Source: Radio New Zealand

An Auckland councillor has renewed confidence the National Ticketing System is getting back on track.

The $1.4 billion project which will allow people to pay for public transport with their phone or card anywhere across the country has faced major delays.

Earlier this week, RNZ revealed Wellington has decided to create its own interim system due to the rollout pushbacks.

RNZ had reported in April Auckland Council transport committee chairman Andy Baker was concerned delays for the project could turn into cost overruns.

Baker told Nine to Noon he recently spoke to someone working on the national project which alleviated his worries.

“He came from Auckland Transport, he’s far more confident that things are on track, that some of the issues I was worried about and that others and the mayor were worried about have been taken care of.”

He said given Auckland had a contactless payment system, the NTS was not needed for the city specifically but it was more about it playing its part in the country.

“This is about people coming from other parts of the country who might have Motu Move [the NTS].”

Christchurch has been the first part of country to get the NTS, but it was yet to get all the features of it, such as concession fares.

Environment Canterbury Regional Council chairman Deon Swiggs told Nine to Noon the system had been working well.

“What we have seen is that the cash fares on the buses have dropped by a little bit more than 40 percent which means that people are starting to use cashless payments.”

Swiggs said the change meant more casual users of public transport had a payment option.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have charged a man with deliberately setting Timaru’s public Christmas tree alight.

A photo posted to social media by the district council shows the scorched side of the 10-metre-tall tree in the Canterbury city’s centre surrounded by a melted white picket fence in Caroline Bay Piazza.

Police were called to the Caroline Bay Piazza at about 5.30am on Friday.

Officers arrested a 30-year-old man who is due to appear in court on Friday on charges including arson and possessing a knife in a public place.

The council said the tree has suffered significant fire damage and they would have to remove the tree this year.

It said the tree won’t be replaced this year.

“We’ll be getting in touch with our insurers and looking into options going ahead,” the council said.

Timaru district mayor Nigel Bowen said it was a shame the tree had been so badly damaged.

“Our community was disappointed to wake up this morning to hear our town’s Christmas tree has been damaged due to a fire,” he said.

“This tree has brought lots of joy to our community in the few years we’ve had it and it’s really, really sad that someone has decided to deprive the community of it through a stupid and destructive act.”

The mayor said he was disappointed locals and visitors won’t be able to continue the tradition of taking family photos in front of the tree.

“Although the tree is a symbol of Christmas we can’t get past the fact that it is a place of joy and connection for our community,” Bowen said.

“The tree will be removed today, the area will be cleaned up and we will start the insurance process. We will also be providing police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand with any assistance they require in their investigations.”

The Christmas tree’s height includes the star, weighs around 7000kg with the base, and features a 275-metre string lights.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Two people have been charged with kidnapping and robbing a man trying to buy a car on Facebook Marketplace.

Police said the victim arranged to meet a seller outside a house on Holdsworth Ave in the Auckland suburb of Wesley late at night.

When he arrived, police said two people assaulted him and demanded he hand over money.

They allegedly forced the man into their car and made him withdraw more money from an ATM on Stoddard Rd.

“The victim was then taken to another ATM before the offenders left in a vehicle,” detective senior sergeant Rebecca Kirk said.

The man had called police, Kirk said and officers found the car abandoned on Emily Place a short time later.

Police tracked the couple believed to be involved to a nearby hotel.

When the pair left the room police used a taser, Kirk said and they were taken into custody.

A 32-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman would appear in the Auckland District Court on Friday charged with assault with intent to injure, kidnapping and theft.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A possessive stalker who stabbed a Christchurch mother 55 times after she broke off their relationship will be sentenced for murder in February.

Nathan Boulter murdered Chantal McDonald in Parklands in July.

He appeared via audio-visual link at the High Court at Christchurch on Friday morning, where an interim suppression order on McDonald’s name was lifted.

The pair were in a brief relationship before he harassed and stalked her.

He hid behind a tree waiting for her to get home with her children before stabbing her.

Boulter previously stalked other women, including one he held hostage for 38 hours on Great Barrier Island.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police are continuing with a prosecution against the woman who accused former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming of sexual offending in relation to charges of harassing another police officer and his wife.

A damning report released last month by the Independent Police Conduct Authority found serious misconduct at the highest levels, including former Commissioner Andrew Coster, over how police responded to the allegations.

The woman was charged in May last year with causing harm by posting digital communication in relation to over 300 emails she allegedly sent to McSkimming’s work email address between December 2023 and April 2024.

The charge against the woman was withdrawn in the Wellington District Court in September because McSkimming did not wish to give evidence. But the woman remains before the court on two charges of causing harm by posting a digital communication in relation to another police officer and his wife.

On Friday, the case was called in the Wellington District Court before Judge John Walker.

The woman’s lawyer, Steven Lack, told the court he had made a request for both the police and the Crown to reconsider whether it was in the public interest to continue prosecution.

He said it had not been possible to resolve the case via a diversion scheme and that an application had been made to dismiss the charges on the grounds that the continued prosecution was “an abuse of process”.

Lack submitted the test was the adequacy of the investigation into McSkimming following her complaints and the investigations into her, both of which had been subject to criticism by the IPCA.

He said several police officers had been approached by a private investigator who had declined to be interviewed.

Judge Walker continued all suppression orders in relation to the case.

The case will be called again on 22 December to sort a callover date for next year to hear the dismissal application.

RNZ earlier approached police for comment on Wednesday on whether they had any comment on charges she still faced and whether police would now drop them.

In response, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said the matter was before the court and police had instructed a senior criminal barrister in the proceeding.

“It would be inappropriate for me to comment about the merits, including public interest, of any case that is before the court.

“However, what I have done and what I can say is, that I have assured myself that proper process has been followed in bringing this case.”

Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson said Ms Z was the defendant in a prosecution in the District Court.

“In these circumstances it is not appropriate to comment publicly on the merits of the prosecution, including the public interest.”

In an earlier statement to RNZ Steven Lack, said police “failed my client”.

“Over a period of years, she attempted to report allegations of serious physical, psychological and sexual offending by Mr McSkimming, then one of the most senior Police Officers in the country. Instead of being heard, she was dismissed and ultimately prosecuted for speaking out and raising her concerns.

“At every stage, the Police had the opportunity to engage with her, to properly assess what she was saying, and to investigate her allegations. They could have viewed her as a traumatised victim. They chose not to. They accepted Mr McSkimming’s denials without meaningful inquiry and placed the full weight of the criminal justice system on my client for more than a year until the charge against her was withdrawn. Understandably this has had a devastating impact on her.

“The way her complaints were handled should alarm all New Zealanders. It suggests that the Police were more focused on protecting Mr McSkimming’s career and advancement than on properly assessing serious allegations of offending against him.”

Lack said the police were an organisation “entrusted by the community to protect and serve”.

“In my client’s case, they did neither.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The last remaining seal in a New Zealand zoo has been euthanised.

Auckland Zoo announced its 20-year-old subantartic fur seal named Ōrua was euthanised on Thursday.

The zoo said Ōrua was close to the maximum lifespan for his species and had health conditions, including “significant visual impairment”.

His habitat was also deteriorating and could not longer maintain the “quality environment” Ōrua needed for his health and welfare needs.

Not able to be repaired, the habitat will be permanently closed and the kōrorā/little penguin – which shared the habitat – have been moved to another part of the zoo that visitors cannot enter.

In a statement, zoo director Kevin Buley said it had been an “extremely difficult decision” for the teams who have been “instrumental” in providing the seal with care and a life he wouldn’t have had otherwise.

“However, in these circumstances, this decision to euthanise him is absolutely the correct one, giving Ōrua the dignified and peaceful end of life he so deserves.”

Carnivore team leader Nick Parashchak said it had been a privilege to care for Ōrua.

“A wonderfully smart, curious and charismatic animal with personality-plus who has inspired us all, and will be greatly missed.

“In his over 19 years at the zoo, he has been an incredible ambassador for marine life and marine conservation and given millions upon millions of our visitors amazing opportunities to connect with, experience, and learn about his species.

“As the last seal or sealion in a zoo or aquarium in New Zealand, the loss of Ōrua also marks the end of an era, and he leaves behind a very special legacy.”

The zoo said overtime, the habitat will be redeveloped and the penguins will be able to move back in – but it will take several years.

Ōrua’s background

The zoo said Ōrua was rescued in 2006, found washed up on a beach in Āwhitu Peninsula and taken to the zoo for care and rehabilitation.

Over three weeks, the seal was looked after and release was attempted but he continued to return to the beach.

He was then taken back to the zoo and given a “second chance at life” in the habitat.

“Some eight months later, it was discovered he had a cataract in his left eye which significantly impacted his vision and would have almost certainly made life impossible for him in the wild.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Primary school teachers are considering a potential settlement of their drawn-out pay talks.

Teachers belonging to union NZEI Te Riu Roa received the offer overnight.

Voting on the offer began on Friday morning and closed at 12pm on Wednesday next week.

It included the same pay rise secondary teachers had accepted – 2.5 percent on 28 December and 2.1 percent a year later.

Management allowances would increase by $700 and the offer no longer included more call-back days requiring teachers to work outside of term time.

The offer was put to members just a day after primary school principals represented by the NZEI rejected a potential settlement of their collective agreement.

The union said its members were unhappy their offer did not include a curriculum change allowance similar to the $15,000 allowance secondary principals won.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Some food outlets have been supersizing portion sizes and it would be good to go back to smaller amounts, a New Zealand health professor says.

In an article in the medical journal The Lancet, adviser to the UK government on obesity, Professor Naveed Sattar, said ready to eat portion sizes were calibrated towards an adult male, and smaller options should be available for women, children, and shorter people.

The article recommended “food outlets offer at least two portion sizes for single-portion, ready-to-eat products, differing by around 25 percent – the average difference in energy requirements between men and women and priced fairly”. It said this would also help provide more appropriate portion sizes for children and shorter people.

Auckland University professor of global health and nutrition Boyd Swinburn told Morning Report the basic physiology of that made sense in the sense that smaller people needed smaller portion sizes.

“Whether it’s going to go all the way to having multiple portion sizes available I’m not sure, but we have been at risk of Americanisation and supersizing and we’ve seen that with a number of areas and takeaways and the upsizing and muffins are a big one as well,” he said.

“I think it would be good if we could get back to smaller portion sizes.”

Swinburn said ultra processed foods were the main driver for obesity.

“The body does work pretty well in managing to have energy intake according to its needs but it can get fooled and the place where it really gets fooled is with ultra processed foods which are highly palatable and very dense in energy. So we think we’re just eating enough for our body … but because it’s so energy dense, so full of calories, we end up overeating,” he said.

“It’s mainly an issue related to the ultra processed foods rather than real foods that the serving sizes apply to.”

Swinburn said as part of his research he had recently been developing a mathematical model for energy balance.

“It is interesting how much the lean body mass dictates what we eat and how much we eat. It’s really this intersection between this physiology we have and the ultra processed food environment that is driving our obesity epidemic.

“The way the energy dense food sort of fools our system if you like and we end up passively overeating it and slowly gain weight over time.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Mayor of Wellington says the region needs to work together to plan a response to the government’s calls for simpler, more cost-effective local government to prevent changes from being “imposed” upon them.

All of the region’s mayors and the regional council chairperson have agreed, via the Wellington Mayoral Forum, to work on options for amalgamation.

Chair of the forum, Mayor Andrew Little said the centralisation of much of the region’s water management, changes to the Resource Management Act as well the government’s reorganising of local government would impact each council’s processes.

“All of this is coming together to suggest that council’s do need to look at their own organisations and – particularly where they are closely located to other councils – how they can work more closely together and, obviously, the question of amalgamation pops up,” Little said.

He said the forum’s first task would be to seek a mandate from their respective councils in early 2026 and to set up a project team to co-ordinate the work including public consultation.

“We need to work up a plan on how we’re going to tackle this. Which is what we’ve agreed to do. A critical part of that is engaging with the public, getting a bit of a mandate to see how they want their council’s to respond and react as we face the future – with a view to keeping downward pressure on rates but providing all the services that people need to see from their local council,” Little said.

Little said he did not believe the move was a “reheating” of the Super City proposal – which was scrapped due to a lack of public support in 2015.

He said the proposed changes to local government were likely “to be a reality” but he said attitudes had also shifted in the ten years since the Super City proposal was put on the back burner.

“I think the debate about what is an effective way to organise local government in New Zealand is probably more acute now than it was ten years ago.

“Simply because of planning rules and the complexity of them, the cost of local government and the fact that most local councils are dealing with massive catch up in investment to make sure that services continue to run. All of this has come to a head in a way that perhaps hasn’t been the case for some considerable time,” Little said.

Little said the economic and infrastructure issues facing the region were “too important to be left to chance”.

“The most important thing is that councils actually lead the discussion with their residents. But we’ve each got to work with our councils and with the people that each council represents rather than a more imposed approach from the outside.

“These things can only happen – and should only happen – with the right level of public support and that’s going to be a critical feature of the process that we do over the months and years ahead,” Little said.

Deputy chair of the forum and current South Wairarapa Mayor, Dame Fran Wilde said she was hoping to avoid “the squabbling” that characterised the previous amalgamation proposal over a decade ago.

“The difference is that was for a unitary authority over the whole of the Wellington region. Now we are likely to get more than one unitary authority out of this. We don’t know yet what the shape will be but I suspect it will be more than one,” Dame Fran said.

She said – while the previous amalgamation plan was well supported in Wellington City – support was lacking in Wairarapa and Hutt City.

“Mayors we’re generally not happy with losing their jobs but a lot of Wellington City and Porirua – and a lot of people elsewhere – thought it would be useful but the leadership of the councils didn’t and you can make your own surmises as to why that was the case.

“The difference now is that people have realised that we should be doing it and it’s been quite instructive for me over the last several years how many people who were political leaders in those days – who opposed it – have come to me and said ‘Fran you were right, we should’ve done it’.

“But the other thing is the government has just said ‘get your act together local government’ and people understand that we either do it or it’s done to us,” Dame Fran said.

She said – while her focus was on the Wairarapa – she wanted to ensure the outcome was positive for the entire region.

“People in Wairarapa are very keen to have a go at a unitary authority. Iwi are very supportive of that, the business community are very supportive, so are a number of the community organisations because when you come to Wairarapa you don’t think ‘oh now I’m just driving over the boundary between South Wairarapa and Carterton or between Carterton and Masterton’ you’re actually in Wairarapa. People and business and tourists etc. don’t care about council boundaries.

“So we need to make sure it’s workable and affordable and we have to grow the economy. That is our number one priority, grow the economy,” Dame Fran said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Young children getting burnt by playground equipment has sparked a petition calling for every new or upgraded playground to have mandatory shade from the sun.

Founder of app Roam With Kids, Renata Wiles, launched the petition to parliament earlier this week and has just under 2000 signatures.

Speaking to Morning Report, Wiles said there were so many amazing playgrounds across the country that have recently been built or upgraded – but keeping them shaded from the sun was not a requirement.

She said all new or upgraded playgrounds should have shade sails – or mature trees providing equivalent shade from the sun.

It was not just about keeping children safe from getting sunburnt while out playing on the playground – but preventing the equipment getting so hot that it burns children.

“The equipment is actually unusable because it’s so hot from the sun.”

Wiles said it was “crazy” to her and other parents that shade was not already a mandatory requirement for playgrounds.

“Since starting this petition and talking about shade more publicly on social media, I’ve had so many people send me photos of their kids that have been hospitalised or had to have medical attention for really, really serious burns – even little toddlers that have just touched something that’s metal in a playground and ended up with terrible burns, like little kids skin is so sensitive.”

Wiles said she has spoken to local councils in previous summers about the lack of shade at playgrounds – and said her now 5-year-old daughter was burnt on a metal slide when she was 18 months old.

“After that I spoke to our local council about getting shade and they did put shade up over that playground and they kind of said they just do it on a case-by-case basis, no real requirement, its not mandatory for them at all to take it into consideration.

“So I picked up the communication with them again ahead of launching this petition and I kind of got the same response. They are aware it’s a problem but it’s not a requirement and it’s different for every single local board. There is no consistency.”

Caroline Bay playground in Canterbury.

Wiles said a lot of equipment at playgrounds is metal including slides, in-ground spinners and seesaws. But even plastic equipment can get so hot it burns, too.

In her communication with councils, Wiles said she has been told that sunshades are not budgeted for and equipment would have to be given up in order to provide it.

Wiles said councils should “absolutely” give up equipment in favour of shade.

“Give up another set of swings, or a slide, let’s use some of that money that already exists, that’s already been allocated for those playgrounds and put that into shade because that’s really what parents care about.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

National museum Te Papa will be opening an immersive experience from this weekend featuring digital artworks that will take visitors on a journey into nature.

From the roots of an Amazonian tree, to deep inside the body, through to the birth of galaxies, Breathe | Mauri Ora explores the rhythm that cultivates and connects all life – breath.

The artworks from London-based collective Marshmallow Laser Feast feature a guided meditation, large-scale video works, and interactive experiences.

Rebecca Rice, senior curator historical New Zealand art at Te Papa, said the exhibition was a remarkable journey.

She said the exhibition went from the oxygen that’s breathed out of a tree through the human body and back out into the cosmos.

“In the five major works that make up this show, they are taking us from the journey of oxygen from trees through the human body and back again.

“Some of these are based on scanning of trees from the Amazon forests, from the Californian forests,” she said.

“They’ve also taken data from medical scanning of one of the team members’ bodies in a medical Institute in Germany.”

Rice said that data was then used to follow a journey of breath through the human body.

She said one of her favourite parts of the exhibition was a 5 metre round screen of a breathing cell that visitors looked up at from a purpose-made couch.

She said for this installation people were able to lie down and not just stand and admire artwork on the wall.

“So that wonderful thing of feeling that you’re changing your perception in relation to these works of art, just as Marshmallow Laser Feast are hoping to change our perception in relation to the natural world.”

The exhibition was created by ACMI, Australia’s museum of screen culture.

Alongside the digital artspaces, visitors can also relax with a guided meditation voiced by actress Cate Blanchett or explore the world using VR.

Emily Sexton, director of curatorial, programming and education for ACMI, said it was the VR work that inspired ACMI to start working with Marshmallow Laser Feast.

“One of the things that is really exciting about this show is that it takes a museum context, which is a place of trust and learning, and it invites people to think about how they relate to the natural world in a new way,” Sexton said.

She said Marshmallow Laser Feast brought together all sorts of different disciplines “to really identify the most cutting-edge technology that can actually act in quite an emotional way, to connect us more deeply to big philosophical ideas”.

Dr Thom Linley, curator fishes at Te Papa, said the exhibition highlighted on people’s connection with the natural world.

He encouraged people to go along and experience the show.

“The grandeur and the scale of some of these artworks, the fact that you can immerse yourself so completely in them, I would encourage people just to come along and to take the time and give themselves a little bit of time and a bit of permission to relax and enjoy it and see how it speaks to you.”

Breathe Mauri Ora will be at Te Papa 13 December 2025 – 27 April 2026.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

As the year draws to a close, The Detail looks back at 12 months of deep dives, sharp analysis, and the kinds of conversations that helped New Zealanders make sense of a turbulent, fast-moving world

If 2025 had a national soundtrack, it would be a layered mix of money worries, power struggles, climate shocks, consumer battles, and sporting turbulence.

And The Detail has spent the year listening to each beat, producing a full deep-dive look at each genre, offering not just a record of what has happened but a guide to understanding how – and why – it matters.

The team – Alexia Russell, Amanda Gillies, Davina Zimmer, Gwen McClure, and Sharon Brettkelly – has worked to slow down the news cycle just enough to understand it.

We have gone to the experts – economists, environmentalists, journalists, CEOs, lawyers, doctors, among others – to untangle the complexities of financial policy, to reveal the human stories behind climate change, to hold those in power to account, and to examine sporting wins and losses – and, boy, those losses on the world stage have hurt.

We have tried to guide listeners through the wide-ranging ripple effects of the cost-of-living crunch that has refused to ease, and to tap into the growing frustrations of New Zealanders trying to navigate both online scams and advances.

We have explored why environmental decisions have become some of the most decisive – and divisive – political flashpoints.

Sharon Brettkelly also travelled to Taiwan, interviewing locals about what it is like to live in the shadow of China and to face a possible invasion.

Once a year in Taiwan, she discovered, air raid sirens ring out in a warning to residents to take cover against an attack. Locals know the drill because [https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/06/not-if-but-when-taiwan-waits-for-china-to-leap/

it has been going on for years].

And while she was there, she caught up with Mark Hanson, a Taiwan-based New Zealand journalist, about the onslaught of disinformation, looking at claims that mainland China uses influencers, television stars, offshore “content farms” and generative artificial intelligence to swamp the island state with disinformation.

Her international travels also took her to Jordan, where the tourism industry propping up the country’s economy has been all but decimated by the war in neighbouring Israel.

It may have been peak tourist season during her visit, but visitor numbers were “very weak”, hurting everyone from Bedouin guides to the horse and donkey owners whose livelihoods are in ruins.

A 2025 highlight for Brettkelly was her interview with the young heroes behind a mercy dash to Antarctica to rescue a patient who needed urgent medical care. Brettkelly delved into the life and death decisions made, and what happens when you get beyond the point of safe return, and the weather turns bad.

Amanda Gillies covered the long and chaotic Tom Phillips saga that captured a global audience and ended in a hail of bullets.

The morning after the wanted father was shot dead by police, she spoke to Stuff journalist Tony Wall, [ https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/10/the-confused-and-chaotic-legacy-of-tom-phillips/

who’s followed the story since day one], and who was on the ground in Marokopa just hours after the fatal shooting, making his way there via a goat track after roads were closed off.

It was The Detail’s most listened to podcast for the year, by quite some distance.

Gillies also took the country’s political temperature, a year out from the next general election, revealing New Zealand is feeling restless and tired, not just of politics, but of politicians.

The public mood is “one of disillusionment with a lot of the political scene, frankly”, former political editor turned RNZ investigative reporter and host Guyon Espiner told Gillies.

Her sporting episodes ranged from the All Blacks’ evolving identity and the resurgence of women’s sport, to match fixing and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), described as a silent killer – a dark and devastating side of contact sport that is only revealed after death. https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/01/the-silent-killer-of-kiwi-sport/

Among those who spoke to Gillies were top sports journalists and commentators Suzanne McFadden, Rikki Swannell, Dana Johannsen, Dylan Cleaver, Phil Gifford, Elliott Smith, and Jamie Wall.

Alexia Russell tackled a subject most people don’t want to talk about – their death and post-mortem wishes. But as she pointed out, there are so many reasons to have that conversation, and to write a will.

She spoke to a couple who learned the hard way what happens when you don’t have a will, and to the Public Trust about the [ https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/07/14/why-you-should-write-a-will-now/

costs, procedures, and pitfalls] involved when drawing up – or putting off – a will.

‘Funding a good death’ was the headline on Russell’s story on the woefully underfunded palliative care system.

Yes, she said at the time, it was “another story about the stretched New Zealand health service”, but it affects 89 percent of us who will die naturally and will require nursing at the end of their lives.

She revealed why the palliative care sector, much of it provided through the efforts of volunteers, has felt under attack.

And Russell wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty for a podcast on stormwater solutions lying in the soil.

She spoke to an industry expert in water-sensitive design – who had a spade in hand for the interview – about raising awareness of how we treat the most fundamental rain sponge in our cities – soil.

Natural disasters, including Auckland’s Anniversary weekend floods in 2023 and the Christchurch earthquakes, have prompted some regions to rethink flooding issues.

On a lighter note, Russell caught up with Kiwi actor Bruce Hopkins, who played Gamling in The Lord of the Rings, and who gave her an exclusive insight into the mateship among the cast behind this ground-breaking and loved trilogy.

With a tape recorder in hand, he reunited with most of the core cast at a fantasy fan convention in London and told Russell he was blown away 25 years ago by the camaraderie on the original set, and those bonds are still in place. Fans were delighted.

Just weeks before Christmas, Gwen McClure looked at the terror under the tree – the toys that can kill.

In the wake of the asbestos-contaminated sand, toy recalls, and children’s products failing safety tests, she asked how to shop for your kids this festive season.

With the cost of living sky-high, McClure appreciated that there is temptation to turn to cheap international e-commerce sites. But Gemma Rasmussen, Consumer NZ’s head of research and advocacy, gave her one piece of advice on that for listeners: don’t.

Consumer New Zealand and McClure also examined sunscreen brands, highlighting 16 of 20 tested products that came back lower than their SPF labels.

Yet, it didn’t lead to them being pulled from New Zealand shelves.

The episode explained the laws around sunscreen and where enforcement falls short, and what consumers can do to ensure they’re getting good protection from their sunscreens.

Another podcast by McClure delved into the health crisis being pushed by a drug crisis in Fiji.

A growing HIV outbreak there is being driven by a methamphetamine crisis, and an expert told McClure that the country could become a semi-Narco state.

When Davina Zimmer did a [ https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/18/nzs-child-sexual-exploitation-crisis/

podcast episode about how Customs tries to stop child sexual exploitation material ] at our borders, listeners were in touch, wanting to know what happens to the perpetrators.

So she talked to two experts about the next steps, after the material is found, and what needs to change in New Zealand’s approach to handling the crisis.

Zimmer also looked into burnout, which she found out is increasingly becoming the norm, with a multitude of factors pushing New Zealanders across the country to breaking point. Think job insecurity, tight economic times, and pressure to always be on the clock.

But one expert says the tide is changing with a new generation entering the workforce, who are prioritising health and wellbeing.

Turtles, the pet turned pest, were another one in Zimmer’s file this year.

She spoke to the head of Natural Environment Specialist Services at Auckland Council, and revealed that turtles are disturbing native wildlife, muddying waterways, and killing the occasional possum, cat, or rabbit along the way.

And that brings to an end the snapshot of our “news year” soundtrack. It had a little bit of everything, with a blended thump of household budgets, the clash of politics, the swell of environment stories, the sting of consumer pressures and the roar of sport.

The team thanks every person who gave up their time to share their knowledge and insight for a podcast this year; it’s always appreciated. A special shout-out to guest podcast hosts Connor McLay, Susana Lei’ataua, and Jimmy Ellingham, and also to the journalists at Newsroom, who were regular guests.

The Detail was honoured to be named the best news and current affairs podcast at the 2025 NZ Radio and Podcast Awards, and to receive Gold for Best Current Affairs Podcast at the 2025 NZ Podcast Awards.

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

National museum Te Papa will be opening an immersive experience from this weekend featuring digital artworks that will take visitors on a journey into nature.

From the roots of an Amazonian tree, to deep inside the body, through to the birth of galaxies, Breathe | Mauri Ora explores the rhythm that cultivates and connects all life – breath.

The artworks from London-based collective Marshmallow Laser Feast feature a guided meditation, large-scale video works, and interactive experiences.

Rebecca Rice, senior curator historical New Zealand art at Te Papa, said the exhibition was a remarkable journey.

She said the exhibition went from the oxygen that’s breathed out of a tree through the human body and back out into the cosmos.

“In the five major works that make up this show, they are taking us from the journey of oxygen from trees through the human body and back again.

“Some of these are based on scanning of trees from the Amazon forests, from the Californian forests,” she said.

“They’ve also taken data from medical scanning of one of the team members’ bodies in a medical Institute in Germany.”

Rice said that data was then used to follow a journey of breath through the human body.

She said one of her favourite parts of the exhibition was a 5 metre round screen of a breathing cell that visitors looked up at from a purpose-made couch.

She said for this installation people were able to lie down and not just stand and admire artwork on the wall.

“So that wonderful thing of feeling that you’re changing your perception in relation to these works of art, just as Marshmallow Laser Feast are hoping to change our perception in relation to the natural world.”

The exhibition was created by ACMI, Australia’s museum of screen culture.

Alongside the digital artspaces, visitors can also relax with a guided meditation voiced by actress Cate Blanchett or explore the world using VR.

Emily Sexton, director of curatorial, programming and education for ACMI, said it was the VR work that inspired ACMI to start working with Marshmallow Laser Feast.

“One of the things that is really exciting about this show is that it takes a museum context, which is a place of trust and learning, and it invites people to think about how they relate to the natural world in a new way,” Sexton said.

She said Marshmallow Laser Feast brought together all sorts of different disciplines “to really identify the most cutting-edge technology that can actually act in quite an emotional way, to connect us more deeply to big philosophical ideas”.

Dr Thom Linley, curator fishes at Te Papa, said the exhibition highlighted on people’s connection with the natural world.

He encouraged people to go along and experience the show.

“The grandeur and the scale of some of these artworks, the fact that you can immerse yourself so completely in them, I would encourage people just to come along and to take the time and give themselves a little bit of time and a bit of permission to relax and enjoy it and see how it speaks to you.”

Breathe Mauri Ora will be at Te Papa 13 December 2025 – 27 April 2026.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Fire crews have been battling a slash fire in the Canterbury town of Pines Beach overnight.

Emergency services were called to the area, just north of Christchurch, where a blaze started in a large pile of forestry slash.

It was about 30 metres by 40 metres in size.

Fire and Emergency noted it was not in the nearby forest itself.

Two crews were monitoring the fire – with heavy machinery expected to be brought in to put it out at daylight.

FENZ said it would be in the area throughout the morning, and possibly for the rest of the day.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Lamb is taking centre stage on most Christmas tables around New Zealand this year, according to an online survey from Retail Meat NZ.

But it comes at a cost.

The average retail price of roasting lamb and hogget shot up to a record high in 2025, with Stats NZ’s most recent figures from October at $23.79 a kilogram.

In December 2023 it was $12.99 a kilogram.

Beef & Lamb NZ Ltd chief executive Kit Arkwright acknowledged rising prices would be putting pressure on many families.

“The message to consumers is shop around. There are some really great deals out there. There’s obviously the supermarkets, there’s lots of local independent butchers and there’s increasingly more and more online options. And they’re all playing different pricing regimes and are offering different prices. So the biggest message is shop around.”

Looking at supermarket prices around the country, a leg of lamb is generally up above $25 a kilogram.

For those buying a whole lamb leg – usually around 3kg – the price could be at least $75.

One supermarket had a special, with a frozen lamb leg for only $15.90 a kilogram.

General inflation, supply and demand was behind the price rise.

As chairperson of Beef and Lamb New Zealand Kate Acland explained, there were fewer sheep out there.

“Globally there is a shortage of sheep meat, so I think it’s around 5.8 percent down globally.

“Some good news out of New Zealand, we’ve seen even though sheep numbers have dropped off, lamb numbers are actually up on last year.

“From a consumer point of view, hopefully we won’t see too much more upward pressure on prices.”

Acland also encouraged customers to look for specials that would appear before Christmas.

‘Kiwis love lamb’

It is the busiest time of year for independent butchers like Phil Pirie, who owned Pirie’s Butchery in the Auckland suburb of Mount Eden.

“Kiwis love lamb and we’ve got the best lamb in the world, you know, now we’re into spring lamb. They’re nice and tender and it’s so versatile too.

“You can do it in the oven, you can low and slow on the BBQ or a quick little butterfied lamb, bit of rock salt, pomegranate.”

Prices had gone up, but Pirie said the customers appreciated quality and he tried to keep the costs down.

“It’s just the way of the world, you know, the price of feed for the farmers… low supply and high demand…. The lamb that we do is actually prime export quality.

“We try and hold back on all prices because we’re a family business and everyone’s got families.”

As for the Christmas lunch, Pirie said there would be lamb and ham on his table.

“I do a lamb oyster and do it low and slow on the BBQ. And then obviously our ham as well that we produce ourselves. It’s tea tree smoked, steam cooked, and yeah, we actually glaze it as well with a nice champagne apricot glaze.

“But my favourite is cutting ham steaks off the ham, nice and thick and grilling it on the barbecue. It’s a real good crowd pleaser.”

And if you had ham left over and you did not have a ham bag, Pirie had a good tip.

“Even just a, I wouldn’t say an old pillowcase, but a pillowcase you haven’t used, and all you do is just soak the bag in water solution with vinegar.

“And then what you do is you pop the ham in the bag and then pop it at the back of the fridge where there’s more cold circulation. And that’ll keep really well. And then every three days, just redo that process again, and you’d be surprised.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Hundreds of visa applications could not be submitted or processed after a fault on a new Immigration New Zealand system.

INZ said there were 900 fewer applications visas approved on Monday, compared to the previous Monday, and the system was still not functioning properly on Wednesday afternoon.

Immigration lawyer Elly Fleming said it had a significant impact on visa applicants and employers.

“INZ has not acknowledged the scale of disruption this is causing for migrants, employers, and families,” she said. “We’ve had several clients affected, waiting for their visas, as well as not being able to lodge employer accreditation applications.”

Among those affected were travellers, workers and businesses, whose visas were essentially “stuck” because the system could not generate documents, she said.

“As a result of this system failure, applicants who have already been approved are unable to receive their visas. This includes people needing to start employment, travel, or maintain lawful status in New Zealand.

“The lack of transparency and the absence of contingency processes are becoming increasingly concerning.”

‘Unexpected challenges’

INZ future services manager Karen Bishop said the agency appreciated the frustration it had caused customers and immigration professionals.

“We are working hard to resolve the issues and will take a pragmatic approach to ensure customers are not disadvantaged.

“Technology platforms require regular upgrades to improve services and performance. While most occur without negatively impacting customers, this recent update was very large and complex, and presented unexpected challenges.”

The online system, called ADEPT, will eventually become the single visa application submission channel and processing system, with several visa types already working that way, most recently international student visas.

Although it gave no numbers of impacted customers, it said Monday’s visa approvals numbered approved about 2300 across the system, compared to about 3200 applications the previous Monday, of which 1300 were in the Enhanced Immigration Online system.

A fix implemented on Tuesday night had significantly reduced upload issues, she added, and as of Wednesday night the system was returning to usual.

“The system is currently available, but some of our customers may still be experiencing occasional issues with the ability to view and upload documents. Customers may notice changes such as occasional document drop-offs; this is being actively addressed.

“The outage led to a delay with visas being issued in Enhanced Immigration Online, but with the fixes we have put in place, these visas are now progressing through the system and being finalised.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

All Huw Horgan wants for Christmas is a geological core sample.

For the third year running, Huw and the team of scientists he now co-leads are on a quest that takes them to the farthest reaches of Antarctica, hundreds of kilometres from any base.

On the inner edge of the Ross ice shelf, where it meets the main West Antarctic ice sheet covering this part of the continent, they’ll set up camp.

And then they’ll drill.

What they’re after is not minerals, or the fossil fuels driving climate change, but a sediment sample that lies below hundreds of metres of ice.

What it contains will help answer the question of when, and how drastically, the West Antarctic ice sheet might collapse as the climate keeps warming – releasing up to five metres of sea level rise as it goes.

Plenty of cores have been collected from Antarctica over the years, but extracting one this deep, this far from a permanent base, has never been done.

They’ve already tried twice, but equipment failures have forced the team to abandon the attempt two seasons running.

“What we’re trying to do is difficult, right?” Horgan says. “It’s difficult and it’s a harsh environment. It’s a long way from any support. So we’ve had two attempts prior to this from which we’ve learned a lot.”

This year is not third time lucky. “I think it’s third time really well prepared.”

“It would be really lovely to have a bit of geological core for Christmas down there.”

Unlocking the secrets of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

Over the decades, the work of climate scientists has helped to build an increasingly accurate picture of climate change-driven sea level rise, and what we might expect in the coming years.

But there are some crucial gaps.

“If we look at sea level rise estimates up to the end of the century, they range anywhere between about 30 centimeters and about a metre, or even, with some estimates, double that,” Horgan says. “A lot of the uncertainty in those estimates come from the West Antarctic.”

At the moment, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is protected by ice shelves – floating layers of ice formed by the ice sheet flowing off the Antarctic continent.

Without them, the flow of ice into the ocean will accelerate, meaning the potential collapse of the entire ice sheet.

Some of these smaller shelves could collapse within years, but the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest of them, is still stable – for now.

Whether that will remain true as the climate warms, and the ocean with it, is one of the uncertainties.

Before the team could even start drilling, an advance team towing the rig and freight containers of equipment had to complete a 1100km traverse across the Ross Ice Shelf – dodging crevasses – to reach their field camp and drilling site.

Antarctic Research Centre director Rob McKay – who will be offering support from New Zealand – says it’s clear from ice sheet models that ice loss can rapidly accelerate.

“We just don’t know under what threshold, what temperature change that would occur under. Is it 1.5°C, 2°C, as defined by the target of dangerous climate change, by the Paris Climate Agreement?”

That’s where the expedition – formally known as SWAIS2°C (Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to 2°C) – comes in.

“We’re trying to drill to find, when was the last time it was those temperatures and did we lose completely the West Antarctic ice sheet?” Rob says.

“That will help us fine-tune those models … that are predicting future sea level loss.”

A finely tuned machine

A few weeks ago, an advance crew set out on an 1100km journey across the Ross Ice Shelf, using snow vehicles to lug tents, provisions, and a huge drilling rig; navigating crevasses as they went.

They were heading for Crary Ice Rise, this season’s sampling location, where hundreds of metres of ice sits directly on top of bedrock.

With a rudimentary camp set up and a runway on the ice cleared, the rest of the 29-strong team will gradually assemble, flying first to Scott Base and then on to Crary to continue building up the site.

Horgan is one of this year’s two co-chief scientists on the ice.

“It’s not a town, but it’s certainly a small neighborhood of tents,” he says. “So there’ll be a couple of weeks of preparation, a very large drill tent has to be put up, all of the hot water drilling system has to be installed in that tent, and then the deep drilling system has to be installed.”

The drill system itself is a traditional drilling rig of the same type that’s used in mining, and the irony is not lost on Rob McKay.

“Rather perversely, we’re looking for climate change, but we’re using extractive industry technology to get these climate records that are preserved in the sediment.”

Once everything is in place, the team will have a window of about 10 days to complete the drilling.

First up is the hot water drilling team, whose task is to get through more than 500m of ice.

“That’s no small undertaking,” Horgan says. “The hole they make is about 35cm wide, right down to the base of the ice sheet.”

From there, the rock drilling team takes over, with the aim of extracting up to 200m of sediment from beneath the ice sheet.

The whole time they’re drilling, the hole through the ice will be threatening to close over.

“It’s cold, and it’s pressing in from the side, so we continuously have to be feeding hot water down through the system,” Horgan says. “And the rock drilling team is spinning their drill down at the base and pulling up geological core three metres at a time.”

For the first two seasons, the team was drilling at a different site, where there was an ‘ocean cavity’ – a layer of sea water between the bottom of the ice sheet and the sediment layer.

At the new site, there’s no water – the ice sheet sits directly on top of the rock.

McKay says while that means the team doesn’t need to contend with the ice sheet shifting with the tides, it creates a different technical challenge.

“When the ice is actually sitting on the ground, that ground ends up being frozen. So what we want to make sure is that that drill pipe is spinning fast enough and there’s enough heat going down the hole that it doesn’t actually freeze and stick in the hole.”

They also don’t know whether they’ll encounter chunks of ice encased in the sediment layer, which could add to the challenge.

“It’s what we call frontier science,” McKay says. “We’ll find out only when we’re drilling.”

Try – and try again

During both previous attempts, the bad news landed in late December like a lump of coal.

“I’ve destroyed one Christmas Eve dinner with the first news, and then I think it was the 23rd of December last year.”

Unlike the team on the ice, though, Rob had the “luxury” of being surrounded by family.

“I know it sounds romantic being in a tent in Antarctica and the adventure of all that, but when you invest so much of your life into this and then you have to sit there for two or three weeks after not achieving your objectives… their disappointment far outweighs mine.”

Different things have gone wrong in each season, Huw says.

The team that headed down in 2023 were using a novel fibreglass drill tube, which would have had great pay-off if it had worked. But it didn’t behave as expected at extremely cold temperatures, and they were forced to abandon the drilling.

Next season they headed back with more conventional steel equipment, but the main drive shaft – “the part that never breaks” – broke.

Despite that, Horgan says they’re sticking with steel. “There’s been a great deal of work, a great deal of testing, and some great failsafes, some redundancies built into it, giving us more confidence.”

There is no question of giving up the project. “We don’t do it because we think it’s fun. We do it because it’s important.”

Huw Horgan’s co-chief scientist on the ice, Molly Patterson, says it’s always disappointing when something doesn’t work.

“But … those setbacks and challenges are really a part of this process of success that maybe we don’t talk about in science enough.”

She’s been encouraged by how the drillers and engineers have responded in the intervening year. “That’s actually what gives me a lot of confidence going into this season.”

She pays “enough” attention to climate politics to really want the project to succeed this year, though. “I guess that might be the best way to say that. I think science just needs a win right now.”

What they find could have huge implications for communities.

“Globally, there’s about 68 million people that live near coastlines and are going to be exposed to these hazards that are caused by sea level rise,” Patterson says.

Seas are already rising, and some Antarctic melt is inevitable.

“We see our job as helping to determine sort of how much and how fast sea level is going to rise,” Huw says. “That’s where we have to hand it over to policymakers and to engineers and to our coastal communities so they can then use that knowledge to adapt and prepare in the best way fit.”

There is no time to hesitate, she says.

“These systems can move quickly, they can move in unexpected ways. On one level that doesn’t scare me, but to have that knowledge and to not act on it, that scares me.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Ombudsman is investigating the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s role in the post-cyclone buyout scheme after a number of complaints were made.

The council was responsible for putting thousands of properties into categories 1, 2 and 3 after Cyclone Gabrielle hit in 2023. It meant hundreds of people left the areas of Esk Valley, Tangoio and Pakowhai.

Category 3 is essentially a ‘red zone’ as the council deemed the risk to life ‘intolerable’ and created a buy out scheme for residents, although some people refused to leave and have remained living there.

“We are currently investigating complaints from 11 individuals about the Hawkes Bay Regional Council’s land categorisation process,” a spokesperson for the Ombudsman said.

The Ombudsman’s office told RNZ that the Chief Ombudsman, John Allen, was required by law to keep his enquiries confidential, so he was “unable to comment in any more detail about them at this stage”.

“In August, during an engagement visit to the region, Mr Allen also met with some of the residents with concerns about the land categorisation and buy-back scheme. He also talked to local authorities. The purpose was to listen to the different perspectives and to understand the issues.”

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council (HBRC) told RNZ it “welcomes the Ombudsman’s involvement”, and that there are “a very small number of complaints remaining”.

“For those complaints that Council was unable to resolve, we encouraged the complainants to direct their concerns to the Office of the Ombudsman so an independent party could assist with resolution.

“We acknowledge and respect the role that the Ombudsman plays in supporting Councils and their communities to navigate complex issues of this nature,” a spokesperson said.

The council said it was confident the land categorisation process was carried out correctly and fairly.

“Council considers it administered the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Land Categorisation Process and Framework appropriately.”

‘I’m angry, why put everyone through all that?’

In November, HBRC announced it was phasing out the land categorisation labels, saying once it upgraded flood hazards maps the Category 3 land would no longer be classified this way.

Tangoio landowner Jennifer Gibson disagreed with HBRC. Her family owned a section by the beach where they were planning to build a home, but then after the cyclone it was classified as Category 3.

“It was about the beach dream, working hard to finally realise our dream just to have it taken away,” she said.

The family eventually accepted a buyout offer from the council, but Gibson told RNZ there was a lack of consultation and the decision felt forced on them.

“It really was a disastrous time with a whole lot of back and forth emails and phone calls trying to stop it from happening – it all came to nothing and now they are changing their minds. It’s pretty frustrating.

“I’m angry, why put everyone through all that? There was a lot of money spent on the categorisations, lot of people put a lot of effort and time into it. What a waste of ratepayer money,” she said.

Gibson said if she had known the council was going to phase out Category 3 then she would not have taken its buyout offer.

“I’d like the option to have my land back. The council owns my land. I wanted to buy back the title off them and not build on it ever, but just have a little garden reserve where I can camp in summer. But they refused to let me do that,” she said.

While the regional council was in charge of categorising the land, Hastings District Council (HDC) was responsible for the buy-out policy in Category 3. A spokesperson told RNZ they felt the process was fair, transparent and robust.

“The buyout offers were voluntary, all the information was shared with all property owners and all followed the same process, ultimately assessed by an independent panel. In addition all property owners had the opportunity to carry out independent valuations.

“When these owners sold their land to HDC through the buyout process a covenant was placed on the title which permanently restricts the ability to use the land for temporary or permanent residential purposes,” said the spokesperson.

HDC said although HBRC’s Category 3 terminology may be phased out when updated flood risk modelling is completed, “it does not remove the risk to life in these locations”.

The regional council said with respect to land categorisation, which HBRC was responsible for, property owners had considerable opportunity to participate in the process over the past two years via notification of provisional categorisations, public meetings and opportunities for individual reassessment.

“The intention has always been to retire land categorisation once updated flood modelling had been completed, and when all properties have moved out of Category 2C to 1.”

The council said it was talking to some Category 3 property owners who wished to have their categorisation removed.

“We remain open to considering additional information, not previously available to Council’s experts, regarding their properties and the property owners may also obtain their own independent expert opinion that supports their view on risk which Council will consider.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

As the year draws to a close, The Detail looks back at 12 months of deep dives, sharp analysis, and the kinds of conversations that helped New Zealanders make sense of a turbulent, fast-moving world

If 2025 had a national soundtrack, it would be a layered mix of money worries, power struggles, climate shocks, consumer battles, and sporting turbulence.

And The Detail has spent the year listening to each beat, producing a full deep-dive look at each genre, offering not just a record of what has happened but a guide to understanding how – and why – it matters.

The team – Alexia Russell, Amanda Gillies, Davina Zimmer, Gwen McClure, and Sharon Brettkelly – has worked to slow down the news cycle just enough to understand it.

We have gone to the experts – economists, environmentalists, journalists, CEOs, lawyers, doctors, among others – to untangle the complexities of financial policy, to reveal the human stories behind climate change, to hold those in power to account, and to examine sporting wins and losses – and, boy, those losses on the world stage have hurt.

We have tried to guide listeners through the wide-ranging ripple effects of the cost-of-living crunch that has refused to ease, and to tap into the growing frustrations of New Zealanders trying to navigate both online scams and advances.

We have explored why environmental decisions have become some of the most decisive – and divisive – political flashpoints.

Sharon Brettkelly also travelled to Taiwan, interviewing locals about what it is like to live in the shadow of China and to face a possible invasion.

Once a year in Taiwan, she discovered, air raid sirens ring out in a warning to residents to take cover against an attack. Locals know the drill because [https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/06/not-if-but-when-taiwan-waits-for-china-to-leap/

it has been going on for years].

And while she was there, she caught up with Mark Hanson, a Taiwan-based New Zealand journalist, about the onslaught of disinformation, looking at claims that mainland China uses influencers, television stars, offshore “content farms” and generative artificial intelligence to swamp the island state with disinformation.

Her international travels also took her to Jordan, where the tourism industry propping up the country’s economy has been all but decimated by the war in neighbouring Israel.

It may have been peak tourist season during her visit, but visitor numbers were “very weak”, hurting everyone from Bedouin guides to the horse and donkey owners whose livelihoods are in ruins.

A 2025 highlight for Brettkelly was her interview with the young heroes behind a mercy dash to Antarctica to rescue a patient who needed urgent medical care. Brettkelly delved into the life and death decisions made, and what happens when you get beyond the point of safe return, and the weather turns bad.

Amanda Gillies covered the long and chaotic Tom Phillips saga that captured a global audience and ended in a hail of bullets.

The morning after the wanted father was shot dead by police, she spoke to Stuff journalist Tony Wall, [ https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/10/the-confused-and-chaotic-legacy-of-tom-phillips/

who’s followed the story since day one], and who was on the ground in Marokopa just hours after the fatal shooting, making his way there via a goat track after roads were closed off.

It was The Detail’s most listened to podcast for the year, by quite some distance.

Gillies also took the country’s political temperature, a year out from the next general election, revealing New Zealand is feeling restless and tired, not just of politics, but of politicians.

The public mood is “one of disillusionment with a lot of the political scene, frankly”, former political editor turned RNZ investigative reporter and host Guyon Espiner told Gillies.

Her sporting episodes ranged from the All Blacks’ evolving identity and the resurgence of women’s sport, to match fixing and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), described as a silent killer – a dark and devastating side of contact sport that is only revealed after death. https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/01/the-silent-killer-of-kiwi-sport/

Among those who spoke to Gillies were top sports journalists and commentators Suzanne McFadden, Rikki Swannell, Dana Johannsen, Dylan Cleaver, Phil Gifford, Elliott Smith, and Jamie Wall.

Alexia Russell tackled a subject most people don’t want to talk about – their death and post-mortem wishes. But as she pointed out, there are so many reasons to have that conversation, and to write a will.

She spoke to a couple who learned the hard way what happens when you don’t have a will, and to the Public Trust about the [ https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/07/14/why-you-should-write-a-will-now/

costs, procedures, and pitfalls] involved when drawing up – or putting off – a will.

‘Funding a good death’ was the headline on Russell’s story on the woefully underfunded palliative care system.

Yes, she said at the time, it was “another story about the stretched New Zealand health service”, but it affects 89 percent of us who will die naturally and will require nursing at the end of their lives.

She revealed why the palliative care sector, much of it provided through the efforts of volunteers, has felt under attack.

And Russell wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty for a podcast on stormwater solutions lying in the soil.

She spoke to an industry expert in water-sensitive design – who had a spade in hand for the interview – about raising awareness of how we treat the most fundamental rain sponge in our cities – soil.

Natural disasters, including Auckland’s Anniversary weekend floods in 2023 and the Christchurch earthquakes, have prompted some regions to rethink flooding issues.

On a lighter note, Russell caught up with Kiwi actor Bruce Hopkins, who played Gamling in The Lord of the Rings, and who gave her an exclusive insight into the mateship among the cast behind this ground-breaking and loved trilogy.

With a tape recorder in hand, he reunited with most of the core cast at a fantasy fan convention in London and told Russell he was blown away 25 years ago by the camaraderie on the original set, and those bonds are still in place. Fans were delighted.

Just weeks before Christmas, Gwen McClure looked at the terror under the tree – the toys that can kill.

In the wake of the asbestos-contaminated sand, toy recalls, and children’s products failing safety tests, she asked how to shop for your kids this festive season.

With the cost of living sky-high, McClure appreciated that there is temptation to turn to cheap international e-commerce sites. But Gemma Rasmussen, Consumer NZ’s head of research and advocacy, gave her one piece of advice on that for listeners: don’t.

Consumer New Zealand and McClure also examined sunscreen brands, highlighting 16 of 20 tested products that came back lower than their SPF labels.

Yet, it didn’t lead to them being pulled from New Zealand shelves.

The episode explained the laws around sunscreen and where enforcement falls short, and what consumers can do to ensure they’re getting good protection from their sunscreens.

Another podcast by McClure delved into the health crisis being pushed by a drug crisis in Fiji.

A growing HIV outbreak there is being driven by a methamphetamine crisis, and an expert told McClure that the country could become a semi-Narco state.

When Davina Zimmer did a [ https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/11/18/nzs-child-sexual-exploitation-crisis/

podcast episode about how Customs tries to stop child sexual exploitation material ] at our borders, listeners were in touch, wanting to know what happens to the perpetrators.

So she talked to two experts about the next steps, after the material is found, and what needs to change in New Zealand’s approach to handling the crisis.

Zimmer also looked into burnout, which she found out is increasingly becoming the norm, with a multitude of factors pushing New Zealanders across the country to breaking point. Think job insecurity, tight economic times, and pressure to always be on the clock.

But one expert says the tide is changing with a new generation entering the workforce, who are prioritising health and wellbeing.

Turtles, the pet turned pest, were another one in Zimmer’s file this year.

She spoke to the head of Natural Environment Specialist Services at Auckland Council, and revealed that turtles are disturbing native wildlife, muddying waterways, and killing the occasional possum, cat, or rabbit along the way.

And that brings to an end the snapshot of our “news year” soundtrack. It had a little bit of everything, with a blended thump of household budgets, the clash of politics, the swell of environment stories, the sting of consumer pressures and the roar of sport.

The team thanks every person who gave up their time to share their knowledge and insight for a podcast this year; it’s always appreciated. A special shout-out to guest podcast hosts Connor McLay, Susana Lei’ataua, and Jimmy Ellingham, and also to the journalists at Newsroom, who were regular guests.

The Detail was honoured to be named the best news and current affairs podcast at the 2025 NZ Radio and Podcast Awards, and to receive Gold for Best Current Affairs Podcast at the 2025 NZ Podcast Awards.

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A multinational cement company says local seafaring jobs will suffer if it cannot transport its product around New Zealand on a foreign-flagged ship.

Holcim said it had entered a time charter with Swiss-based NovaAlgoma Cement Carriers (NACC), which had agreed to provide a temporary ship for three years while Holcim built a replacement for its ageing vessel.

But on Wednesday, Associate Transport Minister James Meager declined NACC’s application for authorisation to operate a coastal shipping service in New Zealand waters.

“The minister’s decision has chosen road transport over coastal shipping,” Holcim said in a statement.

“This prevents a temporary coastal shipping solution while Holcim sought a purpose-built vessel as a replacement for the inefficient and costly 27-year-old MV Buffalo.”

Meager told RNZ Holcim’s bid did not meet maritime law requirements.

Coastal cargo can generally only be carried by a New Zealand ship unless authorisation to carry coastal cargo under section 198(2) of the Maritime Transport Act is given.

Meager said while foreign ships could carry coastal cargo in certain situations, he did not believe Holcim’s application met the intent of the law, aimed at protecting New Zealand coastal shipping for local commercial interests.

“Generally, those authorisations are very short, if not one-off cargo movements to fill a gap or where a vessel is not immediately available. After careful consideration, we made the decision that the application did not meet that threshold.

“I appreciate that there has been a high degree of interest in the outcome of the application. The public should have confidence that all authorisations to carry coastal cargo align with the intent of section 198 of the Act, and that has been my priority throughout this process.”

Holcim said that with the NACC unable to commit to a locally flagged vessel for the short-term charter, and no other local vessels capable of meeting the supply of cement required to keep up with demand, it had no choice but to spend millions of dollars pivoting to road transport.

“This is an undesirable, but now necessary, decision. We have to ensure the continuation of cement supply to our customers across both the North and South Islands. Approximately 15,000 additional tonnes of bulk cement must now be hauled in over 500 trucks on roads every month.

“Creating a much larger road transport supply chain will cost Holcim millions of dollars. There will come a point where the significant investment in the road network will make a return to coastal shipping unviable.

“The Minister has blocked our credible alternative, so to claim his decision protects local shipping capacity is incorrect. It reduces it. We have viable solutions, including the continued use of coastal shipping, and had hoped the Minister would be open to discussing them, but he would not meet with us.”

Meager said Holcim could work with the Transport Ministry to find a solution for transporting cement around the country.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The disgraced former leader of Gloriavale will be sentenced on Friday morning for sexual offending against girls and young women in the community.

Howard Temple initially denied 24 charges of sexual offending against girls and women over a period of more than 20 years.

However, three days into his trial in July, he pleaded amended charges.

The 85-year-old admitted five counts of indecent assault, five of doing an indecent act and two of common assault.

Some of the charges were representative, meaning they related to repeated offending.

Temple was the West Coast Christian community’s so-called Overseeing Shepherd from 2018 when its founder Hopeful Christian died.

He resigned in August about a fortnight after pleading guilty to the offending.

Five of the nine complainants gave evidence over the first two days of the trial, describing a culture of fierce patriarchy, where women and girls were at risk of being deemed rebellious or worldly for anything from tying the belt on their uniform incorrectly, to allowing too much hair to be visible under their headscarves.

The women said there was no way to refuse Temple, nor to report his actions to anyone, in the context of the complete control Gloriavale’s leaders wielded over members.

The women told the court they were too scared to say anything because they knew women were always blamed in similar circumstances, and risked being branded as flirts or whores, being hauled into a “servants and shepherds” meeting and berated for not following the bible, ostracised by the community, or prevented from marrying.

“He had the power to change the trajectory of your life,” one woman said.

The women described Temple taking advantage of the domestic duties they performed to touch, caress and grope them, such as during meal times, when they would be serving large, heavy jugs of non-alcoholic cider or hot drinks to tables of 50 or more. One woman said she was left without “any hands free to protect myself”.

The women said it was common practice to attempt to arrive early so they could be allocated to any table except Temple’s.

The only space to pour would be at his side at the head of the table, which allowed him to grab the young women around the waist, caressing them from their calves to their lower backs or grabbing them around their waists.

In January, Temple made a public apology to victims of historic sexual abuse at the community following the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

The apology was one of the inquiry’s recommendations, however, former members rejected it as insincere.

About 600 people are believed to live at Gloriavale’s compound at Lake Haupuri, about 60 kilometres from Greymouth.

The group, which began in 1969 as the Springbank Christian Community near Rangiora, was founded by Australian evangelist Neville Cooper, who would later be known as Hopeful Christian.

Christian was himself jailed in the 1990s for sexually assaulting a young woman in the community.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• Half New Zealand’s cardiology workforce nearing retirement by 2039
• NZ needs 38 percent more specialists to match Australia
• Wait times continue to increase
• More “flexibility” needed to attract and retain staff.

More than half the country’s heart specialists are over 50, and nearly one in five is older than 60, a new study has found.

The paper published in The New Zealand Medical Journal on Friday is based on a survey sent by the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand last year to all its members working in public hospitals.

Lead author Dr Selwyn Wong said of the 154 Health NZ-employed cardiologists, over half were over 50, and 35 percent were over 55 – including 18 percent who were older than 60.

“So, while it’s a blunt tool, the expectation is that some of those older ones might be leaving the profession. And we’ve seen some examples of that, people leaving the public system and going into private practice towards the end of their careers, or leaving the profession completely.”

Dr Wong, who has worked at Middlemore Hospital for 25 years himself, said the workload on cardiologists had got increasingly intense over time, with more referrals, sicker patients – but fewer resources.

“Over the years we’ve seen more resource constraints, not just in cardiology but right across the hospital.

“More and more is being squeezed out of the workforce, so you’re ending up doing more and more work, with less down time.”

The survey found 14 percent of cardiology positions were vacant.

Dr Wong said, however, that was just the “funded” positions – not an indication of the true number of specialists needed to deal with increased demand.

“We have one cardiologist per 35,000 people, while Canada and Australia have one cardiologist per 25,000 people, and I think in Sydney it’s one per 15,000.

“So if we want to match those places, we’d need to go from 154 to 213: an extra 60 cardiologists, or a 38 percent increase on what we have now.”

Furthermore, cardiologists were not evenly distributed across the country.

In the five districts with the highest proportion of Māori and Pacific peoples (who had the worst rates of heart disease) the ratios of specialists to population exceed the national average: Tairāwhiti 54,000; Counties Manukau 38,000; Lakes 61,000; Northland 52,000; Hawke’s Bay 47,000.

A separate study published in The New Zealand Medical Journal on Friday showed after half a century of heart attacks trending down, progress had stalled – with a widening ethnic disparity for Māori and Pacific people.

Dr Wong said specialist assessment referrals and the wait times for those appointments were rising, along with delays for cardiac ultrasound and cardiac catheterisation.

The shortfalls were exacerbated by demands and employment patterns during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The staffing might be acceptable if everyone is at work, but not everyone is at work because people are allowed leave or they get sick or they’re at conferences.

“We’ve calculated that in our department most of the time there are two people away out of a staff of 16 or 18.”

The survey found about 73 percent of cardiologists working in New Zealand were trained in this country.

Dr Wong said, however, other internationally-trained cardiologists and New Zealand trained specialists now working overseas could be encouraged to take up jobs here, if they had access to the kind of resources they were used to.

“Some more flexibility would help, and that would also help retain those older specialists we have in the system now, for whom being on call so often is increasingly burdensome.”

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