Why are New Zealand’s cicadas so loud this time of year – and is it dangerous?

February 19, 2026

Hamilton’s cicada (Maoricicada hamiltoni) is heard in summer in the lower North Island and inland South Island. Tara Hills / Cicadas of NZ

Explainer – Depending on your tolerance, it’s the iconic sound of a Kiwi summer or a drill buzzing into your ears.

The seasonal serenade of cicadas kicks off as the weather warms and typically peaks sometime in February – but how and why do these insects make such a loud noise?

Here’s a primer on how New Zealand’s annual cicada season works.

Why do they make so much noise, anyway?

It all boils down to, they want some love.

Cicadas emerge from the ground – typically from December to March or so – to spend the rest of their brief lives trying to mate. The males make their distinctive buzz as they’re desperately seeking some sweet, sweet cicada loving.

“I love it,” said Julia Kasper, Te Papa’s lead curator of invertebrates. “It’s beautiful, it’s the sound of summer and still very exotic.”

“That’s basically the noise of a wedding. In summer all the adults are emerging from nymphs that live in the soil.”

Cicadas actually spend most of their lives underground. The New Zealand varieties typically live as nymphs for two to three years before shedding their final shells and emerging as adults.

In some parts of the world, what are called periodical cicadas can spend as long as 17 years underground, such as in the eastern United States where trillions of them can burst forth in a single season.

The tymbal, on the cicada’s thorax, is tucked beneath the wings. Sandy Werner

“It’s the males that sing, calling for the females, trying to be the loudest, the coolest, the best and getting, you know, the prettiest girl, and the girls are moving towards the males,” Kasper said.

Of course, not everyone adores the cicada’s call.

“Some people love the sound,” said Professor Grant Searchfield, head of the department of audiology at the University of Auckland.

“(For them it’s) ‘the sound of summer’ so it’s not bothersome at all, but some people may find the sound annoying or are more sensitive to sound.”

A cicada’s song can hit between more than 80 decibels, studies have found.

That’s within the range of “dangerous” sounds as defined by the American Academy of Audiology, which lists power tools, concerts and sporting events as hitting the same benchmarks, where damage can be caused with repeated exposure.

Airplanes can hit more than 120db during takeoff, while gun shots can reach over 150db – well within the range of causing hearing damage.

How does such a small insect make such a huge sound?

These plucky insects come with a built-in amplifier, a special organ called a tymbal.

“It’s amazing and we still know so little about it,” Kasper said.

The “tymbal organ sits in their thorax and it’s basically a drum,” Kasper said. “You can see it from the outside, it’s almost like it looks a bit like a window in their side.”

Many insects make noise by rubbing body parts together, such as crickets, but in the cicada’s case, the tymbal itself contracts and expands, pulling a ribbed membrane back and forth so quickly it can sound to humans like a continuous sound.

“It’s so complex it’s unbelievable,” Kasper said, noting that studies that use video to slow the movement down reveal how intricate the cicada’s song is – and humans may not even be capable of hearing some of the sounds.

Our ears may not always discern it, but every species of cicada also has a different song.

How many cicadas are there in New Zealand? Are they unique to here?

Cicadas are found all around the world, but there are at least 42 distinct species in New Zealand. There’s even a species endemic to Norfolk Island. The most common is the Amphipsalta zelandica, or the chorus cicada.

There’s one species that lives high up in the mountains of the South Island which is the only alpine cicada in the world. It can even freeze and go dormant, Kasper said.

Shells left behind by cicada nymphs from an emerging 17-year cicada brood remain in a tree after being shedded on May 29, 2024 in Park Ridge, Illinois. SCOTT OLSON / AFP

Can some years be louder than others?

How big each year’s cicada eruption is depends on many factors.

“Every year is kind of different,” Kasper said. “The rainfall and the dryness and the humidity. Cicadas need moisture and warmth.

“If it’s too dry they can’t get out of the soil to emerge, and if there’s too heavy rain they’re probably washed off and drowned. It needs to be the right mixture.”

That means every year peak cicada noise might be at a different time.

Are they the loudest insects in the world?

Certain cicadas sure are.

If you’re getting sick of hearing them out on the deck this February, take a moment to be happy you’re not living in the habitat of the African cicada, Brevisana brevis, which can hit 106.7 decibels and has been officially named the world’s loudest insect by Guinness World Records.

Te Papa hosts a wide collection of cicadas in its inventory. Supplied / Te Papa

Can cicadas actually damage your hearing?

“Potentially, but unlikely in reality,” Searchfield said.

“If the cicadas were close enough to the ear, and you couldn’t get rid of them – they were there for hours – it’s possible. But a cicada that close would normally be flicked away.”

“It is unlikely but not impossible that cicadas could cause hearing loss,” he said, but generally the sound is more irritating to some than dangerous.

Still, try to avoid sticking a cicada directly into your ear this time of year, although that’s really pretty good advice any time.

I’m not a fan. Is there anything to do to make them be quieter?

“I never thought of that question because they’re so lovely,” Kasper said.

Still, “I guess you could make your garden very bird-attractive because birds feed on them,” she suggested.

Searchfield said people should avoid turning to earplugs, as they can make you more sensitive to the sound.

“Close the doors and windows, and if you have air conditioning, turn it up – there are sound conditioners, used to drown out noisy city sounds, that could be used,” he said. “I’d suggest trying to think of them as your friendly reminder that the sun’s out.”

But as they say, if you’re particularly bothered by the cicada serenade, all things must pass and the season will end by March or so as the last heartsick male cicadas give up the ghost.

“They only live for two weeks or so (once they come up), they’re only there to mate, and that’s why they sing,” Kasper said.

Until next year, that is, when the buzzy sound of summer will kick off again.

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

Drowning toll slightly up, but trend still positive – Water Safety NZ

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Piha Beach. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Seventy-eight people lost their lives to drowning in 2025, slightly more than the year before but below the 10-year average.

Water Safety NZ’s latest Drowning Prevention Report, released Thursday, said drowning remained “New Zealand’s leading recreational killer”. More than half of those who drowned were alone, it said – 55 percent.

“When you are by yourself and unexpectedly get into trouble in the water, the margin for survival disappears,” Water Safety chief executive Glen Scanlon said.

“Changing adult behaviour remains one of the biggest challenges in drowning prevention, particularly among adult males.”

In the past decade, about three-quarters of all drowning deaths where the person was by themselves were men.

Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty accounted for 51 of the 78 deaths.

The total figure of 78 was four higher than 2024’s toll, but eight fewer than the 10-year average of 1.67 deaths per 100,000. In the 1980s it was as high as five per 100,000.

Water Safety NZ said this improvement was at risk, with ACC ending funding for water-safety training for children.

“Our long-term goal is to make sure at least 60 percent of all school-aged children have access to quality water safety programmes,” Scanlon said, wth Water Safety NZ investigating alternative funding for courses.

“About 150,000 children miss out now. Protecting our next generation of New Zealanders with water safety skills and knowledge is fundamental to preventing drowning.”

The report said while youth drowning rates were dropping, there were increases for older men and Asian New Zealanders.

“Māori and Pasifika communities continue to be over-represented in the statistics,” Water Safety NZ said.

About 12 lives a year would be saved, it said, if lifejackets were made mandatory on all watercrafts as a bill that would do that makes its way through Parliament.

“New Zealand’s drowning rate is improving, but preventable deaths remain unacceptably high,” Scanlon said.

“With legislation, education and behaviour change aligned, our country has a rare opportunity to significantly reduce future loss of life.”

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‘I feel I’m making a difference’: how Blak women are working to build safer workplaces

By The Conversation -

February 19, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sharlene Leroy-Dyer, Director, Indigenous Business Hub, UQ Business School, The University of Queensland

Blak women make up a growing part of the Australian workforce, with 57% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women aged 15 to 64 employed in 2022-23 (the latest figures we have). That’s a significant gain from 45% just four years earlier.

However, it’s still well below the Closing the Gap target of 62% employment. It’s also far short of the comparable non-Indigenous employment rate (79%).

My research in the new International Journal of Indigenous Business draws from interviews with almost 200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, 120 of them women.

They shared how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women often carry additional responsibilities, which are unacknowledged in most workplaces. One Aboriginal woman in her 30s, working in regional New South Wales, told me how even after her organisation did cultural awareness training, her managers leaned on her for unpaid, unofficial staff management:

I’ve had leaders ring me and say, ‘I’ve got this problem with this employee, quick deal with it because they’re Blak.’ I can’t deal with it. I don’t have the authority […] It is all well and good for the organisation to have diversity initiatives, but if they don’t have good policies and practices in place, then those initiatives are useless and cause more harm to Blak women.

My new research shows how Blak women are driving change towards more culturally safe workplaces in Australia, even after experiencing workplace discrimination and harm.

What Blak women said about work

The 120 women I spoke to ranged in age from 18 to 65, from urban, rural and remote parts of Australia. They were at varying stages of their careers: trainees and early career workers, to mature aged workers, managers and senior leaders. They came from six large organisations, some with sizeable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforces.

Being isolated and unsupported while facing multiple forms of discrimination were recurring themes. One mid-career woman in her 30s said:

Finding my place within a western workplace has been a struggle for me. As a younger person I worked for an organisation that racially and sexually discriminated against me. After a particular incident that left me mentally broken, with the assistance of my union, I gathered the strength to sue my employer [… Eventually they] settled out of court. The whole experience left me physically and mentally distraught.

These aren’t isolated stories. The 2020 Gari Yala (Speak the Truth) survey of 1,033 Indigenous peoples in Australia found:

59% had experienced racism
44% reported hearing racial slurs
38% reported being treated unfairly because of their Aboriginality
28% felt culturally unsafe at work.

Only one in three of those surveyed said they felt supported at work when reporting racism.

Reshaping work for the better

But my research found the woman in her 30s who took her former employer to court has since become a leader at a new workplace.

It planted in me the seed to want to change the system, to help others who were suffering in the same way. In my current workplace I am a union workplace delegate and every day I fight for rights to a culturally safe workplace.

Another woman, who described never fitting in as the sole Blak employee at work, got a different job. She reported:

I have been instrumental in creating positive change and a safer work environment, by surrounding myself with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and creating something unique […] I feel that I am making a difference […] to grow the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women leaders.

Why structural change matters

My research found multiple examples of how, even when Blak women were up against systemic barriers, they still found ways to change workplace cultures for the better. But what came through in talking to these women was that everyday racism is not small – it is structural.

My workspace is primarily First Nations Peoples […] I feel safe in this workplace, safer than I have felt in a very long time, and I feel valued and productive at work […] However, outside my immediate workspace, in the wider organisation I am reminded of how systematic racism permeates.

Real inclusion at work requires more than training or representation.

For a start, it means recognising “cultural load” as labour. For example, this means not expecting Indigenous women to be unpaid, unofficial managers of other Indigenous employees, among other things.

More fundamentally, real inclusion means putting structures in place for increased “Indigenous governance”. This is where Indigenous workers and communities have an actual say about what works on issues affecting them.

What difference can that make in practice?

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Northern Territory government sent body bags to remote Indigenous communities. The government’s assumption? Fatal outbreaks may be unavoidable.

In contrast, Aboriginal-controlled health services adopted an Indigenous governance-style approach. They worked with communities on locally responsive measures, including community-led lockdowns. There was also coordinated action in some regional public health units, such as in the Hunter region of New South Wales.

That structural community involvement in health services’ COVID responses drove higher-than-expected early vaccine uptake. While vaccine hesitancy grew over time, researchers found that early action avoided hundreds of predicted COVID cases and deaths.

From our hospitals to offices and board rooms, Indigenous women are not asking to be included in colonial systems at work and beyond. We are asserting our right to transform them.

– ref. ‘I feel I’m making a difference’: how Blak women are working to build safer workplaces – https://theconversation.com/i-feel-im-making-a-difference-how-blak-women-are-working-to-build-safer-workplaces-268283

Racing enjoys special treatment under NZ gambling laws. Why?

By The Conversation -

February 19, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Lisa Marriott, Professor of Taxation, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

Despite the harm it is known to cause to a significant number of New Zealanders, the gambling industry as a whole is commonly defended for its contribution back to the community.

Lotto NZ, for example, must redistribute all profits from Lotto in this way. Other forms of gambling are taxed or regulated differently, but most pay back a share of their profits in some form.

Critics counter that such redistribution of gambling revenue does not fully address the harmful effects of problem gambling, or the fact that gambling itself isn’t distributed evenly across society.

So, while 63% of electronic gambling machines – colloquially known as “pokies” – are located in areas of relatively high deprivation, just 12% of the proceeds from those machines go to those areas.

But the racing industry is permitted to return almost all its profits back to the industry itself. In fact, the sector – covering horse racing and, until recently, greyhound racing – benefits from unique treatment.

Largely self-regulating

The Gambling Act 2003 requires some minimum percentage of gambling proceeds to be returned to community organisations or other “authorised purposes”.

But it also states that one of those “authorised purposes” is “promoting, controlling, and conducting race meetings under the Racing Industry Act 2020, including the payment of stakes”.

The racing industry is the only sector with a specific provision in the act allowing it to return gambling proceeds to its own industry. This extends to most profits from electronic gaming machines located in TAB premises.

Of all the forms of gambling, electronic gaming machines are generally recognised as generating the most harm.

In 2025, the TAB’s monopoly on domestic, in-person betting on racing and sports was extended to cover online betting. This was intended to “maximise the financial returns to New Zealand’s racing industry and sports”.

Typically, industries that cause harm are regulated in an attempt to minimise that harm. But the racing sector, via the TAB, is now largely self-regulating.

Although a Racing Integrity Board regulates issues such as animal welfare, recent changes to the Racing Industry Act empowered horse and greyhound racers “to effectively govern their respective industries” and is “intended to provide the industry with independence from the Government”.

Tax and levy exemptions

The racing industry also does not pay income tax. Like other gambling entities, it does pay a problem gambling levy – in its case, 0.74% of betting profits or 1.24% of profits from gaming machines located in TAB outlets.

Other gaming attracts additional levies: Lotto faces a 5.5% lotteries duty, casino operators pay a duty worth 4% of casino wins, and the levy on gaming machine profits is 20% (also paid by the TAB on machines in TAB premises).

But the racing sector no longer has to pay such additional levies on racing. Until recently, a 4% “totalisator duty” was payable on all racing and sports betting, but this was repealed progressively to reach zero in 2021.

The savings to the two betting categories from repealing the duty was NZ$14.5 million in 2024, of which $11.5 million went to racing.

This saving for the industry is, of course, a direct cost to the Crown in the form of foregone tax revenues.

The justification for the repeal was to help the racing industry become more financially self-sufficient. But levies and taxes are usually based on the nature of an activity – in particular, the harms it causes – and not the level of profit (or loss) it makes.

Under the Racing Industry (Distribution from Betting Profits) Regulations 2021, the TAB must retain just 2.5% of betting profits for harm prevention and minimisation.

The remainder is distributed to Racing New Zealand and Sports and Recreation New Zealand, in proportion to the revenues generated by racing or sports betting.

In practice, this means most distributions accrue to the racing sector. For example, total distributions of racing and sports betting profits in 2024 were around $199 million, of which $195 million (98%) went to racing and $3.5 million (2%) went to community sports organisations.

Time for a rethink of the rules

For decades, ministers of racing have gone to great lengths to protect the industry. In the runup to the TAB getting its monopoly over online betting in 2025, official documents noted that “Ministerial expectations” were one of the reasons the changes must be “implemented as quickly as possible”.

Government support for the racing sector is often justified by claims of improved employment opportunities, benefits to provincial communities and increases in the industry’s overall economic contribution.

But these arguments could be made for most industries in New Zealand – industries that do not generate the harms gambling does. State support for the racing sector generally means there will be more gambling on racing. That in turn implies increased harm from gambling.

We argue it’s time for a wholesale review of the tax and regulatory privileges that have accrued to this industry without any convincing rationale.

– ref. Racing enjoys special treatment under NZ gambling laws. Why? – https://theconversation.com/racing-enjoys-special-treatment-under-nz-gambling-laws-why-275778

Gambling for children? Why Australia should consider regulating blind box toys like Labubu

By The Conversation -

February 19, 2026

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By César Albarrán-Torres, Associate professor, Swinburne University of Technology

If you walk through any major shopping mall in Australia, chances are you’ll encounter products and experiences that are uncomfortably similar to gambling – yet they are available to anyone, including children.

Our soon-to-be-published research has found claw machines, blind boxes and toy capsule machines have become pervasive in the spaces families frequent – from the shops, to the movies, to the pub.

Close-up view of a claw machine with several claws, filled with a wide variety of colourful toys. — A claw machine in a major shopping precinct in Melbourne. Author provided

We call these products and experiences gamble-play media. They rely on and profit from risk-taking, and encourage intense, continuous playful consumption in the quest to “win” a desired item.

While claw machines have been a part of Australia’s consumer culture for a long time, blind boxes are the most recent gamble-play media to become mainstream.

In Singapore, lawmakers and consumer advocates are pushing to regulate blind boxes due to the gambling inducement risks they carry, according to a written address to parliament from Home Affairs Minister Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam.

It may be time for Australia to contemplate a similar move, given our nation’s insidious gambling culture and tendency towards problem gambling.

Indeed, gambling among children has become a national crisis, with a report from the Australia Institute highlighting 30% of 12–17 year-olds gamble at least once per year.

The blind box phenomenon

Blind boxes are products (usually toys) sealed in opaque packaging. The contents can’t be revealed until after a box is purchased. Most are sold as part of larger collections, many of which contain coveted “rare” items. Buyers are enticed to pay for the chance to obtain these “high-value” items.

Several rows of toys and blind boxes are on display in a shop. Two large red cubes read 'blind box'. — Blind boxes at a major retailer in Melbourne. Authors provided

Globally, blind boxes are projected to reach annual profits of US$24.2 billion (about A$34 billion) by 2033.

Anyone who visits a major shopping precinct will likely see rows upon rows of boxes displaying Labubus (a multi billion-dollar obsession), Sanrio characters, and other collectibles from children’s or family franchises such as Sesame Street, Harry Potter, Toy Story and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Japanese characters such as Mofusand and Sonny Angels are particularly appealing to Gen Z and Gen Alpha buyers.

Online, content creators use these products in “toy unboxing” videos, which have long been popular on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. This content focuses on the tactile pleasures of unwrapping toys, particularly “surprise” toys – the crinkling of paper, the tapping of nails on boxes, and the caressing of the treasured item once it’s finally unveiled.

There are hundreds of thousands of videos of influencers unboxing blind box toys across YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, many of which help to generate hype around new products or high-profile collaborations.

Apart from major retailers such as Pop Mart and Miniso, blind boxes are also available in vending machines, and pop-up and bargain variety stores (which may stock knock-off versions).

Gambling for children?

The emotional states triggered by blind boxes are not dissimilar to those experienced by people who gamble on slot machines or pokies: anticipation, randomness, occasional joy and frequent disappointment. These experiences can become addictive.

Blind boxes are designed to offer a rush over the possibility of an (unlikely) big win, and the subsequent chasing of this feeling. As our research highlights, these are the dynamics of gamble-play.

There are preliminary indications that using gamble-play devices such as claw machines and coin pushers in the formative years can lead to problems with gambling in adulthood.

However, more research is needed to understand how children experience risk, randomness, and loss and reward mechanisms in the context of seemingly innocuous gamble-play products. Our ongoing research explores if and how gamble-play can be a gateway to adult gambling.

Some manufacturers list the odds of winning and age guidelines in small print on the boxes. For instance, they may include a label suggesting the product is not for children under 8, or under 12. But these labelling practices are inconsistent, unclear and unregulated.

The reason some blind boxes are labelled this way is because of industry guidelines in China, from where many of these products are imported. Since 2023, China has restricted the sale of blind boxes to children under 8. Nonetheless, concerns around blind box addiction among China’s children persist.

Singapore sets an example

Singaporean legislators and consumer advocates are moving to regulate blind boxes, arguing they are too similar to gambling.

The proposed laws are still being devised. It’s unclear whether they will fall under existing gambling laws or require new legislation – but they could include mandating that manufacturers clearly disclose the odds of getting each product, and apply and enforce age restrictions.

Blind boxes have even started making small waves in Australian politics. In June of last year, Victorian Legislative Council member Aiv Puglielli said:

instead of buying one, maybe you buy two or three, increasing your chances of securing the design that you want. It kind of sounds like gambling, because it is gambling.

Randomised rewards are not exclusive to the blind box market: they are also used as incentives by fast food chains and supermarkets. In some cases, items such as rare Woolworths’ Disney Ooshies can be resold for thousands.

Australian legislators have already moved to regulate and classify gambling-like content in video games, such as loot boxes and simulated gambling.

Blind boxes and other gamble-play media rely on the same mechanisms of seduction – and therefore also demand scrutiny.

– ref. Gambling for children? Why Australia should consider regulating blind box toys like Labubu – https://theconversation.com/gambling-for-children-why-australia-should-consider-regulating-blind-box-toys-like-labubu-276163

People seriously hurt in Northland crash

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

SH1 is closed between Kaiwaka Mangawhai Road and Mangawhai Road. RNZ / Tim Brown

Emergency services are responding to a serious crash on State Highway 1, Kaiwaka.

The single vehicle crash was reported to the police at 7.35am on Thursday.

Initial reports indicate there are serious injuries, a police spokesperson said.

SH1 is closed between Kaiwaka Mangawhai Road and Mangawhai Road. Motorists are being advised to avoid the area and expect delays.

The Serious Crash Unit has been notified.

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SPCA calls for reinstated funding for desexing after deadly dog attack

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Minister for Local Government Simon Watts said he was seeking urgent advice on dangerous dogs. 123RF

The SPCA is calling for an overhaul of dog control laws and for the government to reinstate funding for the desexing of menacing and roaming dogs.

The agency said it had been campaigning for a review of the Dog Control Act 1996, for more than 10 years.

Mihiata Te Rore, 62, was killed by a pack of three dogs at a property in Northland’s Kaihu on Tuesday- the third fatal attack in the region in the last four years, and the fourth nationwide.

Kaipara District Council’s animal management said it had received four complaints about the dogs since November last year, and visited the property twice in February – though were unable to talk to the owner or uplift the dogs.

Minister for Local Government Simon Watts said he was seeking urgent advice on the issue.

SPCA senior science officer Alison Vaughan told Morning Report the Dog Control Act was “hopelessly out of date” and there needed to be a substantive, urgent, evidence-based review, and an overhaul.

Vaughan said there was a lack of consistency in how local governments responded to dog attacks, and that needed to change.

Shane Jones. RNZ/Samantha Gee

“What we really need right now is leadership from central government so we can get standardised national guidelines, so we can get more funding to address desexing of menacing and roaming dogs, because right now this population is continuing to grow.”

Asked about thoughts on minister Shane Jones’ comments on Morning Report that his father’s generation would shoot dangerous dogs, Vaughan said there needed to be solutions to address the underlying issues.

“We do know from overseas examples that indiscriminate culling of roaming dogs doesn’t find a sustainable solution, so it may reduce numbers temporarily, but if we don’t address the irresponsible breeding and roaming, we will see population quickly rebound.”

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Manhunt after clash between rival gang members leaves four people hurt, one critical in Christchurch

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police were at the scene on Hoani St in Christchurch’s Northcote. SAM SHERWOOD / RNZ

An incident that left four people injured, one critically, in Christchurch is believed to involve rival gangs Black Power and Mongrel Mob, RNZ understands.

Emergency services were called to an address on Hoani Street in Northcote about 9.30pm on Wednesday.

One person has life-threatening injuries, and another was seriously hurt.

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

The two others had minor or moderate injuries, police said.

RNZ understands the incident is believed to involve members of rival gangs Black Power and Mongrel Mob.

An RNZ reporter at the scene last night was told by police that there had been reports of shots being fired.

When asked whether the incident involved firearms, Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said: ” This forms part of police enquiries.”

“The community can be assured that police are working at speed to identify and locate those involved.

“Police believe the parties involved are known to each other and the risk to wider public is minimal.”

Hill said there would be more officers in the Northcote area today “as we work to resolve this incident as swiftly as possible”.

A scene examination is underway at the property.

Police are appealing to anyone in the area who may have witnessed anything last night to contact them. They can be contacted on 105 using file number 260218/3391.

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Winter Olympics: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott ‘stoked’ with silver medal effort

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott with her family after winning silver medal at the final of the Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle, Winter Olympics, 2026. www.photosport.nz

Wānaka snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott is yet to decide how she’ll celebrate becoming the sport’s most decorated Olympian.

The 24 year old picked up the silver medal in the Slopestyle final at the Winter Olympics in Italy overnight following up her silver medal performance in the Big Air earlier in the programme.

She now has five Olympic medals following her bronze in the Big Air in 2018 and gold in the Slopestyle and silver in the Big Air from 2022.

“I’m so happy that it’s over,” Sadowski-Synnott told RNZ.

“It has been such a big build-up and so much work has gone into this.”

Her immediate plan now is to watch the remaining New Zealanders compete at the Games.

“I’m just really stoked and proud to support the rest of the New Zealand team.

“After that I don’t know what comes, but I’m pretty keen to ride some powder or go to the beach and go surfing, I don’t know.”

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand reacts as she awaits her score in the Slopestyle final at the Winter Olympics, 2026. www.photosport.nz

After topping the qualifying round, Sadowski-Synnott headed into the third and final run of the Slopestyle final in fourth place, but turned in a flawless display to finish just 0.35 points behind Japan’s Mari Fukada, who took home gold.

“I was definitely feeling a lot of pressure. I took my time at the top though and just took it all in and felt really grateful that I had the opportunity to be here and represent my country no matter the result and so I just tried to do what I do best.

“I was proud of the run that I put together.”

She said it was an incredible feeling to reach the podium again.

“I can’t believe that I have another Winter Olympic medal, I’m just really grateful I was able to put it down when it mattered. I could really feel the support of New Zealand.”

She told Reuters she had “definitely not” imagined such success when she took up snowboarding at age eight. She said there were “zero expectations” for someone from New Zealand, a country not known for winter sports prowess.

“Just being a Kiwi, we’re always a bit of the underdog,” she said. “Any chance we get to show who we are on the world stage, we’ll try and do our best.”

Her drive began simply with “that feeling of slowly getting better and learning new tricks,” she said. “I just love the feeling because it makes me feel alive.”

Meanwhile, Dane Menzies finished seventh in the men’s Slopestyle final.

-RNZ with Reuters

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Police hunt on as four hurt, one critical, after reports of gunfire in Christchurch

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police were at the scene on Hoani St in Christchurch’s Northcote. SAM SHERWOOD / RNZ

Four people have been injured, with one in a critical condition, after a fight in suburban Christchurch.

Police say they are still looking to find those involved.

Offiers were called to an address on Hoani Street in Northcote about 9.30pm on Wednesday.

One person has life-threatening injuries, and another was seriously hurt.

The two others had minor or moderate injuries, police said.

An RNZ reporter at the scene last night was told by police that there had been reports of shots being fired.

When asked whether the incident involved firearms, Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said: ” This forms part of police enquiries.”

“The community can be assured that police are working at speed to identify and locate those involved.

“Police believe the parties involved are known to each other and the risk to wider public is minimal.”

Hill said there would be more officers in the Northcote area today “as we work to resolve this incident as swiftly as possible”.

A scene examination is underway at the property.

Police are appealing to anyone in the area who may have witnessed anything last night to contact them. They can be contacted on 105 using file number 260218/3391.

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Liam Lawson shows improvement in latest F1 test

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

#30 Liam Lawson (NZL) Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team MPS AGENCY / PHOTOSPORT

Liam Lawson got through 61 laps on the opening day of the second Formula 1 pre-season test in Bahrain.

The Racing Bulls driver shared the car with rookie Arvid Lindblad on the first day and managed the 12th fastest time.

His best lap was 2.3 seconds slower than that of Mercedes driver George Russell.

Lindblad had the 19th fastest time.

Oscar Piastri in a McLaren was the second fastest today, followed by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and the McLaren of world champion Lando Norris.

Lawson will drive the full day on day two with Linblad in the car on day three.

#30 Liam Lawson (NZL) Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team. MPS AGENCY / PHOTOSPORT

The 24 year old voiced some concerns about the new 2026 car in last week’s opening test session in Bahrain.

The only driver not to take to the track today was Max Verstappen.

The first round of the 2026 championships is in Australia on 8 March.

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Reality bites for job seekers as unemployment climbs

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Unemployment is at its highest in more than a decade, but an economist says that could actually be an early sign of economic strength, as more people return to the workforce. RNZ

New Zealand’s unemployment rate is the highest in a decade, but a leading economist is cautiously optimistic about the country’s economic outlook

There was a feeling of “cautious optimism” at a business breakfast in Auckland this week, after warning signs began flashing in the jobs market.

The latest figures, from Stats NZ, have revealed unemployment has risen to its highest level in more than a decade – 5.4 percent – with more people chasing work than jobs being created.

A total of 165,000 people are now unemployed – that’s a rise of 4000 on the previous quarter and 10,000 on a year ago.

When looking to the country’s future economic and employment outlook, Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold, the guest speaker at the breakfast, tells The Detail that he’s “cautiously optimistic” – a phrase he had on repeat.

“You know, in the last couple of years it’s been tough, hasn’t it?” he says. “We had a couple of years where things looked quite good as we went through the summer period in the early part of the year, only to find the economy sag in the middle of the year.

“And even though we have good reasons to be optimistic about this year, you have to be conscious that that could happen again, particularly given it’s an election year.”

He says the recent spike to 5.4 percent in unemployment is a complicated number. Yes, it’s higher than expected, but he says there’s also been a bump in the number of people wanting jobs.

“They survey New Zealanders to try to ascertain how many of us are actually looking for work, because not all of us are for various reasons. And the surprise last time was that jobs grew, but actually the number of New Zealanders thinking they wanted to be in the workforce grew as well.”

He believes this could be “early evidence of economic strength”.

“Often this relationship works in reverse – when the economy is weak, then people drop out of the labour force, they go ‘well, there’s not very many opportunities anyway, or the pay’s not going to be any good’, so they think about other alternatives, study or training for example.

“And when the economy picks up, people think ‘there are options out there now, I can actually go out there and get an interesting opportunity, I can get more income,’ and you tend to see people attracted into the workforce during these periods.”

He says hiring remains strong in government-related sectors, such as health and police, but construction is hurting.

“But we are starting to see some better signs … as lower interest rates filter through, although it is early days.”

Peak point

He believes the unemployment rate has peaked – “it should fall next quarter, modestly” – which is a sentiment echoed by Shay Peters, CEO of the Australia and New Zealand umbrella of Robert Walters, a recruitment firm. He hosted the business breakfast.

“I think what we will be seeing and what everyone will be forecasting over the next 12 months is for that unemployment rate to drop,” Peters tells The Detail.

He points to the 76 percent of businesses surveyed for the company’s latest Salary Guide who say they are planning to hire this year, up from 66 percent last year.

“Our labour market is showing a renewed sense of optimism, but caution remains.”

He says, “unfortunately”, New Zealand continues to be a victim of the brain drain to Australia.

“That is probably my biggest concern, around the level of individual that’s gone to Australia … they are the productive ones. They are there, they are productive, they are doing the job.

“They are the ones who we see leave New Zealand with their families and buy houses in Australia.

“Will these people come back? It’s highly unlikely. Will we be able to import talent from other offshore resources? I don’t know, it’s a tough one.”

When asked about the role of AI in New Zealand’s job market, he says, “I think there is a nervousness about AI taking people’s jobs, but we aren’t seeing it play out en masse yet”.

But, he says, AI is working overtime for those chasing a job.

“A great example is one of our clients, who said to us [that] when AI was just starting to be implemented by job seekers … they received 12 cover letters that were exactly the same from 12 different people. Clearly, they put it into the same bot, they put in the same job description in and it spat out the same cover letter.

He says “authenticity” is what sets candidates apart. And in a tough market, anything and everything helps.

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Four people injured, one critically, after report of gunfire in Christchurch

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police were at the scene on Hoani St in Christchurch’s Northcote. SAM SHERWOOD / RNZ

Four people have been injured, with one in a critical condition, after a fight in suburban Christchurch.

Police say they are still looking to find those involved.

Offiers were called to an address on Hoani Street in Northcote about 9.30pm on Wednesday.

One person has life-threatening injuries, and another was seriously hurt.

The two others had minor or moderate injuries, police said..

An RNZ reporter at the scene last night was told by police that there had been reports of shots being fired.

When asked whether the incident involved firearms, Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said: ” This forms part of police enquiries.”

“The community can be assured that police are working at speed to identify and locate those involved.

“Police believe the parties involved are known to each other and the risk to wider public is minimal.”

Hill said there would be more officers in the Northcote area today “as we work to resolve this incident as swiftly as possible”.

A scene examination is underway at the property.

Police are appealing to anyone in the area who may have witnessed anything last night to contact them. They can be contacted on 105 using file number 260218/3391.

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Auckland’s west coast residents fear their beaches will become next rockpool harvesting hotspot

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

People harvesting sea life at Army Bay. Protect Whangaparoa Rockpools

Residents on Auckland’s west coast fear their beloved beaches will become the next hotspot for rock pool harvesting.

The government has imposed a two-year ban on taking shellfish and seaweed from rockpools along the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, and further north at Kawau Bay and Ōmaha Bay on Auckland’s east coast, from 12 March 2026.

The Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust applied for the ban under section 186A of the Fisheries Act, which all iwi could do for their rohe.

The iwi’s chief executive, Nicola MacDonald, earlier told RNZ that as the population had grown, the amount of harvesting being done had become unsustainable, and the coastline desperately needed a break.

Luella Bartlett from the community group Protect Piha Rockpools said that rockpools in Piha, as well as Muriwai, Te Henga, and Whatipu, would be stripped bare if more people started combing those beaches due to the East Coast ban.

“I’m so happy for them [Ngāti Manuhiri and the Whangaparāoa community] because they’ve worked hard for it, they desperately needed it, but unfortunately, it hasn’t gone far enough, and the biggest issue is seeing movement into other areas.”

Bartlett, who had lived in Piha for 20 years, said locals had been concerned about the amount of marine life being taken there for decades.

“This has been a long-term problem. The difference now is back then it was green-limped mussels, now it’s anemones, starfish, crabs, seaweed, absolutely everything being yanked off the rocks,” Bartlett said.

“It’s 100 percent legal right now. You can take up to 50 things per person.”

Currently, recreational harvesters can collect up to 50 cockles, 150 sea urchins, 25 green-lipped mussels, 50 pipi, and 50 of any other shellfish a day.

Bartlett wanted the government to make all intertidal zones, the area between high and low tide, a “no-take zone”.

She recently met with two NZ First MPs, Under Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries Jenny Marcroft and David Wilson, and Fisheries Officials at Maukatia Bay to discuss her concerns.

“They are actively wanting to make sure that displacement from one beach to another does not happen.”

Protect Piha Rockpools founder Luella Bartlett (second from right) with NZ First MPs, Under Secretary for Oceans and Fisheries Jenny Marcroft and David Wilson, and Fisheries Officials at Maukatia Bay. Supplied

Bartlet said people harvesting at West Coast beaches was also a safety risk for those unfamiliar with the notoriously dangerous surf.

“On the West Coast, it’s a lot rougher. We’re going to see a lot more rescues and potentially, a lot more deaths as well as major damage to our ecosystem, which we’re already seeing damage to.”

While speaking about rockpool harvesting during question time this week, Fisheries Minister Shane Jones’ comments about Asian Communities resulted in boos from other MPs in the House.

Bartlett did not think the minister’s approach was helpful.

“We’re [Protect Piha Rockpools] focused on the legislation, not race or culture, because this is happening across cultures and it has been happening for a long time, 40-odd years. It’s not helpful when we’re trying to get legislation changed when it keeps being diverted back to race.”

University of Auckland marine scientist Professor Andrew Jeffs said it was great that the government had recognised there was a problem with the amount of harvesting around Whangaparāoa.

But he agreed the activity would be displaced to other vulnerable areas.

“I was out on the West Coast in Auckland last weekend, and on a reef which I previously haven’t seen many people collecting shellfish off, I counted about 30 people there with buckets and tools taking stuff off the rocks.”

He said he had observed an increase in people beach-combing at one popular West Coast spot in recent years. He did not want to name the beach for fear it would encourage more gathering there.

“I suspect it’s because people have discovered that there’s good stuff to be had there, and word is getting around, and so people are taking it.

“I’ve seen that happen in other areas. There was an area of sea cucumbers, what we call a hotspot of sea cucumbers, in the harbour that we were studying and over the period of about two and a half years. Initially, one person started harvesting, and then we gradually saw more people coming, and there’s now no sea cucumbers in that place anymore, they’re all gone.”

In 1993, a rāhui was placed on Karekare beach by the local iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki, with support from the community as a method of protecting dwindling shellfish stock and the marine ecology of the area.

Te Kawerau ā Maki, has been contacted by RNZ for comment and is yet to confirm whether they plan to apply for a temporary ban.

Shane Jones and Jenny Marcroft have been contacted for comment.

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Government expected to make announcement on Auckland housing plan U-turn

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government is expected to make an announcement on housing plans for Auckland. RNZ / Kate Newton

The details of the government’s election year U-turn on housing plans in Auckland are expected to be announced shortly.

The Housing Minister has had to grapple with potentially legislating over a plan change that is already underway – a process which he says is “legally complicated”.

“Rarely if ever does it happen,” said Chris Bishop.

But, government ministers say it is “democracy”, and the Prime Minister says he is listening to feedback.

Others are concerned it is slowing the delivery of housing in Auckland.

The change comes after various iterations of plans to allow for more housing in Auckland.

In 2021, National and Labour agreed to allow three homes of up to three storeys tall on most properties in New Zealand.

Auckland Council then had to grapple with the effects of the Anniversary Weekend floods in 2023 and decisions around where – and where not to – build new homes in the future.

Bishop said the council could opt out of the medium-density rules that applied to most cities, as long as it delivered the same number of homes overall.

That was enough for at least the next 30 years of projected growth, a requirement under the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPSUD) from 2020.

Auckland Council proposed enabling up to two million new homes through a new plan, called Plan Change 120.

This, in part, proposed a change to district plan rules to enable intensification mainly around rapid transit stops and went out for consultation late last year.

Housing Minister Chris Bishop. RNZ/Mark Papalii

In January this year the coalition confirmed it was taking another look at the housing intensification plans after pushback from critics.

“Ultimately, the feedback is saying things are going to need to change, and there will need to be some changes,” said Christopher Luxon in January.

Bishop echoed this the same week, “We needed to make some changes there to make it more sustainable politically.”

He said the 2 million number took on “a life of its own”.

It was not entirely clear what official feedback the government was talking about, given Auckland Council had not yet seen the public submissions at that time.

Chair of the Policy, Planning and Development Committee Richard Hills told RNZ in January staff were still going through the submissions as part of the $3m consultation process.

“The only frustration from council’s point of view, is that all of these requirements on us were passed through cabinet and there are people clearly in cabinet who have acted like they didn’t know about it.”

Auckland Council Policy, Planning and Development Committee chair Richard Hills. Alexia Russell

Bishop shared that frustration, speaking to RNZ this week.

“I’m as frustrated as everybody else,” pointing to the NPSUD which came into effect multiple years ago.

He said Auckland was the last remaining city to implement its rules and regulations around land for housing.

Infrastructure NZ’s Nick Leggett thought central government and Auckland Council had been on the same page.

“I’m never surprised when politics gets in the way of infrastructure.

“Unfortunately, political intervention causes lots of problems and costs more money for New Zealanders when it comes to infrastructure.”

He was waiting to see the details, but was concerned about any weakening of planning allowances that meant “Auckland couldn’t grow up as well as growing out”.

Infrastructure NZ’s Nick Leggett. RNZ / Angus Dreaver

Chief executive of the Property Council of New Zealand, Leonie Freeman, said the development community needed certainty around what you could build and where.

“We had changes with the medium density, we had Plan change 78 now Plan change 120 – any calibration of figures or numbers or where houses are going to go need to be targeted and need to be evidence based.

“We need to take the personal opinions out of it.”

She said when there were continuous changes, it was hard to plan, and if you did start planning then the rules changed, “you’ve wasted a whole lot of time, money and energy”.

“It’s probably unintentionally slowing the delivery of houses in some places in Auckland, or it’s limiting intensification in areas where it does make sense.”

RNZ asked multiple cabinet ministers about making a change despite the formal consultation process still being underway. Bishop, Paul Goldsmith and David Seymour indicated they were listening to constituents and it was “democracy”.

MP for Epsom David Seymour. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Seymour, who is also the MP for Epsom, told the NZ Herald in January the issue of intensification in Auckland had been “highly politicised” and “symobolic” rather than a practical one about how to make it easier to build more houses faster and cheaper.

He said residents in his Epsom electorate were not “anti-intensification”, but if they were told towering buildings would be constructed “looking into everyone’s backyards and their swing sets and their pools”, they would ask, “Why would you do that?”

Speaking to RNZ he said the number of houses stipulated by Parliament was simply too high. He said Auckland Council had not been transparent about where exactly those houses would go.

“If the council had been transparent about what two million actually looked like, we probably would have got a different result in Parliament – we ain’t gonna make that mistake again.”

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Sales plummet for business near Moa Point sewage spill

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Vicky Shen says she will have to reduce staff hours to stay afloat after a nearly 70 percent drop in her business. Bill Hickman / RNZ

Businesses on Wellington’s South Coast are doing it tough since the failure of the Moa Point wastewater plant forced the closure of some of the capital’s most popular beaches.

An association of local businesses, Destination KRL, said hospitality and other water-dependent employers had lost – on average – more than half their customers in the last two weeks.

They have called for support from Wellington City Council.

Worst timing possible

On a warm, still summer evening at Wellington’s Lyall Bay, the usually bustling beach is deserted.

Co-owner of nearby Botanist cafe Maria Boyle said the sunny weather – especially following a storm in the capital – would usually see her cafe packed with customers.

“With this weather everybody gets out, they’re excited, the weather’s nice. We would be completely full right now and we’ve got, maybe, a quarter of the amount of tables we’d normally have.”

Maria Boyle of the Botanist cafe her daytime customers have halved since the plant failed. Bill Hickman / RNZ

She said daytime customers had nearly halved since the plant failed.

Boyle said – for her business – the closure of the beaches could not have come at a worse time.

“We essentially rely on this busy summer trade to get us through winter. Last winter was the worst winter we’ve ever had. For this to happen – after the last two years of terrible hospitality – it’s a disaster.”

Further down the beach, local fish and chip shop Seaview Takeaways had been feeding beachgoers for nearly 34 years. Owner Vicky Shen said in the last two weeks they had lost nearly 70 percent of their business.

She had planned to cut staff hours to stay afloat.

“I have to deal with it. So I will cut down some hours of my labour. I will do it myself. So I will work longer myself – so that’s very difficult – but otherwise I can’t afford it.”

Surfboard maker Jack Candlish of Verdure Surf builds his boards within sight of the city’s most popular surf break – right next to Wellington Airport and Moa Point.

Surfboard builder Jack Candlish says he’s considering relocating if the closure of the beaches “drags on”. Bill Hickman / RNZ

He usually sold just over a third of his boards to locals, but said he had not received a single local inquiry since news of the contamination of the surf spot broke.

“If it drags on much longer we’ll probably look at relocating. It’s something that we’ve already thought about doing but this has been a bit of a kick to, kind of, fast-track that process.

“We might as well be in Palmerston North as far as I’m concerned, when the beach isn’t even accessible.”

Another massive mountain to climb

Steve Walters of Destination KRL said he had heard from about 30 businesses in the area reporting dramatic losses over the last fortnight.

He said people in the beachside suburb paid some of the highest rates in the country, and if a solution could not be put in place quickly the council should step in to help.

“We’ve got government workers being reduced in this town and people being pretty tight with their money. Now on top of that a combination of entities have failed in providing a service which these businesses have paid for, so they’re feeling ‘we’ve just suddenly got another massive mountain to climb’ and they need support to get over that.”

A spokesperson for Wellington City Council said they had been in touch with business leaders in the area and were looking at how best to support affected businesses. But the council could not provide details of any plans at this stage.

“We appreciate the Moa Point plant failure will be having an impact on the South Coast, in particular some of the businesses in Lyall Bay,” a spokesperson said.

“We want to encourage Wellingtonians to get down to Lyall Bay, especially on a good day, and pay the cafes and other businesses a visit and spend some money.”

Wellington Water said it could be months before the plant was back in operation.

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Little River residents question why Lake Forsyth wasn’t opened to sea before flooding

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

Lake Forsyth in Banks Peninsula following the bad weather. Nathan Mckinnon / RNZ

Residents of a Banks Peninsula town flooded for the second time in a year are questioning why the Christchurch City Council again waited until it was flooded before opening a nearby lake to the ocean.

Little River is again counting the cost of flooding after the town was inundated during the deluge on Monday and Tuesday.

The town of 300 about 30 kilometres south of Christchurch was flooded last May.

But residents said opening Lake Forsyth to the sea could have lowered the level of flooding in the town.

Little River Cafe and Store owner Cameron Gordon. RNZ/Nathan McKinnon

Little River Cafe and Store owner Cameron Gordon – whose business and home had been flooded – said it was clear that Lake Forsyth contributed to flooding in the town.

“Once that lake opened … it drained away pretty quickly,” he said.

“I wish they’d open the lake prior to these events every time. I don’t know what the science is behind their decisions but they seem to have their rules and guidelines about how they monitor all that. But it doesn’t seem to work for us and it seems to be the same story every year with the same excuses every year.”

Lake Forsyth is about a kilometre south of Little River and is fed by the Okana and Okuti Rivers.

The only thing separating its southern banks from the Pacific Ocean is the gravel of Birdlings Flat Beach and a canal connecting the lake and ocean that could be opened by diggers when needed.

The resource consent allowed the council to open the lake when it reached 2.3 metres above mean sea level in spring and summer or 2.7 metres in autumn and winter. But it could also be opened if a storm was predicted to bring it to that level or threaten inundation.

The council did open the lake on Tuesday afternoon after it had peaked at about 4.4 metres and Little River was already inundated.

Gordon said it came too late.

“I think [Lake Forsyth] played a significant role,” he said.

“I think it delays the water flowing away. I don’t think it stops the water coming into the building at first, but I think it definitely slows it receding which is the problem. I think if it was opened before this then we would have had a lot less damage and a lower level through the building. It still would’ve come in but it would’ve been a lot less significant.”

Lisa Ashfield’s second-hand store flooded for the second time in 10 months. Nathan Mckinnon/RNZ

Lisa Ashfield, whose second-hand store had also been flooded for the second time in 10 months, said authorities seemed to be ignoring the experience of locals.

“From what I’ve noticed in 13 years of living here, we’ve had floods, the water’s up really high and you can’t get through the roads, they empty the lake and the water is gone within hours,” she said.

“For everybody to be saying it doesn’t make any difference if the lake is full or not, it doesn’t seem to make sense. It does seem to be that if we had a constant flow of water out of the village, while it’s raining, to the lake and to the ocean it probably could mitigate some of the flooding.

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger was not convinced and said the lake’s level was low before the deluge.

“It went from there to up in 36 hours. No one has seen rain like that there,” he said.

“It wouldn’t have mattered what level the lake was, the river – getting it to the lake – was the bottleneck and that’s why all of Little River township got flooded.”

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger. RNZ/Nathan Mckinnon

Mauger wanted a diversion installed along the Okana River which could take excess water during heavy rain.

“The climate is getting worse. It seems to be that we’re having a 10-year rain event every three years or two years or whatever, so we’ve got to be starting to be ready for this,” he said.

“That’s why I’m keen on getting this diversion channel dug in the farmer’s land right next to the main road to bypass so it goes to the lake without ruining the road and people’s livelihoods.”

A multimillion-dollar barge and pump project – known as the Ocean Connection – that would allow continual flow of water between the lake and sea was also in its final design stage, he said.

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More injured sea birds seen after storms by beach clean up group

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

An albatross/toroa being looked after at Wellington Zoo. Supplied / Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo

A beach cleanup group says it is seeing more injured or deceased sea birds after storms.

Stormy weather in the capital this week blew birds off course and left some exhausted and in need of rescue.

An albatross, a gannet and a fairy prion were among those picked up by the Petone Beach Clean Up Crew.

“Because they’re seabirds, they’re not made for the land, so we know they’re in trouble and need help, and they need to go to DOC (Department of Conservation) or the Nest at Wellington Zoo,” said Lorraine Shaab, who ran the clean up crew.

Shaab said she kept a cage in her car ready to hold rescued birds, but this week the albatross proved not to be a good fit.

“He was a huge bird. He came up past my knee.” she said.

If people come across native birds, like this albatross, DOC is the best port of call. Supplied / Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo

But she said the bird was also exhausted, which made transporting him less of a challenge.

“I actually put him in my car because he was too big for the cage.”

“Normally I would never do it, but he was exhausted,” she said. “He had no fight in him whatsoever.”

Meanwhile, Shaab’s gannet rescue had left her less fond of the bird.

“They’ve got good beaks on them,” she said.

“So I learned a bit of a lesson just to be a little bit more prepared next time if I rescue a gannet.”

A gannet. Supplied

The fairy prion proved to be more smooth sailing.

“He was just, I think, soaking wet and happy to be in a dry cat cage,” she said.

Shaab said following the storm she had also come across some dead gulls and was aware of some other dead birds people had reported to her.

She said they were finding more birds injured or deceased after storms, but it was not the only thing killing them.

“We’re finding more birds with entanglements from fishing line and swallowing fish hooks as well.”

Shaab said in Wellington if people came across native birds like an albatross or a gannet, DOC was the best port of call. For other birds like seagulls she said she was happy to collect them and drop them off with the appropriate people.

Another albatross was picked up by the Department of Conservation.

Wellington Zoo currently has three albatrosses in its care. Supplied / Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo

Operations advisor Brent Tandy said its rangers picked up the wandering albatross in Petone on Wednesday.

“It seemed to be uninjured, just exhausted and blown off course because of the storm.”

“The albatross was taken to the Nest Te kohanga at Wellington Zoo where it’s currently being rehydrated and stabilised before full health checks in the next couple of days,” he said.

Wellington Zoo said it currently had three albatrosses in its care, two found in Petone and another in Upper Hutt.

It said the birds had been blown off course and were exhausted by the storm.

The zoo said the albatrosses had arrived dehydrated and weak, with some injuries to their feet from the crash landing. But they were responding well to IV fluids and nutritional support

“First we need to rule out any underlying diseases or injuries, then they need careful nursing and waterproofing on our salt water pool. Birds that are fit to return to the wild need to be released at sea by boat.”

The zoo said climate change was having a serious impact on the fitness and survival of seabirds.

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‘Impossible deadline’: Union questions shorter consultation period for Māori curriculum

By Evening Report -

February 19, 2026

Source: Radio New Zealand

NZEI President, the head of the country’s largest education sector union. NZEI supplied

Education union NZEI Te Riu Roa is questioning why the consultation period on a draft Māori curriculum is only half as long as its English counterpart.

“It’s pretty much an impossible deadline, really. I mean, you cut the deadline in half, we’ve got till April to respond,” president Ripeka Lessels said.

The Ministry of Education opened the draft Te Marautanga o Aotearoa framework and Year 0-10 wāhanga ako (Pūtaiao, Waiora, Toi Ihiihi, Hangarau, Ngā Reo, and Te Reo Pakeha) for consultation from 28 January until 24 April 2026.

However, consultation on the Year 0 to 10 draft New Zealand Curriculum opened three months earlier in October 2025. The consultation period closes at the same time as Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, alongside the New Zealand curriculum, make up the national curriculum statements, Lessels said.

The shorter consultation timeframe would impact on teachers, who would have less time to digest and respond to the changes, she said.

“It’s gonna be a challenge, unless [teachers] have subject specific association members beside them to actually take them to go through and read through that stuff, so that they can, you know, download it all and be able to respond appropriately.”

Lessels said the government and ministry had prioritised speed over experience and it would lead to less kaupapa Māori embedded in the curriculum.

“I think this is the only chance that most of the sector will get, is to respond in this time frame … but that’s true also of the New Zealand curriculum, there’s been very little consultation with the subject association around curriculum development since the beginning of this government.”

This curriculum would also apply to the majority of Māori students who were not in Māori medium education, but who Lessels said had a right to be taught in their language regardless of their choice of school.

“What’s good for Māori is good for everybody … tamariki Māori are still part of the education system in Aotearoa New Zealand and we still, and the government, still have an obligation to improve education, as they are trying to do, improve education for all tamariki Māori.”

Lessels said the previous curriculum documents had a lot of input from Māori in the education sector, but input on the new draft had been limited.

“I’ve been going through the Te Reo Rangatira document, and, you know, it reads very much like the Pākehā document, and that’s because this minister has pretty much demanded what it should look like, and that they should be the same. You can see that, it’s in the document, you can see that in the Te Reo Rangatira document, the step stages and phases in that document kind of mirror the New Zealand curriculum, the Pākehā document.”

In a statement the Ministry of Education said it was its intent to release the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa side by side.

“We decided that further work was needed on the draft framework and Years 0-10 wāhanga ako of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, to make sure we released the best possible version for New Zealanders to consider and provide feedback on. This is an important milestone in Māori-medium education, and we needed to get it right.

“We recognise that kura and schools using Te Marautanga o Aotearoa have a shorter consultation time period than those using the New Zealand Curriculum, so we are making it possible for kura, schools and whānau to provide feedback through multiple avenues. In addition to the feedback forms for the framework and each wāhanga ako, we are also:

– holding webinars that anyone can attend and provide feedback at

– arranging workshops through Kahu Pūtoi to discuss the drafts, and

– holding local workshops through the Curriculum Advisory Service.

“The final National Curriculum is expected to be released in mid-2026, and we intend the final versions of both curricula to be available together at that time.

“We believe the three-month consultation period, supported by multiple feedback opportunities, provides enough time for kura and schools to engage with the draft Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and provide feedback. The consultation closes on Friday 24 April 2026.”

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

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