Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s annual greenhouse gas emissions have slightly fallen, the latest data shows.

Numbers from the Greenhouse Gas Inventory, the country’s official record of emissions from human activities, shows the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases being produced dropped 0.1 percent between 2023 and 2024.

Once forests and other carbon sinks were taken into account, net emissions fell two percent, from 56 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent gases to 55 million tonnes.

New Zealand has a target, set through legislation, to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The largest increase in emissions came from energy production, after low hydro lake levels in 2024 forced the country to burn more fossil fuels to produce electricity.

However, that was partly offset by decreased emissions from manufacturing and construction, because the energy shortage forced some companies to slow and even stop production.

Agricultural emissions – which account for more than half of New Zealand’s total emissions, mostly through methane from livestock – decreased slightly, by 0.3 percent.

That was largely because there are fewer sheep in New Zealand.

The emissions from cattle, especially dairy cows, rose by 200,000 tonnes (0.8 percent) because cows were producing more milk.

New Zealand’s gross and net emissions peaked in 2006.

Net emissions have fallen by 15 percent since then, through a combination of reducing emissions at their sources and more forestry planting.

The inventory, which is compiled by the Ministry for the Environment each year, is the data that New Zealand reports to the UN Framework Convention on Climate change, the body that governs global climate change action.

Ministry chief science adviser Alison Collins said it provided an “annual update on the health of the climate”.

“It helps all of us see which parts of the system are putting pressure on the atmosphere, which parts are easing that pressure, and we might need to focus effort.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Educators are calling on the government to halt its education changes, as the Waitangi Tribunal wraps up a three-day urgent inquiry into the matter.

The inquiry, which was brought by Ngāti Hine, Te Kapotai and the country’s largest education union NZEI Te Riu Roa, has [heard evidence over three days] on the removal of school boards’ legal obligation to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and a planned reset of the national curriculum.

Claimants say the changes risk long-term harm for Māori learners, and were made without meaningful engagement with Māori or the education sector.

They want an immediate pause to the reforms, until the tribunal completes its inquiry and delivers its recommendations.

NZEI Te Riu Roa president Ripeka Lessels said taking the case to the tribunal was about ensuring Te Tiriti remained central to the education system.

“Establishing a mandatory legal requirement ensures that all school boards provide a consistent, equitable educational environment that honours the rights of ākonga Māori and their whānau,” she said.

Lessels said evidence heard during the week re-inforced concerns about the process behind the changes.

“Crown witnesses have admitted there was no engagement with Māori regarding the removal of school boards’ Te Tiriti obligations or the curriculum reset,” she said. “This occurred despite warnings from the Ministry of Education and the government’s own advisory group.”

On Friday, the tribunal heard from Justice Secretary Andrew Kibblewhite, who was summoned to answer questions on the government’s plans to introduce its new Treaty References Review legislation.

NZEI Te Riu Roa and other parties had requested the Crown to clarify its plans, which they said had “only become clear in evidence submitted by the crown the evening before the hearing began”.

As part of the coalition agreement between National and New Zealand First, the government – led by Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith – is undertaking a review of references to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi across 23 laws, including the Education and Training Act.

Evidence submitted to the tribunal showed cabinet had issued drafting instructions for legislation that would require decision-makers to “take into account” Te Tiriti, rather than “give effect” to it.

A Ministry of Justice Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) on the review said the approach had “no apparent benefits” and “risks significant damage to the Māori-Crown relationship”.

“This negative impact is likely to be exacerbated by the lack of consultation with treaty partners.” it said.

Despite that, the government had continued with its approach, Lessels said.

“It is clear the government breached its Te Tiriti obligations,” she said. “Their own witnesses acknowledge that removing these legal requirements could undermine Māori educational outcomes.”

She said the shortened consultation timeframes for Māori-medium curriculum (Te Marautanga o Aotearoa), compared to the English-medium curriculum (Te Mātaiaho), also highlighted broader concerns about how mātauranga Māori was treated in the reform process.

The tribunal hearing concluded on Friday, with another scheduled for 28 April for closing submissions.

Claimants have asked the tribunal to recommend restoring the legal obligation for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti, halting the rollout of both curriculums and undertaking an independent review.

They are also seeking public acknowledgment from the government that the removal of treaty obligations breached its duties.

Throughout the week, witnesses raised concerns around the content and development of the draft curriculum, including claims it sidelined Māori history, language and knowledge.

Ngā Kura-ā-Iwi representative Watson Ohia told the tribunal the changes had broken agreements between iwi and the Ministry of Education.

“Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the education system does not require perfection,” he said. “It requires good faith.

“It requires the crown to act as the partner it promised to be, to come to the table before decisions are made, not after.”

Education ministry officials told the tribunal that, while the legal obligation had been removed, schools were still required to monitor Māori student achievement and, for the first time, the new curriculum included a mandatory minimum level of teaching of te reo Māori.

They acknowledged consultation timeframes had been shorter, and said the government wanted to move quickly and had not intended to co-design the curriculum with the sector.

The government maintains treaty obligations sit with the crown, rather than school boards.

The tribunal’s findings and recommendations will be released in due course.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Heavy rain is forecast for western and northern parts of New Zealand this weekend, with a risk of severe gales down south.

MetService said a complex trough is moving northeast on to the South Island Friday, before shifting to the North Island Saturday and early Sunday.

It is expected to bring heavy rain, and possible thunderstorms.

An orange heavy rain warning has been issued for Taranaki, Buller and Grey Districts, Headwaters of the Canterbury Lakes and Rivers and Ranges of the Westland District.

Headwaters of the Canterbury Lakes and Rivers could expect up to 150mm of rain, with Buller and Grey Districts possibly getting 120mm.

MetService warned streams and rivers might rise rapidly and there was a risk of surface flooding and slips.

There is also a heavy rain watch for parts of Northland, Tasman, Wellington and Otago.

Meanwhile, a strong wind watch is in place for Canterbury High Country from 2pm Friday until 5am Saturday.

Northwesterly winds could approach severe gale in exposed places and there was a moderate chance of it upgrading to a warning, MetService said.

Raincoats and umbrellas would also likely be essential for other parts of the country, with evening rain, possibly heavy and thundery to hit Auckland.

“Those heading to the Warriors game Saturday evening might want to pack a raincoat,” MetService meteorologist Braydon White said.

“With the potential for showers during the game, those looking to stay dry may need to break out the ponchos and brollies.”

While the Blues v Highlanders game at Eden Park on Friday is less likely to be affected by bad weather, those headed to the Chiefs v Hurricanes at Waikato FMG Stadium might not be so lucky; Hamilton is also forecast for rain from Saturday afternoon.

For Sunday, the broad low-pressure system will lie “over the country” according to MetService, with several fronts “rotating around it bringing periods of rain but also fine gaps to most”.

This means those headed to the Auckland FC game at Mt Smart Stadium might also have to prepare for a wet afternoon.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police pay bargaining campaign stickers have been put up inside the Dunedin Central police station, despite the district’s top cop telling staff not to.

It comes after the Police Association told members it was “extremely concerned” a police memo to staff regarding the campaign was “an attempt to intimidate members”.

On Wednesday, the association issued a press release which said that for the first time in its 90-year history it was driving a pay bargaining campaign that included “active and visible advocacy from a workforce that is legally forbidden to strike”.

Bargaining starts on 1 May.

The campaign slogan was “Repay the Risk”.

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

On Friday, RNZ was supplied a photo of a sticker with the slogan that had been put on a window in the Dunedin Central Police Station.

An RNZ employee said there was at least four of the stickers visible inside the public area of the station.

It comes a day after Southern District Commander Jason Guthrie emailed staff about a memo that had gone to staff about the bargaining campaign.

He said it was clear that while staff could “advocate and engage with campaigning”, they could not “alter or diminish our professional standards throughout this period”.

This meant that any non-branded police material such as stickers and ribbons were not permitted on uniforms, or any police assets such as equipment, vehicles or buildings.

Guthrie said staff could not engage in any sort of picketing during work time.

“I am aware that campaign stickers have been placed in multiple locations in at least one station in Southern and those stickers will be removed forthwith.

“My expectation is that any other stickers on NZP assets (including but not limited to buildings, walls, doors, laptops, vehicles, uniforms) are also removed forthwith and do not reappear.”

Guthrie said he was sending the email not to “limit or stop anyone supporting or advocating around the pay round”.

“But to make sure that activity doesn’t overlap with our commitment to professionalism or our operational delivery to communities.”

The memo

On Thursday morning, a memo was sent to staff on behalf of Assistant Commissioner Deployment Jeanette Park.

The memo, seen by RNZ, said police had always “positively engaged” with the service organisations and had a “long history” of supporting staff in being able to advocate their position.

“This does not change.”

Park said ahead of bargaining it was “important to remind you that our values continue to be front and centre of how we operate”.

“One of those values is professionalism: look the part, be the part which requires us all to maintain standards and present a professional image to ensure our communities have trust and confidence in us.

“Stickers, decals, ribbons, clasps, lanyards or other non-branded police material are not permitted on uniforms, or any police assets such as police vehicles, equipment, buildings, office spaces and noticeboards.”

Park said it was “essential for us to maintain our professionalism to ensure New Zealanders have trust and confidence in us”.

Following the memo, the association wrote to staff.

The email, seen by RNZ, said the association “rejects police’s view that participation in the ‘Repay the Risk’ campaign is unprofessional”.

“Our view is that it is highly professional to care about your terms and conditions and take collegial action to seek improvements, thereby aiding the viability of your occupation.

“We are extremely concerned that this morning’s Pānui was an attempt to intimidate members and to undermine our campaign.”

The association said it was “vital” members’ right to participate in the union was protected.

“Your employer should respect that and refrain from imposing any restrictions inconsistent with other external material, such as claiming that because our campaign materials – wristbands and stickers etc –

are non-Police branded they are not permitted within your workplace or while in uniform.”

Any members who experienced “retaliation” were asked to contact the union.

“Before ‘Repay the Risk’ was under way Commissioner [Richard] Chambers was advised about the material that was to be distributed. No concerns were raised.

“Accordingly, association president Steve Watt has written to the commissioner outlining our concerns. We have also indicated our willingness to take things further if we must.”

On Thursday, police told RNZ they had no further comment.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Lead poisoning has killed two kea in Southern Westland in recent weeks, and led to four others being hospitalised, the Department of Conservation says.

DoC was asking for people’s help to protect the endangered birds by removing sources of the toxin and never feeding the endangered birds.

One of the kea was found dead, and one died at the South Island Wildlife Hospital.

The other four were released after chelation therapy – which was the only way to reverse the impacts, and had to be done within a short window of exposure, it said.

Chelation therapy involves vets administering rounds of medication which binds to the lead and it then passes in the birds’ urine.

Department of Conservation ranger Tracey Dearlove said kea were naturally inquisitive and prone to chewing on lead building components.

“These are normally buildings constructed before 1991, and often it’s in the form of lead head nails and lead flashings,” she said.

Tracey Dearlove said lead ammunition was also still in use throughout the country.

“Unfortunately, kea will chew on carcasses that have been shot with lead and ingest it that way,” she said.

Of more than 800 kea that had blood samples tested for lead between 2006 and 2022, 84 per cent had some lead detected, indicating lead exposure, and 23 per cent had toxic blood lead levels.

“Lead poisoning is a really serious issue. It’s one of the major threats to kea,” Dearlove said.

Kea which had ingested lead typically looked “slow and lethargic”, she said.

“Often we’ll see them sort of hunkering down, looking very unwell and sometimes they’re vomiting. They can become very emaciated and when we catch them, if they’ve had lead poisoning, sometimes there’s not a lot to them. And unfortunately, it can impair their behavioural cognition, so we find that kea that have had lead poisoning can become more susceptible to other causes of death, like being hit by cars.”

DoC was encouraging people to follow the “three golden rules” of removing access to food, removing all sources of lead, and making properties as boring as possible to kea.

“All of these issues are interlinked. When kea get fed, they often come onto properties and hang around for longer, and this means they’re more likely to chew on buildings and get lead poisoning,” Dearlove said.

There was funding available from the Kea Conservation Trust for individuals and businesses wanting to remove lead from their buildings in areas with kea, she said.

DoC said lead shot was no longer being used in tahr control work, and it was removing lead from its backcountry structures – with at least 125 made lead free in the last 18 months.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police say they are urgently appealing for sightings of Nathan from Motueka, who has reported missing by his family.

Nathan was last seen on Monday 13 April, and had not been seen or heard from since, they said.

People with information regarding Nathan’s whereabouts should contact Police on 111, referencing file number 260414/6742.

Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Despite the efforts of emergency personnel, one person died at the scene on Friday.

Passengers were on the bus at the time, but no other injuries were reported.

Drivers were warned earlier in the day to expect long delays after the crash.

The police said the incident on Tennyson Street in the central city was reported to them at 8.30am.

The street is closed for a scene examination and diversions are in place.

A police spokesperson said the diversions would likely be in place for much of the day.

The Serious Crash Unit has been notified and is looking at the circumstances around the crash.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Rural families are concerned about how the rising price of fuel will affect the new school term.

School children are currently on holiday but term two starts on Monday.

Rural Women chief executive Sandra Kirby said the impact of high fuel prices was more significant in rural communities because of the greater distances people needed to travel and the lack of public transport options.

Families were worried about how the school run would hit them financially, she said.

“We’ve got parents that are travelling half an hour at least to get their kids to school and we have heard that attendance may be challenged from the sheer cost of fuel.”

Parents were also worried that fuel prices would affect relief teachers and support workers’ ability to travel to rural schools, Kirby said.

Members were already reporting that they were changing their daily routines and limiting when they were heading into town, she said.

“Going to town includes things like groceries but it also includes getting family members, children and adults to their sports practices, their sports games, their out of school activities.

“As people look to reduce travel, then it’s obviously going to be those things that get impacted first,” she said.

Rural Women had already had to cancel two events and the cost of fuel was definitely a factor, Kirby said.

“People just can’t commit to going out. That’s a nice to have and not a necessity.”

She had advised people to carpool when they could, and also to check on their neighbours and the more vulnerable members of their community.

Comparing the situation to the covid-19 pandemic, she stressed the importance of making sure people stayed connected, to make sure everyone had what they need and were not socially isolated.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Firefighters have isolated the gas leak at a restaurant in Kaiteriteri that caused a nearby campground to be evacuated on Friday morning.

Emergency services were called to the leak at 6.50am, and the main road was closed while they attended the scene.

Fire and Emergency said surrounding buildings were being ventilated and the response was being scaled down.

People were able to return the campground by mid-morning.

Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve, which runs the camp, said the businesses were back operating as normal, but the Waterfront Restaurant remained closed while firefighters worked to determine the cause of the leak.

The road through Kaiteriteri has also reopened.

Assistant District Commander Chris Best earlier said the leak appeared to be from external gas tanks.

“It’s a lovely day here and many people would usually head to the beach at Kaiteriteri, but for today we are asking them to choose another destination while we make the area safe again,” Best said at the time.

Firefighters from Kaiteriteri, Motueka, Upper Moutere, Mapua and Nelson were involved in the response.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A police patrol car was involved in a crash near Burnham, just outside Christchurch, on Friday morning.

The crash on State Highway One/Main South Rd left two people with minor to moderate injuries, police said.

The police officer had been taking part in “road policing activities” at the time, Senior Sergeant Rob Irvine said.

Diversions were in place and motorists were warned to expect delays.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police are analysing rape complaints between 1985 to 1989 to see if they can identify any matches in the DNA databank following serial rapist Malcolm Rewa‘s latest conviction.

One of the country’s most high-profile police officers, Detective Inspector Scott Beard says the project may reveal more of Rewa’s offending.

A police report from 2006 estimated Rewa may have been involved in up to 26 other sexual attacks.

One of his victims, Rhonda McHardy, says the scale of the offending is “chilling”.

“He’s damaged so many lives, and not just the victims, but our families, the people around us.”

Rewa is serving a life sentence for murdering Susan Burdett in 1992. He is also serving preventive detention with a minimum non-parole period of 22 years, after being convicted of sexual attacks on 25 women.

On Friday, he was sentenced in the High Court at Auckland to 10 years’ jail after he pleaded guilty to raping a 16-year-old in Onehunga in June 1988.

Following the rape, police were called and completed a forensic medical examination and they found the suspect’s DNA.

At the time the woman did not know who had attacked her and there was no DNA databank available to compare samples with. That became available in 1996.

Then, last year, the complainant called the police 105 line and asked if her medical swabs still existed, and if they had been compared against the DNA databank.

Court documents said the woman “noted that the nature of the attack on her made her think that the person may well have offended against someone else”.

Police inquiries revealed the swabs did still exist. They were then run against the DNA databank, and it matched Rewa. When police asked Rewa about the incident he declined to comment.

Speaking with RNZ ahead of sentencing, Beard said at the time of the investigation in 1988 DNA testing was not an investigative tool for police.

Beard said a police project from more than a decade ago looked at investigations where there could be DNA relating to cases from 1990 onwards.

“As a result of this particular case, I have been working with PHF Science [the New Zealand Institute for Public Health and Forensic Science] looking at cases from 1985 – 1989 to see whether there may be opportunities to look at DNA testing.”

He described the project as a “work in progress” with the initial analysis focusing on cases in Auckland City.

Beard said police were unable to rule out that Rewa had committed further offending.

“There could well be other cases out there, other investigations where he is the offender,” Beard said.

“Maybe the ongoing work with PHF Science with the 1985-1989 files may see further offending discovered. We just don’t know.”

The report

A 2006 report by Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Henwood, released to RNZ, looked at the investigations into Rewa.

Henwood, who has since retired, oversaw the Criminal Profiling Unit.

In his report, Henwood refers to Rewa being arrested in 1996 after a violent assault on a 16-year-old girl.

Rewa spoke briefly to a police officer, saying he had been to doctors in Australia regarding a “sexual problem but he couldn’t get help”.

“He briefly spoke of his harsh upbringing. When asked about the offending he had earlier been questioned over he added that there were never any young girls involved.”

Rewa also spoke about his step parents being “harsh” on him and how he learned to stand up for himself.

“Spoke about respect for each other and said that once it was all over to come and see him on his own and he would tell him all about ‘why’. Like a book you have to wait until it is over to read the last chapter. If the Detective Inspector didn’t come he would take the ‘why’ to the grave.”

The report said while Rewa initially told the police officer he would tell “why” after it was all over, his final comment to the same officer was “that he would break his neck like a twig given the chance”.

“Rewa has not been approached since commencing his sentence at Paremoremo High secure, and unless something remarkable happens with regards to his outlook, it is not recommended anyone attempt to approach him.”

Henwood’s report mentions a rape from Rotorua in 1994 that he listed as a “positive Rewa case”.

He said the rape was linked to Rewa through several factors including that it had “strong behavioural uniformity”, that Rewa was booked into a motel a short distance away on the night of the offence as well as a “general but similar description to Rewa”.

Henwood said the evidence “easily reached the threshold required for court”.

“The team endeavoured to have the matter included in the indictment. Unfortunately the victim refused to attend Court or have any further dealings with the police and prosecution.”

Henwood then listed four “probable” Rewa crimes and five “possible” Rewa ones.

“It is unlikely that we will ever know the full extent of Rewa’s sexual crimes but it would be fair to assume that at least another 5-6 offences (20%) were never reported to Police and at least 5-10 were not identified or located by Police due to the geographic extent of his offending.

“We have no idea the extent of his sexual offending from the early 1980s up until the first identified crime… in 1987. If he is true to the national and international average he is unlikely to have stopped after his first rape, aged 22 years, in 1975. So we will never have that ‘final chapter’ he promised [the Detective Inspector] on arrest in 1996.”

‘He was nobody, he was everybody’

Speaking to RNZ, Henwood said he was not surprised when he heard about the 1988 offending. Henwood said the police filing system did not provide an easy access to locate historical rape.

“The system really relies on knowing the victim’s name and while there are other identifiable means they are not always reliable.”

He said Rewa had never admitted any offending to police.

“He has pleaded guilty to crimes where he has no possible way of defending such as the DNA linked crimes at his trial in 1998 and this most recent complaint to surface.

“We were aware of a number of complaints that we strongly suspected Rewa to be the offender for but had insufficient evidence to take to trial back then. They were mentioned in the report I submitted prior to retiring from the Profiling unit in 2006-7. This report was to leave a clear trail of those complaints should Rewa ever decide to clean up his past although this was always an unlikely outcome, but we live in hope. Also there are likely to be others that were never reported at all to the Police.”

Asked how concerning it was that he had estimated Rewa may be responsible for up to 26 more attacks, Henwood responded with a comment from one of Rewa’s victims who waited “many years” for him to be identified as her attacker.

“It is a statement that struck me with it’s simplicity yet its succinctness of describing what it is like to be raped by a stranger who is not identified – ‘He was nobody, he was everybody’. This is what they carry over the decades not knowing whether the man they pass on the street might have been the ‘one’.

“So how concerning is it? Well to every victim we have failed it is a massive concern and knowing this it is the very reason the Police will continue to make every effort to locate historical files of Complainants and attempt with modern forensic techniques to identify the offender, Rewa or anyone else.”

He urged any victims whose attacker had not been identified to apporach the police with their name and year of the attack.

“That could be all that is needed to locate their file. The latest case is an example of how successful this can be.”

In his book Unmasking Monsters, Henwood described Rewa as a “menacing, confrontational, challenging, uncompromising and dangerous sociopath”.

He was also an “intelligent, confident and knowing man. A sad and very bad man but certainly not a mad one”.

‘He’s damaged so many lives’

One of Rewa’s victims, Rhonda McHardy, was raped by him in March 1992, two weeks before Burdett was murdered.

In February 2024 she published a book Power and Grace about what happened and the impact it had on her.

She told RNZ that when the DNA test was linked to Rewa last year the victim got in touch with her after reading her book.

“She wanted to connect with me, and so we got on a call and we chatted about, you know, everything that she’d been through, the similarities in our cases, and we’ve actually caught up a couple of times since then as well.”

McHardy said that after she was attacked she had about four women who she knew call her and tell her about things they had gone through.

“It was so incredibly comforting, because very few people really understand what you’re going through, and to have somebody that you can connect to, who you know understands better than anybody else – it’s not just comforting, but it’s really powerful.

“You can talk about things in a way that you can’t talk to other people. And also there’s a comfort level in being able to talk to someone who’s been through it, because I can listen to anything anyone says about rape and that subject, whereas a lot of people who haven’t gone through it aren’t actually very comfortable talking about the subject.”

McHardy said Rewa was “very narcissitic”. She believes he will never tell police the full story of his offending.

She called for anyone who believed they may be a victim of Rewa’s to speak to police.

McHardy said she knew within 60 seconds of her attack that the man responsible was a “serial offender”.

“I knew he’d done it before. You just have an instinct about these things by the way someone operates.”

It was four years after she was raped that Rewa was caught.

“Initially, in the first few months, I was so upset about the fact that I couldn’t do anything to really help the police catch him because I didn’t have an identity. I couldn’t ID him. Didn’t have a visual. He was nameless, faceless, and I knew the only way that he would ever get caught or convicted for what he did to me, was if they caught him and there was a DNA match.

“But I was always concerned about how many victims there would be after me.”

She recalls police calling her in 1996 and telling her how many other victims there were

“It really was quite chilling to find out just how many women there were… now, obviously, if there were theoretically another 20 plus victims, you know, that would probably make him arguably the worst serial sex offender that we know of… he’s damaged so many lives, and not just the victims, but our families, the people around us.”

‘There’s no emotion’

Beard was notified of the latest case regarding Rewa once the DNA hit was confirmed.

“Ultimately with Rewa’s background it didn’t surprise me. There is no doubt it is a great result for the victim, as she can now have closure as to who committed this horrendous crime against her.”

He says there are many unanswered questions as to what led Rewa to commit such horrific attacks.

“I’m not a psychologist but people will say… to do that and have no feeling and to do that to all these people. What’s gone on in his world that he ends up like that?

“That’s what fascinates me, what has actually happened for him to be like that. There’s no emotion… he just keeps going on and on.”

Beard spoke of the satisfaction for police being able to hold Rewa to account for a crime from 1988.

“To be able to give that victim an answer, from a police perspective, is very satisfying. It’s not going to turn the clock back, but it does give her that satisfaction of knowing that what she’s done has helped to solve this case, and now we know who it is.

Beard asked for anyone who believed they were assaulted by Rewa to come forward.

“First of all, make sure you’ve got the support around you, whether it’s family, friends, counsellors … and then when you are ready and able come see the police, just like the other this case has done, contact the police, and then let’s go from there.”

Where to get help:

• Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason
• Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357
• Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends
• Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202
• Samaritans: 0800 726 666
• Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz
• What’s Up: 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787. This is free counselling for 5 to 19-year-olds
• Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 or text 832. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, and English.
• Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254
• Healthline: 0800 611 116
• Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
• OUTLine: 0800 688 5463
• Aoake te Rā bereaved by suicide service: or call 0800 000 053

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

Sexual Violence

Family Violence

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A man charged with murdering an elderly woman and attacking two family members at a rural Canterbury property has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The 19-year-old, whose identity remains suppressed, was remanded in custody when he appeared in the High Court at Christchurch on Friday morning.

He was charged with murder and two counts of assault after a woman’s body was found at a Burnham home in January.

RNZ understands a relative of the 19-year-old called police after she was allegedly assaulted and had barricaded herself in a room.

It’s understood that on arrival police tasered the man, before finding the woman’s body at the property.

The man would next appear in court in June.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fire and Emergency are asking people to stay away from Kaiteriteri following a large gas leak near the beach.

Properties have been evacuated and roads closed after firefighters were alerted to the leak at 6.50am.

Assistant District Commander Chris Best said the leak appeared to be from external gas tanks.

Firefighters were working to ventilate buildings and clear gas from drains, but it could take several hours.

“It’s a lovely day here and many people would usually head to the beach at Kaiteriteri, but for today we are asking them to choose another destination while we make the area safe again,” Best said.

Firefighters from Kaiteriteri, Motueka, Upper Moutere, Mapua and Nelson are involved in the response.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Mount Maunganui leader has accused the city council of excluding residents from plans to fix and reopen Mauao.

Mount Maunganui Ratepayers, Residents and Retailers Association president Michael O’Neill believed the council had “shut the doors to us as locals”.

He said a protest was possible unless things improved.

His comments come as widespread pressure mounted for more information, engagement and involvement.

This included a petition asking the council to establish a community panel of 11 Tauranga residents to discuss ways to safely and sustainably reopen Mauao. The petition so far had more than 2400 signatures.

The local business association also said council engagement had been limited and fragmented, with little collaboration and information, despite the organisation’s offers to help.

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said the community needed clarity on the next steps.

The council said a timeframe for its plan has not yet been confirmed. Decisions on timing would be made after assessments and approvals.

The restoration would be staged and include detailed assessments, remediation works, and safety checks, with cultural values guiding all decisions.

A landslide from Mauao killed six people at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park and damaged the Mount Hot Pools on January 22.

The storm also brought down more than 40 slips on the 232m mountain’s walking tracks. More than a million people use these tracks each year.

Mauao, the holiday park, pools, and nearby Mount Lifeguard Service Building and Pilot Bay boat ramp remain closed.

Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drysdale told Local Democracy Reporting in February the council was discussing a rehabilitation plan and would reveal it to the public in several months.

Community feels shut out

However, O’Neill, of the ratepayers, residents and retailers association, said the community felt shut out of discussions about reopening Mauao.

“[The] council has shut the doors to us as locals,” he told Local Democracy Reporting.

“Mauao is the heart and soul of everyone who lives in the Mount.”

He said locals got fed up waiting for the council to make a plan after a 2019 slip damaged the base track and did not appreciate the estimated cost of nearly $7m.

“There’s a sense of council stuffing around again and spending money unwisely.”

Petition launched

An online petition asking the council to establish a community panel of 11 residents to discuss ways to safely and sustainably reopen Mauao and its surroundings to the public has more than 2400 signatures.

Petitioner Barry Scott said on the petition page the council’s landslide review had begun.

However, there was no suggestion in the review’s terms of reference that the community would be allowed to take part, he said.

He told Local Democracy Reporting this was a “matter of huge importance that we involve the community.”

“I’m proposing that we have a body made up of a dozen or so locals.

“The panel itself won’t make any decisions. The panel would be an influencing body.”

Scott was to speak in the public forum at the council’s April 21 meeting. This would be when the petition closes.

Recovery ‘in limbo’

Mount Maunganui Business Association chairperson Jo Veale said engagement with the council had been limited and fragmented.

There had been little collaboration, despite the association’s offers to help, she said.

She said the council told the association it was working on a transition-to-recovery plan. This would outline what needed to be done.

She had not yet seen the plan.

Veale said businesses were without direction, and frustration was rising.

People felt the recovery was “in limbo”.

“Everyone is waiting for that document so that we can spring into action.

“We can’t do anything until we see what they’re going to do.”

On Tuesday, they were told the document was “very close”, and Veale understood the council planned a meeting for Mount businesses on April 20 to provide a full update. However, the meeting’s purpose or outcomes were unclear to her.

Association business improvement manager Jay Banner said the council had been meeting every two weeks with the organisation.

He said the council had “not had a lot of information” to share.

The association had provided the council with data that showed spending was down compared to other areas.

However, “Mounties” were fiercely loyal and continued to shop local. The town centre was still vibrant, and hospitality was going strong.

‘Need some clarity’

Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford said many people were asking what the future looked like, what timeframes there were, and when Mauao would be safe to reopen.

“I think we need some clarity from the council on what the next step forward looks like.”

Rutherford acknowledged the tragedy, but said keeping Mauao closed was not the only way to be respectful of the loss of life.

“I’m sure there’ll be future discussions around a memorial and things like that.”

He said businesses wanted clarity about the future.

Rutherford said the council needed to front up and tell the community about timeframes, especially for the surf club, campground and hot pools.

Summit access prioritised

Tauranga City Council said in a statement that a timeframe for its plan had not yet been confirmed and decisions on timing would be made once assessments were complete and approvals were in place.

“Supporting local businesses is one of our priorities, and work is currently underway to develop a business support session to provide an update directly to businesses.”

The restoration would be staged and include detailed assessments, remediation works, and safety checks, with cultural values guiding all decisions.

“The summit tracks generally have smaller, more contained areas of damage.

“The base track, Te Ara Tūtanga, has significantly larger slips, large fallen trees and more complex ground conditions, which makes repairs more challenging and time-consuming.”

The council confirmed it would prioritise restoring the summit track access, subject to safety, cultural, and technical approvals.

“No final decision has been made yet on which specific summit tracks will reopen.”

A Quantitative Landslide Risk Assessment had been initiated for the area surrounding the holiday park, hot pools and lifeguard building to understand ongoing risk and possible mitigations to inform decision making.

Pilot Bay boat ramp remained closed as it sat within a landslide run-out zone.

Four buildings had red placards and 11 were yellow-placarded.

Landslide and infrastructure assessments were ongoing, including further modelling at the Mangatawa Reservoir.

The council said a Tauranga Recovery Plan was being developed, and regular updates would continue with financial and activation support being explored for impacted businesses.

The Tauranga Mayoral Relief Fund remained open to support affected individuals and businesses.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Motorists in Napier should expect long delays after a bus hit a pedestrian.

The police said the incident on Tennyson Street in the central city was reported at 8.30am.

The street is closed and diversions are in place.

A police spokesperson said the diversions would likely be in place for much of the day.

The Serious Crash Unit has been notified.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The vocalised communications of sperm whales are closer to human language and speech pattern than previously thought, new research has discovered.

Researchers at the University of California in Berkeley made the discovery that the whales could form vowels within their vocalisations which behaved in the same way as human speech.

The study was conducted by Project Ceti Settie, which stood for the Cetacean Translation Initiative, who last month released video of a sperm whale giving birth while other whales supported it.

Study lead, Professor Gašper Beguš, told Morning Report, people had described the way whales spoke to each other as similar morse code up until now.

“If you look closely and think about their timing as very slow you realise actually the patterns we see are much richer and much more similar to human vowels.

“They also produce these vowels in the same ways we do but with their noses.”

He said it was fascinating to see how much more similar they were to humans when you realised it was all just about timing.

“We observed the same vowels in several situations now when they are giving birth, before they hunt, when they socialise.”

The whales “really liked” to talk to each other, Beguš said, and it was thought the conversations may be meaningful.

“I think what we are observing is that there is complexity that is unprecedented and that is suggesting maybe they’re talking about something very complex.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Nelson City Council and the New Zealand Jewish Council have condemned anti-Semitic behaviour, after hate speech targeting Jewish people was graffitied on a footbridge over the Maitai River.

The council was alerted to the graffiti shortly before midday on Thursday, with contractors sent out within the hour and the graffiti painted over by 2pm.

Council’s executive directory of delivery Alec Louverdis said the behaviour was unacceptable and there was no place for anti-Semitic graffiti in Nelson.

The Jewish Council said the graffiti was deeply concerning.

President Juliet Moses said the threat was not abstract, but a direct call for violence, and anti-Semitic rhetoric and incidents had been rising both in New Zealand and internationally.

Recent data released by the council shows there were 143 anti-Semitic incidents here in 2025 which included assaults, threats, damage to Jewish sites, and harassment targeting individuals in their homes.

It comes in the same week that a man was arrested after graffiti inciting racial violence was found in Papatoetoe, Auckland.

A 61-year-old was charged with offensive behaviour and wilful damage, and was released on bail after appearing in Manukau District Court on Thursday.

A separate piece of graffiti carrying an identical message was found inside a public toilet in another Auckland suburb, Royal Oak, on Wednesday.

Moses said the council expressed solidarity with the Indian community and reiterated that hatred directed at any group was a threat to all.

“New Zealanders have a shared responsibility to reject hatred in all its forms,” Moses said. “We must be clear that there is no place in our society for messages that dehumanise or call for harm against any community.”

The New Zealand Jewish Council said it’s committed to supporting a society in which all people can live safely and freely express their identity, and calls on leaders and the public alike to speak out against all forms of hate.

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