In a world full of mediocre Hollywood sequels, Nikki Glaser, returning to host the Golden Globes for a second year running, proved Sunday that reboots can sometimes work.
As stars visibly braced themselves for their moment under her spotlight, Glaser’s 10-minute opening monologue was full of snappy, self-aware jokes that gently skewered every part of Hollywood, from its celebrities and movies to its media companies and obsession with staying young.
Some jokes poked fun at familiar topics like George Clooney’s Nespresso ads or the age of Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriends or Kevin Hart’s height, but there were plenty of other gags in there, too.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
RNZN Naval Divers on the scene above HMNZS Manawanui, off the Southern Coast Of Upulo.New Zealand Defence Force
Uncertainty around compensation payments for the HMNZS Manawanui marine disaster in Samoa is growing, with the paramount chief of one of the affected villages questioning whether money from the New Zealand government should be distributed at all.
Atanoa Tusi Fa’afetai, the paramount chief of Maninoa village in the district of Si’umu, has repeatedly stated that the sum of SAT$10 million (NZD$6 million) paid by New Zealand to his government over its sunken navy vessel off the south coast of Upolu was insufficient. Other residents and matai (chiefs) also believe this.
Following details revealed in letters between the Samoa and New Zealand governments, Atanoa has said returning the sum may be a better option so the Samoa government – in collaboration with affected communities like his – can put together a comprehensive compensation claim.
The Manawanui ship crashed into Tafitoala reef in October 2024 and spilled diesel and pollutants into the water. Residents from Maninoa, and neighbouring villages like Tafitoala in the Safata district, watched as it burned and eventually sunk less than 2km from their homes. It remains on the reef today.
Details disclosed in a diplomatic exchange between New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Samoa’s former prime minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa show her government requested a payment of SAT$10 million (NZD$6 million) to its counterpart over the incident last May. The letters, released under the Official Information Act, also show both governments agreed the payment was made “without reference to questions of liability”
The letters said the payment resolved all issues arising from the sinking of the HMNZS Manawanui between the two governments “other than issues in relation to the anticipated wreck and reef assessments”. It also said the Samoa government would not seek further payment from New Zealand “in relation to these resolved matters” and that the payment is in the “context of friendship between New Zealand and Samoa”.
Atanoa was deeply disappointed at the agreement.
He believed Fiame’s government had let people down by signing off on the agreement. Fiame is now an independent MP in parliament following her party’s loss at the September general election.
“We didn’t know anything about what the government has been doing to represent us,” Atanoa said.
“We are the people that really live in and [are] affected with the impact of this potential hazard.”
He said as details had emerged over what the previous Samoa government had agreed to, it became clear those directly impacted hadn’t been consulted.
“I don’t really blame New Zealand for agreeing to what’s being done because the government represents us. But in order to have full representation of our district, we need to collaborate and deliberate on the matters, to make sure that our intentions are being voiced and our perspective as well.
“I feel really, you know, offended about the whole situation here from the previous administration.
“So I will stand firm not to distribute the money, because they’re still questioning this whole thing.”
Fagailesau Afaaso Junior Saleupu, a matai from the neighbouring village of Tafitoala in the Safata district, also criticised the conduct of the former government.
He said a recent meeting with government officials over the compensation process revealed the population records they’d used for the district were from 2003.
Like Atanoa, he did not believe the SAT$10 million payment was enough, particularly as he believed the wreckage of the ship should be removed. Atanoa also believed it should be removed.
Both men rejected comments from Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, the previous government minister in charge of the Manawanui response, who said the wreck should be turned into a dive attraction.
“The solution from our village [is that] we know we need to remove the wreck from there because we are thinking of the future,” Fagailesau said.
He said since the disaster, locals had noticed a significant decline in fish and marine life they depended on for food and income.
“The problem is because the decision-making is by the people who are not affected and the information they collected is not necessary for what exactly happened.”
Fiame previously told RNZ Pacific she signed off on what was recommended by her officials.
At the end of last year, prime minister Laaulialemalietoa Polataivao Schmidt – who took over from Fiame in September – said the government intended to make payments to affected people by early this year.
However, both Fagailesau and Atanoa said the government had told leaders in each of their districts there will be more meetings over the process.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Local Government New Zealand president and Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz.RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Local Government New Zealand wants to ensure there’s financial support to help some communities meet proposed emergency management standards.
The government has introduced a new Emergency Management Bill following the review of the 2023 North Island severe weather events.
It proposes a higher minimum standard of emergency management for councils around the country to respond to bad weather.
Local Government New Zealand supported the change, but its president, Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz, said for some parts of the country it could be difficult financially.
“Some regions might need some government support to get them there and that is something we will raise in a submission to the government.”
Stoltz said some regions were not as prepared as others due to not having faced significant weather events.
She said there was concern in the lobby group about the effect rates caps could have in responding to natural disasters.
“That is a concern we will raise with the government, they have said that there would be possibilities for an exemption in severe weather events.”
Infometrics data Stoltz cited said last year New Zealand experienced 72 days with a region under a state of emergency – the third longest period in the past 25 years.
“Those events are happening more and more and communities are paying for it emotionally, but mostly financially.”
Submissions on the new Emergency Management Bill close 3 February.
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Wellington will host the Oceania-Pacific qualifying tournament at the Ākau Tangi Sports Centre.Supplied/Wellington City Council
A major floorball event kicks off in Wellington on Tuesday, with hopes New Zealand could make the men’s world championship for the first time.
The game resembles ice hockey, but is played on a non-frozen surface with a plastic ball.
The Oceania-Pacific qualifier will be held at Wellington’s Ākau Tangi Sports Centre for nearly a week.
Floorball New Zealand president Andre Ballantyne said four teams from the event would qualify for the main tournament.
“We have never qualified before for this, so it would be a phenomenal outcome, if we were one of those top three teams, so we are hoping for a big home crowd advantage.”
Ballantyne said the sport was growing in popularity, particularly in the capital.
“It is a little bit slow in the rest of the country, but it is starting to grow. We are getting more and more people picking up a stick all around the country.
“We have got clubs in all major cities now.”
Wellington Mayor Andrew Little said hosting the World Cup qualifier was a great addition to the capital’s busy sporting calendar.
“Wellington is host to top players and great teams in one of the fastest growing sports in the world,” he said. “Floorball is fast paced, loads of fun and attracting high player numbers from all ages.”
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
For Christchurch father of two Joe Baxter, there was no question he needed to act fast when alarms were raised over asbestos in children’s play sand sold by Kmart.
“We were doing what was logical, we were removing the threat,” the teacher said.
It was mid-November when the alert went out; three Magic Sand colour sets and a sandcastle building kit were being recalled after testing positive for tremolite, a form of asbestos.
“We had to act, without good information we had to act on it and clear it up as quickly as possible,” Baxter told RNZ.
Toys were thrown out and carpet ripped up from about three-quarters of the house that had the sand in it.
But weeks later came an about turn – the recall was cancelled – Kmart said there was no evidence of asbestos in the initially recalled sand.
“So there’s two-and-a-half, three weeks in which time what were we meant to do?” Baxter said.
“Were we meant to leave our house contaminated? Were we meant to live with the idea that we had asbestos in the house while children were playing?”
That wasn’t a feasible option, Baxter said.
The sand was evident in many parts of the house.Supplied
“And it’s not something we could have done in good conscience, so we had to act to remove it.
“We wanted to know that we’d done everything possible to make sure that the hazard was not there in the house.”
Baxter did not get the house tested for contamination before lifting up the carpet, but pointed to the official recall of asbestos already being found in the batch of sand his family had.
“One of the products that we had in our house was confirmed by them to be having asbestos in it at the time,” he said.
“Really, there was no need to get that batch tested because they themselves had confirmed the asbestos in it.
“So what we needed to do then was not to pay more money to confirm what we already knew,” he said.
What needed to happen, Baxter said, was to remove the hazard as quickly as possible.
The carpet came up in a day with the help of Baxter’s father.
“The living room, the hallway, the kids’ bedroom, we removed that because we knew there were trace elements, we could see it,” he said.
Carpet in the home was ripped up over asbestos fears.Supplied
“Or, we just knew that it had been played with in there.”
That left Baxter and his family out of carpet and out of pocket and struggling for guidance from Kmart since.
Complicating matters, was that the family had three tubs of play sand – one purchased from Kmart and two identical tubs bought from a charity second-hand store.
He cannot tell for certain which outlet the tub with the initially recalled batch number came from.
That has left Baxter unsure what his rights are, but he believed Kmart should be involved.
“I believe there’s a wrong that needs to be righted here, I think there needs to be some accountability at the very least for this,” Baxter said.
“We’ve tried to contact them on numerous occasions but effectively we haven’t got anything back,” he said of his efforts to talk further with Kmart.
“We’ve been told that we’ll be contacted by the customer services team… we just didn’t hear back from them, so that was really frustrating.”
Baxter also wanted Kmart to provide the testing that had been done on the coloured sand products.
Kmart ‘haven’t been particularly forthcoming’ – Consumer
Baxter believed Kmart still shouldered some responsibility though his family couldn’t tell whether the affected sand was bought directly or from the charity store.
Gemma Rasmussen, Consumer’s head of research and advocacy, said Kmart “haven’t been particularly forthcoming” in its communications.
“We are disappointed with Kmart’s response in relation to what’s transpired and it does seem that they aren’t being as proactive in terms of giving shoppers guidance around what their rights are and what Kmart is owed to do,” she said.
“So we would hope that they would be a little bit more on the front foot with this.”
Under the Consumer Guarantees Act, it was the manufacturer that shouldered responsibility for a product,” Rasmussen said.
“So they could, potentially be contacting Kmart, assuming Kmart are also the manufacturer, and really looking to get a right of response and some responsibility acknowledged there,” she told RNZ.
“And I think this really highlights some of the issues that we have with our product safety laws in New Zealand,” Rasmussen said.
“I think that it’s very unsettling for shoppers to be thinking that potentially there are products on shelves that are unsafe.”
The sand was from Anko, Kmart’s in-house brand which describes itself as being “trusted by millions” and owned by Kmart Australia Ltd and part of the Kmart Group.
Kmart referred to previous statements when asked about Baxter’s case.
Baxter believed they do have responsibility.
“They need to come to the party and do what we think is the right thing to do,” he said.
“I suppose it’s a bit feeling in limbo land about some that’s, you know, your kids and your family’s safety at the end of the day.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Only 131 of 2386 schools were still open on the last day of term four, 19 December.Supplied / Ministry of Education
Daily school attendance slumped badly in the few schools that remained open beyond mid-December last year.
Schools can choose their opening and closing dates within a range set by the Education Ministry, and ministry figures showed about half remained open for the final possible week of term four, 15-19 December.
The figures showed 2386 schools usually provided daily attendance data, but by Monday, 15 December, just 1325 schools were open and provided data showing 81 percent of their 361,954 students were present.
By Wednesday that week, the number of schools providing figures had dropped to 763, with just 63 percent of their students present, and by Friday, 19 December, the final possible day of term 4, 131 schools were open with 59 percent attendance.
The figures indicated that school-time lost to unjustified absences was about five percent for most days of 2025 term four, but in the week of 15-19 December, the unjustified absence figure ranged from 11-28 percent.
Truancy accounted for about half of those absences, but the percentage of school-time lost to holidays during the term soared to a range of 3-5 percent, well above the normal figure of less than one percent.
The government wanted 80 percent of students attending more than 90 percent of their classes – the benchmark for regular attendance.
To reach that goal, daily attendance needed to reach and remain at 94 percent, but the highest point reached in term four was 90 percent, with 88-89 percent recorded often and average daily attendance of 85 percent, similar to term three.
Sediment in the water off the coast of Gisborne during a marine ‘darkwave’ event.Supplied / Jean Thoral
A newly-named ‘darkwave’ phenomenon – where underwater light is blocked by sediment and other murk – can wreak havoc on marine ecosystems, New Zealand-led research has found.
The short-term events – which affect the entire underwater food chain – could increase in frequency as the climate warms, because many of them are driven by storms that churn up sediment or cause run-off from land.
University of Waikato researchers analysed up to 16 years of data from the Hauraki Gulf, the East Cape and California, and found that short-term, extreme reductions in light can damage kelp forests, sea grasses, and fish and marine mammal species.
“Anything that relies on light will be impacted by marine darkwaves,” lead researcher Frankie Thoral said.
“Species that need light or photosynthesis like kelp forests or seagrass meadows will be directly affected… but also fish, marine mammals, sharks – any species that relies on marine light for hunting or behaviour like swimming.”
Sediment in the water off the Wairarapa coast during a marine ‘darkwave’ event.Supplied / Jean Thoral
Marine darkwaves have always occurred but until now have not been described or defined, Thoral said.
The research, published in Communications Earth & Environment today, found one of the most important drivers of marine darkwaves is sediment discharging into the ocean, through either human activities like farming and forestry, or from extreme weather events.
“Looking at the last 21 years, the year 2023 – so the year of Cyclone Gabrielle – really stands out in terms of the number of darkwaves,” Thoral said.
That meant there could be more darkwaves in future, as severe weather events increase in frequency and intensity.
“More intense rain events and also wave events will definitely increase the amount of sediment on the coast, and this will create really murky conditions for days to weeks.”
The data he and his colleagues analysed included darkwave events that lasted up to two months. In some events, almost no light reached the seabed.
The most intense effects were observed close to the source of sediment discharge, like river mouths, but could extend by tens of kilometres, he said.
University of Waikato researcher Dr Frankie ThoralESNZ / Luke McPake
Chlorophyll and phytoplankton blooms were among other common causes.
However, Thoral said more work needed to be done on the link or interaction between marine heatwaves and darkwaves.
Having a proper definition and framework to measure darkwaves meant their effects could now be properly studied, Thoral said.
“Now we can measure them in a really consistent way and… compare them to any other place around the world.”
Sediment in the water off the coast of Taranaki during a marine ‘darkwave’ event.Supplied / Jean Thoral
Using Endeavour programme funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the team was now using analysis of underwater soundscapes to find out how many and what species of fish were in the water before, during and after a darkwave event.
Darkwaves were a natural phenomenon, but could be made worse by human activities, he said.
The good news was that it was clear how to tackle that.
“We know that we can limit and prevent this sediment input, and the way we could do that is really looking at what is happening on land,” Thoral said.
“That means adapting land practices to limit erosion [through] native forest reforestation or changing practices in farming or forestry.”
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Some home loans will extend beyond retirement age, so how will you repay them?123RF
How old is too old for a home loan?
One woman who argued that she should not have been allowed to take out a mortgage, given her age and that of her husband, has lost her complaint to the Banking Ombudsman – and mortgage advisers say it is not unusual for age to be a hurdle for some borrowers.
The Banking Ombudsman said the woman and her husband first applied for a home loan in 2020, when they were aged 56 and 53. In 2022, they agreed to take out loans worth $479,000.
But in 2025, the woman’s husband died, and she claimed the loan was irresponsible and should not have been approved.
She said the bank had not considered her and her husband’s ages, and the 30-year loan term.
She said they had never intended to work past typical retirement age or to increase their repayments.
The ombudsman looked into the case, including the bank’s notes from the time, and said the bank had considered the couple’s age and future plans, as well as discussing with them how they planned to repay the loan.
“We also reviewed the bank’s affordability assessment. The bank verified income and expenses, applied conservative calculations and included reasonable buffers.
“There was a reasonable surplus of income over expenses and the bank made inquiries about likely changes to income. We found the bank had reasonable grounds to believe the couple could meet repayments without suffering substantial hardship, having regard to any likely changes in income.”
The complaint was not upheld.
Link Advisory head Glen McLeod said he saw many borrowers in that sort of situation.
He said banks and lenders would have different policies for loan terms that would take people past the age of 65.
“Some set a maximum age of 65, while others may allow terms to extend to 70 or even 75.
“The key consideration is always the client’s exit strategy, which is discussed as part of the lending process. An exit strategy outlines how the loan will be repaid, and provides confidence for both the client and the lender.
“This could include using KiwiSaver funds at retirement, selling an investment property or downsizing their home.
“Ensuring clients fully understand what they’re borrowing and the long-term implications is an essential part of the Responsible Lending Code. This approach helps protect clients, and ensures lending decisions are made with care and transparency.”
Another adviser, Jeremy Andrews from Key Mortgages, said banks could not discriminate based on age, but agreed they had to follow responsible lending rules.
“Often we see banks declining first-home buyers nearing retirement age loans that are similar or sometimes even lower than their rent payments.”
He said that was because, if someone needed a longer-loan term to make the loan affordable, they may have to stay in full-time work for the duration.
“That said, there are plenty of mitigants that banks can consider case by case, which are referred to as exit strategies.
“As part of a client’s affordability analysis, lenders and mortgage advisers should investigate and consider whether clients are in sedentary jobs and able to continue work beyond retirement age. Some banks can then consider up to 70 years of age, others longer.”
He said other things borrowers could think about were whether they could increase payments once dependents left home or clear other debts to increase their ability to pay off the home loan.
Loan Market adviser Karen Tatterson said lenders and advisers had a responsibility to ensure a client had repaid their loans by the time they retired, or that they had an exit strategy.
“As a general rule of thumb, banks consider 70 years of age as the end date to a loan term,” she said. “There are other considerations too – KiwiSaver, overseas superannuations and pensions, and the impact these will have in terms of repaying the loan, once they are able to access these funds.
“I understand, in many instances, the longer loan term is requested by clients for the purpose of keeping the loan repayments at a lower value for affordability reasons, but the risk of this must be discussed.
“The other consideration here is whether the clients received any advice regarding the risk of taking out a mortgage at their age, and were offered any income protection, mortgage protection or life insurance.
‘In my mind, this is an important aspect of the process and, in this instance, if the male partner had some life cover, this may have gone a long way to paying off all or part of the home loan.
“This would have made the ongoing home loan repayment affordable for the surviving partner.”
What you need to know if you’re applying for a home loan as an older borrower
Have a plan – will you work until the loan is repaid or do you have another way to pay it off?
Indonesia needs a fundamental shift in perspective: seeing Papuans not as a problem to be managed, but as equal partners and full subjects of their own destiny within the Republic, writes Laurens Ikinia.
COMMENTARY:By Laurens Ikinia in Jakarta
The island of Papua is a land of profound paradox. Beneath its ancient, cathedral-like forests and within its mineral-rich mountains lies a narrative of staggering contrast.
It is a place where immense natural wealth exists alongside some of Indonesia’s most acute human development challenges.
This dissonance poses a central riddle: why does a land of such abundance host populations grappling with persistent poverty, gaps in education and healthcare, and a deep sense of political marginalisation?
A principle found in Papuan wisdom offers a starting point: the past is a mirror for gazing upon tomorrow.
To understand Papua’s present and navigate its future, we must look honestly into that mirror. Yet, when the reflection shows recurring patterns of inequality and unfulfilled promises, we are compelled to ask what kind of future is being built.
The story of Papua is not merely one of resources; it is fundamentally about people, their rights, and their place within the Indonesian nation.
This reflection need not occur in isolation. Looking east across the Pacific, two nations — Australia and New Zealand — have embarked on their own complex, painful, and unfinished journeys of reconciling with their Indigenous peoples.
Their experiences are not blueprints, but they offer invaluable mirrors in which Indonesia might glimpse reflections of its own challenges and potential pathways forward.
The central, reflective question is this: Amidst Indonesia’s unique historical and political complexity, is there room to learn from these Pacific neighbours? Can Jakarta find a distinctive, yet equally courageous, path to reconciliation with Papua?
Unsettled foundation: A history demanding to be heard Any discussion of Papua must begin by acknowledging the fractured foundation upon which its relationship with Jakarta is built. Unlike New Zealand, where the Treaty of Waitangi (1840) provides a contested but acknowledged founding document for Crown-Māori relations, Indonesia and Papua have no mutually agreed foundational treaty.
Papua’s integration was solidified through the Act of Free Choice (Pepera) in 1969, a process whose legitimacy remains internationally debated and is remembered with bitterness by many Papuans.
This unresolved historical grievance is the DNA of the conflict. It infects every policy, fuels distrust, and allows security-centric approaches to dominate.
Jakarta’s apparent reluctance to engage in open, high-level dialogue about this history keeps the wound open. New Zealand’s experience, though painful and expensive, demonstrates that confronting a dark past is not a threat to national unity, but a prerequisite for building a common future on a clearer moral and legal foundation.
The first lesson from the Pacific is that sustainable solutions cannot be built on unacknowledged history.
The Australian mirror: Pillars of incremental recognition Australia’s relationship with its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples represents a protracted and painful journey from the brutal realities of colonisation toward a fragile, imperfect process of recognition and repair.
The historical backdrop is one of profound trauma, marked by dispossession, assimilation policies, and the devastating legacy of the Stolen Generations. Yet, in recent decades, a discernible — though inconsistent — policy shift has emerged, built upon several key pillars that provide a structured, if unfinished, framework for addressing historical wrongs.
These pillars offer critical points of comparison for other contexts, such as that of West Papua under Indonesian administration, illuminating stark contrasts in both philosophy and outcome.
Political recognition: From absence to acknowledgment The 1967 Referendum, which allowed Aboriginal people to be counted in the census and gave the federal government power to make laws for them, stands as a symbolic turning point in Australian political consciousness. Today, the lexicon of recognition is embedded in official discourse, with terms like “First Nations People” and “Traditional Custodians” routinely used in parliamentary speeches and public ceremonies.
The establishment of the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) represents a systematic, though often criticised, effort to coordinate policy across government. This reflects a tangible, if uneven, move toward recognising Aboriginal peoples not merely as citizens, but as original inhabitants with a unique historical and cultural status deserving of specific acknowledgment.
Papuan Special Autonomy: Otsus in stark contrast In stark contrast, Jakarta’s primary instrument for Papua is Special Autonomy (Otsus), a policy centered on fiscal transfers and nominal political affirmation. While Otsus mandates native Papuan leadership in provincial governments, its essence is consistently stifled by centralised security policies, the dominance of national political parties, and the imposition of territorial divisions with minimal deep consultation.
Consequently, Otsus feels less like a partnership born of genuine historical recognition and more like a technical administrative concession granted — and tightly controlled — from the centre. The core Papuan struggle remains one for existential recognition: an acknowledgment of their distinct identity as Indigenous peoples with inherent political rights, rather than merely as beneficiaries of state-administered policy.
Economic rights: Land and resource sovereignty Australia’s Native Title Act of 1993 was a revolutionary legal development, overturning the doctrine of terra nullius and recognising the persistence of Aboriginal traditional ownership and connection to land. Although the claims process is notoriously arduous and contested, it has resulted in the return of millions of hectares of land.
Complementing this are land handback programmes and innovative co-management models for national parks and cultural sites, such as Uluru-Kata Tjuta.
Furthermore, nascent royalty-sharing schemes from mining on Indigenous-held land aim to provide an independent economic base, positioning communities not as passive recipients but as stakeholders with property rights.
The contrast with Papua is profound. The region functions as Indonesia’s primary economic engine, with megaprojects like the Freeport copper and gold mine and the Tangguh LNG facility driving national exports. Yet, this extractive model is intensely centralised, with profits flowing to Jakarta and global corporate headquarters while Indigenous communities near these operations often live in stark deprivation.
Otsus funds, while substantial, are funneled through government mechanisms and do not alter this fundamental, exploitative structure. Critically, Papuan customary land rights (hak ulayat) are routinely overridden by state-issued business permits. There exists no large-scale, legally empowered mechanism for reparations or asset restitution to Papuan tribes, leaving them economically marginalised on their own land.
Social policy: Closing the gap Since 2008, Australia has formally adopted the Closing the Gap Strategy, a framework establishing specific, measurable targets for improving Indigenous life outcomes in health, education, and employment.
This strategy represents an explicit, if imperfect, admission that historical marginalization requires targeted, accountable, and data-driven intervention by the state. It acknowledges a collective responsibility to address disparities directly, even as critiques of its implementation and pace persist.
Indonesia lacks an equivalent national policy framework specifically tailored to address Papua’s acute and unique disparities. Development indicators and programs are largely standardized, failing to account for Papua’s distinct geography, history, and cultural context. As a result, health and education systems suffer from severe infrastructure deficits, critical staffing shortages, and a curriculum that ignores local knowledge.
Maternal mortality and malnutrition rates remain among the highest in Southeast Asia. The fundamental gap lies in agency: for meaningful progress, Papuans must be transformed from objects of development into its active, designing subjects.
Cultural recognition: Beyond symbolism In Australia, Aboriginal cultural expression has increasingly moved beyond tokenism toward a more integrated, though still contested, national presence. Indigenous languages are being documented and revitalised, customary law receives limited recognition within the justice system, and Aboriginal art is celebrated as central to the nation’s identity.
The practice of acknowledging Traditional Custodians at the outset of official events, while symbolic, performs a daily act of cognitive recognition.
In Papua, the situation is different. The region’s stunning cultural diversity, encompassing over 250 distinct languages, is often treated as an intangible treasure or tourist asset rather than a living foundation for governance.
Local languages are not mediums of formal instruction, and customary norms are easily overridden by narratives of national unity and acculturation. While Papuan art and ritual are occasionally showcased, they are seldom integrated into substantive policymaking for cultural preservation and transmission, leaving this profound heritage vulnerable to erosion.
New Zealand mirror: A framework for courageous reconciliation If Australia demonstrates a fitful journey toward recognition, New Zealand presents a more advanced, treaty-based model of reconciliation. The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, despite its contested translations and history of breaches, is the accepted foundational document of the modern state. This has provided a crucial platform for building concrete mechanisms to address historical grievances and partnership.
The Waitangi Tribunal and reparations Established in 1975, the Waitangi Tribunal is a permanent commission of inquiry that investigates Crown actions alleged to breach the Treaty’s principles. Its recommendations have fueled a massive, ongoing process of historical settlement involving land restitution, financial compensation, and formal Crown apologies.
This process, while not without controversy, provides a formal channel for redressing historical wrongs and transferring resources back to Māori iwi (tribes).
Guaranteed political voice Māori have had dedicated parliamentary seats since 1867, ensuring a direct voice in the national legislature. This has been complemented by the rise of a dedicated Te Pati Māori political party and the establishment of the Ministry for Māori Development (Te Puni Kōkiri), which advocates for Māori interests within the government apparatus.
This structural presence ensures that Indigenous perspectives are embedded in political discourse.
Biculturalism as national policy Biculturalism is woven into New Zealand’s institutional fabric. Te reo Māori is an official language, supported by Māori-language immersion schools (Kura Kaupapa Māori), a dedicated television channel (Māori Television), and prominent university faculties.
The national curriculum incorporates Māori history, knowledge, and perspectives, fostering a broader public understanding.
Socio-culturally, while Papua’s languages are celebrated in folkloric terms, there is no nationally broadcast, Papuan-led television channel or a system of dedicated higher education institutes focused on Melanesian studies and leadership. Image: Laurens Ikinia/APMN
Comparison with Papua For Papua, the absence of any such foundational agreement or framework leaves a profound vacuum. There is no equivalent to the Waitangi Tribunal to investigate historical grievances or restore resources.
Politically, there are no guaranteed mechanisms for Papuan representation at the national level in Indonesia. Socio-culturally, while Papua’s languages are celebrated in folkloric terms, there is no nationally broadcast, Papuan-led television channel or a system of dedicated higher education institutes focused on Melanesian studies and leadership.
New Zealand’s lesson is the transformative power of a framework — however contested — that creates institutional channels for grievance, voice, and cultural revitalization.
Deep Pacific connection: Why New Zealand cares New Zealand’s sustained attention on Papua transcends standard diplomatic concern; it is rooted in profound connections that resonate deeply with the New Zealand public and polity, creating a unique sense of obligation.
First, a demographic kinship creates relatability: New Zealand’s population of approximately 5.1 million is nearly equivalent to the population of Indonesia’s six Papuan provinces (around 5.6 million). This similar scale makes the challenges faced by Papuans feel immediate and comprehensible.
More profoundly, there are undeniable historical and anthropological links. Scientific research in population genetics traces Polynesian ancestry, including that of Māori, back through Melanesia.
Culturally, the social structures of Papuan highlands tribes, with their complex clan and confederation systems, closely mirror the traditional Māori hapu (clan) and iwi (tribe) organisations. Similarities extend to concepts of customary governance, spirituality, and reciprocal exchange, suggesting shared ancestral roots.
This connection is cemented by modern history. Papuan people provided crucial aid to Australian and New Zealand troops during the Pacific War in thd Second World War. Furthermore, as documented by historians like Maire Leadbeater, New Zealand was indirectly involved in the territory’s mid-century fate, initially supporting Dutch efforts to prepare Papua for independence before acquiescing to the controversial Act of Free Choice that facilitated Indonesian integration.
For many New Zealanders, particularly Māori, advocating for Papuans is viewed as a Tangata Moana (People of the Ocean) responsibility — a moral, cultural, and spiritual call to support fellow Pacific indigenes facing adversity.
This deeply felt public and civic sentiment ensures the issue remains persistently alive in New Zealand’s parliament, churches, universities, and civil society, constantly applying pressure and challenging any government inclination toward a “business as usual” foreign policy approach toward Indonesia regarding Papua.
This unique solidarity, born of shared identity and history, makes New Zealand a distinct and vocal stakeholder in Papua’s ongoing struggle.
Forging a distinctive path: Strategic recommendations for Indonesia Indonesia’s engagement with the Pacific region offers a reservoir of wisdom, yet the fundamental lesson is that adaptation, not adoption, is key. The nation’s immense diversity, complex history, and unique political architecture mean that solutions cannot be copy-pasted.
However, the perennial fear of national disintegration must not become a paralysing force that stifles the bold policy innovation required to address the root causes of discord, particularly in Papua. Moving beyond rhetorical commitments to tangible action demands significant political will and courage.
The following recommendations outline a potential pathway for transformative change, aiming to forge a new social contract built on justice, partnership, and genuine autonomy:
The journey must begin with a profound act of historical reckoning and political courage. The President should personally initiate a high-level National Reconciliation Framework for Papua.
This would be a landmark political initiative, potentially involving the establishment of an independent Papuan Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Its mandate must be coupled with an official, unambiguous state acknowledgment of past human rights violations.
This process would create a structured and equal dialogue platform, moving past cycles of recrimination. Addressing this historical wound is not an end in itself but a necessary precondition to cleanse the poisoned well of present-day interactions and build a foundation of trust for all subsequent reforms.
Concurrently, the policy of Special Autonomy must be radically reimagined. The concept of “Otsus Plus” should evolve from a mechanism of fiscal devolution into a genuine political and economic partnership. This entails granting local governments conditional veto rights over major investments affecting customary land (ulayat), ensuring development is not imposed but negotiated.
Furthermore, the legislative and cultural authority of the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) as the authentic voice of indigenous institutions must be constitutionally strengthened.
Finally, granting full autonomy over education and cultural policy, including locally relevant curricula and language instruction, is essential for preserving Papuan identity and fostering endogenous development.
True partnership is impossible without a fundamental restructuring of the economic model in Papua. The economy must shift from a centralised, extractive paradigm to one based on community sovereignty and benefit.
This requires legalising and strengthening customary land rights (hak ulayat) as a supreme legal principle, not a secondary consideration. Building on this, transparent and direct royalty-sharing mechanisms from natural resource projects must be established, ensuring proceeds flow to indigenous land-owning communities.
Complementing this, a Papuan-led “Closing the Gap” strategy with clear, measurable targets for health, education, and employment should be developed, with progress annually reported to the national parliament to ensure accountability.
Security and political representation form the twin pillars of stability and dignity. The prevailing security approach must be recalibrated to prioritise dialogue, community engagement, and human security over militarized confrontation. In parallel, to ensure Papuan voices are substantively embedded in national lawmaking, permanent seats for indigenous Papuan representatives should be constitutionally created in the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI).
Following the precedent set for Aceh, this guaranteed political representation would ensure Papuan perspectives directly influence national legislation that affects their lives, transforming them from subjects of policy to active architects of their future within the Republic.
Finally, Indonesia should strategically reframe its external engagement regarding Papua. Rather than viewing the Pacific’s cultural and political solidarity with Melanesian Papuans as a point of friction, Indonesia should embrace it as an opportunity for cultural diplomacy.
By proactively encouraging and funding robust academic, cultural, and civil society exchanges between Papuan and Māori/Pacific Island communities, Indonesia can build powerful bridges of people-to-people understanding. This initiative would acknowledge shared heritage while showcasing Indonesia’s commitment to inclusive development, thereby transforming a diplomatic challenge into a channel for soft-power connection and regional leadership.
In conclusion, this pathway is neither simple nor quick, but it is necessary. It calls for a series of courageous, interconnected leaps from the status quo toward a system predicated on acknowledgment, partnership, and substantive self-determination.
By addressing historical grievances, redesigning autonomy, restructuring the economy, reforming security, guaranteeing political voice, and leveraging cultural diplomacy, Indonesia has the potential to resolve its most persistent internal conflict. The result would be a stronger, more unified nation, where stability is built not on force but on justice and the full recognition of its diverse peoples’ aspirations.
Hope for the Land of Papua The fate of Papua is the ultimate test of Indonesia’s inclusive nationhood. It can no longer be managed through a narrow security lens or obscured by macroeconomic statistics. This is about people, identity, history, and a shared future.
Hope endures. It shines in the eyes of Papuan children, the dedication of local health workers and teachers, and the voices of community and religious leaders calling for peace. It is also present among those in Jakarta who recognise the need for a new approach.
Australia and New Zealand, with their colonial burdens, have begun their imperfect journeys. Indonesia, with its experience of resolving the Aceh conflict through dialogue, can do the same. The condition is a fundamental shift in perspective: seeing Papuans not as a problem to be managed, but as equal partners and full subjects of their own destiny within the Republic.
A just and prosperous Papua is not a threat to Indonesia. It would be the fulfilment of the nation’s founding ideals of unity in diversity, and the pinnacle of a truly inclusive national project.
The mirror from the Pacific shows both the depth of the challenge and the possibility of a different reflection. It is now a matter of choosing to look and having the courage to act.
Laurens Ikinia is a Papuan lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Pacific Studies, Indonesian Christian University, Jakarta. He is also an honorary member of the Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN) in Aotearoa New Zealand and an occasional contributor to Asia Pacific Report.
Auckland FC’s Neyder Betancur shoots ahead of Central Coast Mariners Brian Kaltak in March 2025.Shane Wenzlick / www.photosport.nz
Another A-League club is in trouble, with the Central Coast Mariners FC’s club participation agreement being terminated mid-season.
The Australian Professional Leagues (APL) – which runs the A-League – on Monday took over the management of the Mariners on an interim basis while the process to sell the club is completed.
The operator of the Central Coast Mariners FC notified the APL of the forfeiture of the club participation agreement (CPA), and the APL then terminated the agreement.
In a statement the APL said currently the “focus will be to ensure the ongoing obligations of the club are met and operations continue”.
“As custodians of the game, we believe it is the best course of proactive action – for the short and long term interest of the club – to terminate the current CPA under the current ownership, and run an expedited and robust sale process to find a new and stable long-term owner for the Mariners,” APL chair Stephen Conroy said.
“We believe in the value that Central Coast Mariners FC brings to the A-Leagues. They’ve shown with the right investment and community engagement, they have a vibrant fanbase and a proven ability to consistently compete for on field success.
“We are confident that with the engaged local and international interest, we can find the right buyer for the Mariners to take the club forward and ensure their long term success.”
The club’s management has indicated they will work with the APL to assist the transition and the forthcoming sale process.
There will be no changes to the Central Coast Mariners’ fixtures this weekend.
The Mariners’ men’s team is currently last in the 12-team competition and their women’s team, who are the defending champions, are third in their 11-team competition.
The men won the Grand Final in the 2023/24 season.
Weeks before the 2025/26 A-League season kicked off Western United’s A-League licence was put into “conditional hibernation” for the season, making the Mariners the second team to fall short of the APL participation standards in the past four months.
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Grok has allowed users to create sexualised images of people without their knowledge or consent.Jonathan Raa / NurPhoto via AFP
New Zealand lags behind other countries in clamping down on fake images of naked women and children, an organisation working to prevent child sexual exploitation says.
The British government is considering blocking Grok – X’s AI chatbot – which has drawn international condemnation for allowing users to create sexualised images of people without their knowledge or consent.
Ecpat national director Eleanor Parkes said New Zealand first needed enforceable legislation for AI that prevented the technology being weaponised.
“Bans and restrictions are tools and they’re not the starting point especially as the platform changes, whether the tool is Grok today or another image generator tomorrow, the principle is the same companies must prevent their products being used to create and spread child sexual abuse material,” she said.
“Just reactively banning an individual platform, certainly it’s a tool that can be used, but in New Zealand we need to first step back and have that bigger conversation around what privacy means in the AI era here.”
Parkes said banning chatbots was one measure, but there were many AI tools used to generate harmful nude images.
“Certainly in Aotearoa, we’ve seen a huge surge in AI-generated fake nudes and nudified images and that shows how quickly this technology is being used to sexualize people’s photos, whether it’s through Grok, which is built into part of X, formerly known as Twitter, or whether it’s on ChatGPT or another channel.”
She said it was not a problem linked to just about one platform or channel.
“New Zealand needs an AI-fit safety and privacy approach that protects young children’s images and their likeness as well so that it covers deepfakes. We’ve seen we can’t rely on goodwill here. We need enforceable standards.”
Last year she was tasked with exploring options for legislation and implementation of possible restrictions, and expected to announce in the “near future” exactly what that bill would look like.
“We’re looking at a really clever, world-leading approach at how we protect our kids. And we are going to need a regulator. We are going to need a Child Protection Act. And we are going to need some form of a ban,” she said.
Netsafe chief executive Brent Carey said New Zealand’s laws that governed digital media needed updating.
“The creation and distribution of sexual deepfake imagery can cause serious harm. New Zealand is already responding in sensible ways with the Harmful Digital Communications Act,” he said.
“The answer lies in modernising our laws and expectations so they work for AI-enabled harm. Blaming users alone for content generated by a company’s own AI tool is not an adequate response.”
Carey said the Act should be updated to explicitly cover AI-generated harm.
“If you build it, you’re responsible for how it can be misused especially when sexualised and if young people are at risk. That’s why initiatives like Laura McClure’s deepfake bill are important – they recognise that image-based abuse and non-consensual synthetic content need clearer, faster pathways for accountability.
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The warning covered Corsair Bay, the jetty and beach at Cass Bay, and the beach at Rāpaki Bay.RNZ / Niva Chittock
Bottles put in public toilets are being blamed for a wastewater system overflow that closed a popular Christchurch beach at the weekend.
A health warning was issued after raw sewage was detected at Corsair Bay in Lyttelton.
Christchurch City Council said the leak occurred after the septic system was blocked by items, including bottles, being put in the public toilets at Corsair Bay.
“Concurrently there was a malfunction to the outdoor shower which also discharged clean water down the pathway,” a council spokesperson said.
“The effect of any combined runoff into the bay on water quality is inconclusive. However, the Christchurch City Council contacted Environment Canterbury so appropriate water quality testing could occur, closed our facilities at Corsair Bay and are working with contractors to repair the septic system and open facilities as soon as possible.”
Council community parks manager Al Hardy said there were waste bins at the beach that people should have been using.
“The only thing that I can think is people may think that the council public facilities are more robust than their ones at home, but actually that’s not the case – if you clog your toilet at home, what does it do, it backs up on you, and the same thing has kind of occurred out here,” he said.
“The lucky thing is there’s a very small amount of waste that would’ve been overflowing it would’ve just been successive flushes if you will, once the system had backed up.”
The council would be testing water quality at Corsair Bay over the next few days.
Health New Zealand issued the warning on Saturday.
National Public Health Service public health medicine specialist Dr Imogen Evans said the warning covered Corsair Bay, the jetty and beach at Cass Bay, and the beach at Rāpaki Bay.
“Water quality at the affected site is not considered suitable for recreational uses including swimming because of the risk to health from the bacteria and other pathogens,” she said.
“Water contaminated by human matter may contain a range of disease-causing micro-organisms such as viruses, bacteria and protozoa.”
Eating fish or shellfish from these sites should also be avoided, Evans said.
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Police are asking the public to take care in the water after two separate drownings on the North Island’s East Coast in 24 hours.
A man died in the water near Wainuiorangi Road in Mahia at about 9.20pm Sunday.
On Monday a woman was pulled from the water unresponsive near Whangara Road, Okitu at about 11.40am.
Both deaths would be referred to the Coroner.
Eastern District commander, Superintendent Jeanette Park, said water safety was often overlooked by most, but extremely important especially at this time of the year.
“As the temperatures continue to soar, more people are looking to cool off in the water.
“We’re asking everybody to be aware of their surroundings and capabilities while participating in water-related activities.”
Park said police wanted people to enjoy the weather safely.
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Multiple sailings on the Connemara ferry were cancelled due to a problem with the winch that controls the stern door.RNZ / Mark Papalii
Bluebridge passengers have been left stranded or out of pocket after several cancelled sailings due to a ramp fault on the Connemara ferry.
A problem with the winch that controls the stern door led to 200 passengers being stuck for 15 hours on Thursday, and subsequent sailings of the Cook Strait ferry have been cancelled, leaving many passengers having to be rebooked or refunded.
Gemma and her family were due to sail on the Connemara Friday morning.
The Christchurch family had driven down to Wellington from Whangamatā before finding out their trip was cancelled.
Gemma said they could not get on another sailing until the end of January and could not take that much time off work.
“It really [left] us with not much option.”
She said they instead scrambled to get flights, a task made more difficult by the fact they had to get a crate for their dog.
“It took us in total four days to get home,” she said.
“Our van is still in the North Island,” she said. “It’s got a trailer with our jet ski, we’ve got our motorbike up there, there’s our mountain bikes, all of our gear.”
Gemma said while they were able to leave their belongings in the care of family, they were now without a lot of their summer gear and another trip would be needed to get it home.
Gemma estimated that they had spent more than $1000 to get home. She hoped Bluebridge compensated them for the flight cost.
Greg from Northland was also unable to get rebooked for weeks.
He had been travelling the South Island in a RV and was trying to get to Wellington.
Greg said the cancellation had effectively left him “stranded” in the South Island and that came with a lot of knock-on costs, from accommodation to activities he had already paid for.
He said he had raised that with Bluebridge.
“I was told pretty curtly that that’s not how their refund process works, and it’s reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and we would be remiss to try to get any compensation out of those sorts of knock-on effects.
Greg felt the ferries were getting off light in terms of accountability, compared to some other modes of transport.
“I would expect them to be the ones working out a plan to get us home and in the interim, providing some sort of accommodation or place to stay while they worked this out, very similar to airlines.”
In New Zealand, if a flight is cancelled or delayed, and it was the airline’s fault, consumers were entitled to reasonable compensation for any additional loss suffered up to 10 times the cost of the flight, along with any refund, rebooking or credit.
Consumer NZ said if a ferry was cancelled due to an event within the operator’s control, such as a mechanical issue, consumers have rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act.
“In addition to getting a refund or being rebooked on a later sailing, consumers are also entitled to claim compensation for reasonably foreseeable costs (such as car hire, accommodation, flights etc). If Bluebridge denies liability, consumers can lodge a claim at the Disputes Tribunal,” a spokesperson said.
Consumer NZ said anyone who felt they had been misled could lodge a complaint with the Commerce Commission.
In 2024, the Commerce Commission warned Bluebridge about potentially misrepresenting consumers’ rights to compensation when sailings were delayed or cancelled after the Commission found its terms and conditions contradicted what was in the Consumer Guarantees Act.
In a statement, StraitNZ Bluebridge spokesperson Will Dady said the company was working with passengers to reschedule, refund or recompense where appropriate.
“We have added additional capacity where possible – for example an extra sailing last Saturday – and are looking forward to returning to our regular schedule by this evening.”
He said the majority of people affected had been allocated to alternative sailings or chosen to travel by other means.
“We’d like to thank everyone for their patience and apologise again for the disruption caused. We’re working as quickly as possible to liaise with those impacted but it does take time,” Dady said.
“It’s the most difficult time of year to experience a mechanical issue such as this with already heavy demand for sailings but we want to reassure our passengers we’re doing our best to assist getting them across Cook Strait to their destination as quickly as possible,” he said.
Bluebridge did not respond to RNZ’s questions around what compensation it was offering passengers.
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Firearms Safety Authority executive director Angela Brazier, left.RNZ / Anneke Smith
The executive director of the Firearms Safety Authority is retiring two months after the police watchdog’s scathing report into how police handled allegations of sexual offending by former deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming.
Among them is Ms G, who RNZ understands is Angela Brazier, the executive director of the Firearms Safety Authority (FSA).
A lawyer for Brazier earlier said she was challenging the IPCA’s findings in relation to her.
The lawyer earlier said Brazier was on “pre-planned leave”.
Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz
However, on Monday, RNZ was informed Brazier was leaving her role.
RNZ then approached police for comment.
A memo to staff from Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson, seen by RNZ, said Brazier had announced she was retiring from her position.
“Angela is the founding director of the FSA since it was established in 2021, launching New Zealand’s first digital firearms registry.
“During her 22-year policing career she has held a variety of roles across operations, strategy, transformation and partnerships, as well as corporate services manager for the Royal New Zealand Police College.”
Brazier will retire in April.
In response to questions from RNZ, police sent a copy of the same statement given to staff.
Following the IPCA’s report former police commissioner Andrew Coster resigned as chief executive of the Social Investment Agency and former deputy commissioner Chris de Wattignar, quit as the Upper North head of aviation security at the Civil Aviation Authority.
Former deputy commissioner Tania Kura and former assistant commissioner Paul Basham both retired ahead of the report being released.
Former deputy commissioner Jevon McSkimming.RNZ / Mark Papalii
Inadequate disclosure
The IPCA said Brazier told them she had known McSkimming for about 20 years.
When the Public Service Commission approached her for a reference check on McSkimming in the appointment process for interim commissioner in October last year she knew McSkimming had an affair, that he was being “harassed” with emails from the woman and that Kura had informed McSkimming that she had to investigate him as part of the police response.
However, Brazier told the PSC she had nothing relevant to disclose. She told the IPCA she did not think her knowledge was relevant to PSC’s question.
“Ms G’s disclosure was inadequate in light of her knowledge at the time,” the IPCA said.
RNZ earlier approached police for comment in relation to Brazier.
A lawyer acting for Brazier then emailed RNZ.
“I am requesting you cease and desist name publication and confirm that this will be done or in the event you still intend to proceed pause until we have been able to file a non-publication application with the High Court. Angela is challenging the ICPA findings in respect of her.”
RNZ earlier revealed a “health check” of the police agency had begun following concerns over its workplace culture, including intimate relationships as well as financial practices.
The review came after an “internal employment process” at the firearms regulator which was established following the Christchurch mosque attacks in 2019.
Police’s chief assurance officer Mike Webb earlier told RNZ the health check of the FSA was completed in October.
“It sought to identify whether disciplines around corporate hygiene and internal controls are widely understood and consistently applied in the FSA,” Webb said.
“The FSA was found to have operated in accordance with police policies in almost all cases sampled from December 2022 to June 2025 and the review identified a number of strengths in its corporate practices and controls.”
The review also made recommendations to “support improved police policy and practice”.
Three recommendations related to the FSA and 19 relate to wider police.
“Of note, the health check report highlighted some operational and governance risks for FSA and police in the areas of financial oversight, lack of specificity in the sensitive expenditure policy at the time, and conflict-of-interest management across wider police.”
Webb said Brazier had accepted the findings and recommendations in the report and “acknowledged there is always opportunity for improvement”.
The report was considered by the police’s senior leadership team (SLT) in late October, as well as the independent Assurance and Risk Committee in mid-November.
“The police SLT endorsed action to address the report’s non-FSA-specific recommendations, as well as tracking work on the recommendations.
“Several recommendations have already been actioned – for example, making updates to the sensitive expenditure policy, which are due to take effect from 1 December 2025.”
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Leaders in the Northern Marianas have warned that a deepening economic crisis in the US territory could begin to undermine civilian systems that support America’s long-term strategic presence in the Indo-Pacific.
In joint letters sent to US President Donald Trump and Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds, Governor David M. Apatang, Senate President Karl King Nabors, and House Speaker Edmund Villagomez urged swift federal action to stabilise the territory’s economy.
They said the CNMI’s small and fragile economic base left it highly vulnerable to further shocks, with potential knock-on effects for infrastructure, workforce stability, and essential services that support US operations in the region.
King-Hinds said the issue went beyond local governance.
“When core civilian systems begin to fail, the consequences extend well beyond the Commonwealth,” she said, adding that stable communities and reliable infrastructure were essential to sustaining a US presence in the Pacific.
Aerial view of Garapan, Saipan seen from Mt Tapochao, Saipan’s highest peak. Image: 123rf/RNZ
Apatang said the territory was approaching a critical point, citing business closures and population decline.
“We are running out of time,” he said, adding that existing federal tools could still help steady the situation if deployed quickly.
Strategically located Nabors said economic erosion in a strategically located US jurisdiction risked weakening the civilian foundation that supports military readiness and access in the Indo-Pacific.
Villagomez said early intervention would help preserve long-term options for both the Commonwealth and the United States.
The leaders said the measures outlined in their letters fall within existing federal authorities and do not require new congressional appropriations. They warned that delays could lead to cascading failures across key services and infrastructure, increasing long-term costs and risks.
The appeal was framed as part of a broader effort to ensure the CNMI’s economic challenges are factored into US strategic planning in the Indo-Pacific.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
New Zealand’s James Watt during Round 32 Singles Men’s ASB Classic Tennis Tournament at Manuka Doctor Arena.Photosport
New Zealand wildcard James Watt has been knocked out in the first round of the men’s ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland, losing to Jenson Brooksby in straight sets on centre court 6-4, 6-3.
It was a brave effort from Watt, who conceded 600 places in the world rankings to his American opponent.
He said the performance gives him confidence he can beat anyone on his day.
“It was cool to play at that level. I felt like I was there neck and neck, but obviously there’s levels to focus and a couple points that could have gone here or there. The fact that I can hang in there with the guy top 50 in the world, just sort of builds on the Davis Cup success.”
However, Watt admitted he was simply not consistent enough on the day.
“I thought I played well in patches. I think I had a lot of opportunities to break and really get on top of that first set and even in the second set as well. But credit to him, he hanged up and came up with some big serves on key points.”
The Auckland crowd were right behind Watt as he managed to save five match points in a see saw final game.
“Those big points, just to get everyone get behind me, that really gave me a boost of energy. It was a couple shots that missed by a few inches and if those had landed then it could have easily been the other way. But that’s tennis and I’ll learn from this experience and keep improving.”
Standing at 2.09m, Watt is a towering presence on the court and would not look out of place wearing the number four or five jersey on a rugby field.
“My high school was trying to recruit me for the first XV quite a lot and I played basketball through high school as well. I think tennis was a consistent thing and I really enjoyed it and just kept on improving at it.”
The night session begins at 6pm with fifth seed and Auckland-raised British representative Cam Norrie up against Frenchman Hugo Gaston.
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Guangyi Pan, Lecturer in International Political Studies at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, UNSW Canberra, UNSW Sydney
When Labor was returned to power in 2022, the China-Australia relationship began to stabilise after what had been a rocky few years.
So, where do things stand now, on the precipice of a new year? To understand what to expect in 2026, we interviewed several scholars in Australia and China.
Some Chinese scholars we spoke with pointed out a stable relationship does not necessarily mean a friendly one. One tension point they cited was what they see as Canberra’s efforts to help the United States limit China’s growing regional influence — especially in the Pacific.
Yet, Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s emphasis on what she calls the “four Rs” — region, relationships, rules and resilience — has shown Australia is no longer seeking to be solely reliant on US security.
Rather, since US President Donald Trump’s return to office, Canberra is pursuing more independent, regionally-led security initiatives.
This approach has not gone unnoticed by our Chinese interviewees. During our time in China over the past year, many scholars described Australia’s policies to stabilise relations with China as pragmatic and realistic. They believe Canberra has aligned — at least in part — with China’s interests on trade and cooperation.
As Xu Shaoming, an associate professor in international relations at Sun Yat-sen University, told us, the core of the relationship is still marked by complexity. There’s cooperation in certain areas, competition in others.
The key determinants of the strength of the relationship, he says, are communication and policy interaction. If these can continue to be front and centre in 2026, the China-Australia relationship can flourish.
What happened in 2025?
Last year started with a tense moment when a Chinese naval fleet conducted live-fire drills in the Tasman Sea and circumnavigated Australia on the way home. The incident triggered a sharp debate in Canberra about Australia’s maritime security.
Trump’s presidential victory in the US made Australian political leaders and strategic experts even more uneasy.
Yet, Australians ultimately prioritised stable engagement with China over escalating security fears. Attempts to portray China as a threat in the 2025 federal election campaign backfired for then-Liberal leader Peter Dutton and the Coalition.
After the election, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese set about solidifying the economic relationship between the two nations by making his second trip to China in July and meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.
Despite criticism from the opposition that he achieved no tangible outcomes, Albanese framed the trip as a success. The two leaders agreed to continue cooperation in a number of areas, including healthcare innovation, green energy, the digital economy and services.
Notably, Albanese also engaged in some “panda diplomacy” by visiting Chengdu’s panda sanctuary – always a sign of goodwill in relations with China.
Then, in November, the National People’s Congress chairman, Zhao Leji, visited Canberra. This was the highest-level visit from a Chinese leader since the COVID pandemic outbreak.
Differences and tensions persist
However, these positives contrasted sharply with the increasingly tense geostrategic environment.
Last year, Australian Treaurer Jim Chalmers brought legal action to try to force the divestment of Chinese capital from strategically critical minerals projects.
a Chinese fighter jet releasing flares close to an Australian plane in the South China Sea in October, and
allegations of Chinese hackers targeting Australia’s critical infrastructure.
A new approach
These political sensitivities and perceptual differences continue to affect mutual understanding between the two sides.
Unsurprisingly, some Chinese scholars we interviewed expressed resentment over Australia’s activities, such as its freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea. In their view, Australia has often become entangled in what Beijing calls American attempts to “contain” its influence.
While Canberra avoids the language of “containment”, Chinese commentators often frame Australia as strategically conflicted. It is economically dependent on China, yet politically aligned with the United States.
There is also a clear recognition in China that Australia is unlikely to turn away from the United States. Wong has been explicit about this: the alliance remains central to Australia’s security, and that of the region.
An Australian scholar we interviewed, however, believes this analysis is overly simplistic.
Rather, this scholar told us, the Albanese government has adopted a more mature approach to managing Australia–China relations. Amid the uncertainty surrounding Trump, Canberra is trying to leverage its central role in the Indo-Pacific region and improve relations with neighbours.
What can we expect in 2026?
So, what kind of cooperation can we expect in 2026? Our conversations with Australian and Chinese scholars suggest the relationship will remain stable, with manageable risks. Both sides will feel free to speak their own mind when necessary, while avoiding escalation.
There are no rumours of a possible Xi visit to Australia this year. This would no doubt give the relationship an extra boost.
However, strategic frictions persist. As another Chinese naval flotilla again headed into the Pacific in December, it was clear wariness remains about China’s military intentions.
Unpredictability and instability is on the rise internationally. Given this, Australia and China will need to enhance mutual understanding and keep communication lines open to keep the relationship on track.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Luis Gómez Romero, Senior Lecturer in Human Rights, Constitutional Law and Legal Theory, University of Wollongong
US President Donald Trump has insisted the United States will now be “running” Venezuela after US forces bombed the capital on January 3 and whisked Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife out of the country to face federal charges in New York.
Trump has promised that “large US oil companies” would be going into Venezuela to “start making money”. And in passing, he has also declared that with Maduro gone, Venezuelans “are free” and the country is already becoming “rich and safe” again.
But autocratic regimes do not depend on their leaders alone. They get their strength from the vast bureaucracies and security apparatuses under the leader and the complicity of individuals down the chain of command.
These structures have been shaken in Venezuela, but not dismantled. Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s loyal vice president, has assumed the presidency and the powerful interior minister (Diosdado Cabello) and defence minister (Vladimir Padrino) – the “men with the guns” – are still in control.
So, rather than bringing regime change, Trump is now propping up the Maduro regime from Washington.
The rise and decline of chavismo
Venezuela has been dominated by two leaders for the last nearly 30 years – Hugo Chávez (president from 1999–2013) and Maduro (2013–26).
After his election on a left-wing, populist platform, Chávez launched sweeping social programs inspired by the Venezuelan military officer Simón Bolívar, who is revered in much of Latin America for leading several countries to independence from Spain in the 19th century.
Chávez’s moves to lead a second “Bolivarian revolution” created a new ideology in Venezuela known as chavismo that aimed to build a socialist society and fight against what Chávez called the new US imperialism taking hold in the region.
Hugo Chavez famously calling former US President George W. Bush ‘the devil’.
After Maduro took power on Chávez’s death, chavismo was slowly replaced with a new ideology centred on Maduro’s increasingly authoritarian rule, known as madurismo.
Chávez’s previous confrontations with the US lost their ideological power. During Maduro’s reign, the US imposed sanctions that crippled the Venezuelan economy. However, Chevron, a US oil and gas company, continued to operate in the energy sectordespite those sanctions, signalling the Maduro government’s pragmatic transformation.
The regime became increasingly isolated internationally – an easy target for Trump’s campaign to dislodge Maduro from power.
Maduro’s isolation, however, did not mean madurismo had magically disappeared. What frayed under Maduro was the movement’s ideological basis. What hardened was its governing system. As oil revenues fell and Maduro’s electoral support narrowed, the regime shifted away from mobilising the public in the same way Chavez did. It instead focused on institutional survival.
These institutional apparatuses do not vanish when a leader loses legitimacy. They can be rebranded quickly. That is why the machinery remained strong when Trump removed Maduro. It is also why it could be handed over to Delcy Rodríguez.
New leader, same system
Rodríguez’s rise to power suggests a third mutation of chavismo is now underway.
As sociologist Rafael Uzcátegui notes, Rodríguez is dropping the movement’s defining confrontation with the United States to survive, now with Washington’s blessing.
Hours after Maduro’s abduction, a pre-signed decree by the president declared a state of emergency. It authorised members of the military and police to “search and capture” anyone accused of promoting or supporting the US attack on Venezuela. The emergency declaration extends to the Bolivarian Militia and its 200,000 or so members, who have been placed under the military chain of command.
The state of emergency, therefore, strengthens Rodríguez’s capacity to deliver what Washington wants because it consolidates coercive control at home.
By the regime’s own legal terms, a democratic transition was available. Instead, continuity has been secured.
Rodríguez has been installed on the basis of a “temporary absence” for 90 days, extendable by the National Assembly for another 90 days. Then, the assembly may decide there is an “absolute absence” of Maduro and call for elections. Rodríguez has a powerful hold over the assembly, which is led by her brother, Jorge Rodríguez.
Meanwhile, Rodríguez is consolidating power. In the first cabinet meeting, she was photographed with the regime’s two main strongmen, Padrino and Cabello, at her side. She has also begun careful appointments to shape the regime to her liking.
Both posts are sensitive: the first will oversee her personal security; the second will negotiate the distribution of Venezuela’s oil wealth with the Americans.
A new chavista-in-chief
Trump’s orders are now being implemented in what many critics are now calling his Venezuelan protectorate.
A few political prisoners have been released in what has been seen as a goodwill gesture. The core US interest, however, is oil. Trump has said “billions” of barrels will be handed over to the US. Exclusive trade agreements will be signed. The ground is prepared for the reopening of a US embassy, destined to function as the office of a proconsul (an administrator of a colony or occupied territory).
This is not a democratic transition. It is chavismo in a new form: power without Chávez’s anti-imperialist rhetoric, without promises, and without a people.
Luis Gómez Romero does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Two people died at a property on Old Coach Rd in Pukehina earlier this month. (File photo)RNZ / REECE BAKER
The deaths of a man and a woman at the same Bay of Plenty property earlier this month remain under police investigation.
Police were called to a house on Old Coach Road in Pukehina about 3pm on New Year’s Day after the death of a woman, which was now being treated as suspicious.
In the early hours of January 2, police were called back to the same property where a man was found dead in a separate house.
A 50-year-old man was arrested and charged in relation to the woman’s death. He was due to reappear in Tauranga District Court on January 30 on a charge of assaulting a person in a family relationship.
Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Varnam said the man’s death was still being treated as “unexplained”.
He said police were still focused on investigating the events that led up to the deaths of the woman and man.
Anyone with information about what happened was urged to contact police through 105, either online or over the phone, and reference file number: 260101/9901.
Report could also be made anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
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Energy Minister Simon Watts was talking up the prospect of having the services available in New Zealand as early as September.
Watts said the framework was put in place as part of the government’s Customer and Product Data Act passed last March, with Open Electricity designated by the government as the next suite of regulations after introducing Open Banking in December.
It was already in place in Australia and the UK, and would enable consumers’ electricity usage data to be shared with third parties – including competing electricity retailers – to allow them to recommend better power price deals.
“Energy companies hold a huge amount of data about people’s usage… when used to be able to compare within some of these third party apps, can identify some pretty significant savings of people being able to move to a more appropriate plan than what they’re on.
“Our estimates are that the average household who looks at moving to the most the plan that’s most suited to them could be looking at savings in the region of $360 a year. So it’s not insignificant.”
The law would require a power company to share the data, if their customer requested it.
Competing power companies and other third-party organisations would then be able to use the data to provide recommendations on the best energy plan based on the customer’s individual requirements.
Watts said with nearly 15,000 plans available around New Zealand, “it’s basically pretty much impossible for someone to be able to do that themselves”.
“You’re not restricted on who you can share your data with, you know, if you choose to do so, and… multiple different apps to find out what the best plan is. And that’s up to you. It’s your data.
“The challenge is that the data has to be in a standardised format, it has to have all the correct aspects, and the energy companies need to release that data and do so in a timely manner. And all of those things are not standardised at the moment, and that’s what we bring in to enable those changes.”
The changes would be made via regulations by the middle of the year, he said, and energy companies would then have 12 months to be fully compliant.
But while mid-2027 was when the regime would be fully in place, he said services allowing the sharing and comparison of the data could be available as early as September, and definitely from early next year.
Watts said the legislation included privacy protections with “really stringent requirements” requiring the companies to comply with the Privacy Act.
However, once a customer had signed off on having their data shared, it would be up to those companies receiving the data how they used it.
Watts was confident only the data customers were authorising or approving for release would be shared.
Other usages could extend to having the data fed into AI systems or used for research, he said.
“What third party providers look to do in terms of building into their technology is going to be with them,” Watts said.
“No doubt, their use of AI is already being used by a number of third party app providers in regards to supporting decision making.
“At the end of the day, we’re removing a bottleneck that’s stopping New Zealand consumers from being able to get in and access these type of services really easily. We want to make it easy for Kiwis to get on the best plan possible.
“Some of the broader options may be to see and provide some summary advice around the broader industry, but this is really focused about individual consumers giving permission for their data to be used so they they can get advice.”
The government expected it could benefit nearly 2 million households and 165,000 small businesses, he said.
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Napier Health has a nurse-provided overnight urgent care service.Google Maps / Screenshot
An overnight urgent care provider in Hawke’s Bay was closed last night and for a number of other days in January due to staffing issues.
The service was closed on Sunday, as well as from New Year’s Day to January 4.
The same reason caused it to close for six nights in December and four nights in November.
The Health Minister confirmed in March 2025 the government would invest in the overnight urgent care service for Napier.
Have you been affected? Contact iwitness@rnz.co.nz
The service was a nurse-provided overnight urgent care service at Napier Health, run through Health New Zealand, operating between 8pm and 8am, seven days a week. It was put in place following the closure of Napier Hospital in 1998.
Health New Zealand had proposed removing the overnight urgent care service and replacing it with a telehealth option, but Simeon Brown announced in March that it would be retained following consultation.
The proposal had sparked community backlash, and a protest had been planned, according to Hawke’s Bay Today.
In a report leaked to Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2025, Health New Zealand wrote workforce shortages have made it “increasingly difficult” to keep these services fully staffed, “resulting in the service sporadically closing early”.
Napier MP Katie Nimon said there had been ongoing issues due to a low number of staff.
“And then, as soon as you have an unplanned absence, which happens in any organisation, you know, one staff member not being able to do a shift that they were already going to be doing, it means that the overnight service is forced to close,” she said.
“There’s no backup plan.”
Nimon understood it had closed about once a fortnight throughout 2025.
The community had to travel 15 kilometres to the hospital in Hastings, or use the telehealth service, she said.
She added Health New Zealand had been working hard to find an alternative, and had told her closure was the last option.
RNZ approached Health New Zealand for response.
Nimon said she had also been working with Simeon Brown and the Ministry of Health to find a long-term solution.
“Sometimes these things are really unavoidable, and you can’t double your staffing just in case of emergencies, but we need to make sure these services are resilient.”
Previously, Brown said Health New Zealand would consider contracting the service back to a private provider.
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Waving down a bus is not required, but it sure helps.RNZ / Mark Papalii
Clarification: This story has been updated to add more detail about the bus rules in Christchurch.
Whether you’re heading to work before an important morning meeting, or coming home with kids and shopping in tow, there are few things more maddening than your bus just seeming to sail on by.
Last year, Wellington bus service provider MetLink received more than 1000 complaints from people annoyed by buses that didn’t stop.
Jess Gessner filed a complaint, after she and her two young children were left on the kerb, when she was unable to signal the driver.
“It was very obvious that we wanted to get picked up at a bus stop,” she said. “We were the only people there, and [the driver] just looked at us and drove past.”
The Metlink website said bus drivers would stop, if they saw someone waiting, but encouraged passengers to wave, so they could be seen by the driver.
John Ng waits for his bus in Wellington.RNZ / Bill Hickman
Metlink senior operations manager Paul Tawharu said waving was helpful, but not a requirement.
“What we do ask customers is that they make themselves visible to the driver,” he said. “Passengers don’t need to wave.
“There’s some of our passengers that are visually impaired. You might have mums with babies in arms that just can’t do that, so that’s not expected.
“If the passenger is at the bus stop, then the driver is expected to stop.”
Most of the commuters who spoke to RNZ in the Wellington suburb of Newtown said they tended to wave down their buses, but nearly everyone also felt they had been passed up or had seen another passenger left at the stop.
“I have been [passed by] on a [number] four,” said Clara. “It was a very sad day.”.
“Many times,” John Nga said. “You have to be visually waving, not just raising your hands – it’s not enough.”
“I think it depends on the bus stop,” Ben Lake said. “There are definitely times when people will be waiting there and they’ll just go straight past.”
“I do wave to the driver, because they don’t often stop,” Jane said. “They’ll go past you, if you don’t flag them down.”
Metro, which runs Christchurch’s bus service, tells passengers to make sure they’re visible when waiting at a bus stop. “And please give the bus a wave as it approached. This helps the driver know you need their service, and they’ll pull over to let you on,” it adds.
Environment Canterbury public transport general manager Stewart Gibbon said, last year, it received just over 550 complaints about buses not stopping – either to pick up passengers or allow them off.
Gibbon said, in the context of more than 15 million passenger trips a year, the numbers were comparatively small.
“Our drivers do a brilliant job of balancing the different demands of the role, including gauging whether people waiting at our stops want to get on board,” Gibbon said. “A clear signal from a customer is a great help to them.
Ben Lake waits for a bus in Wellington.RNZ / Bill Hickman
“Our drivers are trained in many different scenarios, including when customers may have their hands full. In this scenario, they would instead be looking at facial expressions and general body language.
“It’s worth noting that sometimes drivers can’t stop, due to their bus being full.”
Auckland Transport service operations manager Duncan McGrory said the transport provider had signs at every bus stop, asking passengers to indicate they wanted to board with a “clear wave of their arm”.
He said Aucklanders took up to 230,000 bus trips every weekday and the growth of the network over the last 15 years made hailing the bus crucial to keeping things running smoothly.
“It’s important for people to hail the bus that they actually want,” McGrory said. “We want to make sure that people are stopping the buses that they need and that every single bus is not stopping at every single stop.”
So the message is, wherever you are in the country, when in doubt, put your arm out.
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Public roads, even if they are unformed, shouldn’t be locked shutRNZ / Tracey Neal
Up to a third of Māori land is considered landlocked, meaning owners have no physical access to land they own without obtaining the consent of neighbouring owners.
The report divides land in Aotearoa into three types, private (non-tangata whenua) land which makes up 51.8 percent, state-owned land (44 percent) and private tangata whenua land with only 4.3 percent.
Tāmaki Makaurau regional field advisor Dot Dalziell said up to a third of Māori landholding is locked, but the problem was particularly acute in the Taihape area, where it is more than 70 percent.
Māori land is often very significant in connecting New Zealanders to the outdoors, so landlocking impacted all New Zealanders, she said.
“What it can give rise to is a very ironic situation or many ironic situations where, you know, we’re going into negotiations with mana whenua who have responsibility for land, whatever that relationship might be legally and we’re asking for public access or support for public access or hosting of public access. The irony being that, you know, maybe not on that bit of land, but other other parts of the of their whenua, they don’t have access themselves.”
Herenga ā Nuku strategic relationships manager Doug Macredie said the commission thought of tangata whenua land in several different ways.
First there is “ahu whenua” or “ture whenua” – land that survived confiscation and has been retained in Māori ownership. This land may or may not have legal public access, but may also operate within informal community protocols allowing informal access or “access by protocol”, he said.
Second is land returned to Māori by way of Treaty settlements. These often have public access clauses and requirements that remain once the land is returned.
Third is land where owners and governance bodies are not identified or established, much of which is administered by Te Tumu Paeroa, the Office of the Māori Trustee.
“We acknowledge fully here at Herenga ā Nuku that mana whenua, mana whenua whānui, mana whenua a hapū, mana whenua a tangata, kind of overrides this idea of legal ownership. And we as Māori all understand that our tribal jurisdictions and our border connections with other hapū and iwi covers all the whenua in Aotearoa.
“Now, it’s outside of the legal framework, but of course, tuturu in our ngākau, in our manawa, in our whakapapa is that understanding that the whole of Aotearoa is under the banner of what I call mana whenua whānui,” Macredie said.
Macredie is a trustee of several blocks of whenua – one of which was landlocked – which he said meant going “cap in hand” to neighbours to find ways to access it.
“My mum, my uncles, my koroua and so forth, never, ever got to go across that land… and not that it’s not possible that I can reverse that with helicopters and things like that, but unless you’ve got capability, resourcing, knowledge and support, how do the people break through even to get in touch with their land, to touch it, to feel it, to see it, let alone build a trust or a governance board and undertake initiatives to do stuff on and with the land?”
Macredie said another term he’s heard is “DOC locked”, with whenua Māori completely surrounded by Department of Conservation land.
“There are different degrees of landlocked. So in the case of one particular block that I know of, it technically has paper roads and technically you can walk, clamber, climb, scurry, burrow your way through to the block and stay within the boundaries of these paper roads. If you’ve got all the gear, ropes, crampons and half a day to get there. Whereas if you were to go across a neighbouring landowner’s paddock, you’d be there in 20 minutes,” he said.
DOC locked or semi-locked land blocks were often used by neighbouring private landowners, for grazing and forestry where boundaries slightly converged, and also by recreationists “in the know”, he said.
“For example, the block that I’m a trustee on has a beautiful, beautiful waterfall on it. People go to that waterfall, the people, the recreationists that are in the know just go walking straight across our block, which is not necessarily a problem to us. But that’s a typical situation when you’re not empowered or able to manage and govern your block for all those reasons, then it will just default to other uses by people that are enabled and empowered to get there and use it.”
Macredie said while landlocking was a massive problem for Māori owners, many of these land blocks were beautiful, remote, rugged and pristine which could be an opportunity, particularly in ecotourism.
But to take advantage of any opportunity took time, expertise and resource, he said.
“The issues are not all about lines on maps, etc., but they’re also about awareness and capability and resourcing for the people… to make connection with lands, to govern, to manage and to undertake initiatives and there are immense barriers to that. And so it’s not the role of our agency to address all of that because we’re only dealing with the public access element.
“But we are fully aware of how the public access dimension and the aspirations and the reality of tangata whenua relative to land can and do work together when managed and guided in the right way.”
‘Building the spirit of our country’
Macredie said only a relatively small amount of New Zealand’s land was public, which was divided again into what was accessible and what was not.
“You’ve got to say, well, what is the definition of accessible? What’s accessible for somebody who’s an experienced tramper with all the gear and the latest Subaru four wheel drive and enough money to put petrol in the tank is not necessarily accessible for every other person.
“So accessibility, freedom to enjoy and to be in and around this beautiful land for all New Zealanders, and particularly with some with some pronounced take (issues) from a tangata whenua lens, I think it’s a major, major challenge. But it’s also an incredible opportunity around building the spirit of our country and also releasing opportunities through ecotourism or other community initiatives… that are both good for the people, good for the place and good for the economy.”
Dalziell said a real life example can be found in Te Ara Tipuna, a proposed 500-kilometre walking trail along the East Coast from Gisborne to Ōpōtiki, traversing several Māori land blocks on the way.
The trail would link up existing bits of public access and help reconnect the diaspora of Ngāti Porou back to the whenua, she said.
Dalziell said equitable access Aotearoa New Zealand’s great outdoors was what mattered.
“I’m thinking of the young people the rangatahi of Papakura and a place that’s really cherished… There’s a beautiful series of swimming holes up Hays Creek heading into the Hunua. And the only way to get there is up the side of a very windy, rural road that’s got very little shoulder and has a lot of quarry trucks on it because there’s a quarry up in the area as well.
“So that’s what I have in mind when I think about the kind of equitable distribution of outdoor access and what might need to change in the future,” she said.
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The Yoyoso store that was on Queen Street, Auckland.Supplied / Google Maps
Retail chain Yoyoso has been placed into liquidation owing millions of dollars, and liquidators say it is unlikely unsecured creditors will get their money back.
The Yoyoso group includes the retail brands Yoyoso, Miniso and Acecco.
Liquidators McDonald Vague said when the chain went into liquidation there were eight shops trading around Auckland but those would close through this month.
“The liquidators have closed the Northcote supermarket (Acecco Supermarket Limited) location due to lack of trading revenue but continued to trade the Mt Albert location.
“The Yoyoso and Miniso stores have continued to trade to reduce the stock levels at each of the stores. As stock levels reduce and/or landlords make decisions on the timing of the stores closing the stores will be vacated and closed with the expectation to have almost all stores closed or vacated over January 2026.
“The staff in the trading entities will continue to be employed as needed to assist in trading down the group, along with a couple of day to day management staff.”
The liquidators say that about $217,000 is owed to former employees for wages, holiday pay and redundancy pay.
So far, $63,000 has been paid to bring wage payments up to date and employees should be paid their entitlements in full.
The liquidators said Inland Revenue was likely to be due $940,000 in GST, PAYE and other payroll deductions. They said they did not think Inland Revenue would get everything it was owed.
Unsecured creditors were due at least $2.1 million, they said, not including contingent claims from landlords or IRD penalties and interest. They might receive zero cents in the dollar, the liquidators said.
Retail consultant Chris Wilkinson, from First Retail Group, said it was part of a general trend in which shoppers looking for things that Yoyoso sold would shop on Temu, AliExpress or Shein instead.
“Generally novelty-type products, party products that people are now able to buy from the source and significantly cheaper. It’s product you don’t necessarily need, novelty activity.”
He said Yoyoso had been able to sustain a large physical presence in the centre of Auckland, on Queen Street, before the behaviour change took hold.
“You need significant volumes to drive business and it wouldn’t happen, it’s not possible under the new way of buying stuff.”
Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young said it showed how tough it was to be a retailer in New Zealand at the moment.
“It’s a reflection of the New Zealand trading market last year. The retail environment was really tough. This is just another demonstration … a few days ago EB Games announced their proposal for closure. Here’s another group where we’re seeing a nationwide business in liquidation.
“It demonstrates that businesses have held on and they’ve held on and they’ve held on but with no spare cash and trading at a loss you can only sustain that for a certain length of time. These businesses are not seeing the turnaround in the economy come quickly enough for them to survive.”
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on January 12, 2026.
Meet the springtails: little-known fantastic beasts that live everywhere on Earth Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Stevens, Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, Adelaide University _Womerleymeria bicornis_, a springtail from Tasmania. Cyrille D’Haese In virtually every piece of land on Earth – from near the summit of Mount Everest to Antarctica to caves nearly 2,000 metres underground – live tiny critters
Not just ‘eunuchs’ or sex workers: in ancient Mesopotamia, gender-diverse people held positions of power Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chaya Kasif, PhD Candidate; Assyriologist, Macquarie University An 8th century BCE gypsum relief from modern-day Iraq depicts a king and his chief ša rēši. Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago. OIM A7366. Daderot/Wikimedia Commons/Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago. OIM A7366 Today, trans people face politicisation of
Mixed reactions over Samoan PM’s proposal to ban non-Christian religions RNZ Pacific A proposal by Sāmoa’s Prime Minister to ban all non-Christian religions from the country is being met with mixed reactions. The Samoa Observer reported church ministers and members of the public voicing views both for and against the proposal. Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa Polataivao Schmidt said he raised the issue with Samoa’s Council of
NZ’s low productivity is often blamed on businesses staying small. That could be a strength in 2026 Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rod McNaughton, Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images For decades, we have heard a familiar story about why New Zealand’s firms choose to stay small. Business owners prefer comfort, control and lifestyle over ambition, summed up in the old notion of the
Beauty in ordinary things: why this Japanese folk craft movement still matters 100 years on Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Penny Bailey, Lecturer in Japanese Studies, The University of Queensland A thrown tea bowl made by Hamada Shōji. Wikimedia, CC BY-SA On January 10 1926, Yanagi Sōetsu and the potters Hamada Shōji and Kawai Kanjirō sat talking excitedly late into the night at a temple on Mt
Rain one minute, heatwave the next. How climate ‘whiplash’ drives unpredictable fire weather Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Bowman, Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania Graeme Thomas/Facebook After a weekend of extreme heat and windy conditions, more than 30 blazes were still burning in Victoria and New South Wales as of Sunday evening, including major fires in the Otways, near the
Modern rock wallabies seem to survive by sticking together in small areas. Fossils show they need to travel Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christopher Laurikainen Gaete, PhD Candidate, Wollongong Isotope Geochronology Laboratory, University of Wollongong Today, rock wallabies are seen as secretive cliff-dwellers that rarely stray far from the safety of their rocky shelters. But the fossil record tells a very different story. New research suggests rock wallabies were once
The antisemitism debate is already a political minefield. The royal commission must rise above it Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matteo Vergani, Associate Professor and Director of the Tackling Hate Lab, Deakin University What we currently know about antisemitism in Australia is pieced together from a fragmented body of information produced by community organisations, researchers and law enforcement. And it is largely interpreted and translated to the
Why eating disorders are more common among LGBTQIA+ people and what can help Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kai Schweizer, PhD Candidate in Youth Mental Health, The University of Western Australia; The Kids Research Institute MDV Edwards/Getty When people picture someone with an eating disorder, many think of a thin, teenage girl with anorexia nervosa. This stereotype is so pervasive it can feel like a
Is it okay to feel ‘schadenfreude’ at work? Here’s how to navigate this complex emotion Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Sachinthanee Dissanayake, PhD Candidate, University of Wollongong Pressmaster/Getty Have you ever felt delighted (perhaps secretly) when something went wrong for someone else? We may not openly admit it, but many of us have probably felt this way – sometimes intentionally, sometimes unconsciously. This feeling has
Australia’s ‘antisemitism crisis’ – examining what’s real and what isn’t Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week announced a Royal Commission into the Bondi Beach Attack and antisemitism. Andrew Brown weighs the evidence on Australia’s “antisemitism crisis” for Michael West Media. ANALYSIS: By Andrew Brown Australia is being told it faces an unprecedented wave of antisemitism — a crisis requiring extraordinary measures, including a Royal
Sāmoa set to become third Pacific nation to open Jerusalem embassy RNZ Pacific Sāmoa is set to become the third Pacific nation to have an embassy in Jerusalem. Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Polataivao Schmidt told a gathering of the Sāmoa branch of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem on Tuesday he had instructed the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin work on the opening of an office
A total of 3313 homes on the power supplier’s network were cut off at the wind’s height on Sunday.
PowerCo head of network operations Mark Dunn said 485 customers in Wairarapa and 193 in Manawatū were still without power as of midday Monday.
He said extra crews from Taranaki were brought into the region yesterday in anticipation of weather-related damage.
“Extra precautions have been taken to minimise the risk of fire in these windy and dry conditions, which may result in longer restoration times than usual,” Dunn said.
“We thank customers for their patience as our crews work as quickly as they can to restore power.”
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Project Jonah said 42 were successfully returned to the sea.
The remaining whales were found re-stranded on Monday morning, showing signs of acute stress. Two others had died overnight.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) said there were poor conditions for refloating on Monday, and the final group were not expected to survive another refloating attempt.
“A condition assessment was carried out this morning by DOC staff and Project Jonah, with support from Massey University experts via video link,” the department said.
“Unfortunately, the whales are not in good condition after five days of strandings, and it was determined euthanasia is the most humane option
“This is not the outcome we had hoped for, but the decision has been made with the welfare of the whales in mind.”
Project Jonah volunteer coordinator Louisa Hawkes said the community response to the stranding had been amazing.
“We couldn’t have done it without everybody who has come down to help, whether that was just for a morning, an afternoon, a day or turning up day after day.
“Every whale had its welfare monitored throughout the event, and those that were in a good condition were given the best possible chance of a refloat.”
A leading private provider doing breast cancer diagnosis and treatment took six months to notify some patients or the public of a major cyber attack on its systems.
In an update on its website this week, Canopy Health – the largest private medical oncology provider in the country – said on 18 July 2025, it identified that an unknown person “temporarily obtained unauthorised access” to a part of its systems used by its administration team.
“Following a thorough forensic review by our cybersecurity experts, we have been advised that unauthorised access to one of our servers likely occurred, and some data may have been copied.”
The company, which runs 24 diagnostic clinics, eight oncology clinics, two private breast surgical centres and a drug compounding business, said the incident had been “contained” and the investigation was ongoing.
Have you been affected? Share you stories with us at: iwitness@rnz.co.nz
Under its Q&A section, Canopy noted the hacker “may have accessed a small number of bank account numbers, which had been provided to Canopy for payment or refund purposes”.
“We are directly notifying potentially affected individuals.
“It is unlikely the threat actor can take significant action with these details, as sensitive bank account information is highly protected.
However, if you are concerned, please contact your bank.”
One man – whose wife received a letter from Canopy Healthcare on 12 December to inform her of the “cyber event” – said it was the first they had heard of the breach.
Canopy Healthcare has been approached for comment.
It believed between 6 and 7 percent of the approximately 1.8 million registered users may have been affected.
On Friday, the company said more than half of all impacted patients had now received a notification email, and all patients who were not affected could also see that in their ManageMyHealth app.
More than 80,000 of the 125,000 patients affected by the ransomware attack are based in Northland – the only region where Health NZ itself uses Manage My Health to share information with patients, including hospital discharge summaries, outpatient clinic letters and referral notifications.
The operators of compromised patient data app ManageMyHealth say they have received “independent confirmation” from IT experts the flaws in its code have been fixed.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
A 36-year-old man is due to appear in court after allegedly running down and assaulting a pedestrian in Nelson.
Inspector Simon Feltham said police received a report of a vehicle crashing into a person and a fence in Atawhai about 8pm on Sunday.
He said the offender then assaulted the pedestrian, causing moderate injuries, before driving away.
When police signalled him to pull over he swerved into the police car, causing a crash which blocked the road.
He and the police officer sustained minor injuries, and were now recovering in hospital.
The man was charged with wounding to intent, strangulation, common assault, unlawful take of a motor vehicle, taking a bank card for pecuniary advantage, wilful damage and refusing a request for a blood test.
_Womerleymeria bicornis_, a springtail from Tasmania.Cyrille D’Haese
In virtually every piece of land on Earth – from near the summit of Mount Everest to Antarctica to caves nearly 2,000 metres underground – live tiny critters that have shaped the health of our planet for hundreds of millions of years.
They are known as springtails – an ancient group of invertebrates that evolved along with mosses and lichens dating back to more than 400 million years ago.
By taking a trip into their magical world, you will emerge from the forest with a newfound appreciation of the tiny and easily overlooked wonders that live with us.
Womersleymeria bicornis, a species of giant springtail from the ancient Gondwanan beech forests of Tasmania. Cyrille D’Haese
What exactly are springtails?
It appears that the earliest written record of springtails is from 350 BCE by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle in his published notes History of Animals.
Our knowledge of springtails increased from the 1600s thanks to the improvement in microscopes that allowed scientists to take a closer look at these tiny animals. However, it was not until 1758 that Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus published the first formal scientific description of springtails.
At first glance these under-appreciated creatures might seem like insects. But they are quite distinct from insects due to their internal mouthparts, less defined body segments, lack of wings, and no real metamorphosis. They range in size from less than a millimetre up to the largest recorded at 17 millimetres.
Podura aquatica, one of the first springtail species to be formally scientifcally described. Cyrille D’Haese
The largest and most colourful bear a strong resemblance to the “fantastic beasts” of the Harry Potter franchise. They come in lurid red, bright purple and fluorescent yellow, among other colours, and have tiny bumps and hairs covering their bodies, making them look more like colourful sea slugs.
Springtails got their common name from their amazing ability to spring using an organ called the “furcula”. The furcula is a spring-loaded appendage found on the underside of the abdomen and ranges greatly in size. This ability to launch into the air, like a catapult, is incredibly useful to help springtails escape predators.
Their scientific name at the taxonomic level of class – Collembola – is derived from another organ specific to springtails, known as a “collophore”.
The collophore is present in all Collembola and helps them absorb moisture from their environment, which helps with dehydration. This and other adaptations means springtails can live in the driest places on Earth, including hot and cold desert environments.
Diversity of Collembola with the four Orders: Symphypleona (Dicyrtomina), Entomobryomorpha (Pogonognathellus, length 4-5mm), Poduromorpha (Neanura, length 3mm) and Neelipleona (Neelus, length 0.6mm). Cyrille D’Haese
Maintaining Earth’s ecosystems
Springtails are found in their many thousands in all environments around us, such as forests mangroves, caves, deserts and grasslands. They’re also found in all habitats, such as canopies, surfaces of ponds, soil, leaf litter, mosses and rotting wood. You will even find them in your household compost, gardens, potplants and terrariums.
But for many, their survival can depend on ecosystems being saturated with humidity.
In these environments they are crucially important in regulating bacteria and fungal populations, processing organic matter, as well as prey for other animals.
This makes them vital to maintaining the health of almost all Earth’s ecosystems. As a major element of most habitats on Earth they are found on all continents, including Antarctica.
The evolutionary success of Collembola as a major contributor to healthy ecosystems means they have the potential to indicate when ecosystems are out of balance. That’s why some have been referred to as “canaries in the undergrowth”.
Neotropiella carli, a Collembola from the Amazon region in leaf litter. Cyrille D’Haese
The largest springtails
The Collembola that live within rotting wood are truly spectacular and have been recorded as the largest globally at 17 millimetres.
They were nicknamed “giant Collembola” due to their striking colours and size. In these forest environments they lack a furcula (the spring organ). That may seem odd for a group commonly known as “springtails”, but they have nowhere to spring to in these environments.
Our recent study, published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, is the largest study to date of Collembola. It was only possible from 25 years of collecting from around the world.
The study proposes major changes within the Neanuroidea superfamily that giant springtails belong to. It dissolves one subfamily (“Uchidanurinae”) that was only aligned by convergent evolution – when species are unrelated but evolve similar features and functions because they occupy similar habitats.
Examples of ‘Giant’ springtails from Australia and New Caledonia, including the largest recorded at 17mm from New Zealand (top right). The bottom image shows how these incredible animals squeeze and manoeuvre withing rotting wood. Cyrille D’Haese
In its place, the study creates two new subfamilies and considers the assignment of almost 200 genera within the Neanuroidea superfamily.
The study shows that the superfamily survived through the KT-boundary mass extinction event about 66 million years ago that wiped out nearly all of the dinosaurs.
It also reveals a distinct divide between groups found in the northern versus southern hemisphere. Our two new subfamilies were dominated by southern hemisphere forest species – Gondwanan remnants that were much more abundant in the past than they are today.
Springtails are crucial to the health of our forests, including this ancient Gondwanan beech forest in Mount Field National Park, Tasmania. Cyrille D’Haese
While ancient forests continue to disappear or become unsuitable habitat, we continue to lose incredible invertebrate species – many before they have been given scientific names.
This is a “silent” mass extinction – one that threatens the fantastic diversity of life on Earth.
Mark Stevens is affiliated with Adelaide University and is employed at the South Australian Museum. He received partial funding from The Waterhouse Club that assisted his research.
Cyrille D’Haese is affiliated with MECADEV (UMR 7179), a research team of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN).
Today, trans people face politicisation of their lives and vilification from politicians, media and parts of broader society.
But in some of history’s earliest civilisations, gender-diverse people were recognised and understood in a wholly different way.
As early as 4,500 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia, for instance, gender-diverse people held important roles in society with professional titles. These included the cultic attendants of the major deity Ištar, called assinnu, and high-ranking royal courtiers called ša rēši.
What the ancient evidence tells us is that these people held positions of power because of their gender ambiguity, not despite it.
Where is Mesopotamia and who lived there?
Mesopotamia is a region primarily made up of modern Iraq, but also parts of Syria, Turkey and Iran. Part of the Fertile Crescent, Mesopotamia is a Greek word which literally means “land between two rivers”, referring to the Euphrates and Tigris.
For thousands of years, several different major cultural groups lived there. Amongst these were the Sumerians, and the later Semitic groups called the Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians.
The Sumerians invented writing by creating wedges on clay tablets. The script, called cuneiform, was made to write the Sumerian language but would be used by the later civilisations to write their own dialects of Akkadian, the earliest Semitic language.
Who were the assinnu?
The assinnu were the religious servants of the major Mesopotamian goddess of love and war, Ištar.
Also known by the Sumerians as Inanna, she was a warrior god, and held the ultimate political power to legitimise kings.
She also oversaw love, sexuality and fertility. In the myth of her journey to the Netherworld, her death puts an end to all reproduction on Earth.
For the Mesopotamians, Ištar was one of the greatest deities in the pantheon. The maintenance of her official cult ensured the survival of humanity.
As her attendants, the assinnu were responsible for pleasing and tending to her through religious ritual and the upkeep of her temple.
The title assinnu is an Akkadian word related to terms that mean “woman-like” and “man-woman”, as well as “hero” and “priestess”.
Their gender fluidity was bestowed on them by Ištar herself. In a Sumerian hymn, the goddess is described as having the power to
turn a man into a woman and a woman into a man
to change one into the other
to dress women in clothes for men
to dress men in clothes for women
to put spindles into the hands of men
and to give weapons to women.
The assinnu were viewed by some early scholars as a type of religious sex worker. This, however, is based on early assumptions about gender-diverse groups, and is not well supported by evidence.
The title is also often translated as “eunuch”, though there is also no clear evidence they were castrated men. While the title is primarily masculine, there is evidence of female assinnu. In fact, various texts show they resisted the gender binary.
Their religious importance allowed them to possess magical and healing powers. An incantation states:
May your assinnu stand by and extract my illness. May he make the illness
which seized me go out the window.
And a Neo-Assyrian omen tells us that sexual relations with an assinnu could bring personal benefits:
If a man approaches an assinnu [for sex]: restrictions will be loosened for him.
As the devotees of Ištar, they also had powerful political influence. A Neo-Babylonian almanac states:
[the king] should touch the head of an assinnu, he shall defeat his enemy
his land will obey his command.
Having their gender transformed by Ištar herself, the assinnu could walk between the divine and the mortal as they maintained the wellbeing of both the gods and humanity.
Who were the ša rēši?
Usually described as eunuchs, the ša rēši were attendants to the king.
Court “eunuchs” have been recorded in many cultures throughout history. However, the term did not exist in Mesopotamia, and the ša rēši had their own distinct title.
The Akkadian term ša rēši literally means “one of the head”, and refers to the king’s closest courtiers. Their duties in the palace varied, and they could hold several high-ranking posts at the same time.
The evidence for their gender ambiguity is both textual and visual. There are various texts that describe them as infertile, such as an incantation which states:
Like a ša rēši who does not beget, may your semen dry up!
The ša rēši are always depicted beardless, and were contrasted with another type of courtier called ša ziqnī (“bearded one”), who had descendants. In Mesopotamian cultures, beards signified one’s manhood, and so a beardless man would go directly against the norm. Yet, reliefs show the ša rēši wore the same dress as other royal men, and so were able to display authority alongside other elite males.
One of their main functions was supervising the women’s quarters in the palace – a place of highly restricted access – where the only male permitted to enter was the king himself.
As they were so closely trusted by the king, they were not only able to hold martial roles as guards and charioteers, but also lead their own armies. After their victories, ša rēši were granted property and governorship over newly conquered territories, as evidenced by one such ša rēši who erected their own royal stone inscription.
Because of their gender fluidity, the ša rēši were able to transcend the boundaries of not just gendered space, but that between ruler and subject.
Gender ambiguity as a tool of power
While early historians understood these figures as “eunuchs” or “cultic sex workers”, the evidence shows it was because they lived unbound by the gender binary that these groups were able to hold powerful roles in Mesopotamian society.
As we recognise the importance of transgender and gender-diverse people in our communities today, we can see this as a continuity of respect given to these early figures.
Chaya Kasif does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
A proposal by Sāmoa’s Prime Minister to ban all non-Christian religions from the country is being met with mixed reactions.
The Samoa Observer reported church ministers and members of the public voicing views both for and against the proposal.
Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa Polataivao Schmidt said he raised the issue with Samoa’s Council of Churches and was awaiting their response.
In June 2017, Parliament voted in a constitutional amendment to declare Samoa a Christian state, with 43 out of 49 parliamentarians voting in favour.
However, the document still guarantees individuals freedom of religion, belief and worship.
Meanwhile, the Head of State, Tuimalealiʻifano Vaʻaletoʻa Sualauvi II, has proclaimed a ban on construction on Sunday and a national period of prayer and fasting, beginning on Sunday and running through January 16, reports the Samoa Observer.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
The countdown is on for the 83rd Golden Globes, the first major film and TV awards show of the season, as stars hit the red carpet. Top nominees include Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Michael B. Jordan, Cynthia Erivo and Emma Stone, with leading TV contenders The Pitt, The White Lotus and Severance. Comedian Nikki Glaser hosts this year’s ceremony, with red carpet coverage streaming on Variety’s YouTube channel.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
For decades, we have heard a familiar story about why New Zealand’s firms choose to stay small. Business owners prefer comfort, control and lifestyle over ambition, summed up in the old notion of the “bach, boat and BMW” being the height of aspiration.
The statistics show this pattern clearly. New Zealand’s productivity has lagged other advanced economies for years, with output per hour worked sitting below the OECD average.
This gap is often blamed on the fact that nearly 97% of local businesses employ fewer than 20 people and many stay small their entire life cycle. Yet a fast emerging global trend suggests smallness is no longer a drawback.
Across software, design, digital media and specialist manufacturing, a growing number of international firms are choosing to stay small. Their aim is not to avoid ambition, but to preserve quality, identity and resilience in a transformed economic environment.
This year, that shift may offer important lessons – and opportunities – for tackling New Zealand’s productivity challenge.
When scaling up stops being the default
After the global surge in venture capital in 2021, investment contracted sharply. Startup funding fell in both 2022 and 2023, with the latter being the weakest since 2018.
While signs suggest activity has stabilised at a lower level, capital is now far more selective, prompting questions about the sustainability of the traditional “growth-at-all-costs” model. Strategies that depend on continual boosts in external funding today face a more challenging environment.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is also reshaping what small teams can achieve. AI systems can now automate or accelerate tasks across coding, design, analysis, writing and administration.
A small team equipped with advanced tools can generate output once associated with much larger organisations. This has expanded the viability of small, highly productive firms focused on specialised software, creative content or digital services.
These AI-enabled small firms can reach international markets with minimal headcount, often profitably. At the same time, climate disruptions and supply chain fragility have exposed the weaknesses of centralised, high-volume business models.
Events from the COVID pandemic to recent extreme weather have highlighted the risks of tightly optimised global logistics, while nimbler, modular operations with shorter supply chains can be more adaptable.
For these firms, staying small is proving a strategy for resilience in the face of environmental and geopolitical volatility.
Taken together, these trends point to an emerging form of entrepreneurship that diverges sharply from our traditional lifestyle-oriented businesses that serve a local market, employ a handful of staff and rarely invest in technology.
Instead of avoiding ambition, these new “anti-scale” entrepreneurs are redefining it, building firms that maximise productivity, specialisation and resilience rather than staff numbers.
Why strategic smallness suits NZ
Smallness can be a strategic choice that protects quality, speeds up innovation, reduces overheads and fosters closer relationships with customers. In digital markets especially, depth of expertise and precision often matter more than organisational size.
This matters for New Zealand because the country’s productivity problem does not stem from being small, but from being small without specialisation or technological leverage.
Many of its firms operate as generalist service providers in a thin domestic market, face limited incentives to innovate and remain focused on local clientele.
Productivity, however, is measured per worker, not per firm. A two-person, AI-enabled venture serving global customers can, in principle, generate far more value than a 20-person domestic service firm competing in a crowded local market.
International comparisons reinforce this point. Small but highly productive economies such as Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands thrive by specialising in what they do best, integrating into global value chains and developing capabilities that compete internationally.
This is an encouraging pattern for New Zealand, which faces similar structural constraints. Anti-scale entrepreneurship aligns far more closely with the success of these small economies than with Silicon Valley’s emphasis on rapid organisational expansion. It represents a form of ambition that suits small countries.
Rethinking how we support ambitious small firms
Research on entrepreneurial ecosystems also suggests ventures perform best when their strategies match the realities of their environment. New Zealand’s conditions can favour small, highly productive firms that rely on expertise, identity and digital reach.
If these ventures adopt AI early, stay export oriented and build distinctive capabilities, they can compete internationally without becoming organisationally large.
To realise this potential, New Zealand’s institutions will need to adjust some long-standing assumptions. Policies that treat firm size as the primary marker of entrepreneurial success risk overlooking ventures that are small yet highly productive.
Export programmes, innovation grants and skills initiatives could be better aligned with small firms that specialise deeply and use technology to amplify their output. Education, likewise, could focus on helping entrepreneurs design firms for an optimal size.
Ultimately, New Zealand’s productivity challenge will not be solved by any single idea. But the rise of anti-scale entrepreneurship suggests ambition may take a different form from the one policymakers expect.
Some of the most innovative and resilient firms of 2026 may be those that remain deliberately small, use AI to expand their capabilities and build reputations in tightly defined global niches.
The question for New Zealand is not whether its firms can grow larger, but whether they can grow better.
Rod McNaughton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
A thrown tea bowl made by Hamada Shōji.Wikimedia, CC BY-SA
On January 10 1926, Yanagi Sōetsu and the potters Hamada Shōji and Kawai Kanjirō sat talking excitedly late into the night at a temple on Mt Kōya, in Japan’s Wakayama Prefecture.
They were debating how best to honour the beauty of simple, everyday Japanese crafts. Out of that conversation came a new word, mingei, and a plan to found The Japan Folk Crafts Museum in Tokyo. Later, Yanagi would describe what emerged that night as “a new standard of beauty”.
The Japan Folk Crafts Museum in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, is dedicated to collecting, preserving, researching, and exhibiting the hand-crafted works of the Mingei movement. Wikimedia, CC BY-SA
A century on, Yanagi’s ideas feel strikingly relevant. His message was simple: beautiful things need not be rare or expensive – they can be well-designed objects that we use every day.
In an age of fast fashion, disposable products and growing concerns about waste, his approach offers an important reminder to think about the objects we choose to have around us.
How mingei was born
Yanagi (1889–1961) was an art critic and collector who believed beauty was not solely the preserve of famous artists or rare treasures. He and his friends were drawn, instead, to well-made and functional objects: bowls, baskets, fabrics and tools created for daily use, rather than to display.
Yanagi was an art critic, philosopher and founder of the Mingei movement. Wikimedia
To Yanagi, these simple things shaped the rhythm of daily life – yet had gone unnoticed in a world rushing toward modern mass production.
The attraction came from looking closely. Yanagi described it as “seeing with one’s own eyes before dissecting with the intellect”. He admired the work of anonymous craftspeople who repeated familiar forms, refining them through long periods of practice.
These makers did not seek fame; their goal was to create objects that balanced beauty and function so completely that they were inseparable.
Japan in the 1920s was changing fast. Mass-produced goods were replacing handmade ones, and many local craft traditions were in decline. Yanagi worried this shift would erase skills and weaken the bond between beauty and everyday life. Mingei aimed to bring this connection back into view.
Yanagi, Hamada and Kawai agreed they needed a new word for the kind of objects they wanted to celebrate. From minshuteki kōgei, meaning “craft of the people”, they coined the shorter term mingei. It describes objects made for use rather than prestige, and by hand rather than by machine. Yanagi believed these objects formed the true heart of Japanese craft.
A year after their Mount Kōya conversation, the group held their first folk craft exhibition in Ginza. None of the works carried signatures. The exhibition aimed to encourage a new way of looking at humble objects, suggesting that everyday things held artistic value when viewed with care.
Yanagi’s ideas went on to shape Japanese craft and design throughout the 20th century, influencing not only craftspeople but also designers.
His son, Yanagi Sōri, adopted mingei principles in his famous 1954 Butterfly Stool, made from two curved pieces of plywood that meet like wings. Simple, balanced and light, the stool is now an icon of modern design, showing how mingei could take form in new materials and contexts.
The maple veneer Butterfly stool designed by Yanagi Sōri. David Wong/South China Morning Post via Getty Images
The movement also shaped the work of Hamada and Kawai, and many other makers including Tomimoto Kenkichi, Serizawa Keisuke, Munakata Shikō and the Englishman Bernard Leach. They showed how traditional craft practised with care and humility could remain vital in a rapidly changing world.
Another branch of Yanagi’s legacy emerged with the rise of seikatsu kōgei, or “lifestyle crafts”, in the 1990s. These makers turned to simple, functional objects to reconsider how we live. After Japan’s economic bubble burst in the 1980s, many began to question the habit of buying and discarding.
Why Yanagi’s ideas matter today
The influence of mingei continues in contemporary design. Fukasawa Naoto – one of Japan’s most influential designers and the current director of The Japan Folk Crafts Museum – aims to create objects which work so naturally that they seem to disappear into daily life.
He describes this as “without thought” design: things that feel right in the hand, fit their purpose and do not demand attention. His long collaboration with MUJI, known for its pared-back products, shows how closely his work follows the mingei spirit.
This way of thinking sits in sharp contrast to how many goods are made today. A culture of fast buying and quick disposal has left people feeling disconnected from the act of making, from materials and from the things they own.
Former Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visiting The Japan Folk Crafts Museum, during a 2017 exhibition commemorating the 80th anniversary of the museum. Yomiuri Shimbun/AP
Mingei offers an alternative way of thinking. It invites us to look closely at the objects we use each day – to notice their shape, feel and purpose. It suggests beauty should be part of everyday life, not an escape from it.
Yanagi believed if we change how we see and choose ordinary things, we might also change how we live. A century later, his call to value simple and well-made objects offers a steady guide through our profit-driven, disposable world.
Penny Bailey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
In a brutal pre-season blow, one of the country’s most promising young players has been ruled out of rugby for the entire year.
Highlanders halfback Dylan Pledger will spend 12 months on the sideline after rupturing his ACL at training.
It is a cruel setback for the 20-year-old who had an outstanding 2025 in which he led Otago on a golden run to the NPC final and was set to make his Super Rugby debut.
He also starred in the New Zealand Under 20 Rugby Championship win in South Africa.
The Highlanders posted the news on its social media accounts and wrote that
“Pledger is naturally disappointed but philosophical.”
The schoolboy star said the injury was incredibly disappointing.
“I was very excited about my first full season as a professional, I guess I have learned early that part of being a professional rugby player is dealing with injury.”
Pledger was likely to share the number nine jersey with two test All Black Folau Fakatava, with the mercurial Magpie now set to shoulder halfback duties for the Highlanders.
“My energy now will be put into rehabbing as best I can so I can come back in the best possible shape. I will be able to focus a bit more on my study too.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
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