Police said Alexander Bennett was walking on Leeston Road near Springston when he was hit about 3.30pm on Wednesday.
He died at the scene.
Bennett was a pupil at Springston School.
In a statement, the Springston School Te Kura o Makonui board said its thoughts were with the child’s family, and staff and students were being supported.
“We have had a tragic passing of a student of our school. We are unable to provide any further details at this point as the police investigation is continuing,” they said.
Police said enquires into the circumstances of the crash were ongoing.
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Thrift it, borrow it or make it was the motto for this year’s Laneway festival -goers.
Some wore cowboy hats and sparkly clothes that paid tribute to headliner Chappell Roan, known for her album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.
Others, who were more thrilled to see artists such as Lucy Dacus and Geese, ignored the cowboy princess theme and opted to prioritise their comfort, favourite colour schemes and sun safety.
Auckland’s Western Springs hosted Laneway this year.
RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Lindsey, Malcolm Smith Professor of Asian Law and Director of the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society, The University of Melbourne
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto waited decades for his chance to lead the country. The controversial former general finally won the office on his third attempt in a 2024 landslide election.
Since then, Prabowo has wasted little time moving against Indonesia’s fragile democracy, accelerating a process that began under his predecessor, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
As Australia and Indonesia grow closer, this matters. The two neighbours agreed on an important bilateral security treaty in November, and it is expected to be formally signed in the coming days during Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s trip to Indonesia.
Yet, the countries seem to be moving further apart when it comes to freedom of speech and respect for civil society. This could complicate matters for Albanese, particularly as Prabowo ramps up his crackdown on critics of his administration.
Distaste for democracy
Indonesia’s vulnerable democratic system has been under repeated attack from government for most of the last decade. Under the administrations of Widodo and now Prabowo, a laundry list of actions have been taken to chip away at it. To name just a few:
the independence of the once-feared anti-corruption commission (KPK) has been profoundly compromised
Many predicted these events. Prabowo has never made secret his distaste for democracy and enthusiasm for the authoritarian New Order regime of Soeharto, his former father-in-law.
In fact, Gerindra, Prabowo’s political party, still has as its No. 1 objective reinstating the old constitution under which Soeharto ruled. This would mean dumping most of the key democratic reforms of the past 30 years.
But recent developments suggest the dismantling of democratic freedoms is speeding up. Prabowo seems to be using the Soeharto playbook to move against those who oppose what he is doing – mainly pro-democracy activists.
It’s not hard to understand why. Prabowo’s grand ruling coalition now includes almost every party in the legislature – all of them right or centre-right – and political discourse rarely involves detailed policy debates.
This means civil society – in particular, Indonesia’s tiny but vibrant activist community – has become the only real source of opposition.
Now, Prabowo’s administration has identified them as the enemy.
In August, huge protests broke out after politicians voted to give themselves extravagant allowances. A brutal police response then triggered wild violence against authorities across the archipelago. These riots shook the ruling elite to the core.
In response, the government came down heavily on civil society activists. It blamed them for the riots, even though they were mostly a spontaneous popular response to abusive actions by the authorites. Prabowo, however, said activists were engaging in “treason and terrorism”.
Thousands were arrested and, detainees claim, some were tortured. Hundreds now face trial for subversion and incitement. This has tied up the small activist groups working frantically to defend their colleagues.
Prabowo has also used the Soeharto-era approach of associating his critics with shadowy foreign enemies. He has railed against “foreign intervention” he says is intended to “divide the country”. He claims there are “foreign lackeys” backed by foreign powers “that do not want to see Indonesia prosper”.
Last year, Prabowo even accused the highly-respected news outlet Tempo of being a foreign stooge because it won a grant from the Media Development Investment Fund, a not-for-profit linked to George Soros.
This week, he claimed to have unspecified proof that foreign forces were behind the August riots.
A draconian new law against ‘foreign propaganda’
“Let the dogs bark,” Prabowo told a press conference last March in response to his critics. “We will keep moving forward. We are on the right path”.
But, in reality, Prabowo is determined to stop the barking. His government has now proposed a law against disinformation and foreign propaganda that could revive Soeharto-era media controls and censorship.
A so-called “academic draft” putting forth the rationale for the law says Indonesia needs “a comprehensive and integrated legal instrument to prevent, detect, and counter disinformation and foreign propaganda”. It alleges that disinformation and foreign propaganda is being “powered by social media, artificial intelligence and transnational networks” of malicious actors.
If this law is passed in the form the draft suggests, it could be used to ramp up the government’s crackdown on civil society groups. Activists and journalists could potentially be charged with offences of spreading “foreign propaganda”.
The draft also proposes restricting “foreign capital” to stop the threat posed by so-called foreign agents.
Many civil society groups in Indonesia are affiliated with international NGOs, such as Amnesty and Transparency. Many others receive funding from overseas aid organisations, including Australia’s, or private philanthropists. Most depend on these streams of income to pay wages and day-to-day expenses. They would collapse without this funding.
It’s not clear what exactly “foreign capital restrictions” means. But it could cast a wide net over all activist groups, as well as foreign organisations working in Indonesia that have an online presence.
Indonesians targeted in Australia
But the net may reach even further than this. The draft suggests the law would apply across borders. This could effectively target government critics based overseas, including in Australia.
Despite the dramatic decline in Indonesian studies in our schools and universities, Australia is still a major global centre for research on Indonesia. Indonesian critics of different regimes in Jakarta have sought sanctuary in Australia over the decades, and many thousands of Indonesians have studied here.
Australia is also home to a small but active Indonesian diaspora community. In August, they held their own demonstrations in cities across Australia in support of the protests in Indonesia.
As Prabowo’s administration moves Indonesia closer to becoming a “new New Order”, where opposition is routinely met with repression and censorship prevails, Australia’s role as a hub for open dialogue, free speech, analysis and criticism of Indonesia will become even more important.
We can be sure this will be no more welcome in Prabowo’s Indonesia than it was under Soeharto. Then, Australian academics and journalists were often denied entry and critical articles sometimes led to a freeze in diplomatic relations.
Today, however, the Indonesian government has coercive digital capabilities, which it can deploy against its critics in the diaspora. To make matters worse, Australia and Indonesia have an active extradition agreement. Theoretically, it might be deployed against Indonesians in Australia who have fallen afoul of the proposed disinformation and foreign propaganda law.
Indonesia is the dominant economic and political force in Southeast Asia, and an emerging global player. It is crucial to Australia’s defence strategies and an important partner on immigration, trade and education.
This means Canberra must have a good working relationship with Jakarta. Agreements about trade and defence are part of that, as is the constant flow of ministerial visits between the two countries.
But all that will become way more difficult to manage if this xenophobic new law is passed and used to stifle free speech and target legitimate criticism of the government.
Tim Lindsey receives funding from the Australian Research Council.
The Victorian government has announced it will train 150 GPs to diagnose and start treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and children.
This decision could shorten wait times and lower costs for people yet to be diagnosed. It will also bring Victoria in line with most other Australian states.
But how will it all work?
How do we currently diagnose ADHD?
Diagnosing ADHD requires a comprehensive assessment. This allows the doctor to understand a person’s medical history and the impact of their symptoms on how they function in different settings, for example at school or in social situations.
Then the patient has to learn to manage their ADHD, with the support of professionals such as psychologists and occupational therapists. This might mean modifying aspects of their lifestyle such as sleep, nutrition or exercise.
They may also be given strategies to help them cope at school, home or work, such as scheduling regular rest breaks.
Stimulant medication is often prescribed to help the patient focus better and to reduce impulsive behaviours.
About 6% of boys and 2% of girls under 12 in Australia are prescribed ADHD medications. This figure rises to 9% of boys and 5% girls aged 12–17 years, and 2–3% in adults.
Currently in Victoria, GPs can continue prescribing ADHD medication to a patient if a specialist (such as a paediatrician or psychiatrist) has already made a diagnosis.
At the moment Victorian GPs need a government permit to continue prescribing and the patient must be reviewed by a specialist every two years.
A costly condition
In many parts of Australia, parents wait months or even years to get an appointment with a paediatrician to be assessed for ADHD and related conditions. This is the case in both the public and private health-care systems.
These long wait times can lead to delayed diagnoses in children, which means delays in starting treatment. This can result in ongoing problems such as inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, which can have a major impact on learning, relationships and social functioning.
There is also the financial burden on families on getting assessments and diagnoses for ADHD from a specialist.
Similarly, Victorian adults who wish to be assessed for ADHD must see a psychiatrist. This need for specialist appointments makes the diagnosis process more costly than your average GP visit.
One benefit of involving GPs in ADHD care is that this should free up appointments with paediatricians and psychiatrists for people with ADHD or other conditions.
So, how will this training work?
Following the Victorian government’s decision, GPs can undertake additional training to diagnose and treat ADHD in patients aged six years and above. This includes prescribing medication alongside other non-medication care options such as behavioural therapy.
This accredited training program will be overseen by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).
So far, the Victorian government has committed A$750,000 towards training an initial 150 GPs by September 2026.
Across Australia, ADHD-specific training for GPs varies between states. However, the RACGP is also involved in delivering training to GPs in Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales.
What’s happening in other states?
Queensland has been the frontrunner in GP-managed ADHD care. Since 2017, Queensland GPs have been able to both diagnose ADHD and prescribe stimulant medication for children. As of December 2025, they can also treat adults with ADHD.
In June 2025, the WA government committed A$1.3 million to train GPs to diagnose and treat ADHD in patients aged ten and older. The first group of 65 local GPs is expected to be trained by the end of 2026.
Since September 2025, GPs in NSW have been able to prescribe stimulant medications to patients with an existing ADHD diagnosis, aged six years and older. However, they must first apply to become a “continuation prescriber” and meet certain criteria.
As of 2026, South Australian GPs can access additional training to diagnose ADHD and prescribe medication to both children and adults, without the need for specialist appointments.
Governments in Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory have also committed to revise their policies around ADHD care.
The Northern Territory remains the only Australian jurisdiction that has not announced ADHD-related reforms.
ADHD assessment must consider a range of factors. Most patients with ADHD have one or more other conditions. Common ones in children include learning difficulties, anxiety and autism spectrum disorder.
And in some people, ADHD symptoms might actually be caused by something else, such as sleep deprivation, depression, learning disorders or trauma.
Medication can be extremely helpful to manage symptoms. But patients taking medication need to be regularly reviewed to ensure the medication is having the desired impact. GPs must also monitor any side effects to make sure they are not too severe.
On the whole, this policy change has the potential to improve access to medical care for Victorians with ADHD. However, we must give careful consideration to the details of the training, implementation and supports available.
Daryl Efron has received research grants from the Medical Research Future Fund, National Health and Medical Research Council, Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund (Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions), and the Victorian government Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
Nadia Coscini is currently the paediatrician on the Royal Children’s Hospital/Murdoch Children’s Institute/ North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network ADHD shared care feasibility study which is funded by the North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network. Nadia also receives funding for a postgraduate PhD scholarship through the NHMRC (No. 2031478).
Marae assistant chairman and renowned Māori chef Joe Mcleod is helping his marae create around 500 ready-to-eat hāngī packs for the event in Wellington.Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
A Wellington marae is putting its hāngī made up of mostly koha kai underground on Friday, in preparation for the city’s Waitangi Day celebrations tomorrow.
Thousands are expected to gather at Waitangi Park in Te Whanganui a Tara on Friday for large community event Te Rā o Waitangi that honoured the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840.
This year, he was helping his marae create around 500 ready-to-eat hāngī packs for the event in Wellington, featuring local kai like meat and huawhenua (vegetables).
“Pork, lamb chicken in our packs. Potato, pumpkin, kumara, cabbage and stuffing. That’s the standard pack, and then we have a vegetarian pack,” he said.
“They go real quick.”
Mcleod said much of the kai was donated by the community and local supermarkets, and he was amazed by the support.
“We have a very strong local network.”
He said helping feed the crowds there was a lovely experience, that recognised the important moment in the history of Aotearoa.
“We’re there to celebrate and be there to provide a service for our people,” he said.
“It’s a fun thing. We’re giving back to celebrate with our country, and it’s a special event to celebrate a special moment.”
Mcleod was classically trained in French cuisine and dozens more culinary styles throughout his long career.
“Letting them know that our food culture is still alive.
“The resources our ancestors used are still here, most of them, and our primary resources are still accessible through various connections that marae networks have.”
Live music, kapa haka and local kai are some of the highlights expected in Wellington from midday tomorrow, ahead of Saturday’s Wellington Pasifika Festival also at Waitangi Park from midday.
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A great academic campus? But note the roof of the Concentrix building.
Photo by Keith Rankin.
A Green Way?
Photo by Keith Rankin.
Or was it the 1990s’-built Languages Building?
Whoops, there goes Concentrix!
Photo by Keith Rankin.
Hard Yakka. Auckland’s answer to the Christchurch Cathedral
Photo by Keith Rankin.Photo by Keith Rankin.
Two days before present
The Martians have landed:
Photo by Keith Rankin.Photo by Keith Rankin.
One Day before present: going, going, …
Photo by Keith Rankin.Photo by Keith Rankin.
Unitec Stadium and Gymnasium (and there were state-of-the-art Squash Courts with a café popular with business staff and students). Once the home of Auckland basketball and netball. And the Auckland Blues – and business staff – trained at the gym, not so long ago.
Photo by Keith Rankin.
Back to today:
Photo by Keith Rankin.
Ouch, from late 2006 to early 2014 that was my modern state-of-the art workplace and teaching place!
Literally the home of the Schools of Communications and Business. Over those years, I had three offices in that building, and many great memories; and sad memories, too, losing two colleagues.
Photo by Keith Rankin.
Near the Carrington Campus main entrance on Carrington Road South; erasing 1900s’ as well as 1990s’ history.
(Who today knows where ‘norfolk pines’ originated? Hint, it’s a place not far away which been erased from our travel maps, despite being a Unesco World Heritage site. I was lucky enough to fly there from Auckland in 2024, when it was still possible. One of these trees is the signature tree at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.)
See this and other easily googled material about Robyn Hyde’s 1930s’ sanctuary. Fortunately, local MP Helen White was able to save a few heritage mementos from the house, just in the nick of time.
Is that an oak tree? Sadly the Unitec Arboretum and Sanctuary Gardens have also gone. At least there are still oaks and norfolks in the Carrington precinct.
Oakridge House became the main sanctuary (especially 2017 to 2019) for the School of Business in the years after Unitec’s flagship business building was tenanted to IBM (in 2012, in an opaque high-level deal) and soon after was abandoned by IBM and became the Concentrix Call Centre. (I understand that the aim of the 2012 eviction was for Unitec to make money through renting out some of its key assets to lucrative high-tech tenants; the template was the University of Ballarat in Australia, with QUT Kelvin Grove being the template for a high level tertiary campus without being ‘saddled with’ heritage and green spaces which government accounts would construe as a ‘lazy asset’.)
There are very few photos of Oakridge House in the public domain; Unitec itself has been remiss in this aspect of the documentation of its past. Here is one poignant photo that I found, in an advertisement labelled “chimney demolition”.
Finally, below, is the former Childcare Centre and another former workplace. (My son attended the demolished childcare centre in the foreground. He was proud to have been a ‘Unitec student’. My 2016 office was in the former building in the distant background.)
Photo by Keith Rankin.
Unitec has now formally merged with Manukau Institute of Technology. It is reputedly going to become a site for city edge tenement housing; some of it, but not all, ‘social housing’. The precinct will need schools, given that nearby schools Gladstone Primary and Mount Albert Grammar are amongst the most oversubscribed schools in the country. It takes little imagination to see that the remnants of Unitec at Mt Albert eventually will become a school (or schools), and that the ongoing Unitec presence of the new Tamaki Institute of Technology (it will probably be called something else) will be at the Henderson ‘campus’, a highrise sandwiched between the Waitakere District Court and the Henderson Library.
Q How do you acquire a small Polytech? A. Establish a large Polytech, then wait.
Keith Rankin (keith at rankin dot nz), trained as an economic historian, is a retired lecturer in Economics and Statistics. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
Finn Fisher-Black has defended his time trial title at the Elite Road National Championships in Cambridge, while Olympic triathlete Hayden Wilde showed he’s right up there with some of New Zealand’s best riders.
World Tour rider Ben Oliver came third and wild card Hayden Wilde, who is better known on the triathlon circuit, came fourth.
Two-time Olympic medallist Wilde was 2:06 slower than Fisher-Black. He finished faster than the likes of Paris Olympic track rider Tom Sexton, and World Tour riders Reuben Thompson, and George Bennett.
Hayden Wilde during the bike section of the 2024 Ironman in Taupo.PHOTOSPORT
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on February 5, 2026.
Milan Cortina Winter Olympics: history, new events and Australian medal chances Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania This year’s Winter Olympics will be held in northern Italy, starting on Friday. They will be the most spread out in history: the two main competition sites – Milan and the winter resort of Cortina
Big tech companies are still failing to tackle child abuse material online Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Scanlan, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Law; Academic Co-Lead, CSAM Deterrence Centre, University of Tasmania In the 2024–25 financial year alone, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation received nearly 83,000 reports of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), primarily on mainstream platforms. This was a
This central Auckland cottage tells a remarkable tale of the city’s bicultural history Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ahmed Uzair Aziz, PhD Candidate in Māori Studies, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Rose Davis, CC BY-NC-ND This story begins with a 160-year-old cottage, sited in a vortex of overlapping histories, and becomes the tale of a city itself. The green and cream weatherboard house at
French shrug off cocaine case costs with new smugglers ‘strategy’ SPECIAL REPORT: By Jason Brown Fast-paced electronic music pumps in the background as a rapid montage of moving images flash across the screen. In a 20 second video, French sailors hunker down in an inflatable speeding over swells. Another sailor, in bright red shorts, is lowered from a helicopter onto the vessel’s back deck. Captured
Indigenous and Pacific leaders unite at Waitangi with shared messages on ocean conservation By Coco Lance, RNZ Pacific digital journalist As Waitangi Day commemorations continue drawing people from across Aotearoa and around the world to the Bay of Islands, Te Tii Marae has become a gathering point for Indigenous ocean leadership from across the Pacific. Taiātea: Gathering of the Oceans held its public forum yesterday, uniting more than
One family’s ocean paddle almost ended in tragedy. It reminds us coastal weather is notoriously changeable Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samuel Cornell, PhD Candidate in Public Health, School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Fernando Garcia/Unsplash The extraordinary rescue this week in Geographe Bay, Western Australia has been described as heroic. A 13-year-old boy swam four hours to shore in rough seas after his family was swept far
In the Australian outback, we’re listening for nuclear tests – and what we hear matters more than ever Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hrvoje Tkalčić, Professor, Head of Geophysics, Director of Warramunga Array, Australian National University ANU Media Tyres stick to hot asphalt as I drive the Stuart Highway from Alice Springs northward, leaving the MacDonnell Ranges behind. My destination is the Warramunga facility, about 500 kilometres north – a
Digital ghosts: are AI replicas of the dead an innovative medical tool or an ethical nightmare? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jon Cornwall, Senior Lecturer and Education Adviser, University of Otago Elise Racine, CC BY-NC-ND For centuries, work with donated bodies has shaped anatomical knowledge and medical training. Now, digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping education and we can imagine a future where AI-generated representations of
Can One Nation turn its polling hype into seats in parliament? History shows it will struggle Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kurt Sengul, Research fellow, Far-Right Communication, Macquarie University One Nation is no stranger to the headlines, but it’s been a long time since the party has been talked about as a serious political force. Operating on the fringes of Australian political life for years, suddenly Pauline Hanson
The ‘hot flush gold rush’: how women feel about being flooded with menopause marketing Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Thomas, Professor of Public Health, Deakin University Every person with functioning ovaries will eventually experience menopause. While the biology is relatively universal, the experience varies dramatically between individuals and in the same person over time. Menopause has long been shrouded in stigma and shame but recently
School breaks make up more than an hour of the day. Should they be considered part of learning? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education and Associate Dean (Academic), Faculty of Arts and Education, Charles Sturt University Johnny Greig/ Getty Images Most public debate about schooling focuses on what happens inside the classroom – on lessons, tests and academic results. But students also spend significant time
City skylines need an upgrade in the face of climate stress Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mohamed Shaheen, Lecturer in Structural Engineering, Loughborough University The downtown district of Hong Kong city. Lee Yiu Tung/Shutterstock When structural engineers design a building, they aren’t just stacking floors; they are calculating how to win a complex battle against nature. Every building is built to withstand a
What will a rebuilt Gaza look like? The competing visions for the Strip’s future Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Timothy J. Dixon, Emeritus Professor in the School of the Built Environment, University of Reading; University of Oxford A girl walks along a street in Gaza to get food during the war between Hamas and Israel. Jaber Jehad Badwan / Wikimedia Commons, FAL Following a visit to
Why cheaper power alone isn’t enough to end energy poverty in summer Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Duygu Yengin, Associate Professor of Economics, Adelaide University Declan Young/Unsplash Australia is an energy superpower. We have abundant natural resources, high average incomes and one of the highest per-capita rates of rooftop solar uptake in the world. Yet every summer, many households across the country skimp on
AC/DC in surgery and lo-fi beats in the office: what the science says about working to music Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emery Schubert, Professor, Empirical Musicology Laboratory, School of the Arts and Media, UNSW Sydney Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash Phil is in prep for surgery. As the anaesthetic is about to be administered, the anaesthetist says: “Oh, and by the way, during the procedure the surgical team will be listening
West Papua Solidarity Forum, mini film festival aim to educate Asia Pacific Report A two-day West Papua Solidarity Forum and mini film festival is being held in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau next month featuring West Papuan and local academics, advocates and journalists. Hosted by West Papua Action Tamaki and West Papua Action Aotearoa, keynote speeches, panels and discussion on the opening day, March 7, will focus
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Barnaby Joyce on getting on with Pauline Hanson and One Nation’s rise Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Barnaby Joyce’s political career has hit the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He’s been Nationals leader and deputy prime minister twice. As a senator, he was a maverick, often crossing the floor. As party leader, he had
New Zealand holds out hope for halted PNG electrification aid project By Johnny Blades, RNZ Pacific bulletin editor The New Zealand government says it hopes an electrification aid project that was halted in Papua New Guinea can still be completed if security improves. Work on the Enga Electrification Project in PNG’s Enga province has stopped due to ongoing violence around the project area in Tsak Valley.
Victoria’s mountain ash forests naturally thin their trees. So why do it with machines? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elle Bowd, Research Fellow, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University David Clode/Unsplash, CC BY-ND There has been much global discussion about the best ways to manage Earth’s forests in an era of climate change and more frequent bushfires. Some foresters and forest managers support
‘Journalism is not a crime’ – US journalists arrested for covering anti-ICE protest in church Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – AMY GOODMAN: We begin today’s show looking at the arrests of two American journalists for covering a protest at the Cities Church [in the Minnesota Twin City of] St Paul, where a top ICE official serves as pastor. Former CNN anchor Don Lemon and independent journalist
The hecklers interrupted his speech multiple times throughout, with some interruptions lasting up to 10 seconds.
“We’ve had enough,” one person yelled.
“Did you bring any KFC?” another asked.
One person can also be heard yelling “treason”.
Prime Ministers Christopher Luxon during his speech.RNZ / Mark Papalii
Luxon said it had been a challenging build-up to Waitangi, particularly for communities affected by severe weather.
“The atmosphere surrounding Waitangi Day and the Treaty itself have sometimes been very heated, and we’ve seen that again today, and that’s for good reason because part of national life in New Zealand is that we do debate difficult things.”
Luxon said attending Waitangi was a “tremendous privilege”.
He sought to reassure people the RMA reforms would contain strict provisions to respect Treaty settlements.
Defending the government’s approach to health targets, Luxon said “should not ask about their family tree but ask about their need”.
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Accommodation and food services saw the largest increase in jobs over the last year, up just over 25,000, with around 17,000 more full-time and 8000 more part-time roles.123rf
Unemployment has hit its highest level in a decade, but beneath the headline numbers some sectors are faring much better than others.
A total of 165,000 people were unemployed, a rise of 4000 on the previous quarter and 10,000 on a year ago. More people reported being available for work in the quarter.
Brad Olsen, chief executive at Infometrics, said while the number of full-time roles was down 0.9 percent year-on-year, the number of part-time positions had increased 2.1 percent, or 11,400 jobs.
“Accommodation and food services has seen the largest increase in jobs over the last year, up just over 25,000, with around 17,000 more full time and 8000 more part-time roles,” he said.
He said retail, health and information, media and telecommunications also had strong part-time growth in employment.
“For retail, there were 400 fewer roles overall, with 4100 fewer full time roles but 3700 more part-time roles, as retailers look to right-size their workforce for still mixed spending patterns. Health roles are up 7000 jobs overall over the last year, but this is made up of around 3000 fewer full-time roles but nearly 10,000 more part-time roles as the health sector manages budgets.”
In manufacturing, there were 7000 fewer manufacturing roles in December compared to a year earlier, driven by a drop of 7300 full-time positions offset a little by a 200 lift in part-time roles.
He said across the economy as a whole, a quarter of all roles were part-time.
“The increase in part-time work does seem to be a bit around businesses who are needing more capacity but aren’t willing or able to commit to full-time work immediately. That’s probably a bit of a sign of the slight tentativeness in the economy. You’ve had surveys recently which have suggested businesses are more upbeat about the general economy and have stronger expectations that they will both invest and hire more and there’s evidence of that but I think everyone’s just a bit shy at the start.”
He said there was a turnaround in tourism that was helping employment in that sector. “It’s now in a good space above 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels. There does seem to be more consistency in accommodation and food services because you’ve had lifts in both full-time and part-time work.
“Accommodation and food services is one of the industries with a much stronger focus on part-time work anyway but that increase in employment seems fairly broad-based. I do wonder if there’s an element of Kiwis seem to be spending a bit more on food and food-related items compared to straight-up retail options. You’ve seen retail employment actually fall a touch.”
He said people seemed to be spending on groceries and going out to eat a bit more but not as much on physical items.
The biggest declines in job numbers were in manufacturing, construction and some transport activity.
“Construction has seen declines across the board. You’ve got a nearly 11 percent decline over the last year in part-time construction work, an 8.2 percent decrease in full-time construction work, and that leaves an overall 8.4 percent decline.
“There’s just less to do than what there was a couple of years ago, and so the construction workforce has had to right-size a bit more.”
Some industries were facing longer-lasting change than others, he said.
“For construction, I’d find it hard to believe at the moment that construction would make it back to its peak level of employment, just because construction activity levels are likely to remain below peak.
“So if you needed so many workers to do all the work back in 2022-23 when it was really difficult to find builders, if you don’t have quite as much activity, you probably won’t see that high level of construction employment again, not necessarily in the short term at least.
“A lot of those other industries, I’d certainly be expecting as we sort of go through the year a bit more of a transition from that part-time focus to more of a full-time focus. But that will, I guess, for a lot of businesses, again, who are thinking that they’re a bit shy about hiring, they will be wanting to see sort of more stronger levels of sales and activity coming through before they commit to that permanent employment.”
Consumers were a shade more willing to spend at the start of the year, although stormy weather put a dampener on things in some parts of the country, according to payments firm Worldline.
Spending at core retail merchants rose by 0.6 percent in January compared with a year ago, with a continued mixed showing between regions and cities, and between the North and South Islands.
Worldline NZ’s chief sales officer, Bruce Proffit, said the modest but positive start to the new year for consumer spending would be welcomed by retailers after the tough past year.
“The annual growth rate seen in January 2026 compared to 2025 was not high but was at least a positive start to the year – but we also noted a sharp fall in spending on Thursday 21 January, the day of storms and heavy rainfall that had tragic impacts in some areas.”
Retail spending across the Worldline NZ network slumped by 5.6 percent that day.
Annual spending growth was highest in Whanganui (+2.5 percent), Hawke’s Bay (+1.9 percent) and Palmerston North (+1.9 percent), and lowest in the Bay of Plenty (-3.4 percent), Taranaki (-3.0 percent) and Gisborne (-1.0 percent).
“The net effect of the storms over the month resulted in Bay of Plenty and Gisborne being amongst the weakest regions in the country in terms of the annual change in spending,” Proffit said.
The negative effect on spending continued over the following Auckland Anniversary long weekend, including at hospitality outlets.
Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young remained cautious, saying the latest rise in unemployment to 5.4 percent, pointed to some time before consumers would stop focusing on just getting by.
“Retailers have been experiencing tough trading conditions for some time now, and while business confidence is largely positive overall, it is clear it could be some time before New Zealanders feel confident enough in the economic conditions to increase their discretionary spending.
“Many retailers will be feeling as though they are just treading water as the economy moves sideways, rather than forwards,” she said.
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A tourist boat that ran aground in Banks Peninsula’s Akaroa Harbour is now wrecked on shore after swells dislodged it from rocks near the heads.
New photos show the Black Cat Cruises boat wrecked on the shore in Banks Peninsula’s Akaroa Harbour after swells dislodged the catamaran from rocks near the heads.
The boat ran aground in the Akaroa Marine Reserve on Saturday, resulting in the rescue of more than 40 passengers and crew and a Transport Accident Investigation Commission investigation.
The boat was carrying 2240 litres of marine diesel fuel and around 120 litres of other oils in sealed containers and engines combined.
The earlier video footage above shows the boat when it was still grounded on rocks before it was dislodged by swells.
On Thursday Canterbury Regional Council staff were collecting debris and monitoring wildlife after they saw a crested penguin showing signs of potentially being unwell.
On-scene commander Emma Parr said the wildlife team tried to capture the penguin to assess its welfare and whether its behaviour was because of contact with oil.
“After several attempts they were unable to capture the penguin as it dived under water as soon as it was approached,” she said.
“After specialist advice from Wildbase, the decision was made to stop efforts to capture it as continuing could have caused distress to the animal. We continue to observe the penguin as part of our wildlife observation plan and will take any necessary action to help distressed wildlife.”
A plan to salvage the wrecked Black Cat Cruises boat has been adapted after swells dislodged it from rocks.Environment Canterbury
Parr said the boat was now sitting higher up the beach in Nīkau Palm Valley Bay and was expected to move further in the coming days, settling through the tidal cycle.
“This has changed the recovery options available and the salvage plan is being adapted accordingly. The good news is that we expect that less internal debris will be released, making collection more straightforward and minimising environmental impact,” she said.
“Once we have an approved salvage plan, recovery efforts will begin as soon as possible. All parties involved continue to be committed to the removal of the wreck in its entirety from this sensitive area.”
A 200-metre exclusion zone remained in place, with boaties being urged to respect the restrictions.
The regional council temporarily suspended recovery efforts for two days this week because of bad weather.
On Wednesday Black Cat Cruises said its Akaroa Nature Cruise and Swimming with Dolphins experiences had resumed.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers, crew and the marine environment is always our highest priority. Our team approaches every experience with care, respect, and responsibility,” the company said.
The tour operator has previously said the grounding was the first incident of its kind in more than 40 years.
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This year’s Winter Olympics will be held in northern Italy, starting on Friday.
They will be the most spread out in history: the two main competition sites – Milan and the winter resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo – are more than 400 kilometres apart.
Events are organised into broad categories, including ice sports (such as figure skating and curling), skiing and snowboarding (including moguls and halfpipe), Nordic events (such as cross-country and ski jumping) and sliding events (including skeleton and luge).
For the Milan Cortina games, the program has added eight new events designed to increase variety and genderparity.
The most significant addition is the sport of ski mountaineering, often referred to as “skimo”.
The sport requires competitors to ski uphill, transition to walking up steep climbs and then descend on skis.
The program will be the most gender-balanced winter games to date, with 47% women participation mainly thanks to the introduction of women’s double luge and a women’s large hill event in ski jumping.
Following the success of these events, and support from the father of the modern Olympics Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to hold a separate winter competition in 1924.
Since then, Australia has competed in every Winter Olympics and its team has grown from one athlete in 1936 to more than50 in recent games.
Speed skater Colin Coates has represented Australia at the most winter games: six times between 1968 and 1988.
It took 58 years for Australia to claim its first Winter Olympic medal in 1994. Steven Bradbury, Richard Nizielski, Andrew Murtha and Kieran Hansen won bronze in the 5,000m short track speed skating relay.
Bradbury also famously won Australia’s first Winter Olympic gold medal in the 1,000m speed skating in 2002.
Australia has won 19 Winter Olympic medals, including six gold.
It has achieved most success in freestyle skiing events such as aerials and mogul, led by multiple medal winners Alisa Camplin and Lydia Lassila.
Australia’s medal chances in 2026
Australia heads into these games with realistic medal chances in a small number of sports where it has consistently punched above its weight. This may seem surprising for a country better known for beaches than snow but targeted investment and athlete pathways have paid off.
Australia’s strongest gold medal hope is in freestyle skiing moguls, a fast downhill event where athletes ski over steep bumps while performing two jumps.
Jakara Anthony, who won gold in Beijing in 2022, has dominated international competitions since then, regularly winning World Cup events – the highest level of competition outside the Olympics.
Aerial skiing has also emerged as a genuine medal opportunity for Australia.
Laura Peel has continued her strong international form with recent World Cup gold, while Danielle Scott has also topped the podium this season.
With two athletes consistently winning at the highest level outside the Olympics, Australia is a genuine podium contender in this discipline.
Snowboarding also offers strong chances.
In snowboard halfpipe, riders launch out of a giant ice channel and perform aerial tricks while being judged on height, difficulty and style. Scotty James has been among the world’s best for almost a decade and has won multiple World Championship medals.
Australia is also building serious depth through younger athletes such as Valentino Guseli, who has already claimed World Cup gold and is emerging as a genuine podium contender.
In women’s monobob, Bree Walker’s recent World Cup gold shows Australia is now a genuine contender in one of the games’ newer disciplines.
In skeleton, where athletes race head-first down an icy track at speeds exceeding 120 kilometres per hour, Jaclyn Narracott won silver in 2022 – Australia’s first sliding sport medal. Another podium finish is possible for her.
Beyond these core medal prospects, sports such as short track speed skating could also feature in Australia’s medal mix if athletes peak at the right time, with potential for 2026 to rival Australia’s most successful Winter Olympics to date.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The Prime Minister and other parliamentarians have been welcomed to the lower Treaty Grounds at Waitangi.
A pōwhiri was held at 11am, before they gathered for speeches.
Christopher Luxon, who was absent from the Treaty Grounds last year, had promised to bring a message of unity.
After meeting with Māori leaders at the Iwi Chairs Forum on Wednesday, he said they were “aligned” on issues like localism, devolution and lifting Māori outcomes in health, education and law and order.
Follow our live coverage of all the action through the day at the top of this page.
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Pia Vlok scored a triple on the weekend.PHOTOSPORT
Pia Vlok was sitting in the changing rooms still on a high after becoming the first Phoenix women’s player to score an A-League hat-trick on Sunday, when she received a phone call from the Football Ferns coach.
National women’s coach Michael Mayne told Vlok she was getting her first Football Ferns call-up for this month’s World Cup qualifying leg in Solomon Islands.
The 17-year-old high school student had just helped the Phoenix women crush the Jets 5-1 in Newcastle, recording their biggest ever road win.
“After the game in the changing room, Mayne called Bev [Phoenix coach] and then she gave me the phone …it was Mayne and he was like ‘you can come to qualifiers’, it was awesome,” Vlok said.
“So surreal, after the hat-trick I was on such a high and then to get the call-up it was like the best week ever.”
The exciting forward said she had received tonnes of messages since.
“It’s crazy all the people who reach out, my phone’s been going off but it’s so nice and all my old friends.”
It’s fair to say her first season of A-league football has surpassed all her expectations.
“I was kind of just hoping to get some minutes, play some football, get in the squad was a goal …to start games and score goals, I wouldn’t have thought that [this] would happen.”
Vlok said her national call-up has come far sooner than she dared dream.
“I didn’t think it would happen so fast. A goal for me for a couple of years has been the World Cup next year but I didn’t see [this coming].”
Since Vlok got her Phoenix debut she’s looked threatening in front of goal and said on Sunday everything felt open.
“I didn’t even feel like there was a goalkeeper in there you know but I think it’s taken a bit to get there, at the start of the season maybe I was a bit more shy to shoot.”
Vlok, who grew up in Auckland, primarily played for boys’ teams in 2025 but also made some appearances for Auckland United’s women’s team before joining the Phoenix.
Phoenix women’s coach Bev Priestman.Barry Guy RNZ
The power of Vlok’s shots has been impressive and the teenager said playing a lot of football with and against boys had helped her be physically ready for the league.
“It’s just so good for development, especially when I was really young …and having an older brother, I’m always trying to kick the ball harder, be better, stronger, so I think it just comes from that.
“Then going from Auckland United and National League to A-League I found it pretty smooth but definitely a step up, a lot a faster, more physical.”
Having more time to dedicate to training since joining the Phoenix had also made a big difference.
“I’ve got so much stronger, even just in pre-season the improvement’s been crazy.”
Vlok started her first day of the school year on Tuesday after the team got back from Australia.
She is part of the first intake of students at the New Zealand Performance Academy Aotearoa (NZPAA) which opened as a charter school for athletes in Upper Hutt this year.
Vlok was greeted with a lot of ‘that’s so sick’ from her new classmates.
On days when she is training with the Phoenix she heads to school early in the afternoon, otherwise she does a regular school day.
“They are super flexible … on training days I probably do about three hours and then try and catch up after school.”
A win against Perth in Wellington tomorrow would see the Phoenix women go to the top of the A-league table.
“Hopefully I can score again in front of the home fans because they’re great …so exciting being up there and we’ve got so much support now.”
Phoenix coach Bev Priestman said the 17-year-old had not exceeded her expectations.
“I think there’s more to her than probably what people have seen …the minute she got on the pitch with great footballers she was not out of place and she trains like an animal …she’s a competitor,” Priestman said.
Pia VlokMarty Melville
Priestman said expectations around the teenager would be high now.
“It’s early doors right, people are going to start scouting her now and ask different questions of her game and that’s the journey of a young player is to evolve and keep growing and stay humble and I’ve seen signs of that for sure.”
Does Priestman anticipate overseas clubs might start coming for Vlok?
“Yeah and I think we’ve got to be careful with that right, I think it has to be at the right time, we have Pia on a three-year deal, it’s very early in her career …you’re always advising minutes is the number one thing, young players want to play.
“Getting the right test at the right time can make a career, I’ve had young players in the past go to PSG (Paris Saint-Germain FC) and sit on a bench for an entire season, it’s cost them an Olympic Games. That’s the balance it’s developing players at the right time, I think Pia loves this environment.
“Players eventually go on and write a story of their own career but I think we have a really good environment to foster young talent.”
Priestman said Vlok was unique in that she had both technical ability as well as physical athleticism.
Priestman’s resume includes coaching in the English professional league, assistant coach of the England women’s national team, and head coach of Canada.
She was also an early mentor for Mayne when working for New Zealand Football more than a decade ago and naturally the Football Ferns coach sounded her out about Vlok.
“We have the discussions before selections and talk …that conversation [about Vlok] has been ongoing pretty early to be honest. It was nice …after the hattrick, I text Mayne and we arranged the call there and he got to tell her, which is always nice to see.”
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In December 2024, the council agreed to demolish the bridge, but works were paused while Wellington City Council awaited the outcome of the government’s earthquake-prone building review.
On Thursday, councillors voted unanimously to spend about $15m to “renew” the City to Sea bridge and “minimally strengthen and upgrade” the former Capital E building.
“The significant seismic vulnerabilities of the former Capital E building are addressed, with some remaining seismic issues,” meeting agenda documents said.
“Seismic resilience risks identified with the City to Sea Bridge would not be addressed.”
The Capital E building would become a “cold shell”, which is safe for the public but inappropriate for most commercial operations.
Specific types of operations could benefit from its simplicity and flexibility, council officials wrote.
“Potential tenants would complete a fitout at their own cost, protecting the council from cost escalations, delays, and budget and scope creep risks.”
They said the decision required a higher tolerance to seismic risk and was a “significant departure” from the council’s previous approach to resilience within Te Ngakau Civic Square, which the bridge is connected to.
City having ‘a heart transplant’
Councillor Nicola Young said she was happy with the decision, which was democracy in action.
“It’s impossible to please all of the people, all of the time,” she said.
“At last, Wellington’s premier public space is being returned to the city. The bridge has been reopened, the former Capital E structure will have a new life, the central library opens next month, the City Gallery later this year, and the beautiful Town Hall reopens next year.
“Wellington is having a heart transplant.”
The council’s city strategy and delivery committee chairperson, councillor Nureddin Abdurahman, said the decision was practical and made possible by the greater flexibility in the government’s proposed reforms to the earthquake-prone building system.
“This decision balances upgrading the bridge and the former Capital E building with affordability and delivering what Wellingtonians most need and value,” he said.
“We’re able to keep and refurbish the bridge, build a bridge with the community, upgrade the former Capital E site so it can be used, and ensure our investment reflects appropriate financial restraint.”
Officers advised councillors the option provided the best value to benefit ratio.
The work would lift the former Capital E building to the minimum level required under current regulations, and the strengthened building would be considered a non-earthquake prone building under new regulations.
Work would start this month, and be completed by April 2027.
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joel Scanlan, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Law; Academic Co-Lead, CSAM Deterrence Centre, University of Tasmania
In the 2024–25 financial year alone, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation received nearly 83,000 reports of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), primarily on mainstream platforms. This was a 41% increase from the year before.
It is in this context of child abuse occurring in plain sight, on mainstream platforms, that the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, requires transparency notices every six months from Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta and other big tech firms.
The latest report, published today, shows some progress in detecting known abuse material – including material that is generated by artificial intelligence (AI), live-streamed abuse, online grooming, and sexual extortion of children and adults – and reducing moderation times.
However, the report also reveals ongoing and serious safety gaps that still put users, especially children, at risk. It makes clear that transparency is not enough. Consistent with existing calls for a legally mandated Digital Duty of Care, we need to move from merely recording harms to preventing them through better design.
But the new eSafety “snapshot” shows an ongoing gap between what technology can do and what companies are actually doing to tackle online harms.
One of the positive findings is that Snap, which owns SnapChat, has reduced its child sexual exploitation and abuse moderation response time from 90 minutes to 11 minutes.
Microsoft has also expanded its detection of known abuse material within Outlook.
However, Meta and Google continue to leave video calling services such as Messenger and Google Meet unmonitored for live-streamed abuse. This is despite them using detection tools on their other platforms.
The eSafety report highlights that Apple and Discord are failing to implement proactive detection, with Apple relying almost entirely on user reports rather than automated safety technology.
Apple, Discord, Google’s Chat, Meet and Messages, Microsoft Teams, and Snap are not currently using available software to detect the sexual extortion of children.
The biggest areas of concern identified by the commissioner are live video and encrypted environments. There is still insufficient investment in tools to detect live online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Despite Skype (owned by Microsoft) historically implementing such protections before its closure, Microsoft Teams and other providers still fail to do so.
Alongside the report, eSafety launched a new dashboard that tracks the progress of technology companies.
The dashboard highlights key metrics. These include the technologies and data sources used to detect harmful content, the amount of content that is user reported (which indicates automated systems did not catch it), and the size of the trust and safety workforce within the companies.
The new dashboard provides an interactive summary of the transparency notices. This table shows which technology platforms are using tools to detect child abuse and exploitation within live streams. eSafety Commissioner
How can we improve safety?
The ongoing gaps identified by the eSafety Commissioner show that current reporting requirements are insufficient to make platforms safe.
The industry should put safety before profit. But this rarely happens unless laws require it.
This would make tech companies legally responsible for showing their systems are safe by design before launch. Instead of waiting for reports to reveal long-standing safety gaps, a duty of care would require platforms to identify risks early and implement already available solutions, such as language analysis software and deterrence messaging.
Beyond detection: the need for safety
To stop people from sharing or accessing harmful and illegal material, we also need to focus on deterrence and encourage them to seek help.
This is a key focus of the CSAM Deterrence Centre, a collaboration between Jesuit Social Services and the University of Tasmania.
Working with major tech platforms, we have found proactive safety measures can reduce harmful behaviours.
Such messages can be triggered when new or previously known abuse material is shared, or a conversation is detected as sexual extortion or grooming. In addition to blocking the behaviour, platforms can guide users to seek help.
This includes directing people to support services such as Australia’s Stop It Now! helpline. This is a child sexual abuse prevention service for adults who have concerns about their own (or someone else’s) sexual thoughts or behaviours towards children.
Safety by design should not be a choice
The eSafety Commissioner continues to urge companies to take a more comprehensive approach to addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse on their platforms. The technology is already available. But companies often lack the will to use it if it might slow user growth and affect profits.
Transparency reports show us the real state of the industry.
Right now, they reveal a sector that knows how to solve its problems but is moving too slowly.
We need to go beyond reports and strengthen legislation that makes safety the standard, not just an extra feature.
The author acknowledges the contribution of Matt Tyler and Georgia Naldrett from Jesuit Social Services, which operates the Stop It Now! Helpline in Australia, and partners with the University of Tasmania in the CSAM Deterrence Centre.
Joel Scanlan is the academic co-lead of the CSAM Deterrence Centre, which is a partnership between the University of Tasmania and Jesuit Social Services, who operate Stop It Now (Australia), a therapeutic service providing support to people who are concerned with their own, or someone else’s, feelings towards children. He has received funding from the Australian Research Council, Australian Institute of Criminology, the eSafety Commissioner, Lucy Faithfull Foundation and the Internet Watch Foundation.
The street was named after Colonel Robert Henry Wynyard, the commanding officer of British armed forces in the 1850s and acting Governor of New Zealand for a year.
Wynyard lived among other colonial officers in Officials Bay, which was visible from Wynyard Street back then. The Māori name for the bay is Te Hororoa, the “slipping away”.
It was a short stroll from Wynyard Street to Te Hororoa before extensive land reclamation between the 1870s and 1920s. Now, the shoreline is covered in asphalt and named Beach Road.
Despite the massive changes in the area over the past 160 years, stories have surfaced from the earth beside the cottage on Wynyard Street.
Lost history and reclaimed land
Around 2007, when buildings to the south of the cottage were demolished to make way for the university’s business school, an archaeological team found a midden containing traces of earlier Māori life: obsidian flakes, chert and greywacke tools, and a bird-bone awl that may have been used to make dog-skin cloaks.
The archaeologists noted that Te Reuroa pā once stood at the top of Constitution Hill, near where the Auckland High Court now stands.
In nearby Albert Park, there was also a significant settlement, the Ngāti Whātua kāinga (village) of Rangipuke, and a fortified pā called Te Horotiu.
Māori are believed to have valued the hilltop because the elevated site was good for growing crops and easy to defend, while two freshwater streams ran into the bays below.
In the 1840s, British military barracks were built at what became Albert Park. Albert Barracks grew to a nine-hectare military compound, which the early British used to secure their position against Māori.
Part of the basalt wall that once circled Albert Barracks still snakes through the university grounds.
Before European histories begin, the whenua (land) beside the cottage might have been used by Māori for preparing flax and food, and making garments.
The earth under our feet is full of fragments. But it’s difficult to reclaim the past in this part of Auckland because reclaiming land for a new shoreline involved digging up hills where Māori once lived and worked.
Parts of Tāmaki Makaurau were flattened beyond recognition, then concreted over in the process of becoming Auckland city.
The Wynyard Street cottage has also changed over the years. It was restructured in the 1920s by Malcolm Draffin, one of the architects of the Auckland War Memorial Museum in the nearby Domain.
The cottage in 1965 during its brief era as the Vivien Leigh Theatre. Anton Estie/University of Auckland, CC BY-NC-ND
The house later glimpsed the limelight during a brief season when it became a theatre. British movie star Vivien Leigh (who played Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind) visited in 1962 and the venue was named in her honour.
But the owner and manager of the Vivien Leigh Theatre was jailed for his homosexuality and the theatre doors slammed shut before a single show was staged.
Later in the 1960s, the university bought the building. Education and anthropology departments took over the space until it became a Māori research centre in 1993.
The official opening of the James Henare Research Centre in 1994. University of Auckland, CC BY-NC-ND
A door to the past and future
By a curious coincidence, the James Henare Research Centre is named after Sir James Henare, the great-grandson of Colonel Robert Henry Wynyard.
But hold on for a plot twist.
Sir James was the son of Taurekareka Henare, whose father Henare Wynyard was the son Robert Wynyard had fathered out of wedlock with a Maōri woman.
Taurekareka changed the family name from Wynyard to his father’s Christian name, Henare, as a means of aligning with his whakapapa (genealogy), which led back to the great warriors Kāwiti and Hone Heke.
In 1845, Taurekareka’s grandfather Robert Wynyard had fought in the British army that attacked Ruapekapeka pā in Northland. The Māori defending the pā included Kāwiti and Hone Heke.
That left Taurekareka looking back at a history in which his ancestors did battle. He chose the Māori side when he dropped the surname Wynyard and became a Henare.
Taurekareka’s son James (later Sir James) was a Ngāti Hine rangatira (chief) born in the Bay of Islands. He served as commanding officer in the Māori Battalion in World War II and later became a champion of Māori education and the kōhanga reo movement.
Sir James Henare with Queen Eizabeth II in February 1963 during the 123rd anniversary celebration of the signing of te Tiriti o Waitangi. Henare Whānau Archive, CC BY-NC-ND
A man of great mana, he helped Ngāti Whātua Orākei during their Waitangi Tribunal claim in the 1980s. After he died in 1989, Ngāti Whātua leaders asked if his name might be given to the new centre.
Thus the name Henare returned to claim ground on Wynyard Street. Sir James’ son, Bernard Henare, is now chair of the centre.
In the 1990s, Ngāti Porou master carver Pakaariki Harrison created two pou and a lintel for the entrance to the centre.
The whakairo (carving) physically and symbolically transformed the house into a whare for its official opening in 1994. Several years ago, the pou were removed for restoration by Pakaariki’s son, Fred Harrison. The carvings will be returned to cloak the whare early in 2026.
Number 18 Wynyard Street is shrouded in layers of the past that build to the future. Maybe one day its doors will open onto Henare Street instead.
Ahmed Uzair Aziz has worked as a researcher and administrator at the James Henare Research Centre. He is a recipient of the University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarship.
Fast-paced electronic music pumps in the background as a rapid montage of moving images flash across the screen.
In a 20 second video, French sailors hunker down in an inflatable speeding over swells.
Another sailor, in bright red shorts, is lowered from a helicopter onto the vessel’s back deck. Captured crew with faces blurred are held in a galley, as bags full of drugs are pulled from below deck and loaded onto pallets for lift-off.
“Throwback to the latest drug seizure at sea by the French Navy, as if you were part of it,” reads the social media caption from French armed forces, documenting last month’s drug seizure by the frigate Prairial.
What the video does not show French sailors dropping 4.87 tonnes of cocaine into the ocean near the Tuamotu group, north-east of Tahiti. Tossing drugs overboard may be a time-honoured tactic for drug smugglers at sea — but a new one for authorities.
“This record seizure is a successful outcome of the new territorial plan to combat narcotics developed by the High Commissioner of the Republic in French Polynesia,” reads a statement on their website.
Record seizure — worth at least US$150 million — and record disposal, in record time.
One raising questions worldwide.
Why? “Why won’t France open an investigation after the seizure of these 5 tons of cocaine?” reads the January 20 headline in the French edition of Huffington Post.
Prosecutors in Tahiti emphasised the costs faced by French Polynesia if it were to prosecute all drug traffickers.
Record seizure — worth at least US$150 million — and record disposal, in record time. Image: French Navy screenshot APR
“Our primary mission is to prevent drugs from entering the country and to combat trafficking in Polynesia,” said Public Prosecutor Solène Belaouar. As “more and more traffickers transit through our waters we must address the issue of managing this new flow.”
Belaouar told French media that prosecuting drug cases locally costs 12,000 French Pacific Francs a day, or about US$120 per person.
This new concern about costs came as the French territory winds up another drug trafficking case. Under those estimates, the conviction of 14 Ecuador sailors caught smuggling in December 2024 would represent around US$600,000.
Last Thursday, they had their appeal against trafficking 524 kilos on the MV Raymi dismissed, meaning their jail sentences of six to eight years are confirmed. Costs of this case compare with the US$93 million spent between 2013 and 2017 constructing a new prison, Tatutu de Papeari, with a capacity of 410 inmates in Tahiti.
A question sent via social media about the drug dump went unanswered by ALPACI, Amiral commandant la zone maritime de l’océan Pacifique.
Overall, drug seizures by French forces worldwide have increased dramatically.
A total of 87.6 tons of drugs were seized in 2025 in cooperation with state services, including local police, customs and the French Anti-Drug and Smuggling Office (OFAST), nearing twice the previous record of 48.3 tons set the year before, in 2024.
Those statistics seem unlikely to quieten concerns about the new cost-cutting strategy.
Sunny day Boarded on a sunny day on January 16, the MV Raider carried a crew of 10 Honduran citizens, with one from Ecuador. All faced lengthy jail terms if convicted.
Part of the drug haul on palettes . . . before dumping at sea near the Tuamotu group.Image: French Navy screenshot APR
Instead, French authorities let all 11 go, allowing the crew to resume their journey on the offshore supply ship. That decision contrasts with the high-profile approach sometimes taken when it comes to illegal fishing boats, with many captured and resold or set on fire and sunk at sea.
Dozens of public social media comments in French Polynesia and the Cook Islands questioned the disposal of the drugs at sea, with some calling for the ship’s seizure. Tahiti news media were the first to question the decision to catch and release.
At first, French authorities claimed the seizure took place in international waters or the “high seas”.
Lead prosecutor Belaouar told TNTV that “Article 17 of the Vienna Convention stipulates that the navy can intercept a vessel on the high seas, check its flag of origin, ask the Public Prosecutor, and the High Commissioner is involved in the decision, if they agree that the procedure should not be pursued through the courts, and that it should therefore be handled solely administratively.”
However, TNTV also quoted legal sources as stating the drug seizure of 96 bales took place within the “maritime zone” of French Polynesia.
Ten days after first reports of the seizure, Belaouar was no longer talking about the “high seas”, instead claiming the need for a new strategy to handle drug flows.
The MV Raider carried a crew of 10 Honduran citizens, with one from Ecuador . . . All faced lengthy jail terms if convicted. Image: JB
Drug ‘superhighway’ “The Pacific has become a superhighway for drugs”, Belaouar asserted, adding that “70 percent of cocaine trafficking passes through this route.”
Those differing claims raised questions in Tahiti, and 1100 km to the south-west, when the briefly seized vessel, the MV Raider, turned up off Rarotonga broadcasting a distress signal.
Customs officials told daily Cook Islands News the vessel was reporting engine trouble, and confirmed MV Raider was the same vessel that had been intercepted by French naval forces with the drugs on board.
Live maritime records also show the tug supply boat as “anchored” at Rarotonga.
Aptly named, the Raider caught official attention before passing through the Panama Canal, with a listed destination of Sydney Australia.
Anonymous company Sending a small coastal boat some 14,000 km across the world’s largest ocean drew attention on a route more usually plied by container ships up to nine times longer.
Also raising questions — the identity of the ship owners.
A signed certificate uploaded online by an unofficial source appears to show that the last known ownership traces to an anonymous Panama company named Newton Tecnologia SA.
That name also appears in a customer ranking report from the Panama Canal Authority, with Newton Tecnologia appearing at 541 of 550 listed companies.
Under Panama law, Sociedad Anonomi — anonymous “societies” or companies — do not need to reveal shareholders, and can be 100 percent foreign owned.
A review of various databroker services show one of the company directors as Jacinto Gonzalez Rodriguez.
A person of the same name is listed on OpenCorporates in a variety of leadership roles with 22 other companies in Panama, including engineering, marketing, a “bike messenger” venture, and as treasurer and director for an entity called “Mistic La Madam Gift Shop.”
However, Newton Tecnologia SA does does not show up in the same database, or searches of the country’s official business registry.
A similarly named company is registered in Brazil but is focused on educational equipment, not shipping, with one director showing up in search results at community art events.
‘Dark fleet’ Registered with the International Marine Organisation under call sign 5VJL2, the MV Raider is described as a “Multi Purpose Offshore Vessel” with IMO number: 9032824.
The Togo registration certificate for the MV Raider. Image: JB
Online records indicate that the ship was built in 1991 in the United States, with a “Provisional Certificate of Registry” from the Togo Maritime Authority dated only two months ago, on 19 November 2025. With a declared destination of Sydney, Australia, the Raider and its Togo certificate are valid until 18 May 2026.
According to maritime experts, provisional certification is a red flag that allows what industry sources term the “dark fleet” to exploit open registries. This “allows entry on a temporary basis (typically three to six months) with minimal due diligence pending submission of all documentation,” according to a 2025 review from Windward, a marine risk consultancy.
“Vessels then ‘hop’ to another flag before the provisional period expires.”
Where there’s smoke Windward listed Togo as being among ship registries that flagged ships with little to no oversight, along with Antigua and Barbuda, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belize, Cameroon, Comoros, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hong Kong, Liberia, Mongolia, Oman, Panama, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Vietnam.
In the Pacific, other registries noted by Windward as failing basic enforcement include Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Previously registered in Honduras, the July 2023 edition of the Worldwide Tug and OSV News reports that GIS Marine LLC, a Louisiana company, sold the Raider in 2021 to an “undisclosed” interest in Honduras.
Other records indicate GIS Marine acted as managers but the actual owner was a company called International Marine in Valetta, Malta. The only company with a similar name at that address, International Marine Contractors Ltd, is shown as inactive since 2021.
For now, though, the Raider is among tens of thousands of ships operating worldwide with “provisional certification” — allowing ships to potentially skip regulations requiring expensive maintenance and repair.
That may have been the case for the Raider, with Rarotonga residents filming what one described as “smoke” rising from the ship a day after issuing a distress call.
Where there’s drug smoke, there’s usually a bonfire of questions afterwards.
Including from José Sousa-Santos, associate professor of practice and head of the University of Canterbury’s Pacific Regional Security Hub, who told Cook Islands News that since the vessel was intercepted in French Polynesian waters “it falls under French legal jurisdiction”.
Jason Brown is founder of Journalism Agenda 2025 and writes about Pacific and world journalism and ethically globalised Fourth Estate issues. He is a former co-editor of Cook Islands Press.
Advocates for saving it argued [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/572994/protestors-battle-council-over-plan-for-wellington-city-to-sea-bridge-demolition
cheaper strengthening options were available].
In December 2024, the council agreed to demolish the bridge, but works were paused while Wellington City Council awaited the outcome of the government’s earthquake-prone building review.
On Thursday, councillors voted unanimously to spend about $15m to “renew” the City to Sea bridge and “minimally strengthen and upgrade” the former Capital E building.
“The significant seismic vulnerabilities of the former Capital E building are addressed, with some remaining seismic issues,” meeting agenda documents said.
“Seismic resilience risks identified with the City to Sea Bridge would not be addressed.”
The Capital E building would become a “cold shell”, which is safe for the public but inappropriate for most commercial operations.
Specific types of operations could benefit from its simplicity and flexibility, council officials wrote.
“Potential tenants would complete a fitout at their own cost, protecting the council from cost escalations, delays, and budget and scope creep risks.”
They said the decision required a higher tolerance to seismic risk and was a “significant departure” from the council’s previous approach to resilience within Te Ngakau Civic Square, which the bridge is connected to.
City having ‘a heart transplant’
Councillor Nicola Young said she was happy with the decision, which was democracy in action.
“It’s impossible to please all of the people, all of the time,” she said.
“At last, Wellington’s premier public space is being returned to the city. The bridge has been reopened, the former Capital E structure will have a new life, the central library opens next month, the City Gallery later this year, and the beautiful Town Hall reopens next year.
“Wellington is having a heart transplant.”
The council’s city strategy and delivery committee chairperson, councillor Nureddin Abdurahman, said the decision was practical and made possible by the greater flexibility in the government’s proposed reforms to the earthquake-prone building system.
“This decision balances upgrading the bridge and the former Capital E building with affordability and delivering what Wellingtonians most need and value,” he said.
“We’re able to keep and refurbish the bridge, build a bridge with the community, upgrade the former Capital E site so it can be used, and ensure our investment reflects appropriate financial restraint.”
Officers advised councillors the option provided the best value to benefit ratio.
The work would lift the former Capital E building to the minimum level required under current regulations, and the strengthened building would be considered a non-earthquake prone building under new regulations.
Work would start this month, and be completed by April 2027.
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Wellington Water chief executive Pat Dougherty says he had never seen damage like this before.Samuel Rillstone
Wellington Water’s chief executive says the Moa Point wastewater treatment plant is not in good shape, with 70 percent of it flooded and 80 percent of its equipment damaged.
An equipment failure flooded the site and is sending raw sewage spewing directly into the southern coastline – rather than through a longer pipe, nearly 2 kilometres into Cook Strait.
Doughtery said he hoped the long pipe would be fixed by the end of the weekend, but it would likely be months before the plant was fully repaired.
He said as a water engineer, he was used to seeing damaged plants but he had never seen anything like this.
Their priorities would be to get the sludge out of the plant so it did not turn anaerobic and stink, getting a camera in to look at the outfall pipe to understand what went wrong that caused a back-up into the building and working to get power on to parts of the building so they can start to use the long outfall, Dougherty said.
Today’s inspection showed the damage was “as bad as we feared”, he said.
But Dougherty said so long as they managed to get the long outfall pipe operating fairly quickly, the tides would take care of it and he did not expect there would be long term environmental damage provided they could get the outfall going.
Untreated waste water is leaking onto the capital’s south coast beaches due to the Moa Point Treatment Plant flooding.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Wellington surfers fear return of ‘turds in the waves’
Meanwhile, surfers and surf lifesavers are devastated Wellington’s south coast is off-limits while sewage spews into the sea, worrying it’s a return to a time when there were “turds in the waves”.
Wellington Water is focusing on cleaning up the flooding so it can safely restore power and allow sewage – still untreated – to be pumped through the long outfall pipe nearly 2km into Cook Strait, rather than into Tarakena Bay close to shore.
People have been told not to swim in the water,RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
In the meantime, people are being urged not to enter the water, collect seafood, or walk their dogs on the beach, and a rāhui is in place.
Jamie McCaskill from Wellington Boardriders told Morning Report he was gutted and devastated.
“We’ve got a few events coming up, this is a bad time for us … it’s just really not a good time, especially at this time of year.”
The worst part was not knowing when the water would be safe, McCaskill said. He wanted clear communication from Wellington Water about that.
McCaskill worried it would be a return to decades prior, before the long outfall pipe was built.
“I’ve been talking to a few of the legend surfers, and kind of before 1989 there was just … raw sewage, smells on the rocks, on the wall, surfing in barrels with turds in the waves,” he said.
“There were sicknesses, ear infections, skin infections, gastro, so we’re just trying to avoid that, that’s for sure.”
Wellington’s Moa Point wastewater treatment plant has been shut down and staff evacuated from the site, after an equipment failure flooded multiple floors.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
There were no other places nearby to surf, he said.
“We could go to Wainuiomata or over to the Wairarapa but it’s just such a long way, it’s a bit of a bummer that we just can’t go locally.”
‘It’s really concerning’
Lyall Bay Surf Lifesaving Club chairperson Matt Flannery said his members were as disappointed as the rest of the community.
“We can’t use what is a beautiful part of the city,” he said.
“It’s really concerning.”
The club has had to reschedule this weekend’s planned competitions, and it has disrupted members’ training for national competitions.
“We’re at the final part of the season where we’ve got very regular use on the beach, with probably 70 or 80 club members in the water on a daily basis, so that’s a fairly big impact,” Flannery said.
“It’s at a time of the year that we’re training for national championships four weeks out, and obviously the uncertainty about when the beach will reopen is of a major concern for us.”
That uncertainty made their rejigged training plans “a bit of a guessing game”, Flannery said.
Lifeguards would not be patrolling the beach this weekend, and a red flag would fly at the club to show the beach was unsafe.
The mayor told Morning Report he shared residents’ anger and frustration.
“This is my neighbourhood, this is where I take my dog for a walk, and along that coastline is where I spend my time, that’s where I go kayaking and swimming,” Andrew Little said.
Wellington Water is taking water samples from a wide area and expected to provide an update later on Thursday.
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Taiātea Symposium at Waitangi 2026 – all photo credits to WAI 262 – Kia Whakapūmau / wai262.nz / projects@wai262.nzWAI 262 – Kia Whakapūmau / wai262.nz / projects@wai262.nz
As Waitangi Day commemorations continue drawing people from across Aotearoa and around the world to the Bay of Islands, Te Tii Marae has become a gathering point for Indigenous ocean leadership from across the Pacific.
Taiātea: Gathering of the Oceans held its public forum on 4 February, uniting more than 20 Indigenous leaders, marine scientists and researchers from Canada, Australia, Hawai’i, Niue, Rapa Nui and the Cook Islands.
The forum forms part of a wider 10-day wānanga taking place across Te Ika a Māui (North Island).
Taiātea Symposium at Waitangi 2026.WAI 262 – Kia Whakapūmau / wai262.nz / projects@wai262.nz
With a focus on the protection and restoration of Te Moana Nui a Kiwa, the Pacific Ocean, kōrero throughout the day centred on the exchange of knowledge, marine protection, ocean resilience and the accelerating impacts of climate change.
A key message remained prevalent throughout the day – the moana is not separate from the people, but a living ancestor, and a responsibility carried across generations.
‘Continue that path of conservation, preservation’
Hawaiʻi’s Solomon Pili Kaho’ohalahala, co-founder of One Oceania, a former politician, and a respected elder, framed his kōrero around the belief that there is no separation between human and nature – we are all one.
For Kaho’ohalahala, being present at Waitangi has been a powerful reminder of the links between past, present, and future.
“Waitangi is a very historical place for the Māori people,” he said. “It is where important decisions were made by your elders. So to be here in this place, for me, is significant.”
“We are talking about historical events that have happened to our people across Oceania, preserved by the elders who had visions to create treaties … decisions that were going to be impactful to the generations to follow,” Kaho’ohalahala said.
“It brings the relevancy of these conversations. They are what we need to negotiate and navigate the challenges we face in the present. The purpose for this is, ultimately, no different to the kupuna (Hawai’ian elder), that this was intended for the generations yet unborn,” he added.
Kaho’ohalahala also reflected on the enduring connections between indigenous communities across oceans.
“To be a part of this conversation from across the ocean that separates us, our connection by our culture and canoes is to help us understand that we are still all connected as the people of Oceania.
“But we need to be able to reiterate that, and understand why we need to emerge from that past to bring it to our relevancy to these times and issues, to continue that path of conservation, preservation, for those unborn.”
Cook Islands environmental advocate and Ocean Ancestors founder, Louisa Castledine, reiterated the responsibility of indigenous peoples to protect the ocean and pass knowledge to future generations.
She said Waitangi was the perfect backdrop to encourage these discussions. While different cultures face individual challenges, there is a collective sense of unity.
“One of our key pillars is nurturing our future tamariki, and the ways of our peu tupuna, and nurturing stewardship and guardianship with them as our future leaders,” Castledine said.
“It’s about reclaiming how we perceive our ocean as being an ancestor, as a living organism, as whānau to us. We’re here at Waitangi to stand in solidarity of our shared ancestor and the responsibility we all have for its protection,” Castledine said.
She said people must be forward-thinking in how they collectively navigate environmental wellbeing.
“We all have a desire and a love for our moana, our indigenous knowledge systems of our oceans are critical to curating futures for our tamariki and mokopuna,” she said.
“We want to ensure that generations that come after us will continue to be able to feed generations beyond all of us. It’s about safeguarding their inheritance.”
Learning about shared challenges
Wuikinuxv Nation Chief Councillor Danielle Shaw with the Coastal First Nations Great Bear Initiative.CFN Great Bear Initiative
Canadian representative Chief Anuk Danielle Shaw, elected chief councillor of the Wuikinuxv Nation, said the challenges and goals facing Indigenous peoples were often shared, despite the distances between them.
“This is [an] opportunity to learn about common challenges we may have, and how other nations and indigenous leaders are facing those challenges, and what successes they’ve been having,” she said.
“It just makes sense that we have a relationship, and that we build that relationship.”
She noted the central role of the marine environment for her people.
“It’s not lost on me that my people are ocean going people as well. We rely on the marine environment.
“Our salmon is the foundation and the backbone of our livelihood and the livelihood of all other beings in which we live amongst. I’m a world away, and yet I’m still sitting within the Pacific Ocean.
“So the work I do at home and how we take care of our marine environment impacts the people of Aotearoa as well, and vice versa. And so it just makes sense that we have a relationship, and that we build that relationship, because traditionally we did,” she added.
Following the public forum, indigenous leaders will visit haukāinga in the Tūwharetoa and Whanganui regions for further knowledge exchanges and to discuss specific case studies.
A sunrise sets over Te Tii beach as Waitangi commemorations commence.Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
The Prime Minister and other parliamentarians have been welcomed to the lower Treaty Grounds at Waitangi.
A pōwhiri was held at 11am, before they gathered for speeches.
Christopher Luxon, who was absent from the Treaty Grounds last year, had promised to bring a message of unity.
After meeting with Māori leaders at the Iwi Chairs Forum on Wednesday, he said they were “aligned” on issues like localism, devolution and lifting Māori outcomes in health, education and law and order.
Follow our live coverage of all the action through the day at the top of this page.
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In a statement, the Springston School Te Kura o Makonui board said its thoughts were with the child’s family, and staff and students were being supported.
“We have had a tragic passing of a student of our school. We are unable to provide any further details at this point as the police investigation is continuing,” they said.
People across the North Island are reporting possible sightings of a meteor.
Social media users, including one in Kaitaia, have shared videos of or reported seeing a bright flash light up the sky in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Te Whatu Stardome astronomer Josh Aoraki said he had received at least a dozen reports of the event, which appeared to be similar to the meteor in Wellington last week.
He said a meteor or “shooting star” was fairly common but rare to see.
Astronomer Josh Aoraki says the event appears to have been similar to the meteor in Wellington last week (pictured here).Supplied/ PredictWind.com
“It’s usually a small point of light moving fast over the sky.
“From the reports today, it sounds like it was what’s called a fireball, which usually moves a bit slower and is a lot brighter. Often you can see an object breaking up and flashing with light, and they have a distinct green hue, very different from a satellite or a comet.
He said that while these meteors were common occurrences, it was rare to see one.
“Meteors themselves are not rare. Astronomers estimate that about 100 tonnes of debris, which is essentially stuff from space, falls to Earth every day.
“The rarity is actually seeing them because we don’t usually get very bright ones. Most happen over the ocean, so to see it over a populated area is very rare.
A social media user in Kaitaia reported a bright flash lighting up the sky in the early hours of Thursday morning.Supplied / Screenshot
“It’s luck we’ve had two really bright ones recently.”
He said expected the meteor could have been seen from several areas across the North Island.
Stardome was working to confirm the sightings and it was possible, if it was big enough, that a meteorite could have hit land, Aoraki said.
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As Waitangi Day commemorations continue drawing people from across Aotearoa and around the world to the Bay of Islands, Te Tii Marae has become a gathering point for Indigenous ocean leadership from across the Pacific.
Taiātea: Gathering of the Oceans held its public forum yesterday, uniting more than 20 Indigenous leaders, marine scientists and researchers from Australia, Canada, Cook Islands, Hawai’i, Niue, Rapa Nui and Aotearoa.
The forum forms part of a wider 10-day wānanga taking place across Te Ika a Māui (North Island).
With a focus on the protection and restoration of Te Moana Nui a Kiwa, the Pacific Ocean, kōrero throughout the day centred on the exchange of knowledge, marine protection, ocean resilience and the accelerating impacts of climate change.
A key message remained prevalent throughout the day – the moana is not separate from the people, but a living ancestor, and a responsibility carried across generations.
Taiātea Symposium at Waitangi 2026 . . . a key message remained prevalent throughout the day – the moana is not separate from the people, but a living ancestor. Image: WAI 262 – Kia Whakapūmau/wai262.nz / projects@wai262.nz/RNZ Pacific
‘Continue that path of conservation, preservation’ Hawaiʻi’s Solomon Pili Kaho’ohalahala, co-founder of One Oceania, a former politician, and a respected elder, framed his kōrero around the belief that there is no separation between human and nature — “we are all one”.
For Kaho’ohalahala, being present at Waitangi has been a powerful reminder of the links between past, present, and future.
“Waitangi is a very historical place for the Māori people,” he said. “It is where important decisions were made by your elders.
“So to be here in this place, for me, is significant.”
Solomon Pili Kaho’ohalahala, known as Uncle Sol, on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise en route to Kingston, Jamaica, for a summit of the ISA in 2023 . . . “We need to negotiate and navigate the challenges we face in the present.” Image: Martin Katz/Greenpeace/RNZ Pacific
“We are talking about historical events that have happened to our people across Oceania, preserved by the elders who had visions to create treaties . . . decisions that were going to be impactful to the generations to follow,” Kaho’ohalahala said.
“It brings the relevancy of these conversations. They are what we need to negotiate and navigate the challenges we face in the present. The purpose for this is, ultimately, no different to the kupuna (Hawai’ian elder), that this was intended for the generations yet unborn,” he added.
Kaho’ohalahala also reflected on the enduring connections between indigenous communities across oceans.
“To be a part of this conversation from across the ocean that separates us, our connection by our culture and canoes is to help us understand that we are still all connected as the people of Oceania.
“But we need to be able to reiterate that, and understand why we need to emerge from that past to bring it to our relevancy to these times and issues, to continue that path of conservation, preservation, for those unborn.”
‘Our ocean … a living organism,’ advocate says Cook Islands environmental advocate and Ocean Ancestors founder Louisa Castledine reiterated the responsibility of Indigenous peoples to protect the ocean and pass knowledge to future generations.
She said Waitangi was the perfect backdrop to encourage these discussions. While different cultures face individual challenges, there is a collective sense of unity.
“One of our key pillars is nurturing our future tamariki, and the ways of our peu tupuna, and nurturing stewardship and guardianship with them as our future leaders,” Castledine said.
“It’s about reclaiming how we perceive our ocean as being an ancestor, as a living organism, as whānau to us. We’re here at Waitangi to stand in solidarity of our shared ancestor and the responsibility we all have for its protection,” Castledine said.
She said people must be forward-thinking in how they collectively navigate environmental wellbeing.
“We all have a desire and a love for our moana, our indigenous knowledge systems of our oceans are critical to curating futures for our tamariki and mokopuna,” she said.
“We want to ensure that generations that come after us will continue to be able to feed generations beyond all of us. It’s about safeguarding their inheritance.”
Wuikinuxv Nation Chief Councillor Danielle Shaw with the Coastal First Nations Great Bear Initiative . . . “This is [an] opportunity to learn about common challenges we may have.” Image: CFN Great Bear Initiative/RNZ Pacific
Learning about shared challenges Canadian representative Chief Anuk Danielle Shaw, elected chief councillor of the Wuikinuxv Nation, said the challenges and goals facing Indigenous peoples were often shared, despite the distances between them.
“This is [an] opportunity to learn about common challenges we may have, and how other nations and indigenous leaders are facing those challenges, and what successes they’ve been having,” she said.
“It just makes sense that we have a relationship, and that we build that relationship.”
She noted the central role of the marine environment for her people.
“It’s not lost on me that my people are ocean-going people as well. We rely on the marine environment.
“Our salmon is the foundation and the backbone of our livelihood and the livelihood of all other beings in which we live amongst. I’m a world away, and yet I’m still sitting within the Pacific Ocean.
“So the work I do at home and how we take care of our marine environment impacts the people of Aotearoa as well, and vice versa. And so it just makes sense that we have a relationship, and that we build that relationship, because traditionally we did,” she added.
Following the public forum, indigenous leaders will visit haukāinga in the Tūwharetoa and Whanganui regions for further knowledge exchanges and to discuss specific case studies.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
A sunrise sets over Te Tii beach as Waitangi commemorations commence. Image: Layla Bailey-McDowell/RNZ
Consumer NZ says New Zealand is facing a “really serious” situation with insurance becoming increasingly unaffordable and potentially inaccessible – and a new review needs to urgently tackle the problem.
It was revealed this week that the Council of Financial Regulators has been asked to conduct a review of insurance affordability for households, and the Commerce Commission has been asked for an initial market assessment.
Plans to introduce new levies as part of the Natural Hazards Insurance Act have been paused until the review can happen.
In a cabinet paper recommending the review, Treasury said home insurance premiums had grown at three times the rate of the consumer price index since 2011, and there had been a 40 percent rise in the past two years.
“Premiums have grown even faster for some people in high-risk areas. Insurance remains largely available, but access is becoming more difficult in areas facing both high earthquake and flood risk. With improved scientific understanding of seismic and climate risk, further increases are expected, and coverage may soon become unavailable for some people at any price.”
The first stage of the insurance review is expected to take six months and will be followed by a second phase, of policy development.
“New Zealand’s higher risk profile is likely a contributing factor, with investors demanding higher returns for the higher risk. However, it could also indicate weaker competitive pressures in New Zealand.”
Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy said he would be surprised if the Commerce Commission did not conclude that there were the same issues in insurance as were seen in the banking sector and the supermarket sector. “And others they’ve done market studies on that are problematic from a competition perspective.”
He said it was likely that a broader market study would be justified. A market study would allow more rigourous economic analysis of the profitability of insurance businesses as well as the factors that might make the market unique.
New Zealanders seemed to be getting a tough deal from insurers.
“Wellington is the most expensive place in the country to live. We live on multiple fault lines, we live close to the sea… increasingly it’s becoming too difficult for people, especially apartment dwellers in Wellington to afford what is the basic of living in a first world economy. You need to be able to insure your property. There are lots of factors that go into it but one of them appears to be that Australian-owned insurers – there’s really only two players in the market in home insurance, IAG and Suncorp – appear to be earning higher returns in New Zealand than they do in Australia.”
‘A prudential risk for banks’
He said he hoped to see some urgency from the government, and for it to accept it was an interlinked problem with climate adaption and the fundamentals of the market.
“The banking sector needs to be made aware of this, because if suddenly insurance isn’t available on a whole lot of properties that have mortgages over them, and that means those mortgage holders could be in breach of their mortgage terms and conditions, what happens where those mortgage-holders default? Or there is a natural disaster, and suddenly all of those mortgages can’t be called in.
“That’s a prudential risk for the banks, especially in an economy like New Zealand, where it has been a housing market with a small economy tacked on. This is really serious stuff, and I guess that’s why the Treasury’s kind of woken up and gone, actually, we’d better do something here.”
Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen said it was not surprising that premiums had increased.
“Does anyone remember Cyclone Gabrielle a couple of years ago? Those increases are very much being driven in many regards by reinsurance costs and the risk factors New Zealand has.”
He said the rate of annual inflation in dwelling insurance peaked at 25 percent in the March 2024 quarter, and contents insurance lifted by 28 percent in the same year.
“Before then, there was a bit of a burst in dwelling insurance that peaked at 18 percent back in 2018.
“We noted as well, though, last year, the level of rising challenges that you’re facing out there in the environment, the number of states of emergency continuing to lift… we’ve seen a 237 percent increase in the number of days that parts of New Zealand spent under a state of emergency in the last 12 years compared to the previous 12.
“So there’s a much more sustained level of pressure that’s putting pressure on the insurers who need to be able to pay for all these claims.”
He said in 2006, total insurance costs were 1.7 percent of overall household spending.
That increased to 3.16 percent in 2020.
He said there had also been a shift towards dwelling insurance and away from other types such as life insurance.
Police staff escorting a seal pup that had made its way into New Plymouth CBD back to the foreshore.NZ Police
An adventurous seal pup got a full police escort back to the New Plymouth foreshore last night after wandering into the CBD.
Police posted a photograph of the errant seal on their Central Region Facebook page.
It’s on the footpath outside Chaos Cafe on Brougham Street with three officers directing it down the road towards the Huatoki Stream and the ocean.
“This seal pup went for a wander a bit too far from home last night, but staff were on hand to escort him safely back to the sea,” the post said.
“A happy ending for a curious little explore.”
The post had received hundreds of ‘likes’ and more than a few comments about how cute the situation was.
“Gave the town the ‘seal of approval’,” said Jenny Keenan.
While RJ Henderson thought it was a “fishy case”.
And Carolyn Morphus wondered if the officers would be enforcing the letter of the law.
“Were they gunna arrest it for sleeping rough, lol.”
Chaos Cafe is about 300 metres away from the New Plymouth foreshore where it is not uncommon to see fur seals resting among the rocks along the Coastal Walkway.
The city has a resident population of fur seals (kekeno) located on the Ngā Motu / Sugar Loaf Islands in the Tapuae Marine Reserve, just off the coast from Port Taranaki.
Pups are born during the summer months, with most seals returning to the sea by mid-January.
On its website, the Department of Conservation says it is not uncommon for fur seals to “venture several kilometres inland following rivers and streams”.
“They can appear in unusual places, such as a paddocks, backyards, roadsides or inner-city streets. This is normal behaviour, particularly for young animals as they explore their environment.”
DOC advises people who encounter fur seals to leave them alone.
“Fur seals are wild animals and will defend themselves if they feel threatened. They can move surprisingly quickly on land. While fur seals can look harmless, they can inflict serious injuries to dogs or people and can carry infectious diseases.”
You should:
stay at least 20 m away
don’t disturb seals by making loud noises or throwing things
keep dogs and children away
don’t attempt to feed seals
never attempt to touch a seal.
It says the following are normal behaviours and you don’t need to intervene.
You may see fur seals:
sneezing, coughing and with weepy eyes
drifting in the waves
flapping flippers as if stranded
immobile
fighting
pups spending time away from their mothers.
DOC’s website points out it is an offence under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978 to disturb, harass, harm, injure or kill a seal. A dog owner whose dog attacks a seal could face prosecution.
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US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping shake hands as they arrive for talks at the Gimhae Air Base on 30 October 2025.AFP / Andrew Caballero-Reynolds
Soybean futures rally on potential deal announced by Trump
Trump and Xi look to stabilize relations
US president may visit Beijing in April
China is considering buying more US-farmed soybeans, President Donald Trump says after what he called “very positive” talks with President Xi Jinping, even as Beijing warned Washington about arms sales to Taiwan.
In a goodwill gesture two months before Trump’s expected visit to Beijing, Trump said Xi would consider hiking soybean purchases from the United States to 20 million tons in the current season, up from 12m tons previously. Soybean futures rallied sharply.
Hours after Xi’s virtual meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xi and Trump discussed Taiwan and a wide range of trade and security issues that remain a source of tension between the world’s two biggest economies. Both leaders publicly affirmed their personal stake in strong relations after the call, their first since November.
Trump said the call was “all very positive,” that his relationship with Xi is “extremely good” and that “we both realize how important it is to keep it that way.” An official Chinese government account said that Xi had said, “I attach great importance to Sino-U.S. relations.”
Though Trump has tagged China as the reason for several hawkish policy steps from Canada to Greenland and Venezuela, he has eased policy toward Beijing in the past several months in key areas from tariffs to advanced computer chips and drones.
“Both sides are signalling that they want to preserve stability in the US-China relationship,” said Bonnie Glaser, head of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a think tank.
Areas of tension and goodwill gestures
One key area of tension is on Taiwan policy. The United States announced its largest-ever arms sales deal with Taiwan in December, including $11.1 billion in weapons that could ostensibly be used to defend against an attack by China. Taiwan expects more such sales.
China views Taiwan as its own territory, a position Taipei rejects. The United States has formal diplomatic ties with China, but maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan and is the island’s most important arms supplier. The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
“The United States must carefully handle arms sales to Taiwan,” China said in an official summary of the meeting. The dismissal or investigation into several senior military leaders in China has stirred concern about the implications for Chinese foreign policy. Trump downplayed the investigation into Central Military Commission vice-chairman Zhang Youxia, saying over the weekend that “as far as I’m concerned, there’s one boss in China,” and “that’s President Xi”.
The last nuclear treaty between Russia and the United States is soon to expire, raising the risk of a new arms race in which China would also play a key role with its own growing nuclear stockpile. Trump has said that he wants China to be part of arms control. The Kremlin said it was a topic between Xi and Putin.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment about whether arms control had been discussed between Xi and Trump.
Soybeans, airplanes and oil
Economic issues continue to be a flashpoint between the world’s biggest consumer and its biggest factory. Trump has made tariffs on imports a pillar of his strategy to revive domestic manufacturing jobs. US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday (local time) unveiled plans for a preferential trade bloc of allies for critical minerals, part of an effort to eliminate one key area of leverage that China has over the United States given its control of key metals. But the two sides are working to find areas of accord heading into an expected April state visit by Trump to Beijing. Trump and Xi last met in person in October in South Korea, where a fragile trade truce was struck.
Soybeans are a key issue because struggling US farmers are a major domestic political constituency for Trump, and China is the top consumer. Overseas sales of US soybeans this year slumped to the lowest in 14 years due to trade tensions with China. Benchmark Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures surged more than 3 percent to a two-month high after Trump’s post.
China’s commerce ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the soybean purchases Trump mentioned.
US Representative Ro Khanna, a House of Representatives Democrat who sits on a select committee focused on China, criticized Trump’s effort at dealmaking.
“He points to China’s soybean buying as proof of progress, despite volumes still trailing where they stood before he took office,” Khanna said in a statement. “He says nothing about China’s aggression towards Taiwan, support for Putin’s invasion of Ukraine or human rights abuses.”
In addition to soybeans, the US and Chinese leaders discussed Iran, Russia’s war in Ukraine, airplane engines and oil and gas, Trump said.
China has been Venezuela’s top oil buyer for years, and the sales helped Caracas repay massive loans to Beijing in debt-for-oil deals. The United States removed President Nicolas Maduro last month, and it has suggested that China will have to buy Venezuelan oil on US terms.
– Reuters
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
The extraordinary rescue this week in Geographe Bay, Western Australia has been described as heroic. A 13-year-old boy swam four hours to shore in rough seas after his family was swept far from the beach. This boy’s bravery in raising the alarm is to be commended.
For the public, it’s useful to consider how the family found itself in this predicament. The boy’s mother told the ABC the weather conditions had rapidly changed. This is similar to other recent marine rescues.
According to the boy’s mother, conditions were calm when she and her three children set out on inflatable paddle boards and a kayak. But in a short time, strong winds and waves pushed them steadily out to sea, leaving them clinging to a board about 14 kilometres from shore.
How does weather change so quickly at sea – and why does it catch even careful people by surprise?
In southern WA, afternoon sea breezes are a key factor, such as the Fremantle Doctor. On warm days, air rises over land and draws cooler air in from the ocean. These sea breezes can strengthen rapidly in the late afternoon or early evening, sometimes increasing by around 10 knots or more over a few hours.
In Geographe Bay, about 220 kilometres south of Perth, a strengthening afternoon south-westerly sea breeze could plausibly drive a light inflatable craft away from shore. Owing to the orientation of the Quindalup–Dunsborough coastline, prevailing summer sea breezes strike the coast obliquely, creating cross-shore drift that can steadily increase the distance from land once paddlers lose their ability to make headway.
Sudden wind shifts can also occur when cold fronts approach. Even if a front is hours away, pressure changes ahead of it can cause winds to freshen unexpectedly, particularly later in the day.
Paddleboarding has become extremely popular as ocean craft become more affordable. Oxk/Unsplash, CC BY-ND
Winds, waves and currents
Wind alone is dangerous enough, but when combined with waves and currents it can dramatically reduce a person’s ability to return to shore, even with a craft.
Strong winds striking the coast obliquely create surface drift, pushing lightweight vessels – such as inflatable paddleboards and kayaks – steadily offshore. At the same time, wind-driven waves increase drag, making paddling or swimming far more exhausting.
Ocean currents compound the problem. Even modest currents of 1–2 knots can exceed a swimmer’s sustainable speed over long distances. Against waves and wind, fatigue sets in quickly, increasing the risk of panic, hypothermia and drowning.
Research consistently shows people overestimate their ability to swim or paddle against environmental forces. Once offshore drift begins, the distance to shore can increase much faster than people realise.
Inflatables – a boon and a potential bane
Inflatable craft, such as stand-up paddle boards, are increasingly popular as they’re often cheap, portable and easy to use.
But they’re also particularly vulnerable to wind, even light breezes.
Because inflatables sit high on the water and have little mass, they act like sails. Even moderate winds can overpower a paddler’s strength, especially when conditions deteriorate. Marine safety agencies repeatedly warn inflatables should only be used close to shore, in light winds, and with constant attention to changing conditions.
In coastal Australia, large-scale wind changes often unfold over hours, but conditions on the water can feel dramatically worse within minutes once waves build and fatigue sets in. The weather can shift from benign to hazardous within minutes, particularly in the afternoon and early evening.
This is why marine forecasts often emphasise timing, not just wind strength.
A forecast of “10–15 knots increasing to 20 knots in the afternoon” may sound manageable. But for paddlers and swimmers, that increase can mark the difference between control and crisis.
Clouds developing, rising wind, whitecap waves forming further offshore and a sudden drop in temperature are all warning signs that conditions are changing, and a cold front is approaching.
What to do if caught out
First, stay calm. Staying with the craft, such as the inflatable paddle board, is imperative. It provides flotation and – crucially for rescue – visibility. If you have a life jacket, you should keep it on.
If you don’t have a flotation device, you should float on your back. Remember, Float to Survive. Floating on your back, keeping limbs relaxed, and pacing your effort can extend survival time significantly.
If you must swim, swimming diagonally across waves or with the waves, rather than directly against them, may help reduce exhaustion. Crucially, raise the alarm as soon as possible. Early notification gives rescue crews a far greater chance of success.
Before heading out, check marine forecasts – not just general weather apps – and pay close attention to wind strength, direction and timing. Avoid inflatables when winds are forecast to increase later in the day.
Stay close to shore, set clear limits on how far you’ll go, and be prepared to turn back early. Always let other people know you’re heading out to sea, even if you plan on staying very close to shore.
The Geographe Bay rescue had a remarkable outcome, thanks to the extraordinary courage and determination of the young boy. But it also highlights a sobering reality: the ocean doesn’t need to be stormy to become dangerous. Sometimes, it just needs the weather to change – and it often does, faster than we expect.
Samuel Cornell 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.
Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter’s privileged teen nemesis in J.K. Rowling’s wildly successful book series, is popping up in festive displays in the country ahead of the Lunar New Year.
The good fortune is in the name: “Malfoy” is transliterated as “Ma Er Fu” in Mandarin. The first word “Ma” means “horse” (马), while the third refers to good fortune (福). Read together, it sounds like horses are bringing good luck.
Videos on Chinese social media show people adorning their homes with red posters carrying well-wishing phrases, known as fai chun or chunlian, in an annual festive ritual.
Only this time, alongside messages wishing for wealth and health is the signature grin of the blond bully from Hogwarts school.
The Year of the Horse begins on 17 February with the end of the Year of the Snake (an animal equally apt for Malfoy, as the symbol of Slytherin, his house at Hogwarts).
The Harry Potter franchise has been a hit in China. Nearly 10 million translated copies of books were sold even before the last instalment was released in 2007, its Chinese publisher told state broadcaster CCTV that year.
When the re-mastered version of the first Harry Potter movie was released again in 2020, the film raked in US$27.6 million (NZ$46m) at China’s box office, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Tom Felton, who played Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series for a decade from 2001, marked his most famous role’s unlikely crossover.
He posted a picture on his Instagram of a giant banner hanging at the atrium of a Chinese shopping mall, featuring the character in a wizard costume.
A short clip on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, shows someone sticking their Malfoy-faced fai chun on their fridge. The video garnered more than 60,000 likes, with another user commenting: “You’re genius.”
Some in China have spotted an opportunity to make a few bucks, selling the posters on Chinese e-commerce platforms.
“The fu has arrived,” one customer wrote on Pinduoduo, another e-commerce platform.
“Bring me some fortune in 2026, young master,” they said.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
A family of four have been saved from drowning by a fast-thinking local man being described by police as a “hero”.
The rescue happened earlier this month at Kai Iwi Lakes, north of Dargaville.
Haruru man Aaron Stott was walking along the beach with his wife, family and a friend one early evening when they saw “a couple of kids in the water and noticed something wasn’t quite right”.
“Then all of a sudden the mum ran in and basically just went under,” he said in a statement released by police on Thursday.
He ran after them, and pulled the mother and a child into shallow water.
“And then I thought, ‘Oh thank goodness, I’ve got them out and they’re okay.’”
Then someone yelled out there were two more people in trouble. Stott could not see anyone, so dove under – and found two more people at the bottom of the lake.
He pulled them up to the surface.
“Someone grabbed the father and he was okay, but I was holding the boy who was blue and unresponsive.
“I carried him up to the beach and whacked him on the back a couple of times before putting him on his side and he started breathing again.”
By then a nurse had arrived on the scene and paramedics were on their way.
“If I was 10 seconds later I think it would have been a really different outcome.”
A Hato Hone St John ambulance crew treated family members at the scene.
“He’s a hero – there’s no two ways about it,” Senior Sergeant Dave Wilkinson said. “He didn’t hesitate, he dove in and rescued four people and he deserves to be recognised for his actions.”
Kai Iwi Lakes.Supplied / NZME
Stott said he hoped sharing the experience would encourage others to stay safe around water.
“Just don’t go in if you’re not experienced in the water, and if you are going on any type of craft then always wear a life jacket.”
Water Safety NZ Interventions lead Esther Hone said while Stott undoubtedly saved lives, not every rescue attempt was successful.
“The instinct to save others is a natural human instinct, however around water it can be very dangerous. Every year we lose New Zealanders who drown attempting to rescue others.”
Hato Hone St John encouraged people to call 111 immediately in water-related emergencies, and urged people to learn first aid and CPR.
Untreated waste water is leaking onto the capital’s south coast beaches due to the Moa Point Treatment Plant flooding.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Surfers and surf lifesavers are devastated Wellington’s south coast is off-limits while sewage spews into the sea, worrying it’s a return to a time when there were “turds in the waves”.
Wellington Water is focusing on cleaning up the flooding so it can safely restore power and allow sewage – still untreated – to be pumped through the long outfall pipe nearly 2km into Cook Strait, rather than into Tarakena Bay close to shore.
People have been told not to swim in the water,RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
That could take days.
In the meantime, people are being urged not to enter the water, collect seafood, or walk their dogs on the beach, and a rāhui is in place.
Jamie McCaskill from Wellington Boardriders told Morning Report he was gutted and devastated.
“We’ve got a few events coming up, this is a bad time for us … it’s just really not a good time, especially at this time of year.”
The worst part was not knowing when the water would be safe, McCaskill said. He wanted clear communication from Wellington Water about that.
McCaskill worried it would be a return to decades prior, before the long outfall pipe was built.
“I’ve been talking to a few of the legend surfers, and kind of before 1989 there was just … raw sewage, smells on the rocks, on the wall, surfing in barrels with turds in the waves,” he said.
“There were sicknesses, ear infections, skin infections, gastro, so we’re just trying to avoid that, that’s for sure.”
Wellington’s Moa Point wastewater treatment plant has been shut down and staff evacuated from the site, after an equipment failure flooded multiple floors.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
There were no other places nearby to surf, he said.
“We could go to Wainuiomata or over to the Wairarapa but it’s just such a long way, it’s a bit of a bummer that we just can’t go locally.”
‘It’s really concerning’
Lyall Bay Surf Lifesaving Club chairperson Matt Flannery said his members were as disappointed as the rest of the community.
“We can’t use what is a beautiful part of the city,” he said.
“It’s really concerning.”
The club has had to reschedule this weekend’s planned competitions, and it has disrupted members’ training for national competitions.
“We’re at the final part of the season where we’ve got very regular use on the beach, with probably 70 or 80 club members in the water on a daily basis, so that’s a fairly big impact,” Flannery said.
“It’s at a time of the year that we’re training for national championships four weeks out, and obviously the uncertainty about when the beach will reopen is of a major concern for us.”
That uncertainty made their rejigged training plans “a bit of a guessing game”, Flannery said.
Lifeguards would not be patrolling the beach this weekend, and a red flag would fly at the club to show the beach was unsafe.
The mayor told Morning Report he shared residents’ anger and frustration.
“This is my neighbourhood, this is where I take my dog for a walk, and along that coastline is where I spend my time, that’s where I go kayaking and swimming,” Andrew Little said.
Wellington Water is taking water samples from a wide area and expected to provide an update later on Thursday.
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The Education Ministry says schools now have to add extra days to the end of the school year to make up for so-called staggered starts.Unsplash/ Taylor Flowe
Schools and the Education Ministry are at odds over whether welcoming new students a day or two before other students return to class counts as an official school day.
The ministry says schools now have to add extra days to the end of the school year to make up for so-called staggered starts – principals say they should not have to.
School websites show multiple secondary schools opted to started with only one or two year levels, such as Year 9 students, present on the first day or two of the school term.
The ministry last year ruled such days could not be counted against the minimum number of half-days they must be open this year – 378 for primary and intermediate schools and 376 half-days for secondaries, assuming they used four government-mandated teacher only half-days.
It said schools were only open for instruction if all year levels were learning, either on or off-site.
The interpretation also meant schools could only require staff to be present by using one of 10 “call-back days” they could use each year for work outside of term time.
Some principals said the ministry’s interpretation was legally incorrect and impossible to comply with during end-of-year exams when senior students were granted exam leave for the duration of the exam period.
Burnside High School principal Scott Haines said his school welcomed 755 new students, most of them Year 9s, on Monday and Tuesday this week with an induction to ensure they got off to a good start.
Burnside High School principal Scott Haines.Supplied / Burnside High School
He said the potential for chaos was too high to risk starting all 2776 students that had enrolled this year on the same day and the days should count as “open for instruction”.
“The well-established, well-trodden path for decades for schools around the country is that yes, we could count those days because students are legitimately at school undertaking legitimate courses of learning, teachers are at work doing the same,” he said.
“But the new guidance from the ministry suggests that in fact no, these can’t be counted as … schools open for instruction and so the ministry’s expectation would be that we would be adding days at the other end of the year.”
Asked if Burnside would count the induction days as days it was open for instruction, Haines said he was still seeking to get to the bottom of the matter.
He said the Secondary Principals Association and Post Primary Teachers Association had legal opinions that the ministry’s interpretation was not enforceable and the ministry was expected to provide further guidance.
Haines said if his school’s first days did not count as being open for instruction, then the same would apply to the senior exam period at the end of the year and that would be totally unmanageable.
“Principals are really worried about this and the potential impacts for students, because we sweat the detail here, we want the very best for our students. No one is going about this trying to, I guess, play the system and not be open for the requisite number of half days,” he said.
Hutt Valley High School principal, Denise Johnson, said the school shortened its usual one-and-a-half-day staggered start for new students to just one day because of the ministry’s ruling.
Hutt Valley High School principal, Denise Johnson.Supplied / Hutt Valley High School
She said the school would not count the day as an official school day and had added an extra day to the end of its year.
But she was not happy about it.
“The teachers that worked that day, which was the majority of the school, were fronting for kids – I would be pretty hard pushed to suggest to them they hadn’t worked their butts off all day. It’s a bit of an anomaly where they suggest it isn’t a day where you’re doing business as usual. You clearly are,” she said.
Johnson said her school was in the midst of a major building project and it would not cope if the ministry’s ruling open for instruction interpretation was applied to the end-of-year exam period.
“I don’t know how we’d do some of those big say Year 12 English exams. We can’t do them if everyone was on-site, we can’t fit. I don’t know where we’d go. We have a hall that only fits probably 350. It’s a physical impossibility,” she said.
Auckland Grammar headmaster Tim O’Connor said the school’s 2800 boys started on the same day, but it took a couple of days before classes started in earnest.
He said students needed to finalise their options and some would be relying on NCEA results to confirm enrolment in limited-entry classes.
O’Connor said the ministry needed to clarify its rules because strictly speaking those days might count as “open for instruction” under the ministry’s interpretation.
“We think it’s pretty reasonable to get on to a full timetable with 2800 students within two days, then full teaching. But is that open for instruction? I guess we need some clarity on what is and what isn’t,” he said.
Auckland Grammar headmaster Tim O’Connor.RNZ Insight/John Gerritsen
Principals said they had been told the Education Review Office would monitor compliance with the rules.
O’Connor said the ministry should actively monitor compliance too.
“What about them actually entering a school and having those conversations and seeing how a school is operating? Those things will actually be meaningful to a school and tell principals across the country including me that this is important and that you’re accountable for student learning,” he said.
The ministry said from this year schools were expected to record the days they were not open for instruction and the reason.
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Tax accountants say interactions with Inland Revenue (IR) are improving but inconsistencies, inflexibility and inexperienced staff continue to be a frustration.
Chartered Accountants (CAANZ) and Tax Management’s (TMNZ) 2025 IR satisfaction survey indicates 82 percent of its tax agents who responded to the survey had clients with unpaid tax debt, though about 75 percent believed they would be able to make their tax payments.
Still, members gave IR’s handling of debt recovery a rating of 5.8 out of 10, which matched last year’s result, though there was a high degree of satisfaction when it came to online digital services.
TMNZ’s strategic advisor Chris Cunniffe said most of the issues with IR arose from one-on-one interactions, as the department stepped up efforts to recover $9.3 billion in unpaid tax.
“They are unsurprisingly throwing a lot of resource at it, which then means there’s a lot of interaction with tax agents,” Cunniffe said.
Debt management issues
Many tax agents said they did not understand IR’s current debt strategy, with inconsistent case handling, delayed follow-ups and misplaced enforcement focus.
The survey found there was a strong perception that outcomes often depended on which IR staff member managed the case, creating uncertainty and inefficiency.
Many respondents believed IR was intervening too late to collect debts, with debts already escalated to unmanageable levels.
Respondents were also concerned that small debts were chased aggressively while larger debts attracted less attention.
Recurring concern with audit and review activity
About 40 percent of tax agents said they were concerned about the standard of IR’s reviews or audits of clients, as inexperienced auditors lacked practical commercial understanding or the confidence to manage reviews effectively.
“Members experienced variation in how similar issues were handled across Inland Revenue teams, and many highlighted the impact of inexperienced staff.
“A further concern was Inland Revenue’s declining ability to understand the issue being raised, despite improved responsiveness. These gaps continue to affect predictability and the quality of the overall experience.”
Members were also concerned by IR’s increased attention on GST, PAYE, land transactions, and emerging activity in crypto-related matters.
“While satisfaction with final outcomes was generally moderate, the process often felt uneven,” the survey indicated.
Working to resolve issues
Cunniffe said CAANZ and TMNZ were working with IR to resolve the issues raised by the survey.
“What we’re looking for here is a collaborative approach . . . and look to get alignment on how tax agents and Inland Revenue can work to address this debt mountain that we face,” he said.
“We don’t see any point in just throwing stones at the Inland Revenue and saying, you’re not good enough.”
IR deputy commissioner Lisa Barrett said IR’s approach had been effective, with more than $4b in debt repaid.
“We’re pleased that accountants have noticed our increased efforts in audit and debt collection and are working with us and their clients to resolve any issues,” she said.
“Any time an organisation rapidly increases activity there are areas to improve, and we’re grateful for CAANZ feedback and their positive attitude to working through those with us.”
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hrvoje Tkalčić, Professor, Head of Geophysics, Director of Warramunga Array, Australian National University
ANU Media
Tyres stick to hot asphalt as I drive the Stuart Highway from Alice Springs northward, leaving the MacDonnell Ranges behind. My destination is the Warramunga facility, about 500 kilometres north – a remote monitoring station I’ve directed for the Australian National University for nearly 19 years, and one of the most sensitive nuclear detection facilities on Earth.
When I started exploring Earth’s inner core in 1997, I had no idea my calling would lead me here, or that I’d spend years driving this highway through the red expanse of the Australian outback.
And today, as the New START treaty curbing the US and Russian nuclear weapons programs expires, the work we do in the red centre has become more important than ever before.
A giant telescope pointed at Earth’s centre
Located 37km southeast of Tennant Creek – or Jurnkkurakurr, as it’s known in the local Warumungu language – Warramunga consists of what might generously be called a demountable building, surrounded by sensors lined up across 20km of savannah, covered by red soil and long, white spinifex grass.
The facility operates two sophisticated arrays. One consists of 24 seismometers detecting vibrations through Earth, the other eight infrasound sensors picking up ultra-low-frequency sound waves inaudible to human ears.
When North Korea detonated its largest nuclear device in September 2017 – about 7,000km away – our instruments captured it clearly. Warramunga detected all six of North Korea’s declared nuclear tests, and our data was among the first to reach the International Data Centre in Vienna.
The Warramunga station is near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. Nearmap, CC BY
The geological stability and remoteness mean we detect events that might be masked elsewhere. When a wild brumby gallops past our sensors, we pick it up. When a nuclear bomb is tested on the other side of the world, we definitely know about it. We can distinguish it from an earthquake because of the different kinds of vibrations it produces.
Warramunga detects more seismic events than any other station in the global network. With multiple instruments in a carefully designed configuration, far from the coast and human activity, you have something like a giant telescope pointed at the centre of Earth.
The CTBTO, headquartered in Vienna, operates a global network of more than 300 facilities designed to detect any nuclear explosion anywhere on Earth. Australia hosts 21 of these facilities – the third-largest number globally.
But Warramunga is unique. It’s operated by a university on behalf of both the CTBTO and the Australian government, located on Warumungu Country. The location of sensors was determined in consultation with Traditional Owners to ensure the instruments would not interfere with sacred sites.
The Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University in Canberra has managed Warramunga for more than 50 years, and we still do.
Life at the station
The station requires constant attention. Two dedicated technicians drive from Tennant Creek to the array each morning. By the time they arrive, the Sun is already high above the red land across which the array’s elements and termite mounds are spread.
They keep a careful watch on the world’s earthquakes and explosions, enduring extreme heat, dust, flies, fires, floods, thunderstorms and the occasional visit from wildlife. They ensure data flows continuously via satellite to Vienna.
After one infrastructure reconstruction, we found two large goannas wrapped around a seismometer, having decided to spend their nights in the firm embrace of our equipment. You don’t learn about this kind of challenge in Vienna’s United Nations offices.
From Canberra, I coordinate between the on-site team, the Australian government, and our partners at the CTBTO. At least once a year, I make the drive up the Stuart Highway to Warramunga, checking equipment and discussing challenges with the technicians.
I also meet regularly with colleagues at the United Nations in Vienna. Managing this facility means bridging two worlds: the practical realities of maintaining sensitive equipment in a harsh environment and the international diplomacy of nuclear verification.
Why it matters now
For more than 30 years, the world has observed a de facto moratorium on nuclear explosive testing. The last US test was in 1992. Russia’s was in 1990.
This norm has been crucial in limiting nuclear weapons development. Verification systems such as Warramunga make this possible, because would-be violators know any significant nuclear explosion will be detected.
But this system faces its greatest challenge in decades. In October 2025, President Donald Trump announced the United States would begin testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Russia and China.
Days later, President Vladimir Putin directed Russian officials to prepare for possible nuclear tests. If this moratorium collapses, it opens the door to a new era of nuclear arms racing.
This is when verification becomes most crucial. The CTBTO’s network doesn’t just detect violations – its existence deters them. If the world knows a country has carried out a nuclear test and tried (but failed) to hide it, the testing country will face political consequences.
A hidden contribution
Warramunga’s data also helps researchers understand earthquakes, study Earth’s deep interior, such as the solid inner core, and track phenomena from meteorite impacts to Morning Glory clouds – extraordinary atmospheric waves travelling 1,400km from Cape York, first scientifically documented with Warramunga’s infrasonic array in the 1970s.
What strikes me after nearly two decades is how this unique partnership represents a remarkable example of academic institutions contributing directly to global security.
Few people realise that a university research school operates one of the world’s most crucial nuclear verification facilities. It’s an arrangement that brings together fundamental scientific research with practical obligations under international treaties – a model for how researchers can engage with pressing global challenges.
As nuclear rhetoric intensifies globally, the quiet technical work in the Australian outback gains new significance. Nuclear test monitoring is essential to deter would-be nuclear nations – and that’s a mission worth maintaining, even from the remote red centre of Australia.
Hrvoje Tkalčić receives funding from the Australian Research Council. The Australian National University operates and maintains the Warramunga Seismic and Infrasound Facility with funding from the CTBTO at the United Nations in Vienna.
