Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and education minister Erica Stanford are set to make an education announcement in Lower Hutt this afternoon.

They’re speaking to media at Boulcott School.

This is a pre-budget announcement ahead of Budget Day on 28 May.

The livestream is due to begin around 2.30pm.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/live-christopher-luxon-and-education-minister-erica-stanford-to-make-education-announcement/

The man who drove into police officers in Nelson and killed Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming has been found guilty of murder.

Fleming and Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay were on foot patrol in Buxton Square in the early hours of New Year’s Day last year when they were hit by a car driven by Hayden Tasker.

Tasker, 33, has been on trial at the High Court at Christchurch for murdering Fleming and seriously injuring Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay.

After three-and-a-half hours of deliberations, jurors found him guilty on both counts.

It was met by tears in the public gallery while Tasker stood motionless in the dock.

The jury found Tasker intended to murder Fleming when he hit her with his car, rejecting his claim that he crashed into the officers in a failed attempt to take his own life.

The Crown argued Tasker was motivated by anger towards the police and used his car as a weapon to mow them down.

Over two weeks the jury heard from more than 40 witnesses, members of the public and police officers who were in the central Nelson car park at the time of the crash.

A ‘grandiose fantasy’

Crown prosecutor Jackson Webber told the jury Fleming was “senselessly and needlessly” killed when Tasker deliberately used his Honda Odyssey as a weapon, accelerating as hard as he could towards the officers at an estimated speed of 45 kilometres-per-hour, shortly after 2am.

“Hayden Tasker sitting in his car, drinking wine saw the two police officers. He watched them. He was angry at the police and he made a series of conscious decisions. To start his car, to leave his headlights off, to pull out of that parking space and manoeuvre his car around to the south, then to the west to accelerate, to drive straight into Lynn Fleming and Adam Ramsay,” he said.

Webber said the pair had done nothing to provoke or antagonise Tasker, apart from the fact that they were police officers in uniform.

“They were on duty, doing their job, keeping others safe and ironically, one of the risks that they had been considering that night was the risk of a vehicle intrusion attack,” he said.

Webber said Tasker’s actions did not fit the claim that he did not intend to hurt or kill the officers but wanted to take his own life.

“[He] didn’t stop, he didn’t jump out to see what had happened or to check on the people he had just hit,” he said.

Tasker’s behaviour during and after the collisions was inconsistent with a suicide attempt, he said.

“It was going to be glorious, like a movie. It was a rather grandiose fantasy that he might talk about, but had no real intention of ever carrying out,” he said.

‘Despicable’ behaviour doesn’t make Hayden Tasker guilty of murder – defence

Defence lawyer Marcus Zintl said the crash was a “terrible, terrible, terrible tragedy” that “should not have happened”.

Tasker had already admitted three charges of dangerous driving.

Zintl said Tasker was driven by a desire to end his own life in a police chase rather than intending to kill or hurt police.

Tasker’s defence argued Fleming’s death was manslaughter.

“He was suicidal, he was on medication for depression, he was living in his car,” Zintl told the jury.

“He was alone, he had no close family support and virtually no actual friends.”

Zintl said Tasker’s father died when he was 16. His long-time girlfriend had recently dumped him, he was unemployed, on a benefit and had nothing going for him.

“He wanted to end the painful, pointlessness and pitifulness of his life that he was experiencing at that time, which is why he wanted to end up himself in a police chase,” he said.

Zintl said Tasker “drank himself silly” with a bottle-and-a-half of red wine, he was three-and-a-half times over the breath alcohol limit and filled his car with petrol before arriving in the car park that night.

The first collision, when Tasker drove into Fleming and Ramsay, happened six seconds after he started his car.

The second collision, when he rammed the white police patrol car, was around 26 seconds later in what Zintl said was a moment of madness, desperation, stupidity and empty-headedness.

The court was earlier played footage of Tasker’s first police interview around 11 hours after the crash.

Zintl said Tasker’s state of mind could be ascertained from his admission to police in that interview.

“I didn’t think of the consequences. I was in a bad headspace but that doesn’t give me an excuse,” Tasker said.

The jury saw how he broke down in tears and vomited during that interview after learning Fleming had died.

Tasker said it “should have been me that died that day”.

“I never thought I’d kill anyone…didn’t really think it through,” he said in the interview.

Zintl told the jury Tasker’s actions were “despicable, deplorable and dreadful” but that did not make him guilty of murder.

Chaos among Buxton Square New Year’s Eve revellers

Over two weeks, the jury heard from more than 40 witnesses, members of the public and police officers who were in the central Nelson car park in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

The jury heard how Tasker drove into the Buxton Square car park in his White Honda Odyssey at 2.05am.

What unfolded shortly afterwards was documented by CCTV footage, cellphone videos taken by members of the public and eyewitness accounts.

At 2.09am, Tasker pulled out of a parking space and with his headlights off, made a tight u-turn, driving towards Fleming and Ramsay who were standing on a raised pedestrian crossing near the toilets in the centre of the car park.

Members of the public were forced to jump out of the way before the vehicle scraped past a red police car and hit the two officers, sending Ramsay into the air and landing around eight metres away towards another patrol car.

Fleming was carried with the vehicle and projected forward, landing around 20 metres from where she was hit.

“If there’s one glimmer of light in this otherwise very dark case, it is that so many decent people rushed in to help,” Webber told the jury.

Constable Molly Inman was the first to get to Fleming. She began CPR and was helped by other officers and members of the public before paramedics arrived.

Inman and another officer dragged Fleming towards the toilet block in Buxton Square when they saw Tasker’s car loop around the car park after the first collision and come back towards them.

Tasker then turned his headlights on and drove back to where he had hit the officers, ramming into the back of a white police car, shunting it several metres forward.

The impact knocked over Sergeant Craig Barker who had gone to Ramsay’s aid, left Constable Jemma Radcliffe who had been inside the car with a concussion and struck Tasman Cook, who was also helping Ramsay, with enough force it broke her arm.

Both collisions happened within 30 seconds of Tasker starting his engine.

A member of the public ran towards the car and took the keys out of the ignition. Tasker was pulled from the passenger side of the vehicle, arrested and taken to the Nelson Police Station where he was later charged with murder.

Fleming was taken to Nelson Hospital and placed on life support but died shortly after it was turned off.

She was the first policewoman to be killed in the line of duty in New Zealand.

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/hayden-tasker-found-guilty-of-murdering-senior-sergeant-lyn-fleming/

Last year’s weak economic conditions coincided with a 35 percent drop in the value of capital investments, along with a 10 percent drop in the number of transactions the year earlier.

NZ Private Capital Monitor indicates there were 276 transactions last year, with $2.5 billion in combined investments and divestments across private equity and venture capital transactions, compared with $3.77b in 2024.

The decrease was driven by a drop in the size and number of large private equity activity deals, with three deals totalling $541m in 2025, compared with three deals totalling $1.66b in 2024.

Total weighted investment activity accounted for about 71 percent of 2025’s total transactions to $1.78b, which represented a 35 percent on 2024’s $2.77 total invested. Divestments fell 27 percent to $723.6m.

Despite the drop, there was an increase in the size and number of mid-market investment activity, as well as a record level of venture capital investment.

“If you look at the trend, particularly you look at the venture capital trend that’s been on a steady progressive increase over the last decade, that’s a very positive trend in the mid market, that market has been steady and continues to grow as well,” NZ Private Capital executive director Colin McKinnon said.

“So the trend is positive, we’re doing good work, we’re growing good companies, and they’re internationally relevant companies that we’re growing, it’s a lot to be positive about.”

The total number of mid-market transactions rose 85 percent to 50, with a total value of $549m, compared with $519m in 2024.

There was a record level of venture and early stage investment activity totalling $687m, which was 17 percent up on 2024’s $587.6m. Most of the investment was focused on IT/software and technology companies.

The findings were based on the transactions of NZ Private Capital Market participants, which included international and domestic fund managers, law, accounting and banking professionals, institutional investors, business angels and government agencies.

“The outlook for the next six months remains neutral as a result of current global macroeconomic factors, with levels of optimism increasing in future years,” McKinnon said.

“Recent global geopolitical events were not reflected in survey responses. However, this activity will undoubtedly have an ongoing impact on financial market risk in the near to medium term, the extent to which is yet to be seen.”

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/private-capital-investment-remains-resilient-in-the-face-of-uncertainty/

A Dunedin councillor has been suspended from all committees and subcommittees for nine months because of concerns about his behaviour.

Benedict Ong faced a code of conduct complaint after revealing details about a potential hotel development at Forsyth Barr Stadium to reporters in April.

A preliminary assessment report found it appeared likely he was deliberately and repeatedly leaking information that could potentially jeopardise the council’s commercial interests.

The Dunedin City Council held a public-excluded meeting to discuss the complaint on Monday afternoon.

Mayor Sophie Barker said the suspension was a result of councillors accepting the findings of a code of conduct report by independent investigator Steph Dyhrberg.

“Councillor Ong – despite his statements to the contrary – was welcome to participate in full in today’s process, but declined to do so. He was also provided with a hard copy of the investigator’s report ahead of the meeting in order to help him prepare and participate fully,” she said.

“It’s extremely disappointing that councillor Ong continues to conduct himself in this way and to misrepresent the nature of the arrangements that are in place.

“While he is now barred from participating in committees and subcommittees, I need to be very clear that this does not prevent him from attending and participating in full council meetings, whether they are held in public or non-public. Any statement to the contrary misrepresents what has been decided today.

“It is hugely frustrating that councillor Ong’s behaviour is distracting from the great work that is underway in the city. I would once again urge councillor Ong to review his recent conduct and to live up to the oath he swore upon becoming a councillor, or to consider resigning.”

When Ong arrived at the meeting, he declared to reporters that he would not resign even if asked to by his colleagues.

“It’s becoming a cliché – Never. I have been asked many times, I’m going to be asked again. I think it’s just too clichéd. I should have t-shirt that just says ‘never’,” he said.

Ong promised to speak “very concisely” to reporters outside the meeting, where he spent 10 minutes denying responsibility for the complaints about his conduct, dismissing concerns his leaks could jeopardise projects in the city and claiming a silent majority was supporting him.

Ong remained outside the room, saying he was barred for public excluded meetings.

When council staff invited him in to speak, he declined.

Ong was asked to resign in March for a separate code of conduct breach, when he read extracts from Franz Kafka’s novel The Trial during his right of reply.

Earlier this month council chief executive Sandy Graham restricted Ong’s access to confidential information and prevented him from attending non-public workshops after a series of leaks to reporters.

He was still allowed to attend public excluded council meetings but would be given a hard copy of the agenda or supporting papers.

The council had previously declined to comments further about Ong’s behaviour, saying it only encouraged him to continue his “appalling behaviour”.

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/dunedin-councillor-benedict-ong-gets-nine-month-suspension-after-behaviour-concerns/

GPs are calling for more funding and more accurate ways of allocating it, to ensure practices aren’t losing money.

The government has recently announced a new method of determining the level of funding GPs qualify for to provide care for their patients.

Some practices will have higher numbers of patients with complex needs than others.

But GenPro, the association for general practice owners, has called for all political parties to consider investing more in primary healthcare, ahead of the election later this year.

They want a minimum increase in general practice funding of 30 percent over three years, and an increase in investment in primary care from the current six percent of total health funding up to 14, in-line with international WHO/OECD benchmarks.

The goal is to improve patient access, reduce hospital pressure, support the healthcare workforce, and restore financial sustainability to general practice.

Currently, chair Dr Angus Chambers explained, the main sources of income for GPs came from the government, called capitation funding, which flowed from the government, through Health NZ, then Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) and into GPs.

The amount they received annually per person was determined by HNZ, and calculated using estimates of how much care someone would need based on age and sex, with the shortfall topped up by patient fees.

But from July 1, the government will add more specific age bands, multimorbidity (when people have two or more chronic conditions), rurality (how close people are to urban areas) and socioeconomic deprivation to the equation.

Chambers said he understood there were 1024 variables possible under the reweighting. “You might be rural, but not deprived, you might be female, and this age.” Health NZ was in charge of determining a person’s need based on those.

Ethnicity would not be included, which Chambers said was “problematic”.

“Ethnicity is related to need in our system at the moment, unfortunately,” he said. “That would be something I would urge them to reconsider.”

These days, patients were costing more on average to treat – more services were being pushed out of hospitals onto GPs, there were more treatments and tests available to people, and the population was ageing, making its needs more complex, Chambers explained.

“The current system that’s used tends to under-estimate the cost pressures,” he said.

A report prepared by Sapere in 2022 estimated GP practices made a cumulative loss of $137 million each year, or 7.6 percent.

That left patients shouldering higher costs, Chambers said.

Receiving more money per patient would mean GPs could afford to spend more time with complex cases.

“For too long, general practice has been expected to absorb rising costs and growing patient demand without adequate investment,” Chambers said. “If we want affordable, accessible healthcare for New Zealanders, we must strengthen the frontline of the system.”

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/gps-calling-for-more-funding-and-better-allocation/

First person: The year before the Warriors launched into the then Australian Rugby League, my wife was sitting exams. Coincidentally, in preparation for the Warriors’ launch, there was a lot of league on TV. And I had time on my hands to watch it.

Every time I turned on the TV, it always seemed the St George Dragons were playing. I liked them. I loved the ‘Red V’ jersey, arguably the greatest league jersey ever created.

Ever since, I have kept an eye on the Dragons. Not in that “they are the team I’d die for” kind of way. More in the C-list, wonder how they’re getting on way. In my case, the list includes the Dragons, Paris Saint-Germain, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, the Green Bay Packers and Pakistan cricket. It’s an oddly dispiriting list now I write it down.

So, when I was invited to the NRL Magic Round in Brisbane at the weekend, I packed two jerseys. One, the NZ Warriors; the other, the Dragons’ classic ‘Red V’.

It never occurred to me the two would generate such different reactions.

To understand why, you have to know a little of the two clubs’ histories. The Warriors, as New Zealanders know, is our franchise in the NRL. They play entertaining football, have had and still do have great players, they have pulled off some marvellous victories, they are having a good season, they have passionate crowds and a growing number of supporters. But they have a soft underbelly; in 31 years of trying, they have never won the league grand final.

The Dragons, on the other hand, have won the league (the last time was in 2010). They have a proud lineage. They are an amalgamation of the old Sydney St George Dragons and the more recent Illawarra Steelers; it’s an historic club, representing part of Sydney and the old heavy industry port of Wollongong. But, and this is a big but, they are currently terrible. In fact, so terrible are they as a team, they have been called (uncharitably) possibly the worst team in the modern NRL, ever.

The Dragons haven’t won a game this year. In fact, the last time they won was August 2025. The coach has been sacked. Enraged fans are demanding a meeting with management. Players have deserted the club. Headlines run the gamut from bad to worse to diabolical.

The Dragons were down to play the current leaders, the Panthers, at the annual Magic Round, the annual gathering of the tribes of league in one place for eight games. They weren’t expected to win. They didn’t disappoint.

The Warriors, on the other hand, had the loudest, most joyful and probably largest contingent of fans at the Round. The Warriors are a rising force, now second behind the Panthers on the table.

Because of that, wearing the Warriors’ colours is an experience. The estimated 8000 Warriors fans filled Suncorp with noise and exuberance. The blue and green jersey was everywhere. Even fans from other clubs would greet you with “Up the Wahs”, that three-syllable call which runs so easily off the tongue where “Up the Panthers” is clunky. Once, even a bloke sidled out of a takeaway bar to whisper “Up the Wahs”, as if it was a kind of Masonic greeting, then scuttled back in.

But this being Australia, the Warriors shadow still haunts. “You’ve never won a grand final,” pointed out Australian fans to silence over-exuberant Warriors fans. It lands. Maybe it’s Kiwi self-consciousness, or maybe it’s the Australian condescension, it still lands.

But there is a positive. It means the Warriors are like every Australian league fan’s “other” team. We are the team you support to beat that team you hate. There is no scar from some indignity decades ago that is still being nurtured.

Warriors fans are exuberant and greet the jersey exuberantly. Magic Rounds are festive and Warriors fans bring the vibe. Tribal in a good way. Gently subversive, too. One Warriors fan enthusiastically greeted every Samoan player at the Round by shouting “he’s my cousin, from the next village over”.

But pulling on the Red V for a day is quite different. Where Warriors jerseys are everywhere, Dragons ones are nowhere. By day three of the weekend, I had counted just 17 jerseys in Brisbane. “There’s your fan zone mate,” shouted someone when the only other visible Dragon in his Red V took his seat a few blocks over.

Mostly, Dragons fans were not in the mood to talk. (Or maybe they could just sniff an imposter.) We’d acknowledge each other with a nod of the head then walk on, eyes downcast. One fan touched the logo on his chest, trying to communicate the Dragons were in his heart, his blood forever. It looked more like the “Beam me up, Scotty” action in the old Star Trek.

There was one, fleeting, moment of exuberance. In a beer line, three Dragons fans recruited me to chant “Owen” over and over. Still baffled who Owen is.

But mostly it was the pity from other fans you felt. “Sorry mate,” they’d say quietly. “Not your year,” or just, “Good on you.” Once I was clapped from my seat when I went to the toilet, more in compassion than respect.

And this is the killer for Dragons fans, I’m sure. Things are rotten when even the Australians, the hard-nosed, toughest of sports fans, feel pity. This is what rock bottom looks like.

At one point, a few young lads on a train tried to get some banter going. They were shushed by their friends. It was too easy, too obvious, like kicking an old dog.

“You might find some friends in the stands,” said one Brisbanite, sounding doubtful. “In Queensland, everyone has a mum or dad from Sydney who moved here for the work. And we follow their teams. I like the Dragons.”

He was half-right. By game night there were a few hundred fans, scattered disconsolately through Suncorp Stadium.

“When do the Dragons actually play,” asked one Eels fan, suspiciously over-emphasising the “actually” I thought.

“Sunday night,” I replied.

“Oh well, there’s hope until then,” he said. “Hope dies last, you know.”

He was right. It did. The Dragons lost. Again.

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/two-jerseys-two-worlds-at-nrl-magic-round/

A cat rescuer who tames, desexes and rehomes stray felines is worried a bureaucratic battle could put his operation on pause.

Tony Hitchcock has run Feral No More from the small Rangitīkei town of Marton for the past three years with no issues or complaints.

But a move to Eketāhuna is proving problematic because, so far, the Tararua District Council says he hasn’t met the requirements to make him exempt from its three-cats-per-property bylaw.

Hitchcock said he wasn’t sure why. He had rehomed several hundred cats down the years, although he had kept some, such as ginger female Pay Back.

“She’s one of the best rodent control ‘office-furs’ in the whole of the North Island. I’ve had her five years. She was supposed to be given away twice, but the people didn’t show up for the adoption.”

Hitchcock’s packing up from his leased land in Marton – the lease has run out – after buying a section in Eketāhuna, where he wants to continue running his rescue. The move hasn’t been as simple as he’d hoped.

“In Marton, I moved here approximately three years ago. I’ve taken hundreds of cats out of the area, mainly from the outskirts of town.

“Cats are a big problem in the rural towns, especially around the outskirts of them. There’s fields for miles around, which provide a food source. There’s rats and rodents.”

He captures the cats using cages, slowly luring them in with food so they don’t suspect a thing.

He then gets them microchipped and desexed, mostly out of his own pocket, before finding homes for them. He registers the cats under his name, transferring ownership when they’re adopted.

It’s not always easy work and he has scars to prove it – one finger is completely bent.

“Four or five operations on that from one cat mauling. The cat’s still here. He’s a good guy, now. He wasn’t at the time.”

Council bylaw sticking point

Hitchcock said he liked cats, he just didn’t think there should be millions of them running wild.

So ahead of his move, he approached the Tararua District Council.

He said he met with officials only on Friday the week before last. After telling them of his plans, including building a small cattery, and providing references, the council had now told him his operation fell foul of its bylaw.

The council in Marton had a similar bylaw limiting cat numbers, but Hitchcock said his work wasn’t a problem there, and he usually had between a dozen and two dozen cats on his land.

In a statement, the Tararua council confirmed it met with Hitchcock to discuss the requirements of its bylaw about keeping animals, including meeting animal welfare standards and the effect on neighbours and surrounding property.

“Information received so far has shown that these requirements are currently not being met,” the statement said.

“[The] council has also received community concerns regarding the operation of the proposed cat rescue within a residential area.

“Once we have received satisfactory information showing appropriate hygiene, housing and other animal management arrangements are in place, we are happy to receive and consider an application from Mr Hitchcock for a permit.”

The council said it was “continuing to engage” with him.

He said he was told he wouldn’t get a permit and that was that. He wasn’t happy with this, saying he hadn’t been given a chance to discuss issues the council raised.

Mini Vadke runs a cat and dog rescue in Palmerston North, and said she hadn’t come up against red tape there.

It all depended on the local council, however, she said.

“I think that’s what Tony’s council needs to realise – if you’re not going to help him or fund him, the least you could do is leave him alone.

“He’s not hurting anyone. The cats are all snipped and chipped. They’re going to not reproduce, and provide rodent control.”

The council bylaw exempts registered charities that operate like the SPCA, but partly due to head injuries from playing sport Hitchcock said he hadn’t applied for this status because he wasn’t good with paperwork.

He was now considering it, although it wouldn’t happen quickly.

“I’m rather stressed and anxious for what I see is no good reason,” he said. “Having a nine-week delay on things is bad enough. It’s not my livelihood but it is my life.”

Hitchcock is trying to find short-term foster homes for some of the rescue cats.

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/bureaucratic-battle-could-put-cat-rescuers-operation-on-pause/

Auckland FC will host the A-League grand final in New Zealand for the first time on Saturday and the club says tickets are “selling like hotcakes”.

Just after 4pm on Monday, the first day that tickets went on sale, chief executive Nick Becker said just over 20,000 tickets had been sold for Go Media Stadium which has a capacity of around 25,000.

“So we’re expecting, whether it’s tonight or first thing tomorrow, there’ll be a sellout,” Becker said.

“It’s going to be such a special occasion, and to be able to make a grand final, but also host it for the first time in your own backyard is an incredible piece.

“I’m so proud of the boys and their effort from the weekend and we can’t wait for the weekend to roll on and to get out there in front of a full house.”

Becker had been among the travelling Auckland supporters in Adelaide for the semifinal on Friday night when Auckland won 3-0 to book their play in the grand final.

“I got to actually go down and see some of the fans who had come all the way over to the game. They’d come last minute, they’d spent a lot of their own money and to sort of celebrate with them was amazing.

“There’s only probably 30 or 40 of them in the stadium at Coopers and so that was an incredible moment.”

Becker said Auckland “obviously” wanted Sydney FC to win their semifinal to give Auckland the hosting rights for the showpiece event.

Auckland are hosts for finishing the regular season in 3rd compared to Sydney’s fifth placing.

“I think we’ve got the best fans in the league or in the country by a mile and to have that support so early on has been super important.

“You can’t underestimate how important it is for the players when the place is near full or as it will be on Saturday night at full capacity, it really lifts them.”

Becker believed Auckland had embraced the club.

“For me to see just a mix of really passionate hardcore fans in The Port through to whole families or families and neighbours and friends and just generations of people being at our games, it’s incredibly special.

“It shows that when you actually go out there and meet people, go to football clubs, go to schools, sort of actually put your boots on the ground and be part of a city, that people repay you and they come to your games and they celebrate it.”

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/auckland-fc-on-track-to-sellout-a-league-grand-final/

A burst pipe pumped out wastewater into Porirua Harbour for three hours on Tuesday morning, Wellington Water confirmed.

Crews were sent out to the pipe on Titahi Bay Road, where the discharge into the stormwater network was stopped at about 3am.

One southbound lane of Titahi Bay Road has closed and traffic management will remain in place overnight.

Wellington Water said there had been no further leaks from the pipe but that the amount of wastewater discharged was unknown.

Repairs on the pipe will take place on Tuesday morning.

The water quality will be tested for at least three days or until results are clear.

The water company is looking into diverting wastewater to Porirua Central Wastewater Storage Facility during peak flow times.

Signs have been placed at the outlet into the harbour.

Wellington Water said it was keeping public health and environmental agencies updated. It advised the public to follow LAWA’s guidance on whether it was safe to swim in the area.

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/burst-pipe-sends-wastewater-into-porirua-harbour-for-3-hours/

The finance minister is set to reveal proposals to reduce the number of government agencies, by telling ministries and departments to come up with plans for amalgamation.

RNZ understands Nicola Willis will set out three proposals on Tuesday afternoon to create efficiencies in the public service, including amalgamating government agencies, more work on digitisation and using AI, and setting a target to reduce the public service headcount to 1 percent of the total population by 2029.

Willis will reveal further details in a pre-Budget speech to Business North Harbour.

On Monday evening, she told Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan the government would be taking the approach of asking the public service to come back with options on “logical” mergers.

Asked whether some departments would be cut altogether, Willis said there were two ways of coming at the same problem, pointing to the new Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions, and Transport, which will replace the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Transport, and the local government functions of the Department of Internal Affairs.

“So, in effect, some of those entities don’t exist anymore, but what you’ve got is one joined up agency that delivers all of the decent things those agencies were delivering in a much more coherent way,” Willis said.

“So we want to do more of that approach of saying, ‘well, what actually would make more sense to come together under one umbrella and one agency, and would actually lead to a better service to the customers it’s trying to serve, and would be more efficient?’”

Last year, the Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche told Mata he was looking at a shakeup of agencies.

At the time, he said all options were on the table, but indicated ministries’ functions and branding would remain.

Willis told Newstalk ZB she would release figures on reducing the headcount during her speech, but said she accepted New Zealand would continue to have a growing population, and growing demands for the delivery of public services.

“We’ll continue to incarcerate people in our prisons, deliver welfare support to families, so those things will continue, but absolutely we can do more of that using digital tools, being more efficient. We don’t need as many departments to do it. We’ve got some awesome public servants. They’re smart cookies, but ultimately we tie them in bureaucracy a lot at the moment.”

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/finance-minister-hints-at-government-department-amalgamation-plans/

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/kiwi-samoan-opera-star-blown-away-by-french-arts-knighthood/

A school principal has said the government’s planned investment into education will help teachers and deliver a more consistent quality of learning across the country.

The government pledged on Tuesday to spend $131 million on improving students’ reading, writing and maths in this year’s budget.

Among other things, this will cover the use of digital writing tools in classrooms and an additional 36 maths intervention teachers.

President of the Auckland Primary Principals’ Association Lucy Naylor told Checkpoint she did not know of any principal who would argue with more funding.

She said the budget reflected that the government was investing in “things we can see are making a difference” – even if the data about its reforms was still in early stages.

Education minister Erica Stanford announced that National’s refreshed curriculum reforms had achieved an improvement of five percent in writing and six percent in maths.

Naylor argued the plans would reassure parents that “wherever their child goes to school they’re going to get a really good deal”.

She expressed doubt as to where the additional maths intervention teachers would come from and what their role would be.

And she said it was important for teachers to understand how to use digital writing tools effectively so as not to become a “babysitting tool”.

She anticipated a period of increased testing as schools would be “reluctant to let go of what they know and trust” without evidence of success.

But she said a large part of how this would be received by students would come down to how schools implemented extra testing.

She stressed that academics was only part of measuring a child’s success.

“Success is going to look different for every child.”

“Are they socially confident? Are they good communicators? Are they risk takers? All of those skills really do come into play if we’re looking at creating students who are going to go out to work in the wider world.”

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/primary-principals-association-backs-government-funding-announcement/

The family of murdered police office Lyn Fleming say the way she died was was “nothing short of barbaric”.

Senior Sergeant Fleming and Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay were on foot patrol in Buxton Square in the early hours of New Year’s Day last year when they were hit by a car driven by Hayden Tasker.

Tasker, 33, was today found guilty at the High Court at Christchurch of murdering Fleming and seriously injuring Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay.

Speaking after today’s verdict, Fleming’s sister Jo Brown paid tribute to her sister.

“Lyn, you should have been able to live out your retirement with your beautiful grandson and wander the hills of your beloved Howard Valley.”

She said the manner of Fleming’s death was “nothing short of barbaric”.

“We were woken up on New Years’ Day by the most heart-breaking news any family could receive.”

Brown said Fleming’s father passed away earlier this year, and he had been heartbroken by the loss of his daughter..

“I promised my Dad I would carry the torch and attend court every day on his behalf. I fulfilled my promise, Dad, and we got the result you so desperately wanted.”

She said the family were grateful for the work of the first responders and hospital staff.

“We know how hard you battled to keep Lyn alive so we could say good-bye.”

Brown said the family also thanked the witnesses who had to relive the events in court.

Aren Olsen – Fleming’s son – also spoke today and said 1 January 2025 was the hardest day his family had ever had to live through.

“Sitting at Mum’s bedside, watching the person we loved slowly slip away from the world.

“The second hardest day has been every day since then.”

He said while nothing would bring their loved one back to them, the family has seen accountability today.

“For that we are eternally grateful to the prosecution team, to everybody who did everything they could to get us the result that we’ve seen today.”

Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay, who was also injured in the incident, thanked his colleagues in the investigation team who had “worked tirelessly” to get this result.

“I am deeply grateful to them and all of my police colleagues.”

He said he was still grateful and proud to wear a police uniform.

“I look forward to many more years in the job, and I am lucky for that.”

Deputy Commissioner Mike Pannett said the trial has been challenging, especially for Fleming’s loved ones.

“There will never be a good ending for Lynn’s family and out thought are with them today.”

He said Fleming would have been proud of the professionalism of her colleagues who handled the case.

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

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/nothing-short-of-barbaric-police-officer-lyn-flemings-family-grateful-for-guilty-verdict/