The move-on orders legislation has passed its first reading, following a heated debate at Parliament.

Around 80 people were sat in the public gallery to watch the debate, following a call to action from the Green Party.

Even though the legislation has passed its hurdle, a long debate on when the select committee has to report back on the bill has to be extended into next week.

The Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill would give police the power to issue move-on orders to people who are displaying disorderly, disruptive, threatening, or intimidating behaviour.

They will also apply to people who are obstructing or impeding someone entering a business, breaching the peace, begging, rough sleeping, or displaying behaviour indicating an attempt to inhabit a public place.

After being issued with such an order, the person has to leave a specified order for up to 24 hours, and what the officer deems to be a “reasonable distance” away.

People as young as 14 would be subject to the orders.

The legislation has been heavily criticised by opposition parties, homelessness organisations, and the Police Association.

Speaking at the first reading on Thursday, justice minister Paul Goldsmith said the bill was not criminalising homelessness, but would simply give police the power to issue move-on orders.

Only people who refused to follow the orders would face prosecution, and people lawfully protesting or conducting charitable or not-for-profit fundraising would be exempt.

Goldsmith said there had been “unprecedented” levels of disruption in city centres with businesses, residents, and visitors playing the price.

“Our focus is ensuring that we reclaim those streets and those town centres for the enjoyment of people who live there, who work there, who visit there,” he said.

He said many “disruptive, distressing, and potentially harmful” acts could occur before police had any means of intervention, and that was what the legislation sought to change.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find anybody who lives, works, or visits our city centres that hasn’t witnessed disorderly behaviour.”

Goldsmith insisted there were “many tools” to help people in need, including access to the welfare system, additional Housing First homes, more funding for frontline services, and expanded wraparound support.

“It’s often said, ‘oh well, what about your empathy for those who are in genuine need?’ And I’d just say this, my empathy lies particularly with those New Zealanders who have put their life savings into a small business, who get up every day to do their business, to provide for their family, for their community, and for their customers,” he said.

“And they find a number of people lined up outside their businesses abusing those who come and go, and make it difficult for them to succeed, and to live, and to provide for their families. That’s where my empathy lies.”

‘Would you like them to go sleep in a bush?’ – Opposition parties slam bill

Labour’s deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni said the bill was “purely ideological” and insisted it did criminalise homelessness.

“You stand up in this House and say you’re not criminalising, despite the fact if they don’t move on they can be fined or they can be sentenced.”

Sepuloni said it was “crazy” that the government would talk about disorderly behaviour when two of the categories that would trigger a move-on order were homelessness and begging.

“It’s not nice, and it’s hard when you have to explain it to your kids, but it’s even worse for the people that are actually living as homeless people, because they have nowhere to lay down with a roof over their heads at night time.”

Green MP Tamatha Paul said the government was misleading the public by saying it was not criminalising homelessness.

“If they comply and go home, they’re not going to be charged. The minister realises they don’t have a home, right? Where exactly are they supposed to move on? Should they go to your house?”

Paul was particularly aggrieved that the orders applied to people as young as 14.

“Where exactly are these kids meant to go? Would you like them to go sleep in a bush? Would you like them to go sleep under a bridge? They have nowhere to go, they have no parents, they have no responsible adults, and now they will be caught up in the justice system for the rest of their life.”

Paul, who had organised to get people into the public gallery, said those watching on worked on the frontline, and urged the government to listen to them.

Both Paul and Labour MP Willie Jackson mentioned that Goldsmith had advocated for a similar policy as an Auckland City councillor.

Jackson said Goldsmith had now “got his wish” almost 20 years later.

“Congratulations Minister Goldsmith, well done, what a political achievement,” Jackson remarked sarcastically.

“Hold on to anger towards the poor long enough … and you too can be a National cabinet minister.”

Bill gets coalition backing

National’s coalition partners ACT and New Zealand First voted in favour of the bill.

ACT MP Simon Court said there had been “political gaslighting” around the bill, and all it did was equip police to deal with public disorder.

“You are denying the lived reality of young people who I’ve worked with, in the central city, in K Road and other business, who told me they were afraid to come to work until it was light because of the intimidation and fear they felt from people who they could identify as being regularly occupying places in public spaces,” he said.

“The Greens and Labour are denying the reality of people who choose to live in urban centres, with all the enormous investments and infrastructure like City Rail Link in Auckland, we want people to come and live.”

New Zealand First’s Casey Costello, said as minister for seniors she wanted older people to be able to feel safe and part of the cities they lived in.

“It is returning our streets to the communities that own them, not allowing us to be intimidated and to be frightened, to just be in our own cities.”

MPs debate report back timeframe

Goldsmith wanted the Justice Committee to report back on the bill by 3 September.

“The reason for this slightly faster turnaround of three and a half months, rather than the usual period, is because this government wants to get on with this legislation, and have it enforced quickly, and because we believe three and a half months does provide plenty of time for full consideration of the issues,” he said.

It prompted a filibuster attempt from the opposition.

Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan argued it should be moved to 22 September – two days before the House is expected to rise before the election.

Xu-Nan said the bill had a Section 7 report by the Attorney-General, which had found removing rough sleepers and beggars did not appear to be justified.

The Green MP said this deserved further scrutiny, and also noted the government could have introduced it sooner, given it received a Regulatory Impact Statement in November.

“If they introduced something like this earlier in the year, they could in fact allow for a full six month select committee, without having to have a truncated process. Instead the bill has decided to introduce bills of a lesser significance, despite knowing something like this would have an impact and undermine our Bill of Rights.”

Labour agreed the report back timeframe was too short, with Justice Committee member Duncan Webb tabling his own amendment to stop the committee from meeting while the House was sitting.

Because Parliament had to rise at 6pm, the debate on the report back date was interrupted.

It means, despite the bill passing its first reading, the debate on exactly when it will next appear before the House will resume next Tuesday.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/move-on-orders-bill-passes-first-reading-following-heated-debate/

The principal of a West Coast secondary school says there are too many barriers to hiring teachers who were trained or born overseas.

Sam Mortimer from Greymouth High said newly-qualified teachers weren’t paid enough to meet minimum pay rates for a “Green List” work visa, and the paper work is excessive.

She told RNZ nearly all the teachers she hired came from overseas.

“Our last one for a maths position, we didn’t have a single New Zealand resident application. We had some people that were training in New Zealand but not a single New Zealander applying for the roles,” she said.

Mortimer said hiring foreign teachers was challenging if they were beginning or early-career teachers because they often did not meet the threshold for minimum earnings.

“They just don’t reach the threshold to get a visa which tells you a little bit about our beginning teachers’ pay rates when they don’t even hit the minimum for getting a visa,” she said.

Mortimer said being an accredited employer did not help much.

“It’s just very difficult and challenging and time-consuming,” she said.

‘Why do we have to jump through so many hoops?’

Mortimer said the Education Ministry provided $4000 toward the cost of using recruitment companies but they tended to charge about $8000.

“So we take that hit every time as well,” she said.

Mortimer said she understood the need to ensure overseas recruitment was legal and above board, but schools should be trusted to offer genuine jobs and pay their teachers correctly.

“Why do we have to jump through so many hoops,” she asked.

Mortimer said the administrative load associated with hiring teachers was very time-consuming and she was lucky to be able to pass that job on to other staff.

She said teachers wanting registration to teach in New Zealand had to provide details of their qualifications and overseas registration to the Teaching Council and then go through a similar process to ensure they were placed on the right step of the salary scale.

“It doesn’t mean anything because when you actually get offered a job and you arrive you have to do something called salary assessment and then you again have to put all of your qualifications in,” she said.

“You don’t just have a seamless thing from one to the other. They have to be all looked at by me again, I have to verify everything, then it goes to salary assessment for them to decide where you are on the [salary] steps.

“For some of our teachers coming from overseas I know of instances of up to three months where they’re being paid on untrained teacher wages or right at the bottom of the trained-teacher wage if they can show that first before they can get their proper pay. And these are people that have already put out a lot of money to pay for visas, to pay for transport to come to New Zealand so it’s very unfair.”

Mortimer said teachers from the US and South Africa were keen to come to New Zealand.

The school’s executive assistant Emily Westacott said it had to estimate for Immigration New Zealand what teachers would be paid as part of the visa application.

She said in a recent case the school ended up with a lot of back and forth with Immigration New Zealand because a prospective teacher did not meet the minimum wage requirement.

“We ended up writing to the minister to just get her support because we needed this teacher to come in but even with a green list role, a secondary teacher, it wasn’t enough,” she said.

She said removing the minimum wage requirement for accredited employers would remove a lot of the stress.

“Secondary teachers are a green list role. It should just be a given that they’re coming to a New Zealand school, they’re going to be looked after, they’re going to be paid correctly and fairly because it goes through the Education Payroll system,” Westacott said.

“That process could be streamlined. Remove that requirement to put the salary in the job check, that would remove a lot of the stress.”

Administrative obstacles

Meanwhile, a New Zealander with Australian teaching qualifications told RNZ she nearly gave up because of the paperwork and fees.

Sophie Kemp said she decided to come back to New Zealand to teach this year but she nearly gave up because of the administrative obstacles.

Kemp told RNZ she assumed her qualifications and registration would be automatically recognised, but she had to pay about $850 for the Teaching Council to check she was registered in Australia and register her in New Zealand, plus the cost of an Australian police check.

Once she found a job, she had to provide information to Education Payroll to ensure she was paid at the right step of the salary scale, a process that included paying $750 for an international qualifications assessment by the Qualifications Authority.

She said the requirement seemed ridiculous.

“It’s not like I’m coming from some far away place where my qualification’s in a different language and it could be a culturally really different education system that I’ve trained in. It’s literally just Melbourne and pretty easy to look up if that Master’s of Teaching is an appropriate initial teacher education programme. Not $750-worth I would have thought,” she said.

Kemp said she assumed the trans-Tasman mutual recognition agreement would eliminate the need for so much paperwork and the charges.

She said the sums involved were a lot for someone on a New Zealand teacher salary.

“It just seems totally counter-intuitive to me that New Zealand is crying out for teachers, good qualified teachers, to come and help and they’re met not only with the admin that you have to go through,” she said.

“It takes months to get all these administrative jobs done and then for them to get back to you and then you finally start getting paid appropriately. It takes a long time, it’s incredibly expensive. Wouldn’t you want to make it easy?”

‘Still practical visa pathways’

Immigration New Zealand said it acknowledged that recruiting recently-qualified overseas teachers could present challenges for schools, particularly if they were on lower salary steps and could not meet some visa requirements straight away.

“For teaching roles eligible for the Green List Tier 1, Straight to Residence is designed for experienced teachers who are working at, or are offered, roles paid at the New Zealand median wage. It is not intended for newly graduated teachers or those early in their careers who are not yet earning at this level,” it said.

Immigration New Zealand said minimum pay thresholds were a core part of immigration requirements and were applied consistently across all sectors.

“They are used to reflect skill and experience and to ensure migrant workers are appropriately paid in line with the New Zealand labour market. These thresholds apply regardless of how salaries are funded, including in centrally funded school systems, which is why state and state integrated schools are not provided with a waiver from these requirements,” it said.

“While teachers on lower salary steps may not meet Green List thresholds immediately, there are still practical visa pathways that allow schools to recruit overseas teachers and support them to gain experience and progress over time.”

The Education Ministry said the International Qualifications Assessment ensured all overseas qualification holders were treated fairly.

“It is not possible to tell from the name that an overseas qualification is comparable to a New Zealand qualification. Not all Australian qualifications are equivalent to New Zealand programmes. The structure and programme requirements for qualification, such as master’s degrees, can differ between jurisdictions,” it said.

“The qualification content may also differ between individuals depending on their study pathway. Confirmation that the provider, programme of study, study pathway is officially approved and accredited helps to determine quality assurance measures are in place.”

The assessment also verified if the qualification was genuinely awarded to the holder and an additional evaluation confirmed it met this country’s initial teaching education programme standards.

Immigration and Education Minister Erica Stanford said newly-qualified teachers earned enough to qualify for a five-year Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV).

“Newly qualified teachers who gain their teaching qualification in New Zealand will also be eligible for a Post-Study Work Visa and then a further five-year AEWV,” she said in a statement.

“The Green List Straight to Residence pathway is deliberately targeted at experienced teachers, not newly graduated teachers. This is a feature across Green List Straight to Residence roles in general which targets experienced people in a given role, not new graduates. People who are just starting or at the beginning of their teaching career have up to five years on an Accredited Employer Work Visa to reach the required wage rate for residence,” she said.

Stanford said accredited employer status was needed for either the Accredited Employer Work Visa or the Straight-to-Residence Visa and getting it was a straightforward process for schools that took on average two to four working days.

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Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/too-many-barriers-to-hiring-overseas-teachers-secondary-school-principal-says/

Queens Drive in central Lower Hutt has reopened after an earlier incident.

That incident had been resolved, police said.

The road had earlier been blocked while police were at the scene.

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Queens Drive in central Lower Hutt has been closed while police respond to an incident.

Police aren’t providing details, but say there there is no threat to the public.

Cordons are in place and motorists are advised to avoid the area.

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Police are warning of scams from overseas visitors after a tourist from the UK swindled tens of thousands of dollars from a couple.

It is the 14th prosecution in the past three years by the Auckland City Financial Crime Unit of a foreign national for a scam.

Andrew Yeshua Glauberman, 21, pleaded guilty to two fraud offences and a handful of shoplifting offences.

His associate, 29-year-old Thomas Jay Taylor, had a warrant issued for his arrest for obtaining by deception.

Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Bolton said the pair dropped a flyer in a mailbox advertising a fake painting company called Everlast Home Improvements.

“Unfortunately, the unassuming victims have engaged the services of the bogus company and handed over $27,000 as a deposit.”

While an associate turned up the following day, he only carried out a lazy sanding job on the exterior, he said.

Bolton was keen to hear from anyone in Auckland or further afield who may have received such a flyer and handed over money.

“If you haven’t received the services that you’ve put a deposit down on, it’s highly likely you’ve been scammed and we need to hear from you.”

Bolton said the Counties Manukau East Area Prevention Unit arrested Glauberman and his associate for five shoplifting offences and obtaining by deception at a Manukau hardware store.

Glauberman would remain in custody until he is sentenced on 11 September, Bolton added.

“If Taylor returns to New Zealand, he will receive a welcoming committee from New Zealand Police and he will be arrested.”

Bolton hoped these charges would send a message to foreign nationals who thought New Zealand was a soft target.

Other scams have included “ghost-tapping” of stolen credit cards, impersonating the police, text messaging, foreign exchange, blessing, term deposits and travelling – including deposits for roof and paint work.

Bolton said most offenders faced jail time and ultimately removal from the country.

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Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/police-warning-after-tourist-convicted-of-painting-scam/

Two men are due to appear in Tauranga District Court following a fuel theft from a construction site.

Police saw vehicles that had been broken into, alongside equipment used to siphon fuel, on Takitimu Drive around 11.35pm Wednesday.

The two men then fled into a nearby swamp in an attempt to hide by submerging themselves, before being tracked by a police dog unit.

The pair were taken into custody and treated for dog bite injuries.

A 55-year-old has been charged with burglary and is due to appear in Tauranga District Court next Monday.

The other, a 52-year-old, is also alleged to have stolen about $12,000 worth of copper from a property in Mount Maunganui last month.

He has been charged with two counts of burglary and is due to appear in Tauranga District Court on Thursday.

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Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/duo-charged-over-tauranga-fuel-theft/

A heartbroken Christchurch family is mourning the loss of a 3-year-old with an infectious smile that lit up a room, and her mother with a heart of gold.

Sapphire-Hope Couch, 3, died after a fire tore a Mairehau home last Thursday.

Her mother Rose-Maree Couch died in hospital the following day surrounded by her family.

The Whitehall Street fire is not believed to be suspicious but police are yet to confirm its cause.

Couch’s four other young children sustained injuries in the blaze.

The victims’ family has issued a statement describing their immense loss and thanking Shane Hall, the father of two of the surviving children, who “risked his own life and bravely rescued all four children from the house, bringing them to safety”.

“Words cannot truly express how grateful we are. In our eyes you are a hero. Please know how deeply we love and appreciate you and that we will always stand beside you and support you through this time,” the family said.

Sapphire-Hope, who was known as Sapphy, and Rose-Maree were deeply loved, the family said.

“Sapphy had an infectious smile that could light up any room. She was full of personality, definitely the boss among her siblings, and had so much sass. She loved spending one-on-one time with her parents, especially cuddles and sneaking treats from the chocolate stash.

“Rose had a heart of gold and was always there to offer support, kindness, or a listening ear to anyone in need. Gentle and quiet by nature, she was also fiercely protective of her children and devoted to those she loved.

“Rose-Maree and Sapphy meant everything to our family and to the many people whose lives they touched. Jamie is devastated to have lost his partner and daughter that he loved so deeply. Shane is profoundly saddened that his children have lost their mother and sibling, and Rose’s parents Shiree and Neville are also facing the heartbreaking loss of their precious daughter and granddaughter.

“This has been an incredibly difficult time for our whānau and we are still coming to terms with this sudden and devastating loss.”

The family thanked emergency services for their efforts.

A Givealittle page had been set up for the family as the home was uninsured and the family had lost everything.

“We are also incredibly grateful for the kindness, love, and messages of support we have received from the community. It means more to us than words can say,” the family said.

“We would also like to thank everyone who has generously donated to the Givealittle page. These funds will help cover the shortfall from the double funeral, with the remaining funds to be placed into a trust for the four surviving children to support their future.”

Neighbours told RNZ of the chaos that erupted after the fire took hold of the home.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jo Carolan said the fire was “a heartbreaking tragedy for the whānau”.

“Police extend our deepest sympathies as they navigate this devastating time.”

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Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/whanau-grieve-mother-and-daughter-who-died-in-christchurch-house-fire/

Roadside drug tests are rolling out nationwide, as the government aims to crack down on impaired drivers.

The new tests could detect THC, methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said around 30 percent of road deaths involved an impairing drug.

“If you take drugs and drive, you are putting innocent lives at risk, and we will not tolerate it.”

The tests were rolled out in several regions including Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury, and were on track to be in place nationwide by the start of July.

“This is about fixing a gap in our road safety system. Police have long been able to stop and breath test drivers for alcohol. It makes sense that they should also be able to screen drivers for impairing drugs,” Bishop said.

Rolling out drug tests across the country was a practical step towards safer roads, he said.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell said the nationwide rollout would strengthen police’s ability to target a key contributor of death and serious injury in New Zealand.

“Since the roadside drug testing programme started late last year, police have used the operational knowledge, data and feedback from that first phase to train staff across the country.”

So far the rate of positive tests was 3.6 percent, which was similar to the roadside alcohol breath testing rate, Mitchell said.

If a driver returned a positive test, police would take a saliva sample for laboratory analysis, and then do a second test.

If the second test was also positive, drivers could be prohibited from driving for 12 hours.

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Two Christchurch police officers followed two stolen cars at speed in dark and wet conditions against policy, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has found.

It ended in one of the cars, driven by an unlicensed 15-year-old, crashing into a train.

The teenager was not injured but the train driver suffered a spinal injury.

In findings released on Thursday the authority said some of the officers’ actions leading up to the 2023 crash were not justified.

About 4am Officer A saw two cars speed away from him in Riccarton and recognised one of them was stolen.

The officer turned to follow and accelerated above the speed limit but did not turn on his patrol car’s lights or siren.

The stolen cars drove onto the footpath and past bollards at the intersection of Ballantyne Avenue and Suva Street. The officer could not follow.

However, another unit saw the two cars and followed them at a distance.

Officer B initially drove at the speed limit without the car’s lights or siren operating.

When the officer drove through an intersection on Wharenui Road against a red traffic light, he activated his emergency lights to warn any other traffic.

The officer then accelerated while driving towards the central city in the hope of getting close enough to the stolen cars to signal them to stop.

The authority said the officer did not get close to the cars despite driving at an average speed of 106km/h in the built-up residential area.

Officer D deployed road spikes but the two stolen cars evaded them and continued on towards Lincoln Road.

The two drivers went through a railway crossing against warning lights and the second vehicle collided with the train.

“We accept that neither officer intentionally signalled the two drivers to stop, meaning at no time were the officers operating under fleeing driver policy or engaging in a pursuit,” the authority said.

“However, we do not agree that either officer’s actions were justified in the circumstances. It was unsafe for them to drive at speed in the poor road conditions, at some points without lights and sirens activated.

“The facts of the case illustrate concerns we have about officers in effect engaging in a pursuit by following drivers of interest at speed but not following the pursuit protocol because they have not ‘signalled the driver to stop’. What constitutes a signal to stop is not defined in policy but is generally interpreted to require the officer to be close enough to ensure the driver hears or sees the signal.

“In our view a policy gap exists, and the wider policy framework requires clarification. Police feedback suggested they do not share our view. However, we will be inviting police to join us in a re-examination of relevant policies.”

Police said they acknowledged the findings.

Canterbury district commander Superintendent Tony Hill said officers had a duty of care to ensure everyone in our community was safe, no matter the situation.

“Staff have undergone additional training regarding travelling at any speed above the speed limit and even when not in a pursuit it should be treated with the same risk management,” Hill said.

“Police engage in urgent duty driving daily and we continue to take learnings from every instance.

“We would also like to acknowledge the train driver who received spinal injuries as a result of colliding with the stolen car.”

The Independent Police Conduct Authority found:

• Officer A did not engage in a pursuit as it is defined in policy and would not have been justified in doing so
• Officer A was not justified in adopting a tactical approach when following the two cars
• Officer B did not engage in a pursuit as it is defined in policy
• Officer B was not justified in urgent duty driving from the Wharenui Road intersection onwards
• Officer D was justified in using road spikes to attempt to stop both cars but his choice of deployment site did not offer solid protective cover, rendering the deployment dangerous and contrary to policy.

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Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/car-driven-by-15-year-old-hit-train-in-police-chase-on-wet-night/

Twenty people have been arrested following a major investigation that has spanned nearly a year into alleged corruption within several prisons.

Detective Inspector Colin Parmenter, of the National Organised Crime Group, said on Thursday Police began investigating criminal activity at the Mt Eden Corrections Facility (MECF) in July 2025.

This week, 20 people were arrested in relation to the investigation, dubbed Operation Jasper.

“Those arrested include Corrections Officers, Reintegration Officers and members of the public associated to prisoners.

“Police have identified serious criminal offending, so serious that the corruption and bribery charges required the Attorney-General’s consent to prosecute.”

Parmenter said the investigation initially focused on the activities of sentenced and remand prisoners at Mt Eden.

“We will allege that some of those prisoners were coordinating drug importations and drug-related transactions from within prison.”

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

Corrections officers were also allegedly identified as being involved in the offending, he said.

“Several staff working in Mt Eden were allegedly involved in smuggling mobile phones, drugs, tobacco and other contraband into prison in exchange for cash,” Detective Inspector Parmenter said.

“Police believe the phones were used by prisoners to continue drug importation and distribution activities from within the Mt Eden facility.”

The investigation then moved to Auckland South Correctional Facility (ASCF), based in Wiri.

Parmenter the investigation uncovered several Reintegration Officers, employed by Serco, “allegedly engaging in similar corrupt practices”.

“It will be alleged this involved smuggling controlled drugs and tobacco for financial gain.”

108 charges laid

Police carried out 25 search warrants this week across Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions, including at the Mount Eden Corrections Facility.

A cell was also searched at Spring Hill Corrections Facility in Waikato.

Those charged include nine Corrections Officers from the Mt Eden Corrections Facility, one from Spring Hill Corrections Facility, five Reintegration Officers from the Auckland South Corrections Facility, and five members of the public.

So far, 108 charges have been laid.

“Police have worked closely with Corrections and Serco as part of this investigation, and we are all committed to rooting out corruption and preventing this criminal offending from taking place,” Parmenter said.

Operation Jasper had also identified drug dealing offences allegedly carried out by prisoners, guards, and their associates.

“There has been an incredible amount of work put into this investigation to get where we are to date, but as matters are now subject to court proceedings we will be limited in providing any

further comments,” Detective Inspector Parmenter says.

Nature of the charges

RNZ has seen nearly 100 charge sheets related to the offending.

The documents relate to 17 defendants, of whom four are charged with corruptly offering a bribe to an official with intent to influence them in their official capacity to introduce an unauthorised item into prison.

A majority of the nearly 100 charges allege the defendants, as officials, corruptly agreed to accepting a bribe in respect of introducing unauthorised items into prison in their official capacity. Some of the

charge sheets claim the offending jointly involved up to 10 people.

Other charges include conspiring to sell cannabis and supply methamphetamine to unknown prisoners remanded at Mt Eden.

A defendant is also jointly charged with two others of conspiring to prevent the course of justice by counselling and confirming their constructed version of events if questioned about their smuggling activities and deleting material from their mobile phones that potentially implicated them.

‘Staff integrity is a top priority’

In a statement to RNZ on Thursday, Corrections chief executive Rachel Leota said that since starting the role about two weeks ago she had made it clear that “staff integrity is a top priority for me”.

“I met with CANZ yesterday and have spoken with them again today to reiterate that I would like us to work together to further strengthen the integrity training and support we provide to staff.”

Leota said the safety and security of prisons was the top priority.

“Many prisoners go to extreme lengths and use significant manipulation tactics in an attempt to continue offending while in prison. Corrections is committed to doing everything we can to ensure the integrity of our staff, and we are continuously working to strengthen both our recruitment processes and our staff training.

“Significant emphasis is placed on our high standards for conduct and integrity throughout our recruitment and selection processes. Integrity training is provided to new Corrections Officers throughout their training at our National Learning Centre. This training continues when staff members start working in their respective prisons.”

She said Corrections also had a dedicated Integrity Team and had recently updated its Code of Conduct.

“We recognise that the environments our staff work in are increasingly complex, particularly with the significant influence of gangs and organised crime. We have a very clear expectation from day one that our people comply with the law.

“There are multiple avenues available for staff to get help if they are asked to act illegally by a prisoner.”

“This includes speaking to their manager or union representative, or contacting our integrity team … This obligation to report unlawful activity is further reinforced in Corrections’ Code of Conduct. Failing to do so puts the safety of our staff, the public, and prisoners at risk and will not be tolerated. I want to acknowledge the good work of the thousands of Corrections staff who do act with integrity every single day.”

Deputy Commissioner for Men’s Prisons Dave Pattinson earlier said Corrections officers and senior Corrections officers had been arrested.

The arrests were part of a wider police operation in Auckland, Pattinson said.

Criminal activity in prisons would not be tolerated, Pattinson said, and any staff taking part in this sort of activity would be found out and held to account, he said.

“Corrections employs approximately 11,000 staff and the overwhelming majority act with integrity, professionalism and honesty in what is an extremely demanding and often dangerous job working with New Zealand’s most dangerous offenders.”

Serco, the private company which runs Auckland South Corrections Facility said it took all forms of criminal behaviour extremely seriously and had assisted police with inquires.

It said it was confident that the majority of its staff had integrity, professionalism and a strong commitment to safety every day.

The matter was now subject to an active investigation and court proceedings, and Corrections did not want to compromise that by commenting further, Pattinson said.

Corrections was actively working through the impacts on the staff members employment, he said.

If any staff had concerns about a prisoner or colleague’s behaviour, Pattinson encouraged them to speak to their manager or union.

Corrections and Police Minister Mark Mitchell said he was briefed on the alleged offending earlier this week.

He told RNZ he had been clear that staff at both agencies must maintain integrity and work together to identify and take action against organised crime.

“I have a very high degree of faith in our Corrections team from managers through to Corrections officers working in our Corrections facilities.

“But in a service like Corrections, you are going to have some people who depart from those values. The important thing is that we identify it, take action, and do what we need to do to fix it.”

He said he was satisfied that the recruitment and training of Corrections staff was “comprehensive”.

“We have a very good recruiting process and curriculum for Corrections officers to be trained.

“I’m absolutely satisfied that our recruiting process and the recruit course itself are delivering the curriculum and training they need.”

He said while police were investigating the matter, he would not comment further on the charges that had been laid or if there could be more arrests.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/twenty-people-arrested-after-investigation-into-alleged-corruption-within-several-prisons/

A man has been charged for allegedly stealing a car outside an Auckland supermarket and forcing a child out of the front seat.

Police were called to Williamson Ave in Ponsonby after 6.15pm on Wednesday.

Senior Sergeant Dave Plunkett, said an SUV had been parked outside the supermarket while the driver was inside shopping. His young son was waiting in the car.

Plunkett said a man approached the car and yelled at the young boy to get out before he got in and drove away.

“Fortunately, the young boy was physically unharmed, and the alarm was raised with a road policing officer who was nearby.”

Police responded and the Eagle helicopter found the car abandoned on Commercial Rd in Arch Hill shortly after.

Plunkett said police also received multiple calls about a man jumping fences in that area.

The man was later spotted on CCTV on the city’s Karangahape Rd.

Plunkett said the man was arrested and a concealed knife and fake gun were found on him.

“I would like to acknowledge all our staff’s exceptional response to this incident last night, which would have been incredibly startling for the young boy.”

The 31-year-old man would appear in the Auckland District Court on Thursday.

He was charged with unlawfully carrying an imitation firearm, possessing an offensive weapon, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and resisting police.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/child-forced-out-of-car-during-theft-at-auckland-supermarket/

A man has been charged for allegedly stealing a car outside an Auckland supermarket and forcing a child out of the front seat.

Police were called to Williamson Ave in Ponsonby after 6.15pm on Wednesday.

Senior Sergeant Dave Plunkett, said an SUV had been parked outside the supermarket while the driver was inside shopping. His young son was waiting in the car.

Plunkett said a man approached the car and yelled at the young boy to get out before he got in and drove away.

“Fortunately, the young boy was physically unharmed, and the alarm was raised with a road policing officer who was nearby.”

Police responded and the Eagle helicopter found the car abandoned on Commercial Rd in Arch Hill shortly after.

Plunkett said police also received multiple calls about a man jumping fences in that area.

The man was later spotted on CCTV on the city’s Karangahape Rd.

Plunkett said the man was arrested and a concealed knife and fake gun were found on him.

“I would like to acknowledge all our staff’s exceptional response to this incident last night, which would have been incredibly startling for the young boy.”

The 31-year-old man would appear in the Auckland District Court on Thursday.

He was charged with unlawfully carrying an imitation firearm, possessing an offensive weapon, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and resisting police.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/child-allegedly-forced-out-of-car-during-vehicle-theft-at-auckland-supermarket/

A pedestrian is in critical condition after being hit by a van north of Auckland.

The police said emergency services went to Whangaparāoa Road in Red Beach after 9pm on Wednesday.

A man was taken to Auckland City Hospital.

The driver of the van was uninjured.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/pedestrialn-critically-hurt-after-being-hit-by-van-north-of-auckland/

One week from now, the government will open the books on its third Budget, the last of this term.

So far, there has been a great deal of focus not on where the money might go, but where the money to pay for it is coming from.

On Tuesday, the Finance Minister revealed plans to find $2.4 billion in savings, and reduce the public service headcount to 55,000 full time equivalent employees by 2029 – or around 1 percent of the population.

Where are the savings being found?

The centrepiece of pre-Budget announcements has been the Finance Minister’s plan to find $2.4b in savings from the public service.

This, Nicola Willis said, would come from reducing departments’ operating budgets by 2 percent in the coming year, and then by 5 percent in each of the following two years.

And while that lid sinks, agencies would be asked to find other ways to cut costs, including exploring mergers, or integrating AI and digital tools.

“We are open to proposals that involve you investing something upfront in order to release those savings. We’re open to you rearranging the way that you do things currently, coming up with mergers, coming up with IT solutions to replace existing functions,” Willis said.

“Come to us with the ideas, but here’s what’s not changing: we are going to be releasing funds from your administrative budgets. Because that money, that $2.4 billion, can now be used to invest in new hospitals, and more nurses, and better resources for our schools, and a better equipped defence force, and resources for our police.”

Departments would also be asked to “get our core public servant numbers back to the historic norm”.

In other words, job losses.

Those headcount reductions would come from a mixture of redundancies, normal attrition, and department amalgamation.

Some departments are excluded from the baseline savings exercise, including the likes of Corrections, Education, and Police.

They are not, however, excluded from the job cuts, meaning the 8700 job cuts Willis is demanding would come from a wide pool.

What about MFAT?

There were questions, prompted by a prediction from Winston Peters that the Budget would depend on the election, over whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) would also have to find savings.

Peters has in the past managed to exclude MFAT from savings exercises, such as in 2024 when departments were asked to find savings of 6.5 or 7.5 percent.

This time, however, MFAT was not on the list of agencies excluded from the reduction in operating budgets.

It turned out he had managed to secure a deal to exempt the 2 percent reduction, but MFAT would still have to face the 5 percent reductions in the subsequent two years.

Willis said she would not be surprised if Peters campaigned against any “efficiency dividends” at MFAT, but she would differ as National’s finance spokesperson.

“My view is that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its global network of diplomats does a very important job. But just like every other organisation under the sun it should always be asked, are you getting maximum bang for buck? It’s had significant budget increases, are you doing things as efficiently as we’re asking everyone else to do them? I think they should be subject to the same discipline.”

How much is there to spend?

Nicola Willis has again reduced the operating allowance, whittling it down from $2.4b to $2.1b.

The operating allowance is the money available for ‘new’ initiatives and revenue reductions, offset by savings and reprioritisations.

At the same time, the government has increased capital expenditure from $3.5b to $5.7b.

This is the spending on capital projects, such as investment in defence or school assets.

What’s already been announced?

Governments always make a series of pre-Budget announcements in the buildup to the main day.

So far, that has included $131 million for new education investments, such as money for more hands-on resources, digital tools, and workbooks, as well as intervention programmes for children falling behind.

A further $212.4m would go towards keeping the Healthy School Lunches programme going through 2027.

In health, $15.5m over four years would be spent on setting up a nationwide paediatric palliative care service.

There will be more announcements in the coming days, before attention turns to the state of the books next Thursday.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/how-the-governments-savings-exercise-will-work/

The dangers of misusing prescription drugs have been highlighted by the death of a young Dunedin woman, a coroner says.

Wynter Horrell, 20, died at her South Dunedin home in December 2021 after diluting her prescribed tramadol with water and injecting the opioid painkiller into her bloodstream using her portacath implant.

In findings published on Thursday, Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale criticised the initial police investigation into the unexplained death labelling it superficial.

The coroner’s inquiry focused on establishing who did the injection, the reason why, and if Horrell’s death was preventable.

Borrowdale found Horrell’s death was accidental.

She had deliberately chosen to inject her medication and neither she nor her partner knew it could be life-threatening.

“This was a death by misadventure,” Borrowdale said.

“I appreciate that this inquiry has been long and demanding and I am grateful for all efforts that have been made to seek answers to Wynter’s sudden and untimely death.”

A daughter ‘full of hopes and dreams’

Horrell’s mother Aimee Horrell told RNZ her daughter’s death left an immense void in her life that would never be filled.

“Losing Wynter unexpectedly at just 20 years of age has been devastating for our family. She was a deeply loved daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin and friend – kind, caring, vibrant and full of hopes and dreams,” she said.

“We are grateful to the coroner for the time and care taken to investigate the circumstances surrounding Wynter’s death. While this report cannot bring her back, it does provide some answers in helping us to attempt to better understand what happened. The unanswered questions and failings we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.”

Borrowdale said Horrell had many long-standing medical problems and had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and Crohn’s disease, and suffered non-epileptic seizures.

“Nonetheless Wynter had a positive and outgoing attitude and did well at school, becoming head girl of her Oamaru school in Year 8,” she said.

“Wynter completed high school by achieving an NCEA Level 3 qualification and enrolled in an Otago Polytechnic occupational therapy course taught in Dunedin. She was described as thriving at this period, and excited for her future. She was fully mobile and participating in all aspects of life despite her medical setbacks.”

Horrell and her partner Taylor Stewart moved into a flat together in early 2021.

Her health sharply deteriorated during the year.

She was prescribed an extensive list of medications, including tramadol in capsules to be swallowed orally, by the time of her death in December.

Horrell told Stewart, in the days before she died, clinicians advised her to dilute and inject her tramadol through her portacath for pain relief.

Horrell’s doctors denied that and Borrowdale accepted their evidence.

“No hospital staff member gave Wynter the advice to dilute and inject her tramadol and it would have been professionally incompetent and irresponsible for them to have done so. It is unclear how Wynter came to the decision to administer tramadol through her portacath,” Borrowdale said.

Horrell needed further medical supplies to inject the solution.

“She already had syringes but she needed gripper needles. She obtained these, upon request, from a clinical nurse specialist at the hospital by misleading the nurse into thinking that she had been issued with the needles before, that she had been trained to self-administer IV medicines at home and that her GP had prescribed the necessary drugs. These representations were untrue.”

Stewart helped Horrell inject her medication.

He called 111 early on 2 December when she became short of breath but did not tell the calltaker about the injected tramadol.

By the time an ambulance arrived at their home Horrell was unresponsive and could not be resuscitated.

Police assumed Horrell’s death was natural and did not protect the scene. That was a mistake, Borrowdale said.

“Much later post-mortem evidence showed that Wynter had died from the complications of encapsulated prescription medication having been injected into her bloodstream. The tiny particles in the mixture blocked many of Wynter’s blood vessels, preventing blood flow through her lungs and causing her heart to fail.”

An inquest was held during two hearings in March and October 2025.

The cause of Horrell’s death was known but the circumstances were less clear and heavily contested, Borrowdale said.

“This was partially because Mr Stewart’s evidence was often contradictory and I found it to be unreliable in some key respects. In addition, I found that there were unhelpful shortcomings in police initial inquiries,” she said.

However, she did not find any person or organisation failed Horrell by failing to anticipate she might misuse her medication.

“The prescription of tramadol to Wynter contributed to her death because misuse of that drug caused her lethal condition. But Wynter’s GP was not wrong to prescribe tramadol for her pain. He was entitled to expect that Wynter was taking her medications in orthodox ways and had no awareness that she may not do so,” Borrowdale said.

“There was a very small window of time between Wynter’s first misuse and her death. Prior to 30 November there was no suggestion that Wynter might misuse her tramadol, barely 48 hours later she had died. There was no opportunity for Wynter’s misuse to be discovered by practitioners even if there were indications pointing to it (which there were not).”

Stewart materially assisted Horrell with the injections and without his help her death would likely not have occurred, Borrowdale said.

However, she was satisfied it was Horrell’s idea.

“Mr Stewart understood that Wynter wished to take the tramadol intravenously for better or quicker pain relief.

“It is likely that Wynter took or received one or more injections on 2 December 2021 between 4.30am and 5.30am when Mr Stewart called 111. It is highly likely that these injections were much more concentrated than those that had previously been administered. At this point Wynter’s chest pains and shortness of breath became overwhelming and these effects could not have been reversed even if Mr Stewart had mentioned the tramadol injections to the 111 calltaker or paramedics.”

Investigation ‘superficial at best’

The initial police investigation was underwhelming, Borrowdale said.

“It was insufficiently enquiring of police to assume that Wynter’s death was natural and to fail to gather evidence of all the items and from all the people at the scene for the assistance of the coroner to whom the death had been reported,” she said.

“I accept that at the scene police had no knowledge of the unapproved tramadol injections. I also accept that police would have approached the scene and witness investigations quite differently and more forensically had they known of this.

“However, the fact remains that the investigation into this unexplained death was superficial at best. Its effect has been to significantly protract my investigation and to leave unanswered key aspects of Wynter’s death including (vitally) whether there were liquids, syringes, gripper needles and the like at the scene but undocumented.”

Inspector Shona Low said police were committed to learning from the lessons identified by the coroner.

“Police instructions for attendance at sudden deaths has since been strengthened to include clear guidance on the involvement and attendance of the Criminal Investigation Branch at complex and unexplained deaths,” she said.

‘Extremely dangerous’

Borrowdale also warned about the dangers of misusing medication.

“It is recognised that some people with chronic serious pain will not take their medications as prescribed and may find other modalities for their medications to have quicker effect. However, it is extremely dangerous to inject intravenously any drug not formulated for intravenous use such as an oral tablet or capsule. Oral pills pass through the stomach, which has acids to dissolve them so that the drug can be absorbed.

“When crushed or diluted oral tablets or capsule contents are injected intravenously their microscopic ingredients can obstruct the blood vessels preventing oxygen reaching the blood. This leads to embolism, irreversible heart failure and death within a very short space of time.

“This tragedy demonstrates that further information can and should be provided to patients with intravenous access devices and I commend Health NZ for the changes it has made to ensure that this happens.”

Health New Zealand said it had implemented new processes and strengthened safeguarding measures to reduce the risk of a similar death in the future.

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

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/coroner-warns-of-misusing-prescription-drugs-after-young-woman-dies/