Source: Radio New Zealand
File photo. RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Multiple ambulances and helicopters are responding to an incident in Gore.
Police are attending a report of a firearm being discharged in Gore.
St John has confirmed it has dispatched ambulances and helicopters to the scene.
– more to come
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The mid-year budget update would normally be big news. But this week it’s been entirely overshadowed by the devastating Bondi terror attack.
To discuss the government’s response to that deadly attack, as well as the outlook for Australia’s economy in 2026 and beyond, for our last podcast of the year we’re joined by Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
On the Bondi terror attack, Chalmers acknowledges the federal government needs to do more.
Even though the government has taken a number of steps to combat this hateful antisemitism, we know that there’s more work to do. There’s more to do with the envoy, Jillian Segal. There’s work to do to make sure that we are cracking down on antisemitism every way that we can. And we need to do that at the same time as we take other meaningful steps in areas like tougher gun laws.
And the point that I’ve been trying to make through the course of the week this is not an either/or: dealing with antisemitism, tightening our gun laws. We have a responsibility to do both simultaneously. And that’s the approach that we’re taking.
On the budget update, Chalmers says rising inflation is one of “the three big challenges” for Australia’s economy, along with the need to boost productivity and manage global economic uncertainty.
He says the government has been conscious of “not making this inflation challenge worse”, which could add pressure on the Reserve Bank to raise interest rates.
The issue with inflation is not government spending. That’s been made clear by the Reserve Bank [… which] has not mentioned public spending as a factor in their decisions for some time. And if the government’s budget is the key determinant of interest rate decisions, we’ve had three rate cuts this year, including two since the most recent budget […] What we see in [today’s] budget numbers is really progress on the first six updates we did: we’re always doing savings, we’re always trying to get things in much better nick.
On the rise of illegal cigarettes and plummeting tobacco excise revenue flowing into the budget, Chalmers dismisses calls to reduce that tax. Instead, he foreshadows the federal government will support greater crackdowns on organised crime and the illegal tobacco market.
We see this as a very serious challenge. We don’t dismiss or diminish this challenge from a law and order point of view, or from a budgetary point of view. We’ve provided an extra A$350 million for compliance and policing. There’s actually been some quite effective raids done in recent times; very encouraging to see the authorities doing some great work.
I don’t believe that if we unwound the last couple of excise changes that all of a sudden the difference between a legal packet of cigarettes and an illegal packet of cigarettes would be eliminated. And I don’t believe that would stop the crooks from being part of this industry. We see British American Tobacco and our opponents and others calling for a tobacco tax cut. I don’t think that’s the right way to go about it.
[…] What we hope will be effective is all of these extra resources being poured into compliance. I’m also prepared to say that […] we have been discussing next steps in this area to crack down on this illegal tobacco, which poses most importantly a risk to public health, but also a risk to the budget […] And the minister for home affairs, Tony Burke, we hope will have more to say about this before long.
Read more:
Could making tobacco cheaper actually cut down smoking rates? We asked 5 experts
Looking ahead, Chalmers says ten priority areas from August’s economic reform roundtable will help shape next year’s federal budget.
Having just handed down the mid-year update an hour or two ago, I’m sort of reluctant to get too much into the detail of [next year’s] budget. But the roundtable will be one of the big influences on the budget […] We set ten directions out of the roundtable [… and] those directions will be really the main influence on the reform part of the budget in May.
He disputes that progress since the roundtable has been too slow, nominating reforms to Australian environmental laws, releasing a new artificial intelligence plan, reforming the construction code and other areas where changes have been made.
Read more:
The clock is ticking on a golden opportunity for real change in Australia
Chalmers also talks up Australia’s opportunities in artificial intelligence, if we can get the balance right between ramping up AI and its potential risks – including for people’s jobs.
The AI revolution will be game changing, absolutely game changing. And what we’ve seen in recent data in our own economy is we’ve had now four consecutive quarters of productivity growth, at the same time as we’ve this enormous ramp up in investment in technology.
A big part of my day each day is dealing with interest which is being shown around the world in Australia as a place to build AI infrastructure, for example data centres. And so I think it’s an enormous opportunity for Australia […] The task for us is to maximise the upside of it, and to minimise the risks to people, including in the labour market.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
– ref. Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jim Chalmers on the Bondi terror attack and the mid-year budget update – https://theconversation.com/politics-with-michelle-grattan-jim-chalmers-on-the-bondi-terror-attack-and-the-mid-year-budget-update-272253
Source: Radio New Zealand
Red Frogs national director Raymond Thompson. RNZ/Katie Todd
Tens of thousands of teenagers are expected to descend on Wānaka’s lakefront for one of the country’s biggest informal New Year’s Eve gatherings, with police warning parents they could face charges if they supply alcohol to minors.
Police, paramedics and volunteers are concerned about the number of unsupervised young people who arrive with alcohol in a town that is more than three hours’ drive from the nearest hospital.
According to harm-reduction organisation Red Frogs, Wānaka has become a hotspot for Year 11 and 12 students in recent years.
National director Raymond Thompson said more than 60 volunteers would work in Wānaka and Queenstown from 29 December, handing out water and food, and helping anyone in distress.
“I’m cooking pancakes, handing out water down on the lakefront and, towards the end of the night, will be helping young people, if they need more support, holding their hair back as they vomit,” he said.
Authorities ramped up their presence, after the infamous Ruby Island party in 2016, when hundreds of young people were escorted back to the mainland by emergency services.
Thompson said parents should have “frank conversations” with their children before New Year’s Eve and make a plan, in case they wanted to come home early.
“Don’t pin $200 to your young person’s jersey, give them a bottle and send them six hours down the road with no support,” he said.
“You can either engage in an awkward alcohol-and-drug-harm conversation with your young person, utilising your experience – both good and bad – and giving your advice, or you can allow your teenagers to get advice from TikTok,” he said.
DJs and bands will play on the Wānaka waterfront on 31 December, with an alcohol ban in place between 24 December-6 January.
Otago Lakes Central police area commander inspector Paula Enoka said parents should also remember the legal consequences of supplying alcohol to minors.
“If they are underage, as in under 18, please don’t send them here with alcohol, because the next person we will contact will be the parent [to find out] how they have actually provided them the alcohol,” she said. “There is provision for prosecution and that’s not where we want to go.”
Wānaka senior sergeant Darren Cranfield said an extra 25 police officers would be deployed to the district from centres including Dunedin and Invercargill.
“We have other resources that we drag from other stations, so we do have big numbers, but we have big numbers for a reason.”
Behaviour had improved in recent years, Cranfield said.
“If we go back probably 3-4 years, there used to just be alcohol everywhere, bottles everywhere.”
St John area operations manager David Baillie said alcohol and drug use was a reality every New Year’s Eve, and the consequences were often serious.
“Every year, I have to make a phone call to someone’s parents – 15, 16, 17, 18-year-old girls and boys – who have had far too much alcohol or too many drugs, who are now unconscious, unresponsive,” he said.
His message to parents was to “take a minute to think what it would feel like for me to ring you on New Year’s Eve, because this does actually happen”.
Knowing what substances were taken and how much could be crucial, when someone’s life was on the line, Baillie said.
He urged people to look up drug-testing services like Know Your Stuff.
“The other thing I ask you to do is that you respect our staff. We are there to help you, your family, your friends.
“We do need you to respect us, so that we can do our job to support you.”
Queenstown Lakes District Mayor John Glover said the region was used to welcoming visitors, but the New Year brought added challenges.
“We want everyone to come have a great time and leave having had a great time,” he said.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Sneha Patel either did not pay the employees at all, or at a rate less than the minimum wage for the hours they worked. File photo. 123RF
A Hamilton woman has been sentenced to 11 months home detention for exploiting three migrant workers and failing to pay them thousands of dollars in wages.
Sneha Patel owned and operated several Hamilton and Auckland based businesses and pleaded guilty last year to nine charges including exploiting illegal or temporary employees.
She has been ordered to pay the three victims just under $50,000 in reparation.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said the sentencing was a result of a complex five-year investigation.
It uncovered that Patel had failed to pay approximately $41,000 under the Minimum Wage Act and about $9000 for entitlements under the Holidays Act to three employees over an eight-month period in 2018.
MBIE national manager immigration investigations Jason Perry said Patel knowingly employed and helped a person to remain unlawfully in the country, intentionally mistreated and misled her workers, and provided false or misleading information to Immigration for a visa application.
The employees were required to work long hours and one had to sleep in a work vehicle or on the floor of a storeroom.
Patel either did not pay the employees at all, or at a rate less than the minimum wage for the hours they worked.
“While failing to pay her workers according to their statutory minimum entitlements, Patel chose to purchase and open a further two businesses. Employers and individuals who think they can take advantage of unlawful or temporary workers for their own financial gain should know this will not be tolerated – they will be investigated and held to account,” Perry said.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Lydia Oosterhoff is a human rights lawyer and senior associate at Cooper Legal. Jimmy Ellingham
This story discusses graphic details of abuse.
A woman fears her son could be severely traumatised, if he finds out the Ministry of Social Development published information linking his name to his application for compensation for abuse in state care.
He’s one of five people whose names were visible in an MSD Official Information Act document that was online for three months.
None of the five abuse survivors have yet been told about the breach, and there’s disagreement between MSD and the survivors’ lawyers about how they should be informed.
The mother of one of the five still can’t believe her son’s name appeared online in relation to a sensitive claim for compensation.
“I was in shock,” said the woman, who RNZ is not naming. “It’s almost like the more he tries to protect himself and keep himself safe, the more determined the government is to punish him for speaking out and trying to protect himself.
“This feels like punishment.”
MSD has apologised unreservedly for the breach, but the woman worries what could happen, should her son find out.
He has complex post-traumatic stress disorder, due to abuse he suffered when in the care of MSD.
His mother fears that, if he knew he was named on the internet in relation to this abuse, he could lose the ability to communicate or function.
“He spends every day trying to negotiate his way towards an ordinary life, but that’s overshadowed all day, every day by the constant triggers of reminders of what he suffered in the past.”
The woman found out about the breach from her son’s lawyer.
MSD said only three people viewed the document in the three months from its publication on 20 August until it was notified of the breach by Wellington human rights law firm Cooper Legal on 21 November.
However, Cooper Legal said many more people could have seen a cached version. MSD analytics don’t pick up how many views that had.
The woman whose son was named said, however many it was, the fact the names were published was problematic.
“How could it possibly be that only three people would view it in three months?” she said. “The other thing is, why should three people view it – it was nobody else’s business.
“Why should anybody know about what was happening, what he has experienced and what he is trying to hold MSD accountable for?”
MSD general manager Anna Graham said Cooper Legal made it clear the ministry shouldn’t directly approach the five named people to apologise.
She said the ministry remained concerned the five survivors hadn’t yet received a direct apology and it was working with Cooper Legal on what to do next.
“We wrote to Cooper Legal on 2 December about this matter and proposed resolution, including that contact and our apology be made through them,” Graham said. “We have letters of apology drafted.”
Graham said MSD had waited for a reply from Cooper Legal, receiving communication at the end of last week.
However, Cooper Legal principal lawyer Lydia Oosterhoff said the firm hadn’t kept MSD waiting and she was waiting to hear back from the ministry, after replying to its 2 December correspondence.
“That is a complete falsity,” she said of the MSD claims.
“MSD sent us one letter saying, ‘Cooper Legal can deal with it, Cooper Legal can tell the clients, we’ll wash our hands of it…. this is all we’re doing to do’.
“It’s absolutely, honestly perplexing.”
Meanwhile, the five people named remain unaware their privacy was breached.
“No, we haven’t told the survivors, because we don’t think we should be the ones to tell them,” Oosterhoff said.
“MSD said it was going to work with us to inform survivors about this breach in a trauma-informed manner and MSD hasn’t done that. It’s simply sent us a letter saying, ‘You tell them’.”
The five needed to be told in a way that recognised their vulnerability, and the sensitive nature of the breach and their abuse, she said.
At first, MSD proposed writing directly to them, but Oosterhoff said this wasn’t good enough.
“These are some of our society’s must vulnerable people and they’ve been made even more vulnerable by the state – the state that abused them in the first place.
“The state has now abused their privacy and the state is now not taking accountability.”
Oosterhoff said she was looking into what compensation the five survivors should receive, something the woman whose son was named online said must happen.
“The reason why he’s got the [sensitive] claim is because there needs to be redress for what they’ve done to him, so further harm for breaching his privacy needs to be redressed as well,” she said. “It just adds on the harm they caused.”
Asked about the issue of compensation, MSD said it was discussing a proposed resolution with Cooper Legal.
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua square off before their Miami showdown. Leonardo Fernandez
YouTuber-turned boxer Jake Paul faces the biggest test of his fledgling boxing career, when he takes on former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in Florida on Saturday (NZT).
Kiwi boxing promoter Dean Lonergan expects it’s a test Paul will fail – badly.
“Jake Paul is going to get absolutely bashed and I think a lot of people are looking forward to it.” Lonergan told Nathan Rarere on RNZ’s First Up.
The vast majority of pundits agree with Lonergan’s blunt assessment.
As well as being a two-time heavyweight world champion, Joshua won Olympic gold at London in 2012. He’s had 28 professional fights, with four losses – two against Oleksander Usyk, widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
By contrast, Paul’s compiled a 12-win, one-loss record, largely against retired NBA players, fellow YouTubers, and former UFC fighters. His one loss came against Tommy Fury, who’s better known for appearing on Love Island and being Tyson Fury’s younger brother, than his boxing skills.
Paul’s only had one fight at heavyweight – a points win over a 58-year-old Mike Tyson. That bout was contested over two-minute rounds, rather than the standard three, and with 14-ounce gloves.
At 36, Joshua is far from washed up. The fight with Paul is scheduled for eight rounds, each three minutes long. The fighters will wear standard 10-ounce gloves.
The lighter weight will allow punches to do more damage.
The tale of the tape also makes tough reading for Paul. Joshua stands 12.5cm taller and has a 15cm longer reach.
Even with a 111.3kg weight limit imposed on him for this fight, Joshua will significantly outweigh Paul.
Lonergan said Paul may still believe he could win.
“He’s delusional,” he said. “Fighters have to have the ultimate confidence, because there’s only two things you do in a boxing ring – you either hit or you get hit, you either hurt or you get hurt.
“Jake Paul’s had a series of easy fights to build his delusion and build his confidence, and he thinks he can get in the ring with one of the modern greats.”
No matter the result, both fighters will be handsomely rewarded, reportedly earning NZ$159 million each.
Lonergan reckons Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn have played an absolute blinder, securing a massive payday for an easy night’s work.
“It’s going to go no more than 1-2 rounds,” he said. “Jake Paul’s going to get knocked out.
“If you’re Anthony Joshua, this is just pennies from heaven.”
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Health Minister Simeon Brown. RNZ / Mark Papalii
Hospitals and public health services across the country have been asked to find more than half-a-billion dollars in “efficiencies” to re-invest in patient care.
In a response to written parliamentary questions from Labour’s health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall, Health Minister Simeon Brown confirmed Health NZ’s four regions had been set “efficiency targets” of between 2-4.9 percent.
Reducing “waste” in back-office and procurement functions could free up up about $510 million, which could be “re-invested straight back into patient care” and government health targets, without reducing clinical staff, Brown said.
However, Verrall questioned how Health NZ could identify specific “efficiency targets”, but not specify exactly what should be cut.
“Five-hundred-million dollars is a massive amount to cut from health services, and to say they’ll do this without any accountability about where it’s coming from or where it’s going is absolutely outrageous.”
According to the document, efficiency targets by region are:
The efficiency targets are applied to “other operating cost” budgets, which do not include staffing budgets.
Labour health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
However, the senior doctors’ union said so-called “back office” cuts already made it difficult for clinicians to care for their patients.
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director Sarah Dalton said the constant cost-cutting did not make sense and, in some cases, cost more money in the the long-run.
“On the one hand, they’re saying they spending more money on health,” she said. “On the other, they’re constantly demanding savings, which they claim will not impact front-line care.”
More of the health budget seemed to be spent on locums to fill the gaps left by staff shortages, outsourcing to private hospitals, and paying external consultants to do work that could and should be done by permanent staff, Dalton said.
The minister said the budget was the budget and it did not change, but the targets were simply about “making that budget go further for patients in their respective regions”.
The targets would not be used to meet the projected 2025/26 deficit of $200m, he said.
Examples of efficiencies already realised this year included saving $6m in insurance premiums, reducing unused office space and improved purchasing of medical supplies.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Follow all the action as the third in the five-test series between arch rivals Australia and England gets underway at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide.
Australia currently has a 2-0 lead in the series, after successful campaigns in both Perth and Brisbane.
First ball is at 12.30 NZT
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Australia currently leads the series 2-0. Gareth Copley
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Michael Ian Mclean in Auckland District Court. RNZ / Finn Blackwell
Warning: This story discusses graphic details of sexual abuse
A judge has told jurors in the trial of a man accused of sexually abusing a boy into his teenage years that their deliberation will depend on the reliability of key witness evidence.
Michael Ian Mclean has been on trial in the Auckland District Court, facing 33 charges, including performing indecent acts on a person under 16, grooming and sexual violation.
His defence call the allegations nonsense, claiming they never happened.
Judge Simon Lance summed up the case on Wednesday. He took the jury through their function in deciding on a verdict, as well as guiding them through a recap of arguments on both sides.
Judge Lance pointed jurors to evidence given by Mclean and his alleged victim, who could not be named.
“Your deliberations and your ultimate verdicts will – I suggest, as is often the case in trials as such as this and subject to the legal directions I give you – depend largely on what you make of the credibility and the reliability of these two critical witnesses,” Lance told the jury.
He reminded jurors of the evidence given by both Mclean and the complainant.
Lance noted the detail in the complainant’s evidence and how, when cross-examined by Mclean’s defence lawyer Ron Mansfield KC on if he was lying, he said he could not make up that level of detail.
In Mclean’s evidence, he said the allegations were not true and that the physical acts alleged did not happen, Lance told jurors.
“Mr Mclean was cross-examined and, during that cross-examination, he maintained his position, he maintained his stance that these things simply did not happen.”
Jurors were taken through material about the misconceptions of sexual abuse, something the judge alluded to at the beginning of the trial.
“You will recall that, at the very start of the trial, given the nature of it – that is, it involves allegations of sexual offending – I gave you a generic direction about there being no such thing as a typical sexual offence, no such thing as a typical offender, no such thing as a typical person who is offended against,” Lance told jurors.
The jury has retired for deliberation.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
An audit by Auckland Council found over 900 people were homeless in Auckland. Nick Monro
Isolated, lonely and far from support networks – that’s what people who are homeless say it’s like living in Auckland’s suburbs.
An Auckland Council audit found more than 400 people were living without shelter in September last year. In May this year, that number was more than 900.
A Salvation Army and Community Housing Aotearoa report released on Tuesday found homelessness in Auckland has more than doubled in the year to September.
But these figures don’t capture all the people sleeping rough in suburban areas; living in their cars, abandoned buildings or couch surfing.
Experts are calling for more funding to find out the true extent of the problem… as the government ponders introducing move-on orders to get rough sleepers out of the CBD.
Along the Onehunga foreshore early on a Tuesday morning, 15 cars were parked up, frost coating their windshields.
Blankets, duffel bags and bags of groceries could be seen through the windows.
The occupants there said that before seven o’clock in the morning, there were 30 cars with people sleeping in them. They had since left for work – some even had full time jobs.
One man Checkpoint spoke to was even working multiple jobs, but was sleeping in his car to avoid paying rent.
“It’s pretty hard, to be honest, it feels like you’re being isolated but I kind of like it in a sense just for my own peace of mind and solitude.
“But at the same time, there’s not really much of a community out here.”
He had been living in his car for about a year.
“Early mornings and then head out to work, come back when it’s nighttime and before the gates close. They have shower facilities here and there’s a nearby swimming pool.”
The man said he had been applying for full-time jobs but hadn’t had much luck. He said he thinks it’s partly because of his criminal record from a few years ago.
“There’s so [many] factors that [are] kind of holding me back from getting work. For me, inexperience and a criminal record from a long time ago.”
Auckland Councillor Josephine Bartley says homelessness in the suburbs has become more noticeable. Nick Monro
On nearby State Avenue, what is now an abandoned lot was once a row of abandoned houses.
Auckland Councillor Josephine Bartley said before they were demolished, a family of four was living in one of them.
“Late at night they’d come back, and they’d go through the barriers and slip into the house, because they had nowhere else to go.”
She said homelessness in Auckland’s suburbs has become more noticeable.
“It’s not public, but you can tell because you can see the cars in the parks in the morning, you can see that there’s blankets, you can see it all around.
“Then you’ve also got people who are couch surfing and older people.”
Kildare Peterson has been supporting rough sleepers for several years. He said homelessness in the suburbs is rife.
“They’d rather buy food to feed their kids and instead of paying the rent and they can’t afford the power.
“They said it’s a lot easier to live out on the streets or live in their car, because all they have to pay for is petrol, but then they can’t afford to pay their warrant or rego.”
Delphina Soti, general manager of Onehunga St Vincent de Paul’s said she’s seeing overcrowded households reaching out for support.
“When we do our food parcels, it’s for a family of 10, a family of 12, a family of 14, four-bedroom house, garages used up.
“It’s still a significant problem; there’s still not enough houses out there.”
Professor Deidre Brown, a director of MĀPIHI, the Māori and Pacific Housing Research Centre said more research is needed to discover the true the extent of homelessness in Aotearoa.
“The hidden nature of this homelessness will only be exacerbated by a lack of data around this.
“It’s already hidden when people are couch surfing and living in garages.
“But when we don’t have people going out and finding the extent of the problem and whether or not that issue is growing, we really can’t make good decisions around housing provision in the future.”
But she said there currently isn’t the funding.
“It concerns me that the changes in the research funding landscape that the current coalition government have instigated over recent years makes it even more difficult to obtain the funding to undertake that research.”
The National Homelessness Data Project was created by The Salvation Army and Community Housing Aotearoa, with Kāhui Tū Kaha, Christchurch Methodist Mission, Housing First Backbone, Wellington City Mission, Downtown Community Ministry.
The project’s latest six-monthly survey showed homelessness in Auckland has more than doubled from 426 to 940 people in the year to September.
It found homelessness is spreading beyond city centres into suburbs and people are being moved from one place to another.
Women and older people are being increasingly impacted, with four out of five homeless women identifying as Māori.
A Citizens Advice Bureau report released last week found because of welfare changes, people are losing the cars they live in and are struggling meet basic living costs.
The report, Mana Āki – Dignity for All, is based on over 10,000 requests to the Citizens Advice Bureau. It calls for the welfare system to accommodate for the complexity of people’s real-life circumstances and to treat people with dignity.
It found government policies such as benefit sanctions, tighter emergency housing criteria and cuts to community services had worsened hardship.
In September this year, the government funded an extra 300 social homes through Housing First and put $10 million towards support services for people sleeping rough.
Ministry of Social Development staff were also told to use greater discretion when looking at emergency housing applications.
Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Paul Goldsmith is currently seeking advice on additional measures to enhance safety in Aotearoa’s CBDs, including the potential use of move-on orders for rough sleepers.
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tony Wood, Program Director, Energy, Grattan Institute
What’s the cheapest way to power Australia? Every year, CSIRO researchers and modellers seek to answer this very large question in their GenCost report.
On one level, the answer in the draft 2025–26 report is unsurprising: solar and wind are the cheapest form of generation.
However, this report has gone further by modelling the cheapest cost across the grid, including different power generation options, energy storage, transmission lines and gas backup. Here, solar and wind still come out on top for generation, with batteries to play a larger role than previously estimated, given plunging prices.
In Australia, large-scale battery prices fell 20% over 2024–25 and a further 15% is anticipated over 2025–26. Surging electricity demand to support electrification and to power AI data centres means costs have spiked for anything to do with turbines – coal, gas and nuclear – and delays are long.
If renewables reach 82% of grid generation by 2030 as the government plans, the report suggests this would result in wholesale power costs of A$91 per megawatt hour – about a third lower than today’s $129/MWh. Both figures are in current dollars. By 2050, prices would head back to levels a bit higher than present day ($135–148/MWh) to cover the cost of retiring coal plants, building new transmission lines and energy storage.
The 2050 figures should be viewed as current best estimates based on prudent assumptions, rather than committed forecasts. Modelling power prices a quarter of a century in the future depends on many variables.
CSIRO’s report concludes natural gas generation is the best form of backup, even though it produces emissions. This is because other forms of backup would be more expensive than cutting the same volume of emissions elsewhere in the economy.
One of the most interesting things about this report is what it rules out. On price alone, CSIRO concludes three things are unlikely to feature in Australia’s future grid.
1. Offshore wind
The plight of offshore wind may be surprising, given offshore wind farms dot the North Sea and off the coast of China. Costs had begun rising due to pandemic-era supply chain issues. But the major change this year has been political. United States President Donald Trump has moved to scrap many huge offshore wind projects, even when half-built. Meanwhile prominent activists have run effective misinformation campaigns.
To date, Australia has no offshore wind farms. Developers have pulled out of many projects amid the uncertainty, though the giant Star of the Sea project in Victoria is still in progress.
2. Carbon capture and storage
Earlier this century, governments and coal and gas power plant owners were exploring ways of using carbon capture and storage to separate carbon dioxide from exhaust plumes and bury it. In Australia, most coal plants are instead heading for the exit. By contrast, China is expanding use of the technology as it will need to rely on coal for longer.
Instead, carbon capture and storage is likely to be most useful in Australia to store emissions from industry and manufacturing.
3. Nuclear
Ahead of the last federal election, the Coalition pitched a nuclear-powered vision of the future. Last year’s GenCost report poured cold water on this idea on cost grounds, finding nuclear would be double the cost of renewables.
This year, there’s been renewed international interest in small modular reactors as a way to meet AI data centre energy demand. But most reactor designs are years away from reality. The GenCost report suggests nuclear remains much too expensive an option for Australia.
This year’s GenCost report suggests wholesale electricity costs will fall substantially by 2030 if the government meets its 82% renewable target, before rising again by 2050.
It’s very optimistic to give 2050 estimates with any certainty. But our research at the Grattan Institute does match CSIRO’s early estimates of falling costs.
We would also expect power system costs to rise again, given most of the new transmission lines needed to connect renewables to the grid haven’t been built yet and much more energy storage will be needed. These costs will be passed on to consumers, which is why GenCost modelling suggests 2050 power prices are likely to be similar to prices today.
One of the challenges with greening the grid is how much backup to build for rare periods of low wind and sun spanning large areas. This month, Australia’s energy market operator updated its grid planning, which envisages 14 gigawatts of gas capacity by 2050, slightly up from current capacity. These plants would only fire up as a backup.
New transmission lines must also be built to ensure renewables can funnel power across the grid, though CSIRO estimates these costs at just 7% of consumer bills. In its latest draft plan for the integrated system, Australia’s energy market operator has dialled back transmission ambition, due to factors such as higher costs, rural pushback and backsliding in Queensland.
The future role of natural gas generation is still in question. Some gas plants are ageing and will have to be replaced. When gas peaking plants fire up at present, they command a very high price for their power. But in a grid with a very high level of renewables, they may be required less often, be even more valuable, and demand a higher price. It’s unclear how these backup plants can be financed as insurance against rare but challenging events.
CSIRO’s GenCost report is widely recognised as the key reference for future costs of power generation. These reports are frequently weaponised by politicians, and the agency itself can suffer blowback. But the solid analysis and modelling in these reports should withstand such buffeting.
Tony Wood 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.
– ref. Solar, onshore wind and gas backup is (still) the cheapest way to power Australia: new report – https://theconversation.com/solar-onshore-wind-and-gas-backup-is-still-the-cheapest-way-to-power-australia-new-report-272249
Source: Radio New Zealand
Labour leader Chris Hipkins is preferred prime minister on 45 percent, while Christopher Luxon is at 39 percent, according to the latest poll. RNZ
Labour has an eight-point lead over National in the latest The Post/Freshwater Strategy poll, but neither the coalition nor the opposition parties have the numbers to govern.
Labour has 38 percent support in the poll, up four points since the last survey in October, compared to National on 30 percent, down one point.
National’s coalition partners ACT and New Zealand First are on 8 and 9 percent respectively.
The Greens are registering 8 percent – down one – with Te Pāti Māori on two percent – also down one.
That result would give the coalition parties just 59 seats between them – not enough to hold onto government.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins is still the preferred prime minister on 45 percent, while Christopher Luxon is at 39 percent, although Luxon has gained 3 points since the last The Post/Freshwater Strategy poll in October.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
RNZ / REECE BAKER
Police investigating the homicide of a Rotorua man are urging residents near where he died to check their properties for items the offender may have left behind.
Nicholas Patrick Mitchell, 37, was found dead in a vehicle on Ford Road in the city shortly before 8:30pm on Friday.
Police said inquiries suggest his injuries are not consistent with a crash.
Senior Sergeant Mark Van Kempen is asking residents around Ford Road to check their properties for possible evidence.
He said it’s possible the offender discarded clothing, weapons or other items while fleeing the scene.
Police are following a number of leads.
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sarah Bourke, Lecturer, The University of Western Australia
Indigenous people have coexisted with Australia’s vast and ancient groundwater systems for thousands of generations. Their knowledge extends back through deep time, before our current climate and waterways. It offers insights that Western science is only beginning to quantify.
When rain falls, some can seep into the ground, becoming groundwater. This water can remain underground for as little as a few months, or for millions of years. Eventually it is taken up by plants, or flows into springs, rivers and the ocean.
Australia’s groundwater resources underpin the economic growth and prosperity of the country. But they are under greater pressure than ever before. Legal battles over water in the NT, including extraction licences, highlights the rapid pace at which decisions over the future of water are being made.
Our new paper shows the “business as usual” approach to groundwater science and management risks perpetuating colonial injustices. And it compromises our ability to manage water sustainably as the climate grows warmer and population increases.
Most Australians are aware of terra nullius, the legal fiction that Australia belonged to no-one before European settlement. But very few know about aqua nullius, – “water belonging to no-one”. This is a similar fiction suggesting Traditional Owners had no rights to the water they had used for millennia.
We show how the legacy of aqua nullius remains embedded within contemporary groundwater science. And urge Australia to take a different approach.
Indigenous knowledge systems embody many thousands of years of groundwater monitoring. This includes tracking spring behaviour and soil moisture, animal movement and vegetation cues.
Australia’s colonial expansion used the water knowledge of Indigenous peoples to support economic and agricultural development. This came at the expense of Indigenous peoples’ water, food, and culture.
For too long, and too often, Indigenous perspectives on groundwater have not been heard or acted upon. In many instances, Indigenous people bear the impacts of groundwater decline or contamination. And yet, they have limited power to influence the development approvals that create these pressures.
For Indigenous communities who have cared for these waters for tens of thousands of years, rapid decision-making over the future of groundwater represents a profound risk to cultural obligations and the living systems that hold songlines, identity, and law.
Western scientific approaches are prioritised, while Indigenous groundwater expertise is dismissed and neglected in decision-making. When Indigenous perspectives are considered, there can be backlash from industry. There is often an expectation the government will prioritise economic development.
Accelerating pressures from industry and agriculture are superimposed onto the existing inequalities in water access. Many Aboriginal homelands communities still facing water insecurity.
Australia’s recent critical minerals agreement with the United States will lead to more water-intensive production and processing and substantial long-term environmental impacts.
Mine closure is rare in Australia. Mine rehabilitation often falls short of societal expectations. The legacy of decisions made now is likely to last for thousands of years. And they will disproportionately affect Indigenous communities.
In 2009, Australia endorsed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. But these rights are not reinforced by current approaches to groundwater science and management.
Article 25 states Indigenous Peoples have the right to maintain their relationships with traditional lands and waters. Yet over-extraction is leading springs in Australia to dry out. Springs are places of ceremony, law, healing and identity. A dry spring not only has an environmental impact but causes cultural harm, with intergenerational consequences.
The UN declaration also says states should obtain consent before any project, including the exploitation of water. Yet in most states and territories there is only a legal obligation to “consult” with Indigenous peoples.
Better outcomes require the colonial settler community to make genuine efforts to understand and incorporate Indigenous perspectives and knowledge in groundwater science and management.
The deconstruction of colonial legacies must be facilitated by people working within government agencies and regulatory authorities, and water scientists, in partnership with Aboriginal communities. Genuine relationship building is not just an “engagement activity”. It should be grounded in respect, reciprocity and an understanding of the obligation to care for Country as a living relative.
This process takes time and will not necessarily progress according to a particular schedule. This creates a tension between existing approvals mechanisms and best-practice engagement with Indigenous communities. Some governments and companies are working towards improving relationships with Indigenous communities. But this is not a requirement of existing systems for groundwater management. Our cultural heritage continues to be lost.
We must work together for a better future so our precious water is protected, not just for the next 50 years but for the next 5,000. This requires a holistic understanding that weaves together Western and Indigenous perspectives to ensure that both people and Country can thrive. A future where Indigenous laws, sciences and decision-making authority are embedded in, not appended to, water science and governance.
Sarah Bourke receives funding from the National Water Grid Authority of the Australian Government. She is affiliated with the International Association of Hydrogeologists.
Margaret Shanafield receives funding from the National Water Grid Authority of the Australian Government.
Bradley J. Moggridge and Clint Hansen 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.
– ref. How the myth of ‘aqua nullius’ still guides Australia’s approach to groundwater – https://theconversation.com/how-the-myth-of-aqua-nullius-still-guides-australias-approach-to-groundwater-270374
Source: Radio New Zealand
Four measles cases are still infectious according to Health New Zealand. Unsplash/ Michael Amadeus
Health New Zealand says there is a new case of measles of Queenstown.
It brings the number of known cases nationally since the response began to 32 – four of which are still infectious.
Health New Zealand said the Queenstown case is linked to overseas travel and is concerned about 25 places of exposure in Queenstown, Akaroa, and Christchurch.
People are urged to check Health New Zealand’s locations of interest page which is regularly updated. Individuals are also encouraged to follow advice for close or casual contacts and to monitor for symptoms.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
A roast meat meal for Christmas that would fed roughly 10 people now costs about $200, up from $178 last year. File photo. subbotina/123RF
Putting on a Christmas feast with all the trimmings is not getting any cheaper, and you are already paying more as soon as you fire up the barbecue.
Infometrics has been tracking the cost of a classic Christmas meal for several years, by examining the various ingredients needed for a Christmas dinner.
Chief executive and principal economist Brad Olsen told Checkpoint his team had been looking at higher cost increases through the year, and one that really stuck out was the energy costs New Zealanders were facing.
“Electricity price inflation is up 12 percent over the 12 months to November – that’s some of the fastest electricity increases we’ve seen since 1989 – but the big one and the challenge for anybody wanting to do a barbecue is that gas prices are up 17 percent over the last year.
“So just turning the barbecue on gets expensive, before you get into what you’re putting on it.”
Infometrics looked at two different menu options – one barbecue-based with steak, lamb chops, classic salads and sausages on bread; and the other the more classic option of roast lamb, roast pork, ham, potatoes, kumura, pumpkin and beans; along with dessert options for both.
Olsen said a roast meat meal that would feed roughly 10 people would now cost about $200, up from $178 last year, and adding dessert and entrees would come with a price tag of $275.
A barbecue meal would cost about $300 for the core meats, or $380 overall with snacks and dessert.
“So you’re talking $30-$57 more for the entire Christmas meal,” said Olsen. “That might not sound like a huge amount for some people, but honestly for some households, that’s about the entire meal for a lot of people in general, let alone the increase.”
He said meat was “by far the biggest offender” when it came to increased costs, with the classic options like steak or lamb considerably more expensive this year.
However he said there were more affordable options.
“So sirloin steak is going to set you back more than $45 a kilogram, the likes of roast lamb is $25 a kilogram, lamb chops are $23 a kg. But you can get a number of chicken items for anywhere between $7 and $16 a kilo, so considerably lower, and a roast pork, at the moment you can get that for $13 a kg.”
Dessert was also looking more expensive, with egg prices up about 12 percent over the past year.
“They’ve come back a touch, but put it this way, they’re currently costing you about $4.69 on how many eggs I’m putting in my pav, they were less than three bucks for the same amount of eggs just a couple of years ago. So all of that has increased.”
Even the toppings on the Christmas pavlova can add to the increased cost, said Olsen.
“If you’re putting kiwifruit on at the moment, it’s 44 percent more expensive than it was last year. If you’re having to put your sultanas into your figgy pudding, that’s 31 percent more expensive than last year, so there are much bigger costs that are starting to really hit.”
Olsen said the Christmas season was the biggest stress test on family finances.
“Not only do you have all the food costs, it’s also the time that you do the most spending.
“If we look at card activity in the economy, we know the month of December is still the biggest spend-up, because we all go and get our Christmas presents, we go and do the Boxing Day sales afterwards.
“All of that normal stress that comes with Christmas, you add money into the mix and it’s pretty potent.”
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Source: Radio New Zealand
RNZ / REECE BAKER
A man has been arrested in central Auckland for carrying a samurai sword, which some members of the public mistook for a gun.
Police say they were initially called at around 4pm when a member of the public thought they saw a man with a gun on Upper Queen Street.
Armed police rushed to the scene but couldn’t substantiate the presence of any firearms.
Police later tracked down a man carrying a samurai sword wrapped in a jacket on nearby Vincent Street.
He was arrested and police say he will be charged with possessing an offensive weapon.
“There is no information to suggest that this samurai sword was presented at any member of the public,” a spokesperson clarified.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
A 77-year-old seriously injured his face and hands after faceplanting on the concrete outside Sydney airport. 123RF
A New Zealand family is complaining to Jetstar after their elderly father was injured during an unexpected overnight layover.
The 77-year-old seriously injured his face and hands after faceplanting on the concrete when he was forced to wait outside while the airport was closed.
Jetstar said it offered to reimburse them for overnight accommodation but they chose to wait at the airport instead, but the man’s daughter said they weren’t made aware the airport would be closed.
Rachel Cargill and her father were due to fly direct from Australia’s Gold Coast early Monday morning when the airline suddenly cancelled their flight.
“We got up 4:30 Monday morning, and there was an email from Jetstar advising us that our flight had been cancelled due to, apparently, staffing issues, and there was a link offering different flights for us,” she said.
“Every single one of those flights had a stopover of at least 10 hours in either Sydney or Melbourne.”
After considering their options, the Cargills settled for an evening flight to Sydney followed by an early morning flight to Auckland, with a 9-hour overnight layover in between.
“They did state in the email that they would reimburse us for any hotel costs, or for some of the hotel costs if we chose to get one. We chose not to, and we figured we would probably just crash in the airport in Sydney somewhere until our flight,” Rachel Cargill said.
It wasn’t until they had settled in for the evening that a security guard told them they would be kicked out between 11:30pm and 2:30am.
“He said, ‘oh, and by the way, we’re closing at 11:30 for three hours, so you will be kicked out.’ We weren’t the only ones, there were other people, and most of the seats [outside] were taken up outside with people lying on them sleeping. We managed to find one in the car park. It was raining, and it was cold,” she said.
“We got a bit cold at about one o’clock, so we decided to go for a wander around the outside of the airport to see if we could find a better spot. And as we were walking around, Dad didn’t see the gutter, and he just fell over face first… He just fell face first onto the tarmac.”
“[He] damaged his face and ripped the fingertips off his hand, and there was blood everywhere. And I’ll give credit to the security guard at the airport. He saw it happen and came over and helped us and got us some help.”
After arriving in Auckland the next day, she said her father was treated for a broken hand.
The family was initially worried the wounds on his face would require plastic surgery, but he was later given stitches.
Cargill said Jetstar should have warned them that the airport would be closed during the night.
“It would have been nice if they told us that. We may have organised a room [if we knew]. I mean, it would have only been for a few hours and a total waste of money, but it would have been better than stuck outside in the rain and the cold.”
In a statement to RNZ, Jetstar said it was “very concerned” to hear about the man’s experience.
A spokesperson noted that customers were given 11 different options for alternative flights, though Cargill said their choices had dwindled quickly as other passengers snapped them up immediately.
“We emailed customers advising we would assist with reasonable overnight accommodation costs and if needed, customers could also speak to an airport team member for help finding accommodation,” a spokesperson for Jetstar said.
“We’re sorry to learn what happened during his time in Sydney. Our customer care team will be in contact to discuss his experience.”
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Firefighters protest during their industrial dispute with FENZ. RNZ / Ruth Hill
Fire and Emergency has taken legal action against its union and one of its officials, following alleged threats and intimidation.
New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) officials are believed to have threatened and intimidated volunteers to stop them responding to emergencies using the most appropriate equipment during strike periods.
The union is also alleged to have condoned and aided the conduct, so FENZ has begun legal action in the Employment Relations Authority.
“I think the public would be appalled to learn officials of the NZPFU appear to have sought to stop volunteer firefighters going on callouts with the most appropriate appliance,” FENZ chief executive Kerry Gregory said.
“We rely on volunteers to ensure the community remains protected, including during strikes, and in 2025, this kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable.
“The alleged behaviour includes seeking to deter volunteers from responding to incidents during the NZPFU strike action and preventing them from deploying the most operationally appropriate resources to an emergency callout.
“We respect the right of people to take industrial action, but the alleged behaviour puts the community at risk and creates an unsafe workplace. We will not stand for it.”
Earlier in December, the Employment Relations Authority referred Fire and Emergency and the NZPFU to independent facilitation to help make progress in ongoing negotiations for a collective agreement. That facilitation continues.
“We also call on the NZPFU to call off its planned strikes for this Friday and Boxing Day,” Gregory said. “It’s reckless for the union to keep putting the community at risk, while we’re engaged in independent facilitation to help us reach a settlement.
“Fire and Emergency will continue to engage in the facilitation process in good faith, with the goal of reaching a fair and sustainable settlement. At the same time, we will do everything necessary to protect our team members and the wider public against behaviour that puts them in danger.”
New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union national secretary Wattie Watson said the union denied the allegations.
The union said it believed the legal action was a reflection of FENZ’s increasing frustration with the support many volunteers have articulated or demonstrated in many ways, since NZPFU members began taking strike action.
“FENZ immediately issued a public statement across the organisation and to media about their legal action, and that behaviour supports our belief that their end goal is to try and portray conflict and friction, when the reality is a camaraderie in their dedication to serving and protecting the public.
“The volunteers are facing many of the same issues that the NZPFU is fighting for and have voiced their frustration that it appears only the NZPFU are fighting against FENZ’s mismanagement of critical funding.
“FENZ is using every tactic it can muster, but our members will continue to act in a professional way and continue to foster the good working relationships with volunteers.
“It is FENZ management that are attempting to intimidate volunteers. In the NZPFU bargaining dispute in 2022, FENZ threatened volunteers with disciplinary action, if they spoke out about the issues they were facing, which ran parallel with issues the NZPFU membership was raising, including unsafe and unreliable fire appliances.”
The matter has also been refereed to police.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Jacob Duffy celebrates his five wickets in the second innings against England at Wellington. Kerry Marshall / www.photosport.nz
Third test: Black Caps v West Indies
Bay Oval, Mt Maunganui
11am, Thursday, 18 December
Live blog updates on RNZ Sport
Jacob Duffy believes the Black Caps still have enough experience to beat the West Indies again, despite the injuries that continue to hit their pace-bowling stocks.
New Zealand lost Blair Tickner during the second test at Wellington’s Basin Reserve and now head into Thursday’s third test at Mt Maunganui with a combined seven caps among the four pace bowlers.
Duffy and Zak Foulkes have three caps each, Michael Rae has one and Kristian Clarke is yet to debut.
“The blind leading the blind in terms of test experience,” Duffy said on the eve of the contest.
“We’re all just trying to figure it out together, [but] there is enough information out there to guide us through it.
“The lucky thing is that we’re home in our own conditions, so we’re all just figuring it out together and having a good time doing it.”
Duffy, 31, is seen as the leader of the group. He has taken 14 wickets so far in the series and was named man of the match for the Basin Reserve game.
However, he admitted he didn’t want to think about his current good form.
“Trying not to ride the wave, really,” he said. “There are good times in cricket and there are bad times, and I’m lucky enough at the moment that the wickets seem to be coming.
“It’s a good feeling, but part of this Black Caps environment, it keeps you grounded nicely and try not to ride that wave too hard.”
Michael Rae celebrates a wicket against West Indies. Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
Duffy saw himself as a newball bowler who can swing the ball, but he has had to fill different roles so far in the West Indies series, starting as first-change bowler at Hagley Oval, until Matt Henry and Nathan Smith went down with injuries.
“One thing we always pride ourselves is being adaptable, having the game to suit the conditions.
“That’s probably what experience is, where you sum up conditions, assess what’s going on and adapt your game to what is needed at the time.”
The Otago man has limited redball experience at Bay Oval, but has played whiteball internationals there in recent years and knows what to expect.
“It’s a nice wind for an out swing, more of a cross wind instead of into it which is a nice change.
“It dries out a bit quicker than other grounds, so there is generally decent pace and bounce, and we might see a bit of that up top, but it could potentially be in for a bit of a grind and maybe spinners do come into play.”
Spinner Ajaz Patel was added to the squad as a replacement for Tickner, who dislocated his shoulder diving on the boundary.
Despite a limp finish by the West Indies at the Basin Reserve, Duffy said the tourists had “a lot of ticker”.
“We saw it in Christchurch,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of fight and they’ll be wanting to finish off their tour strong, so [we] expect a good fight in potentially conditions that might suit them a little more.”
Zak Foulkes celebrates a wicket against West Indies. Chris Symes / www.photosport.nz
Black Caps squad: Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell (wicketkeeper), Michael Bracewell, Kristian Clarke, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Daryl Mitchell, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Will Young
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Source: Radio New Zealand
The man, aged in his 50s, has interim name suppression. RNZ / Nate McKinnon
A Christchurch man is accused of trying to solicit sexual favours from two teenage girls and sexually taunting a third, court documents show.
The man, aged in his 50s, has interim name suppression that prevents RNZ detailing much of the case.
The documents show he was charged on 29 October with five counts of exposing girls under the age of 16 to indecent communication.
According to the document, he propositioned the first girl and after sexually taunting her and asked for her phone number.
Just over a week later, he verbally taunted the girl again.
He was also accused of saying to a second teenage girl, “you’re gorgeous, you can earn some money if you give me five minutes of your time”, in June.
In early August, he was accused of saying, “you’re pretty” to a third girl before offering her $100 to perform a sex act on him.
Police were notified in the days following the approaches and the man was arrested a few weeks later.
Judge Michael Crosbie granted the man interim name suppression when he appeared at the Christchurch District Court via audio-visual link on Monday.
He is yet to enter a plea.
The man was remanded in custody until his next appearance in early 2026.
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Parents the world over have begun the task of negotiating Christmas lists written by their children.
The division of marketplace products into restrictive gender categories – known as gendered marketing – is especially pronounced in the toy market and can help entrench gender inequalities from a young age.
It happens when marketers employ the “four Ps of marketing” (products, price, place, promotion) but with an emphasis on gendered differences.
Colour-coding is used to suggest certain toys are “for boys” while others are “for girls”.
Mirna Wabi-Sabi / Unsplash
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Source: Radio New Zealand
Auckland Zoo has euthanised its elderly rhino Zambezi. Facebook/Auckland Zoo
Auckland Zoo has euthanised its elderly rhino, Zambezi, due to age-related health conditions.
The 36-year-old Southern white rhino relocated to Auckland from Hamilton Zoo in 2007.
Auckland Zoo Veterinarian Dr Adam Naylor said Zambezi’s dental disease had made it difficult for him to eat.
“We’ve been able to maintain Zambezi’s welfare through a combination of dental procedures, medication, husbandry, and dietary support. However, over a number of months, we have seen a deterioration in his dental health, he has had increased difficulty eating, and his body condition has gradually declined as a result.
Dr Naylor as Zambezi was approaching the end of his natural lifespan, vet and keeper teams have monitored him very closely in recent years.
“As part of his care, he has received regular health assessments with the support of veterinary dental specialists. Dental disease is a common age-related health issue in rhinos; a result of continuous chewing and years of cumulative wear, particularly in long-lived individuals.”
Dr Naylor said that euthanasia before Zambezi started to suffer was the most humane option.
“It’s never an easy decision to do this, and one we never take lightly, but, by acting now, we have been able to give him a peaceful and dignified end to his life.”
Auckland Zoo has euthanised its elderly rhino Zambezi. Facebook/Auckland Zoo
With adult female Jamila, he had three offspring females Nyah (5) and Amali (3), and male Zuka (1) at the zoo.
Last month, the zoo euthanised its last subantarctic seal.
It said it could not maintain the environment needed for the 20-year-old named Ōrua, who was nearing the end of his life span.
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Marie Brennan, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Waikato
The sentencing of former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming represents not just the downfall of a senior officer, but a cloud over the system that enabled him to rise almost to the top.
Once considered a frontrunner for police commissioner, McSkimming pleaded guilty to possessing child exploitation and bestiality material and was sentenced to nine months home detention.
The crimes only came to light because complaints about his conduct during the promotion process triggered a deeper investigation.
Evidence from the Independent Police Conduct Authority shows those complaints of sexual misconduct were dismissed or minimised. A young staff member who reported the alleged behaviour was undermined and her motives questioned.
This was not just about one man. It reflected a failure of proper process and wrongful protection of power at the highest levels.
The McSkimming case cannot be separated from the wider epidemic of violence against women in New Zealand.
OECD data shows the country has one of the highest rates of intimate partner violence in the developed world, with around one in three women experiencing it in their lifetime.
Police figures reveal the scale of the crisis: officers respond to family harm incidents 400 times every day. Nearly half of all homicides and reported violent crimes are linked to family violence.
Against this backdrop, the dismissal of complaints against McSkimming raised serious questions about public trust in the police. If senior police leaders are not held accountable, how can victims trust the system to protect them?
The role of the staff member who raised concerns about McSkimming’s conduct remains complex. She has been described as a “vulnerable whistleblower”, given her complaints helped trigger scrutiny of a senior officer tipped for the top job.
Yet her situation is complicated by ongoing criminal proceedings under the Harmful Digital Communications Act, where she is accused of causing harm by posting digital communications. Because those proceedings are still before the courts, it is not possible to draw firm conclusions about her conduct.
For some, the volume of her communications undermines her claim to whistleblower status; for others, it may reflect the desperation of someone trying to be heard in an institution unwilling to act, especially against powerful men. This ambiguity matters.
If she is a whistleblower, her prosecution highlights the fragility of New Zealand’s protections. If she is not, the case still raises questions about how institutions respond to dissent by focusing on the complainant’s behaviour rather than the substance of the allegations.
Either way, the outcome is the same: the man she accused of sexual misconduct was protected for a very long time and her allegations were never properly investigated.
Ensuring accountability at the highest levels of policing is vital. Leadership sets the tone for police culture. When those at the top are shielded from consequences, misconduct filters down and becomes normalised throughout the ranks.
The McSkimming case shows how misogynistic attitudes, loyalty to hierarchy and weak whistleblower protections combine to shield those in power. Accountability at the top is not symbolic; it is structural.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has already investigated aspects of this case, but its mandate is narrow: it examines police conduct, not the wider ecosystem of accountability.
It cannot compel testimony from political leaders, audit promotion processes, or recommend structural reforms beyond policing. Nor does it have the power to interrogate whether government oversight failed, or whether whistleblower protections meet international standards.
An independent public inquiry is therefore essential. It must go beyond operational misconduct to examine the culture that enabled McSkimming’s rise, assess compliance with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and measure police practices against global benchmarks.
The anti-corruption convention in particular requires states to protect whistleblowers, prevent corruption and ensure effective remedies. New Zealand has signed both treaties, but the McSkimming case shows how far reality falls short of those obligations.
Beyond the specifics of the McSkimming case, New Zealand needs a national conversation about how to ensure accountability at the highest levels of its public institutions.
This should extend to all organisations where power is concentrated – government, military, corporate leadership and beyond.
New Zealand must also strengthen whistleblower protections in line with international law – creating robust independent reporting channels, criminalising retaliation and ensuring those who speak out are not punished.
Embedding the UN anti-corruption and anti-discrimination obligations in domestic law would hardwire accountability in the system, making it harder for institutions to bury complaints or silence victims.
Specifically, there needs to be an independent integrity body with much wider powers to audit police promotions and investigate misconduct. The McSkimming sentencing does not represent closure; it is an opportunity to make real progress.
Anna Marie Brennan 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.
– ref. Jevon McSkimming sentencing: why a public inquiry into the police should be next – https://theconversation.com/jevon-mcskimming-sentencing-why-a-public-inquiry-into-the-police-should-be-next-272149
Source: Radio New Zealand
Unsplash
A TV advertising company has been caught out for lying to consumers and leaving fake reviews on its website.
The Commerce Commission says Brand Developer Limited, which trades as The TV Shop, has been convicted of 13 charges for breaches of the Fair Trading Act over a period of nearly four years.
The court’s judgement is yet to be released to media.
The Commerce Commission said the company misled customers about free or bonus items for a product.
Staff also posted reviews on its website without disclosing their connection to the company, while at the same time removing some low rating reviews.
The company will be sentenced next year.
More to come…
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
Unsplash
A TV advertising company has been caught out for lying to consumers and leaving fake reviews on its website.
The Commerce Commission says Brand Developer Limited, which trades as The TV Shop, has been convicted of 13 charges for breaches of the Fair Trading Act over a period of nearly four years.
The court’s judgement is yet to be released to media.
The Commerce Commission said the company misled customers about free or bonus items for a product.
Staff also posted reviews on its website without disclosing their connection to the company, while at the same time removing some low rating reviews.
The company will be sentenced next year.
More to come…
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
The Reserve Bank plans to reduce the amount of capital banks are required to hold against their loans. RNZ / Dom Thomas
Changes to bank capital requirements may mean home loan interest rates are lower than they could otherwise have been, but the impact is likely to be small, economists say.
The Reserve Bank announced on Wednesday it would go ahead with its plans to reduce the amount of capital banks are required to hold against their loans by about $5 billion overall.
The rate has been increasing in stages since 2019, to shore up the ability of banks to withstand a shock.
But there have been concerns that the rules make it hard for smaller banks to compete, and could be making borrowing more expensive.
The changes also introduce more granular risk weights, simplification of capital instruments, and greater alignment of instruments for the big four banks with Australian settings. The final package further refines risk weights consulted on in August.
Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman said it expected there to be a positive impact on borrowers.
“These new settings will reduce the overall cost of deposit takers’ funding, which we expect to see passed on as benefits to New Zealanders through increased lending and reduced rates, which we will monitor closely.”
Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan said the change could mean a small impact on interest rates, of possibly 40 to 60 basis points.
“Business and farm lending was a bit more impacted [by the increased requirements in 2019] than residential stuff from what I remember. If you’re unwinding that then we might be talking 10 or 15 basis points. It’s a little but maybe it just helps things run a bit smoother in terms of the economy and reducing some of those costs. But it’s not even an entire OCR move.”
David Cunningham, chief executive of Squirrel, said because the peak capital requirement had not yet been reached the change could just mean that rates did not increase further.
“I think it’s at the margins because the banks have all increased their capital quite significantly anyway.”
Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub agreed the impact would be small.
He said Breman’s effort this week to push back against wholesale markets pricing in OCR increases in future, which have led to higher retail rates, was not likely to be successful.
“You can’t publish a set of forecasts that’s clearly showing rising interest rates and then say the markets are wrong. It’s one or the other. I think they’ve got a real problem in terms of they seem to keep on snatching defeat from the jaws of victory… the reason that swap rates are up is that the markets think there will be a recovery.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
PATHA is seeking a judicial review of what it calls the “illegal and unethical decision”. File photo. RNZ // Angus Dreaver
The ban on new prescriptions of puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria in young people – which was due to come into effect this week – has been delayed, pending a judicial review.
In a decision just released, the High Court in Wellington has ruled in favour of the Professional Association for Transgender Healthcare Aotearoa (PATHA), which filed an application for an urgent injunction to prevent the ban coming into effect on 19 December.
The government announced last month it was banning new prescriptions of the drugs (gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues), which are used to halt the unwanted physical changes that come with puberty, until the outcome of a major clinical trial in Britain, expected in 2031.
PATHA is seeking a judicial review of what it calls the “illegal and unethical decision”, saying the use of puberty blockers should remain a decision made by doctors in consultation with affected families.
President Jennifer Shields told the court the organisation was not consulted or even given prior warning of the Cabinet decision.
“PATHA was only made aware that there had been a decision made about puberty blockers from an X post on the morning of 19 November 2025.”
A community researcher on transgender health, Julia de Bres, said parents were deeply shocked by the government announcement and there was “widespread panic and distress”.
In an affidavit for PATHA, a doctor said restricting access to this medication was likely to pose ethical challenges to health professionals who could no longer deliver what was “accepted to be best-practice care”.
Justice Michele Wilkinson-Smith said it was not possible to make an order directing the Health Minister to ask the Governor General to amend or appeal the regulations, as PATHA had sought.
“Such an order would potentially pit the Court against the Executive Council and that is constitutionally inappropriate,” she wrote.
“However, in this judgement I make a declaration that the Crown should take no steps to enforce the regulations pending the judicial review being determined.”
There was a reasonable argument that the regulations were “unlawful in a judicial review sense”.
“There is also no evidence of a particular need to act urgently to prevent new prescriptions because of some immediate risk to physical health if young people commence treatment.”
The potential for a negative effect on mental health from banning them was “a far more immediate concern”, she said.
Furthermore, the timing of the regulations, coupled with the lack of notice that a ban was contemplated “had the effect of taking PATHA and the whole transgender community by surprise”.
“Standing back and looking at the overall justice of the situation, I am persuaded that a delay in enforcement of the regulations is the best option now available.
“The judicial review should be heard with all possible urgency.”
Health Minister Simeon Brown declined to comment in detail while the matter remained before the courts, but said the government was seeking legal advice.
In his affidavit, Brown said he recommended to Cabinet that it agree to progress policy options to “respond to the issue of poor evidence either for or against any long-term benefits or risks from puberty blocker treatment”.
While puberty blockers had been approved for many years to temporarily delay precocious puberty in very young children, their “off label” use to treat gender dysphoria increased markedly between 2010 and 2020, followed by a fall-off towards 2024, he noted.
The Health Ministry’s evidence review in 2022 found “a scarcity of quality evidence” on the impacts of puberty blockers in terms of clinical and mental health and well-being outcomes.
“The evidence reviewed was found to be of low quality with studies presenting a high risk of bias and significant limitations.”
Brown said the lack of evidence meant there was a risk of unintended consequences for gender dysphoric children and adolescents.
“After balancing the risk of restricting the medicine against the uncertainty and risk of potential harm for those patients, the Minister says he was satisfied that a cautious approach was required.”
Consultation with PATHA and other groups and individuals on whether restrictions were necessary was carried out by the Health Ministry between November 2024 and January 2025.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the court’s decision was “sensible,” and called the original decision by the government “politically motivated.”
Hipkins said Labour’s position was that it was a matter for the young person concerned, their family, and their physician.
“I don’t to buy into the identity politics argument, or culture war, frankly, that the current government are trying to provoke with these sorts of decisions. Because I actually don’t think that’s a good place for our very diverse rainbow community to find themselves.”
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said the courts had come down on the side of people having access to gender-affirming healthcare.
“Well done to the communities, organisations out there who showed up for each other. Wish this government would listen,” she 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
PATHA is seeking a judicial review of what it calls the “illegal and unethical decision”. File photo. RNZ // Angus Dreaver
The ban on new prescriptions of puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria in young people – which was due to come into effect this week – has been delayed, pending a judicial review.
In a decision just released, the High Court in Wellington has ruled in favour of the Professional Association for Transgender Healthcare Aotearoa (PATHA), which filed an application for an urgent injunction to prevent the ban coming into effect on 19 December.
The government announced last month it was banning new prescriptions of the drugs (gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues), which are used to halt the unwanted physical changes that come with puberty, until the outcome of a major clinical trial in Britain, expected in 2031.
PATHA is seeking a judicial review of what it calls the “illegal and unethical decision”, saying the use of puberty blockers should remain a decision made by doctors in consultation with affected families.
President Jennifer Shields told the court the organisation was not consulted or even given prior warning of the Cabinet decision.
“PATHA was only made aware that there had been a decision made about puberty blockers from an X post on the morning of 19 November 2025.”
A community researcher on transgender health, Julia de Bres, said parents were deeply shocked by the government announcement and there was “widespread panic and distress”.
In an affidavit for PATHA, a doctor said restricting access to this medication was likely to pose ethical challenges to health professionals who could no longer deliver what was “accepted to be best-practice care”.
Justice Michele Wilkinson-Smith said it was not possible to make an order directing the Health Minister to ask the Governor General to amend or appeal the regulations, as PATHA had sought.
“Such an order would potentially pit the Court against the Executive Council and that is constitutionally inappropriate,” she wrote.
“However, in this judgement I make a declaration that the Crown should take no steps to enforce the regulations pending the judicial review being determined.”
There was a reasonable argument that the regulations were “unlawful in a judicial review sense”.
“There is also no evidence of a particular need to act urgently to prevent new prescriptions because of some immediate risk to physical health if young people commence treatment.”
The potential for a negative effect on mental health from banning them was “a far more immediate concern”, she said.
Furthermore, the timing of the regulations, coupled with the lack of notice that a ban was contemplated “had the effect of taking PATHA and the whole transgender community by surprise”.
“Standing back and looking at the overall justice of the situation, I am persuaded that a delay in enforcement of the regulations is the best option now available.
“The judicial review should be heard with all possible urgency.”
Health Minister Simeon Brown declined to comment in detail while the matter remained before the courts, but said the government was seeking legal advice.
In his affidavit, Brown said he recommended to Cabinet that it agree to progress policy options to “respond to the issue of poor evidence either for or against any long-term benefits or risks from puberty blocker treatment”.
While puberty blockers had been approved for many years to temporarily delay precocious puberty in very young children, their “off label” use to treat gender dysphoria increased markedly between 2010 and 2020, followed by a fall-off towards 2024, he noted.
The Health Ministry’s evidence review in 2022 found “a scarcity of quality evidence” on the impacts of puberty blockers in terms of clinical and mental health and well-being outcomes.
“The evidence reviewed was found to be of low quality with studies presenting a high risk of bias and significant limitations.”
Brown said the lack of evidence meant there was a risk of unintended consequences for gender dysphoric children and adolescents.
“After balancing the risk of restricting the medicine against the uncertainty and risk of potential harm for those patients, the Minister says he was satisfied that a cautious approach was required.”
Consultation with PATHA and other groups and individuals on whether restrictions were necessary was carried out by the Health Ministry between November 2024 and January 2025.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the court’s decision was “sensible,” and called the original decision by the government “politically motivated.”
Hipkins said Labour’s position was that it was a matter for the young person concerned, their family, and their physician.
“I don’t to buy into the identity politics argument, or culture war, frankly, that the current government are trying to provoke with these sorts of decisions. Because I actually don’t think that’s a good place for our very diverse rainbow community to find themselves.”
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said the courts had come down on the side of people having access to gender-affirming healthcare.
“Well done to the communities, organisations out there who showed up for each other. Wish this government would listen,” she said.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
The Reserve Bank plans to reduce the amount of capital banks are required to hold against their loans. RNZ / Dom Thomas
Changes to bank capital requirements may mean home loan interest rates are lower than they could otherwise have been, but the impact is likely to be small, economists say.
The Reserve Bank announced on Wednesday it would go ahead with its plans to reduce the amount of capital banks are required to hold against their loans by about $5 billion overall.
The rate has been increasing in stages since 2019, to shore up the ability of banks to withstand a shock.
But there have been concerns that the rules make it hard for smaller banks to compete, and could be making borrowing more expensive.
The changes also introduce more granular risk weights, simplification of capital instruments, and greater alignment of instruments for the big four banks with Australian settings. The final package further refines risk weights consulted on in August.
Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman said it expected there to be a positive impact on borrowers.
“These new settings will reduce the overall cost of deposit takers’ funding, which we expect to see passed on as benefits to New Zealanders through increased lending and reduced rates, which we will monitor closely.”
Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan said the change could mean a small impact on interest rates, of possibly 40 to 60 basis points.
“Business and farm lending was a bit more impacted [by the increased requirements in 2019] than residential stuff from what I remember. If you’re unwinding that then we might be talking 10 or 15 basis points. It’s a little but maybe it just helps things run a bit smoother in terms of the economy and reducing some of those costs. But it’s not even an entire OCR move.”
David Cunningham, chief executive of Squirrel, said because the peak capital requirement had not yet been reached the change could just mean that rates did not increase further.
“I think it’s at the margins because the banks have all increased their capital quite significantly anyway.”
Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub agreed the impact would be small.
He said Breman’s effort this week to push back against wholesale markets pricing in OCR increases in future, which have led to higher retail rates, was not likely to be successful.
“You can’t publish a set of forecasts that’s clearly showing rising interest rates and then say the markets are wrong. It’s one or the other. I think they’ve got a real problem in terms of they seem to keep on snatching defeat from the jaws of victory… the reason that swap rates are up is that the markets think there will be a recovery.”
Sign up for Money with Susan Edmunds, a weekly newsletter covering all the things that affect how we make, spend and invest money.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on December 17, 2025.
If you witnessed the Bondi Hanukkah attack, here’s what you might be going through
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chelsea Arnold, Clinical Psychologist and Research Fellow (Lead Clinician), Monash University Many hundreds of people were at Bondi beach on Sunday when 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration, killing 15 people. Many witnesses saw people be seriously injured
The budget update shows a slight improvement in the federal deficit, but it’s mostly due to good luck
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra The federal government’s mid-year budget update shows a modest improvement in the deficit forecast in 2025–26, but much of this comes from a larger-than-forecast tax take. The update, known as the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), estimates a
Stories from traditional knowledge combined with archaeological work trace 2,300km of Songlines
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Iain Davidson, Emeritus Professor, Department of Archaeology, Classics and History, University of New England Mrs Hansen telling stories about the art to Isabel’s husband, Ray, at the Mulligan art site crop Iain Davidson All over Australia, Songlines, or Dreaming tracks, connected First Nations people in one place
This peace deal ended Europe’s last major war 30 years ago. It provides important lessons for today’s fractured world
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland Thirty years ago this week, the Dayton Accords were signed in Paris, bringing an end to the Bosnian war, the most destructive conflict Europe had witnessed since 1945. Weeks of intensive negotiations at
Some words affect us more than others. It boils down to how they sound
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rikke Louise Bundgaard-Nielsen, Senior Lecturer, School of Languages and Linguistics, The University of Melbourne Cristina Gottardi/Unsplash Effective communication lies at the heart of human connection. It helps us collaborate with each other, solve problems and build relationships. And communicating clearly is a major consideration for most of
Some words affect us more than others. It boils down to how they sound
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rikke Louise Bundgaard-Nielsen, Senior Lecturer, School of Languages and Linguistics, The University of Melbourne Cristina Gottardi/Unsplash Effective communication lies at the heart of human connection. It helps us collaborate with each other, solve problems and build relationships. And communicating clearly is a major consideration for most of
Why is time going so fast and how do I slow it down?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hinze Hogendoorn, Professor, Visual Time Perception, Queensland University of Technology Jean-Guillaume Starnini/Pexels How is it December already? What happened to 2025? And how did we suddenly jump from eating Easter eggs to putting up Christmas trees? To understand why our perception of time seems to bend and
Why is time going so fast and how do I slow it down?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hinze Hogendoorn, Professor, Visual Time Perception, Queensland University of Technology Jean-Guillaume Starnini/Pexels How is it December already? What happened to 2025? And how did we suddenly jump from eating Easter eggs to putting up Christmas trees? To understand why our perception of time seems to bend and
How cricket balls move: the science behind swing, seam and spin
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cody Lindsay, Lecturer, Exercise and Sport Science, Flinders University If you’ve ever watched a batter get beaten by a ball that curved, jagged or dipped at the last moment, you’ve seen one of cricket’s great mysteries. Whether it’s a Mitchell Starc inswinger, a Josh Hazlewood delivery that
Christmas is peak kidney stone season. Blame dehydration, the heat and all that food
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anthony Dat, Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Sciences, Monash University Carlina Teteris/Getty Christmas in Australia is a great time to spend enjoying the outdoors, with plenty of good food and drink. But such a combination contributes to this time of year being the peak
Leave notes, play games, go shopping: how to boost your child’s multilingual skills these holidays
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julie Choi, Senior lecturer in Education (Additional Languages), The University of Melbourne Kamaji Ogino/ Pexels About 5.7 million Australians speak a language other than English at home. Most multilingual children spend their school days speaking English and during term-time, home languages often take a back seat. So
Supermarket price gouging will be banned from July. Will consumers actually end up better off?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sanjoy Paul, Associate Professor in Operations and Supply Chain Management, UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney This week, the federal government announced a ban on supermarket price gouging, aiming to get “a fairer go for families in their weekly shop”. From July 1 2026, the new
Who really photographed Napalm Girl? The famous war photo is now contested history
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Cantrell, Senior Lecturer, Writing, Editing and Publishing, University of Southern Queensland The Terror of War, commonly known as “Napalm Girl”, is one of the most enduring and influential images of the 20th century. Captured on June 8 1972, the photograph shows nine-year-old Kim Phúc running naked
What NZ needs to watch as Australia reforms gun laws after the Bondi terror attack
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato The Bondi terror attack on Sunday has seen Australian federal, state and territory governments agree to the biggest overhaul of firearms regulations since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. For New Zealanders, with memories of the horrific 2019 Christchurch terror
Mid-year budget update will project deficit of nearly $37 billion for current financial year
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Wednesday’s budget update will project a deficit of $36.8 billion for this financial year, which is $5.4 billion better than forecast in the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) issued before the May election. The update projects deficits that are
Mid-year budget update will project deficit of nearly $37 billion for current financial year
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Wednesday’s budget update will project a deficit of $36.8 billion for this financial year, which is $5.4 billion better than forecast in the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) issued before the May election. The update projects deficits that are
Keith Rankin Analysis – Fire! Fire! Today’s Vestiges of Ruthenasia and Classical Austerity
Analysis by Keith Rankin, 16 December 2025 RNZ news item, 12pm 9 Dec 2025: “Finance Minister Nicola Willis has challenged one of her predecessors Ruth Richardson to debate her on how to best manage the country’s finances. Our political reporter Anneke Smith has more: ‘The taxpayers union is poised to launch a pressure campaign targeting
Hidden clues in colonial journals reveal why Tasmania’s remote west keeps burning
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania In 1830, the Palawa people were in the midst of their guerilla war against the British colonists taking their land in what is now Tasmania. After flaring in the mid-1820s, intensifying violence had claimed hundreds of
Trump is close to naming the new Federal Reserve chief. His choice could raise the risk of stagflation
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Maher, Lecturer in Politics, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney US President Donald Trump has signalled in an interview with the Wall Street Journal he is close to announcing his pick for the next chair of the US Federal Reserve. With inflation again
Is there much COVID around? Do I need the new booster shot LP.8.1?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Esterman, Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of South Australia Luis Alvarez/Getty COVID rarely rates a mention in the news these days, yet it hasn’t gone away. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, is still with us. It continues to infect thousands of Australians each month,
Source: Radio New Zealand
Primary school teachers and principals have both rejected potential settlements. File photo. RNZ / Alexander Robertson
Primary school teachers belonging to the NZEI union have rejected the government’s latest pay offer.
The decision followed last week’s vote by primary school principals – belonging to the same union – to reject a potential settlement.
It stands in contrast to secondary schools, where teachers and principals have accepted similar deals.
The primary school teacher offer included a pay rise of 2.5 percent on 28 January and 2.1 percent a year later.
It also dropped a government claim for more “call-back days”, requiring teachers to work outside of term time.
NZEI Te Riu Roa primary teacher negotiation team lead Liam Rutherford said teacher aides, administrative staff, librarians, kaiārahi i te reo, therapists, science technicians and other school staff had also rejected their respective government offers.
“The outcome reflects deep dissatisfaction among our teachers, who are demanding an offer that genuinely addresses cost-of-living pressures and upholds their professional claims,” Rutherford said.
“The rejected offer is barely different from the unacceptable offer primary teachers also thumbed down in September,” he said.
“It entirely omits any reference to upholding Te Tiriti in education – which is one of our core claims. The absence of this commitment, coupled with the substandard pay offer, tells teachers they are neither financially valued nor supported in their cultural obligations to learners. The sector is standing together for a fair settlement.”
Rutherford said the government’s offer was made on 11 December, when some schools had already closed for the year.
Rutherford told RNZ the union’s members overwhelmingly rejected the offer.
He said the union would inform the Education Ministry today and would seek further negotiations in January if possible.
“We’re really keen to get this settled. We want to see minimal disruption as we’re heading into the new year,” he said.
Rutherford said members’ feedback showed they were worried about attracting and retaining people to primary school teaching.
He said some teachers were thinking about moving to Australia and many wanted more help with pupils who needed learning support.
“People have been talking about pay increases that don’t take them backward and having adequate resourcing in the learning support space. Some people have been talking about that as a teacher aide in every class,” 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
Jevon McSkimming was sentenced to nine months home detention at the Wellington District Court. RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
Disgraced former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming has avoided jail time, instead sentenced to nine months’ home detention, at the Wellington District Court this afternoon.
He pleaded guilty in November to three representative charges of possessing objectionable publications, namely child sexual exploitation and bestiality material, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the publication is objectionable.
His lawyer Letizea Ord told the court he is very remorseful, and has described himself as deeply ashamed.
Judge Tim Black also ruled he did not need to register on the child sex offending registry, as his risk to the community is low.
He was suspended on full pay from the role in December, amid a separate investigation into sexual misconduct.
In March, he was notified of a second criminal investigation relating to his use of his work devices.
RNZ reported his Google searches included AI material, including references to nude toddlers and a nude nazi girl, and other words typed included ‘slave’, ‘abuse’ and ‘extreme’.
On 12 May, Police Minister Mark Mitchell announced McSkimming had resigned, saying he had effectively jumped before he could be pushed, marking the end of a 29-year career.
More to come…
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
Motorcyclists protested the planned charges. Supplied/Lucy Morris
A plan to charge motorcyclists for parking in Wellington City has been scrapped by councillors.
In May the Wellington City Council voted to put in fees of $1 per hour for motorbikes to park in car parks, with a daily cap of $6.
Deputy Mayor Ben McNulty put a notice of revocation forward at a meeting on Wednesday to get the charges removed which was supported.
McNulty said it was common sense to axe the payments.
“The economics of charging for motorcycle parking were simply not convincing for me, the Mayor and the majority of councillors now, and was out of step with public sentiment.”
He said Wellington was set to be the only city in New Zealand that charged for motorcycle parking.
“That’s not a good look for a city that wants to encourage different and more climate-friendly transport options into the city.”
In June motorcyclists staged a sit in on The Terrace in Wellington after concern about the planned charges.
Protester Lucy Morris told Morning Report the charges would affect other road users.
“It reduces congestion on the roads, it improves traffic flow, and having to pay for this is going to drive more people into less efficient modes of transport like single-use car rides.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
An artists impression of the new civic precinct. Supplied / Tauranga City Council
Old wounds from the time the Tauranga was run by government commissioners have reopened during a discussion on future funding for the city’s civic precinct.
The Tauranga city council met on Tuesday to decide how the Te Manawataki o Te Papa civic precinct project would continue to be funded.
The $306 million precinct in the city centre Te Manawataki o Te Papa – the ‘heartbeat of Te Papa’ – will take up a city block and include a new library, community hub, civic whare and museum, all facing a green space.
The project was started when the city was run by government commissioners.
Its future funding has been a continued issue for the council – after it was elected it moved away from funding the project through the commissioners’ proposed Infrastructure Funding and Financing levy.
Along with borrowing, options discussed for continued funding included using money raised from potential asset sales, redirecting existing funding streams – such as parking revenue or airport surpluses – and looking for philanthropic funding.
The council discussion began with a suggestion that the council could redirect existing funds.
Mayor Mahé Drysdale seemed to quickly tire of that direction and said it lacked transparency.
“This is how I see it – we’ve continually talked about keeping it simple, by saying ‘oh we are making money over here and we’re going to shift it over here and pay off debt over here’ but the ultimate result is someone ends up paying,” he said.
Several councillors also wondered if this would create perverse results, such as raising parking fees just to pay for the civic precinct, or binding up a future council which might want to make parking free.
In a split vote, the council decided that the most transparent way to proceed was to prioritise use of any profit from potential asset sales to offset new debt and rates-funded interest associated with Te Manawataki o Te Papa, and to seek more philanthropic support for the project.
Councillor Glen Crowther said the decision signalled to local philanthropists that they need to step up.
“The wealthy people in this city were the people calling for this project more than anyone,” he said.
Crowther said ratepayers should contribute as little as possible to the project and council should go to those wealthy people who said they would back it.
“Some of those people were saying, publicly, that the ratepayers would only have to foot half the bill, so if that’s the case they need to stump up with some money and put their money were their mouths were for year after year after year and support us to get money through their connections,” he said.
Past decision making around Te Manawataki o Te Papa was one of several decisions, made while the city was being governed by commissioners, which the Office of the Auditor-General was asked to look into.
The office decline to investigate it, a decision which still obviously upset some around the table.
Councillor Steve Morris said he felt the commissioners tried to bind future council decisions by the way they went about projects.
“I’ve learnt two things about transparency and accountability in New Zealand through observing the commission’s decisions at the end of their term, [one] is that you can give a narrative that is untethered from the truth to Audit New Zealand, and two – Audit New Zealand doesn’t care,” said Morris.
The council’s decision fed into the development of its draft 2026/27 Annual Plan, which will be consulted on in the new year.
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chelsea Arnold, Clinical Psychologist and Research Fellow (Lead Clinician), Monash University
Many hundreds of people were at Bondi beach on Sunday when 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram opened fire on a Hanukkah celebration, killing 15 people.
Many witnesses saw people be seriously injured or die. These experiences are considered traumatic events, even when you don’t know the person who was harmed.
While some people will be able to process such events with some coping strategies, others will will find their extreme distress impacts their mental health.
If you witnessed the Bondi Hanukkah attack, here’s what you might be going through – and when you might need additional support.
People who witnessed the attacks may be affected in different ways.
Factors that make people more vulnerable to traumatic responses, such as extreme distress or mental health challenges, include:
being closely involved in the attack, placing you in immediate physical danger or witnessing somebody else be seriously injured
thinking your life was at risk or being extremely fearful during the attack
having a history of traumatic experiences
being from a minority background
being part of a targeted group, with the Jewish community disproportionately impacted by this attack.
In the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, it’s normal for people to have heightened emotions. Some people might feel upset or overwhelmed, or experience a low mood.
People might feel very fearful or anxious, and feel they need to constantly check their environment for signs of threat.
Witnessing or experiencing traumatic events can impact your ability to complete everyday tasks. People may feel disorientated or have intrusive thoughts about the event. These experiences can change over time and vary from day to day.
While these responses can be distressing and disruptive, they’re our brain’s attempt to make sense of what we experienced. Our brains are designed to keep us safe, so after a threat to our safety, it makes sense we’re on high alert.
Social and emotional support tends to be the most helpful option for most people to get through and reduce the impact of traumatic events. So lean on your personal network.
Exercising can also be helpful in preventing negative mental health issues after a traumatic event.
Exposure to media about the traumatic event, particularly graphic images and videos, is linked with worse mental health outcomes. Limiting your media consumption is particularly important for people directly linked to the attack.
Faith-based or spiritual practices may help some people to find meaning after a traumatic event, or to draw comfort from their community and rituals.
Finding small ways to help or give back, such as charity or blood donations, or attending memorials can reduce feelings of helplessness.
Coping strategies such as avoidance, emotional numbing and disconnection tend to be less helpful. Instead, deliberately reflecting about the event, problem-solving and seeking understanding are more effective for promoting recovery.
Read more:
Want to donate blood after the Bondi attacks? Here’s what you need to know
Most people psychologically recover after experiencing a traumatic event, with their distress reducing over time. For many people, the initial feelings and impact on day-to-day functioning significantly reduce within the first month after the traumatic event.
However, some people may have more severe or prolonged reactions. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that mcay develop in some people following exposure to a traumatic event.
Symptoms of PTSD include:
PTSD is common after a terrorist attack. Around 20% of people who witness terrorist attacks may develop PTSD.
While most people who experience traumatic events don’t have ongoing symptoms of PTSD, some people might need professional support.
If symptoms of PTSD are still present three months after the trauma exposure and significantly interfering with your everyday life, then it might be time to seek professional support.
Psychological treatments, including trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) are effective for trauma responses, including PTSD.
If you need additional support, reaching out to your GP is a good place to start. Your GP can support you with a referral to a psychologist who specialises in trauma.
If this article has raised issues for you, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or you can find further resources here.
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.
– ref. If you witnessed the Bondi Hanukkah attack, here’s what you might be going through – https://theconversation.com/if-you-witnessed-the-bondi-hanukkah-attack-heres-what-you-might-be-going-through-272054
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra
The federal government’s mid-year budget update shows a modest improvement in the deficit forecast in 2025–26, but much of this comes from a larger-than-forecast tax take.
The update, known as the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), estimates a deficit for 2025–26 at A$37 billion, or 1.3% of gross domestic product (GDP). This is down from the $42 billion forecast in the March 2025 federal budget and the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Outlook (PEFO) issued before the May election.
The drivers of the $5 billion improvement in the bottom line are largely outside government control – higher global commodity prices, and a higher income tax take. That’s due to a stronger jobs market and higher wages growth than previously forecast.
The Australian government’s gross debt is projected to exceed $1 trillion for the first time by mid-2027.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers described the update as being “all about delivery, responsibility and restraint”.
MYEFO is required by the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 to be tabled in parliament by the end of January. In recent years it has mostly been released in mid-December.
The document can be merely a technical update of the estimates for economic changes, or an opportunity for policy announcements to reset the government’s budget plans.
The 2025 MYEFO is a mix of both. It includes numerous policy measures, though most confirm announcements already made at or soon after the election. Parameter changes, such as increases in tax revenue, are nevertheless far bigger than all of the policy changes combined.
Restraint in some areas is needed, given what Finance Minister Katy Gallagher referred to as “significant spending pressures”. These include:
Natural Disaster Relief – an additional $6.3 billion over the four years of forward estimates
Higher than expected uptake of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program has increased
payments by $4.9 billion
The Age Pension, up $3 billion over four years, reflecting increased numbers of pensions. This revision is puzzling, because numbers should have been predictable at budget time
Defence Force superannuation benefits, up $2.1 billion, largely reflecting a revised valuation of the government’s superannuation liability
a range of other increases over the four years of forward estimates, including in veterans’ entitlements, childcare subsidies, non-government schools, and carers.
Not included, but sure to come, is additional spending in response to the Bondi terrorism shooting incident and its tragic loss of life.
Spending pressures outlined in the last budget, in health, the NDIS, public debt interest and defence, continue.
The CSIRO is set to receive an additional $233 million, which will be directed to priorities such as AI, quantum sensing, robotics, critical minerals, climate change adaptation and resilience, agricultural productivity and biosecurity. Tight budgets have led to serious concerns about cuts to CSIRO staff. This additional funding will to an extent help offset those concerns.
Investments in areas such as climate resilience may take time to pay off, but as shown by the massive increase in disaster payments in this budget update, are very much needed.
Chalmers has confirmed the government will not be extending electricity bill rebates. They will end in December, as planned. This is a bold measure given opinion polls showed 65% of people surveyed supported extending them.
There have been further cuts in public-service use of contractors and in areas such as travel and hospitality. There are some specific cuts, for example in climate change, but no sign of reported but unconfirmed 5% savings for public service departments.
Chalmers claimed the federal government’s $20 billion in savings in the mid-year update meant it “has now delivered $114 billion in savings and reprioritisations since coming to office”.
Although this is technically true, reprioritisation does not help the budget balance. It shifts spending from one bucket to another – a good thing if new purposes meet Australia’s needs more effectively – but does not deliver net savings.
The Australian Financial Review is highly critical of Chalmers’ claims. After more than three-and-a-half years, comparisons with the previous Coalition government’s fiscal record are wearing thin.
Chalmers said the government had “kept average real spending growth to around half the 30-year average”. But that average includes the large amount of spending during the COVID years.
Treasury has also updated the economic forecasts from the budget.
Treasury has lifted its forecast for inflation during 2025–26 from 3% in the budget to 3.75% in the mid-year update. This is a very similar inflation forecast as the Reserve Bank. But it is 0.5% higher than the forecast growth in wages, so the cost of living will remain an issue.
Inflation is forecast to drop back to 2.75% in 2026–27, back within the Reserve Bank’s 2–3% target band, and less than the expected increase in wages that year.
Real GDP is forecast to grow by 2.25% in 2025–26 and 2026–27. This is just above the rate the Reserve Bank believes the economy can sustain without putting upward pressure on inflation.
Unemployment is forecast to be around 4.5% in mid-2026 and mid-2027.
In short, this update contains no big surprises but also no significant changes to improve the budget bottom line or significant tax reform to make the economy more efficient and more equitable for future generations.
John Hawkins was formerly a senior economist with Treasury and the Reserve Bank.
Stephen Bartos 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.
– ref. The budget update shows a slight improvement in the federal deficit, but it’s mostly due to good luck – https://theconversation.com/the-budget-update-shows-a-slight-improvement-in-the-federal-deficit-but-its-mostly-due-to-good-luck-271934
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Iain Davidson, Emeritus Professor, Department of Archaeology, Classics and History, University of New England
All over Australia, Songlines, or Dreaming tracks, connected First Nations people in one place with those in another through ritual, song and storytelling, which told of their shared beliefs.
In our newly published research, we have used material evidence to establish such links where they were disrupted by the violent past.
Isabel’s mother, Mrs Hansen, told stories from the traditional knowledge of her tribe, the Wangkamadla people, that Isabel passed on to her daughter Avelina.
We have combined these with the archaeological work of Iain in different parts of Australia, to extend the connectivity of those songs and tracks from one region to another.
Rock art images in one region show Songlines reached from Murujuga beside the Indian Ocean to the eastern Simpson Desert 2,300 kilometers away.
Mrs Hansen (first name, Annie) and her husband Jack (also known as Snapshot) were born about 125 years ago and brought up on their own First Nations Country on the edge of the Simpson Desert of far western Queensland.
The Hansens were employed at Glenormiston Station in the Channel Country, and from time to time would visit sacred sites in the region to maintain them and retell their songs and stories.
The people of the station referred to this as “going walkabout” as if it was trivial, but it was an important part of maintaining their connection to Country. Isabel was brought up on that Country.
In 1982, Mrs Hansen led a party of people on a tour of such sites. The group included Iain, and Isabel and her husband Ramón Tarragó. Some were ceremonial sites, such as the nest of cobbles, others were art sites.
At these, Mrs Hansen would tell us stories associated with the sites.
During that trip, Mrs Hansen sang songs for Isabel in the language she learned with her tribe and accompanied the songs with sand drawings.
Her stories told of connections to the west through the Songlines or Dreaming tracks associated with the travels of Dingoes from the West and Emus from the Southwest, and she talked to us about connections to Western Australia.
Our studies of the images in the art show the same images can be found right across Australia from the Simpson Desert to the Indian Ocean.
The map of sites with related imagery was made up of smaller regions with interconnected networks of relationships and stories.
Often, these regions had a different range of motifs, but the geometric signs with coded meanings were present among them.
We show in the map of the Boulia region, that, according to stories told us by First Nations Yulluna man Tom Sullivan, there were more local Dreaming tracks or Songlines (in these cases of the Yellow Belly fish from Wonomo Waterhole and the Rainbow Serpent from Woodul Rockhole both further north).
These stories aligned with the mythology along the trading routes moving north for the narcotic drug Pituri for which the ceremonies were owned by Mrs Hansen and related women.
We have also traced archaeological evidence of axes from the quarries around Cloncurry and Mount Isa moving south along these same routes, and there are other links through message sticks collected in the 19th century.
On rock faces and in caves are paintings and carvings that white men have never seen. In that Country lie the bones of my people.
All over Australia, there are sites with paintings or carvings which have been damaged by weathering during the passage of time. The repeated use of the rock at different times, and the different weathering of the art over time, shows the places were likely to have been part of a long tradition of ceremony and ritual.
The repeated marking of the rocks with similar signs suggests the stories, such as those told by Mrs Hansen, provided coded meanings.
We can compare some of the images on the edge of the Simpson with those as far west as Murujuga in Western Australia, as well as in between. This allows us to see meanings were encoded in similar ways and the connections gave meaning to the rituals that accompanied the stories.
Similar signs are found in the rock art right across Australia from the Indian Ocean to the Simpson Desert, and stretching to the north around Cloncurry and to the south at Mutawinji. These likely provide the common coded meanings in ceremonies.
When Mrs Hansen and Jack Hansen “went walkabout”, it was not a trivial matter, as people on the station thought. Rather it was an important part of maintaining their ritual relationships with Country, long after pastoralism had destroyed much of the context.
Through such relationships we can identify the reach of the Songlines Mrs Hansen spoke about.
Iain Davidson previously received funding from Australian Research Council. This research was part of his ongoing work from 1981 onwards. His book was published in 2025 and the research reported here occupies part of chapter nine.
Avelina Tarrago and Isabel Tarrago 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.
– ref. Stories from traditional knowledge combined with archaeological work trace 2,300km of Songlines – https://theconversation.com/stories-from-traditional-knowledge-combined-with-archaeological-work-trace-2-300km-of-songlines-269400
Source: Radio New Zealand
RNZ
The Reserve Bank has reduced the amount of capital that banks will need to hold in case of financial shocks, which it says will improve competition and lower costs.
The central bank has followed through on a preliminary report and decided to lower the overall amount of capital that will need to be held, while they will have to hold lesser assets to absorb any losses.
RBNZ chair Rodger Finlay said the environment had changed since it brought in the current settings in 2019, including the introduction of the Depositor Compensation Scheme, and more intensive supervision of the sector.
“This led us to ease common equity requirements across the system by around $5 billion compared to current levels, while still remaining confident in our system resilience.”
He said the settings for the big four Australian owned banks was now closer to what occurred in Australia, while the risk weightings for various types of lending has been refined, and the range of assets used for reserves has been simplified.
RBNZ Governor Anna Breman said small and medium sized banks should benefit, but warned banks to pass on the savings.
RBNZ Governor Anna Breman. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
“These new settings will reduce the overall cost of deposit takers’ funding, which we expect to see passed on as benefits to New Zealanders through increased lending and reduced rates, which we will monitor closely.”
“Small and mid-sized deposit takers should see a proportionately larger reduction than the four large banks, which should allow them to grow and compete more effectively.”
The current capital levels, strongly backed by former Governor Adrian Orr, were blamed as stifling competition by hurting small players, holding back innovation, and holding up interest rates, provoking industry, regulator, and political criticism.
The current capital levels, strongly backed by former Governor Adrian Orr, were blamed as stifling competition by hurting small players, holding back innovation, and holding up interest rates, provoking industry, regulator, and political criticism.
The big four banks will have to have a base capital level of 12 percent, secondary capital, and extra finance assets acting like a shock absorber, bringing the total level to 21 percent by 2031.
Mid-sized institutions will have to have 14 percent capital levels, and the smallest 13 percent.
Although the savings will be in the billions, which RBNZ officials previously said would be material, they had also expected the overall effect to be modest.
Different types of lending – residential mortgages, business loans, farm finance – would continue to be assessed with differing levels of risk, but the amount of capital needed to back them would be reduced.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Source: Radio New Zealand
Royal Oak Pak’nSave in Auckland. File picture. RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The supermarket where a photo of former MP Golriz Ghahraman was leaked has been formally named and shamed by the Privacy Commissioner.
The store, in Royal Oak in Auckland, is one of two Pak’nSave stores singled out for breaching customer privacy.
Commissioner Michael Webster said it was significant to name Hutchinson Bros Limited, trading as Pak’nSave Royal Oak and C Park Traders Limited, formerly trading as Pak’nSave Clendon, which no longer owns it.
Both supermarkets failed to have adequate oversight of third-party security providers, he said.
Security guards shared images of customers along with allegations of theft or criminal activity.
Webster said it meant two individuals whose images were shared faced a heightened risk of harassment and harm to their reputations.
“Both stores lacked important safeguards that retailers should have in place when allowing third party providers access to sensitive information such as surveillance information,” he said.
“Agencies engaging third-party agents who access or operate surveillance or loss-prevention technologies such as CCTV should ensure that privacy obligations are explicit, enforceable, and routinely monitored to prevent harm. That keeps information safe and maintains public confidence in how personal information is handled.”
Webster said while it was rare for him to name entities, it was a reminder to businesses that outsourcing does not outsource accountability.
The Pak’nSave stores are individually accountable for privacy compliance, the commissioner said.
However, the office has also been working with Foodstuffs North Island for remedial action.
Webster said this included training with store workers including security contractors, and requiring stores to have written agreements.
At the Pak’nSave Royal Oak store, a security guard took a photo of someone in October 2024 for surveillance.
It was captured on a personal mobile phone, following store protocol, because of the poor quality of the security camera footage.
Last January it was published online accusing the individual of shoplifting leading to them facing harassment and threats.
FoodStuffs North Island issued a direct apology on behalf of the store.
Former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman was reported to police for shoplifting on 12 October 2024 but there were no charges.
“Any police investigation considers the solicitor-general’s Guidelines for Prosecution, including factors such as evidential sufficiency and a public interest test,” police said after investigating.
“In this case, police have considered the public interest test was not met as well as taking other factors into account.”
Separately, Ghahraman was convicted on four counts of shoplifting in June last year and later failed to have the convictions wiped.
At Pak’nSave Clendon, a store employee instructed a security contractor in January to record CCTV footage of an alleged theft on their personal phone.
The guard then send the footage to the store worker, who put it on social media alongside allegations of theft.
The store became aware of the unauthorised disclosure after it circulated online.
A public figure, the Privacy Commissioner said it resulted in international media attention and reputational and emotional harm.
In this instance the store and Foodstuffs North Island issued an apology to the individual, the Privacy Commissioner said.
Pak’nSave in Royal Oak had no written contact with its security provider, the commissioner said.
The lack of enforceable terms meant the store had no way to make the provider comply with privacy obligations.
The commissioner said there was also no clarity around escalating procedures, and no way to compel cooperation in privacy investigations.
At the Clendon supermarket, the commissioner said there was a written contract but it had only a generic confidentiality clause and no enforceable privacy obligations.
He said neither store gave training to security workers to include surveillance information.
Foodstuffs North Island had a policy in place, but neither store clarified and enforced responsibilities for workers handling security footage until after the incidents.
‘Conduct well short of what we expect’ – Foodstuffs
Foodstuffs North Island told RNZ it took its responsibilities under the Privacy Act seriously, and acknowledged the findings.
“The two incidents involved separate and isolated actions taken by third-party security guards,” it said.
“Their behaviour did not meet the standards we set for anyone working in our stores, including contractors.
“The individuals concerned did not follow appropriate processes, and their conduct fell well short of what we expect.”
Foodstuffs told RNZ each supermarket had done additional training for all security team members and contractors who handled personal information.
“We regret there were shortcomings in how our contractors handled the situations.
“Protecting customer privacy is essential, and we are committed to ensuring our systems and oversight remain strong, so this does not occur again,” it said.
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