Source: Radio New Zealand

Young people are facing more psychological distress and finding it harder to get specialist help, a new report says.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission has released a snapshot of mental health and addiction services in the year to June 2025, using data from the NZ health survey.

It revealed 23 percent of people aged 15 to 25 had experienced high or very high psychological distress in the four weeks leading up to the survey – up from 8 percent 10 years ago.

The commission’s chief executive, Karen Orsborn, said more work was being done to find out exactly why.

“We know that for young people, they live in a very rapidly changing world. They experience challenges due to what they see around climate change and financial challenges and the world at large. Online safety fits into there as well,” she said.

Young people were also struggling to access specialist care – like psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, with almost 400 fewer getting help than the previous year.

That was bucking one of the positive trends in the report which found, across all ages, about 6500 more people were able to use specialist services than the previous year – at total of 164,555.

Orsborn wanted to see the system really focus on reaching young people.

“The earlier somebody can have access to services when they need it… they do have better outcomes in the longer term. So getting that early access is really important,” she said.

“There’s a lot of really positive initiatives underway. So we have seen some great things happening and it’s really just keeping that focus, keeping that leadership and the actions to really make a difference for change.”

Across all ages, the report showed a mixed bag.

The number of people being turned away when they were referred to specialist services had increased.

However, waiting times had decreased, likely because there were 557 more specialist mental health workers than in March 2023, the report found.

There was still a 20 percent vacancy rate for psychiatrists.

Orsborn said the commission was carrying out its own detailed study to try to find out more about what is behind the statistics.

Where to get help:

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

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

Sexual Violence

Family Violence

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The agencies governing energy use in New Zealand are urging lines companies are being urged to consider flexible pricing and other ‘non-network’ solutions instead of building more powerlines and poles.

In an open letter published today, the Commerce Commission, the Electricity Authority and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) said doing so could reduce the cost for consumers and improve the performance of the electricity system.

The letter, sent to electricity distributors across the country, warned the country’s electricity system was “changing rapidly”.

“Renewable generation is growing, bringing greater variability and intermittency,” the agencies wrote.

“At the same time, overall demand is projected to rise as gas supply declines, transport electrifies, and more industrial and commercial processes transition to electric technologies.”

New Zealand’s electricity demands will grow by 35-82 percent by 2050, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment estimated last year.

Investment in distribution infrastructure needed long lead times and was “slow and costly to change once initiated”, the letter said.

“Non‑network solutions offer significant, quantifiable potential to reduce costs and defer network upgrades.”

They could also buy more time before distributors committed to major upgrades, and allow network owners to improve their forecasting of demand and usage.

One of the most significant options was shifting electricity use away from peak times, the agencies wrote.

At the moment, New Zealand’s electricity network is built to handle peak demand, which only occurs a few times a day for short intervals.

A recent report published by EECA found that nearly 2 gigawatts of power being used at peak hours could be shifted off-peak, saving the country up to $3 billion in infrastructure costs.

The technology to do was was increasingly available, the letter said.

“New distributed energy resources (DER), including solar, batteries and smart, controllable devices, are becoming more affordable and more widely deployed.”

Some progress, but not enough

Electricity Authority networks general manager Tim Sparks said the three regulators wanted to give lines companies “a nudge” to think beyond more poles and wires.

“We’re concerned that the distributors are not consistently considering non-network solutions, even though we all know these options can improve efficiency and reduce long-term costs for consumers.”

There was “real untapped potential” but limited progress to date, Spark said.

“Some distributors have begun to move into this area, and they have experimented with trying non-network solutions, but they’re not doing it consistently, and not all of them are doing it.”

Non-network solutions included anything that took pressure off the network by either using less electricity, or shifting use to different times to spread the load more evenly, he said.

“It could include things like smart devices in homes and businesses, like EV chargers, rooftop solar and batteries, controlled hot water cylinders.”

Price flexibility was a “critical” part of the solution, the letter said.

Sparks said some distributors already offered lower off-peak pricing, or an ‘hour of power’-style deal, but that could go even further.

“You can also get controlled load pricing, for example, where consumers can sign up to get a lower price for allowing some of their key demand to be controlled remotely.

“The consumer may not even notice it, but the hot water cylinder can be used to shift demand and reduce pressure on the system.”

Ripple control, which was already used in some locations for electric hot water cylinders, was one type of controlled load shifting, he said.

EECA chief executive Marcos Pelenur said there was other technology available that was “not even new” and went a step further.

“There are a number of technologies like home energy management systems that are two-way, they’re a bit more dynamic, and they can help manage not just a hot water cylinder.”

Pelenur said there were “some great examples” of work happening already, but it was patchy.

“There’s lots of interesting, good work to point to, but we would like to see it at-scale across the whole country,” he said.

“I would like to see all the distributors start their planning meetings by looking at these non-network solutions as the first thing they do for their plans around managing the networks.”

The letter also mentioned rooftop solar installations as a form of distributed energy that could reduce peak demand, and feed back into electricity networks.

Widespread subsidies have seen rooftop solar and battery installations skyrocket in Australia over the last 20 years.

No subsidies are available in New Zealand. Labour and the Greens campaigned on generous subsidies at the last election but the current government has not moved to implement anything similar.

Neither Sparks nor Pelenur would be drawn on whether a subsidy programme would help to drive uptake in New Zealand, saying it was outside their agencies’ scope.

However, Sparks said the Authority had made recent changes to reward rooftop solar owners who fed energy back into the network at peak times with negative charges or rebates.

“We’re [also] proposing to increase the amount they’re allowed to export. And that will allow the people with rooftop solar and batteries to contribute to the system, and also, of course, sell more electricity into the system and be rewarded for that.”

The Authority was still consulting on that proposal, he said.

Pelenur said the open letter invited feedback from distributors, which the agencies would consider and also present to the Ministry for Business, Information and Employment.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Nearly two years before Mukzameel Ali pleaded guilty to killing his son, he spoke to RNZ national crime correspondent Sam Sherwood on several occasions, with his explanation about what happened.

“If I’m guilty, I’m guilty…”

It was 12 June 2024, four days after Mukzameel Ali’s nine and a half month old son had died from what police had called non-accidental blunt-force trauma.

Then working at Stuff, I had spoken to Ali on two occasions since his son’s death. He had strongly denied being responsible.

In my first conversation he told me: “I didn’t do anything wrong, because I was trying to save my son. He was my son, I loved him so much. I was trying my best.”

It was during my third call that he told me his efforts to give his son CPR may have caused injuries that led to his death, but said it “wasn’t intentional”.

He said he was “worried” about what might happen to him and was “angry” about what he did.

“Because I didn’t do that on purpose, but if that would’ve resulted in that then – I feel very bad.”

Two days later Ali was charged with murdering his son, and on Monday he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter.

It was revealed the little boy died as a result of blunt force trauma resulting in a crushing injury to the abdomen.

Possible causes included a punch, kick or stomp and the nature of the injury was such that he would’ve been crying and in obvious discomfort until ultimately losing consciousness. He would not have survived longer than 30 to 60 minutes after the blow.

With his guilty plea, I look back at my interviews with Ali, his explanations and what actually happened that day.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong’

Two days after Mustafa Ali’s death, I was on the phone to his father Mukzameel Ali.

It was 10 June, and I was covering the baby’s death for Stuff.

A day earlier Detective Inspector Graham Pikethley had issued a media release about the death of a 10-month-old in Te Kuiti. The little boy had been brought unconscious to Te Kuiti Hospital, where staff alerted police.

“Tragically, despite the best efforts of medical personnel, he was unable to be resuscitated,” Pikethley said.

“An initial examination showed the baby boy suffered violent, blunt-force trauma. We believe these injuries were not accidental.”

A homicide investigation was under way and police had been speaking to family members including the boy’s parents.

“They are working with us as we establish what occurred in this young child’s life and how he came to be so badly injured.”

After hearing of the case, I began searching on social media and saw a post on Facebook naming the victim as Mustafa Ali. I then found his family and messaged his parents.

I did some further investigating and spoke to one of Mukzameel Ali’s colleagues. The colleague said Ali was staying with him and I could call back.

About an hour later I was on the phone to Ali, then aged 21.

At the beginning of the interview, he told me that he had recently been in Fiji and when he got home he noticed his son had been unwell. He said they took him to the doctors and he was given some antibiotics.

He told me that on the day of Mustafa’s death, he was home alone with his son as his wife was out at a birthday party.

While Mustafa was in his care, he said he still was not feeling well. He gave him some Weetbix, but he did not eat much.

“Then after that, I gave him the bottle of milk that was left over to finish up and he was sitting down in the ballpit. I put him down there and he was watching TV, but he was still looking dizzy and sad,” he told me.

He said he continued doing chores around the house.

“I came (in) and he (Mustafa) was almost like sleepy. He was sitting down but his head was going down so I made him another bottle of milk and tried to feed him.

“Maybe he drank almost half a bottle and then he vomited all of it out suddenly.”

He said he began taking his son’s clothes off due to the vomit.

“He was not good. His eyes became very big and he was like choking up or something. He wouldn’t breathe and I got shocked, and I got nervous, I was scared.

“I don’t know what to do because I was alone, home by myself and that’s my first time having an encounter that… nothing came up in my mind, my mind was all empty. “

He told me he began “tapping” on his son’s bum and back to see if he could get a reaction from his son.

“I tried to give him CPR… still didn’t respond and I just lifted him up and ran straight to the hospital. And lucky that’s when my wife arrived, so I gave Mustafa to her. I told her ‘he choked, something’s blocking, he cannot breathe, let’s just hurry up and take him the hospital’.”

He told me that staff at the hospital gave him oxygen when they arrived, but they were unable to save him.

During the interview I asked him what police had told him so far. He claimed police said Mustafa died from internal bleeding from his liver. I said police had stated he died from blunt force trauma, but Ali said he did not know how that had been caused, and suggested someone else may have done something to him earlier.

I also asked Ali if his son had previously been injured. He told me there had been an incident where while holding Mustafa he had fallen down some stairs. He said Mustafa suffered a collarbone fracture, fractured ribs as well as bleeding on his head.

He said Oranga Tamariki were involved and Mustafa stayed with his grandparents for several months before coming back to live with his parents.

I asked Ali if he was worried he could be charged in relation to his son’s death.

“Maybe because I am the only one who was there at the moment and I am maybe the one who caused him like to suffer all that. Maybe because I did it in the wrong way,” he told Stuff.

“I don’t feel good. I feel scared because nothing came up in my mind.”

During the interview he denied being responsible for his son’s death.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, because I was trying to save my son. He was my son, I loved him so much. I was trying my best.”

The following day police held a press conference. During the conference police were asked about Ali’s comments to me.

Police said they were aware of the comments, but that there were some “inconsistencies” from people associated with Mustafa and what police believed caused the injuries.

I wanted to clarify the inconsistencies so I called Ali again.

I brought up with him what police had said and asked for his response. He told me he had not told the police the full story, and that he had “missed some of the things”.

“I was not feeling good, like nothing was coming in my mind,” he said.

“I was not thinking right straight away because just after what happened they took us to give our statement, so I was not in the right stage to give statement so that’s why some of the part has missed out.”

I was confused as to what he was referring to, and asked further questions but he would not go into specifics but said he wanted to speak to police “straight away”.

‘If I’m guilty, I’m guilty’

On 12 June, I called Ali for a third time.

I asked him about the blunt force trauma police said had been inflicted on his son on the day of his death.

“The only thing I was doing like I was trying my best to save my son. That’s all I can say. If that could’ve happened from me, from doing it, but that wasn’t on purpose. Like I was trying to save his life.”

I pressed him further, asking what happened that day. He repeated that Mustafa was choking and could not breathe, so he tried to make him breathe and was giving him CPR.

I put to Ali that he now knew it was him who caused the injuries to his son.

He said yes, but then corrected himself and said he was not saying it was him but what happened “wasn’t intentional”.

He said he was “worried” about what could happen to him

“If I’m guilty, I’m guilty.”

He later brought up that it might have been someone “behind my back” who caused injuries earlier.

“So when I was giving him the CPR so that would’ve caused that injury to become more big and cause his death,” he said.

I asked him how he felt about what happened, and he replied: “I feel angry what I did”.

“Because I didn’t do that on purpose, but if that would’ve resulted in that then – I feel very bad.”

The interview ended shortly after.

Two days later Ali was charged with murdering his son.

Police would later interview me about my conversations with Ali. I told them that in my third interview with him I felt Ali was admitting to being responsible for the injuries his son suffered that day, but that it was not intentional.

The guilty plea

Nearly two years after my third interview with Ali, he appeared in the High Court at Hamilton and pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter, as well as charges of assault with intent to injure between 1 February 2023, and 31 May 2023, and assaulting a person in a family relationship between June 2023 and June 2024.

The agreed summary of facts, obtained by RNZ, talks about Ali moving to New Zealand from Fiji in July 2022. In September 2022 he met Tauvalea Law at their Te Kuiti workplace.

They began a relationship shortly after and Law became pregnant in January 2023. Ali “immediately expressed concern” about the prospect of having a child before he was settled in New Zealand, the summary says, and encouraged Law to terminate the pregnancy.

Law wanted to keep the baby, and initially misled Ali to believe she had miscarried. The relationship continued, and Ali became aware she was still pregnant months later when he found a pregnancy scan she had hidden from him.

An argument ensued.

“The defendant was angry and slapped Ms Law about the face repeatedly. Ms Law was lying on her back on the bed and the defendant was sitting on her thighs. She tried to get him off and scratched his face. He pushed her down, placing his hands on her upper chest and around her neck before jumping on top of her with his knees on her abdomen.”

Law didn’t require medical attention and there was no harm to her pregnancy.

In mid-July 2023 the couple married, shortly before Mustafa was born.

“At times, the relationship between the defendant and Ms Law was volatile. On several occasions when angry with Ms Law, the defendant pushed and/or punched her.”

After Mustafa was born the family lived at a Te Kuiti property. Two extended family members related to Ali also lived at the address.

On 8 June 2024, Law woke up Mustafa crying about 6am. She settled him in bed between her and Ali and went back to sleep.

About 8am Law got up as her son and husband slept. She left home about 10.50am having asked Ali to give Mustafa a bath and feed him in advance of family celebrations to be held later that day.

Ali and Mustafa were home alone.

The summary says that Mustafa had been unwell with a high temperature and was displaying signs of being unsettled in the days prior.

As Ali told me at the time, sometime after Law left he fed Mustafa a bottle and some Weetbix. The baby vomited and was unsettled.

“The defendant tried later in the morning to feed him again, unsuccessfully. Frustrated, the defendant attempted to force-feed Mustafa the bottle causing prominent bruises to his chin. Unable to feed or settle the baby, the defendant became stressed and angry.

“During this time, the defendant caused a fatal injury to Mustafa through a violent blow directed to his abdomen.”

Law arrived home about 2.15pm, and was met at the front door by Ali holding Mustafa in his arms.

The baby was “floppy and cold to the touch”.

“The seriousness of Mustafa’s condition was immediately apparent to Ms Law who ran outside with Mustafa in search of assistance. The couple then drove direct to Te Kuiti Hospital.

“Mustafa was pronounced deceased shortly after arrival at the hospital.”

Mustafa died as a result of blunt force trauma resulting in a crushing injury to the abdomen.

“The impact of the injury lacerated his liver, and the wall of the large bowel in two locations. There was also bruising to the diaphragm, small bowel mesentery, and back of the abdominal wall. The lacerations caused bleeding into the abdominal cavity, and ultimately death.

“The relatively close location of all of the internal injuries to each other supports a suggestion the trauma was due to one impact of significant force. Possible causes of the trauma could include a punch, kick, or stomp.”

The injury to Mustafa’s liver was so severe the bleeding into the abdomen commenced immediately after the injury was inflicted and continued uninterrupted until he died.

“The nature of the injury is such it can be expected Mustafa was crying and in obvious discomfort until a decrease in blood pressure will have led to him becoming increasingly drowsy and ultimately losing consciousness.

“The extent of the internal injury was such that Mustafa will not have survived longer than 30 to 60 minutes after the blow was inflicted and it is quite possible death occurred more quickly than that.”

The summary of facts says that when Ali initially spoke to police he said Mustafa began to choke while feeding and, as he told me, the injury was likely caused by his subsequent attempt to perform CPR.

He described carrying out chest compressions which included using two hands on Mustafa’s chest and, effectively, punching him in the stomach.

A postmortem revealed Mustafa had abscesses caused by ulceration around either side of his larynx, which would have caused “significant discomfort” when ingesting food such as Weetbix.

There was also bruising behind each of Mustafa’s ears and a large bruise on the top of his head which were not visible externally. The pathologist said the bruises could have been caused up to 18 hours before Mustafa’s death.

“The bruising behind the ears may be consistent with an attempt to force feed the baby while holding his head, however the defendant has not provided an explanation that could account for the bruise to the top of his head.

“The pathologist cannot comment on the force used to inflict the bruise other than to say it was not sufficient to cause any kind of skull fracture or brain bleed.”

The pathologist also found fractures to Mustafa’s left ribs, but said they could have been the result of resuscitation attempts.

As for the CPR explanation, the pathologist ruled the force required to cause Mustafa’s internal injury “is not consistent with any CPR procedures”.

While Ali has admitted responsibility for the fatal blow, the exact manner in which it was delivered remains unknown.

RNZ asked police for comment on Monday about the investigation into the incident where Ali said he fell down the stairs with Mustafa.

A police spokesperson said police and the Crown had reviewed the circumstances surrounding the case.

“No charges have been laid in relation to the earlier incident, as there was insufficient evidence to do so.

“As the matter remains before the court for sentencing, we’re unable to provide further comment at this time.”

An Oranga Tamariki spokesperson told RNZ that in 2024 they completed a Rapid Practice Assessment into their involvement with the case.

“As a result of this assessment, recommendations from the report were commissioned regionally and nationally to support process and practice.

“As this matter is still before the courts, Oranga Tamariki is unable to comment further.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Primary school teachers’ pay talks resume on Wednesday, two-and-a-half months after union members rejected a government offer.

Educational Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI) negotiator Liam Rutherford said the Employment Relations Authority would mediate the negotiations.

The collective agreement had been under negotiation for seven months, he said.

Members last year rejected the government’s most recent offer of a 2.5 percent pay rise from the end of January with a further 2.1 percent a year later.

Secondary teachers accepted a similar deal and secondary principals and primary principals also settled their agreements.

Rutherford said the union had been speaking with its members since schools opened for the year.

“What we’ve heard loud and clear from them is they’re not going to be accepting an offer that doesn’t meet their needs and that is around pay that is going to attract and retain teachers in the country but also some of those really important learning support parts,” he said.

Rutherford said the most recent offer to primary teachers was not exactly the same as that accepted by secondary teachers.

He said primary teachers did not have full pay parity with secondary, particularly in terms of allowances for extra duties.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

More than 200 people in the lower North Island are still without power, a week after the destructive storm hit the region.

Powerco said most of those still cut off were in the Whanganui-Rangitīkei region.

Head of network operations Mark Dunn said the storm had caused the most damage to the network since Cyclone Gabrielle.

More than 500 lines were brought down, he said.

The amount of tree damage caused by the storm in remote forestry blocks had meant it was taking time to restore supply.

“We understand how frustrating it is to be without power and thank people for their patience and the resilience they were required to call on.”

Dunn said the company had been working closely with emergency management and the Red Cross to support affected customers.

Helicopters were used over the weekend to access hard-to-reach areas and string lines to remote parts of Wairarapa and Whanganui-Rangitīkei, to assist crews where ground access was limited.

He said Powerco crews had attended 1689 jobs since the storm and 250 field staff were involved.

Crews had come from Taranaki, Hamilton, Matamata, Tauranga and Dannevirke.

Meanwhile in Wellington, 60 customers were still without power on Tuesday.

Wellington Electricity said it expected to have less than 10 customers to reconnect tomorrow.

On Monday Wellingtonians who had previously been without power for days raised questions about whether the company should compensate households hit by the powerful storm.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A cold front could cause temperatures to plunge later this week, particularly in the South Island.

NIWA meteorologist Chester Lampkin said for the past couple of days there has been high pressure across New Zealand, but that is set to change.

A moisture-laden tropical low is nearing New Zealand, which will lead to a cold southerly change, particularly in the South Island, he said.

Towards the weekend, there could be the possibility of a tropical cyclone or low reaching the North Island, he said.

A stunning day is forecast on Wednesday for most of the North Island and the top of the South Island with temperatures reaching the mid to late 20s, he said.

But a southerly front reaches the lower South Island later on Wednesday, he said.

“And then late in the day a shower and even a few thunderstorms for Fiordland and parts of Southland and Stewart Island,” he said.

A west south-west change will lead to showers and even thunderstorms across parts of the South Island on Thursday, he said.

By Friday temperatures will be 3C to 5C below what is considered average in the South Island, he said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Canterbury Museum is pleading for councils and central government to stump up an extra $64 million for its cost-plagued redevelopment following another budget blow-out.

The project had an original budget of $205 million, which rose to $247m last year, but escalating construction costs and funding delays had now pushed it to almost $262m.

Museum trust board chair David Ayers said the board needed help plugging a shortfall of almost $92m to keep the museum on track to open in mid-2029.

“Throughout the redevelopment project, we’ve continued to undertake value engineering and make compromises to reduce costs. We’ve now exhausted all feasible options for reducing costs without undermining the building’s functionality or asset life,” he said.

The board was calling for $26.9m from Christchurch ratepayers over four years, in addition to $2.4m from the Selwyn district, $2.1m from Waimakariri and $300,000 from Hurunui.

It had made a request to the central government for $32m over four years to match the local government contribution.

This year’s bid follows a failed attempt last year to secure funding.

The museum trust board made its case to the Christchurch City Council on Tuesday morning.

Deputy director Sarah Murray told councillors there would be an economic benefit to the city.

“When the museum reopens, it’s estimated there will be 800,000 visitors a year to the museum. We’re forecast then to generate around $83 million in regional and economic activity in that year alone. That will benefit local accommodation providers, businesses, retail and transport services,” she said.

The museum was also proposing an entry fee for overseas visitors.

Ayers said a cost review had found the museum needed a higher contingency allowance to complete the final two construction stages – the new basement and building and their fit-out – to give greater confidence that the project cost or schedule would not be exceeded.

The contingency allowance had been increased to $9.8m and a six-month delay in securing additional funding has added $5.1m to the project’s cost.

Ayers said the museum had hoped to secure additional capital last year so the final two stages of construction could be completed simultaneously, which would have saved money.

“Further delays in securing the extra capital will just keep adding to the cost – $7.2 million a year – and will push the opening date to 2030,” Ayers said.

Canterbury Museum was a significant heritage building and one of the last major public buildings to be fully upgraded and reopened since the Canterbury earthquakes, he said.

“It’s also much more than a public attraction and shouldn’t be viewed solely through the heritage buildings we occupy. The services we deliver define our public value,” Ayers said.

“We care for a collection of 2.3 million objects which tell the stories and history of Canterbury and the people who live here. We look after an internationally significant Antarctic collection and a quarter of Aotearoa New Zealand’s nationally distributed collection. Like libraries, museums are critical civic infrastructure, central to learning, identity, discovery and cultural life.”

Minister for the South Island James Meager said he visited the Canterbury Museum redevelopment site in January.

“I was encouraged by the progress made to date, with a lot of work still to come. We discussed a range of issues related to the region’s culture and heritage.

The government had already contributed $35m towards the development, he said.

“Any kind of funding decision would need to be made by Cabinet as part of the next Budget process. It would be weighed up against other priorities in a tight fiscal environment with competing priorities in health, education, and law and order.”

Funding for the redevelopment had come from the museum’s own funds ($63.4m), private donations ($1.05m), grants and lotteries funding ($850,000), central government ($35m) and local government ($69.8m), including $24.5m from Christchurch City Council for strengthening the Robert McDougall Gallery.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A digital equity advocate is worried that many people will not understand what is required to keep connected after the 3G network is shut down.

All three main mobile operators – Spark, 2degrees and One NZ – are shutting down their 3G networks and upgrading their sites to either 4G or 5G. By 31 March, the 3G network will be closed, with 4G and 5G entirely taking its place.

This means some devices, not just phones, but also things like medical, security alarms and vehicle trackers will cease working with the network. Phone calls, including to 111, will not work.

Digital Equity Coalition Aotearoa’s Marie Silberstein has heard from many people surprised to find themselves in a position where their phone no longer functions.

She told Nine to Noon that some imported phones or phones bought overseas may not work on the network. She said even if the phones say they are 4G capable, it does not necessarily mean they are 4G capable in New Zealand.

“It’s really imported, refurbished [phones]. You won’t know unless you text 3G to 550, especially if you bought it overseas,” Silberstein said.

“4G here is not on the same band as 4G overseas.”

To find out if your phone will work, you can text ‘3G’ to 550 for free, which will let you know if your device can use 4G. If it says you cannot, you will need to investigate further.

Some phones may need to change their settings, while others may need to be replaced.

For phones bought overseas that were having trouble connecting to 4G, telcos advise customers to try downloading the latest software. If this doesn’t work, customers may need to replace the phone.

Silberstein said if you are in the group of people who need to upgrade their phone, don’t feel pressured to buy the most expensive new phone.

She said she has heard from people in the community that on their teleco’s 3G information page on their website, there were ads for expensive phones.

“Please feel empowered to not go with the most expensive phone,” Silberstein said.

“Before you go in and talk to your provider, you can go to a library, you can go to a community hub, you can check in with whānau, you can talk to trusted friends that you know are whizzes on their phones, and say, ‘look, what phone do I need?’”

If you need to upgrade your phone, you can recycle your old phone for free with RE:MOBILE.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Primary school principals have voted to accept the government’s offer in pay negotiations.

A majority of members of the NZEI education union voted to accept the Ministry of Education’s agreement.

Primary principals will receive a 2.5 percent increase immediately, plus 2.1 percent in 12 months.

The settlement also includes a $15,000 workload allowance for implementing the government’s curriculum changes.

Stephen Lethbridge, a member of the bargaining team, said the allowance was necessary.

“The $15,000 change management allowance is a necessary recognition of the immense pressure involved in implementing wholesale curriculum change, but it is in no way an endorsement of its content.”

Lethbridge said Tuesday’s result recognises the power of the “collective voice” at the bargaining table.

Education Minister Erica Stanford said the Leadership in Literacy and Numeracy base payment will increase to $10,000 per year over the term of the agreement.

She said the settlement delivers meaningful improvements to primary principal pay and conditions

“It reflects shared priorities, with a firm commitment to leading implementation of the new curriculum and lifting educational outcomes for our students.”

Stanford said principals play a key role in schools and the teaching workforce.

“They are dedicated and passionate about lifting educational achievement, and their leadership must be recognised during this important reform programme.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A Horowhenua District Council cost-cutting decision has resulted in a local attraction.

When the council stopped mowing residential berms to save money, it made Levin resident Louise McCarthy very grumpy.

She refused to cut the grass herself and declined neighbours’ offers to trim it too, until she decided to transform the berm into an urban meadow full of wildflowers.

Louise McCarthy told Checkpoint said her berm was now outstanding and thick with flowers.

Her anger at the council’s refusal to mow the area was a good motivation, she said.

“I must’ve been muttering away to myself as I was doing it and it’s made all the little flowers pop their heads out to have their say.”

McCarthy told Checkpoint there were a couple of reasons why she refused to mow the berm herself.

She said she only owned an electric lawn mower and to mow the berm she would have had to run the cord over a public footpath which she did not feel was very safe and would be a trip hazard.

“I live right next door to a park so it would have taken them [the council] two minutes to do my berm which they had always done previously.”

Despite her floral berm McCarthy does not describe herself as a gardener.

“Most things I can murder within oh a week, but no way am I a gardener I wouldn’t know a weed from a flower if it jumped up and bit me.”

McCarthy agreed that she had a “tough love” approach to plants and said the only thing she did was water the berm in the evening.

She said to get the garden to its current state she first killed all the unmowed council grass, then invited her grandchildren around for what she called a dig-it party.

“I wanted them to turn the dirt over for me cause it was like concrete and I knew I wouldn’t be able to manage it on my own.”

Her youngest son turned up with a trailer of soil which they dumped on top, she said.

“Sprinkled all the seeds in and just watered it and just left it and this all came up and it’s like wow!”

McCarthy said she also had a lovely neighbour who helped her by doing a whole day’s weeding when the flowers first started coming up.

“But since then I’ve just left it and some of the weeds, I think they’re weeds, have actually got very pretty flowers on them so I’ve just left them.”

McCarthy said she now wanted to see if she could find some plants that would flower during winter and is hoping that the garden would be able to regenerate itself.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Boating restrictions at Lake Rotomanu in New Plymouth are to remain while Taranaki Regional Council seeks partners to help fund an attempt to eradicate the invasive gold clam.

Tuesday’s full council meeting weighed up a report by environment services manager Steve Ellis that outlined five options for the management of freshwater gold clams (Corbicula fluminea) in Lake Rotomanu.

Councillors heard attempting to eradicate the clams could cost up to $1.3 million, with no guarantee of success and an ongoing risk of reinfestation.

That would require a rates increase, which councillors were not prepared to do.

Instead they left the door open for a future elimination attempt by asking staff to explore funding partnerships with external agencies.

Councillors were concerned about the potential environmental and economic impacts if the clam spread to other waterways, particularly Lakes Mangamahoe, Ratapiko and Rotorangi where they could affect hydroelectrical generation and irrigation systems.

They approved, in principle, an additional $250,000 for the biosecurity and Check, Clean, Dry programmes to identify and mitigate pathways, raise public awareness and reduce the risk of the gold clam spreading.

The money would also allow the council to increase its monitoring of Taranaki waterways for Corbicula and other freshwater pests.

Councillors made it clear Lake Rotomanu must remain closed to motorised boats, which pose the greatest risk of spreading the clam.

Council chair Craig Williamson said in an ideal world the council would love to eradicate the clams, especially as there was no evidence it spread to other Taranaki lakes. However the reality was the it could not afford to do it alone.

“There is a real opportunity for public and private partners to step up and work with us – we all have a lot to lose if the gold clam spreads unchecked in Taranaki. We’ll continue having those conversations and keep looking for practical solutions.

“In the meantime we must boost efforts to reduce the risk of spread, as well as increasing surveillance and preparedness. The onus is on boaties and other water users to take responsibility for their own backyards and Check, Clean, Dry every time they move between waterways, particularly if coming from the Waikato River.”

New Plymouth District Council, which owns Lake Rotomanu, had kept the lake closed to motorised boats and jet skis since the clams were discovered.

Conversations were now underway to determine if NPDC would extend that closure or if Biosecurity New Zealand would impose formal restrictions.

Recreational users such as kayakers, swimmers, remote-controlled boat enthusiasts and fishers could continue using the lake but were required to thoroughly check their gear.

The three treatment options identified in the report were killing the clams with copper ($600,000), draining the lake then applying salt ($900,000) and emptying the lake and pumping in seawater ($1.3 million).

They would all be complex operations, with only the copper option attempted before in New Zealand.

Gold clams were discovered in the New Plymouth lake in November 2025, the first confirmed infestation outside of Waikato.

Prolific breeders, they could clog water-based infrastructure, such as electricity generation plants, irrigation systems, and water treatment plants and competed with native species for food and space.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A leading search and rescue operator says he told police he could hear a noise so the search for a dead firefighter could continue.

A coronial inquest is exploring the desperate search and rescue operation after volunteer firefighters Dave van Zwanenberg and Craig Stevens were buried by a slip at Muriwai on Auckland’s west coast during Cyclone Gabrielle.

Urban Search and Rescue operations officer Glenn Hudson described the chaotic scene as he arrived in Muriwai on the night of 13 February 2023.

He explained that fellow volunteers and members of the public were digging through the dirt.

“It was natural that they wanted to help their fellow brigade members, but they were not trained in search and rescue incidents of this nature,” he said.

“There was no real command or control of the other staff apart from the USAR staff, so we had to take control and bring order to what was a very chaotic situation.”

Hudson gave the order to remove everyone but trained search and rescue staff from the site.

But while the scene was under control, the conditions were chaotic.

“I recall the conditions at Muriwai were horrendous. It was difficult to see more than a metre in front of you,” he said.

“I had been involved in numerous USAR operations around the world, and the conditions at Muriwai were the worst I have encountered.”

Stevens was freed from the pile at about 3am, but he was hypothermic. He died in the hospital later that day.

Staff had been digging for hours, but saw no sign of van Zwanenberg.

In that time, two more slips had fallen from the cliff, and fearing for the safety of his team, Hudson made an impossible decision.

“At 0305, I made the difficult decision to terminate the rescue operation,” he recounted through tears.

When search and rescue staff returned the next day, police had taken control of the scene.

The operation had moved from rescue to recovery, and progress had slowed to a crawl.

After hours of waiting, Hudson took matters into his own hands.

“I was extremely frustrated. After going back up to the slip site, I decided we needed to get on with the recovery, as it was safe to do so, and the delays now mean a family has no answers for possibly another night,” he said.

“So, I said that I had heard a tapping, which I thought was coming from Dave. By raising the possibility of Dave being alive, I was able to make the case for reopening a rescue operation.”

Hudson explained that at this point, geotechnical staff had assessed the site and determined it was safe to keep digging.

“In my view, the safety of all rescue personnel was at its best since the beginning of the incident. I knew that we would soon run out of daylight, and apart from the safety of my staff, which is my paramount concern, my other concern was to return Dave to his family in a timely manner.”

He remarked that after explaining his decision to other leadership staff, they smiled in recognition.

“Although they did not say anything to suggest this, I believe [they] were aware that I was using this as a pretext to get things moving. They both smiled at me and said, good work.”

But Hudson acknowledged that his actions had gone against protocol.

“I know that what I did is not protocol, but one of FENZ’s values is to do the right thing,” he said.

“Everything I did was very measured. I was not putting my guys at risk, but I felt that we could have and should have done more to recover Dave earlier.”

Van Zwanenberg’s body was recovered the following morning.

“A group of USAR personnel carried Dave to the waiting undertaker’s vehicle. After placing Dave into the van, we set up a guard of honour as the van left the slip site to head to the Muriwai fire station.”

Van Zwanenberg’s family thanked Hudson through their lawyer, Jane Glover.

“The family would like to formally thank you and your team for going above and beyond to bring Dave home to his family and for carrying out the operation with the utmost respect and dignity,” Glover said.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Taranaki cyclist is on crutches with several “bone deep” puncture wounds after a roaming dog latched onto her leg.

The attack sent the New Plymouth woman crashing off her bike while she was out on a country road.

A spate of serious dogs attacks has [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/587406/what-dog-control-laws-say-about-fatal-attacks-and-what-people-want-to-change

sparked fierce debate] about reforming the 30-year-old dog control law.

A dog attack in Christchurch over the weekend put a father and his teenage son in hospital, while Mihiata Te Rore, 62, died after she was attacked by three dogs while visiting a property in Kaihu, north of Dargaville last week.

New Plymouth resident Amelia was cycling a popular loop outside the city on Saturday morning when she was rushed by an uncontrolled dog on Tikorangi East Road.

Amelia estimated she was going about 40 km/h at the time down a country road she did not usually use.

She told Checkpoint she slowed down when she heard barking, and then saw a German pointer staffy cross dart out of a farm property into the middle of the road.

“As I slowed past it, it just came up next to me and chomped its jaws around my right leg while I was on my bike.”

Amelia said she came off her bike, and then the dog went to the other side of the street and continued barking at them.

She was left with “multiple” puncture wounds on her leg.

“They are bone deep so there’s probably three quite deep punctures, which I’m managing at the moment. I can’t walk on it properly yet, but I should be able to soon.”

Amelia is now on crutches, and said it was frustrating because she was training for a race in March.

She said residents in the area had helped her after the crash, and one of them told her the dog bitten his foot the week before.

Amelia said the animal control officers were “fast and efficient” and quickly took the dog away.

“I didn’t even see them come, I was already in the ambulance by then.”

New Plymouth District Council has confirmed one of its Animal Control Officers attended the dog-bite incident on Tikorangi Road in the weekend.

A spokesperson said a dog had been impounded and an investigation into what happened was underway.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The lawyers involved in a scrap between dog owners and the Auckland Council have been urged to settle their issues out of court.

Last year, the Puketāpapa Local Board voted four to two to ban dogs from running free in part of Hillsborough’s Monte Cecilia Park.

Locals set up a formal group, the Monte Cecilia Dog Lovers Incorporated Society, to the decision with a judicial review, which began at the High Court in Auckland on Tuesday.

Lawyer George Barton has taken on their case pro bono.

About 15 dog owners packed into the public gallery of a small courtroom on Tuesday morning. Auckland Council staff and the former chair and now deputy chair of the local board, Ella Kumar, also attended.

In his opening argument, Barton told Justice Andrew Becroft that as chair, Kumar did not approach the task of evaluating dog access rules with an open mind.

“She sent emails to that effect, saying the best way, the only way, to make this park safe for all of the community to use was to make it on-leash,” Barton said.

“I don’t in making that allegation suggest that there is any bad faith whatsoever. But she was always of the view that this park needed to be on-leash.”

Out of 900 responses from Aucklanders during the local board’s consultation, almost 90 percent were against removing the park’s off-leash bowl area.

Barton said that the board’s decision and concerns about safety at the park were not supported by evidence.

“That concern about safety, which was not corroborated by council staff, not supported by those who would actually know what the issues were, not supported by the actual data and statistics, effectively led her to be unable to genuinely consider practicable alternative solutions.”

Animal Management data shows that between 2019 and 2024, three people were attacked by an off-leash dog, all in on-leash areas of the park.

Barton added that the four board members who voted to make the park on-leash only were members of the same local government political party, Communities and Residents.

“The reason why that’s significant here is because the other three members, my submission, is that they essentially surrendered their discretion to dictation. Dictation, in this instance being to just go along with what Ms Kumar wanted.”

But the council’s lawyer, Katherine Anderson KC, told Justice Becroft that the local board members rightfully exercised their decision-making power.

“The passion and the emotion that the dog lovers group is putting before you in its evidence and submissions, we say, are not relevant to the core legal issues that you must decide.”

She said local boards had to balance safety considerations against the exercise and recreation needs of dogs.

“All of the evidence my friend points to relates to Chair Kumar only in terms of statements, emails, and things which he sees indicates an actual closed mind. We say that predisposition is entirely permitted.

“And my friend relies on a conspiracy theory that because they’re all part of a political party that actually has no policy on this point, that somehow they conspired together to support Ms Kumar.

“Fundamentally, it would be absolutely extraordinary in my view, if there was a finding of predetermination in this case.”

She said while the board’s chair favoured leashing, she was open to fencing off an area in a different part of the park for off-leash dogs.

That was to be considered during the board’s long-term planning for Monte Cecilia Park, which was expected to be completed in 2027.

After hearing both sides’ opening arguments, Justice Andrew Becroft described the case as incredibly unorthodox.

He said he understood the need for the Auckland Council to support and uphold the decisions of its elected bodies.

But he said he had not yet seen evidence of consistent and serious injury from dogs at the park.

He urged the two sides to come to a compromise outside of the courtroom.

He suggested the decision on the off-leash area could be put on hold until the park was reviewed again 2027.

“For what is an area the size of a running track, there is vast resources being sunk into this by the Council, and there’s a huge amount of work going into this.

“I don’t want to diminish anybody’s emotional connection to the area or to their dogs. But you’d think for what is a reasonably small area, that there might be a way of resolving it short of both sides throwing the legal kitchen sink at the decision-making.

“Clearly, there’s a significant group who are aggrieved. Is there some sort of halfway house where everyone retains dignity and honour?”

But despite this, the lawyers chose to proceed.

The judicial review is expected to conclude on Wednesday.

Auckland Council and the Puketāpapa Local Board have told RNZ they do not want to comment while the case is before the court.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Canterbury Museum is pleading for councils and central government to stump up an extra $64 million for its cost-plagued redevelopment following another budget blow-out.

The project had an original budget of $205 million, which rose to $247m last year, but escalating construction costs and funding delays had now pushed it to almost $262m.

Museum trust board chair David Ayers said the board needed help plugging a shortfall of almost $92m to keep the museum on track to open in mid-2029.

“Throughout the redevelopment project, we’ve continued to undertake value engineering and make compromises to reduce costs. We’ve now exhausted all feasible options for reducing costs without undermining the building’s functionality or asset life,” he said.

The board was calling for $26.9m from Christchurch ratepayers over four years, in addition to $2.4m from the Selwyn district, $2.1m from Waimakariri and $300,000 from Hurunui.

It had made a request to the central government through Minister for the South Island James Meager for $32m over four years to match the local government contribution.

This year’s bid follows a failed attempt last year to secure funding.

The museum trust board made its case to the Christchurch City Council on Tuesday morning.

Deputy director Sarah Murray told councillors there would be an economic benefit to the city.

“When the museum reopens, it’s estimated there will be 800,000 visitors a year to the museum. We’re forecast then to generate around $83 million in regional and economic activity in that year alone. That will benefit local accommodation providers, businesses, retail and transport services,” she said.

The museum was also proposing an entry fee for overseas visitors.

Ayers said a cost review had found the museum needed a higher contingency allowance to complete the final two construction stages – the new basement and building and their fit-out – to give greater confidence that the project cost or schedule would not be exceeded.

The contingency allowance had been increased to $9.8m and a six-month delay in securing additional funding has added $5.1m to the project’s cost.

Ayers said the museum had hoped to secure additional capital last year so the final two stages of construction could be completed simultaneously, which would have saved money.

“Further delays in securing the extra capital will just keep adding to the cost – $7.2 million a year – and will push the opening date to 2030,” Ayers said.

Canterbury Museum was a significant heritage building and one of the last major public buildings to be fully upgraded and reopened since the Canterbury earthquakes, he said.

“It’s also much more than a public attraction and shouldn’t be viewed solely through the heritage buildings we occupy. The services we deliver define our public value,” Ayers said.

“We care for a collection of 2.3 million objects which tell the stories and history of Canterbury and the people who live here. We look after an internationally significant Antarctic collection and a quarter of Aotearoa New Zealand’s nationally distributed collection. Like libraries, museums are critical civic infrastructure, central to learning, identity, discovery and cultural life.”

Funding for the redevelopment had come from the museum’s own funds ($63.4m), private donations ($1.05m), grants and lotteries funding ($850,000), central government ($35m) and local government ($69.8m), including $24.5m from Christchurch City Council for strengthening the Robert McDougall Gallery.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Waitaki District Council is rejoining the Southern Waters partnership it ditched last year.

The council has announced it will team up with Central Otago, Clutha and Gore district councils to deliver drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services after its in-house water services plan was rejected by the Department of Internal Affairs.

The Mackenzie and Timaru District Councils are also expected to make a decision about joining the partnership on Tuesday afternoon.

Waitaki Mayor Mel Tavendale said a large organisation would deliver clear benefits in efficiency and cost savings.

Tavendale said she was hopeful the other two councils would also join.

“Choosing a larger entity will deliver the best outcome for Waitaki,” she said.

Deputy Mayor Rebecca Ryan said the decision to join Southern Waters was a leap of faith, “but not a blind leap”.

“It makes sense from an affordability and sustainability perspective, and ultimately that is the biggest issue our community is facing,” she said.

Councillor Frans Schlack said an in-house model was ultimately unsustainable.

“It would fail in the foreseeable future in terms of water services compliance and charges to Waitaki’s water customers. The establishment of a six-district CCO will be. .. the most economical long-term water service delivery option for our district,” he said.

Waitaki District Council said it was continuing a review of the condition of its water assets ordered by the Department of Internal Affairs.

It would submit its plan to be part of a joint water entity by the deadline of 30 June 2026, a council spokesperson said.

In a statement shared on the council website on Tuesday, councillor Sven Thelning warned ratepayers should still be aware of massive rates rises ahead.

“It wouldn’t have mattered even if we’d gone in-house, or whatever option we picked. It’s going to hurt,” Thelning said.

“There’s a lot of work needing done out there, and it’s going to cost – and your elected council no longer has the ability to kick the can down the road, which is how we’ve got here. We should have better asset management over time, to prevent this happening again.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Wellington mayor says the current blanket direction for people to stay off all south coast beaches is not sustainable when test results show little risk, and is hinting at a possible change of policy.

There was a major sewage spill earlier this month – the city’s southern coast has been off limits since the Moa Point treatment plant failed catastrophically, pumping millions of litres of untreated sewage into the sea.

There is currently a rāhui in place on the southern coast from Ōwhiro Bay to Breaker Bay, which covers anything the water touches or can touch with the high or low tides.

Public health advice has been that people should not swim, surf, dive, fish, collect kai moana, walk dogs along the shore until further notice.

Mayor Andrew Little said the city and regional councils, Wellington Water and public health officials were now getting a picture of the level of risk, with nearly three weeks of monitoring of the impact of the untreated sewage being discharged into the Cook Strait on south coast beaches.

“We wanted to see what happened with the storm last weekend. We’ve worked our way through that and we’re showing good results in terms of a little or no contamination.

“On that basis, what we are looking at being able to say to people is: ‘here are the results, this is what it shows, the risk is pretty low, you make your own decision about whether you want to go onto the beach and and have a swim in the sea’.”

Little said they would also look at having a place where people could go daily to get an update on the risk and factors that could affect it on any given day.

“We can’t keep telling people just to stay away from the beach, stay away from the sea and producing testing results that show little or no risk.”

Little said they had to be practical and realistic.

“It is summertime, this is a beautiful part of Wellington to go to and if there is little or no risk, then let people make the decision about whether they want to use the amenity.”

Little said some risk remained near the outfall pipe, which could be used again.

“But in terms of [places] like Lyall Bay, Princess Bay, Houghton Bay, Island Bay, Ōwhiro Bay the testing results are showing little or no risk.”

Little said they had also had “good discussions” with iwi representatives about the current rāhui.

“They will continue to maintain a position that the health of the sea is at risk.

“But they’re clear to me that that doesn’t affect the public health advice we give about going onto the beaches and having a swim in the in the on the beaches.”

Health New Zealand directed RNZ’s requests for comment to the Wellington City Council and Wellington Water.

RNZ has contacted Wellington Water, the regional council, and Wellington iwi Taranaki Whānui ki te Upoko o te Ika.

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