With each passing year, Kim Gordon grows more impressive. A fearless talent devoted to the avant garde who refuses to soften her artistic impulses, she’s not just releasing music into her 70s, but music that’s as challenging as her old band Sonic Youth were during their heyday.
There’s no denying Play Me is slight when compared to her 2025 release The Collective (it very much comes off as a collection of b-sides to that album), but it finds its own identity regardless, Gordon again adds vocals to trap and industrial beats, but branching out into motorik tempos and instrumental hooks that border on pop.
She worked with Justin Raisen, who helmed The Collective and has produced music for Charli XCX, Drake, and Lil Yachty, with results lighter and sillier than anything Gordon has done previously, and run through with sardonic wit. Aiming once again at topical targets, but with an even broader approach (which is saying something considering The Collective had a feminist song called ‘I’m a Man’), she holds a mirror up to things like tech bros and government censorship by approaching them at their level.
This video is hosted on Youtube.
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AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now! I’m Amy Goodman, with Nermeen Shaikh.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Global oil and natural gas prices are soaring after Israel bombed a massive natural gas reserve in Iran, the largest in the world. Iran retaliated by twice attacking the world’s largest liquid natural gas production facility, located in Qatar.
Iran also attacked key energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. At one point, the price of oil reached US$118 a barrel, a 60 percent jump since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran.
In a post online, Trump threatened to blow up the entire South Pars gas field if Iran continued to target the Qatari facility. Trump also claimed the US, “knew nothing” about the Israeli attack on the South Pars gas field, but The Wall Street Journal reports Trump approved the strike to pressure Iran to open up the critical Strait of Hormuz.
AMY GOODMAN: About 20 percent of the world’s oil exports flows through the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump has asked other countries to send warships to help force open the strait, but many nations are rejecting the request.
We’re joined now by Laleh Khalili, professor of Gulf studies at University of Exeter and the author of several books, including her latest, Extractive Capitalism: How Commodities and Cronyism Drive the Global Economy. She also wrote Sinews of War and Trade: Shipping and Capitalism in the Arabian Peninsula.
Professor Khalili, thanks so much for being with us. Can you start off by talking about the state of the Strait of Hormuz right now, its closure; President Trump, according to Reuters, perhaps sending in thousands of troops, what exactly this means; and the Israeli bombing of the South Pars gas field, the largest in the world?
President Trump said, in a rare rebuke, the US didn’t know. Most people are saying that is highly unlikely, that is probably untrue.
The end of the petrodollar? Video: Democracy Now!
Transcript:
LALEH KHALILI: So, the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important choke points for oil — a choke point being an area during which, if it’s closed down, you end up getting a major disruption in the flow of global trade.
So, the Strait of Hormuz is one. The Suez Canal is another one. The Panama Canal is another one.
And there are a number of these different choke points all around the world. Now, what’s specific about Hormuz and what’s distinctive about it is that it is the choke point where the quantity of oil that goes through is higher than any other commodity that actually flows across the strait.
As you just mentioned, about 30 percent of the global oil flows through that. And part of the reason for that is, of course, that the world’s biggest oil producers — some of the biggest oil producers are all sitting around the Persian/Arabian Gulf, so Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Abu Dhabi, which all are huge producers of oil in the first place, and then natural gas in the case of Qatar and Iran in second place.
Now, what has been fascinating is that anybody who has one of these apps that you can put on your phone, like MarineTraffic or VesselFinder, you can actually take a look at the flow of traffic, the flow of vessel traffic, flow of ship traffic, through these different seas in the world.
And if you zoom in on the Strait of Hormuz, what you’ll find is that instead of seeing actually a steady traffic of little usually pink or green arrows going through, which indicate tankers, what you end up seeing are major clusters of ships that are bunched up very near ports where oil is produced and usually put on ships.
What that indicates is that, basically, for a number of different reasons — and I’m going to go into that in a minute — the flow of ships, the flow of ship traffic, has basically come to a halt.
Now, the reasons behind this are multifold. Of course, there is, number one, that Iran is attacking a number of the ships that are going through, and the way that it’s attacking them is through the use of very cheap either drones or sea mines, and that means that it’s basically almost impossible to deal with this particular threat, because the drones are produced so extensively in terms of number and they’re so inexpensive that they can basically be replenished even if they are destroyed.
Also being smaller, they’re much harder to target, etc. So, there has been a number of drone attacks against ships carrying oil through the channel, and so, of course, that scares a lot of carriers, a lot of tankers.
The second reason, which I actually think is perhaps even more significant, in part because it is actually not something that either the US or Iran can control, is that the moment something like this happens, the moment that there is a threat against ships, what you end up having is that insurance brokers, primarily situated in London, but there are, of course, some also in the US, China and in Europe, but really the centre for provision of maritime insurance is London, at Lloyd’s, and the ship brokers end up putting a specific war risk premium on ships.
And that means that going from something like 1 percent of the cost of the hull, meaning the ship’s body, or the cargo, meaning what it’s carrying, goes to something like 5 percent, or it goes from one fraction of 1 percent to, say, 5 percent. So that means that suddenly, instead of paying in the hundreds of thousands for insurance for a super tanker, what you’re looking at is millions in insurance, which, of course, increases the cost of the oil that is traveling. So, that’s the second reason.
The third reason is something that the Houthis noticed when they were blockading the Red Sea in support of the Palestinians when Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians. And that is that sometimes the threat alone suffices in getting the ships to stop going through or, indeed, to make declarations that allows for them a degree of protection.
So, the Houthis, when they had blockaded the sea, had asked that any ships that claimed that they were not touching Israel, meaning they were not delivering to or picking up from Israel, could be allowed to go through the canal.
And so, it happened that this automatic identification system that a lot of ships — well, all ships carry — it’s called the AIS system, and the AIS system indicates what ship is in the vicinity of the system, what it’s carrying and what flag it has, meaning which authorities it responds to.
So, now what we’re seeing is that apparently Iran has mentioned that any ship, for example, that is going to China will be let through, or any ship that is not coming from one of these allied states to the US will be allowed through. Of course, there is a lot of variation in what kind of thing they have requested or what is being reported, so it’s a lot harder to see what exactly the AIS systems are being on these ships.
As I said, we are mostly seeing them clustering and waiting in these locations, one of the main ones being the Port of Fujairah, which is actually not in the Persian Gulf. It is in the Gulf of Oman.
And oil from Abu Dhabi, which is on the Persian Gulf side, is shipped to Fujaira through a pipeline. So we’re seeing a cluster of ships near Fujaira.
Iran, of course, also attacked Fujaira port. And then we’re seeing a cluster of ships near Ras Laffan, which is the main gas production and gas lifting port in Qatar. The third is, of course, around the oil fields of Saudi Arabia, a little bit further up the Persian Gulf. And so, these clusters of ships are waiting there and hoping to be able to at some point pick up oil to be carried out.
But we’re not seeing much of that flow anywhere at all.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Professor Khalili, you mentioned that there are — they are looking for, the Iranians, to see which vessels in the Strait of Hormuz — to what countries they’re affiliated, looking at their flags. Chinese vessels have reportedly been permitted to pass through the strait. China imports about 40 percent of its oil from the Middle East and has been one of the largest buyers of Iranian oil. There are also reports that the Iranians are suggesting they’d consider allowing a small number of oil tankers to pass through the strait if the oil cargo is traded in Chinese yuan rather than —
LALEH KHALILI: Yes.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: — US dollars. If you could comment on that?
LALEH KHALILI: This is really fascinating, because, of course, we know that the fundamental basis of the US imperial order since the end of the Second World War has been, on the one hand, petroleum and, on the other hand, the US dollar. The globe’s production and finance worlds are dependent on the petroleum that the US has guaranteed the flow of since the end of the Second World War, and which, until the nationalisation of oil in the 1970s and 1980s, basically controlled something like 60 percent of the world’s oil reserves.
After nationalisation, that percentage dropped dramatically, but the US dollar continues to be, and the financial channels that the US has crafted, continue to be a very significant bolster for the empire.
So, the fact that Iran is actually looking for alternatives to the dollar in order to challenge the petrodollar regime, which is, you know, as I said, one of the fundamentals of the US empire, is a really interesting and quite clever indication of how the Iranians are hoping to influence the crafting of a world post this war, or a new world order post this war, where there’s a multipolar financial system, where, for example, the dollar is no longer a single currency that rules the world and the US is the only channel that controls — or, the only power that controls financial channels, because, of course, the US has used this inordinate power to strong-arm various states, to institute sanctions, to make it difficult for its enemies, for example, to purchase oil.
And, of course, it has used it to coerce a lot of countries, as we see, for example, in the case of Cuba or Iran, or indeed Russia, to do its bidding. So, the fact that Iran is calling for petroyuans to become an alternative to petrodollars is actually quite significant also in indicating that the Iranians are well aware of how extensively the US has used its coercive sanction capabilities, through its control of the financial channels and through its mastery of the petrodollar, and are trying to erode that power.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Professor Khalili, you know, the US is now the world’s largest oil producer, but because oil is a globally priced commodity, the price goes up in the US if the world market price goes up. But —
LALEH KHALILI: That’s right.
NERMEEN SHAIKH:— how important do you think this might be in Trump’s calculation? Because another consideration, another aspect of this, may be that as oil supplies diminish from the Middle East, the US could benefit, because it is the world’s largest oil producer, and the price of its oil will go up, and the demand for its oil.
LALEH KHALILI: Absolutely. What a fantastic question, because, in fact, we have seen that when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began and the Nord Stream gas, natural gas, pipelines to Europe were sabotaged, we now — there are now indications that this may have been done at the behest of the US.and its Ukrainian allies. But nevertheless, when that sabotage happened, it actually translated into massive gains for US natural gas production.
The thing is that there are a number of reasons why oil is not — why the US cannot become the sole oil producer for the whole of the world. One is the question of proximity, for example. The second is the question of capacity that the US has in order to actually replace, for example, the oil that is produced by Saudi Arabia or by Iran or, indeed, by Russia.
But the third factor — and I think that this is the one that I think we should look out for — is that in the last 10 or 15 years, China has actually begun generating an alternative set of fuels, sustainable fuels, and developing technologies, particularly of electric and battery technologies, that will allow for, for example, solar or wind energy to displace fossil fuels.
And the more that the price of oil goes up, which, of course, we’ve seen that happen, as you mentioned earlier — and, in fact, this also translates into major windfalls for US oil companies. This oil prices going up benefits Chevron. It benefits Exxon. It doesn’t benefit the average US citizen at the petrol stations, at the gas stations, but it does benefit the oil companies.
So, it definitely does — that does happen. But the higher the price of oil goes up, the relatively cheaper it becomes to actually have sustainable alternatives, which, of course, that means that it benefits China in a major way, since China is way ahead of the rest of the world in producing these technologies and in producing them cheaply.
The solar panels that are being produced in China are a fraction of the price of solar panels that were being produced something like 15 or 20 years ago. And I think this shift is actually a major long-term concern for the oil companies.
In the short term, they’re taking all the windfall that they can get. But this, again, is — the kind of a postwar order that will likely also have major implications for the kind of energy people are paying to use or people are willing to use, actually.
AMY GOODMAN: We just have 20 seconds. But the effect of the bombing of the South Pars facility, the largest gas facility in the world, what it means for Iran, what it means for the world, and President Trump denying the US had anything to do with, which most do not believe?
LALEH KHALILI: No, absolutely not. There is no way that Israel would have actually done this without coordination with the United States. And, in fact, the channels that deny, for example, that the US coordinated, or report Trump’s denials, are the channels that are often used to feed us the kinds of lies that the administration tells us.
But what is quite significant about South Pars — and I know it’s a very short time left, so I’m going to be very quick about it — is that the South Pars field is actually shared between Iran and Qatar.
The North Dome, which is on the south part of the Persian Gulf, is Qatar’s share of this major field, and Iran’s bit is in the northern part of the Persian Gulf.
And so, the destruction of the infrastructure there will not only have an effect on Iranians’ ability to produce electricity and fuel their various kinds of industries and/or homes, but it will also have an effect on the infrastructures that are used by the Qataris and which the Iranians and Qataris have been using in an extraordinary degree — to an extraordinary degree of coordination since the fields have been used. So, this actually also affects Qatar.
The bombing itself also affects Qatar. And I don’t think that this is a calculation that the rather know-nothing Trump administration has taken into account.
AMY GOODMAN: Laleh Khalili, we want to thank you so much for being with us, professor of Gulf studies at University of Exeter, author of several books, including her latest, Extractive Capitalism: How Commodities and Cronyism Drive the Global Economy. Thanks so much for being there.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
For today’s South Australian state election, The Poll Bludger’s results have Labor winning 31 of the 47 lower house seats, the Liberals four, One Nation one and independents one, with ten still in some doubt. This is already a majority for Labor.
When doubtful seats are assigned to the most likely winner, Labor has 35 seats, One Nation four, the Liberals four and independents four. If this occurs, Labor would gain eight seats from the 2022 election, which was already a thumping win for Labor, the Liberals would be down 12, One Nation up four and independents steady.
Primary votes are currently 37.8% Labor (down 1.9% in booth matched swing from the 2022 election), 20.8% One Nation (up 18.5%), 18.4% Liberals (down 16.9%), 12.0% Greens (up 1.9%) and 5.6% independents (up 2.9%). A Labor vs Liberal two-party estimate has Labor winning by 59.2–40.8, a 4.6% swing to Labor.
While SA Labor was a first-term government, a negative impact from a somewhat unpopular federal Labor government should have been expected. Labor’s landslide will be devastating for the Liberals.
While One Nation is beating the Liberals on primary votes by 3.4%, which of these parties wins the most seats is still to be determined.
The Poll Bludger’s results map currently shows only one Adelaide seat being won by a conservative party (Bragg by the Liberals). If Australia’s cities keep trending to the left, it will be very difficult for the right to win here.
Except for a late experimental Resolve poll that was conducted using AI, the polling for this election appears to have been accurate. It will be at least another week before we have final primary votes for the election.
There are many seats where the electoral commission selected the incorrect two candidates for its election night two candidate preferred. In these seats, the count will need to be realigned between the correct two candidates. This will probably occur early next week. One Nation’s surge meant that the old Labor vs Liberal two candidate selection no longer automatically applies.
The large number of pre-poll votes are unlikely to be counted until later tonight, with some not finished by the end of tonight. These votes may affect some results, but the overall Labor landslide will still occur.
I will update this article Sunday morning with more details on the results, including a look at the upper house. In the upper house, 11 of the 22 members were up by statewide proportional representation with preferences. A quota for election was one-twelfth of the vote or 8.3%.
Late SA Resolve poll
I covered four SA polls in Friday’s article. In a further poll, Resolve conducted “a new experimental AI poll” of SA for Nine newspapers on March 16 from a sample of 1,112. This poll gave Labor 32% of the primary vote, One Nation 28%, the Liberals 18%, the Greens 10% and all Others 11%.
Crusaders winger Chay Fihaki goes over for his second try.Brett Phibbs / www.photosport.nz
Revenge served.
The Crusaders dished up a vengeful performance against Moana in Albany, to all but banish memories of their loss to the side at home in 2025.
“They stung us deeply last year,” said coach Rob Penney.
“I wouldn’t say revenge, but it was certainly something that we were well aware of, there was a lot more physical presence about us this year compared with last year.”
The defeat was buried in ruthless fashion, the Crusaders putting fifty on the proud franchise in their first appearance on the North Shore for the year.
After a lacklustre effort from a Will Jordan-less Crusaders against the Blues, Penney threw the challenge down to his backs to take the pressure off their superstar fullback.
Step up Sevu Reece, Chay Fihaki, Braydon Ennor and Leicester Faingaʻanuku.
The quartet were lethal with ball in hand alongside Jordan, combining for five scorching tries and some scintillating running rugby.
“You start rattling those names off, and how blessed are we with the talent that we’ve got? We’ve just got to keep supplying the opportunities. The ability for us to have multiple threats across the park is such a key for us, we’ve got the cattle.”
Penney worried too much reliance was being put on their superstar fullback, who was also handed captaincy duties for the clash with David Havili sidelined.
“Will stepped in and took over that leadership role superbly. So really, we didn’t miss a beat.”
After a rough start to their campaign, both Jordan and Penney felt things were clicking for the defending champs.
“It’s nice to get back-to-back victories, we’re a dangerous side and I think there’s still growth for us.” Jordan said.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Cantabs, up by just three at half-time, before the floodgates burst open.
“The job was not fully done, we felt that was close towards the back end of the first half, and the boys just went to work in the second half, it was awesome,” said Penney.
Penney said his side was still far from the finished product.
“We still have a wee way to go. I think we’ve got a lot in us, and so I hope we have the ability to unleash further.”
A scary prospect for opposition sides.
“I hope so,” said Penney.
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Ifeanyi Eze scored the crucial goal for the Phoenix. File photo.AAP / Photosport
A superb goal by Ifeanyi Eze has given the Wellington Phoenix a vital 2-1 win over the Brisbane Roar in Brisbane.
It continues the resurgence of the Phoenix under interim coach Chris Greenacre and crucially keeps them in the hunt for an A-League men’s playoffs spot.
They are now just one point off the top six, as they sit in eighth place.
A loss would have left them with a big mountain to climb with four regular-season matches remaining.
They have had two wins in a row and are unbeaten in their last three under Greenacre, who oversaw a loss to Sydney FC just after he took over from men’s Giancarlo Italiano, who had resigned immediately after the 5-0 drubbing delivered by Auckland FC on 21 February.
The match with Brisbane could have gone either way before Eze’s clincher in the 86th minute.
Former Phoenix player James McGarry put the Roar 1-0 ahead after 14 minutes, with Corban Piper locking the scores up with a tap-in from Isaac Hughes header in the 36th minute.
It remained that way until the late counter-attack saw Luke Brooke-Smith slide a superb pass to Eze, who struck it with great timing to leave Roar goalie Dean Bouzanis no chance of stopping it.
There was an ugly head clash late in the game with a bloodied Hughes having to leave the field, and the Phoenix were able to repel the late attacks by the Roar, whose appeals for two late penalties were rebuffed.
Eze said the win meant everything to the Phoenix.
“This means everything to us, because our main target is getting into the top six,” he told Sky Sport.
“I’m very happy we won, I’m very happy we got the three points.”
It was the Phoenix’s third win over the Roar this season.
The Wellington side will cross the Tasman to play Melbourne Victory next on 5 April, while the Roar will host Sydney FC three days earlier.
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Follow all the Super Rugby action as the Blues take on the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium in Sydney.
Kick-off is 9.35pm.
Blues team list:
Ofa Tu’ungafasi 2. Bradley Slater 3. Sam Matenga 4. Josh Beehre 5. Sam Darry 6. Anton Segner 7. Dalton Papali’i (c) 8. Malachi Wrampling 9. Finlay Christie 10. Beauden Barrett 11. Caleb Clarke 12. Pita Ahki 13. AJ Lam 14. Codemeru Vai 15. Zarn Sullivan
Bench: 16. James Mullan 17. Mason Tupaea 18. Marcel Renata 19. Che Clark 20. Torian Barnes 21. Taufa Funaki 22. Xavi Taele 23. Payton Spencer (debut).
“The Waratahs are always a dangerous side particularly at home in Sydney, so we’ll need to be accurate and disciplined for 80 minutes.” – Blues coach Vern Cotter.
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A New Zealand woman has drowned while on holiday in Rarotonga.
In a social media post on Saturday, the Cook Islands Police said the 66-year-old tourist was pulled unresponsive from the lagoon at Vaimaanga late Wednesday afternoon.
They said she had been snorkelling with friends.
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they are aware of reports of the death but cannot comment due to privacy reasons.
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The defending champions avenged last year’s shock loss to Moana Pasifka in ruthless style, crushing the cellar dwellers 50-21 in Albany.
Up by just three at the break, the Crusaders ran riot in the second, producing some scintillating running rugby in the rout.
Moana lost Julian Savea early to what looked like a broken arm before the Crusaders opened the scoring, Braydon Ennor showing tremendous strength to carry three defenders with him across the line.
Sevu Reece went in next to stretch his lead as Super Rugby’s most prolific try scorer, finishing a scorcher for the visitors.
Sparked by a Will Jordan injection, the fullback offloaded infield and from there it was a beautiful exchange of passes, Chay Fihaki with the last one to Reece.
Moana pulled one back as Patrick Pellegrini found a deft offload for Lalomilo Lalomilo who broke clear and linked with Joel Lam to score against his old side.
Replacement Tevita Ofa made it two in quick succession to give Moana the lead, the winger showing great gas to get on the outside of his opposite.
The Crusader’s quickly restored their lead though, Cooper Grant sending a pinpoint kick across for Chay Fihaki to pouch and plant to give them a narrow 17-14 half-time lead.
The second half however, belonged to the Crusaders.
Fainga’anuku kicked off the scoring spree with a mesmeric fourty metre run turning defenders inside out.
George Bell barged his way over for back to back, to really put things out of reach, before debutant Kurtis Macdonald scored with his first touch from a Fihaki cut out ball.
Fihaki capped his stellar night with a second as he exploded through the line and skinned the final man to score his second, Moana getting a late consolation courtesy of an intercept for Siaosi Nginingini.
See how the match unfolded here.
Team lists
Moana:
1. Tito Tuipulotu 2. Millennium Sanerivi 3. Atu Moli 4. Tom Savage 5. Allan Craig 6. Miracle Faiilagi (c) 7. Niko Jones 8. Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa 9. Joel Lam 10. Patrick Pellegrini 11. Glen Vaihu 12. Julian Savea 13. Lalomilo Lalomilo 14. Tevita Latu 15. William Havili
Bench: 16. Mamoru Harada 17. Abraham Pole 18. Chris Apoua 19. Veikoso Poloniati 20. Dominic Ropeti 21. Siaosi Nginingini 22. Jackson Garden-Bachop 23. Tevita Ofa.
“We’re in search of playing our game and hopefully we can get it..” – Head coach Fa’alogo Tana Umaga.
Crusaders:
1. Finlay Brewis 2. George Bell 3. Fletcher Newell 4. Tahlor Cahill 5. Jamie Hannah 6. Ethan Blackadder (vc) 7. Johnny Lee 8. Christian Lio-Willie 9. Noah Hotham 10. Cooper Grant (debut) 11. Sevu Reece 12. Dallas McLeod 13. Braydon Ennor 14. Chay Fihaki 15. Will Jordan (c)
Bench: 16. Manumaua Letiu 17. George Bower 18. Seb Calder 19. Antonio Shalfoon 20. Xavier Saifoloi 21. Kyle Preston 22. Leicester Fainga’anuku 23. Kurtis Macdonald (debut).
“We’re going week by week. The aim is to back up a win with a win, build our consistency, prepare well, and hit the ground running. We haven’t had the quickest starts, so doing those things will make it very satisfying.” – Crusaders coach Rob Penney.
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Rafael Durán scores for Macarthur FC against Auckland FC at Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, 21 March, 2026.Photosport.nz
Auckland FC have suffered a shock 2-1 loss to the Macarthur Bulls on, a dampener on their chances of winning a second straight Premier’s Cup.
It was a result that the fans didn’t see coming. Auckland FC went into Saturday’s match in a rich vein of form with their brilliant 2-1 away win over competition leader the Newcastle Jets last week, which left them unbeaten in six matches, while sixth-placed Macarthur had lost their last four matches.
But they looked the in-form side when Rafael Durán put them in front in the 11th minute and even more so when Tomi Uskok soared to head home a pinpoint cross from Chris Ikonomidis just before halftime.
Auckland coach Steve Corica rang the changes to his lethargic-looking side at halftime, replacing Guillermo May, Callan Elliot and Felipe Gallegos with Lachlan Brook, Luka Vicelich and Louis Verstraete.
The attack was better, they created more chances, but the determined Macarthur defence held them out, until the third minute of added time when Jake Girdwood-Reich headed one in.
The now-urgent Auckanders quickly sought another goal in the last two minutes of added time to give them a draw, but Macarthur held them out.
Auckland FC trailed the Jets on the ladder by one point heading into this game, but the Jets get the chance to go four ahead when they play Sydney FC on Sunday.
Auckland coach Steve Corica was clearly unhappy with the effort.
“Last week that was probably our best performance against Newcastle, that was probably our worst,” he told Sky Sport.
“We let the fans down, we let everyone down today,” he said.
“We have given ourselves another tough hurdle to climb to the premiership.”
Auckland’s next game is against Adelaide United on Good Friday, 3 April, with three matches of the regular season left after that.
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The small farming township of Rakaia’s river was once internationally-recognised for its abundant sea-run chinook salmon and other aquatic species, but population numbers have since drastically declined.Steve Terry
It’s hoped a new $1.7 million wetland in Mid Canterbury will improve the once-thriving salmon run in the Rakaia River.
For the past 70 years, Glenariffe Stream – considered a key salmon-spawning site in the braided river – has been diverted to drain farmland.
The stream contributed around 18 percent of the wild chinook salmon that returned to spawn in the river.
For the small farming township of Rakaia, south of Christchurch, its river was once internationally-recognised for its abundant sea-run chinook salmon and other aquatic species, but population numbers have since drastically declined.
Now, three large high country farms have retired hundreds of hectares of land to return the river’s eastern branch to its original course, pre-agricultural expansion.
Forty-four hectares of the wetland habitat have also been restored.
With Fish and Game the project lead, its North Canterbury project manager, Steve Terry, said [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/571617/fish-and-game-family-fishing-licences-to-undergo-changes-to-remove-historic-anomaly
protecting spawning habitat] was one of the few levers available to help the fishery recover.
“Salmon numbers are at historic lows not just in Canterbury but across New Zealand’s East Coast rivers, with unfavourable, warmer ocean conditions among the key drivers of decline.”
He said while the ocean and climate could not be controlled, the efforts would ensure that when salmon do return to the Rakaia to spawn, their offspring have the best possible habitat.
“Glenariffe Stream is one of the river’s most significant spawning tributaries, and for 70 years it simply wasn’t functioning as it should. Getting it back to its natural course is a major step forward for the fishery,” Terry said.
The McIntyre wetland project was named after the late James McIntyre, who bequeathed $550,000 to the project.
Meanwhile, taxpayers fronted $784,000 towards the three-year project under the Ministry for the Environment’s freshwater improvement fund.
Double Hill Station retired 77 hectares of wetlands and waterways, Redcliffes Station stopped farming on 59 hectares of wetlands and native scrub, and a 200-hectare QEII covenant protecting the Hydra Waters for Mount Algidus Station.
For the first time in 40 years, organisers of the annual Rakaia River Fishing competition did not weigh in any fish to allow the fishery to recover.
But Hunting and Fishing Minister James Meager said a range of options to help restore state of the fishery were being considered with Fish and Game.
“We have had some concerns over the stock of the fishery there in terms of sea-run salmon.”
But he said it was all about balancing the economic drivers with environmental outcomes.
Meager said a water conservation order in place here provided guardrails, so farmers could irrigate within safe environmental limits.
He said irrigators had high standards, and he hoped Resource Management Act reform would see consenting for water storage eased.
“It’s all a balance though, of course, because we have to generate enough economic activity in the region, and we know that water is a big part of that in Mid-Canterbury, while balancing that off against the environmental outcomes that we want to achieve,” Meager said.
“So particularly for this project, it reaches a good balance.”
When asked if the economic drivers versus environmental impacts were unbalanced, he said he did not think so.
“If you look at the progress that’s been made over the past 10, 20, 30 years in terms of farming practice, in terms of the awareness of our activity and the impact on the environment, I actually think we’ve come a long way.”
Meanwhile, environmental critics including fish veterinarian Peter Trolove said salmon returns were excellent before the privatisation of public grazing runs, following the High Country tenure review.
Published back at the turn of the millennium, the Glenariffe stream’s tenure review warned that land‑use changes could worsen river sedimentation, water quality deterioration and habitat loss-issues.
The Salmon Anglers Association will hold a meeting about the future of the fishery in Christchurch on Thursday.
The wetland restoration was a partnership with landowners, the Canterbury regional council, Cawthron Institute, Manawa Energy, Rakaia River Fishing Promptions and QEII Trust.
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Leka Halasima scores a try against Newcastle Knights.David Neilson/Photosport
For only the second time in club history, NZ Warriors have surged to a three-game winning streak to start their NRL season, overwhelming previously unbeaten Newcastle Knights 38-12 at McDonald Jones Stadium.
The only previous occasion they have managed this feat was 2018, when the Auckland club rattled off five straight victories.
Co-captain Mitch Barnett returned to action for the first time, since his season-ending knee injury last June and showed no rust, as he laid on a try for fellow front-rower Jackson Ford, who was celebrating his 100th first-grade game.
Barnett’s appearance from the interchange was his 50th for the club.
“It was nice to come off the bench for a change, when there was a bit of sting out of the game,” he said. “Great to be back.”
Newcastle grabbed an early lead, when fullback Fletcher Hunt crossed for a try in the third minute, but the Warriors piled on 30 consecutive points to take control of the contest.
The Knights finally answered through wing Greg Marzhew, but the visitors finished with a flourish, as wing Dallin Watene-Zelezniak fielded a desperation kick after the final siren and sent fullback Taine Tuaupiki into the clear.
As he crossed the tryline, Tuaupiki flung a pass inside for debutant Luke Hanson to score, as Ford celebrated his milestone with the first goal of his career.
The result puts the Warriors on top of the table on points differential over Penrith Panthers and they host Wests Tigers at Go Media Stadium next Friday.
Follow the live action there:
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A New Zealand woman has drowned while on holiday in Rarotonga.
In a social media post on Saturday, the Cook Islands Police said the 66-year-old tourist was pulled unresponsive from the lagoon at Vaimaanga late Wednesday afternoon.
They said she had been snorkelling with friends.
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they are aware of reports of the death but cannot comment due to privacy reasons.
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Follow all the Super Rugby Pacific action as the Crusaders take on Moana Pasifika at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland.
Kick-off is at 7.05pm.
Team lists
Moana:
1. Tito Tuipulotu 2. Millennium Sanerivi 3. Atu Moli 4. Tom Savage 5. Allan Craig 6. Miracle Faiilagi (c) 7. Niko Jones 8. Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa 9. Joel Lam 10. Patrick Pellegrini 11. Glen Vaihu 12. Julian Savea 13. Lalomilo Lalomilo 14. Tevita Latu 15. William Havili
Bench: 16. Mamoru Harada 17. Abraham Pole 18. Chris Apoua 19. Veikoso Poloniati 20. Dominic Ropeti 21. Siaosi Nginingini 22. Jackson Garden-Bachop 23. Tevita Ofa.
“We’re in search of playing our game and hopefully we can get it..” – Head coach Fa’alogo Tana Umaga.
Crusaders:
1. Finlay Brewis 2. George Bell 3. Fletcher Newell 4. Tahlor Cahill 5. Jamie Hannah 6. Ethan Blackadder (vc) 7. Johnny Lee 8. Christian Lio-Willie 9. Noah Hotham 10. Cooper Grant (debut) 11. Sevu Reece 12. Dallas McLeod 13. Braydon Ennor 14. Chay Fihaki 15. Will Jordan (c)
Bench: 16. Manumaua Letiu 17. George Bower 18. Seb Calder 19. Antonio Shalfoon 20. Xavier Saifoloi 21. Kyle Preston 22. Leicester Fainga’anuku 23. Kurtis Macdonald (debut).
“We’re going week by week. The aim is to back up a win with a win, build our consistency, prepare well, and hit the ground running. We haven’t had the quickest starts, so doing those things will make it very satisfying.” – Crusaders coach Rob Penney.
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Fijian Drua couldn’t capitalise on their home advantage as they lost their Super Rugby Pacific match 21-6 to the Queensland Reds in Lautoka.
The Drua had won five of their last seven matches on their home turf but struggled to find cohesion in their attacks today.
Both teams made plenty of mistakes in a scrappy affair but the Reds made two telling blows in the second half, and the Drua just couldn’t respond despite trying hard.
The Reds led 7-6 at halftime, but the second spell tries to Harry McLaughlin-Phillips and Richie Asiata blunted the Drua effort, as the players made too many handling errors.
The result gives the Reds a bonus point victory and four wins in a row, while the Drua are left in ninth place on the table, with four of their next five games away from home.
See how the match unfolded here.
Kick-off was at Suncorp Stadium at 4.35pm.
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Corrections undertook a safety review following the stabbing.NZME
An offender who became enraged during a meeting with his probation officer repeatedly stabbed the man in what has been described as the most serious attack on a probation officer in the country’s history.
The officer suffered life-threatening injuries after being stabbed in the head and four times in the chest by Taylor Lara Broughton, who had taken a flick knife to the meeting.
After the initial attack, he continued trying to stab the officer, but the victim’s “valiant and determined resistance” saved his life, a judge said.
Broughton later claimed he stood by his actions.
Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi (PSA), a Corrections staff union, told NZME that probation officers’ work was inherently dangerous but they were not given the basic protections, training or resources needed
to keep them safe.
It was concerned for its Community Corrections members, saying that, despite the near-fatal attack, Corrections has largely failed to act on the union’s safety recommendations.
But Corrections said its review into the incident, and a wider review, identified what more it could do to provide safe work environments for Community Corrections staff, and it was in the process of implementing safety enhancements.
However, it said the risk of violence could not be eliminated entirely and noted assaults on the staff were rare.
Police guarded the Community Corrections office in Whanganui after the probation officer was attacked.NZME / Eva de Jong
A prior risk assessment of Broughton, who had no history of violence or aggression towards Corrections’ staff, considered him suitable to be alone with his probation officer.
While Broughton had a knife in his pocket, Corrections said it does not have the authority to use metal detectors or conduct body searches at its community sites.
Enraged offender pulled out flick knife
According to court documents released to NZME, Broughton was serving a sentence of intensive supervision for firearms and offensive weapons offending when he met with his probation officer at Community Corrections in Whanganui
on 9 April, 2025.
That morning, the pair were wrapping up their appointment when, without warning, Broughton became enraged because the officer would not let him sign a document and keep a copy.
He waited until the officer turned and was distracted with paperwork before, “in a swift action”, he took the flick knife from his pocket and swung it at the victim, causing a deep cut to the side of his head.
A scuffle ensued, during which Broughton stabbed the probation officer in the chest four times as the officer tried to fight him off.
As they fell to the ground, Broughton continued trying to stab him but was prevented from doing so.
Taylor Lara Broughton was sentenced in Whanganui District Court.NZME / Bevan Conley
Other staff members intervened and Broughton was subdued and restrained until police arrived.
The officer was hospitalised for treatment of the stab wounds, a fractured rib and a small bleed in his lung.
Meanwhile, Broughton told police he became angry because he was unable to keep the document, which he said he was normally allowed to do.
He said he “stands by [his] actions”.
Broughton was sentenced in the Whanganui District Court in January this year for the attack.
‘Most serious assault ever’
At the hearing, Judge Bruce Davidson said the officer’s injuries were initially life-threatening, with one wound close to his heart and another near a vital artery. The injury to the head caused a small skull chip.
“This attack is said to be the most serious assault ever on a probation officer in New Zealand,” Judge Davidson said, according to his sentencing notes.
The judge said there was nothing to suggest Broughton had any obvious angst with the probation officer, “who was doing his level best to assist with [Broughton’s] rehabilitative pathway under the intensive supervision sentence”.
The victim was described as an experienced and skilled probation officer who, the judge said, had tried hard to defend himself.
Judge Bruce Davidson sent Taylor Lara Broughton to prison.NZME
“Your attack was sudden, swift and lethal and most likely it was only the valiant and determined resistance of your victim that saved his life,” Judge Davidson told Broughton at the hearing.
Since the attack, the officer has suffered ongoing concussion, headaches, fatigue and an inability to concentrate.
“The effects for him have been profound, physically, psychologically and emotionally,” the judge said.
“These effects have flowed on to his immediate family, whānau and work colleagues. Only now, some nine months later, he is on a return-to-work plan.”
At sentencing, the Crown proposed 11 years’ imprisonment as an appropriate starting point, submitting that Broughton lacked remorse and insight and that there were barriers to treatment given his failure to engage with the intensive
supervision sentence.
But the defence suggested a starting point of seven years and six months, submitting the attack was brief and something had “triggered [Broughton’s] rage”. His deteriorating mental health and personal background were justifiable
mitigating factors, his counsel said.
Judge Davidson said the writer of Broughton’s presentence report was rightly “deeply troubled” that Broughton had armed himself before attending the appointment, and by his “rather casual, if not nonchalant” attitude towards weapons
and violence.
The judge described the attack as extreme, sudden and unprovoked. He said it was premeditated and the injuries had a significant and profound effect.
However, he had also watched CCTV footage of the incident and described it as brief, lasting about 20 seconds.
For that reason, the judge stopped short of the Crown’s suggested starting point and instead adopted one of nine years and six months.
He then applied an uplift for offending committed while Broughton was serving a sentence and noted his prior firearms and weapons convictions.
Broughton was given credit for his guilty plea, mental health and the causal link between his “violent and traumatic” upbringing and his offending.
His final sentence on the charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was six years and three months’ imprisonment.
Probation officers’ safety under the spotlight
This week, PSA national secretary Duane Leo told NZME that Community Corrections staff manage a population that is by nature “volatile, violent, and anti-authority”.
He described the work undertaken as “fundamentally unsafe and dangerous”.
“Yet staff receive minimal training in how to respond to violence and aggression and what training is provided is regarded by PSA members as completely ill-matched to the risks they face every day,” Leo said.
He said PSA members say they see no difference in their health and safety at work a year on from the stabbing.
“Offenders may come into offices affected by methamphetamine or other substances and there is no weapons detection before they enter a room with their probation officer.”
The PSA has been explicit in its demands to Corrections since the stabbing over what is required to ensure probation officers are kept safe at work, Leo said, adding that very few recommendations have been supported by Corrections.
The urgent requests included body-worn duress alarms, GPS monitoring of staff, professional supervision, especially when managing violent offenders and sex offenders, information-sharing with police, and pay in accordance with the
risks they face, which their colleagues working in prisons receive.
Leo said the government must properly resource Community Corrections to support rehabilitation, while Corrections must ensure public and staff safety.
Brigid Kean, Corrections’ acting director, communities, partnerships and pathways, said keeping staff safe was the top priority and any violence directed towards them was completely unacceptable.
Safety processes were in place at all Community Corrections sites around the country, including Whanganui, she said.
This included staff training on de-escalation and keeping safe at work, physical security features, CCTV and technological security features enabling staff to call for urgent assistance.
Kean said for security reasons, she could not detail all the security measures in place.
She said Corrections’ review following the stabbing identified more than 40 “appropriate steps to deliver effective enhancements to safety”, of which it had started implementing more than half.
A start would be made on the remainder over the next two years, she said.
However, the PSA said that of the actions Corrections had already begun implementing, only one had been completed as of February 27. Nine were in progress, seven were in the planning stage and three had not yet started.
With high prices dragging on, officials are being urged to consider putting off work set to shut down our biggest city’s train network for days at a time.
Councillor Richard Hills said last Tuesday was the city’s busiest day on public transport since 2019.
There were 7,000 more trips than the previous busiest day two days before.
“We’ve got March Madness right now, in April it’ll still be quite busy,” Public Transport Users Association national coordinator John Reeves said.
“Yes, there is an Easter holiday, and there is also Anzac weekend; however, with the petrol prices skyrocketing, I think maybe Auckland Transport and KiwiRail could delay the planned closures, even push it back to possibly May or even June,” he said.
But that would also cause delays down the line, as works continue to get ready for the multi-billion dollar, much delayed City Rail Link (CRL) set to open later this year.
“Yes, there will be a knock-on effect with the City Rail Link opening date, so it’s kind of a no-win situation here, and unfortunately, the passengers come off second best no matter what.”
Reeves said given the uptick in public transport use, it was “probably the worst time” to have line closures with trains replaced by “mediocre” rail replacement buses.
“I think every train user knows that when they see a rail replacement bus is on, you sort of feel quite disappointed, the problem is sometimes they don’t turn up,” he said.
“Personally myself, late at night, the rail replacement bus just has not come at all, and you’re left in the middle of somewhere in South Auckland, wondering how you’re going to get home.”
Reeves said Aucklanders were champing at the bit for the CRL to open, and it would be a game-changer for the city.
“There is a lot of works still required prior to that; then that will delay the City Rail Link opening; however, unfortunately, petrol prices are skyrocketing by the day, so people are wanting to jump on trains, and unfortunately, with line closures, it makes a very disappointing public transport service for them.”
KiwiRail and Auckland Transport have been approached for comment.
Auckland’s upcoming rail closures
Auckland Transport’s planned rail closures calendar for April 2026. Screenshot.Auckland Transport
Southern Line:
The line will be fully closed from 3-6 April. There will be a partial closure between Puhinui and Pukekohe from 7-12 April 2026.
The entire line will close again from 13-15 April.
On 25 April, trains will run until 2pm before the line shuts for the rest of the day, followed by another full closure from 26-27 April.
Eastern Line:
The line will be closed from 3-11 April, with trains running only to and from Manukau.
It will shut again from 13-15 April.
On 25 April, trains will run until 2pm before the line closes for the remainder of the day.
Another full closure is scheduled for 26-27 April.
Western Line:
The line will close from 3-6 April and again from 13-15 April.
On 25 April, services will run until 2pm before shutting for the rest of the day, followed by a full closure from 26-27 April.
Onehunga Line:
The line will close from 3-6 April and again from 13-15 April.
On 25 April, trains will run until 2pm before the line closes for the remainder of the day.
The line will then shut again from 26-27 April.
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An exiled leader of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has condemned Indonesia’s “cruel and humiliating” arbitrary arrest of 12 West Papuan local farmers in Tambrauw Regency this week and has demanded their release.
According to Human Rights Monitor, the arrests took place on March 18, after Indonesia conducted military operations in the Fef and Bamus Bama districts.
People were dragged out of their homes, tortured, and detained without any warrants or explanation.
“This is how Indonesia treats West Papuans, as less than human,” said ULMWP interim president Benny Wenda in a statement.
“The 12 men arrested in Tambrauw have been labelled TPNPB [West Papua National Liberation Army] and stigmatised as terrorists and criminals by the Indonesian colonisers.
“But who is the real terrorist? These men are the customary landowners, simply defending their forest, their homes, from the military who come to destroy everything.”
Wenda said the Indigenous people had been living there for thousands of years — “long before Indonesia invaded and stole our sovereignty.”
He added: “They didn’t go to Jakarta; Indonesia came to them with bombs and guns.”
Indonesia ‘stolen our resources’ Wenda asked who was the real criminal.
“The people of Tambrauw have been tending their gardens in peace for generations. It is Indonesia who has come and stolen our resources, torn down our forest to plant rice and sugar so people in Jakarta can eat.
“There is no real development in West Papua, only business for Indonesia.”
Wenda said that when he looked at the pictures of the arrested Papuans with their hands tied, forced face down on a police station floor, he saw his own people.
“They represent all West Papuans — humiliated and degraded in their own land.”
Wenda said Indonesia could never defeat the Papuan spirit.
“You can arrest us, torture us, kill us, but the spirit of freedom lives on in every West Papuan,” he said.
Experienced trauma “Whether they are in the bush, the city, in exile, or even working in the Indonesian government, every West Papuan has experienced trauma at the hands of the Indonesian military and police.
“Every single one of us has an uncle who has been killed, a mother who has been raped, or a brother who has been tortured in police custody.
“We all long for merdeka [freedom]. That is why Indonesia has deployed over 80,000 security forces to terrorise our land — because they are terrified of our desire for freedom.”
As well as demanding that the 12 Papuans be released, Wenda said Indonesia must also finally allow foreign journalists to report on West Papua and immediately facilitate a visit to West Papua by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Bluebridge ferry Connemara. File photo.RNZ / Bill Hickman
A technical fault has halted sailings on a Cook Strait ferry this weekend, disrupting travel between Wellington and Picton.
Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferries said a fault was identified on board the Connemara on Saturday morning.
The ferry will remain in port while the issue is investigated and repaired.
As a result, multiple sailings between Wellington and Picton have been cancelled on Saturday and Sunday.
Cancelled sailings include the 8.15am Wellington to Picton service on both days, as well as Picton to Wellington sailings scheduled for 2.30am and 2pm on Saturday, and 2pm on Sunday.
Bluebridge said affected passengers were being contacted by email and text message.
However, the company warned there were limited options available to rebook passengers on alternative sailings.
Standby lists will be available at both ports for affected customers hoping to travel on later sailings.
Customers could change their booking online or contact Bluebridge’s customer service team, although the company said its call centre was experiencing very high call volumes.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on March 21, 2026.
Israel – the parasite state sabotaging peace in the Middle East COMMENTARY: By Marcus Alexander In a stunning resignation that has sent shockwaves through Washington, former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent has exposed what many have long suspected but few have dared to state publicly — Israel is systematically undermining peace in the Middle East to serve its own expansionist agenda. Joe Kent, a 20-year
Northern Mariana Islands’ security and stability vital for US, say military leaders By Mark Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas correspondent The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands’ (CNMI) economic struggles are not just a local issue, but a matter of strategic importance to American operations in the Indo-Pacific, say senior US military leaders. In a letter, dated 25 February 2026, Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of
Caitlin Johnstone: Iran is forcing the world to care about US-Israeli warmongering Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone Westerners are about to start paying a lot more attention to the war in Iran as massive US-Israeli escalations point to a coming energy crisis set to impact on the whole world. Israel has bombed the world’s largest natural gas field in
Why Middle East gas field attacks could send energy prices soaring Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tina Soliman Hunter, Professor of Energy and Natural Resources Law, Macquarie University Israel’s bombing of Iran’s South Pars gas field has sent shockwaves through global energy markets. The South Pars gas field is part of the world’s largest gas field, known as North Dome, shared by Iran
If you still need to fly amid global travel chaos, here’s what to know Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Leib, Associate Professor in Aviation, CQUniversity Australia We are now three weeks into the war between the United States, Israel and Iran, which has grown to engulf much of the Middle East. There are few signs the conflict will slow down or stop anytime soon. The
Early wins for the social media ban, new survey claims. But the full picture is far more complicated Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan M. Sawyer, Professor of Adolescent Health The University of Melbourne; Director, Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Adolescent Health; and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, The University of Melbourne Australia’s world-first national legislation to restrict access to social media accounts for children under 16 years old has been
Ian Powell: Iran, US imperialism and the New Zealand lapdog COMMENTARY: By Ian Powell When Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, was assassinated in the opening stages of the US-Israeli war against Iran, I didn’t mourn. Khamenei was not someone who deserved to be mourned notwithstanding my contempt for the increasing use of assassination by aggressor nations; in this case the United States and
Keith Rankin Analysis – 1956, 1967, 1973, 1979 and all that: Shipping, Oil, and Inflation Analysis by Keith Rankin, 20 March 2026. The human world changed twice during the twentieth century. The first transition lasted from 1914 to 1945. The principal cause of World War Two was World War One. So, to understand the drivers of that long transition, indeed a great levelling event, it is necessary to investigate the
He said people were marking the price high so those stations moved to the bottom of the list.
There have been reports on the app of 91 hitting $4 in parts of Auckland, but the stations themselves said it was still selling at $3.29.
However Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub said based on current spot prices, the price at the pumps could be significantly higher: “When you look at the current spot price for refined product in Singapore and Korea, that’s roughly equivalent to $3.80.”
There were already signs people were driving less than normal, he said.
Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan said a $4 per litre 91 price was looking much more likely.
Both Kiernan and Eaqub said the most pressing concern was what would happen when supply was disrupted, which may be in about five weeks’ time.
“There’s been so much disruption, it’s really that lack of supply, the feedstock into the refineries, that’s the big concern at the moment,” Eaqub said.
“Things are still on the way. It’s going to be the next lot of ships, because the ships from Hormuz have arrived in Korea and Singapore now, so there is no more new feedstock going in… that’s why we need to keep watching the ships that are sailing from Singapore and Korea for the next little while.”
He said it was likely to hit a crunch in May or June.
Diesel shortages were more of a concern, he said. “There’s disruption in fuel supplies, diesel supplies in the provinces already. It’s the unpredictability of it, because most of the logistics sector relies on contracts with preferred suppliers and they expect to be able to pull in and fill up.
“When they can’t it puts the whole network under pressure. That’s why I think it’s so important for us to have some kind of logistics strategy and coordination framework. The ports, the fuel companies and the logistics sectors need to figure out how to consolidate load. Even if there are not physical shortages in total we might not have enough diesel in the right places.”
He said if petrol was low in places people might not be able to get to work. “You run out of diesel on a truck, you’ve got a whole container, two containers full or couple of truckloads of animals stranded in the middle of nowhere… it’s much worse in terms of consequences.
“Individually, it’s bad when you get stuck out of petrol, but diesel is literally the lifeblood of the economy.”
Even if a ceasefire was announced now, and stock began to flow freely again, there would still be a period of disrupted flow.
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Cars lined up for the teams relay as part of the Vero International Festival of MotoringSamantha Gee/RNZ
There have been flashbacks to the past on the roads around Nelson this week, with hundreds of veteran, vintage and classic cars hitting the streets as part of an international motoring festival.
The four-yearly Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring has drawn people in from all over the country, with some even shipping their beloved cars from as far as the US and Europe for the occasion. It was last held in Nelson in 1972.
The Auckland Veteran and Vintage Car Club brought a blue 1915 Renault Charabanc, known as Angelique, down for the event.
Club member John Stokes said vehicle was found and restored by the club in the 1960s. It had originally been used as a truck to haul timber, then as a speedway vehicle, before it became a farm hack and was left to disintegrate in a paddock.
The 1915 Renault Charabanc named Angelique which is owned by The Veteran and Vintage Car Club in Auckland.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“This type of vehicle was very common probably between about 1910, maybe earlier, and the Second World War. They largely disappeared after World War II.”
The crank start Renault was doing laps as part of a relay challenge at the festival on Friday, where teams of up to 30 vehicles compete to achieve the greatest collective distance over a four hour period.
Stokes said its comfortable cruising speed was somewhere between the 30 and 40 kilometre per hour range and it was maintained by a group of five to ten club members who met once a a month.
“Although it’s probably going to need a bit more maintenance after today when it gets back.”
Jim and Lynn Hefkey also made the trip down from Auckland in their 1975 Bricklin SV1 and Jim said didn’t want to think about how much the fuel had cost, given they still had to get home.
Jim and Lynn Hefkey with their 1975 Bricklin SV1.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“I’m hoping they don’t start shutting the pumps off, you know, when you’ve got a big American V8, they’re fairly thirsty.
He said the Bricklin were built in Canada for the American market, and with their gull wings, bear a striking resemblance to the DMC DeLorean.
“They all say, oh, back to the future, but no…This is the back, the DeLorean is the future.”
The Hefkey’s Bricklin which they drove from Auckland to the festival in Nelson.Samantha Gee/RNZ
Hefey said there were only two other Bricklin SV1’s in New Zealand, both in Christchurch and the couple would head there after Nelson to meet their owners.
Mike White is on the festival organising team and said there were around 1200 participants and 560 vehicles, with people travelling from as far as Czechoslovakia, Canada, the USA and the UK to take part.
“Not all of them have brought vehicles, but some have, some have shipped their Packard’s and the like out, it’s pretty amazing.”
Mike White with his 1955 series 1 Landrover.Samantha Gee/RNZ
The week-long event was tipped to inject $4.5 million dollars into the region.
Rally directors Jim and Kyra Wareing spent hundreds of hours compiling runs – so entrants had the chance to tour the region,
Their aim was to ensure festival-goers could see the region’s three national parks – Abel Tasman, Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes, travel on back roads, and visit places of interest like the Higgins Heritage Park, Gardens of the World and the Port Māpua Maritime Museum.
Jim and Kyra Wareing in their 1972 mark II.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“We’ve encouraged them to go to Marahau and get out of the car, walk across the boardwalk, and touch the [Abel Tasman] national park and same at St Arnaud, they were right at the [Nelson Lakes], so we encouraged them to go for a walk in the bush,” Jim Wareing said.
He said there were several runs each day, short ones to cater for small veteran cars which were over 100 years old, and longer runs to cater for newer models.
Nelson man Jared Dacombe is one of the younger festival attendees, at the age of 28. He owns several vintage cars and said his 1989 Nissan Skyline GTR was also among the newer vehicles.
Jared Dacombe with his 1989 Skyline GTR.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“Anything 30 years old is club eligible. It’s kind of a bit controversial but it has its own in history as well and that’s that’s what this thing is about – cars in history.
Dacombe, who owns an automotive business, said his love of motoring came from his great grandfather.
“We we did a lot of touring together both in vintage and classic cars, but the first one was a big international rally down in Invercargill.
“It was just awesome, as a kid, six years old, cruising on the back of a 34 Dodge, it was great touring from Nelson down the coast route and staying in different accommodation, it was just a big buzz.”
Nelson man Stephen Caunter has a 1937 International D2 truck, a 20-year restoration project that he said cost a bit to run, given the increasing cost of fuel.
Nelson man Stephen Caunter with his 1937 International D2 truck.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“There will be people that will go, is this an appropriate thing for the use of fuel at the moment? And, you know, this has been in the organisation stage for years, and did we know what the price of fuel was going to do the month before the event starts?”
He said some vehicles were more fuel efficient than others and a survey of fuel usage among those attending the rally was being done, in order to understand the total consumption.
Caunter said his truck had been in Nelson for years, it was used as a tow track during speedway racing and still had Tahuna Beach Auto Services painted on the side.
“Everyone takes an immense amount of pride in whatever sort of vehicle that they’ve got and I think their ability to share it with the public is one of the joys of vintage motoring.”
Festival director Ray Robertson said the event was several years in the planning and there had been a few recent curveballs – the fuel crisis, ferry cancellations and several car breakdowns.
Festival director Ray Robertson.Samantha Gee/RNZ
“We’ve really had a lot of influence over what happens in the Middle East, you can’t do anything about it.
“Could we have postponed it? Sure, we could have, but why would we?”
The festival finishes tomorrow with a public vehicle show at the Richmond A&P Showgrounds.
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In a stunning resignation that has sent shockwaves through Washington, former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent has exposed what many have long suspected but few have dared to state publicly — Israel is systematically undermining peace in the Middle East to serve its own expansionist agenda.
Joe Kent, a 20-year Army Special Forces veteran and Gold Star husband who lost his first wife in a Syria suicide bombing, didn’t mince words. His accusation is simple yet devastating: Israel is intentionally sabotaging diplomatic solutions because peace threatens its strategic objectives.
The most compelling evidence supporting Kent’s claim is the targeted assassination of Ali Larijani, Iran’s National Security Adviser and chief nuclear negotiator.
According to Kent, Larijani wasn’t just another Iranian official — he was actively engaged in negotiations that could have de-escalated regional tensions.
“Larijani was eager to get us a deal,” Kent revealed in an interview with Tucker Carlson.
But instead of pursuing diplomacy, US-Israeli strikes eliminated him, along with his son and several staff members. The message could not be clearer — anyone willing to negotiate for peace becomes a target.
This wasn’t just another military operation. Larijani represented the pragmatic wing of the Iranian establishment — someone capable of conducting the sorts of talks needed to end conflicts.
By eliminating him, Israel ensured that the path to negotiation was closed, leaving only the path of escalation.
Iran’s National Security Adviser and chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani . . . assassinated by Israel, he represented the pragmatic wing of the Iranian establishment. Image: Wikipedia
Energy warfare masquerading as security Kent’s second explosive claim involves energy infrastructure. He argues that strategic opportunities — particularly Qatar’s gas potential to stabilise global markets — have been deliberately targeted to increase tensions rather than reduce them .
The facts support him. On March 18, 2026, Israel launched a significant aerial assault on Iran’s South Pars gas field, which provides nearly 70 percent of Iran’s domestic gas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted Israel “acted alone” in this attack.
The result? Iran retaliated by striking Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City — the world’s premier LNG hub — damaging approximately 17 percent of Qatar’s export capacity .
Global gas prices surged toward US$117 per barrel. The UK benchmark peaked at almost 183p per therm. Markets destabilised. And for what?
Here is the inconvenient truth, a stable energy market benefiting from Qatari and Iranian gas would reduce conflict incentives. By attacking this infrastructure, Israel ensured that economic interdependence — often the foundation of lasting peace — remains impossible.
Even President Trump distanced himself from the attack, stating the US “knew nothing about this particular strike” and describing it as Israel “violently lashing out”. When an American president feels compelled to publicly disavow his closest regional ally’s actions, something is fundamentally broken.
The ‘clean break’ strategy: 30 years of sabotage Kent’s accusations didn’t emerge from nowhere. They reflect a consistent pattern dating back to 1996, when a group of neoconservatives — including figures who would later serve in the Bush administration — produced a policy paper titled “A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm”.
This document, prepared for Netanyahu, explicitly rejected the “land for peace” formula and proposed reordering the Middle East through military confrontations and regime change. It identified Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya and Iran as targets.
It called for “removing Saddam Hussein from power” and “weakening, containing, and even rolling back Syria”.
Three decades later, we’re living the consequences. The Iraq war cost thousands of American lives. Syria descended into a catastrophic civil war. And now Iran faces sustained attacks. All while Israel’s security — not America’s — remained the central objective.
Kent’s resignation letter directly connected these dots: “It is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby . . . This is the same tactic the Israelis used to draw us into the disastrous Iraq war”.
The human cost Perhaps the most damning aspect of Kent’s accusation is personal. His wife, Navy cryptologist Shannon Kent, was killed in Syria in a suicide bombing. Kent now describes that conflict as “a war manufactured by Israel”.
Think about that. A Gold Star husband — someone who paid the ultimate price for American foreign policy — is telling us that his wife died in a war that served Israeli, not American, interests. If that doesn’t demand scrutiny, what does?
Why this matters now Critics dismiss Kent as antisemitic or claim he is leaking classified information. But ad hominem attacks don’t address the substance.
Did Israel target a negotiator actively seeking peace? Yes. Did Israel attack energy infrastructure knowing it would destabilise global markets? Yes. Does Israel have a documented 30-year strategy of military confrontation over diplomacy? Yes.
The situation in Gaza further illustrates the pattern. As one analysis noted, Netanyahu’s “ceasefire” effectively granted Israel breathing space to consolidate political control while evading accountability. Within days, Israel’s Parliament passed a bill paving the way for West Bank annexation. This isn’t peace — it’s a pause for rearmament.
The parasite metaphor A parasite feeds on its host, weakening it while appearing inseparable from it. Israel’s relationship with American foreign policy fits this description uncomfortably well.
American blood and treasure fund Israeli objectives. American credibility suffers when allies act unilaterally. American interests in stable energy markets get sacrificed for Israeli security concerns.
Joe Kent’s accusations deserve more than reflexive dismissal. They deserve investigation. Because if a Gold Star husband and former counterterrorism chief is correct — if Israel is indeed sabotaging peace for its own ends — then Americans have a right to know why their soldiers are dying and their markets are destabilised for another nation’s strategic objectives.
The description of Israel as a parasite may be harsh. But sometimes harsh truths are the only ones that break through comfortable lies.
Israel has positioned itself as America’s indispensable ally. Kent’s resignation suggests it may actually be the parasite draining American power while sabotaging any chance of Middle Eastern peace.
Marcus Alexanderis an independent writer in Doha and contributor to Channel Media Network.
The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands’ (CNMI) economic struggles are not just a local issue, but a matter of strategic importance to American operations in the Indo-Pacific, say senior US military leaders.
In a letter, dated 25 February 2026, Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, said he shared concerns raised by CNMI leaders about worsening economic conditions and their broader implications.
“The security and stability of the CNMI are of vital strategic importance,” Paparo wrote, warning that the islands’ civilian infrastructure and community wellbeing were “inextricably linked” to the US military’s ability to operate in the region.
He said he had directed staff to analyse proposals put forward by CNMI officials, but noted the requested federal actions fall outside his authority.
Paparo said he would elevate the issues to agencies including State, Commerce, Transportation and Homeland Security.
Paparo also backed calls for direct engagement with the White House, saying he supported “an executive-level dialogue with the Administration” and was prepared to take part.
“We are committed to the security and prosperity of the CNMI,” he said.
Expanding US presence At the same time, military officials say an expanding US presence across the Marianas could provide longer-term economic opportunities — though not an immediate fix.
Speaking at a Saipan Chamber of Commerce forum on March 11, Rear-Admiral Brett Meitus of Joint Region Marianas said more than US$500 million in projects were underway, with additional development planned, particularly on Tinian.
“It’s going to happen over the course of several years . . . we just don’t have the capacity to do it all at once,” he said.
Meitus said the military was trying to move beyond a short-term construction surge toward a longer cycle of “build, sustain, and operate,” aimed at creating ongoing economic activity.
“Just as important is how we sustain it . . . making sure that what we build looks like it should a year, two years, five years, ten years from now,” he said.
He said future operations-including exercises and deployments-are expected to bring spending into the local economy as visiting personnel stay in hotels and patronise businesses.
“When forces come in . . . they can spend money on the local economy,” he said.
Potential benefits Meitus also pointed to potential benefits including expanded land leases, increased exercises, more port visits and service member tourism, while acknowledging that coordination across different military branches is still evolving.
“We’re working hard to get our arms around exactly how we want to do it,” he said.
He added that the goal is to move from a project-driven boost to more sustained participation by local businesses, though he acknowledged it would not fully address the CNMI’s economic challenges.
Both leaders emphasised the need for continued engagement with federal partners, framing the CNMI’s economic outlook as closely tied to US strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
We’d love to hear more of your questions about money and the economy. You can send through written questions, like these ones, but – even better – you can drop us a voice memo to our email questions@rnz.co.nz
I was born in New Zealand in 1965 and moved to Australia when I was about 22 years old and have lived here since. I would like to retire back in NZ. If I moved back to New Zealand in the next two years, could I apply for the New Zealand pension at retirement age? Or have I missed the residency boat for living in NZ and applying for the NZ pension? Australia’s pension is means tested and I’m trying to avoid.
New Zealand has a social security agreement with Australia, which means you can use the time you spent living in that country to satisfy the residency requirements for the pension here.
If you do this, you can qualify for the pension from 67 in New Zealand – the age you’d be able to apply in Australia.
You may also need to test if you are eligible for anything from Australia and if so, that will be deducted from your NZ Super.
I would question whether this is an agreement that is working well for New Zealand because you’ve spent most of your working life paying tax in Australia but are proposing to come back here to be supported by New Zealand taxpayers. However these are the rules and maybe you’ve just caught me on a grumpy day.
I am 70 still working, because I love it and I need to. My question is I am not eligible for KiwiSaver so my employers do not have to contribute anything for me, neither do I. Why can’t I still join? I put money aside myself each pay instead.
You can join. The rules have changed so people of any age can join KiwiSaver. Once you’re 65 your employer might stop making contributions and you won’t get anything from the Government but there’s nothing to stop you joining the scheme.
We hear a lot about those who are asset rich but cash poor. But what is the best advice for those in the opposite situation: no assets, some cash (in my case because I was trying to save for a deposit but lost out to the huge increases in house prices up to and beyond Covid). Should we continue to scrimp and scrape in the remote chance the Lotto numbers come up? Or invest in silver and gold? KiwiSaver? Or just blow the savings on a lengthy cruise?
I asked Liz Koh, of Enrich Retirement for your help on this one.
Do you have the ability to buy a house anywhere in New Zealand, in which you would be happy to live? Having a freehold house in retirement makes a big difference.
Koh says if that is out of the question, you’ll need to use your money to cover your future living costs.
The asset threshold for the accommodation supplement, for example, is quite low and hasn’t been changed for a long time – your savings may mean you don’t qualify for this help.
“NZ Superannuation is simply not enough to cover rent or mortgage payments. Keep enough cash on hand to cover whatever you might need for an emergency fund and for essential living costs over the next two to five years. Invest the remainder for the medium and long term in a diversified portfolio or managed fund.
“Investment and speculation are two different things and if you are not asset rich, then speculation in high risk investments such as precious metals is not a good idea. A financial adviser can help choose the best investment options for you.”
Body, a retired plumber, has trapped pests around the South Rakaia Huts since 2021.
He began trapping to protect the area’s shore-nesting birds, who have few defences against introduced hunters, like stoats and hedgehogs.
Since he started, more than 900 predators have been caught.
Ken Body unscrews a trap to check what’s inside.RNZ/Anisha Satya
That’s brought back the birdlife in big ways: spoonbills, wrybills, native skinks and falcons have all been sighted in the area since then.
“I think we’ve got about 35 different bird species altogether.”
Body’s fellow bach-holders have noticed the birdsong too.
“Bellbirds would pop in occasionally, to this area, but never stay,” he said.
“Now we do have quite a few breeding pairs building up. Even the farmers next to the settlement are noticing bellbirds in their trees.
“It’s really made a difference.”
Further south on the coast, Sarah and Chris Rickard run a majority cropping farm on a beach near the Hakatere Huts.
They’re trapping to protect one of the country’s largest breeding populations of shags, which visit the Hakatere Ashburton river’s end.
Their eldest, Ella, 19, was inspired by her dad’s career with the Department of Conservation to set up traps on the farm.
“Chris has been back on the farm for 23 years,” Sarah said, “and [we] had no idea until we started trapping, that we had little weasels on the farm.”
Sarah Rickard (left) and her daughters, Rachel (15) and Kate (17) have over 20 traps around their cropping farm at the edge of the Hakatere Huts.RNZ/Anisha Satya
Kate Rickard, 17, is hoping to cross the ditch and do conservation work in Australia.
“I’ve liked doing all the conservation work with Dad,” she said, having joined him for some work relating to kiwi birds in the past.
“If Australia doesn’t work out, I could do [some] kiwi trips in New Zealand, do some trapping even.”
Fifteen-year-old Rachel said her dream job would be conservation work in Africa.
“It’d be really interesting, with all the amazing animals.”
Sarah is excited to see what their children achieve in the world of conservation.
“Following their passions sounds like fun.
“If it’s involved with nature, that’s really, really neat. Because that’s what Chris and I are passionate about; it’s nice that our girls are too.”
Sarah Rickard (left) and daughters Rachel (15) and Kate (17) trek around the farm clearing possum and mustelid traps.RNZ/Anisha Satya
Follow the river inland, and you might bump into Alastair Stewart and Ray Cossar.
Ashburton 4WD club members Ray Cossar (left) and Alastair Stewart with their rides: a 1988 Nissan Safari Granroad and 1989 Toyota Landcruiser.RNZ/Anisha Satya
The 4×4 enthusiasts trap around the local 4×4 park, nestled in the side of the river.
For Stewart, it’s a way to give back to the environment, and to clean up the often-muddied reputation which 4×4 drivers have online.
“Between September, and the end of February, we like to keep the four-wheel drives out while the black-billed gulls are nesting in the river.”
He said the time and consistency required for trapping made it an “old man’s game”.
“Retirees do it because they’re available during the week. A lot of younger people are working and have families, and they just can’t cope.”
Stewart will pass the baton to Cossar to lead the trapping operation when the time comes – but for now, he’s still a keen trucker and trapper.
Ashburton 4WD club member Alastair Stewart.RNZ/Anisha Satya
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon emphasised the attacks against fuel tankers and energy infrastructure were leading to higher fuel prices for New Zealanders.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
In a collective statement, the countries including the United Kingdom and Germany, expressed “deep concern” about the escalating conflict.
They called on Iran to immediately cease threats, laying mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block commercial vessels from travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.
But some of New Zealand’s most like-minded partners, including Australia, were notably absent from the statement.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon emphasised the attacks against fuel tankers and energy infrastructure were leading to higher fuel prices for New Zealanders.
“That’s why we have joined the United Kingdom and other countries in condemning Iran’s attacks in the Gulf.”
Iran had effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to ships carrying fuel and critical goods to “places like New Zealand”, he said.
“New Zealand has a longstanding record of working with like-minded partners to ensure open supply lines for global trade.”
The statement also expressed its signatories would be ready “to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait”.
Luxon clarified any such future support would need to be considered by Cabinet.
The statement called for a moratorium on strikes against civilian oil and gas infrastructure.
Attacks on fuel tankers and energy infrastructure in the Middle East are leading directly to higher fuel prices for Kiwis.
That’s why we have joined the United Kingdom and other countries in condemning Iran’s attacks in the Gulf. Iran has forced the effective closure of the… pic.twitter.com/aiT1JXjWtc
Former All Blacks assistant coach Jason Holland will take charge of the Blues on a three-year Super Rugby Pacific deal starting next year, after finishing up as an assistant at the Hurricanes.
Holland has been appointed Blues head coach in place of Vern Cotter, who will leave at the end of this season to take up the equivalent role with Queensland’s Reds, replacing the Wallabies head coach-in-waiting, Les Kiss.
It is the latest move in an 18-year professional coaching career for 53-year-old Holland.
Jason Holland (R) with Canterbury head coach Scott RobertsonPhotosport
He has held assistant posts with Munster in Ireland and the Crusaders and Hurricanes in Super Rugby, before four seasons as Hurricanes head coach.
A promotion followed in 2024, as an assistant to the newly appointed All Blacks coach Scott Robertston.
However, Holland announced late last year he wouldn’t renew his two-year contract with the national team, becoming the second assistant to leave the post after Leon MacDonald.
Robertson was subsequently sacked earlier this year by New Zealand Rugby following mixed results, and has been replaced by Dave Rennie.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson, centre, with coaching staff Jason Ryan,left, Jason Holland, Scott Hansen and Leon MacDonald following the All Blacks Squad Announcement.Joseph Johnson/ActionPress
Holland said his initial focus would be on his current role, having rejoined the competition-leading Hurricanes this year as an assistant.
“It’s meant a lot to me to return to the club this season after a few years away,” Holland said.
“While I’m excited about what lies ahead at the Blues, my focus remains solely on doing everything I can to bring the Super Rugby Pacific title to the Hurricanes.
“The opportunity to join the Blues from 2027 is incredibly exciting. It’s a club with a proud history and I see huge potential to add to that legacy.”
Blues chairman Don Mackinnon said the appointment represents a “significant step forward”.
“His experience at both Super Rugby and international level, including with the All Blacks, makes him an exceptional candidate to lead the Blues into our next chapter.
“Just as importantly, this appointment provides long-term certainty and stability for our club, our players, and our fans.”
Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu holds up the trophy as the Blues team celebrate winning the Super Rugby Pacific final.Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Interim Hurricanes chief executive Tony Philp acknowledged Holland’s contributions this season and reinforced his commitment to the club throughout the remainder of the campaign.
“We are proud of Alfie and all he has done for our club, and we look forward to his efforts during the rest of the 2026 season,” Philp said.
“He has the utmost integrity and will do all he can for the Hurricanes in our pursuit of winning the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific title.
“He will always be a Hurricane, and we look forward to doing battle with him in the coming seasons.”
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Several petrol stations ran out of fuel on Thursday and Friday.RNZ / Quin Tauetau
The Automobile Association (AA) is warning against panic buying or stockpiling fuel, saying large quantities may impact house insurance claims.
Several Gull, Foodstuffs, and Tasman Fuels stations ran out of petrol and diesel on Thursday and Friday, as the crisis deepened in the Middle East.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis on Friday told Morning Report the price increases were extremely tough and affecting all New Zealanders.
Willis said she did not want to see a situation where people could not drive to work, and instructed IRD and Treasury to come up with a package that could be implemented with urgency ahead of the Budget.
AA principal policy adviser Terry Collins told RNZ the government had been “very clear” the country had enough fuel.
“Occasionally you’ll see a service station that runs dry. That’s usually because they’re offering a good deal.”
Changes to consumer demand in response to rising prices meant the usual fuel deliveries were not always able to keep up, he said.
Nicola Willis said she did not want to see a situation where New Zealanders could not drive to work.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
“We’ve had a rush on some of those service stations, they’ve run dry. It doesn’t mean we’re running out of fuel. It just means that that filling up regime has been interrupted.”
It was dangerous to store large quantities of fuel in residential homes – even in jerry cans, Collins said.
“Even though the cans are suitable for it, the danger that occurs is if you’ve got a large quantity and it’s attributed to some damage or a fire, then you may have some insurance problems.”
Insurance providers would not expect people to have large quantities of fuel at their homes, he said.
“It’s ok to have those cans for your chainsaw, your lawnmower, your motorbike or boat … but large quantities of fuel is just not recommended.”
Changes to consumer demand in response to rising prices mean usual fuel deliveries are not always able to keep up.Jimmy Ellingham / RNZ
How to save on fuel
Collins said there were two ways to save at the pump: finding the cheapest fuel, and maximising efficiency.
“We have a fuel standard. It’s nearly all the same. You will never notice the impact between different brands.
“Once you’ve got it, it’s how you use it. So simple tips about anticipating traffic, keeping gaps in front of you with the other cars … make sure your tyre pressure is all correct.”
“And generally, if you’re travelling places, put all your trips together this weekend.”
‘Another nail in the coffin’
Grey Power president Gayle Chambers said she was concerned rising petrol costs could lead to social isolation for older people.
“Many people, they’ll go out for coffee, or go to the likes of Senior Citizens in their car. If the petrol goes up too much more, they’re going to find that they’re going to have to restrict themselves as to where they go and how often they go.
She acknowledged if restrictions were brought in, that would be hard for everyone, but for the elderly it would be “just another nail in the coffin”.
Older people were likely to be worse affected because many were on restricted budgets.
“It makes it pretty hard. It’s mentally hard on people, as well as anything else,” Chambers said.
Chatham Island council held a meeting yesterday to try to come up with a way to soften the blow for the isolated community.Vk2cz / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)
Isolated island communities hit hard
Chatham Island council held a meeting Friday to try to come up with a way to soften the blow for the isolated community which has seen diesel prices jump by more than $1.
Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust chief executive and council interim chief executive Bob Penter said diesel was at $2.29 per litre and petrol at $4.50 per litre before the conflict in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, on Waiheke Island, petrol prices on Friday were sitting close to $4 and the main Waiheke ferry was making some timetable changes to accommodate increasing fuel costs.
Great Barrier Islanders were also expecting access to the mainland will reduce if fuel continues to rise.
Local Board member Izzy Fordham Friday said their prices were slightly more than the rest of Aotearoa. At her local $4.17 a litre for petrol and $3.76 for diesel.
Fuel efficient rail
A rail advocate told RNZ a return to the rail network of the past could help deal with the fuel problems of the future.
The Future is Rail’s Paul Callister said if the country had electrified trains between the major cities, the fuel crisis would be less of a problem.
“We know that rail is very energy efficient, has hardly any emissions – even diesel trains pulling freight trains or passenger trains are very light on the use of fuel.”
Some of the billions of dollars being spent on Roads of National Significance could instead be spent on rail, he added.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Holly Shervey is the creator, writer and star of Crackhead.Matt Klitscher
Warning: This story covers topics including sex addiction and suicide.
New Kiwi dark comedy Crackhead turns real-life addiction struggles into sharp humour – with Holly Shervey starring and husband Emmett Skilton directing.
Holly Shervey was just six-years-old when her mum died of cancer.
She was her everything, and once she was gone, Shervey began drifting down a destructive path of anxiety – including fears that murderers were lurking outside her bedroom – before an eating disorder, addiction and suicidal thoughts took hold, eventually leading to psychiatric care while she was still at university.
It’s an experience that would break many, but the New Zealand actress has turned that deep pain into a gripping dark comedy, Crackhead, which has just premiered on Kiwi and international screens.
“When I went into psych care, I couldn’t find someone or something to connect my journey with, except Girl Interrupted [an Oscar-winning movie, starring Angelina Jolie],” Shervey tells The Detail.
“It was the only way I could see what was going on for me and someone else going through the same struggle, and it made me feel less alone.
“So, my hope is that anyone who is going through something similar can feel less isolated in their own struggle. Yes, it’s dark, but we have tried to match it with enough comedy so it’s digestible for a wider audience as well.”
A familiar face to Kiwi audiences, thanks to roles on Shortland Street, Auckward Love, and Head High, Shervey moved to New Zealand from Australia with her parents and siblings when she was young. But not long after, tragedy struck when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“You lose that stability at that age … and I created these anxieties as a kid. I would have been about 7-years-old, and every night before I went to sleep, I would have to check around the outside of our house to make sure there weren’t murderers hiding.
“You are in survival mode as a kid because you don’t have your mum to look after you.”
A still from the series Crackhead, which has just premiered on Kiwi and international screens.Matt Klitscher
As she got older, she turned to food, alcohol, and sex to numb her pain, and “things sort of just spiralled from there”. More than once, she contemplated suicide.
“You are trying so hard to feel normal, but your thoughts are so jagged, part of me was so desperate to not have those thoughts, that spiralling going on for me anymore, and so part of me reached out for help.”
She connected with her family, who organised psychiatric care. It proved lifesaving and life-changing.
And the experience ultimately formed the basis of her plot for her dark comedy, Crackhead.
Shervey wanted to turn her pain into gritty humour, so she created Frankie, a hard-partying, drug-taking, sex-loving, self-destructive 30-something who ends up in rehab.
A hint of her behaviour: in the opening scene, viewers meet her drunk dancing in a nightclub before she hooks up with a stranger in a bathroom cubicle, then vomits in the toilet while insisting her new male friend continues the sex act.
It’s confronting, raw, and gripping, all at once.
Before the end of the first 22 minutes, a hungover Frankie misses her father’s funeral, has a drunken car accident, and burns down part of her sister’s home before landing in court-appointed rehab, where she battles a colourful cast of patients and staff – played by the likes of Miriama Smith, Ana Scotney, and Sara Wiseman.
An in-your-face, did-that-really-make-it-on New Zealand TV “emergency defecation situation” makes it into the next 22 minutes, but it’s probably best that it’s left here.
All up there are eight episodes, which took Shervey and her husband, actor and director Emmett Skilton, eight years to bring to the screen.
For Shervey, bringing Frankie to life was, at times, “so much fun – the parties and drinking”, but other scenes proved “heartbreaking”.
“Playing Frankie felt real, but we definitely have different vices. She’s more of an addict than I was. I struggled more with an eating disorder and suicidal ideation, so there are similarities, but mental health is different,” says Shervey, who never contemplated anyone else playing the role.
“I think if someone else had played her, it would have broken my heart, because that was like my soul on that paper, and it was too hard for me to think of someone else having that voice.
“And the journey of Crackhead has been hugely cathartic.”
Her husband Emmett Skilton, in his role as the show director, admits it was heartbreaking to watch his wife relive her trauma, but he gained a full understanding of what she had been through years earlier.
“When we met, I fell in love with her very quickly and asked her to marry me very quickly. Her first instinct was to make sure that I was aware that she was in psych care.
“So, that being introduced into our relationship in a major way, cut to a decade later, and we are making Crackhead, it was almost like I was starting to understand what all that meant to her, and what all that was.
“So, the scenes that we explored that were the hardest hitting were the ones that were very very close to home in regard to close to the real events that occurred.
“Watching Holly re-live those things, and it was very painful for her, and watching it and guiding her as a director, but also supporting her as a husband, was quite relieving that it was me doing it.”
Shervey fought hard for her story to make it to air – “initially networks weren’t into it, it was too much of a risk” – and then to keep control of the narrative and the title.
“It’s such a powerful name… but there were people who weren’t willing to advertise the show because it’s such a bold name,” she says. “And there were definitely moments when we explored trying to have another title for the show. But nothing felt right.
“Crackhead matches the energy of what the show is. And it’s a crunchy, visceral word, and it’s a crunchy visceral show.”
The show is now airing on Three on Thursday night, plus on demand, and is already reaching international audiences through HBO Max Australia.
“With international audiences, we have had a few people who have already seen it and have nothing to compare it to,” says Skilton, who initially considered acting in the show before committing to director-only. “They said we haven’t seen something like this yet. We even have New Zealand audiences saying that.
“I think the importance of it is that it’s true and honest. You go to some very very dark places, and I think especially New Zealand audiences find those things more digestible when you are laughing at the same time. Or when they have just laughed, two or three seconds previous, you shock them with something very truthful and deep.”
Because sometimes humour is the only way people survive the hardest chapters of their lives. And sometimes telling the truth – even the ugly parts – is the bravest thing a storyteller can do.
Crackhead isn’t polished. It isn’t polite. But that may be exactly the point.
Where to get help:
Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends
Council animal control officers have also been calling for more powers.
Local Government Minister Simon Watts says recent attacks have been horrific.
“New Zealanders are appalled by recent attacks by aggressive and out-of-control dogs. People are reporting that they are avoiding areas in their neighbourhood because they have been attacked or have reason to believe they will be,” he said.
“Kiwis should be able to walk, run, or take their kids to the park without worrying about being harmed.”
Watts said the government has heard clearly from Local Government NZ and councils that the Dog Control Act is outdated and stopping them doing their jobs.
This was putting unnecessary strain on the wider system he said.
The scope of the review is still being worked out but will look at areas that may be putting barriers in place.
It will also delve into penalties and consequences for dog owners who are not compliant and obligations around desexing.
“We are also updating enforcement guidelines so dog control officers have a consistent approach to their work, with clarity on how they should respond and what tools are available to them,” the minister said.
But Watts said dog control issues were best managed locally by councils, which already have enforcement powers under the existing law.
He has sent a letter to every council outlining what he says are his expectations, and to encourage them to make full use of the powers they have now.
“As we review the Act, I want councils to be able to confidently say they are using every power available to tackle this issue,” Watts said.
The Police Minister says police will support dog control officers during the review.RNZ / Mark Papalii
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said while the review is underway, police will support dog control officers when they need help.
“Police have a role to play in dog control when council staff have safety concerns while dealing with dangerous and high-risk dogs. Police will accompany council staff where Police-only powers are required or there are significant safety risks,” Mitchell said.
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said th Department of Conservation will step up monitoring on conservation land and expand its professional hunter response so cases involving feral or uncontrolled dogs can be dealt with quickly.
Speaking to RNZ’s Checkpoint before the Northland death, Simon Watts said there would not be time for law changes before the election.
However the prime minister later said he was open to the government intervening.
Pia Vlok of the Wellington Phoenix (file photo)photosport
The Wellington Phoenix have all but secured a place in the women’s A-League finals after recovering from conceding an early goal to beat Sydney FC 3-1.
Down 1-0 after five minutes, teenage forward Pia Vlok found an equaliser for the visitors soon afterwards on her return from concussion before defenders Marisa van der Meer and Brooke Nunn scored in the second half.
A ninth win for the season lifts coach Bev Priestman’s team to second place The team’s record-equalling ninth win of the season lifts the Phoenix to second on the table, three points behind Melbourne City, with a game in hand.
With three matches remaining in the regular season, they still have a shot at taking the top seeding into the play-offs.
Their 31 competition points from 17 matches is a club record, three more than their previous best return in the 2023-24 campaign, which was from 22 matches.
Phoenix head coach Bev PriestmanMarty Melville / PHOTOSPORT
Priestman wasn’t getting carried away, however, describing the performance as “a bit of a mixed bag”.
“At the end of the day to score three goals [and] get three points on the road against what I felt was a much improved Sydney side … I’ve got to be happy with the outcome,” Priestman she said.
“Did we make it a painful process and got in our own way? I think so, but … I think that’s the first time we’ve come back from going a goal down to getting three points.
“At the end of the day good teams can do that.”
Priestman said she hadn’t turned her attentions to the premiership race, instead focusing on a midweek catch-up match away to Central Coast Mariners.
The Phoenix will stay in New South Wales for the match in Gosford on Wednesday.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Global Dairy Platform Executive director Donald Moore.Rebecca McMillan / Supplied
The global dairy sector risks losing society’s support – social licence – if it doesn’t adopt a ‘global mass’ approach to addressing emissions.
That’s what Donald Moore, from the Chicago-based Global Dairy Platform, told food industry leaders at the recent Riddet Institute Agrifood Summit in Wellington recently.
“From my perspective, we need to be thinking about the global mass balance of greenhouse gases, [as well as] probably water and maybe nutrition.”
He said greenhouse gas emissions weren’t limited by country borders or boundaries, and the industry needed to adopt a “macro level” solution rather than working to solve it at the “individual country” level.
His Chicago-based company, alongside the Food and Agriculture Organisation, completed a 2020 a study which found that 80 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s dairy sector came from emerging or developing markets.
He said that matters when considering transitioning to more sustainable models of farming.
“If we don’t help solve that for emissions coming out of those emerging markets, then ultimately that will damage dairy’s global reputation, and therefore our social licence to operate.”
Moore said countries like New Zealand working to reduce emissions through reduced production would only export the problem somewhere else in the world.
“In a country like New Zealand, you’re running at, I think somewhere just under or around one kilogram of CO2 equivalent per kilogram of milk. In some African countries that we’re working in, they’re running at anywhere from 12 to 14 kgs of CO2 per kg of milk because their yields are so low.”
A key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in emerging economies was their “low productivity” models and small scale farming, with an average of about 2.9 cows per dairy farm.
“When you think about New Zealand and the scale we have here, the average, I think is about 380, just under 400, cows per farm. Farms in the world with more than 100 cows are less than half of one percent of the farms in the world.”
However, Moore said it was also important to consider the social systems which underpinned the sector.
“There are approximately 133 million dairy farms worldwide and an estimated 80 million women are employed in the dairy sector, the majority in low and middle income countries.
“That matters because livestock ownership often correlates directly with household nutrition security, with education access, with financial inclusion and with women’s economic agency.”
Moore said in countries like New Zealand, co-operative structures – like Fonterra – linked farmers directly to global markets, creating a “shared accountability”.
“Farmers are not just producers … they are stewards of the land, water and rural communities,” he said.
“It means things like soil health decisions made season after season, water management practices adjusted over time, animal welfare maintained daily, and inter-generational land care guided by lived experience.
“When markets demand sustainability improvements, those signals travel directly back to farm level decisions.”
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Haji Zamberi Matyunus, a long time resident in Mataura and the current imam of the Mataura Masjid.Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life
In a former Anglican church just off Mataura’s main street, you’ll find a new group of worshippers.
The Mataura Masjid and community centre was established at the deconsecrated site in 2018, providing a new place for the Southland region’s Muslim community to gather.
Its 25 or so members come from far and wide, both in terms of their countries of origin, as well as the rural settlements they travel from.
Haji Zamberi Matyunus, a long time resident in Mataura and the current imam (leader) of the Mataura Masjid, told Country Life it was the only mosque of its kind in the rural area, the nearest alternatives being Dunedin or Invercargill.
Matyunus moved to Mataura from Malaysia more than 40 years ago. There is a stark contrast between the town of less than 2000 residents and the busy city of Kuala Lumpur with a population of over 2 million.
“I like the area – very quiet and peaceful. I like fishing too, and the river is near my house,” he said with a chuckle. The Mataura River is well-known for it’s world-class brown trout fly fishing.
Other members come from “every country”, including Fiji, Libya, and the Philippines – almost too many to name. They travel in from across the wider Southland and Otago regions including from Roxborough, Tapanui, Gore, and Wyndham.
Many, like Matyunus, work at the local meat works processing halal meat – a growing part of New Zealand’s export portfolio, with the government signing new agreements with Indonesia and Malaysia last year.
“The halal process is very, very important for Muslims,” he told Country Life.
Halal is an Arabic word meaning permissible. Halal food excludes pork, alcohol, improperly slaughtered meat, and even certain by-products of non-halal meat like gelatine or animal rennet.
For meat to be halal, a few things have to happen:
The animal must be cut at the major blood vessel point on the neck to ensure a quick death.
The animal must not be already dead or suffering.
A Muslim must proclaim ‘in the name of Allah’ as an act of asking for permission before the slaughter. (Some scholars recommend facing the direction of prayer, Mecca, too.)
But halal isn’t just about how an animal is killed – it includes how the food is stored, handled, and prepared. Any contamination with non-halal substances can make it impermissible to eat.
Matyunus said he was proud to play a part in this and to call Mataura home. The Masjid is “open for everyone” in the community.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
While driving recently, a long-forgotten song came on the radio. I found myself singing along; not only did I know all the lyrics to a song I hadn’t heard in 25 years or more, but I also managed to rap along. How is it that I could give this rendition, but often cannot remember what I came into the room for?
It is tempting to treat these moments as evidence of cognitive decline. A quiet, creeping sense that something is slipping.
But the contrast between flawlessly (it was) performing a decades-old song and forgetting a just-formed intention is not a sign that memory is failing. It is a demonstration of how memory works.
This video is hosted on Youtube.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Here in Raglan the summer has felt endless, perfect. Not a single cyclone, barely any rain, just blue skies and long days and warm dusky surfs until the glow is gone and only starlight shows the way down the dark glassy waves. My festival costumes rarely required a jacket. I spent lazy hours in the hammock on the deck with my daughters while we all read our own books about dragons. (Theirs, graphic novels. Mine, just… graphic.)
But this week, for the first time, there was a chill to the morning air. And right on cue, the first handful of feijoas fell from our Unique and Kaiteri, the two earliest varieties. Of course I burrowed straight into the grass and ate almost all of them—although I did save a couple for the kids.
Usually, my partner and I look forward to autumn. The change in the light, the harvests, the kids actually going to bed before 9pm, the gathering momentum of the year’s projects. This time, though, I’ve enjoyed such a lush sunny season I don’t want it to end. I keep thinking of how my friend Josh once called feijoas a ‘consolation fruit’—a solace for the dying days of summer.
Interim Chatham Islands council boss Bob Penter.supplied
The interim Chatham Islands council boss says any chief executive will not be using a credit card until the council’s spending oversight policies are tightened up, in the wake of a scathing report.
Bob Penter also wants all sensitive spending by the mayor and chief executive to pass through councillors on a sub-committee, rather than be signed off by the mayor, or deputy mayor.
An auditor-general report, released last week, said former chief executive Paul Eagle’s actions over a project to upgrade his own accommodation were unacceptable and misleading, after costs blew out by more than $250,000.
It found Eagle, a former Rongotai MP and Wellington mayoral candidate, had created or edited contracts and quotes for the house upgrade, effectively had sole oversight of the project, and approved most of the spending.
The authors wrote the report raised “serious integrity questions” for the council, including pointing to its processes for managing credit card spending and reimbursement, calling them “ineffective”.
When asked about excessive credit card use, Penter told RNZ he could not comment on individual employee circumstances, but said the council was taking the Auditor-General’s report “extremely seriously”.
That included more intensive scrutiny of sensitive spending, including credit card use for things like travel, accommodation or food, he said.
“At this point I can confirm there is no chief executive credit card, so we’re not using the credit card at this time, until we get the strengthening of policies that we’re putting to the council next week in place.”
Penter said he would not be using a credit card while in the interim role, because he was not a big fan of them.
He said he would make a number of proposals at next week’s council meeting, aimed at improving processes around expense monitoring, fraud, bribery, corruption, and procurement risk in light of the report.
The Auditor-General’s report pointed to some credit card spending by Eagle that was “unusually high” or lacked an explanation, including $979 on food over five days in May 2024, $580 on a digital design store in Hamilton in September 2024, $351 on the Favona Fun Run in November 2024, and $591 on Anzac groceries.
Former chief executive Paul Eagle.Supplied / Jenny Siaosi
The report also said that most of Eagle’s expense claims forms had been signed by the mayor, but there was not a date accompanying the forms.
It said the office of the auditor general was told the mayor always sought confirmation before signing expense claim forms from the deputy mayor, but it did not see evidence this had occurred.
Penter said he wanted all mayoral and chief executive sensitive expenditure to go through a council sub-committee – a performance, audit and risk subcommittee – rather than through a one-up process signed off by the mayor or deputy mayor.
He said he would bring this as a proposal to the council next week.
The Serious Fraud Office’s counter-fraud centre, a prevention arm of the office, was helping the council to improve its policies.
The Serious Fraud Office confirmed to RNZ it was “evaluating” the auditor-general’s report for whether there were sufficient grounds to open an enquiry or criminal investigation.
Penter did not answer questions about whether he considered there should be a criminal investigation into the issues raised, or whether he felt, as the interim chief executive, betrayed by Eagle’s actions.
He said he could not comment on past actions by Eagle or the council over the accommodation project, and that he was not working at the council at the time.
But he said the council was holding workshops with council staff and councillors, to make sure they understood the expectations required.
The council was feeling “very positive”, after the release of the report, he said.
“The feeling is we absolutely take the findings – the serious concerns in the OAG report – extremely seriously, but we are positive in terms of our approach to it, we are taking it in a head on way, is what I meant by positive – it’s working to now put in place and rebuild the trust and confidence by ensuring that our systems and processes are fit for purpose and appropriate to address the concerns that’s been raised.”
In a letter included in the report findings, Eagle, who resigned last month, apologised and said his actions did not meet the standards expected of himself and his role.
“I started as chief executive of the council in late 2023, three months earlier than planned and, because of the illness of the outgoing chief executive, did not receive a formal, structured induction process covering the policies, processes, systems and documentation expected of the role.
“I wholeheartedly accept now that I should have sought clarity and support for this process.”
Eagle said that documentation and information provided to explain his actions to the inquiry also “fell short” of expected standards.
“In hindsight, I recognise I panicked when I realised documentation was incomplete and I tried to fix this. I deeply regret that those actions did not meet the standards I expect of myself and my role.
Eagle was contacted for comment.
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Holly Shervey is the creator, writer and star of Crackhead.Matt Klitscher
Warning: This story covers topics including sex addiction and suicide.
New Kiwi dark comedy Crackhead turns real-life addiction struggles into sharp humour – with Holly Shervey starring and husband Emmett Skilton directing.
Holly Shervey was just six-years-old when her mum died of cancer.
She was her everything, and once she was gone, Shervey began drifting down a destructive path of anxiety – including fears that murderers were lurking outside her bedroom – before an eating disorder, addiction and suicidal thoughts took hold, eventually leading to psychiatric care while she was still at university.
It’s an experience that would break many, but the New Zealand actress has turned that deep pain into a gripping dark comedy, Crackhead, which has just premiered on Kiwi and international screens.
“When I went into psych care, I couldn’t find someone or something to connect my journey with, except Girl Interrupted [an Oscar-winning movie, starring Angelina Jolie],” Shervey tells The Detail.
“It was the only way I could see what was going on for me and someone else going through the same struggle, and it made me feel less alone.
“So, my hope is that anyone who is going through something similar can feel less isolated in their own struggle. Yes, it’s dark, but we have tried to match it with enough comedy so it’s digestible for a wider audience as well.”
A familiar face to Kiwi audiences, thanks to roles on Shortland Street, Auckward Love, and Head High, Shervey moved to New Zealand from Australia with her parents and siblings when she was young. But not long after, tragedy struck when her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
“You lose that stability at that age … and I created these anxieties as a kid. I would have been about 7-years-old, and every night before I went to sleep, I would have to check around the outside of our house to make sure there weren’t murderers hiding.
“You are in survival mode as a kid because you don’t have your mum to look after you.”
A still from the series Crackhead, which has just premiered on Kiwi and international screens.Matt Klitscher
As she got older, she turned to food, alcohol, and sex to numb her pain, and “things sort of just spiralled from there”. More than once, she contemplated suicide.
“You are trying so hard to feel normal, but your thoughts are so jagged, part of me was so desperate to not have those thoughts, that spiralling going on for me anymore, and so part of me reached out for help.”
She connected with her family, who organised psychiatric care. It proved lifesaving and life-changing.
And the experience ultimately formed the basis of her plot for her dark comedy, Crackhead.
Shervey wanted to turn her pain into gritty humour, so she created Frankie, a hard-partying, drug-taking, sex-loving, self-destructive 30-something who ends up in rehab.
A hint of her behaviour: in the opening scene, viewers meet her drunk dancing in a nightclub before she hooks up with a stranger in a bathroom cubicle, then vomits in the toilet while insisting her new male friend continues the sex act.
It’s confronting, raw, and gripping, all at once.
Before the end of the first 22 minutes, a hungover Frankie misses her father’s funeral, has a drunken car accident, and burns down part of her sister’s home before landing in court-appointed rehab, where she battles a colourful cast of patients and staff – played by the likes of Miriama Smith, Ana Scotney, and Sara Wiseman.
An in-your-face, did-that-really-make-it-on New Zealand TV “emergency defecation situation” makes it into the next 22 minutes, but it’s probably best that it’s left here.
All up there are eight episodes, which took Shervey and her husband, actor and director Emmett Skilton, eight years to bring to the screen.
For Shervey, bringing Frankie to life was, at times, “so much fun – the parties and drinking”, but other scenes proved “heartbreaking”.
“Playing Frankie felt real, but we definitely have different vices. She’s more of an addict than I was. I struggled more with an eating disorder and suicidal ideation, so there are similarities, but mental health is different,” says Shervey, who never contemplated anyone else playing the role.
“I think if someone else had played her, it would have broken my heart, because that was like my soul on that paper, and it was too hard for me to think of someone else having that voice.
“And the journey of Crackhead has been hugely cathartic.”
Her husband Emmett Skilton, in his role as the show director, admits it was heartbreaking to watch his wife relive her trauma, but he gained a full understanding of what she had been through years earlier.
“When we met, I fell in love with her very quickly and asked her to marry me very quickly. Her first instinct was to make sure that I was aware that she was in psych care.
“So, that being introduced into our relationship in a major way, cut to a decade later, and we are making Crackhead, it was almost like I was starting to understand what all that meant to her, and what all that was.
“So, the scenes that we explored that were the hardest hitting were the ones that were very very close to home in regard to close to the real events that occurred.
“Watching Holly re-live those things, and it was very painful for her, and watching it and guiding her as a director, but also supporting her as a husband, was quite relieving that it was me doing it.”
Shervey fought hard for her story to make it to air – “initially networks weren’t into it, it was too much of a risk” – and then to keep control of the narrative and the title.
“It’s such a powerful name… but there were people who weren’t willing to advertise the show because it’s such a bold name,” she says. “And there were definitely moments when we explored trying to have another title for the show. But nothing felt right.
“Crackhead matches the energy of what the show is. And it’s a crunchy, visceral word, and it’s a crunchy visceral show.”
The show is now airing on Three on Thursday night, plus on demand, and is already reaching international audiences through HBO Max Australia.
“With international audiences, we have had a few people who have already seen it and have nothing to compare it to,” says Skilton, who initially considered acting in the show before committing to director-only. “They said we haven’t seen something like this yet. We even have New Zealand audiences saying that.
“I think the importance of it is that it’s true and honest. You go to some very very dark places, and I think especially New Zealand audiences find those things more digestible when you are laughing at the same time. Or when they have just laughed, two or three seconds previous, you shock them with something very truthful and deep.”
Because sometimes humour is the only way people survive the hardest chapters of their lives. And sometimes telling the truth – even the ugly parts – is the bravest thing a storyteller can do.
Crackhead isn’t polished. It isn’t polite. But that may be exactly the point.
Where to get help:
Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends
