Al Noor Mosque where 51 people were killed in a terrorist attack in 2019.RNZ / Nate McKinnon
The Court of Appeal will this week consider an application by the white supremacist who murdered 51 people in the Christchurch terror attacks to vacate his guilty pleas and stand trial.
Australian Brenton Tarrant is seeking leave to appeal his convictions and life sentence for the massacres at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre on 15 March 2019.
In March 2020 he pleaded guilty at the High Court to 51 counts of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one terrorism charge.
In August that year he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, which was the harshest sentence available to the court.
The terrorist now wants to appeal his convictions and sentence although the appeals were filed late and the Court of Appeal must now decide if they should proceed.
The 35-year-old is expected to give evidence during the week-long hearing.
The court is primarily considering the application to vacate his guilty pleas with the central issue being whether the terrorist was incapable of making rational decisions at the time of his pleas because of what he claims were torturous and inhumane prison conditions.
If the court grants the application to vacate the pleas, the case will be sent back to the High Court for the terrorist to stand trial.
If the court declines the application then a further hearing will consider the sentence appeal later this year.
The application will be heard by Court of Appeal president Justice Christine French, Justice Susan Thomas and Justice David Collins.
Court buildings will be under increased security with the courtroom limited to lawyers, media, officials and other authorised people.
The hearing will be streamed to an adjoining courtroom at the Court of Appeal and to the Law Courts in Christchurch for victims and their families to view the hearing via a delayed broadcast.
The terrorist is also expected to give evidence to the Coroners Court after the High Court cleared the way for him to be called as a witness, despite objections from survivors and victims’ families.
He was previously interviewed by a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the terror attack.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Fr Rowan Dongohue outside the Christchurch District Court last month.Nathan McKinnon / RNZ
A priest admitted sexual abuse to leaders of his religious order nearly 20 years before he would be convicted of sexually abusing four boys, RNZ can reveal.
However, at the time in 2007, he was unable to identify the anonymous complainant and instead of notifying police, the order sent him to Australia for a six-month programme that provided “professional risk assessment and therapy” for people accused of sexual abuse.
RNZ earlier revealed Fr Rowan Donoghue had admitted six charges including indecent assault on a boy aged 12-16, indecent assault on a boy 16 and over and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.
The offending related to four boys who were boarding at St Bede’s College in Christchurch between 1996 and 2000.
RNZ also revealed that the Society of Mary was made aware of allegations against the priest nearly 20 years ago. The religious order was unable to verify the allegations from the anonymous complainant, but removed Donoghue from public ministry and enacted a “safety plan”.
Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz
In response to further questions by RNZ a Society of Mary spokesperson said a complaint alleging offending by Fr Donoghue was received by the priest via an anonymous Hotmail account in October 2007.
“He advised Society of Mary administration and in a conversation with leaders of the Society of Mary, Donoghue admitted that he was guilty of abuse but could not identify the complainant.
“He was removed from his ministry as a priest immediately. This permanent removal from ministry and subsequent ongoing monitoring has continued to the present day.”
The spokesperson said the society reached out to the anonymous emailer “encouraging him to identify himself” and make a complaint to the police so the matter might be properly investigated, and so that he might receive appropriate support.
Fr Rowan Donoghue pictured in the 1993 year book.RNZ
“Those attempts to connect with and support the victim, made over many months, were unsuccessful and so no complaint could be made by the Society to the police.
“Donoghue was sent for a six-month programme to Encompass, an institute in Australia that provided professional risk assessment and therapy for those accused of sexual abuse.”
Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons told RNZ police were unable to comment on processes of other organisations and their decision making and whether they decide to call the police but that police encouraged people to do so if they have information they believe could be relevant to any investigation or suspected offending.
In response to earlier questions from RNZ, a Teaching Council spokesperson said in general, the council did not comment on complaints or mandatory reports to the council.
“However, given the level of public interest, we can confirm that we have been working closely with New Zealand Police since early 2025 in support of their investigation into offending by Mr Donoghue.
“The legal requirement for mandatory reporting to the New Zealand Teachers Council (now the Teaching Council) relating to the dismissal, resignation under investigation, serious misconduct, competence concerns, or specified convictions of teachers was first inserted into the Education Act 1989 by the Education Standards Act 2001 to protect the safety of children and young people in our education system.”
Now the criminal process had concluded, the council’s professional disciplinary process would resume.
“This process will include consideration of whether obligations have been met to report conduct or competence concerns to the council that were known at the time, and appropriate action depending on the findings.”
“We are committed to ensuring the safety of children and young people and the quality of teaching in our education system, and we encourage anyone who has concerns about the conduct or competence of a formally registered teacher to reach out to us.”
St Bede’s College rector Jon McDowall earlier told RNZ the details outlined through the court process were “deeply disturbing”.
“As rector, it makes me feel sick to think that young people entrusted to an adult’s care were abused in this way. I am deeply sorry that this happened to them, and my thoughts are with the victims and survivors who continue to live with the impact of that harm.”
McDowall said the school had worked openly with police throughout the process.
“We will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities should any further information come to light.
“Abuse has no place at St Bede’s – past, present, or future. The College has an established policy in place to respond and support victims of historical abuse, alongside safeguarding policies and practices to protect the wellbeing and safety of students today. Our focus remains on providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community.”
McDowall extended an open invitation for victims in the case, and others who may have been impacted, or anyone with concerns to contact him directly.
In early 2023, police were contacted about the allegations of sexual abuse by Donoghue in relation to his time at St Bede’s College.
St Patrick’s Silverstream rector Rob Ferreira told RNZ the school had not been made aware of any allegations of abuse in care while Fr Donoghue worked at the school between 1982 to 1992.
“We have not had any inquiries from the police either.
“We operate according to clearly set out guidelines and best practice and you should note that our primary concern is the wellbeing of our students. Given that – our protection of the privacy and any other rights of survivors of abuse and other individuals would be paramount.”
He said the school had informed the community that Donoghue’s name suppression had lifted.
St Patrick’s College Wellington rector Mike Savali confirmed to RNZ that Donoghue was on the college staff from 2003 to 2007.
Where to get help:
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you’ve ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the confidential crisis helpline Safe to Talk on 0800 044 334 or text 4334. (available 24/7)
Male Survivors Aotearoa offers a range of confidential support at centres across New Zealand – find your closest one here.
When peace is being designed, Fiji is not invited into the room.
When peace needs enforcing, Fiji is asked to send soldiers.
That uncomfortable reality is exposed by the emergence of US President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” for Gaza.
While New Zealand was formally invited to join the Board — and chose to decline — Fiji was not invited at all.
Yet Fiji has reportedly been asked to contribute troops to a proposed “stabilisation force” linked to Gaza.
The contrast is revealing. It highlights how global security is increasingly organised — and where Fiji is positioned within that order.
The Board of Peace is reportedly structured as an exclusive body with a joining fee of around US$2 billion.
That cost alone places participation far beyond the reach of most developing countries.
For Fiji, whose entire national budget is only a fraction of that amount, membership is not simply impractical; it is structurally impossible.
In this model, peace is something designed by those who can afford entry — a “pay to play” arrangement.
Yet although Fiji cannot afford to “play”, its military presence is required.
The peacekeeping paradox: Respected soldiers, limited voice
For decades, Fijian soldiers have served with distinction in peacekeeping missions under the United Nations flag. Their professionalism, discipline and reliability are widely recognised.
But that reputation now risks confining Fiji to a familiar role: valued for its manpower but excluded from decision-making.
This is not partnership. It is subcontracting.
Fiji should not carry the risks of other people’s decisions without having a voice in them.
New Zealand had a choice. Fiji did not. New Zealand’s refusal to join Trump’s Board of Peace, underscores the imbalance.
Wellington cited concerns about mandate clarity and alignment with international norms.
New Zealand had the opportunity to make that choice.
Fiji did not.
One country was offered a seat at the table; the other was offered boots on the ground.
For Fiji, this raises serious foreign policy questions.
The issue is not opposition to peacekeeping. The issue is peacekeeping without political voice — being asked to assume risk in missions shaped by others and detached from established multilateral oversight.
Alignment with existing policy These concerns align closely with Fiji’s National Security and Defence Review (NSDR), which recognises that national security includes the adherence to international law, and the maintenance of trust in Fiji’s external engagements.
Central to the NSDR is the requirement that security commitments be legitimate, transparent and accountable, supported by clear civilian oversight.
Being asked to deploy troops into a stabilisation force designed outside the UN system, while being excluded from the political body determining its mandate, sits way outside those espoused principles.
The moral burden on soldiers and the families Fiji will bear the operational and political risk but has little influence over strategic direction. Fiji will carry the risks without shaping the outcome.
This puts RFMF soldiers in an unclear and fraught position. They — and their families — are the ones who will carry the risk in this venture. It is a morally and ethically unfair burden for the government to place upon them.
This moment therefore calls for clarity and restraint by the decision makers in Fiji’s Parliament and Cabinet.
The question is not whether Fiji can contribute troops — history shows that it can and has done so with honour.
The question is whether such contributions serve Fiji’s national interest and upholds international legitimacy.
Honouring our legacy Fiji’s peacekeeping legacy should not be used to justify accepting deployments where authority, accountability and purpose are unclear.
Peacekeeping without representation is not partnership.
Fiji has earned international respect as a contributor to global peace. It should not accept a future in which it is always invited to serve but never invited to decide.
No soldier should be sent into harm’s way without clear purpose, lawful authority, and their nation’s voice at the table.
Jim Sanday was a commissioned military officer in the pre-coup Royal Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) and commanded Fijian peacekeeping battalions in Lebanon and Sinai. In 2025, he led the National Security and Defence Review (NSDR) and co-authored the National Security Strategy that was approved by Cabinet in June 2025. This article was first pubished by the Fiji Sun and is republished by Asia Pacific Report with the author’s permission.
Sussan Ley and David Littleproud on Sunday announced an 11th hour patch up of the federal Coalition that the Liberal leader hopes will hold off an early challenge from Angus Taylor.
But on Sunday night it was doubtful whether re-forming the Coalition would prevent Taylor, the opposition defence spokesman, moving this week, with some sources putting a challenge to Ley’s leadership at 50-50 probability.
Newspoll released Sunday night shows the Coalition parties’ primary vote dropping to 18%, with the Liberals on 15% and the Nationals on 3%, and Ley with a net satisfaction rating of -39% a deterioration of 11 points since the previous poll in January. One Nation has surged to 27% up five over the past three weeks.
Labor’s primary vote was 33%, one point up since January. On the latest figures Labor would improve its already huge majority if an election were held now. Anthony Albanese is 19 points ahead of Ley as preferred prime minister.
Before the poll was released, Liberal sources said it would be a significant factor in whether there was a challenge by Taylor this week.
Ley, who had to compromise in the negotiations with the Nationals, has undercut one of Taylor’s earlier potential grounds for a challenge – that she had been unable to put the Coalition back together. But if Taylor lets this week pass he might lose the momentum he has been building.
The numbers in the Liberal party room between Ley and Taylor are said to be very close at the moment, with some people still wavering.
The agreement followed prolonged toing and froing, with both leaders coming under strong pressure to do a deal to heal the rift, which lasted over a fortnight. Ley had threatened to name an all-Liberal frontbench before parliament resumes on Monday if the two parties did not reunite.
Sunday’s joint news conference in Canberra saw a strong performance from Ley. However the lack of rapport between the two leaders was evident in Littleproud’s body language. He hardly looked at Ley when she was speaking. It is well known that the two dislike each other, and Littleproud reportedly shouted at Ley in one conversation during the split.
A key part of the new Coalition deal is that all shadow ministers will in future sign an agreement to abide by shadow cabinet solidarity.
A shadow cabinet “decisions register” will be set up.
It will be codified that neither the National Party nor the Liberal Party can overturn decisions of the shadow cabinet. The primacy of the joint party room will be enshrined.
These last points are crucial. Nationals sources who are critical of Littleproud are claiming it means he has given away the autonomy of the Nationals party room.
The Coalition crisis started when three Nationals frontbenchers crossed the floor to oppose the government’s anti-hate legislation, following a Nationals party room decision. Ley sacked them for breaking shadow cabinet solidarity.
Ley gave ground to get the deal, after she had earlier demanded the three should be off the front bench for six months.
Under the deal the arrangements, and therefore the optics, will be messy for the rest of this month.
In a joint statement, Ley and Littleproud said:
for a cumulative six-week period (from the time of the split) all Nationals (including senators) will have served outside shadow ministerial portfolios.
each shadow minister will return to their previously-held roles on March 1, when the present acting shadow ministerial arrangements that were earlier announced will end.
to ensure joint representation and accountability in decision-making during this interim period, the leader and deputy leader of the Nationals will attend meetings of the leadership group, shadow cabinet and shadow economic review committee.
Liberal sources said that in parliament on Monday the Coalition will again sit as an integrated block, unlike last week when the Nationals were on the crossbench.
Ley’s plan to announce an all-Liberal frontbench if there were no Coalition reunification was attractive to some Liberals who hoped for promotion. But more Liberals believed getting the Coalition together again had to be the top priority.
Ley told her joint news conference with Littleproud:“The overwhelming majority of my party room knows that the Coalition is stronger together.”
Littleproud directed many of his remarks to re-prosecuting the original circumstances around the break over the hate legislation.
“It was over a substantive issue. A matter of principle that we weren’t both afforded the time to be able to explore in a proper way. That the Albanese government tried to rush through laws so substantive around freedom of speech when the intent of both parties was to do the right thing, not just by the Jewish community but by the Australian people to make sure there wasn’t an overreach and we didn’t have the time nor the processes afforded to both parties to achieve that.
“This wasn’t about personalities, this was about principles.”
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Zoe Hobbs shows her rivals a clean pair of heels over the sprints at the Douglas International.David Rowland/Photosport
Kiwi speedster Zoe Hobbs has shown her readiness for a full international programme, cracking the still respectable 11-second mark over 100m at the Sir Graeme Douglas International in Auckland.
Running with the benefit of an excessive tailwind, Hobbs tore down the backstraight in 10.99s to punctuate a day that also saw her qualifying for the world indoor championships over 60m.
With winds fluctuating in direction throughout the evening, she recorded her 7.18s into a similar headwind to the one that later carried her home over the longer distance.
“Great day at the office,” Hobbs agreed. “Most of my focus has been around the 60, so to have a 10 in front of the number over 100 is a bonus.
“Even though it’s an illegal wind, I’ll take that.”
The Kiwi sprinters have been somewhat plagued by weather and winds so far this summer, with headwinds at the Potts Classic in Hastings and massive tailwinds at the Cooks Classic at Whanganui.
In the end, the West Auckland winds probably cancelled themselves out sufficiently to produce ideal results all round.
“I really needed to get the weight off my shoulder with that qualifier and the first two comps if the season have unfortunately been cold ones,” Hobbs said. “The conditions haven’t been the best, but I knew today I really had to take advantage of the warm weather.
“It was nice not to run in tights today and to actually run in proper comp kit. It felt good to be at a home meet as well, with family here and the comfort of staying at home.”
Tiaan Whelpton dominated his opposition for a pair of sprint victories at the Douglas International.David Rowland/Photosport
Hobbs has twice reached the world indoor final over the shorter distance and has now booked her ticket to Poland in March.
Another to check that off his priority list was male counterpart Tiaan Whelpton, who was hampered by the same headwind over 60m, but nailed his qualifier en route to a 10.10s meet record over 100m.
Unlike Hobbs, his time over the longer distance was a personal best, matching his time at the same venue last year.
“Big shout out to the officials for setting that up for us, so we could get a 60 split in the 100,” Whelpton said. “Unfortunately, we had a headwind in the 60 and 6.63s was still pretty good, but I knew there was more in the tank and the 100 metres absolutely produced that.
“That 6.55s with a legal wind should stamp my ticket to Poland for my third world indoor campaign, which I’m very excited for.”
Whelpton clocked 10.02s over 100m at Whanganui with a massive wind at his back that ruled out what would have been a national record, but he’s sure Eddie Oseai-Nketia’s 10.08s mark is not far away under the right conditions.
Another to master the swirling winds was pole vaulter Eliza McCartney, who cleared 4.63m on her third attempt to prove she’s in great physical and mental shape.
She needed three attempts to achieve her opening height of 4.30m, squirmed over 4.50m on her second, but stayed in the game to soar over 4.63m, before calling it quits, after one miss at 4.70m.
“Things have been tracking really, really well over the last few months, so to have good conditions today made it really easy,” she said.
Eliza McCartney soared over 4.63m at the Douglas International.David Rowland/Photosport
“It was challenging, but certainly not the most challenging you have to deal with in pole vault. When it moves around a bit, it’s tricky to get your marks right and you can imagine, when you’re carrying a long pole, it’s getting blown around and doesn’t help your run either.”
McCartney’s career has been plagued with injury and illness, but she’s buoyed by this performance and will now reconsider her next move, with world indoors also her most immediate goal.
She’s keenly aware that training partners Olivia McTaggart and Imogen Ayris are in top form on the European indoor circuit, she’s now considering bypassing the rest of the NZ summer to chase more benign conditions under the roof.
Shot putter Tom Walsh also hopes to defend his world indoor title next month and declared himself pleased with his 20.80m winning effort in his first competition of the year.
“There were a lot of good things,” he assessed. “Things seemed to work easily – I’ve tried a lot harder and thrown about the same, especially early in the season.
“I haven’t been this strong all round this early in the season. Yes, my squat’s been better or my bench has been better, but not all together.
“All the numbers are better than they’ve ever been together, so we’re ready to go.”
Tom Walsh was in solid early-season form at the Douglas International.David Rowland/Photosport
Elsewhere around the stadium, Rosa Twyford ran a big personal best 4m 14.10s over 1500 metres, while Lex Revell-Lewis could not hold off the challenge of Danish champion Gustav Lundholm Nielsen over 400 metres, clocking 46.64s.
Whelpton returned to the track for an attempt on the national 4×100 metres mixed relay, but while his team clocked 43.04s, they ran out of their zone on the last change and were disqualified.
“To know we can run that time with a couple of sloppy changes tells me we can shave off another half a second and that would put us top 10 in the world,” he reflected.
“Absolutely, we’re going to keep working on it – the relay’s a major focus for me. I see it as an awesome opportunity to represent New Zealand on the world stage.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Action during the singles tennis match between Anton Shepp of New Zealand and Mirza Basic of Bosnia & Herzegovina at the David Cup match in Whangarei.Michael Bradley/Tennis NZ
New Zealand have advanced to the next round of tennis’ Davis Cup with a remarkable victory in their tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Whangārei.
The New Zealanders were staring defeat in the face after Anton Shepp and James Watt lost their opening singles matches on Saturday.
But they were revived by an inspiring effort from Ajeet Rai and Finn Reynolds in the doubles today. They played assured tennis to shut out Tomislav Brkic and Vladan Tadic 6-2 6-1.
The Kiwis still needed to win both reverse singles, but Watt and Shepp lifted their efforts in dramatic fashion.
Watt beat Andrej Nedic 6-3 7-6, taking the match in a tiebreak despite struggling physically.
“I felt like I let the crowd down yesterday,” Watt said in his on-court interview.
“I was cramping in that tiebreak, but I wanted to put my body on the line for my country.”
Then Shepp kept the Whangārei crowd cheering by taking the first set off Mirza Basic, 6-2. Shepp was up 5-2 in the second set but the 34-year-old Basic broke Shepp’s serve and then got back to 5-4 and had Shepp in trouble on his serve again at 15-40 before Shepp fought back.
He thumped successive aces to take the match and the tie and give New Zealand coach Artem Sitak one huge 40th birthday present.
The team rushed to embrace the 23-year-old Shepp, who told the crowd he was very proud of his team-mates.
“We had a big task today coming back from two-zero. Credit to all the lads, we put on a really big performance,” he said on the Sky Sport broadcast.
“Honoured to be here. This is my debut so thank you very much for making me feel so welcome.”
New Zealand now progresses to the second round, which will be held after the US Open in September. The draw has not been done yet, so they don’t know yet who their opponents will be.
The next round will be in September, with the draw yet to be made.
If they win their second round match, they make the final eight teams, plus the wildcard of Italy.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
The Green Party’s relatively new Chief of Staff, former MP Kevin Hague.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Few political staff roles are more crucial than a party’s chief of staff.
While television and film depictions of the role in shows like House of Cards and The West Wing have helped cement the role in the political imagination of audiences, those portrayals occasionally ring true but are more drama than reality.
A chief of staff needs sharp political instincts and a deep understanding of how Parliament works, which is why it might not surprise you that former MPs sometimes take the job.
Former MP Kevin Hague is the Green Party’s relatively new chief of staff. After time away, Hague has returned to the Parliamentary ecosystem, likely facing a frantic first year as the Greens prepare for the 7 November election.
New arrivals often have interesting insights (and are more willing to chat), so in late 2025, The House sat down with Hague to talk about what the chief job involves beyond its on-screen reputation.
Hague was a Green MP from 2008 to 2016. He had a reputation around Parliament as a backroom thinker and organiser. In the decade since, he held the role of chief executive of Forest and Bird, along with time spent on various boards.
Hague acknowledges parallels between his new role and being a CEO.
In a political party, “MPs are both the board of the company… the people to whom I report, but also the key clients of our work.”
Another way of looking at it, said Hague, is that of a coach of a sports team; an analogy especially apt in what is both an election and World Cup year.
“You’re not trying to be at your peak performance all the way through, you’re practising things, you’re seeing how things are, how various tactics will go.”
Though the chief of staff does work closely with MPs, the remit is primarily ensuring cohesion between the engine room of a political party (its staff) and the MPs.
Surprisingly, the chief of staff role is not a specifically political one. It is more crucial that the chief is capable of managing a range of highly political personalities.
But politics is unavoidable, he said.
“I think if I didn’t have a commitment to the same values and vision that the MPs have, [and] the party has, it would be difficult to do the job. Fundamentally, you’re giving political advice. Well, how do you do that if you don’t have a shared understanding of what we’re trying to achieve?”
During the current Parliament, an unusually high number of Green MPs have exited, whether by tragedy, choice or scandal. This exodus hasn’t just been limited to MPs. A lot of staff have also resigned, leading to speculations of either testy relations or poor management.
A key part of the chief of staff role is to keep everyone rowing in the same direction and stopping anyone from jumping out of the boat altogether. Hague said he plans to bring some discipline from both his time as a caucus strategist and also as a chief executive.
To listen to The House‘s full interview with Kevin Hague, click the link near the top of the page.
RNZ’s The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament’s Office of the Clerk.
Thousands attended the popular festival despite cancellation of water-based activities.Krystal Gibbens/RNZ
The cancellation of water-based activities at this year’s Island Bay Festival didn’t put too much of a dampener on the day.
Thousands of people congregated at the festival which had to cancel one of its headline events, the Blessing of the Boats, earlier this week.
The festival said the decision was made in line with public health advice after thousands of litres of untreated sewage spilled into the sea around the southern coast after the long outfall pipe backed up at the Moa Point Wastewater Plant.
A rāhui remains in effect from Ōwhiro Bay to Breaker Bay, and advice to the public continues to be to stay off south coast beaches, not to collect or eat shellfish from the affected coastal waters, avoid the area around Tarakena Bay altogether, and avoid contact with sea water or spray.
Water-based activities had been cancelled from the Island Bay Festival.Krystal Gibbens/RNZ
Down at the festival Rosie said they came to the festival every year and made time for the Blessing of the Boats and the Tangata Manu Birdman Beach Party.
The Beach Party had avoided cancellation but had been relocated to Shorland Park and moved to Friday 13 February.
She said it was a shame the events had been affected by the wastewater discharge.
“It doesn’t feel like the normal Island Bay festival.”
Sam said she was very disappointed Blessing of the Boats had been cancelled. She said it was what many people came to the festival for.
“It’s a big Catholic community so I think it’s really important for them to see that and obviously the Italian side.”
Kate said the real disappointment was Wellington’s infrastructure.
“This is not the first time we’ve had sewerage going into the sea,” she said. “We’ve just got to stop making these mistakes.”
She had brought her stepson and his partner who were visiting from overseas to support the local event and they had enjoyed the variety of street food available.
Leanne said the kids were “bummed” they couldn’t go swimming and the sewage situation needed to get sorted.
A rāhui remains in effect from Ōwhiro Bay to Breaker Bay.Krystal Gibbens/RNZ
Anika hoped not being able to go in the ocean wouldn’t deter people from coming to the festival, but she said what was going on in the ocean was really sad.
“I’ve talked to quite a few people who are really grieving what this means for the creatures that live here for the marine life, for the diversity that we have, that has taken so long to protect,” she said.
For many the water events however weren’t why they came to the festival.
“We live locally, so it’s nice to come down and support and come check it out,” said Dave.
William said he and his family lived just up the street and came down to the festival for something to do.
He said with a young baby they wouldn’t have gone to the beach anyway.
Lin from Christchurch and Jan from Melbourne saw the festival advertised and decided to come along.
The pair had come for a pickleball tournament, which they ended up pulling out of due to injuries.
Lin said the pair had seen some signs about the wastewater, but it hadn’t impacted their trip at all.
“We’ve just been having an amazing time because Wellington weather’s been great and we’ve just been doing a lot of sightseeing,” said Jan.
Many still attended the festival despite the water restrictions.Krystal Gibbens/RNZ
Newest water samples show wastewater had not reached inner harbour
Wellington Water says the latest results show there is no indication that untreated wastewater has reached the inner harbour.
The latest water quality tests taken on Friday show wastewater is still discharging into the ocean and people should stay off south coast beaches.
But it shows there is no sign the polluted wastewater has reached Eastbourne, Petone the CBD or Kilbirnie.
Some areas where there had been higher readings also looked to be lower than in previous days.
Wellington Water chair Nick Leggett today’s results were positive news, but for now the advice is still to stay out of the water.
“What we will be doing is building up a pattern and a trend from the testing in the days ahead,” he said
“By the end of the week we might be in a better position to sort of say with some confidence and provide some clarity, whether or not that can change.”
Leggett said the clean up of the Moa Point plant would also continue over the next week.
“Our hope is that by this time next week, we will have a much cleaner plant which will allow the assessments to start taking place so we can understand what it’s going to take to rehabilitate the plant and get it back operating.”
People get in touch with marine life at the Bait House
While people weren’t able to dip a toe in the sea water at Island Bay, also open during the festival was the Marine Education Centre Bait House.
Visitors were told as they entered that the facility had stopped its seawater intake the night before the wastewater spillage due to the predicted heavy rain.
“All our marine life is healthy and happy,” the Marine Education Centre said on its Facebook page earlier this week.
The bait house is its touch pool at the Marine Education Centre Bait House was still open for those wanting to connect with the marine environment in a different way.Krystal Gibbens/RNZ
“We dodged a bullet. Many years of operating a tiny aquarium on the South Coast and being in tune with nature as much as possible paid off.”
One of the biggest attractions of the bait house is its touch pool where people could pick up starfish and other critters, and while people were given the option to ditch the hands-on experience if they were concerned about the water, most were still quick to dive in despite the water issues nearby.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Aedes aegypti mosquitos spreading the dengue virus between people, people in the Cook Islands, including tourists, have been warned to take precautions.Tony Wills via iNaturalist (CC BY-SA 4.0)
A clinician says dengue fever vaccines should be made available in New Zealand as the Cook Islands reports a death from their current outbreak – an outbreak that has seen cases of the disease in Aotearoa grow too.
The country’s health ministry said an elderly patient with underlying conditions had arrived to hospital late in the disease’s progression, and died on 2 February.
Authorities have now announced Operation Namu-26 to raise awareness and promote prevention, including reminding tourists to stay safe.
Dengue is a virus passed between people by mosquitos, and Operation Namu-26 will include an increase in insecticide spraying work on the affected islands, as well as a nation-wide clean up to reduce places where water could pool and mosquito eggs could be.
The Cook Islands declared a dengue outbreak in May 2025, and more than 500 cases have been recorded there since.
In New Zealand, 86 people had been reported to have contracted dengue, with 75 of those cases connected to travel to the Cook Islands.
There had been “a significant increase in dengue cases on Rarotonga at the end of December 2025, and again at the end of January 2026”, the Cook Islands health ministry said. Cases had also been found on the islands of Aitutaki, Atiu, Mauke and Mangaia.
Clinician calls for travellers to take precautions, and vaccine to be made available in New Zealand
A vaccine against dengue is essential for New Zealanders to avoid potentially life-threatening bouts of the disease, and should also be made available here too, Auckland doctor Marc Shaw told RNZ.
There is currently no vaccine against dengue currently available in New Zealand, Health New Zealand said.
Shaw is the founder and medical director of Worldwise Travellers Health, and said a dengue vaccine is available in Australia, and has been trailed and tested across most of the world, including in Europe, the US, and South America.
There was strong demand for it in New Zealand, but it needs to be registered by Medsafe in order to be offered here, he said.
Children and older people are more susceptible to dengue fever, Shaw said. And while a first infection is usually not too serious for a healthy adult, the disease is also dangerous for anyone who catches it a second time.
Everyone headed to the Pacific should use the insect repellent permethrin, including spraying their clothes with it, and should wear light coloured clothing, Shaw said.
“The second attack can be a lot more sinister, in that it can cause a lot more potential for death or more serious disease requiring hospitalisation.
“So to this end, it is very important, that if people have had dengue fever in the past, that they take extra precautions for prevention of the disease on the second, third or fourth attack.”
Most types of mosquito are more active at dawn and dusk, but the mosquito species that transmits dengue is active for many hours during the day. It can also transmit other harmful viruses, including Zika and Chikungunya.
“It’s a daytime biting mosquito, and because of that, mosquito repellant is going to be essential for the prevention of diseases at that time,” Shaw said.
“I don’t recommend that people need to necessarily stop going to these wonderful areas that we have on our back doorstep, but to take good precautions – just to be aware of having some good mosquito repellant.
“I and my group are trying to make [a vaccine against dengue] more readily available, because we have a lot of demand for it – and it is this demand I think which is particularly significant at the moment, where the potential of the disease becomes a lot more likely given that people going into a dengue-ridden area can be attacked very easily by mosquito bites.”
Cook Islands tourism spots to take prevention measures
Tourist companies would be providing dengue prevention items to visitors and spraying on their properties following the ministry’s guidelines, the Cook Islands ministry of health said.
Anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms, headache, joint or muscle pain, or rash should “seek urgent medical attention immediately …so that timely care can be provided”.
New Zealand clinician and University of Auckland lecturer Dr Maryann Heather recently told RNZ that one in four people infected with dengue get sick.
Symptoms include headaches, pain behind the eyes, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, joint pain, skin rash, lethargy, tiredness, and high fever, and can be severe. The disease can be more dangerous for young children and elderly people.
“If you aren’t improving or concerned, you should seek medical attention, especially if you think you have dengue fever after returning from the islands,” Heather said.
“It’s crucial to educate and warn people travelling back to the islands so they are aware that dengue fever is present, especially since it is seasonal.”
On the eve of his Australian tour, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog faces huge opposition to his visit.
In a “National Day of Protest”, hundreds of thousands are expected to march in 30 cities around Australia, including every state capital city tomorrow evening.
Herzog’s visit has been opposed by Green Party and several Labor and Independent MPs, some of whom are expected to join the marches.
The NSW Minns government has gone to extraordinary lengths to stop the Sydney protest by declaring it a “major event” under the Major Events Act. The organisers, Palestinian Action Group, will challenge the validity of this action in the Supreme Court tomorrow before the protest.
Herzog’s visit follows the anti-semitic massacre in Bondi on December 14 when 15 people were killed and many more injured by two allegedly Islamic State-inspired gunmen. One gunman was killed and the other is now facing multiple charges of murder.
The idea of bringing Herzog to Australia originated with senior Australian Zionists, including the president of the Zionist Federation of Australia Jeremy Liebler, who is a personal friend of Herzog.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese then invited Herzog to make an official visit “to support the Jewish community at what has been a very difficult time”. He has justified his decision as reflecting a “need to build social cohesion in this country.”
Conflict rather than unity In fact, the visit was always likely to create conflict rather than unity in Australia.
Scores of community and activist groups, including the progressive Jewish Council of Australia and NSW Council for Civil Liberties, have condemned the Herzog visit.
Amnesty International Australia urged the Australian government “to comply with its international and domestic legal obligations and investigate Herzog for genocide… As President of Israel, Herzog has overseen and legitimised Israel’s genocide and has made statements amounting to genocidal incitement.”
Federal Labor MP Ed Husic, who was previously a Minister in the Albanese government, told The Guardian that he was “uncomfortable” with the visit and did not think it would build social cohesion. He pointed to findings by a United Nations Commission of Inquiry that Herzog and other Israeli officials were “liable to prosecution for incitement to genocide” for comments made after the October 7 attack by Hamas in 2023.
“There is both a legal scope and a moral duty to arrest Isaac Herzog on arrival.”
Adding to the controversy over his visit, President Herzog will bring with him Doron Almog, a retired Israel Defence Forces major-general. Almog, who is currently chair of the Jewish Agency for Israel, has formerly faced arrest warrants over allegations he committed war crimes in Gaza in 2002.
A coalition of legal groups has asked the Australian federal police to investigate and arrest Almog over war crimes allegations.
War crimes challenge Members of this coalition, including the Australian Centre for International Justice, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, and the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights have lodged a submission with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) arguing that Almog should be investigated for crimes committed during his time as an IDF Commander between 2000 and 2003.
“Under his command, the Israeli military was responsible for countless and extensive human rights violations and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions inside the illegally occupied Gaza Strip,” the submission alleges.
The AFP has referred the submission to its Special Investigations Command. Almog has previously denied the allegations and a UK warrant for Almog’s arrest was previously withdrawn.
The Zionist community is meanwhile celebrating Almog’s visit.
According to a Zionist Federation of Australia promotion, Almog was due to arrive before Herzog and appear at a conference at a Sydney Synagogue yesterday alongside Zionist Liberal MP Julian Leeser to discuss anti-semitism education.
Protesters stage a sit-in outside the Sydney Town Hall – location of tomorrow’s protest – in 2023 during one of the previous hundreds of pro-Palestian demonstrations. Image: Wendy Bacon
3500 police to flood Sydney’s CBD Tension is high in Sydney where Premier Chris Minns has announced a “massive policing presence” to flood the CBD with 3500 armed police during the Herzog visit.
Premier Minns has warned Sydney’s residents against travelling to the CBD even for work on Monday, predicting disruption and even riots, despite the fact that hundreds of pro-Palestinian protests over more than two years have been uniformly peaceful.
Despite his warnings, many thousands are expected to attend a protest at Sydney’s traditional weekday protest place Town Hall Square at 6 pm tomorrow, from which they plan to march to Parliament House.
Popular 2021 Australian of the Year and campaigner against sexual assault Grace Tame and Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi are among the advertised speakers. NSW Labor MP barrister Stephen Lawrence and Cameron Murphy are also attending and expected to speak.
The NSW government tried to deter the protesters by using unprecedented laws passed in late December to declare that no protest permits will be granted to a large swathe of Sydney which includes Town Hall Square. The ban has been in place since the laws were passed.
Although the ban does not stop people peacefully assembling, it grants the police full powers to make “move on” orders to disband protests and prevent marches.
These powers were used when mounted police prevented hundreds of peaceful Deaths in Custody campaigners conducting a short march on the pavement last month.
A coalition of groups including the Palestinian Action Group and Jews Against Occupation 48 has challenged the laws as unconstitutional.
‘Major event’ status With support for the march growing despite Minns’ warnings, his government took a further extraordinary step yesterday and declared Herzog’s visit a major event under the Major Events Act. The legislation is typically invoked to manage crowds during sporting events or very large festivals.
The act gives the police powers to issue directions to people not to enter an area, and to search people. Anyone who fails to comply with police directions may face penalties, including fines of up to $5,500.
But the Act states that it is not intended to be used against political protests. Today, the Palestinian Action Group announced that it will make an urgent application to the NSW Supreme Court tomorrow to declare the “major event” declaration invalid.
While in Sydney, Herzog and his delegation will visit families whose family members were killed in the Bondi massacre and will attend an invitation only “Solidarity and Light” event at the ICC centre in Darling Harbour. He will then travel to Melbourne and Canberra.
On Friday, the independent media outlet Lamestreamreported that Prime Minister Albanese had invited him to visit Parliament although he is not expected to address Parliament.
Wendy Bacon is a Sydney investigative journalist and retired journalism professor, and contributes to many publications, including Michael West Media. She is also a committee member of the Asia Pacific Media Network.
Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, and raised in Borinquen (the Taíno-language name for Puerto Rico), Bad Bunny’s life and music have been marked by political, social and economic crises affecting the archipelago: government corruption, failing infrastructure and debt.
Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Bad Bunny waves a Puerto Rican flag as he takes part of a demonstration demanding Governor Ricardo Rossello’s resignation in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 17 July, 2019.
AFP / Eric Rojas
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Taupō firefighters are responding to a large fire at Taupo Nui-a-Tia Tia College.
Fire and Emergency NZ said it was called to the already large fire about 2:10pm on Sunday.
Nearby residents were advised to close their doors and windows.
Photos and videos posted on social media showed an enormous plume of black smoke visible from across the lake.
A deluge of posts to an online community page said they could see flames or smoke coming from the school, on Sunday afternoon, while photos showed a large black plume of smoke rising from the town.
“N block fully ablazed ash is coming down all over Motutahae Street,” one person said.
“A significant amount of the school has already burned down,” another said.
Local MP Louise Upston said in a Facebook post the news was “devastating”.
The school is on Spa Road, at the north east end of the town.
Firefighting crews from the Lake Taupō, Taupo, Kinloch, Rotorua, Tokoroa, Greerton, Tauranga and Kaingaroa stations were responding.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on February 8, 2026.
Lessons in decolonisation – Minto draws parallels between NZ and Gaza injustices Asia Pacific Report Speakers contrasted and condemned settler colonialism strategies in Aotearoa New Zealand and Israel’s illegal occupation and genocide in Palestine at a feisty solidarity rally in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau today — a day after Waitangi Day, the national holiday marking the 1840 signing of Te Tititi o Waitangi between 46 chiefs and the
Isaac Herzog is accused of inciting genocide in Gaza. He shouldn’t be welcomed to Australia Writing in The Guardian on Thursday, UN Commissioner Chris Sidoti laid out the reasons Israeli President Isaac Herzog should not be welcome in Australia, and urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to correct his terrible mistake in inviting him. COMMENTARY: By Chris Sidoti It’s not too late for Anthony Albanese to withdraw the invitation to the
Aedes aegypti mosquitos spreading the dengue virus between people, people in the Cook Islands, including tourists, have been warned to take precautions.Supplied/ US Centers for Disease Control
The Cook Islands has reported its first dengue-related death of the current outbreak, amid a significant increase in cases, and reminders to tourists to stay safe.
The country’s health ministry said an elderly patient with underlying conditions had arrived to hospital late in the disease’s progression, and died on 2 February.
Authorities have now announced Operation Namu-26 to raise awareness and promote prevention.
Dengue is a virus passed between people by mosquitos, and Operation Namu-26 will include an increase in insecticide spraying work on the affected islands, as well as a nation-wide clean up to reduce places where water could pool and mosquito eggs could be.
The Cook Islands declared a dengue outbreak in May 2025, and more than 500 cases have been recorded there since.
In New Zealand, 86 people had been reported to have contracted dengue, with 75 of those cases connected to travel to the Cook Islands.
There had been “a significant increase in dengue cases on Rarotonga at the end of December 2025, and again at the end of January 2026”, the Cook Islands health ministry said.
Cases had been found on the islands of Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Atiu, Mauke and Mangaia.
Tourist companies would be providing dengue prevention items to visitors, and spraying on their properties following the ministry’s guidelines, it said.
Anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms, headache, joint or muscle pain, or rash should “seek urgent medical attention immediately …so that timely care can be provided”.
New Zealand clinician and University of Auckland lecturer Dr Maryann Heather recently told RNZ that one in four people infected with dengue get sick.
Symptoms include headaches, pain behind the eyes, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, joint pain, skin rash, lethargy, tiredness, and high fever, and can be severe. The disease can be more dangerous for young children and elderly people.
“If you aren’t improving or concerned, you should seek medical attention, especially if you think you have dengue fever after returning from the islands,” Heather said.
“It’s crucial to educate and warn people travelling back to the islands so they are aware that dengue fever is present, especially since it is seasonal.”
Table tennis and film have a surprisingly entangled history. Both depended on the invention of celluloid – which not only became the substrate of film, but is also used to make ping pong balls.
Following a brief ping pong craze in 1902, the game largely disappeared and was widely assumed to have been a passing fad. More than 20 years later, however, the British socialite, communist spy and filmmaker Ivor Montagu went to great lengths to establish the game as a sport – a story I explore in my current book project on ping pong and the moving image.
He founded the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and codified the rules of the game in both a book and a corresponding short film, Table Tennis Today (1929).
Timothee Chalamet makes it hard not to laugh at Marty Mauser’s wildly offensive claims and believable conviction.
A car fire shut down the SH1 Khyber Pass off-ramp in central Auckland, on Sunday 8 February, 2026.RNZ/ Calvin Samuel
A car fire has closed the State Highway 1 Khyber Pass off-ramp in central Auckland.
Just after 2pm on Sunday an RNZ staff member at the scene said the fire appeared to have been put out.
But traffic had backed up, and was crawling from the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway heading toward the city.
Just before 2pm on Sunday the New Zealand Transport Agency published a warning online that the off-ramp was closed due to the car fire. It said drivers should use avoid the area, and use the Symonds Street off-ramp.
A car fire shut down the SH1 Khyber Pass off-ramp in central Auckland, on Sunday 8 February, 2026.RNZ/ Calvin Samuel
Fan-centric, fan first – whatever you want to call it, that’s the buzzword around rugby ever since people started rightfully noticing that there were more than a few empty seats at Super Rugby Pacific games. With the season set to start next weekend, new Blues CEO Karl Budge is on a mission to change that. Although he says that simply because Eden Park isn’t packing out like it did in the 90s, it doesn’t mean people aren’t interested.
“The reality is more people watch Super Rugby than any other rugby competition or any other sports competition in New Zealand,” said Budge, pointing to Sky TV’s broadcast figures from last year. They showed overall growth on 2024’s Super Rugby Pacific audience, including a 15 percent increase for the final between the Crusaders and Chiefs.
“That is the cold, hard evidence. That’s not opinion.”
TV audiences are one thing. Eden Park without an All Black test is another.
Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Budge comes into the task of attempting to fill the country’s largest stadium with a fair degree of confidence. For nine years he was the CEO of the ASB Classic, turning it from a tune-up event into one of the most well-regarded tournaments for fan experience on the tennis calendar. His view is, somewhat ironically given the obsession with tinkering with rugby’s rules to deliver a faster game, is that whatever happens on the field shouldn’t be the main focus.
“The ASB Classic went from 16,000 people through the gates when I started to 105,000 in my final year. I don’t think we got any more tennis fans.”
Still, Budge admits that there’s no magic bullet to fill seats during Super Rugby Pacific.
“I certainly don’t have the answers yet. I’ve got a lot of listening and learning to do. I think our job as administrators, particularly with this young wave of people coming through, is to stop putting barriers up and go back to doing what rugby was about bringing communities together. 58 percent of people in Auckland weren’t born here, how do we how do we give this a place for them to see pride in their new home?”
Karl BudgeSupplied: SailGP
Then there’s traditional fans, who Budge says will be part of the balancing act of making sure new fans are catered for.
“We don’t want to alienate traditional fans. But what we need to do is do their favourite thing with sprinkles on top.”
The last time the Blues filled Eden Park was when they won the 2024 final against the Chiefs. So while it’s easy to think that success will solve things, it’s worth remembering one other Auckland team that is offering popular game day experiences hasn’t won anything in its entire existence. Still, the Warriors and latterly Auckland FC do not pose a threat, according to Budge.
“We had dinner last night, all three of us (Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker and Warriors CEO Cameron George). We get on great guns…we worked together in a lot of other capacities, a real great amount of respect from each other.
“The more people paying to attend live sport, the better it is for all of us. I do not see that we’re in competition with them.”
Warriors team photo with fans after beating Cowboys, NRL Magic Round.NRL Photos/Photosport
It’s worth noting though that filling Eden Park is a significantly bigger challenge than Mt Smart. Budge points to the fact that fans will find pretty much all the amenities at one that exist at the other, however rugby’s historic position as a cultural monolith makes knocking it the easy discourse in both traditional and social media.
“That’s probably where, as an industry, rugby’s not done enough to endear itself to fans. We’ve had a wonderful product. But I think in 2026, product is not enough. You look at the best sporting occasions around the world, the best of indications are very rarely about the core product.”
Budge says that there’s plenty to be learned outside of sports, too.
“How many people traipse halfway around the world to go to Coachella? It’s the experience, it’s the connection being part of the community, seeing yourself there. All of those things are what make those really special. The artists and the music is almost the bonus.”
“This is the first time I’ve worked in a job where we’ve had too much space. (At the ASB Classic) we were always trying to figure out how you manufacture space. We’ve got plenty of it now and I’m excited by that. I think gives us freedom to dream and look at things differently, there’s no question we need a bigger crowd than other stadiums to create an equal atmosphere.”
“But again, we can hide behind that, or we can go do something about it. We’re a city of 1.9 million people, getting to 30,000 people in a in a stadium shouldn’t be a fantasy.”
Budge’s vision is bold, but with a pragmatic edge.
“I think we have to be really open to failure,” he said.
“And frankly, if we haven’t failed, we probably haven’t gone hard enough.”
Tomorrow: Mark Robinson on the challenges facing engaging fans globally.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Brad Arnold, a founder and lead singer of American rock band 3 Doors Down, died on Saturday, nine months after disclosing that he had kidney cancer, the group said. He was 47.
Arnold said in a May 2025 social media video that he had been diagnosed with advanced-stage clear cell renal carcinoma that had spread to one of his lungs. 3 Doors Down cancelled their planned 2025 summer tour because of his illness.
3 Doors Down, formed in 1996 in Escatawpa, Mississippi, rose to popularity in 2000 with the Arnold-penned single ‘Kryptonite’, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other hits included ‘When I’m Gone’ and ‘Here Without You’, both top-five singles on the Billboard Hot 100. The band has been described as post-grunge, alternative rock and hard rock.
“As a founding member, vocalist and original drummer of 3 Doors Down, Brad helped redefine mainstream rock music, blending post-grunge accessibility with emotionally direct songwriting and lyrical themes that resonated with everyday listeners,” the band said in a statement posted on its official Instagram account.
Arnold died peacefully surrounded by loved ones including his wife Jennifer, according to the statement. The statement did not state where Arnold died.
“Above all, he was a devoted husband to Jennifer, and his kindness, humor and generosity touched everyone fortunate enough to know him,” the band’s statement said.
“Those closest to him will remember not only his talent, but his warmth, humility, faith and deep love for his family and friends.”
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Matt Gibb has been on New Zealand TV screens for more than 20 years, debuting on the children’s television show Squirt as a teen and currently guiding city dwellers around beautiful rural homes on the property show Find My Country House NZ.
Although the 45-year-old used to struggle with performance anxiety in the past and could go to pieces at auditions, nowadays, he’s learnt how to cope with nervousness and even enjoy the feeling.
“Nervousness gives you that ability to operate at a level that heightens every sense, I think. And you need that in live TV, because anything can happen, you need to be on your toes… If you’re not at least a little bit nervous, then your brain is not going to give you that ability to fire on all cylinders,” Gibb tells Music 101‘s The Mixtape.
Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee has earned the Kiwi comedian a Logie nomination for Most Popular New Talent at the prestigious Australian television awards.
Dane Menzies soards in the Winter Olympics Big Air snowbaord final.KUNIHIKO MIURA/AFP
First-time Winter Olympian Dane Menzies has slipped off the podium late to finish sixth in the men’s snowboard Big Air final at Milano Cortina 2026.
One of three Kiwis in the 12-man final, Menzies, 20, sat third after the opening two runs, one of the few with consistent performances across both attempts.
The door was still wide open for those behind him to improve their standings and he was surpassed by NZ-born American Ollie Martin. Italian favourite Ian Matteoli and eventual winner Kira Kimura from Japan.
Needing a big jump to retain his medal hopes, Menzies could not control his landing, faceplanting hard into the hard snow.
“Super stoked, but pretty bummed at the same time, just to not land that last one,” he told Sky Sport. “Only up from here, so I’m happy.
“It was awesome. Definitely, everyone was pretty locked in, but it was nice to have [teammates] there to chill.
“So far, super special and realising this is a big deal. Definitely hungry for more and looking forward to the next.”
Kimura had the best jump of the opening round, but crashed on landing on his second. He responded magnificently with his third, recording the best score of the night and finishing with the two best for a comprehensive victory.
Teammate Ryoma Kimata finished second, while defending champion Yiming Su of China took the bronze medal.
American-born Kiwi Lyon Farrell was the best of the NZ contingent through the opening round, but could not replicate that performance across the second and third, finishing eighth, while Rocco Jamieson was one place back.
All three will return to competition on Tuesday, 17 February (NZT) for slopestyle qualifying.
Follow the live action here:
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Nicki, who did not want to use her surname, said she had a 2002 Subaru Impreza and a 2012 Suzuki Alto insured with AA Insurance.
But while they were valued at $4000 and $5500 respectively for insurance last year, when it came time to renew this time, the Subaru was proposed to be worth $10,294 and the Suzuki $9600.
She said the maximum excess she was allowed to have had also dropped “massively”.
“We used to be at $2500 per car but the top is now only $1000. I’m unable to get the Subaru’s agreed value reduced back to what it was 12 months ago because they will only insure now for $4375. Allegedly the company feels it must protect us from underinsuring ourselves.”
She was able to reduce the value of the Suzuki.
A higher excess can reduce the premiums that people pay for cover. Nicki was told in an online chat with the insurer that its pricing team had determined $1000 was the most reasonable and accessible amount for customers.
Turners lists a 2009 Subaru Impreza for $5990. A 2014 Suzuki Alto is listed on Trade Me for $5500 and a 2011 model is $4900.
Nicki told the insurer that it was ridiculous that a 24-year-old car would increase in value by two-and-a-half times in a year.
“We cannot be the only ones they’re trying to raise revenue from in these three ways – sum insured increase, excess reduction, refusal to set sum insured appropriately low.”
A spokesperson for AA Insurance said it had recently updated its excess options to ensure that they were “simple and easy for customers to select”.
“Consistent with common industry practice, we rely on an independent third party data provider to provide vehicle values. From time to time, this provider updates their methodology and data sources to ensure the valuations reflect the most accurate and up to date market conditions.
“When this happens, customers may see changes, either increases or decreases, in their proposed agreed values at renewal. We encourage customers to get in touch if they would like to discuss their proposed value or agree on a different value with us.”
Aedes aegypti mosquitos spreading the dengue virus between people, people in the Cook Islands, including tourists, have been warned to take precautions.Supplied/ US Centers for Disease Control
The Cook Islands has reported its first dengue-related death, amid a significant increase in cases, and reminders to tourists to stay safe.
The country’s health ministry said an elderly patient with underlying conditions had arrived to hospital late in the disease’s progression, and died on 2 February.
Authorities have now announced Operation Namu-26 to raise awareness and promote prevention.
Dengue is a virus passed between people by mosquitos, and Operation Namu-26 will include an increase in insecticide spraying work on the affected islands, as well as a nation-wide clean up to reduce places where water could pool and mosquitos could breed.
The Cook Islands declared a dengue outbreak in May 2025, and more than 500 cases have been recorded there since.
In New Zealand, 86 people had been reported to have contracted dengue, with 75 of those cases connected to travel to the Cook Islands.
A senior health protection officer told RNZ Pacific that New Zealand had also reported 40 suspected cases of dengue since May, in visitors returning from the Cook Islands.
There had been “a significant increase in dengue cases on Rarotonga at the end of December 2025, and again at the end of January 2026”, the Cook Islands health ministry said.
Cases had been found on the islands of Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Atiu, Mauke and Mangaia.
Tourist companies would be providing dengue prevention items to visitors, and spraying on their properties following the ministry’s guidelines, it said.
Anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms, headache, joint or muscle pain, or rash should “seek urgent medical attention immediately …so that timely care can be provided”.
New Zealand clinician and University of Auckland lecturer Dr Maryann Heather recently told RNZ that one in four people infected with dengue get sick.
Symptoms include headaches, pain behind the eyes, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, joint pain, skin rash, lethargy, tiredness, and high fever, and can be severe. The disease can be more dangerous for young children and elderly people.
“If you aren’t improving or concerned, you should seek medical attention, especially if you think you have dengue fever after returning from the islands,” Heather said.
“It’s crucial to educate and warn people travelling back to the islands so they are aware that dengue fever is present, especially since it is seasonal.”
It happens in slow motion. Your six-year-old daughter is sprinting across the playground at school drop-off time when her toe catches on uneven ground. She goes down hard.
The playground goes silent. She freezes and looks up, straight at you. In that split second, she scans your face for data. Should she be terrified?
I’ve been there. I’d like to tell you that my pain scientist brain kicks in immediately. But honestly, it’s usually my panicked parent brain that gets there first. My stomach drops and my instinct is to gasp or rush in to fix it.
Easing children back into movement after an injury teaches them our bodies are designed to heal.
Wellington’s Terrace Tunnel will be closing for work overnight this week – from the night of Sunday 8 February through to the morning of Friday 13 February.
The Wellington Transport Alliance regularly closes a tunnel on State Highway 1 for routine maintenance.
First up is the Terrace Tunnel, then Mount Victoria Tunnel on the 16 February, and the Arras Tunnel on Buckle Street on 17 February.
In each case they will be closed from 9pm until 5am.
Work typically carried out during the closures includes cleaning, repairs, replacing lights, clearing drains, keeping emergency systems up to date, maintenance for fire detection and fire suppression systems, and maintenance for ventilation and air quality monitoring systems.
Dunedin Hospital was one of the hospitals affected.RNZ / Nate McKinnon
A big hospital IT crash in the South Island in mid-January was caused by a third-party hardware failure, Health New Zealand says.
It had earlier said a similar outage later the same month in Auckland and Northland was due to a technical failure at a commercial data centre.
Health NZ’s (HNZ) 10-year digital upgrade plan depends on external data centres doing better than it can
The southern outage on 13 January took out systems doctors and nurses need, forcing them to use paper for 36 hours at hospitals in Dunedin, Invercargill, Lakes and some rural areas. Systems were progressively restored through that period.
It impacted “a range of clinical systems in Te Waipounamu”, HNZ acting chief IT officer Darren Douglass told RNZ.
The outage ran from 3.21am on 13 January until 3.30pm the next day.
“We are working with the vendor and internally reviewing opportunities to speed up the response and restoration,” he said.
A review was underway.
“All major incidents are subject to post incident reviews, which focus on root causes and corrective actions, and commence immediately following an incident once immediate response and restoration activities have been completed.”
It was not clear if that included debriefing staff to check what the impacts on them and patients were.
HNZ was quick to downplay the impact of the four IT outages last month on patients, but unions said their members reported stress and chaos on themselves.
“We take safeguarding the integrity of public information and data very seriously,” Douglass said.
HNZ earlier said all four outages in January were due to technical issues, and three were due to “third-party vendor issues”.
The agency has been turning to external vendors, which include big cloud-computing operators, more and more.
Key IT projects it has promised will cut wait times and boost care for patients have anchor contracts with US Big Tech companies.
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New Zealand’s Luca Harrington competes in the men’s freeski slopestyle qualification run 1 at Milano Cortina 2026 Livigno Snow Park.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV
Two New Zealanders have advanced in freeski slopestyle, qualifying to keep their Winter Olympic dreams alive at Milano Cortina 2026.
Ben Barclay – who served as New Zealand’s flagbearer alongside Zoi Sadowski-Synnott at the opening ceremony – finished seventh. And defending X Games gold medalist Luca Harrington placed ninth in Italy overnight.
The top qualifier was double world champion Birk Ruud from Norway.
Defending Olympic champion Alex Hall of the United States had a bit more of an uncomfortable time to secure 8th place.
Kiwi teenager Lucas Ball finished 20th, missing out on a place in the final.
In slopestyle, athletes navigate a course with a variety of obstacles and are judged on the breadth, originality and quality of their stunts.
Barclay, who was born in Auckland and is now based in Wanaka, sounded relieved after securing his spot in next week’s final.
“Qualifying is always a lot scarier,” Barclay said. “To get through the first phase is a weight off my shoulders. It’s kind of a surreal feeling to look down at the course and say, ‘I guess we’re doing this now.’”
Norway’s Ruud, the first men’s rider of the day, executed a flawless performance and finished at the top of the pack on Saturday.
“I was just all-in on the first one,” the 25-year-old said. “I was focused as if it was my only chance. It felt awesome.”
In the women’s freeski slopestyle qualifying, New Zealand’s Ruby Star Andrews placed 17th and Sylvia Trotter 20th, both missing out on a spot in the final.
Dane Menzies soards in the Winter Olympics Big Air snowbaord final.KUNIHIKO MIURA/AFP
First-time Winter Olympian Dane Menzies has slipped off the podium late to finish sixth in the men’s snowboard Big Air final at Milano Cortina 2026.
One of three Kiwis in the 12-man final, Menzies, 20, sat third after the opening two runs, one of the few with consistent performances across both attempts.
The door was still wide open for those behind him to improve their standings and he was surpassed by NZ-born American Ollie Martin. Italian favourite Ian Matteoli and eventual winner Kira Kimura from Japan.
Needing a big jump to retain his medal hopes, Menzies could not control his landing, faceplanting hard into the hard snow.
“Super stoked, but pretty bummed at the same time, just to not land that last one,” he told Sky Sport. “Only up from here, so I’m happy.
“It was awesome. Definitely, everyone was pretty locked in, but it was nice to have [teammates] there to chill.
“So far, super special and realising this is a big deal. Definitely hungry for more and looking forward to the next.”
Kimura had the best jump of the opening round, but crashed on landing on his second. He responded magnificently with his third, recording the best score of the night and finishing with the two best for a comprehensive victory.
Teammate Ryoma Kimata finished second, while defending champion Yiming Su of China took the bronze medal.
American-born Kiwi Lyon Farrell was the best of the NZ contingent through the opening round, but could not replicate that performance across the second and third, finishing eighth, while Rocco Jamieson was one place back.
All three will return to competition on Tuesday (NZT) for slopestyle qualifying.
Follow the live action here:
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Work to remove the cables finished on Thursday.Supplied/Horizons Regional Council
Decaying suspension cables have been removed from an historic Manawatū bridge, after one fell into the river below, leaving just two concrete towers standing as reminders of the past.
One of the cables spanning the former Ōpiki toll bridge next to State Highway 56, south of Palmerston North, came down in high winds on New Year’s Eve.
The cable failure was the second in less than two years.
This week, Horizons Regional Council, which now owns the bridge, announced both the bridge’s cables, which were in poor condition, would come down, clearing the path for Manawatū River users and avoiding a costly repair bill.
The removal work finished on Thursday, leaving only the bridge’s concrete pylons remaining.
Horizons central region engineer Paul Arcus said, given the bridge’s importance to the local community and historical value, great care was taken with the removal.
The former toll bridge is no longer connected over the Manawatū River.Supplied/Horizons Regional Council
The tension was removed from the cables, before they were cut at each end and then pulled out using heavy machinery.
“We had to create bespoke clamps to hold on to them,” Arcus said. “They’re definitely constructed in a way that wouldn’t be done these days, so we had to get new things created, so we could hold on to them.”
For now, they’d sit in a paddock next to the bridge site, while their future was decided, Arcus said.
Bits of it would likely be given to community groups or other parties that had expressed an interest.
The removal work cost about $70,000, while repair options could have hit about $130,000, without factoring in extra bills, such as for consenting.
“It’s a little bit out of the council’s wheelhouse of what we do as a core activity and we don’t have funding directly related to historic structures.
“I think the council themselves have decided that this is the sensible solution,” Arcus said.
The bridge was built by the Akers family for their flax business in 1918 and the cabling is said to have been secondhand then – sourced from Waihi’s gold mines.
The flax industry collapsed shortly after, but the bridge remained open as a private toll route, until the current state highway bridge opened in 1969.
The suspension bridge’s decking was removed then, but it’s remained as a landmark for commuters for more than 50 years since – albeit one that now looks different.
This week, Clive Akers, who still lives near the bridge, said he was relaxed about the cabling’s removal.
Historic Places Trust Manawatū Horowhenua chairwoman Cindy Lilburn said the trust was saddened to see the cables go from such an iconic structure.
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The man behind surfer dog Bosco, Dylan Bacher, and his “equally spirited” companion Treasure.Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Bosco the French bulldog, known for ripping it up on his surfboard, returned to the moana in Paihia this Waitangi Day, flying the He Whakaputanga flag before the annual waka celebrations.
Now five years old, Bosco the French bulldog was joined by younger companion Treasure, an 18-month-old French bulldog, who is also learning to ride the waves.
Owner Dylan Bacher said being part of the day was about showing up and supporting the kaupapa.
“Mainly for the youth, mainly just keeping it simple and actually being a part of everything,” he told RNZ. “Seeing the culture and supporting it – keeping that culture real.”
Bacher said the atmosphere on the water was something special.
“Going through with Bosco was amazing, like it always is, and hearing everyone’s supportiveness,” he said.
“Watching the waka come out, that’s just something special to be a part of and actually see from out on the water.”
After coming ashore, the dogs were met with cheers from tamariki and whānau.
“It’s unbelievable how much love these two dogs get,” Bacher said. “The kids especially, we could hear them from the shoreline calling out to us.”
Surfer dogs Bosco and Treasure, and owner Dylan are famous on social media, with more than 930k likes and counting on TikTok.Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
The whānau, known as the ‘Pirate Crew’ or ‘Bosco’s Pirate Life’ on social media, have more than 52,000 followers on TikTok and more than 93,000 likes. Some of their most popular videos of Bosco riding the waves have reached millions of views.
Online, some have jokingly referred to Bosco as ‘Ngāti Kuri’ – a playful nod to the Māori word for dog, and Far North iwi Ngāti Kurī.
“He’s in there supporting everything and little Treasure too,” Bacher said. “She’s learning by watching Bosco and just hopping on the board herself.”
Bacher said he pays close attention to the dogs’ behaviour and only takes them out on the surfboard when they are comfortable.
“You can’t make them do that,” he said. “Bosco just hops on the board himself and now Treasure does too.”
Dylan Bacher said he loves bringing joy to peoples faces – especially rangatahi.Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
He said the message behind their presence at Waitangi remained the same as in previous years.
“Keep it real, keep supporting each other,” he said. “Waitangi Day is a beautiful day, when everyone is supportive of each other.”
“The world’s a hard place at the moment and we’ve got to keep making it better for the youth,” he said. “We need to learn to be together, look after the world and respect what we’ve got.”
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New Zealand will have three athletes in the men’s Big Air snowboard final, as it chases its first medals at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy this morning.
Lyon Farrell, Rocco Jamieson and Dane Menzie all qualified inside the top 12 on Thursday (NZT), with Farrell the highest-placed in seventh. He edged teammate Jamieson (eighth), with Menzies sneaking through as the 11th qualifier.
Japanese Hiroto Ogiwara was top qualifier, followed by Italian Ian Matteoli and Japan’s Kira Kimura.
Join us at 7.30am Saturday for our live coverage.
Lyon Farrell qualifies seventh for the Winter Olympics big air snowboard final.AFP
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Prefab classrooms at Wellington Girls’ College, used because of its old and earthquake-prone buildings.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
A big government project has begun to improve understanding of seismic risks at schools, starting with the Welllington region.
Seismic risk assessments for buildings generally undergo regular shifts in what is required, key in particular was research into the 2016 Kaikōura quake and, more recently, government policy aimed at lightening the costs on owners of quake strengthening.
A Treasury report suggested two tranches of the new school seismic projects were approved in December by the Cabinet, with each worth more than $100 million and each at the stage of a detailed business case.
The Education Ministry confirmed to RNZ it was “undertaking preliminary work to better understand seismic risk across parts of the school property portfolio”.
“This work is focused on improving information and informing future options, and is being considered in stages,” said chief executive for school property Jerome Sheppard.
The two tranches were on a list of 23 big projects from roads to hospital wards to defence housing that totalled more than $25 billion in forecast spending over the next four years.
The two were categorised as medium-to-high-risk investments.
“We are looking first at Greater Wellington, where seismic risk is generally better understood, and where assessment and planning work is more progressed,” said Sheppard.
Several Wellington schools, such as Wellington Girls and Onslow College, have gone through years of angst and disruption for students over earthquake assessments and upgrade projects.
“This work is at an early stage,” Sheppard said. “Wellington schools continue to operate as normal and are aware of the seismic status of their buildings.
“Any future decisions about next steps would be subject to Cabinet consideration.”
Five months ago, the government introduced a new “risk-based” approach to earthquake strengthening to supercede rules brought in after 2016, which it said would save building owners nationwide more than $8.2b.
In 2022, the Building Research Association and the ministry did structural testing into the seismic capacity of buildings commonly used in schools nationwide. This showed that “the buildings are inherently resilient”.
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Speakers contrasted and condemned settler colonialism strategies in Aotearoa New Zealand and Israel’s illegal occupation and genocide in Palestine at a feisty solidarity rally in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau today — a day after Waitangi Day, the national holiday marking the 1840 signing of Te Tititi o Waitangi between 46 chiefs and the British crown.
Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) co-chair John Minto was one of the speakers after attending an earlier rally at Kerikeri and then driving 240 km with four fellow activists to join the Auckland protest.
“Colonisation in the present resonates with every Māori family. So here we are in that process of decolonisation, a slow process — it’s happening within Māoridom, and it’s happening in the Pākehā world,” Minto told the crowd.
“I was so delighted that when the Treaty Principles Bill came in we had that huge hikoī in Wellington,” he said.
“For those of you who know Wellington, we were in Manners Street towards the end of the march.
“And we got word that the rally had started in Parliament. We still had a kilometre to go. The streets were jammed with people, Pākehā, Māori, migrant people — Indigenous people from all over the world, all saying ‘no’.
“New Zealand is not a European country. We have an Indigenous people here and we want to work in partnership through the Treaty of Waitangi.
‘Weak prime minister’ “And what we have now, again, we’ve got a government that is — we have a weak prime minister, and we have got leaders of strong rightwing parties, that’s Winston Peters from New Zealand First, and that other guy from ACT . . .
“You know, whatever his name is . . .” Minto said jokingly. The crowd reeled of David Seymour’s name with a mocking tone and cries of “one term government” with a general election due on November 7.
Janfrie Wakim at today’s pro-Palestine rally . . . “All settler-colonial states seek more territory and fewer Indigenous people by ‘ethnic-cleansing’.” Image: Asia Pacific Report
Among other speakers was Janfrie Wakim, a longtime advocate for Palestine and one of the founders of the Auckland-based Palestine Human Rights Campaign founded in the 1970s, which later evolved into the PSNA in 2013.
She gave a “high fives” message of praise for protesters supporting the cause of Palestine justice and self-determination in this 122th week of demonstrations since October 2023.
Wakim also lauded the “kaimahi” — the workers who turned up each week to set up and pack up.
She said the colonisation of Aotearoa and Palestine had similarities — “but also some differences and decolonising is our task here in Aotearoa and in Palestine.”
Wakim paid tribute to Annette Sykes — “a wahine toa and heroic lawyer” advocate for Māori iwi — who wrote recently “decolonising is not erasing history but rewriting who controls the narrative”.
Protester Craig Tynan holds up his “The beast must be stopped” placard at today’s pro-Palestinian rally in Auckland. Image: Asia Pacific Report
‘Enriching empires’ “Classic colonialists set out to exploit resources and enrich their empires,” Wakim said.
“European imperial powers dominated the past 500 years and they exited when their empires collapsed,” she said, naming Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, Portugal and Spain.
However, she added, “settler colonialism is different — it remains and is ongoing. All settler-colonial states seek more territory and fewer Indigenous people by ‘ethnic-cleansing’.”
“Settler colonialists sought to recreate Europe in the lands they invaded and they needed to eliminate the local native populations living there — think Australia.
“That is the story of Palestine.
“Settler colonialism is a structure not an event. And Zionists built their structure on that platform.”
Wakim said early Zionists knew well that Palestine was populated. They knew that the land had to be “emptied” to allow European Jews to establish their settler-colonial project.
Nakba refugees She referred to the 1948 Nakba — “the catastrophe” — when 750,000 Palestinians were expelled by Israeli militias. They became refugees in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria but with a UN-backed right to return.
More than 500 Palestinian villages were destroyed and their land stolen by the Israelis.
Wakim also told of the Zionists’ racist narrative dehumanising the Palestinians and their relationship to the land”.
“But nothing compares with what Israel is doing today — the brutal, ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing we have been witnessing and continue to witness.”
Wakim said the Zionist structure was built on a weak foundation that was crumbling — “not fast enough but the cracks are widening as is Israel’s reliance on one superpower which itself is in decline”.
She said Palestine and Palestinians remained steadfast and resisting the injustices.
“As here in Aotearoa, they are actively working across the world in solidarity with others to expose the lies and change the narrative and unite people of all nations, ethnicities and religions.
BDS movement growing “BDS — [the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement] is growing slowly but surely.”
She said Israel was imploding and she called on New Zealand to renew its “lead on social justice issues”.
“We may be small, but we can be powerful,” she added.
Another speaker, kaiāwhina Kerry Sorensen-Tyrer, spoke of her encounter that day at Te Komititanga Square with three IDF soldiers from Israel “holidaying” in New Zealand. After a brief exchange, she photographed them and reminded the crowd to be vigilant and to report information to the PSNA’s IDF hotline.
“We do not want you in Aotearoa,” she said of the soldiers and their role in a genocidal war on Gaza to loud cheers from the crowd.
A “NZ government – your silence is complicity with Israeli genocide” placard at today’s protest in Auckland. Image: Asia Pacific Report
In general, people who read and write books work actively to increase their respect for and confidence in one another’s basic goodness, says American writer George Saunders.
Reading social media posts, on the other hand, through which big media programmes people for partisan discussion, kind of does the opposite.
“[It’s our] systems of communication that are making this animosity… I think that people are in some ways much more open and affectionate than the public discourse would lead us to believe,” Saunders tells Saturday Morning.
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Writing in The Guardian on Thursday, UN Commissioner Chris Sidoti laid out the reasons Israeli President Isaac Herzog should not be welcome in Australia, and urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to correct his terrible mistake in inviting him.
COMMENTARY:By Chris Sidoti
It’s not too late for Anthony Albanese to withdraw the invitation to the Israeli President, Isaac Herzog. It should be withdrawn for three reasons.
The first is institutional: The President of Israel is a constitutional role that is head of state but not part of the political or military chain of command. The office is similar to that of Australia’s Governor-General, though with somewhat more power.
As head of state, the president embodies and represents the state of Israel.
Commissioner Chris Sidoti . . . “It could be the most divisive state visit to Australia since that of US president Lyndon B Johnson in October 1966 when the Vietnam war was at its height and Australian soldiers were being killed.” Image: johnmenadue.com
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has found that Israel unlawfully occupies the Palestinian territories, has unlawfully purported to annex parts of the Palestinian territories and unlawfully plants, encourages and maintains unlawful settlements in Palestinian territories. The court is also trying a case in which Israel is accused of genocide.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against the Israeli Prime Minister and former Defence Minister, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The same court is investigating other senior Israeli military and political leaders on similar charges.
The UN Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory has found evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocidal intent by Israeli leaders and recommended their prosecution. Israel is a rogue state whose head of state, its supreme representative, should not be permitted to visit Australia.
The second reason is about Herzog himself: The Commission of Inquiry has found that Herzog has incited genocide. Herzog made the statement that all Palestinians, “an entire nation”, are responsible for the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023.
The commission found that, because as president he is not part of the political or military chain of command, he was not responsible for war crimes or crimes against humanity. But the crime of incitement to genocide stands outside the chain of command. It can be committed by any individual. The commission recommended that he be investigated and prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.
For reasons of law, ethics and social cohesion, this divisive political visit by the Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Australia should be stopped. Image: johnmenadue.com
Herzog denies this and has qualified his statement, saying “there are many, many innocent Palestinians who don’t agree” with the actions of Hamas. But the UN commission said it viewed that as an effort “to deflect responsibility for the initial statement”.
He has been a vocal head of state and his words have been taken and repeated by Israeli soldiers. Someone who incites genocide does not satisfy the good character test for entering Australia. On the contrary, a person who incites genocide should be arrested on arrival and tried under Australian law and international law for the crime.
Traditionally, a head of state has a special immunity when visiting another country. However, there is now strong legal argument that this immunity does not apply in relation to atrocity crimes, namely war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Australia should not apply immunity in relation to these crimes.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has previously rejected the commission’s report as “distorted and false”, and Herzog has said his comments have been taken out of context, noting he also said Israeli soldiers would follow international law.
The third reason for withdrawing the invitation relates to us, Australia, and our current situation: The Hanukah massacre on 14 December 2025 has shaken us all. It was an atrocity. Immediately political leaders across the spectrum expressed concerns for “social cohesion”. They said steps were needed to restore social cohesion and called for national unity at a time of crisis.
Eventually a royal commission was appointed for this purpose. And yet it’s hard to imagine a single event at this point in time more likely to harden national division and undermine social cohesion than a visit by the Israeli president. It could be the most divisive state visit to Australia since that of US president Lyndon B Johnson in October 1966 when the Vietnam war was at its height and Australian soldiers were being killed.
What was the Prime Minister thinking when he invited Herzog? In the days after the massacre, he no doubt thought inviting Herzog was a good way to express support for the traumatised Jewish community.
But Herzog is a political leader, not a religious leader. He is divisive in Israel and his visit could be divisive in Australia. If the Prime Minister wanted to support the Jewish community, he would have done better to invite a respected Jewish religious leader.
For reasons of law, ethics and social cohesion, this divisive political visit should be stopped.
The prime minister is widely acclaimed for his willingness to recognise mistakes and change course before it’s too late. He should recognise that he made a terrible mistake, in the emotional, traumatic days after the massacre, in inviting Herzog to visit.
It’s not too late to correct the mistake.
Chris Sidoti is Australian and a Commissioner on the UN Human Rights Council’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.Republished from The Guardian on 5 February 2026 and from Pearls and Irritations today with permission from the editor.
Sam Cosgrove of Auckland FC celebrates his goal with team-mates Francis de Vries and Louis Verstraete in their 1-0 win over Sydney FC at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, on Saturday.Photosport
Auckland FC have regained the men’s A-League competition with a gutsy 1-0 win over Sydney FC on Saturday.
It was a game of drama, with Auckland bouncing back after going three matches without a win.
Coach Steve Corica had demanded more focus at the back end of their matches after they surrendered early leads in their last couple, and they showed plenty of defiance to hold on after Englishman Sam Cosgrove put them in front in the 20th minute.
It was his seventh goal of the season, and came from a melee in the Sydney goal area with Cosgrove’s left foot stab doing just enough to put his side on the scoreboard.
Cosgrove had a much better shot at goal in the 60th minute when he headed what looked likely to be a brilliant goal from a pinpoint Marlee François cross only to be denied by a flying save from Sydney goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares.
The goalie produced some other great saves against a fired-up Auckland attack, but he had to bow to redeemed Auckland keeper Michael Woud who didn’t let any of Sydney’s numerous attempts through.
Woud had made costly errors in his previous two outings and only got to play after Oli Sail’s knee injury ended Sail’s season last weekend.
“We’ve been going 1-0 up a lot lately and then been conceding goals late on, so I am really pleased to get a clean sheet,” Corica told Sky Sport.
“Sometimes you have to do it the hard way, but I think that was a really good performance from our boys.”
While Auckland FC sit top of the points ladder with the win, Newcastle Jets can quickly regain it if they beat Adelaide on Sunday.
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Nelson cyclist George Bennett salutes as he wins the New Zealand Elite Road Cycling Championship near Cambridge, on Saturday.Russell Jones
Veteran George Bennett has won his second men’s national road cycling championship near Cambridge, with a strong attacking ride.
The 35-year-old Nelson cyclist with an impressive international CV was in tears after his victory.
“This win means a lot. I have had a really rough 18 months so this means the world. To finally win a race again – with my friends, my family, my team-mates and Bewls all here.”
Bewls is former pro cyclist Sam Bewley, director of Bennett’s NSN Cycling World Tour team, which has sprung from the controversy involving the former Israel Premier Tech team. It was the subject of pro-Palestinian protests which disrupted some major races last year. These championships were the first victory for the new team.
It was Bewley who encouraged Bennett to attack strongly. Part of a small lead group, he pushed hard with three of the 20 laps remaining and was never in danger from that point.
“I think I rode a really smart race. I picked the initial move and we rode well. It was a strong group with some really under-rated guys. We just stayed really smart,” Bennett said.
“I got the call from Bewls to open up the race early and went with 30kms to go. It is always a race within a race when you go early like that and I just had really good legs.
“Most of the time that move doesn’t work, but at least next time it doesn’t work out I can remember this one.”
Bennett won the elite men title by 41 seconds from recent Tour of Southland winner Josh Burnett, with Matthew Wilson four seconds back in third, and James Gardner close up and easily taking the under-23 crown.
It was Bennett’s second national title after he won in Cambridge five years ago.
“I am really proud to win this and take the jersey back to wear on the World Tour,” he said.
“My big target is the Tour de France this year so to be able to wear the jersey in something like that would be special. It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s awesome.”
It was a tough race with 28 of the 71 starters failing to finish.
SH2 is closed in both directions near Kaitoke, north of Wellington, following a three-vehicle crash this afternoon.
Police said they were notified of the crash at about 4pm. It occurred at the intersection of SH2 and Waterworks Road, between Upper Hutt and the Wairarapa.
Emergency services are at the scene, and the road remains blocked while they respond to the incident.
NZTA Waka Kotahi said people travelling between Upper Hutt and the Wairarapa should delay their journeys, as no local road detours are available.
Motorists are being advised to avoid the area if possible and to check the Journey Planner for the latest travel information.
There was no immediate word on injuries or when the road is expected to reopen.
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