Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Contractors backfilling concrete next to the southbound lane after drainage has been installed. Supplied / NZTA

The Transport Agency (NZTA) will not be shutting the northbound lanes of Transmission Gully down this weekend as planned, due to a large Kāpiti fair.

NZTA has been spending $32 million fixing up the $1.25 billion motorway just over three years after it opened because chip sealing was never completed.

Six kilometres of road would be rebuilt where water was seeping into the pavement, and there was 18km of chip sealing work to be done.

Some of that work was set to take place this weekend, shutting down northbound lanes of the road – but that was scrapped due to the Kāpiti Food Fair on Saturday.

The event was expected to attract over 10,000 people from the wider Wellington region.

NZTA warned there would still be some lane closures in place and that people should factor in longer travel times.

Drivers could also use State Highway 59 as an alternative route.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

It was ”a full circle” moment for Rachael Williams and Dot Singh at the opening of a new whare at Te Kura o Tuahiwi in Canterbury on Friday, 5 December.

Williams, the board of trustees presiding member, and Singh, the tumuaki (principal), joined forces to celebrate the completion of a Ministry of Education-led building project.

As well as the new whare, Tūranga Tuarua, six new teaching spaces were built earlier this year, classrooms have been refurbished, and landscaping has given the school a new look as it prepares to grow to 250 tamariki.

Te Kura o Tuahiwi is a special character school, between Kaiapoi and Rangiora, with full immersion te reo and bilingual classes.

Williams and Singh, who have whakapapa at Tuahiwi, joined the teaching staff together at the kura 15 years ago, before going on to different roles.

”I taught here for 12 years, my three girls have gone here, and now my eldest daughter is returning next year to begin teacher training,” Williams said.

”It’s part of that full circle. You come and work here, and then you give back.”

Williams recalled that Maaka Tau, who officiated at the opening on behalf of Ngāi Tūāhuriri, was a kapa haka tutor at the kura when she started teaching.

While she was teaching at the kura, the roll fell to 76, but with the rebuild, it now has a capacity for 250 tamariki

The turnaround was thanks to the perseverance of Singh and previous tumuaki Sue Ross and Melanie Taite-Pitama, she said.

”There has been a lot of hard work from Dot and Mel to get here, and Sue before them.

”There was lots of liaising and promoting the school and encouraging people to bring their tamariki here.

”And now a lot of whānau are bringing their tamariki back here.”

The growth needed new classrooms, but the rebuild nearly didn’t happen.

It was delayed twice and then got caught up in the Ministry of Education’s review of 352 school building projects last year.

The new whare has been named Tūranga Tuarua by Ngāi Tūāhuriri upoko (leader) Te Maire Tau, Singh said.

”Our old hall was named Tūranga, and we wanted to keep the name, so this is the next generation Tūranga.”

The whare is designed to hold 250 people, meaning the kura will finally be able to hold full school assemblies, prizegivings and indoor sports.

The kura regularly supports the Marae across the road by hosting people on site before they are welcomed onto the Marae.

With the project completed, attention turns to refurbishing the administration block and building a new staffroom to support the growing staff.

The new project will be board-led, Singh said.

”Everyone walks into the staffroom because they think it’s the office, so this will mean the staff can have their privacy.”

The old hall has been refurbished, with the extra space allowing the kura to offer a Te Puna Reo group (pre-school) for 4-year-olds to help them prepare for school.

Williams said it just left a gap for rangatahi when they head off to high school.

”Our tamariki go to Kaiapoi or Rangiora High Schools or into Christchurch, but it’s not full immersion, so it can be a struggle for them going into mainstream.

”So it’s something to think about long-term – what do we provide beyond here?”

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

An intimate ceremony filled with singing, tears and laughter marked the opening of a new Pacific student space at the University of Aucklands Te Herenga Mātauranga Whānui (General Library) dedicated to the late Green Party MP Fa’anānā Efeso Collins.

Fa’anānā died early last year while advocating at a charity event in Auckland.

Family, students and staff gathered for the blessing of the Fa’anānā Efeso Collins Space, described by his widow Vasa Fia Collins as “a great honor” for their family and communities across the region.

“It means this occasion, not just for our family, for my daughters, Kaperiela and Asalemo, but also for all of Tangata, ale Moana, for all of Pacific people so it signals that, we’ve come a long, long way, and that we belong here in these institutions.”

A measina (taonga) in the form of a Samoan Siapo was dedicated to the space. The Siapo was designed by Vasa’s brother Opeta Elika and hand crafted in Samoa, travelling the Pacifc Ocean to hang on the wall of this dedicated space.

Each pattern was designed from the motifs of Fa’anānā’s Tatau (Samoan Traditional Tattoo for men) said Vasa.

Speaking to RNZ Pacific about what Fa’anānā would have thought of the space, Vasa said he would have been deeply moved.

“I think he’d be really shy and humbled. He would be speechless, with Efeso, he’s always got something to say about everything. But I think if he had come into the space, seen the siapo, and understood the journey it took to bring it across the Pacific Ocean to this place. He wouldn’t be able to have the words. He’d be in tears.”

Fa’anānā’s own student journey was highlighted during the ceremony, from his upbringing in Ōtara as the youngest of six in a Samoan and Tokelau family, to his achievements at the university.

“Efeso didn’t simply pass through this university, he shaped it. He loved this place, here he founded the Pacific Islands dream fonotaga program encouraging young Pacific learners to dream big and to pursue their dreams with courage. In 1999, he became the first Pacific president of AUSA (Auckland University Samoan Students Association). But let’s be honest, if he were here, he’d tell you that all these.”

Vasa also reflected on the challenges Pacific students face on campus, citing research that shows many do not feel the general library is a place where they belong. She had encouragement for students.

“I shared some research earlier from a friend of ours, Cathleen Hafu Fetokai, who talked about interviewing Pacific students who are here at the university, and that many of these Pacific learners did not name the general library as a place of belonging for them.

“My prayer is that having the Efeso Collins space is going to change that data, where our kids walk into this space and they feel accepted, they feel a sense of belonging and that they can celebrate all of who they are, their languages, their identities and their culture.”

University of Auckland’s pro vice-chancellor for Pacific Jemaima Tiatia said naming the space after Fa’anānā was a natural recognition of his impact.

“It was only fitting and appropriate for someone that had given his life as an undergrad student and a postgrad student to this university. He stood up for the voice that was not historically welcomed in these type of spaces, he’d served in so many ways, even beyond these halls and for that, we just thought, there’s nothing more better that we could honor him with than to name him a space after him.”

Behind the scenes, making sure the event and planning went smoothly was Pacific Engagement Lead for Learning and Library Services Fay Nanai , who said her 18-year-old self would have wanted a space like this.

“I remember not feeling like I belong University felt overwhelming, and I don’t always believe I could achieve my dreams.

“I sometimes think about that 18-year-old me who would be cheering us on right now, because this is the kind of space we dreamed of, a space that says ‘Your voice matters, your story is valued’, and with the opening of the Fa’anānā Efeso Collins space, it says the opposite. It says you are seen you belong, and while you may not always fit, you definitely belong.”

“This space is more than a space. It is a tribute to the life and legacy of Fa’anānā Efeso Collins, grounded in values that shaped him, tautua and leadership and alofa, advocating and championing our people at every corner.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The University of Waikato held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday for its new medical school building.

In practical terms, the ground had already been broken for the New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine, with heavy machinery on site and project fencing up.

But, as university chancellor Susan Hassall said, groundbreaking ceremonies are symbolic, offering participants an opportunity to celebrate the excitement of a new beginning.

It was a new beginning that many at the ceremony felt had been too hard fought.

A National Party election promise, the proposal hit opposition almost immediately, including from government coalition partners, the opposition, and the country’s existing medical schools.

University of Waikato vice chancellor Neil Quigley addressed why it took so much time and effort to get to this point.

He said, in part, it was because when change was proposed, incumbents have the resources to try to convince the public and decision-makers that a new offering was either not needed or would not be as good.

“Well said, well said,” replied Prime Minister Luxon from his seat.

“It’s taken great political leadership… to overcome the forces that oppose change and to get us to this point today,” said Quigley.

The prime minister also spoke of the opposition the project faced.

“It has been quite a fight because a lot of the political parties in Parliament haven’t wanted to support this at all, for various reasons,” he said.

But National had long believed that a third medical school was needed, he said.

“I think the message is pretty simple: this is a country that has one medical school for every 2.6 million people. Australia has one medical school for every 1.2 million people. This is a country where we have 350 New Zealand students now studying in Australian medical schools because they couldn’t get places here.”

Many speakers thanked Universities Minister Shane Reti for the work he did in opposition and while Minister of Health to encourage the university to persevere with the project and to advocate for the project within government.

Reti deflected praise to others.

“I want to acknowledge the many, many people, over many, many years, who bring us to this point today, who nourished the dream of a third medical school.”

The new school marked a new approach to medical training in New Zealand, he said.

“An innovative approach like this supports our focus on strengthening primary care, especially in rural environments, helping people to see a doctor more easily and improving the distribution of doctors across the country.”

The four-storey teaching and learning building is where medical students will spend their first year in the four-year programme studying biomedical sciences and the social factors that influence health.

In the second to fourth year, the students will be based in regional and rural communities. The third year will be entirely spent in a GP clinic.

The medical school will take a “digital-first” approach, using digital anatomy labs, VR-enabled case study rooms, clinical skills practice areas and hospital-standard simulation wards.

The New Zealand Graduate School of Medicine will welcome students from 2028.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Relaed

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• Twenty-one roles to go at the Public Health Agency
• Biggest impact in emergency management and Māori public health
• Union and public health experts say loss of critical expertise makes New Zealand vulnerable
• Health Ministry says consultation open now and any changes will be in place by April

Crucial public health roles – including in emergency management, pandemic preparedness and Māori health – are on the chopping block at the Ministry of Health, with yet another restructuring under way before Christmas.

The Public Service Association said the loss of skills and expertise would leave New Zealand “vulnerable”, as the risk from disease and natural disasters continued to ramp up.

Consultation on the changes at the Public Health Agency – the lead adviser to the government on public health and mental health – closes in just over a fortnight and any changes are expected to be in place by April.

Under the proposed restructure, 21 jobs would go – the biggest number from the emergency management team, which would shrink from 11 roles to just two, and from Māori Public Health, which could drop from six staff to two.

PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the ministry had told staff the cuts were no reflection on their work, which was high quality and of vital importance.

“Ultimately, this loss of deep skills and expertise to the Ministry of Health is also a huge loss for New Zealanders,” she said. “The COVID pandemic showed us all how crucial planning and public health is in an emergency, and decades of research have revealed that tangata whenua face health inequities at every level of the system.

“These changes make zero sense.”

The proposal follows cuts to public health in other areas, including the National Public Health Service, which sits under Health NZ.

Its job is delivering public health services, including running immunisation programmes, responding to infectious disease outbreaks, conducting public information campaigns, and monitoring water and air quality.

It was previously threatened with the loss of 55 positions, 300 vacant roles and a budget cut of $32m, but was granted a reprieve earlier this year, when Health NZ announced it had achieved “sufficient cost savings”.

The National Public Health Service had already undergone two major restructures in two years.

Under its new proposal, the Health Ministry has also proposed what the union described as “significant changes” to the mental health, addiction and suicide prevention office, with two group manager roles disestablished and eight roles moved elsewhere.

Fitzsimons said the reductions were driven by the government’s “reckless” budget-cutting.

“We’ve seen time and time again with the government’s cuts that specialist teams have been broken up,” she said. “When it comes to health, as our population grows and ages, we need those specialist teams with deep, specialist skills.”

Public health experts worried

Otago University public health professor Nick Wilson said the proposed cuts were “deeply worrying” at a time when other countries were gearing up public health expertise in the face of rising threats from pandemics and climate change.

“We’ve got increasing risk from biological spillover from the wild, but also, with humans intruding on wild spaces, that risk is increasing,” he said.

“We’ve got intensification of agriculture – we see influenza viruses from pig farms making that jump into the human population – and there’s the growing concerns about bio-engineering and AI producing new pathogens.

“As a country, we should be investing vastly more in pandemic preparedness.”

New Zealand would irrefutably see “more Cycle Gabrielles”, he said.

“Governments shouldn’t rely on academic commentators who are just doing bits of research in their spare time – that’s just too unreliable. You need lots of in-house expertise.”

Infectious disease expert Professor Michael Baker said the COVID-19 pandemic showed how crucial planning and public health was in an emergency.

“Also, you need the right people – people with real expertise – and the problem is, with every one of these re-organisations and downsizing processes, we’re losing expertise and momentum.”

When the Māori health authority Te Aka Whai Ora was disestablished by the government, there was a commitment that its functions and expertise would be retained in the Health Ministry and Health NZ.

The cuts to the small Māori public health team put that in further doubt, Baker said.

“This is a real concern, because we know there are huge health inequities for Māori in terms of life expectancy and every other measure we’ve got, so we need more expertise focused on reducing those disparities, rather than less.”

On Monday, the Wellington High Court will hear an application by Lady Tureiti Moxon, Dr Chris Tooley and Tony Kake, challenging the crown’s decision to disestablish Te Aka Whai Ora on the grounds it breaches the rights of Māori, undermines tino rangatiratanga and entrenches inequity.

Changes in place by April

In a written response to RNZ, Director-General of Health Audrey Sonerson, said the ministry had started a change consultation with two groups within the organisation.

“Affected staff have had meetings to outline the proposed changes to their roles and now consultation on the proposed changes is open,” she said. “At this stage, we expect any confirmed changes to organisational structure to be in place by April 2026.”

There was no proposal to reduce the size of the suicide prevention team, but the plan was to bring it under a new ‘lived experiences team’.

Of the 11 roles in the emergency management team, three are already vacant.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hāwera residents were evacuated from their homes, after an “item of concern” was found on a nearby property.

Police were called to Quin Crescent just after 2pm Friday.

Cordons are in place at the Rimu and Clement streets intersection, and at the Rod Syme Place and Rata Street intersection.

The Defence Force explosive bomb disposal team was alerted.

Evacuated residents were advised to go to the TSB Hub on Camberwell Road for shelter.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Noam Mānuka Lazarus, Massey University journalism student

Wellington festival Beers at the Basin has been cancelled after it was previously postponed for more than a year, with organisers blaming a tough economic climate in the capital.

In an email to ticketholders on Friday, organisers said the festival at the Basin Reserve scheduled for February was “taking a break” and they “remain committed to exploring opportunities for the future.”

It said they had hoped postponing the event from November 2024 to February 2026 would bring “excitement and energy,” but it had not sold well.

“Wellington’s tough economic climate has contributed to lower than expected ticket sales, despite strong early interest.

“Recent indicators show that discretionary spending in the region, unfortunately, continues to remain low.”

That meant they couldn’t “confidently proceed” with the event.

“This difficult decision was made after reviewing a number of factors that impact our ability to deliver the event experience attendees, vendors, and partners expect from Beers at the Basin,” it said.

All tickets will be fully refunded, the email said.

Damien Hochberg from Arada Promotions, the festival’s promoter, declined to comment further.

The first Beers at the Basin event was held in 2017.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Paihia’s boil-water notice will continue at least until Monday, the Far North District Council says.

Residents in Paihia as well as Waitangi, Ōpua, Haruru and Te Haumi have been told to boil tap water for at least a minute before drinking it or cooking with it.

The notice was issued on Thursday afternoon after testing showed E coli bacteria in the water above permitted levels.

The council said tests had to come back clear for three days in a row before the boil water notice could be lifted.

The results of Friday’s water tests were not known.

A reservoir at Te Haumi, just south of Paihia, had been isolated to prevent any risk of wider contamination while testing continued.

The council said anyone in the affected area who developed gastroenteritis symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhoea, should seek medical advice.

Meanwhile, Kaikohe’s town supply was restored around noon on Friday after an outage caused by a burst water main earlier in the day.

A number of schools closed for the day due to the lack of running water, including Northland College and Kaikohe East School.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• Twenty-one roles to go at the National Public Health Service
• Biggest impact in emergency management and Māori public health
• Union and public health experts say loss of critical expertise makes New Zealand vulnerable
• Health Ministry says consultation open now and any changes will be in place by April

Crucial public health roles – including in emergency management, pandemic preparedness and Māori health – are on the chopping block at the Ministry of Health, with yet another restructuring under way before Christmas.

The Public Service Association said the loss of skills and expertise would leave New Zealand “vulnerable”, as the risk from disease and natural disasters continued to ramp up.

Consultation on the changes at the National Public Health Service – the lead adviser to the government on public health and mental health – closes in just over a fortnight and any changes are expected to be in place by April.

Under the proposed restructure, 21 jobs would go – the biggest number from the emergency management team, which would shrink from 11 roles to just two, and from Māori public health, which could drop from six staff to two.

PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said the ministry had told staff the cuts were no reflection on their work, which was high quality and of vital importance.

“Ultimately, this loss of deep skills and expertise to the Ministry of Health is also a huge loss for New Zealanders,” she said. “The COVID pandemic showed us all how crucial planning and public health is in an emergency, and decades of research have revealed that tangata whenua face health inequities at every level of the system.

“These changes make zero sense.”

The proposal follows cuts to public health in other areas, including the National Public Health Service, which sits under Health NZ.

Its job is delivering public health services, including running immunisation programmes, responding to infectious disease outbreaks, conducting public information campaigns, and monitoring water and air quality.

It was previously threatened with the loss of 55 positions, 300 vacant roles and a budget cut of $32m, but was granted a reprieve earlier this year, when Health NZ announced it had achieved “sufficient cost savings”.

The National Public Health Service had already undergone two major restructures in two years.

Under its new proposal, the Health Ministry has also proposed what the union described as “significant changes” to the mental health, addiction and suicide prevention office, with two group manager roles disestablished and eight roles moved elsewhere.

Fitzsimons said the reductions were driven by the government’s “reckless” budget-cutting.

“We’ve seen time and time again with the government’s cuts that specialist teams have been broken up,” she said. “When it comes to health, as our population grows and ages, we need those specialist teams with deep, specialist skills.”

Public health experts worried

Otago University public health professor Nick Wilson said the proposed cuts were “deeply worrying” at a time when other countries were gearing up public health expertise in the face of rising threats from pandemics and climate change.

“We’ve got increasing risk from biological spillover from the wild, but also, with humans intruding on wild spaces, that risk is increasing,” he said.

“We’ve got intensification of agriculture – we see influenza viruses from pig farms making that jump into the human population – and there’s the growing concerns about bio-engineering and AI producing new pathogens.

“As a country, we should be investing vastly more in pandemic preparedness.”

New Zealand would irrefutably see “more Cycle Gabrielles”, he said.

“Governments shouldn’t rely on academic commentators who are just doing bits of research in their spare time – that’s just too unreliable. You need lots of in-house expertise.”

Infectious disease expert Professor Michael Baker said the COVID-19 pandemic showed how crucial planning and public health was in an emergency.

“Also, you need the right people – people with real expertise – and the problem is, with every one of these re-organisations and downsizing processes, we’re losing expertise and momentum.”

When the Māori health authority Te Aka Whai Ora was disestablished by the government, there was a commitment that its functions and expertise would be retained in the Health Ministry and Health NZ.

The cuts to the small Māori public health team put that in further doubt, Baker said.

“This is a real concern, because we know there are huge health inequities for Māori in terms of life expectancy and every other measure we’ve got, so we need more expertise focused on reducing those disparities, rather than less.”

On Monday, the Wellington High Court will hear an application by Lady Tureiti Moxon, Dr Chris Tooley and Tony Kake, challenging the crown’s decision to disestablish Te Aka Whai Ora on the grounds it breaches the rights of Māori, undermines tino rangatiratanga and entrenches inequity.

Changes in place by April

In a written response to RNZ, Director-General of Health Audrey Sonerson, said the ministry had started a change consultation with two groups within the organisation.

“Affected staff have had meetings to outline the proposed changes to their roles and now consultation on the proposed changes is open,” she said. “At this stage, we expect any confirmed changes to organisational structure to be in place by April 2026.”

There was no proposal to reduce the size of the suicide prevention team, but the plan was to bring it under a new ‘lived experiences team’.

Of the 11 roles in the emergency management team, three are already vacant.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A man has died after being stabbed during an altercation in the Auckland suburb of Mt Wellington.

Police said the man was involved in a confrontation with a group of people in a car on Harris Road around midday on Sunday. He suffered multiple stab wounds and arrived a medical centre on Lunn Avenue at around 12:15 pm. He was quickly taken to Auckland Hospital, where he died Friday afternoon.

A homicide investigation is under way, with police seeking to identify and locate those responsible.

“At this early stage, we have established the victim got into an altercation with occupants of a hatchback vehicle on Harris Road in Mt Wellington,” police detective inspector Scott Beard said in a statement.

“During this altercation, the victim has sustained stabbing injuries before both parties left the scene.”

Beard said police found what they believe to be the hatchback involved on Laud Avenue in nearby Ellerslie.

Police set up a cordon at the scene on the intersection of Harris Road and Rutland Road, blocking traffic at the busy intersection during school pick-up hours.

A police helicopter could be seen circling Mt Wellington on Friday afternoon.

Frustrated parents told RNZ they had to take their children on lengthy diversions around the cordoned area.

Police also cordoned off Laud Avenue.

“Police have been speaking with people as part of early enquiries, including residents around the two scenes we have cordoned off,” said Beard.

“Mt Wellington residents will continue to see an increased police presence across the area over the coming days in response to what has occurred.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

• Gunak Lee thought he was getting paid a few thousand dollars to smuggle a haul of 10 rare geckos, possibly worth over $140,000
• Instead, he was caught in a sting with an undercover DOC officer
• Lee claimed he was acting for another person he hadn’t met
• His lawyer said he was a young and naive mule
• He has been sentenced to 14 months in prison

A South Korean man who expected to be paid a few thousand dollars for smuggling rare geckos out of the country has instead been jailed for 14 months.

Gunak Lee, 23 and unemployed, was caught in a sting in October with an undercover Department of Conservation (DOC) officer at an Auckland hotel.

He thought he was buying 10 geckos for several thousand dollars, but the officer handed over just two in the operation, with the rest of the containers empty and hidden.

A search warrant was executed when Lee got back to his hotel room to check how many of the prized jewelled geckos he had.

Lee planned to fly back to South Korea that day, thinking he would only be fined if he was stopped at the border.

But at the Manukau District Court on Friday, Lee was sentenced for buying the protected jewelled geckos and possession of a threatened species.

“Wildlife doesn’t have brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers to call the police if something happens,” DOC prosecutor Mike Bodie said.

He said the transaction was clearly part of a planned international smuggling operation.

“This wasn’t spare of the moment; it was clearly a plan and premeditated,” Bodie said.

He said the jewelled geckos were “beautiful, attractive, unusual, but are animals” that could not sustain being exploited.

Jewelled geckos are only found in New Zealand, and their conservation status is classified as “at risk – declining”. The species are found in pockets of Canterbury, Otago and Southland.

DOC called for a starting point of two years’ prison.

The maximum penalty for buying protected wildlife is two years’ jail, or a $100,000 fine, or both.

If the court is satisfied it was for commercial gain or reward, this increases to 5 years jail, or a $300,000 fine, or both.

On the other charge of possessing a threatened species, the maximum sentence is three years’ jail, or a $50,000 fine, or both.

Lee’s lawyer, Joon Yi, said a starting point of six months was appropriate because Lee was exploited, fell victim to others and was naive.

“He’s so naive that even his own hotel, that he stayed in, he paid for out of his own pocket without any assurance he would be paid back or anything like that,” he said.

Yi said his client’s previous employer, who he thought of as an older brother, offered him the opportunity with a third party.

He thought “that would be it,” and the consequences were never explained to Lee, his lawyer said.

The undercover sting

Because of their rarity, distinctive features and striking colour, jewelled geckos are highly sought after in illegal international trading, according to DOC.

This was especially so in Europe, where a gecko can sell for more than €7,000 (NZ$14,000).

The Summary of Facts detailed Lee’s offending and the sting that led to his arrest.

On 13 October, he flew from South Korea to Auckland, arriving on a visitor visa.

Three days later, he met with an undercover DOC officer in the lobby of an Auckland hotel where he was staying, a meeting that he had arranged earlier online.

There, he agreed to buy ten New Zealand green geckos for US$15,000 cash.

The undercover officer had prepared a bag with several clear plastic containers, with the top two, in view, containing jewelled geckos.

It was pre-arranged that Lee would check the top containers to confirm geckos were there, pay US$5,000, and return to his room to confirm the rest.

There was an agreement that once Lee was satisfied, he would return to the lobby and pay the remaining money.

But he was arrested when he got back to his room, and the two geckos were recovered unharmed.

A search of his hotel room found another US$10,000 and containers to get the geckos out of the country.

In an interview, Lee said his flights and hotel were paid for by a third party he had not met.

Lee was expecting to be paid between NZ$3,600 and $4,800 to act as the gecko courier.

He said he had taken the risk because he was told he would only be fined if he was stopped at the border, and it would be paid for him.

Lee claimed he was unaware it was illegal to buy or possess wildlife in New Zealand.

He said he would have put each gecko inside a sock, and then inside a cardboard box before hiding them in his suitcase to fly back to South Korea that afternoon.

The 14-month sentence

Judge David McNaughton said he accepted Lee was not the principal offender.

“Whoever that person was, he arranged all of this at a distance,” he told Lee.

“He was insulating himself from any risk of getting caught, and clearly he was also doing this for commercial gain or reward, so it was a commercial operation,” he said.

The judge did not accept the defendant’s starting point of six months in jail, and started at two years.

He gave credit for Lee’s guilty plea, his age, and his lack of previous convictions.

“And to a certain extent, but not totally, your naivety, and the fact that you cooperated when you were interviewed.”

Judge McNaughton also imposed standard six-month conditions after he is released from his 14-month prison term, but told Lee he would likely be deported straight away.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Biosecurity official estimate it’s costing about $1 million a month to try to get on top of an incursion of exotic yellow-legged hornets in Auckland.

Thirty-one queen hornets (Vespa velutina) have been found around the city’s Glenfield and Birkdale areas since the first discovery in mid-October.

The Ministry for Primary Industries was trapping within 5km of the detections, putting more staff on the ground and engaging tracking technology from abroad.

Horticultural sectors were concerned about the impact the predatory hornet could have on New Zealand’s honey bee populations.

MPI director-general Ray Smith told the primary production select committee Thursday during scrutiny week, teams were also visiting households in the area, dropping 100,000 leaflets and encouraging reporting of further sightings.

But choices would eventually need to be made about how the response would be funded, he said.

“We’ve probably spent around about $1m already on this response, and we have to be conscious of following the science in order to kind of spend that money wisely as we go forward,” he said.

“As each month ticks by, if you’re adding on roughly $1m a month in response costs with a lot of people on the ground, it starts to become very expensive.”

It established a technical advisory group featuring independent scientific experts from countries that had successfully managed incursions of the hornet to support its response.

Smith said industry partners were assisting with education and awareness around the hornets, but beekeepers and honey producers were not signed up to any government-industry agreement (GIA) that would involve financial contribution to the response.

“The people that are most concerned about the impact of the hornet is on bee populations,” he said.

“That group does not have a government industry agreement, that means they have no obligation to contribute to the cost of this.

“It doesn’t mean that they’re not helping, but the costs are substantive, so it’s all taxpayers’ funds largely that are going into this.”

MPI held a number of government-industry agreements with various sector groups regarding responses to biosecurity incursions.

Neither Apiculture New Zealand nor NZ Beekeeping Incorporated were involved, but ApiNZ chief executive Karin Koss said she was an “observer” to the technical advisory group.

Hornets were mid-hatching, so numbers may fluctuate, Smith said.

“But if we get into months and months and months and no sense of being able to control for it, and the millions begin to mount, there’ll be another set of decisions for ministers to make about, ‘well, who’s paying for this?’”

NZ Beekeeping Incorporated was calling for greater protection measures beyond the 5km radius and a greater pace of decision-making from the ministry.

The group representing 350 commercial beekeepers paid a biosecurity incursion levy for American Foul Brood.

President Jane Lorimer said she feared open dialogue between the shrinking sector and the ministry could be stifled under a government-industry agreement.

“We would be paying probably a fairly substantial amount per beekeeper that we just currently can’t afford.”

Honey producers faced challenges at present, like a global honey glut during the Covid-19 era resulting in low prices and subdued demand, as well as pests like the destructive varroa mite.

Lorimer said beekeepers feared the hornets may spread beyond the 5km radius, which could significantly impact honey bee populations.

“We’ve been trying to say to MPI, can we actually look at doing something that’s outside of GIA, but still meets the needs and that for biosecurity preparedness and response.

“Basically, they’ve been pretty much going, ‘well no, there’s only GIA available.”

MPI received more than 4500 reports regarding hornets from the public.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A feral cat that destroyed a large black-fronted tern colony on Canterbury’s Waiau Toa/Clarence River has finally been caught.

The tom cat killed and ate several adult tern, chicks and eggs, resulting in birds abandoning almost all 95 nests on an island in the river last December.

Black-fronted terns or tarapirohe are endangered with an estimated population of less than 10,000 birds and declining.

Last week contractors Jasen and Shannon Mears of J & S Mears carried out a leg-hold trapping operation in the Clarence River area, targeting feral cats to protect nesting tarapirohe from predators.

They caught 11 cats, including the 6kg tom cat responsible for last year’s colony attack.

Shannon Mears said the large feral tom cat – identified by its long stride and distinctive prints – was tracked for several days before they were able to successfully lure and trap it.

The wily cat had carefully avoided the many leg-hold traps set around the colony and a network of more than 700 kill traps in the wider area, she said.

“It took three nights to catch it. Each morning, we would find the cat had yet again evaded or ignored traps and bait. Its prints clearly showed him visiting the river near the same tern colony he decimated last year to check the water level. It would have only been a matter of time before the river level dropped, and he would have been able to reach the colony again,” she said.

The couple went to great lengths to lure it with whole rabbits as decoys, wing traps and buried leg-hold traps covered by tissue paper and soil. The cat was eventually caught in a leg trap.

“Even then it managed to pull the stake out and hide in a den about 200m away in the middle of the Acheron campsite, where our dog Billy tracked him,” she said.

Earlier this month feral cats were added to the Department of Conservation’s Predator Free 2050 list. There are an estimated 2.4 million feral cats in New Zealand compared to 1.2 million pet cats and about 200,000 stray cats, although the exact numbers are not known.

Feral cats are apex predators, which have been linked to the extinction of several native bird species. They also hunt bats, lizards, frogs and even insects such as wētā.

Department of Conservation South Marlborough principal ranger Pat Crowe was pleased with the results of the trapping after last year’s colony loss.

“Controlling predators like feral cats, ferrets and stoats is difficult work, especially when you’re dealing with trap-shy individuals, but it’s critical to give species like tarapirohe and other braided river birds a fighting chance,” he said.

Apart from flooding in late October that disrupted early nesting, he said it had been a successful breeding season with no signs of predation by introduced predators in the trapping area.

The Waiau Toa/Clarence River is an important habitat for black-fronted terns. There are at least 12 colonies nesting on islands in the braided river this year and 206 nests have been recorded in the six monitored colonies.

People could help protect tern colonies in the Molesworth Recreation Reserve by giving the birds space and keeping out of the nesting colonies, DOC said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A teenager accused of attempting to steal more than $20,000 worth of clothing from an Auckland store was caught in the act.

Police said they were notified of several alarms being activated at a store on Don McKinnon Drive in Albany just before 3am on Friday.

In a statement, Senior Sergeant CJ Miles said police found the glass shop front smashed and the roller door pulled up.

“Officers also located a stolen vehicle parked in front of the store, full of stolen merchandise.

“A person, in the process of loading further stolen goods into the car, exited the store and was taken into custody immediately.”

More than $20,000 worth of property was recovered, Miles said.

A 16-year-old is to appear in North Shore Youth Court on Friday charged with burglary and unlawfully taking a vehicle.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Auditor-General is scrutinising spending at Chatham Islands Council where former Labour MP Paul Eagle is chief executive.

The Office of the Auditor-General confirmed it was looking into “sensitive expenditure and procurement” at the council but said it was confidential, and would not comment publicly while the work was ongoing.

Chatham Islands Mayor Greg Horler also confirmed the inquiry but said the council would make no further comment.

Chatham Islands Council chief executive Paul Eagle said he was unable to comment while the process was underway.

“I don’t want to compromise that,” he said.

“I’m also bound by strict confidentiality requirements of the Auditor-General.”

Eagle has headed up the council since November 2023.

He was a Labour MP for the Rongotai electorate when he ran for the Wellington mayoralty in 2022.

That bid was unsuccessful, and Eagle did not contest the general election in 2023.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police say they are working to resolve concerns around breath testing data “as quickly as possible,” after the New Zealand Transport Agency halted $6m worth of funding until it’s satisfied police have met their targets.

RNZ earlier revealed about 130 staff were under investigation throughout the country after 30,000 alcohol breath tests were “falsely or erroneously recorded”.

On Thursday, an NZTA spokesperson told RNZ it had paused $6m worth of funding until the matter was resolved.

On Friday, Assistant Commissioner Michael Johnson said in a statement that NZTA had notified police that delivery-dependent road policing funding for the first quarter of the financial year had been paused, while Police’s investigation into irregularities in breath testing data was ongoing.

“Police is working closely with our NZTA partners to resolve this matter as quickly as possible. We acknowledge it is important the data being assessed is accurate and the activity being carried out is legitimate.

“We are confident that once the data is confirmed as accurate, the funding will be authorised.”

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

Police continued to deliver “very high levels of breath testing activity”, Johnson said.

“We will continue to have a high-visibility presence over the summer period.”

An NZTA spokesperson earlier told RNZ it had requested police provide assurance that delivery numbers for breath screening tests and the wider road policing activity measures for the 2024/25 financial year were correct.

NZTA has paused its usual end-of-year reporting to the NZTA Board and the Minister of Transport until it is satisfied the final results are “a full and accurate record” of police delivery during the 2024/25 financial year.

Each year, $24 million of funding is dependent on the successful delivery of all speed and impairment activities to agreed specified annual levels, known as delivery dependent funding (DDF).

“Delivery against these measures is assessed on a quarterly basis, and a pro-rated amount of DDF is available to be authorised to spend ($6m per quarter).

“Until the current issue with reporting on breath testing is resolved, NZTA has paused assessment of the $6m in delivery dependent funding for the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year.”

Any funding from a quarter where DDF was not met remained available for subsequent authorisation in the same financial year, if targets are met, the spokesperson said.

“Any funding not authorised to be spent at the end of the financial year is required to be returned to the NLTF.”

The bulk of funding for road policing activity (of $103m per quarter) continued to be available to police, the spokesperson said.

In an earlier statement to RNZ, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said “this is a prudent decision by NZTA and I welcome it. The breath testing issue is very concerning and it is important it is resolved.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Oranga Tamariki aims to run its second boot camp for serious youth offenders in March next year using a new design.

The Children’s Minister earlier this week in a scrutiny hearing said no date had been set.

The ministry told the same hearing it was “giving some thought” to running a second one prior to the law being changed.

In response to RNZ inquiries, Oranga Tamariki sketched out its plans and preparation which it said were well advanced.

“Oranga Tamariki is planning to run a further voluntary programme, under existing legislative settings, with the intent to deliver in March 2026,” it said.

“This is an operational decision for Oranga Tamariki.”

It would take teenagers who volunteer, like the pilot last year, housed at the same Te Au rere a te Tonga youth justice residence in Palmerston North.

The Responding to Serious Youth Offending Amendment Bill that would enable a judge to sentence a teenager to time in a military-style academy had its first reading in Parliament in November.

On Tuesday, Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime had raised the prospect of a March start, but Minister Karen Chhour said no date was set.

Green MP Kahurangi Carter had been critical of the minister and officials for saying there were no definite decisions but recruiting before the legislation was in place.

Prime on Friday said the government had stated the legislation would be passed before there was another boot camp but instead it was experimenting on children.

“The answers from the minister were cagey,” Prime said.

Chhour has been approached for comment.

Prime said they were already progressing legislation before the first pilot was done, which was “questionable”.

“And now they haven’t passed the legislation and they are running a second programme … The lives of our children are far too important to politicise and that we should not gimmick policies and repeat failed experiments of the past.”

The results of the pilot showed a reoffending rate similar to boot camps of the past, she said.

The ministry’s programme lead Janet Mays told the hearing on Tuesday that planning was well advanced and drawing on lessons learned in the pilot in 2024-25.

Online advertising has been run to recruit for it.

“Evaluations of the pilot programme identified lessons learned, such as the need for stronger Iwi engagement, improved transition planning and more support for our kaimahi,” Mays said in Friday’s statement to RNZ.

“These are now being integrated into the new design.”

On Tuesday, Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime had raised the prospect of a March start, but Minister Karen Chhour said no date was set.

Green MP Kahurangi Carter had been critical of the minister and officials saying there were no definite decisions but recruiting was taking place before the legislation was in place.

It was recruiting for psychologists, case leaders, residential youth workers and other personnel.

“Oranga Tamariki is well advanced in its planning and preparation for the delivery.

“By delivering this, we can keep supporting young people through a programme which saw improvements across wellbeing, whānau and cultural connections and serious and violent offences drop by two-thirds when compared to a similar cohort.”

The physical infrastructure remained in place in Palmerston North.

Opponents had repeatedly raised concerns that boot camps had been found to be ineffective at reducing youth offending.

Evaluation reporting on the pilot said it created “meaningful and positive change” for the young people but was constrained by rushed implementation, a lack of continuity around therapeutic support and a lack of capacity in the residential phase.

It needed to have engaged with mana whenua earlier and supported whānau earlier, before the rangatahi returned home.

Mays told Tuesday’s hearing they aimed to have a new whānau support programme run alongside the residential phase.

The 2024 pilot had only a three-month residential phase – set to be extended – and a nine-month phase when the boys were back in their communities.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

An Auckland-based pro-Beijing online political commentator has been ordered to pay more than $200,000 in defamation damages to former Auckland Councillor Paul Young.

Morgan (Zhi Hong) Xiao, also known as ‘Demon King’ (魔王) online, runs a social media account on WeChat and describes himself as a “New Zealand political commentary author, social activist and TV programmes planner”.

Xiao stood in local elections in 2019, and had called Professor Anne-Marie Brady and other critics of the Chinese government “son of bitches” and “anti-China forces”.

Justice Tracey Walker ruled Xiao defamed Young in 13 posts, and ordered him and any third party platform to remove the posts. She also ordered him to pay $225,000 in damages to Young.

Young said he felt vindicated after three years of litigation.

“The court has confirmed what I have maintained throughout – the allegations made against me were false and defamatory,” he said in a statement.

“I hope this outcome sends a clear message that New Zealand’s legal system provides effective remedies for those whose reputations are attacked through sustained online campaigns.”

Young was a Taiwan-born New Zealander who immigrated in 1989.

He was elected as Howick’s ward councillor in the 2018 by-election, becoming Auckland’s first ethnically Chinese councillor. He was re-elected in 2019, but lost his seat in the 2022 Auckland local elections.

Xiao has worked as a parking warden for Auckland Transport but refuses to confirm to RNZ if he’s still in that role – saying that it’s not related to the case.

He said he planned to appeal the decision and was not worried about the money he had been ordered to pay.

“I do not worry about it, because I believe this judgement is going to be successfully appealed… this money will not be a problem.”

Xiao had also previously taken Chinese-New Zealand journalist Portia Mao to court, alleging she had breached the Harmful Digital Communications Act.

Mao is a veteran journalist who covers China-related issues in New Zealand as well as other subjects.

Mao was required to take down the articles while the matter was before the court, but the order was lifted in a later decision by Manukau District Court Judge Richard McIlraith.

In a submission to the court, Mao’s lawyer said Xiao had weaponised the Harmful Digital Communications Act to silence a journalist, as Xiao had celebrated his victory on social media without Mao knowing an application had been filed.

The judge found Mao had no opportunity to defend herself in court at the time the orders were made.

“What has occurred here has been unfortunate,” Judge McIlraith said.

“This case has demonstrated the danger of ‘without notice’ applications being made under this act and the regrettable delay in a defendant having the opportunity to be heard.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The mother of a Dunedin man who died after falling from a moving trailer is still haunted by the decision to turn off his life support, a court has heard.

Robert Douglas Ralston died in hospital almost two weeks after the fall in Brockville in March, following a heated argument with his partner Andrew Jayden Mercer who was at the wheel of the car.

Mercer was sentenced to almost three years in prison for Ralston’s manslaughter at the High Court on Friday.

The court heard Mercer was driving erratically and aggressively when he swung onto Brockville Road as Ralston clung to the trailer, then jumped off.

Mercer had taken methamphetamine about an hour before Ralston’s fall.

In a victim impact statement, Ralston’s mother Linda Young told the court that turning off his life support was the hardest decision she had ever made and it was cruel to watch her son start to fade in hospital.

“It haunts me,” she said.

“As a parent I’m supposed to go before him.

“It’s tearing my heart to pieces.”

Ralston’s aunt told the court that she often relives the awful phone call she received to say he had died.

“Our lives are shattered,” she said.

Other family members said Ralston lit up a room with his presence and described feelings of emptiness, grief and sadness at his death.

Mercer pleaded guilty to manslaughter and failing to undertake a compulsory impairment test in August.

The court heard the couple had argued earlier in the day, starting outside a friend’s house on Turnbull Street in Brockville.

Mercer drove at Ralston after he walked into the middle of the road, before swerving.

Ralston threw a stick at the car as he drove past.

The argument resumed once Mercer returned hours later with a trailer of firewood in tow, with Ralston throwing a block of wood through the driver’s window, smashing it.

Ralston then climbed onto the caged trailer as Mercer drove away with Mercer initially unaware he was clinging onto the trailer.

The court heard Mercer drove through a give way sign and swung the trailer over the centre line when he turned onto Brockville Road, causing the trailer to skid, blow a tyre and start smoking.

Ralston called out during the aggressive turn and Mercer continued driving even after he realised his partner was perched on the trailer.

Ralston jumped off after the car turned onto Brockville Road, suffering serious head injuries.

The court heard Mercer tried to help his partner and was upset when he realised Ralston was so badly injured.

Defence lawyer Sarah Saunderson-Warner said Mercer deeply regretted what happened and was significantly distressed.

The court heard Mercer had tried to make an emotional harm reparation to Ralston’s family but it was rejected.

Mercer had a history of driving convictions ranging from dangerous driving at age 17, to driving while disqualified and failing to stop for police.

Prosecutor Richard Smith told the court Mercer only had a learner licence and should not had been driving at all.

In sentencing, Justice Preston noted Mercer’s distress and remorse but said the sentence was intended to hold him accountable, denounce his conduct and deter others.

Mercer was jailed for two years and 10 months in prison and disqualified from driving for two years upon release.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

An Auckland-based pro-Beijing online political commentator has been ordered to pay more than $200,000 in defamation damages to former Auckland Councillor Paul Young.

Morgan (Zhi Hong) Xiao, also known as ‘Demon King’ (魔王) online, runs a social media account on WeChat and describes himself as a “New Zealand political commentary author, social activist and TV programmes planner”.

Xiao stood in local elections in 2019, and had called Professor Anne-Marie Brady and other critics of the Chinese government “son of bitches” and “anti-China forces”.

Justice Tracey Walker ruled Xiao defamed Young in 13 posts, and ordered him and any third party platform to remove the posts. She also ordered him to pay $225,000 in damages to Young.

Young said he felt vindicated after three years of litigation.

“The court has confirmed what I have maintained throughout – the allegations made against me were false and defamatory,” he said in a statement.

“I hope this outcome sends a clear message that New Zealand’s legal system provides effective remedies for those whose reputations are attacked through sustained online campaigns.”

Young was a Taiwan-born New Zealander who immigrated in 1989.

He was elected as Howick’s ward councillor in the 2018 by-election, becoming Auckland’s first ethnically Chinese councillor. He was re-elected in 2019, but lost his seat in the 2022 Auckland local elections.

Xiao has worked as a parking warden for Auckland Transport but refuses to confirm to RNZ if he’s still in that role – saying that it’s not related to the case.

He said he planned to appeal the decision and was not worried about the money he had been ordered to pay.

“I do not worry about it, because I believe this judgement is going to be successfully appealed… this money will not be a problem.”

Xiao had also previously taken Chinese-New Zealand journalist Portia Mao to court, alleging she had breached the Harmful Digital Communications Act.

Mao is a veteran journalist who covers China-related issues in New Zealand as well as other subjects.

Mao was required to take down the articles while the matter was before the court, but the order was lifted in a later decision by Manukau District Court Judge Richard McIlraith.

In a submission to the court, Mao’s lawyer said Xiao had weaponised the Harmful Digital Communications Act to silence a journalist, as Xiao had celebrated his victory on social media without Mao knowing an application had been filed.

The judge found Mao had no opportunity to defend herself in court at the time the orders were made.

“What has occurred here has been unfortunate,” Judge McIlraith said.

“This case has demonstrated the danger of ‘without notice’ applications being made under this act and the regrettable delay in a defendant having the opportunity to be heard.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Air New Zealand has updated its rules around the use of portable power banks on its flights following bans by multiple international airlines.

Air NZ’s chief risk and safety officer Nathan McGraw, confirmed that from December 9, customers would not be allowed to carry more than two power banks per person and they could not be used during take-off landing or taxi.

McGraw said the changes had been made to “keep everybody on board safe”.

Last month Jetstar confirmed it would ban the use of portable power banks from December 15, for all of its flights due to the safety risks of damaged or defective lithium battery-powered devices.

Multiple international airlines including Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, South Korean Airlines, Qantas, Virgin and China Airlines banned the use of power banks on flights earlier this year.

Power banks used lithium-ion batteries, which were known to be highly flammable and difficult to extinguish.

McGraw said power banks on AirNZ flights would now need to be kept either under the seat in front of the passenger or in the seat back-pocket. The power banks could not be placed in bags in overhead lockers.

He said they could not be used to charge or power other devices during taxi, take-off or landing and couldn’t be recharged using in-seat or in-flight power outlets.

Power banks were already prohibited from checked baggage, he said.

“Based on information from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), we’ve chosen to make these changes ahead of formal regulatory updates. This proactive step aligns with international aviation safety best practice. Safety is our highest priority, and this change is all about keeping our customers and crew safe.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

One person has been taken to hospital in a serious condition from a childcare centre in Christchurch.

St John is treating multiple patients at the centre, in the suburb of Woolston.

A parent has told RNZ that children have been affected by a chemical used at the centre.

St John was notified at 1.13pm.

A spokesperson said multiple emergency vehicles were responding; fourteen are on scene including six ambulances, two rapid response units and three operations managers.

“Our crews are treating multiple patients, one of whom has been transported to Christchurch Hospital in a serious condition.”

Fire and Emergency have sent firefighters from two stations.

A spokesperson said a hazmat unit had been deployed as a precaution.

A RNZ reporter at the scene has seen a child being loaded into an ambulance.

A parent, who has a child at the centre, told RNZ that three children had been affected by a chemical used to clean a slide.

The parent did not know what the chemical was and their child was not affected.

RNZ has approached the childcare centre, but staff refused to comment.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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