty about where they fit within the system,” she said.

And the callers were getting younger, too.

“As of last year, 10 percent of all people contacting Youthline are under 12,” she said.

Australian psychiatrist Pat McGorry explained the increase of mental health distress among youths was a global trend, and it could be down to any combination of factors – social media, climate anxiety, rising cost of living and buying a house, and notably, Covid-19.

“The younger age groups had a much more precipitous drop in their mental health during the pandemic,” he said.

“We think it’s about 25 percent of the rise over the last 20 years, Covid is responsible for it.”

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey – who himself had spent time as a Youthline counsellor in the 1980s – expressed envy of Australia over the size and scale of their resources to respond to the mental health crisis.

But McGorry said it wasn’t all smooth sailing there, either.

“I assume it’s the same in New Zealand,” he said.

“Life is much more precarious in an economic sense for [young people]. Their futures are clouded in many, many ways. House prices in Australia cost you three times the median income 40 years ago to buy a house. Now it’s 10 times. And rents are proportionally equal.

“And there are students in Western Sydney at the universities who have to choose between buying textbooks and eating. So they have food banks in the universities. Now, how can a society like Australia, one of the richest countries in the world, tolerate that? I mean, it’s just madness.”

Dr Jess Stubbing, a clinical psychologist and researcher now working in Massachusetts, said New Zealand was yet to see the true peak of the wave.

“I’m seeing more and more younger people, who are coming in at a younger age with really significant need, and a lot of that is young people who were in their very formative, early years during Covid, when their families were stressed, the country was stressed, we were all divided, and that affects us, that affects how we grow up.”

She said the New Zealand system was not meeting the current need, and it was definitely not going to meet future need, either.

That left a couple of options, she said – spend money today on an integrated, cohesive mental health system, “or spend ten times that in a decade when those people are adults and need our adult services”.

Doocey said the feedback he frequently received was that the system felt fragmented, with long wait times, unequipped to meet growing demand.

In the past 12 months, an extra 35,000 accessed support compared with the year before, which Doocey said was largely due to a reduction in workforce vacancies.

But that same growth wasn’t seen among young people.

A prevalence survey – the first of its kind for mental health and addiction among young people – was set to begin in the coming months, Doocey said.

And while that would take years to start producing data, it was a step in the right direction for a system where the need grew year on year.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Another child has died in a portable pool and the coroner’s court has renewed calls for these pools to be banned.

However, the government ministry in charge says change is unlikely.

Ten-month-old Majura Rapi-Davis died on Boxing Day 2022 in a portable inflatable pool at his Pukekohe home. The pool was only full to approximately 320 millimetres, around the height of a standard school ruler.

Associate Coroner James Buckle found the soft-sided pool would collapse inwards and downwards if a small amount of pressure was put on it, meaning Majura could tip himself in.

“Because the top of the pool collapsed in when weight was put on it but did not collapse out, Baby Majura was not able to climb out without help,” he said.

In March 2023, the death of a 20-month-old in a temporary pool in Napier resulted in a call from Water Safety NZ for a ban on the pools.

This followed a coroner’s investigation into the drownings of eight children aged under 6 during the summer of 2021-2022 when Coroner Michael Robb also recommended a ban.

Coroner Buckle said the evidence pointed to Majura’s parents being diligent in their supervision of the pool when being used and that they acted to try and restrict his access to it at other times. But with a busy household and several other children around, the sliding door which gave access to the pool was at one time left open.

“The death of Baby Majura was a tragic loss and I extend my heartfelt condolences to his whānau,” Coroner Buckle said.

He noted that this was not the first death of a child in these circumstances and endorsed Coroner Robbs recommendation that temporary pools of less than 1.2 metres in height be discontinued from sale.

“The cost of these pools has become the lives of children,” Coroner Buckle said.

However, a ban did not look likely to happen.

“The tenor of [Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s] response to both my and Coroner Robb’s recommendations were that they are very unlikely to be followed in the short to medium term, if ever,” Coroner Buckle said.

MBIE argued that discontinuing the sale of temporary pools under 1.2 metres in height would require significant policy work and would not be as simple a solution as it sounded.

Because he was not confident in government action to ban the pools, Coroner Buckle also recommended a law change to the promotion, advertising, and packaging of temporary pools.

“Any and all promotional, advertising and/or packaging images, whether static or otherwise, that show swimming pools must show the pool in a context that is clearly and unequivocally compliant with the relevant legislation,” he recommended.

He also said it should be clear that the pool itself did not come with the barriers to make it safe.

Water Safety New Zealand said two children under the age of 5 have drowned in portable pools already in the first two months of this year, a cause of death which did not exist a decade ago.

Water Safety’s Gavin Walker said the pools were an inexpensive choice but were often left unfenced and filled with water.

“Buyers typically do not budget for, or anticipate the real need for, appropriate fencing, leaving children at serious risk of drowning,” he said.

Walker said there was simply too much risk presented by temporary pools.

“Any unfenced pool is a tragedy waiting to happen. A split-second distraction can have devastating implications for our youngest and most vulnerable.”

Complete recommendations from the coroner:

• That portable pools between the heights of 400 millimetres and 1.2 metres be discontinued from sale in order to prevent avoidable deaths of young children;
• That a law change should be considered to require that any and all promotional, advertising and/or packaging images, whether static or otherwise, that show swimming pools must show the pool in a context that is clearly and unequivocally compliant with the relevant legislation;
• That any and all notices attached to packaging etc regarding barrier rules for swimming pools should clearly state that the relevant barriers are not included with the pools;
• That MBIE, or some other government department or organisation, conduct or commission research into the number of portable pools sold/used in New Zealand, the (mis)use of portable pools, the impact of that (mis)use on the incidence of drowning in New Zealand, and whether the current approach to pool safety needs to be modified to also be effective for portable pools;
• That MBIE, or some other government department or organisation, conduct or commission research into whether design improvements can be made to portable swimming pools to make them safer;
• That if the research provides designs that improve pool safety then the improved designs should be incorporated into the relevant design standards.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The family of a former St Bede’s College student, who was offered $7000 after he complained of being sexually abused by a teacher on multiple occasions, want an apology from the school and a “very substantial financial settlement”.

After the former student, who has since died, initially rejected the $7000 ex gratia payment, the chairman of St Bede’s College’s Board of Proprietors wrote to him saying they realised he may have been hoping for more.

“But if you were to consult others regarding this you would find that this amount is around what might be expected in New Zealand.”

A lawyer acting for the man’s family says the complainant was “extremely angry with the whole process, the insulting offers, and the lack of compassion showed by all involved”.

The lawyer’s firm acts for eight former St Bede’s College students in relation to sexual assault allegations involving at least 10 named priests and staff members, as well as sexual assaults from other students “as a result of inadequate staff supervision”.

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

RNZ earlier revealed that former St Bede’s College priest Rowan Donoghue had admitted sexually abusing four boys at the school between 1996 and 2000.

RNZ then revealed that another priest, former rector Fr Brian Cummings, was also accused of abuse by three different complainants in 1996, 2014 and 2023. Cummings, who died in 2022, “strenuously denied” the allegations.

The school is now investigating what was known historically and how the matters were addressed. That work is being led by the current board and rector Jon McDowall.

RNZ has obtained a series of documents in relation to a former student who was allegedly sexually abused by a teacher at the school in the 1970s.

The man went to police in 2016. In August 2017 he got a letter from police which said the former staffer had a raft of physical disorders as well as several mental disorders which police believed would prevent him from being competent to stand trial.

Police said there was no physical evidence other than the man’s formal statement. That in conjunction with the time delay and the man’s mental health meant the complaint had not met the evidential test and there was not a reasonable chance of a successful prosecution.

Police said the complainant was a “credible and believable witness and police believe that his complaint is genuine”.

The man took the allegations to St Bede’s College in 2017.

In January 2018, the man received a letter from St Bede’s College Board of Proprietors chairman Shane O’Brien. The letter referenced a meeting from November at the school.

“You will recall I made it clear we wanted to do the right thing by you and we offered you a $5000 ex gratia payment in the spirit of an offer to support one of our Bedean community.”

The man had rejected the offer, and asked for $28,000, the letter said.

“We are not in a position to make such a payment and consider that a payment of that amount would be more appropriately asked of the individual responsible for the abuse.”

The offer was later increased to $7000. A letter from O’Brien in April 2018 said they hoped the man would be able to use the money “for the counselling and other things that will help with your healing”.

“We do realise that you may have been hoping for more, but if you were to consult others regarding this you would find this amount is around what might be expected in New Zealand. Please be assured we have not made this decision lightly, our real hope is that you can heal and move forward.”

In June 2018, the man wrote a letter to O’Brien and others, including the Society of Mary.

“It is with sadness and reluctance that I accept your offer of $7000. I am in dire financial need and lack resources to adequately seek what I believe to be fair and just. In short, I am simply worn out trying to express the devastating effect [the teacher] has had upon my life and the length of time this has taken.

“I have always been honest and straightforward in my approach to St Bedes and the Society of Mary. Where I was hoping for a ‘quick and just’ settlement I now find many months later my health is suffering further. In some ways I feel abused again but in a different form.”

An unsigned draft deed of settlement, dated 2018, said the man was taught by a staffer who invited him to visit him off the college property and “sexually abused him on about seven occasions over a period of several months”.

“The college was made aware in 2017 of the allegations of sexual abuse suffered by [the man].

“A committee representing the college heard the complaint. The committee’s enquiry found no previous knowledge of the abuse at the time or subsequently. The committee accepted the truth of [the man’s] complaint against [the teacher].”

The college offered, without admission of liability on its part, agreed to an ex gratia payment of $7000 and the man would agree not to commence legal proceedings nor seek further compensation or payment from the college.

The complainant did not sign the settlement.

In July 2018, O’Brien emailed the man about the deed of settlement and referred to a meeting that the man had with then rector Justin Boyle, O’Brien and Fr Allan Jones from the Society of Mary.

“We have entered into this process in the utmost good faith with you. We have kept you well informed and agreed to meet with you whenever asked. Our offer to you is a genuine and sincere offer to allow you to move on and assist with the healing process that you are wanting to occur.

“Our offer is being made as a full and final settlement but if you are now looking to engage lawyers and media as you suggest in your email it may not be possible to proceed on this basis.”

O’Brien asked that the complainant reconsider his position and “allow us to work with you to resolve this matter in an amicable and positive way”.

“As I have stated on previous occasions we are wanting to help you on your road to recovery and healing and see this as an important step for you.”

In 2020, the complainant instructed law firm Cooper Legal. Lawyer Sam Benton told RNZ the firm first wrote to St Bede’s College and the Society of Mary in January 2023 regarding the man’s claim.

“Our client suffered significant negative impacts from the abuse he experienced at St Bede’s, and he has never received any compensation or formal recognition of that abuse, despite his attempts to obtain it in 2017 and 2018.

“He advised our firm that the college was aware that he was ‘completely broke and in debt at the time’, and that the process was carried out in such a way that would have enabled the college to dismiss him as quickly and for as low a cost as possible.”

Benton said the man, who died in 2023, was “extremely angry with the whole process, the insulting offers, and the lack of compassion showed by all involved”.

Benton said Cooper Legal acted for eight former St Bede’s College students who suffered sexual, physical and psychological abuse while attending the school from the 1970s to the mid-2010s. This included sexual assaults from at least 10 named priests and staff members, as well as sexual assaults from other students as a result of inadequate staff supervision.

“For three years, Cooper Legal has sought acknowledgement, accountability, and redress from the college’s Boards and Rector, as well as through the Society of Mary, the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch and the Archbishop. Instead, these vulnerable survivors have faced delay, deflection, and policies designed not to provide healing but to avoid responsibility.”

He said the complainant’s ordeal “exemplifies the profound injustice these survivors continue to endure”.

He said the $7000 offer was “so patently inadequate that it left him retraumatised and angry”.

Benton supported the Chief Victims Advisor’s call for an independent investigation into historical allegations of sexual abuse at the school.

“For many survivors, financial redress is a critical component of accountability. It signals that the institution accepts responsibility and understands that the harm inflicted has caused lifelong consequences to survivors, including massive financial consequences. We call upon the college to commit to putting its money where its ‘mouth’ is.”

The man’s sister told RNZ she was “appalled” at the offers made from the school.

“[He] was smart, he really was a clever boy with a wonderful talent for writing. He could have had an amazing life and career … The impact of his experience at St Bede’s only supported his feelings of hopelessness, and, in his inability to hold down a job, desperation.”

She wants an acknowledgement of the alleged abuse her brother suffered, and an apology.

She also wants a “very substantial financial settlement” to his estate which she would administer on her mum’s behalf to an organisation treating victims of historical abuse.

RNZ put a series of questions to the rector of St Bede’s College including whether he believed the man’s complaint was handled appropriately, why he had not been paid and whether the school would now reconsider this.

In a statement, McDowall said the college does not comment on individual cases, “out of respect for the privacy of those involved”.

“What I am committed to is ensuring that any concerns that are raised with the college are addressed through the appropriate channels and in line with our current policy and expectations. My focus is on supporting anyone impacted and on ensuring our current students continue to receive the highest standard of care.

“I want to reiterate that abuse of this, or any kind, is appalling. I invite anyone impacted by this matter, or who has concerns, to contact me directly.”

A Society of Mary spokesperson replied: “For privacy reasons we have no comment to make.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

One of the country’s most expensive state-integrated schools, Whanganui Collegiate, is facing an Ombudsman’s investigation, a court case, and scrutiny from the Education Ministry.

The Ombudsman is investigating a complaint about the school’s fees, which are also the subject of legal action by a former school parent unhappy that day students are asked to pay $10,840 for access to facilities owned by the school’s proprietor, the Whanganui College Board.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry is looking into an apparently illegal and long-standing lease arrangement for a hockey turf.

The Office of the Ombudsman would not provide details of its investigation.

“The Ombudsman is required by law to keep our enquiries secret, and we are unable to comment any further,” it said.

However, it confirmed it had received a complaint about the school’s fees, including those charged to day students – students who attended the school but did not stay in its boarding accommodation.

The school’s website showed they totalled $16,299 a year of which only an “attendance due”, which all state integrated schools charged to cover the cost of property provided by the school’s proprietor, of $2760 was compulsory.

The other fees were optional and included $2410 for meals, $289 for insurance and $10,840 for day students’ use of facilities owned by the proprietor but not part of the integration agreement that made the school part of the state sector from the start of 2013.

RNZ understands the Ombudsman’s investigation centres on the latter fee, which gave students access to parts of the school’s boarding facilities and to sports facilities.

RNZ understands that though the fee is optional, students who did not pay it could be excluded from significant school activities including tutoring and sports events.

The facilities fee was also the subject of a legal case brought by Craig Sinclair, whose children used to attend the school.

RNZ reported last year on Sinclair’s dissatisfaction with the fee, which he said should be a voluntary donation.

Sinclair said as far as he could establish, every other state integrated school asked for donations from day students for access to facilities not covered by their school’s integration agreement – none classed the payment as a fee.

He said the collegiate pursued him over his refusal to pay the fee through the Disputes Tribunal but did not pursue the case when it was moved to the District Court.

Sinclair said he had since filed a claim in the District Court and was waiting for a date for a hearing.

“With their charges, all the parents are paying GST unnecessarily, and they are missing out on the opportunity to claim a donation tax credit and so in the case of my time at collegiate, my family’s potentially missed out on about $30,000. So I’ve filed a claim for that,” he said.

Sinclair said in his view, the school’s charge amounted to a fee for participation in sports events and in the school’s special character.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry confirmed it had contacted the school about its lease of a hockey turf.

RNZ understands the turf is owned by the WCS Foundation which leased it to the school for $41,000 plus GST.

However, integrated schools were not allowed to lease land or facilities.

The ministry told RNZ the arrangement was in place before the school became a state-integrated school.

“While state schools may lease property with the ministry’s prior consent, there is no provision for the board of an integrated school to lease land or facilities. The role of owning or leasing land and facilities for integrated schools belongs to proprietors,” it said.

“We’re currently talking with the Whanganui Collegiate School Proprietor and the school board about the issue and expect a resolution shortly.”

Whanganui Collegiate acting headmaster Tash Bullock told RNZ the school had no comment at this time.

The school last year told RNZ only one family had refused to pay the optional facilities fee for day students.

Fees and facilities

It’s not the first time the Education Ministry has contacted the school about its financial arrangements.

Emails obtained under the Official Information Act show the Education Ministry in 2024 scrutinised the school’s fees and pushed the school over the course of several months to include a clearer way for parents to opt out of optional charges.

They also show that eight years after being bailed out by the government, the school’s proprietor was spending about half-a-million-dollars a year to provide sport coaching.

The emails showed two ministry staff visited the school in February 2024 to discuss the optional day student fee and the amount of notice families were required to give in order to avoid being charged for a full term’s fees.

In March, a document summarising the situation included an entire section headed “Was it lawful for WCS to charge Boarding Facilities for Day Students (BDfDS) fees in 2023”.

Much of the content was redacted, but it said, in bold: “The proprietor may lawfully exclude non-BDfDS students from House spaces, activities, services and personnel”.

Also redacted from the document were agreed facts on the question: “Is it lawful for a school board to receive a donation, then transfer it to the proprietor?”

The document said the school was unsure, but ministry advice said boards may not donate money to their proprietors.

In June, the ministry asked the school to create a short description of the services purchased through the fee for day students and of the arrangements for students whose families did not opt in.

It asked that the proprietors share a draft with the ministry, which the ministry would check against its fees and donations circular.

In July, the ministry asked the school to provide a specific option for opting in or out of the fee. The school had said families opted in by signing the school’s terms and conditions.

In early September 2024, the ministry wrote to hurry the work along.

“You’ll remember our conversations of 16 August and 23 August about the dues and services for purchase. I stressed the growing urgency of the situation. I am worried that our dialogue has been going a long time and I can’t see the fruit of our work being visible on the website. It’s important that parents have clear and accurate information as they go through the enrolment process for 2025.”

By the end of the month the ministry declared it was happy with changes the school had made.

The emails also showed that eight years after the government allowed the school to become state-integrated in order to avoid closure, the school’s proprietor was donating hundreds-of-thousands of dollar a year to the school for sport coaching.

A ministry document said the donations “totalled almost $400,000 in 2022 and almost $500,000 in 2021”.

The document said the school’s view was that because the proprietor paid for and employed the coaches, it could deny access to extra coaching for any day students whose families did not pay the fee for use of facilities.

It showed that the ministry wanted the school to clarify how students who did not pay the day student fee participated in “Collegiate Weekends”.

The weekends were described as part of the school’s special character and the ministry said all students much have access to that special character.

The ministry also asked for proof that the board, not the school, employed the sports coaches.

Bail-outs and integration

Whanganui Collegiate, formerly Wanganui Collegiate, was a private school until it ran into financial trouble and turned to the government for a bail-out.

The then-National government agreed in 2012 to let it become state integrated in 2013 despite officials’ warnings.

At the time, the change increased the school’s government subsidies from $800,000 to $3 million a year.

In its final year as a private school, Whanganui Collegiate charged day students $10,000 a year and boarders $20,000, with uniform costs of $1500 on top of that.

The school charged slightly more than that when it became integrated and said it had suppressed its fees in its final year as a private entity thanks to nearly $3m in special government funding.

Education Ministry figures show the coeducational Y9-13 school had 409 students last year, more than half of them boys.

The total included 33 international fee-paying students.

In 2012, its final year as a private school, it had 416 students.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Air New Zealand is struggling in a booming aviation market, and new fears the war in Iran raise fuel costs and questions over whether the national carrier can regain altitude

The koru is said to symbolise growth and resilience, but turbulent financial winds are now buffeting Air New Zealand’s iconic symbol.

A $40 million loss has grounded the feel-good narrative, just as other airlines ride a global travel boom.

Across the Tasman, Qantas has just banked a billion-dollar profit, while in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia, carriers are reporting packed cabins and record revenues.

So today The Detail looks into whether New Zealand’s flagship airline can have a smoother path ahead.

“The result itself was worse than we expected,” says head of research at Forsyth Barr, Andy Bowley, who studies the numbers and writes investment research on Air New Zealand.

“Investors generally have an eye looking forward, more so than an eye looking back. And the outlook for the business is arguably worse than what the result was. So, from an expectations point of view, it was certainly disappointing.”

He pointed to a perfect storm to explain the worse-than-expected result: grounded aircraft due to global engine maintenance issues, softer domestic demand, high airport and operating costs, and persistent inflationary pressure.

“There’s a certain amount of work to be done here,” he tells The Detail. “I don’t think there is a quick fix for the airline. I think there are challenges that they have had in recent times with regard to the broader cyclical backdrop in New Zealand.

“I think there have been challenges with regard to the engine maintenance issues, which have been well documented.

“Those two issues will resolve themselves to some extent over the next 12 to 24 months, but I don’t think those are the only two issues impacting the airline, in terms of its ability to recover from the current woes that it’s in financially.”

He says one of the biggest issues is the level of cost inflation in recent years.

The airline has flagged a “reset” – a strategic review aimed at returning it to sustainable profitability. That could mean route rationalisation, tighter cost control, fleet adjustments, and potentially difficult workforce decisions.

Adding to the uncertainty is escalating tension in the Middle East. Any widening conflict involving Iran could push up global fuel prices and force longer flight paths as airspace closes – a costly combination for airlines operating on thin margins.

For Kiwi travellers, that may mean higher fares ahead.

For nervous staff, questions linger over job security. Labour, says Bowley, is a “big cost bucket”.

“I’m not the one to suggest that people will be laid off, but I suspect if they are looking to make savings, then the big cost buckets – where they can influence those cost buckets – will be under most scrutiny.”

Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour has suggested it’s time to sell the government’s shares in Air New Zealand.

The airline was privatised in 1989, but in 2001, it was bailed out by the government, which still owns a 51 percent stake.

Independent aviation industry commentator Irene King tells The Detail that’s not a good idea.

Air New Zealand, she says, is more than a company. It connects families, fuels tourism, underpins trade, and projects the country’s brand abroad.

Instead, she says, the airline should work on a closer working relationship with Qantas to increase the number of tourists coming here.

“That’s what the real game is, that is the reason we own Air New Zealand, it’s actually not to carry us abroad but in fact to bring more and more international tourists to New Zealand.

“When they have some of those really good, tight, strategic relationships, the New Zealand pie starts to grow. Air New Zealand is a strategic infrastructural asset. And it is about growing the wealth for New Zealand, and we should never escape from that particular notion.

“Privatisation, yes, has the potential to drive some wealth for some people, but Air New Zealand is about driving wealth for the whole of New Zealand. That’s the critical issue.”

King is a loyal and regular Air New Zealand flyer, but says she wasn’t surprised by the airline’s latest result.

“Look, it’s been very tough for them, and they don’t seem to have responded as I would have expected to known problems – well-flagged, well-known – and they sat back and said, ‘oh well, let’s see it happen’. That’s what amuses me.”

She points the finger at the airline’s board.

“Normally, it comes from the board. The board has been in place for quite some time, and under good conditions and bad conditions.

“One of the things with aviation boards is that in bad times, they have to understand the business backwards. And I would have thought they would have put a lot more aviation skill onto that board. If you don’t do that, you pay the price.”

The question now is whether this is a temporary dip in altitude for Air New Zealand or the start of a much steeper descent.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Just minutes after unifying around a new vision statement, a rift on the New Plymouth District Council was laid bare over the appointment of an acting chief executive.

At an extraordinary meeting, councillor Dinnie Moeahu expressed his dismay that the public was to be excluded from debate about the appointment.

“The significance of this matter should involve the community and when we have to make a decision, a significant decision, why wouldn’t we have the community involved?”

Moeahu also took umbrage at senior council staff leaving the chamber at the instruction of outgoing chief executive Gareth Green.

“Why are our executive leaders leaving when they should be right here?

“We are about to make a decision and I have some questions on this matter that I would like addressed before our council executives leave this room.

“And I’m not sure that when we remove the public, why are they leaving? Can someone tell me – through the CE – why are our executive leaders leaving this room?”

Green was happy to oblige.

“Through the chair, because I’ve asked them to. It’s not appropriate for our staff to be privy to the conversation that you’re going to have.

“That would be inappropriate for both the individuals you will be discussing and for them [the staff]. It would be highly unusual for them to be here.”

Moeahu hit back during debate on the motion to exclude even though not a single member of the public had turned up to the meeting.

“I thought this term was going to be the term of transparency. We will be open. We will be honest. We will have our community know what we are doing.

“So, what are we going to do? Exclude our executive team, exclude the public from this decision.

“I will not support the recommendation and I would encourage others to stand up for the community in the realm of transparency because we have the option of including the public.”

Councillors voted 10 to 4 to exclude the public, with one councillor abstaining.

The chief executive was the single member of council staff employed directly by the councillors.

Following the meeting, New Plymouth mayor Max Brough said it was standard practice to exclude the public when employment matters were being discussed.

“You never, ever, ever, in a public space, talk about employment issues when going through the process of choosing a new CE ever.

“Never. No council does that. It’s nonsense. “

Brough accused Moeahu of political point scoring.

Ditching Sustainable Lifestyle Capital vision

Earlier, the two men had been on the same page as council took the first steps towards ditching its “Sustainable Lifestyle Capital” vision statement.

Councillors unanimously supported adopting “Thriving Today, Resilient Tomorrow” as its new vision.

Brough said the slogan – suggested by first-term councillor Gina Blackburn – signalled a change in direction for council towards a more economic focus.

“One of the problems with the Sustainable Lifestyle Capital is there’s all sorts of interpretations sustainable and we all think it’s great to have a lifestyle, but we’ve sort of drifted away from creating an income and generating wealth.”

Moeahu thanked his colleagues for the two days of work on the new strategic framework.

“We worked really hard to try and move forwards together as a cohesive unit and I really appreciated that there was a lot of honesty, and some challenges, but what we have landed on here should be commended.”

Blackburn said the vision statement was about looking forward.

“I think this signals a new direction for us as a council focused on our people, on our place and creating a district that everyone wants to be in, everyone wants to thrive in.

“And where everyone knows and can feel secure that our council is making decisions in the best interests of the future.”

The vision statement would be outlined in next year’s Annual Plan and inform its Mission, Goals and the Strategic Framework of the Long-Term Plan 2027-2037.

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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 think tank says New Zealanders can see and feel rising inequality.

Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa released polling suggesting most people agree billionaires should pay more tax.

Carried out by Talbot Mills, 68 percent of respondents agreed with the ultra wealthy being taxed more to support public goods like healthcare, housing and climate action.

Thirteen percent disagreed in the poll from 11-26 February of 1033 people.

Half of people surveyed – 50 percent – agreed there should be no billionaires while people struggle affording the basics like housing, food and healthcare.

Think tank director Gareth Hughes told Midday Report there is deep unease about how the economy is handling challenges like housing and the cost of living.

“Kiwis know that our tax system isn’t fair, it’s putting too much of the responsibility on workers, on things like GST, which are incredibly regressive,” he said.

“Yes, they would like those ultra-wealthy to be contributing more for our health and education system.

“That’s two-thirds agree that billionaires should be paying more to fund these public services.”

The numbers were closer together in another question in the poll – whether there should be a “billion-dollar wealth cap” or maximum amount of wealth a person can have.

Among the respondents, 37 percent agreed, while 34 percent disagreed.

“Oh, personally, I would be comfortable with that,” Hughes said.

“I think once you had a billion dollars you could get a certificate saying you’ve won capitalism and you could contribute to society.”

Hughes said he was part of a global network working to try to redesign the economic system “to deliver wellbeing for people and nature”.

He said it was a topic being raised overseas, and Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa wanted to test the idea in New Zealand.

“I acknowledge it’s a pretty new idea for New Zealanders, the idea of wealth caps,” he said.

“But remember, once upon a time we had very high marginal tax rates for the super wealthy in this country to contribute towards society.”

The National Business Review‘s annual rich list reported last year that New Zealand had 18 billionaires, up from 16 the year before.

“I think the big message though is that billionaires around the world and through corporate influence in New Zealand has seen a system which advantages them,” said Hughes.

“It’s very hard for people to pull themselves by their bootstraps today, you can almost say the ladder’s being pulled up behind the super-wealthy.”

Hughes said it was up to political leaders to put their solutions to the public.

On the question of billionaires paying more tax, 71 percent of people under 30 were supportive, and also 71 percent of people 30-44.

Sixty-eight percent of people 45-59 agreed and 64 percent of people polled over 60.

Eighty percent of Labour and Green voters agreed, 69% percent of Te Pāti Māori voters, 67 percent of the poll’s New Zealand First supporters, 58 percent of National and 44 percent Act.

The poll responses:

How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following:

• The economic system in New Zealand is not set up to effectively address the big issues like housing, healthcare, and climate change. 66% total agree. 10% total disagree.
• No one should be a billionaire while so many people struggle to afford basic necessities like housing, food, and healthcare. 50% total agree, 24% total disagree.

How strongly do you support or oppose the following in NZ:

• Billionaires paying more tax to fund public goods like healthcare, housing, and climate action. 68% total agree. 13% total disagree.
• Introducing a billion-dollar wealth cap – a maximum amount of wealth any person can legally hold. 37% total agree. 34% total disagree.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Just minutes after unifying around a new vision statement, a rift on the New Plymouth District Council was laid bare over the appointment of an acting chief executive.

At an extraordinary meeting, councillor Dinnie Moeahu expressed his dismay that the public was to be excluded from debate about the appointment.

“The significance of this matter should involve the community and when we have to make a decision, a significant decision, why wouldn’t we have the community involved?”

Moeahu also took umbrage at senior council staff leaving the chamber at the instruction of outgoing chief executive Gareth Green.

“Why are our executive leaders leaving when they should be right here?

“We are about to make a decision and I have some questions on this matter that I would like addressed before our council executives leave this room.

“And I’m not sure that when we remove the public, why are they leaving? Can someone tell me – through the CE – why are our executive leaders leaving this room?”

Green was happy to oblige.

“Through the chair, because I’ve asked them to. It’s not appropriate for our staff to be privy to the conversation that you’re going to have.

“That would be inappropriate for both the individuals you will be discussing and for them [the staff]. It would be highly unusual for them to be here.”

Moeahu hit back during debate on the motion to exclude even though not a single member of the public had turned up to the meeting.

“I thought this term was going to be the term of transparency. We will be open. We will be honest. We will have our community know what we are doing.

“So, what are we going to do? Exclude our executive team, exclude the public from this decision.

“I will not support the recommendation and I would encourage others to stand up for the community in the realm of transparency because we have the option of including the public.”

Councillors voted 10 to 4 to exclude the public, with one councillor abstaining.

The chief executive was the single member of council staff employed directly by the councillors.

Following the meeting, New Plymouth mayor Max Brough said it was standard practice to exclude the public when employment matters were being discussed.

“You never, ever, ever, in a public space, talk about employment issues when going through the process of choosing a new CE ever.

“Never. No council does that. It’s nonsense. “

Brough accused Moeahu of political point scoring.

Ditching Sustainable Lifestyle Capital vision

Earlier, the two men had been on the same page as council took the first steps towards ditching its “Sustainable Lifestyle Capital” vision statement.

Councillors unanimously supported adopting “Thriving Today, Resilient Tomorrow” as its new vision.

Brough said the slogan – suggested by first-term councillor Gina Blackburn – signalled a change in direction for council towards a more economic focus.

“One of the problems with the Sustainable Lifestyle Capital is there’s all sorts of interpretations sustainable and we all think it’s great to have a lifestyle, but we’ve sort of drifted away from creating an income and generating wealth.”

Moeahu thanked his colleagues for the two days of work on the new strategic framework.

“We worked really hard to try and move forwards together as a cohesive unit and I really appreciated that there was a lot of honesty, and some challenges, but what we have landed on here should be commended.”

Blackburn said the vision statement was about looking forward.

“I think this signals a new direction for us as a council focused on our people, on our place and creating a district that everyone wants to be in, everyone wants to thrive in.

“And where everyone knows and can feel secure that our council is making decisions in the best interests of the future.”

The vision statement would be outlined in next year’s Annual Plan and inform its Mission, Goals and the Strategic Framework of the Long-Term Plan 2027-2037.

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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 Christchurch couple who found more than $200,000 in the ceiling will be allowed to $40,000 of it.

The couple, whose names are suppressed, found the mystery money sealed in plastic bricks tucked in insulation at their property in 2021.

They reported the $232,440 to the police who said the money should be forfeited because it was the proceeds of crime, probably from drug dealing.

A hearing took place this month in the Christchurch High Court.

In a judgment released on Wednesday, Justice Robert Osborne decided the couple could keep $40,000 of the cash, with the rest given to the Crown.

Both parties had reached a proposed settlement in the hearing, suggesting the couple be paid that amount from the cash.

In agreeing to the settlement, Justice Osborne said he had to consider a number of factors, including the strength of the police and couples’ arguments, and the aims of the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act, which is designed to deter crime, eliminate criminals’ profit-making, and reduce their ability to expand their activities.

He said the case was “highly unusual”, in that the people who found the cash were “wholly innocent citizens” who discovered it and handed it to the police.

There were “strong public policy” reasons for agreeing to the settlement.

Others might be discouraged from reporting similar findings if they weren’t able to keep any of the money, he said.

“If this court were to strip from innocent finders of cash such as these interested parties any prospect of some cash recognition for handing the cash to the authorities, dishonesty could be unintentionally promoted.”

The police had accepted the couple had done the right thing by telling them about the cash, that they were caused stress by finding it and by the risk the true owner might return for it, and that they incurred the cost of alterations to their home after discovering it in the ceiling.

Justice Osborne said his decision wasn’t a finding that people should always be paid 20 percent of found cash when they stumble on it.

He said his responsibility was to determine the settlement had been reached fairly, and was consistent with the purposes of the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act.

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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 retailer in Rotorua faces a fine of up to $500,000 or a maximum term of two year’s in jail for selling nitrous oxide, also known as nangs, for recreational use.

“Our beat team had engaged with the retailer several times, yet he refused to heed our warnings,” District Commander Superintendent Will Loughrin said.

“So now he will face the consequences, which is a criminal charge of selling or supplying a non-approved psychoactive product which carries a fine of up to $500,000 or a maximum term of two year’s imprisonment.”

More than 300 canisters have been taken out of circulation, he said.

Assistant Commissioner Tusha Penny said the man showed “complete disregard for the law and has persisted in selling this substance for recreational use”.

He was charged under the Psychoactive Substances Act and is the first prosecution of a retailer in the district.

The man will appear in the Rotorua District Court on Thursday.

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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 Christchurch City Council has voted against a controversial proposal to investigate banning protests in some parts of the city.

The notice of motion, brought by councillor Aaron Keown, was narrowly lost – eight votes to seven – at a council meeting on Wednesday.

Keown and councillor David Cartwright proposed having staff investigate and advise the council on using an existing bylaw to declare protesting off limits in some public places.

The notice of motion referenced “sensitive sites”, such as the Bridge of Remembrance, the earthquake memorial, places of worship and cemeteries.

Keown told his colleagues the motion was not about stopping people from protesting, but protecting places he felt should be off limits.

Keown said he was happy for staff to explore other sites that could become designated protest zones.

Protests were held in Cathedral Square for many years but the square was now “a little bit derelict” and that had led to the centre of town shifting closer to the Bridge of Remembrance, Keown said.

Cartwright, who seconded the motion, said protests had left the community feeling vulnerable.

Although the definition of sensitive sites was yet to be decided, Cartwright said it would not affect some traditional protest sites.

“If nurses wanted to continue to protest outside the hospital or school children outside the council chambers here around climate emergencies or the wharfies having a picket line in Lyttelton, it does not stop them,” he said.

Mayor Phil Mauger and deputy mayor Victoria Henstock were among those who supported the motion.

Councillor Pauline Cotter said she could not believe some of her colleagues were even considering supporting the motion, which she branded a breach of human rights.

Councillor Andrei Moore noted the proposal itself could spark protests.

Earlier in the meeting, veteran protester John Minto addressed councillors and urged Keown to withdraw the motion.

He told the council the proposal would breach the Bill of Rights Act.

The Bridge of Remembrance commemorated New Zealand soldiers including those who fought to liberate Palestine from the Ottoman Turks in World War One and was the most appropriate site in the city for protests supporting Palestine, Minto said.

Councillors Melanie Coker, Cotter, Celeste Donovan, Tyrone Fields, Tyla Harrison-Hunt, Nathaniel Herz Jardine, Yani Johanson and Andrei Moore voted against the motion, while Mauger, Henstock, Kelly Barber, Cartwright, Keown, Sam MacDonald and Mark Peters voted for it.

Tim Scandrett abstained and Jake McLellan was absent.

Amnesty International criticised the proposal on Tuesday with director of advocacy and movement building Lisa Woods saying it was deeply concerning.

The right to protest was fundamental and while some limitations could be put in place, they were limited and should always be a last resort, Woods said.

“Protest is by its nature disruptive – that’s the point. It might cause some disruption to society’s daily functioning but only serious disruption can justify restrictions,” she told RNZ.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland animal control officers say they need laws with more teeth, with the current dangerous dogs’ legislation resulting in dogs being locked up for years.

Last year, the council received almost 17,000 reports of roaming dogs and more than 1300 reports of dog attacks on people.

Currently, 60 owners are facing prosecution for dog attacks.

It’s prompted calls for a revamp of the three-decade-old Dog Control Act and more power for animal control officers.

Checkpoint followed animal control officers Shay Smith and Lisha Byrne around for a day as they kept an eye on the streets of south Auckland.

Their shift started at 7:30am, with their first drive-by near a local primary school in Ōtara.

More often than not, they see dogs they’ve had to impound before, out roaming the streets again.

But first, they spotted a dog at a property that isn’t supposed to have dogs.

The owner was disqualified because their dogs, which hadn’t been de-sexed, were found roaming the streets.

This time, the team found and seized two adult dogs and seven puppies.

Animal Control officer Shay Smith spoke to the property owner as the dogs were left in her care.

“I will leave paperwork with your daughter, she does have seven days to make contact with the shelter, but unfortunately, just because of the situation, we do have to take them.”

The dogs also hadn’t been de-sexed and were freely wandering around the property, which did not have a fence.

As Checkpoint stood outside the house, children walked past on their way to school.

Although the dogs didn’t seem aggressive, Smith said they couldn’t take any risks as other dogs in the area had attacked people.

“A good reason why we patrol the area so frequently is because a lot of these dogs will follow kids around the schools and some of them act aggressively,” Smith said.

“[They’ll] bark at the kids as well, so it is quite important.”

The council’s dog shelters in Manukau, Silverdale and Henderson are currently near capacity, so finding a spot took time.

But the officers eventually found spots for the nine dogs at the Manukau shelter.

“Once we’ve impounded them, the shelter then takes over, so the dog owner can reach out within seven days.”

“If they’re unknown dogs, they’ll get posted on the shelter impounds Facebook page.”

If no owner comes forward to claim the dogs, they have to pass a temperament test, to see if the dogs can be rehomed safely.

“If they’re not able to be rehomed safely, then unfortunately they do get humanely euthanised, because we can’t be rehoming aggressive dogs.”

Auckland Council regional shelter manager Nikki Cripps said there are currently 250 dogs being held across their three shelters.

Some have attacked a person or another animal.

Across the three shelters, 60 dogs are being held while their owners face prosecution.

“Some dogs are in here because they’ve attacked another dog or another animal, whether that is stock or a cat.”

“Other dogs are in here because they’ve attacked a person. With a person, that can range from a child up to an elderly adult.

“We also have dogs in here that have attacked police officers, who were trying to perform their duties.”

After an attack, the council can decide whether a dog can return to its home.

If it’s deemed a safety risk, the dog is kept behind bars while evidence is reviewed to determine whether a prosecution is justified.

“All of this can take anywhere from days, up to years, with our longest-term dog being in here for four years.”

This is because owners can lodge potentially lengthy appeals, even after a court has decided a dog must be put down.

One dog currently at the Silverdale shelter has been held for two-and-a-half years for this reason.

Cripps said the shelters aren’t a healthy environment for dogs.

“For these dogs, we are very limited in terms of what we can do for our health and safety reasons.

“So, they’re not socialised with other dogs, they’re unable to have visits from their owner for health and safety reasons.

“They can deteriorate; they are in an institutionalised environment.”

Cripps wants the council to have more power to enforce dog control laws.

“We need stronger laws in place to help us mitigate these issues before it gets to this point. At the moment, we can’t enforce de-sexing, we can’t enforce fencing.”

“There’s lots of factors we could potentially put in place to prevent it from getting to a point where a dog is in here for an attack.”

‘What we need is more proactive tools’

Auckland Council’s general manager for licensing and compliance Robert Irvine told Checkpoint because the Dog Control Act is over 30 years old, it is outdated.

“What we need is more proactive tools. The problems out there are significant, and we need those tools under the legislation to really help us get on top of this quite severe problem.”

He said the council can only euthanise a dog if it isn’t collected during the seven-day hold period.

But for a dog that is aggressive and has bitten someone, the council can’t make the decision to put it down, they must wait for a court order.

“Where there’s an attack on a person or it’s even killed a family pet, we have no powers to destroy that dog.

“Our power, it’s either a $200 fine, or we have to take the person through a quite a lengthy and costly prosecution process through the district court.”

Auckland Council want to be able to issue stronger penalties against owners, he said.

“What a lot of victims look for is effectively the reparation around ensuring that the dog is either euthanized or there’s adequate compensation.”

“I do definitely think the whole process needs to be improved. The fact that it takes almost a year, or in some cases even four years, at the end of the period, something needs to change.”

During 2025, there was close to 3000 dog attacks on people and animals, but only 141 prosecutions or appeals.

Irvine said the council wants to speed up the time the court process takes and to be able to issue stronger fines.

“Our fine that we can issue someone for when there’s an attack is $200. I think prosecution should always be held for the highest, but it definitely needs to be more than 200, something in the vicinity of $1000 or $2000.”

To keep a dog in the pound, Irvine said it costs the owners $35 a day and $13,000 a year.

“We definitely bill the owners. The challenge is a lot of the cases, particularly when finally, the courts order a destruction, they may not pay. So, for us, we straight away refer that to the Ministry of Justice and Baycorp.”

To disqualify a person for owning dogs, the person must have committed three offences within 24 months, and the offences cannot all be connected to the same incident.

Irvine said the council wants to see tougher rules.

“We disqualified just under 60 dog owners over the last year and, really based off the severe problems we’re facing, it should be a lot more.”

Last month, Minister Simon Watts told Checkpoint the Department of Internal Affairs is working with the local government sector to improve dog control enforcement guidelines.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Some Mackenzie District workers are resorting to sleeping in cars, campervans or commuting because there are not enough affordable, long-term rentals.

The local mayor has described Tekapo and Twizel as bursting at the seams with visitors, saying it was a welcome economic boost, but it was coming at a cost.

Hundreds of homes were earmarked for short-term stays and prices remained high, leaving some struggling to find a roof over their heads.

Tour guide Elsie said Tekapo was a must-see for all of her groups.

But finding a bed or rental for the many guides who passed through was a challenge.

She described the accommodation as expensive, and in high demand and short supply during peak visitor season, and sometimes guides could not find a place to stay.

“In Tekapo, there is a camping area, but they only can sleep in the car and then … next day, they need to work nine to ten hours and then drive probably roughly two to five hours. So, it’s quite hard job for them if they couldn’t sleep very well,” she said.

She had also resorted to sleeping in a car a few times, but was now linking up with other guides in the hope they might have more luck finding a rental.

LJ Hooker Twizel salesperson Karan MacDiarmid said rentals were in short supply in her town and their property management team had a waiting list.

They were encouraging homeowners to consider their options, she said.

“There’s a lot that are in the Airbnb market, the short-term market, and to support this town, we still need to look after people who want to live here and work here …so we need long-term rentals,” she said.

A lot of families wanted a holiday home in Twizel, and investors were also eyeing up properties, MacDiarmid said.

“They know there’s a shortage of long-term accommodation. They see it through the social media, Facebook. People just desperate, wanting it,” she said.

It was great to see investors wanting to buy for long-term rentals and help keep the town working, she said.

She wanted to find a balance – developing their town to better cope with the tourist numbers as well as growing the number of locals and workers living there too.

Mackenzies Bar & Grill restaurant manager Karmi Dabbay said business was booming, but finding somewhere for staff to live was a challenge.

They have staff accommodation, but she said there was not enough of it and sometimes they had asked workers if they had a campervan when they ran out of rooms.

“It’s really hard at the same time to manage the tourists and the people who will work for the business itself,” she said.

“I know that we’re getting a lot of money from here, but at the same time, we have to prioritise those people who want to work and have a good accommodation because at the end of the day, people want to have their own room. A safe space for them, time for them to relax after an exhausting day.”

Last year, a council survey found the majority of residents believed tourism was good for the region, but nearly all of them had been negatively affected by tourism in the area.

Mackenzie District mayor Scott Aronsen said tourism was a massive economic driver for the region, but it was also putting huge pressure on infrastructure and housing.

He did not want to kick short-term rentals to the curb, but said they needed to encourage more homeowners and investors to consider switching to long-term rentals.

He acknowledged that it was a difficult ask, saying some turned over up to $90,000 a year as a short stay when it might earn significantly less as a long-term rental.

He knew some people were travelling more than half an hour from Twizel and Fairlie to work in Tekapo.

“From what I can ascertain from the freedom camping ambassadors that move through – effectively they’re rangers – there are definitely people that are sleeping in cars,” Aronsen said.

Last busy season, he said roughly $145,000 in abatement notices were handed to freedom campers not following the rules.

But close to $50,000 of that had to be written off because they did not pay the fine.

The Tekapo wastewater treatment plant was also under the pump. He said it was designed for about 3000 people per day.

“Currently, it’s working way over its capacity of its limits – approximately 10,000 people per day – so our sewage system in Tekapo has been pushed to the absolute limits,” he said.

An estimated $40-$50 million was needed for an upgrade.

They also faced a “bureaucratic monster” when it came to trying to free up land for more housing, he said.

Land was also in short supply and some of it was already earmarked for industrial use under an old council spatial plan, which was both difficult and time-consuming to change, Aronsen said.

The Mackenzie District Council was exploring more user-pay toilets as an option to help cover the $800,000 a year bill ratepayers faced to clean public bathrooms.

The government has been pushing for more tourism growth, but Scott Aronsen said that was not sustainable without more support.

“If you want more growth, then we need more facilities and we need our share of that IVL (international visitor levy) money because at the moment tourism is costing our ratepayers,” he said.

There was work underway to figure out the holistic cost tourism was having on the district’s ratepayers, which was expected to be finished later this month.

Other popular destinations, including Queenstown, have also raised similar concerns that their small ratepayer base was insufficient to cover the rising costs associated with growing visitor numbers.

The Tourism and Hospitality Minister has previously signalled that [. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/582869/significant-changes-on-the-horizon-for-tourism-industry

significant changes] could be on the horizon for the industry and figuring out a sustainable funding model was one of the issues expected to be addressed.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Petrol prices could start rising by the end of the week as the Middle East conflict goes on, one industry head says.

Waitomo Group chief executive Simon Parham told Checkpoint it would not be surprising to see the price of unleaded fuel hit $3 per litre in some places.

The price of brent crude already rose about 16 percent in the past week, after Iran essentially closed a key shipping route for oil.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow strip of water between Oman and Iran is a vital shipping lane for about 20 percent of the world’s oil.

Tens of millions of barrels travel through the strait each day, as well as liquified natural gas, but Iran is threatening to attack any ships trying to pass through the strait.

Are you preparing for possible petrol price hikes? Email iwitness@rnz.co.nz

There is concern the strait could become a chokepoint; forcing petrol and commodity prices up around the globe.

Parham told Checkpoint the market should be bracing for a price increase between the end of this week and early next week.

“The market had priced in risk associated with the US-Iran nuclear negotiations, but it hadn’t priced in the conflict. So I think that’s what we’re really seeing now, is the price of that conflict and the uncertainty about the duration.”

While it is too soon to tell exactly how much those increases will be, Parham was sure it would be an upwards trend.

While there was potential for fuel prices to hit $3 per litre, Parham stressed that the cost of petrol and diesel is always relative.

“There’s always a cheaper fuel option out there so look for the deal. Don’t just fall into your normal routine.

“I think now’s the time to start doing that. Do it now, do it over the next couple of weeks, as we see the prices increase.”

New Zealand receives a large portion of its refined oil from Singapore, meaning supply is not currently an issue.

Parham said while countries that rely on the Hormuz Strait may look to Singapore to supplement their supply, stockpiles in China and other places meant that there was unlikely to be any issues with getting enough oil.

“We’ve got about 20-odd days supply and that’s part of our minimum stock holding and that’s in country. There’s probably half of that, potentially 10 days, on the water, and there’s a lot of product also sitting at the refineries up in Singapore, Japan and Korea … so it’s not a product issue.”

Parham said that people should be aware of the widespread reliance on fuel across the country, meaning the cost increase may not only be seen at the petrol pump.

“Petrol and diesel, it leaves it’s sort of fingerprint across a lot of the New Zealand economy, whether it’s primary industries such as farming, agriculture, forestry, you move into civil and construction, you know, those roading pipelines or those earthworks to transport, you know, moving product to market.”

He said people will not be immune to price increases across any part of the economy.

“Ultimately we all feel it at home as well in our household budgets … it will slowly eat away and, you know, get into that disposal income that we have.”

US President Donald Trump has indicated the American-Israeli operation could last four or five weeks.

Parham said that in order to keep prices from skyrocketing, there was hope that period would be shorter, but they are currently just taking things as they come.

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