Minister raises concerns over fish heading south due to warming waters

December 5, 2025

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has raised concerns about fish “heading to Te Waipounamu”. RNZ / Mark Papalii

The Oceans and Fisheries Minister has raised concerns about fish “heading to Te Waipounamu” due to warming waters.

“In my lifetime, we’re seeing the drift into the South Island of fisheries resources that have been historically located in the North Island,” Shane Jones said.

The minister appeared before the Primary Production select committee for Scrutiny Week on Friday morning, and was asked about his “favourite topic, climate change” by Green MP Teanau Tuiono.

“I did anticipate this question,” Jones responded.

In October, Tuiono had asked Jones about the risk posed by warming oceans to the sustainability of the fishing industry after the Our Marine Environment 2025 report showed the rate of warming in ocean waters around New Zealand was 34 percent faster than the global average warming rate.

Environment Minister Penny Simmonds also told Tuiono the report showed evidence that climate change was affecting primary industries including fisheries in a written parliamentary question.

The director of primary sector policy, Alastair Cameron, said during the hearing some fisheries were moving further south into “cooler waters”.

The Ministry for Primary Industries provided more information to RNZ, indicating marine heatwaves – that impact fish stocks – were becoming increasingly common in recent years. The ministry said it was a complex and developing issue and the exact way fish stocks were impacted was not fully yet understood.

MPI explained warmer waters meant species such as snapper and john dory may experience “shifts in their home range and overall productivity”.

Cameron said MPI considers the evidence and information about what impacts climate change could have on warming seas and the effect on fisheries and their distribution.

One of the responses to that work was looking at the regulatory systems, he said.

“How do we make those a bit more agile, a bit more flexible, to account for the changes that we might see.”

Jones said the fishing industry had asked and he had instructed officials to look at how to “cope” when big fishing boats were catching fish that was never there historically, and catching more because of the technology they use.

“If you’re catching a type of fish that’s historically not been present in a net, and you’re not able to bring it back to shore in a form that generates a good economic return, you are still being charged, through deemed value, a levy for having caught that fish.

“Now they’re not targeting it. It’s present because of changing water temperatures.”

He said smart regulatory responses that reflected oceanic changes were needed.

“We’ve got to have practical solutions, because the fish is heading to Te Waipounamu, e hoa,” Jones said.

He also joked he now needed “certain people in Te Tai Tokerau to follow the fish in the South Island”.

After the hearing, RNZ asked if the minister was alarmed to hear fish were migrating, to which Jones replied it was reflective of his “favourite subject, climate change – not”.

He said he was concerned if it imposed unnecessary burdens on the industry and they did not have the ability to deal with it.

Asked if the news gave him pause for thought around issues such as mining, he said he responded to the issue by requiring officials to “derive regulated responses on behalf of the state.”

“I don’t want to close down the economy to keep a few shrill voices in Dunedin happy.”

During the hearing, Jones also discussed the issue of public favour when it came to managing primary industries.

He spoke about an upcoming decision that was “more than likely” to stop the access of recreational and commercial people in New Zealand from taking crayfish from the entirety of Northland’s east coast.

“Those are very, very big decisions to make. But I’m making it.”

He said officials had used science and spoken to the public who had said “enough is enough. We have mined this resource to such a point it can’t survive if we stay on the current trajectory”.

“These decisions, they have to find public favour,” said Jones, but acknowledged later the public was not “of one mind”.

He said the government had “shifted the pendulum” so climate change was no longer regarded in quite the “polarising, ideological way” it had been.

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

Feral cat that decimated a black-fronted tern colony finally caught

By Evening Report -

December 5, 2025

Source: Radio New Zealand

Feral cat preys on black-fronted tern chicks in December 2024. DOC

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

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

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

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

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

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

Three large tom cats were caught in the vicinity of the black-fronted tern colonies in December 2025. J&S Mears

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

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

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

Black-fronted tern killed in a feral cat attack in December 2024. DOC

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

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

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

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

Black-fronted tern family. DOC

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

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

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

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

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Police say teen accused of stealing $20,000 worth of clothing caught in the act

By Evening Report -

December 5, 2025

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police recovered $20,000 of stolen goods following a burglary in Albany. NZ Police

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Worried after sunscreen recalls? Here’s how to choose a safe one

By The Conversation -

December 5, 2025

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katie Lee, Postdoctoral Researcher, Dermatology Research Centre, The University of Queensland

Most of us know sunscreen is a key way to protect areas of our skin not easily covered by clothes from excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

But it’s been a rough year for sunscreens.

In June, testing by Choice identified 16 products on Australian shelves that don’t provide the SPF protection they claimed.

In July, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) released a review recommending the amount of certain chemical ingredients allowed in sunscreens should be lowered.

Since then, several other sunscreens have been recalled or are under review, either due to manufacturing defects or concerns about poor SPF cover.

All this has left many of us feeling confused about which sunscreens are safe, effective and do what they say on the label.

Here’s what you need to know so you can stay safe this summer.

The good news first

There’s very little evidence sunscreens cause cancer and plenty of evidence they prevent skin cancer.

This is vital in Australia, where two in three people will get skin cancer at some point in their lives.

One randomised controlled trial in Queensland, run over four and a half years between 1992 and 1996, asked 1,621 people to either use sunscreen every day or continue their usual use (usually one or two days a week or not at all).

It found using sunscreen every day reduced the numbers of squamous cell carcinomas by 40%, compared to the group that didn’t change their habits. Ten years after the study, the number of invasive melanomas was reduced by 73% in the daily sunscreen group.

Significantly, this study was conducted in the 90s using SPF 16 sunscreen. Modern sunscreens are expected to routinely provide SPF 30+ or 50+ protection.

Companies should provide the SPF levels they’re advertising. But this research shows even sub-par sunscreen (by modern standards) provides significant protection with daily use.

Making sure SPF claims stack up

In Australia, the TGA regulates how SPF is assessed in sunscreens, but doesn’t do the testing itself. Instead, companies perform or outsource the testing, which must be done on human skin, and provide the TGA with their results.

But when Choice independently tested 20 Australian sunscreens, it found 16 did not meet the SPF factor on the label.

An ABC investigation pinpointed two potential sources of the problems: a poor quality base ingredient manufactured by Wild Child Laboratories, and suspicious SPF testing data from Princeton Consumer Research, which many of the brands relied on.

The TGA has since recommended that people stop using 21 products that contain the Wild Child base, listed here.

What about the chemical ingredients?

The TGA regularly reviews scientific research to make sure Australian sunscreens keep up with advances in safety and effectiveness. To be sold in Australia, sunscreens must use active ingredients from a specific list, limited at maximum concentrations.

July’s safety review found evidence that two permitted ingredients – homosalate and oxybenzone – can cause hormone disruptions in some animals exposed to high doses for a long time. These doses were far higher than someone would be exposed to from sunscreen – even at the maximum usage – thanks to the TGA’s ingredient limits.

Still, chemical risks are managed strictly. The amount absorbed during consistent, high-dose sunscreen use, year-round, must be less than 1% of the dose known to cause problems in animals.

The new results suggest that absorption could go over this “margin of safety”. So the TGA has recommended the amount allowed be reduced.

Homosalate and oxybenzone are not being banned, and you don’t need to throw out sunscreens containing these ingredients.

But if the idea of using them makes you nervous, you can check ingredient lists and buy sunscreens without them.

What should I look for in a sunscreen?

When buying a sunscreen there are four non-negotiables. It must have:

30+ or 50+ SPF
broad spectrum UV protection (filters both UVB and UVA rays)
water-resistant (for staying power in Australia’s sweaty climate)
TGA approval mark on the packaging (“AUST L” followed by a number).

Sunscreen only works if you use it, so choose a sunscreen you like enough to actually wear.

There are milks, gels and creams, unscented, matte, tinted and many other varieties. Since faces are often the most sensitive, many people use a specialty sunscreen for the face and a cheaper, general one for the rest of the body.

Spray-on sunscreen is not recommended, however, because it’s too hard to apply enough.

You need to apply more than you think

Sunscreen works best when you apply it 20 minutes before you go into the sun, and reapply every two hours and after swimming, sport or towel drying.

How you apply it affects how well it works. You need about one teaspoon each for:

your face and neck
back
chest and abdomen
each arm and leg.

It’s also common to miss your ears, hands, feet and back of the neck – don’t forget these either.

Sunscreen usually lasts two to three years stored below 30°C, so keep an eye on the use-by date and follow any instructions about shaking before use.

If the sunscreen seems to have separated into thinner and thicker layers even after shaking, the ingredients providing SPF may not be mixed evenly throughout and might not work properly.

But remember – sunscreen isn’t a suit of armour

If you’re planning to be out in the sun for more than a few minutes at a time, slip on sun-protective clothing and slap on a hat. Use sunscreen to protect the areas you can’t easily cover.

Slide on sunnies and seek shade where possible to complete your sun-protection practice for a burn-free summer.

Katie Lee receives funding from National Health and Medical Research Council.

– ref. Worried after sunscreen recalls? Here’s how to choose a safe one – https://theconversation.com/worried-after-sunscreen-recalls-heres-how-to-choose-a-safe-one-265667

Auditor-General scrutinises Chatham Islands Council spending where Paul Eagle is CEO

By Evening Report -

December 5, 2025

Source: Radio New Zealand

Paul Eagle has been chief executive at the Chatham Islands Council since November 2023. RNZ/Daniela Maoate-Cox

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eagle has headed up the council since November 2023.

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

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

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

Breath testing data concerns to be resolved ‘as quickly as possible’, police say

By Evening Report -

December 5, 2025

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Oranga Tamariki aims to use new design for young offenders’ boot camp in March

By Evening Report -

December 5, 2025

Source: Radio New Zealand

An example of the military style uniform the youth in the pilot boot camp were required to wear. RNZ / Rachel Helyer-Donaldson

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

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

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

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

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

“This is an operational decision for Oranga Tamariki.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chhour has been approached for comment.

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

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

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

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

Online advertising has been run to recruit for it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The physical infrastructure remained in place in Palmerston North.

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

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

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

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

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

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ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for December 5, 2025

By Evening Report -

December 5, 2025

ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on December 5, 2025.

How we created new Noongar song and dance for kworlak – the bull sharks of Perth
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trevor Ryan, Indigenous Cultural Advisor, Centre for People Place and Planet & School of Education, Edith Cowan University The beach and foreshore near where Perth’s Swan River meets the sea was recently closed to swimming after a number of bull sharks were seen circling close to the

Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steven Siems, Professor in Cloud Microphysics, Monash University If you ever find yourself on Macquarie Island – a narrow, wind-lashed ridge halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica – the first thing you’ll notice is the wildlife. Elephant seals sprawl across dark beaches. King penguins march up mossy slopes.

NZ’s rejection of emission targets fuels risk of international law breach
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Karen Scott, Professor in Law, University of Canterbury The International Court of Justice delivers its landmark advisory opinion on states’ legal obligations to address climate change, July 23. John Thys/AFP via Getty Images The New Zealand government’s decision this week to reject all of the Climate Change

‘We gotta act white’: how voice recognition tech fails for Aboriginal English speakers
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celeste Rodriguez Louro, Associate Professor, Chair of Linguistics and Director of Language Lab, The University of Western Australia AzmanL / Getty Images “I asked it to call one of my sisters, and it then started calling an old boss that I don’t talk to any more.” —Amy,

What is Taiwan and why is it important? A new study shows Australians struggle to answer these questions
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mei-fen Kuo, Lecturer in Contemporary Chinese Culture and History, Macquarie University Recently, a new documentary was screened across Australia about the late Taiwanese Australian professor Chwei-Liang Chiou, who dedicated his life to improving relations between Taiwan and Australia. At the Brisbane premiere, former federal MP Graham Perrett

How to host a meal if one of your guests has an eating disorder or is anxious around food
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathleen de Boer, Clinical Psychologist, Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, Swinburne University of Technology fauxels/Pexels As the festive season approaches, perhaps you’re thinking of hosting friends and family. You know at least one person who’ll attend who becomes anxious around food and another with an eating disorder. So,

Meet the weird, wonderful creatures that live in Australia’s desert water holes. They might not be there much longer
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brock A. Hedges, Research Affiliate, University of Adelaide The Conversation , CC BY-ND You might think of Australia’s arid centre as a dry desert landscape devoid of aquatic life. But it’s actually dotted with thousands of rock holes – natural rainwater reservoirs that act as little oases

It’s end-of-year concert season. Why do some kids struggle with performance anxiety?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathleen McGuire, Senior Lecturer in Education (Music), National School of Education, Faculty of Education and Arts, Australian Catholic University Yan Krukov/ Pexels End-of-year school concerts showcase children’s talents and hard work, often filling performers with pride. But for some, the idea of performing live is terrifying. Performance

No more call to cancel: the government wants to crack down on ‘subscription traps’
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jeannie Marie Paterson, Professor of Law (consumer protections and credit law), The University of Melbourne The Conversation, CC BY It often seems like a great idea at the time. There’s a streaming service, paywalled news site or premium version of an app you want to try, offering

Impossible translations: why we struggle to translate words when we don’t experience the concept
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark W. Post, Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, University of Sydney Wietse Jongsma/Unsplash If you are fluent in any language other than English, you have probably noticed that some things are impossible to translate exactly. A Japanese designer marvelling at an object’s shibui (a sort of simple yet

Grattan on Friday: Could the Liberals make a fight of industrial relations without courting disaster?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra It’s near-universally agreed that opposition policy development under Peter Dutton was too thin and too late. Now the Sussan Ley opposition is under pressure to produce policy that could arguably be premature. Before Christmas, Ley will unveil her immigration policy.

Will the government’s new gas reservation plan bring down prices? Yes, if it works properly
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Samantha Hepburn, Professor of Law, Deakin University The Australian government is poised to introduce a new domestic gas reservation policy on the east coast. The plan is meant to tackle growing concerns around spiking gas prices and domestic supply. Large gas producers in Queensland export the vast

Cassette tapes are making a comeback. Yes, really
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Peter Hoar, Senior Lecturer, School of Communications Studies, Auckland University of Technology Unsplash, CC BY For a supposedly obsolete music format, audio cassette sales seem to be set on fast forward at the moment. Cassettes are fragile, inconvenient and relatively low-quality in the sound they produce –

ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for December 4, 2025
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on December 4, 2025.

Former Auckland councillor wins defamation case against Pro-Beijing commentator

By Evening Report -

December 5, 2025

Source: Radio New Zealand

Morgan (Zhi Hong) Xiao. Supplied

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

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

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

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

Young said he felt vindicated after three years of litigation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Portia Mao. Supplied

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dunedin man Andrew Mercer jailed for causing death of partner who fell from moving trailer

By Evening Report -

December 5, 2025

Source: Radio New Zealand

Andrew Mercer was sentenced on Friday at the High Court at Dunedin. (File photo) RNZ / Nate McKinnon

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It haunts me,” she said.

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

“It’s tearing my heart to pieces.”

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

“Our lives are shattered,” she said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How we created new Noongar song and dance for kworlak – the bull sharks of Perth

By The Conversation -

December 5, 2025

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Trevor Ryan, Indigenous Cultural Advisor, Centre for People Place and Planet & School of Education, Edith Cowan University

The beach and foreshore near where Perth’s Swan River meets the sea was recently closed to swimming after a number of bull sharks were seen circling close to the surface.

In 2023, a young woman tragically died after being attacked by a bull shark nearby. In 2021 a man was seriously injured by a bull shark just upstream.

A project also began in 2021 to create new Noongar songs and dances in response to boodjar (Country) and its inhabitants. This included a song and dance for the potentially dangerous bull shark, or kworlak, which swims and lives alongside us in the river.

Bull shark have been travelling largely unseen up and down the river’s murky waters for aeons. Recognition of this informs the relationship between the river and Noongar, the Indigenous people of the region.

Together, we worked on a project to develop novel Noongar dances for bull shark and other entities which otherwise would have no recently known local performance repertoire.

Within many Indigenous cultures, singing and dancing is vital to maintaining reciprocal relationships with local ecosystems. Even watching Indigenous performance can stir vibrations in the body of the viewer. By coming to feel and listen to kworlak, we can come to respect its power and its almost miraculous ability to pass through the foamy waves into and out of the river mouth.

Through Noongar dance, everyone is invited to consider trans-species empathy as a way to restore connections between those who live in Perth, and the nonhuman species that inhabit the region.

The powerful kworlak

Walyalup is the name for Fremantle, Western Australia, resting at the mouth of the Derbal Yerrigan, otherwise known as the Swan River. Trevor Ryan grew up here where freshwater and saltwater mix. He has memories of swimming, fishing and playing with family and friends.

Kworlak travel against the current, past the waves, and up the river into the fresh water to breed in late kambarang (the season of birth, wildflowers and the last cool days before summer).

A shark. — Kworlak, or bull sharks, travel up Derbal Yerrigan, otherwise known as the Swan River, to breed.
Daniel Kwok/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Heavy late kambarang rainfall, such as Perth saw this year, attracts sharks to feed and reproduce.

Bull shark adjust their osmoregulation, expelling excess water via kidneys and urinary tract. Senior Noongar collaborating on the project speak of kworlak waiting near yandjet, or bulrushes, seeking hidden prey such as crustaceans, tortoise and small fish. This sustains females during pregnancy and birth.

Creating Noongar songs

Across Australia, it is common for Indigenous songs to be attributed to non-human entities rather than being solely the creation of human composers.

Under Western Australia’s Aborigines Act (1905–63), speaking and singing in Noongar was vigorously discouraged, resulting in few old songs being remembered today. There are historically recorded Noongar songs about the sea, but none about sharks.

Given other sea creatures had songs, it is likely Noongar shark songs were once performed.

At Trevor’s suggestion, and after sharing song ideas with senior Noongar speakers, Clint Bracknell – who performs as Maatakitj – drew inspiration at the river to create a song of the kworlak in early 2021.

He began with a melody which he had dreamed before vocalising without words, attempting to figure out what Noongar terms the dreamed vocalisations evoked.

The song goes:

Wardangara kworlak waniny

Seafarer bull-shark sneaking

Ngadird ngadird ngadird wan

Again, again and again it sneaks

Wardangara kworlak waniny ngoornt

Seafarer bull-shark sneaking, lies

Bilya ngaril ngadird wan

Through the ribs of the river, again, it sneaks

Ngadird ngadird ngadird wan

Again, again and again it sneaks

Widi-widiny widi-widiny widi-widiny widi-widiny

Shaking everything up

The kworlak dance, choreographed by Trevor, began with the dancers treading on boodjar itself. It was important for the dancers to feel their vibrations connect to mother earth.

Stamping up and down to the beat of the clap sticks, dancers alluded to kworlak’s osmoregulation by moving their arms horizontally at the waist outwards, while turning to evoke the flow of salt and fresh water moving over, and through, the body.

Development video of the kworlak dance; performers left to right Tiger-Lyly Ryan, Trevor Ryan, Rubeun Yorkshire.

The shark’s distinctive dorsal fin also featured. Dancers moved their clasped hands above their heads from the middle, left, right and back. The dance concluded with the dancers pushing their arms forward, fingers spread, each hand moving up and down over the other, to represent the biting and grinding motions of bull sharks feeding.

Trevor describes dancing on Country as being like a musician who tunes their guitar to play a song. Bodies are instruments that can be tuned to the landscape, finding the right frequency that vibrates with ancestors and Country.

Most humans today only notice sharks when a tragedy occurs. Regularly singing and dancing the kworlak reminds us of their enduring place in the ecosystem. It teaches us caution and respect.

Through embodying the stories and energy of boodjar, everyone may potentially feel through voice and physical response that they, like other entities, belong on, with, and to Country.

Trevor Ryan’s Master of Arts (Performing Arts) was jointly funded by the Australian Research Council and Edith Cowan University.

Clint Bracknell receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

Jonathan W. Marshall received funding from the Australian Research Council to support this project through a scholarship for Trevor Ryan and other expenses.

– ref. How we created new Noongar song and dance for kworlak – the bull sharks of Perth – https://theconversation.com/how-we-created-new-noongar-song-and-dance-for-kworlak-the-bull-sharks-of-perth-268652

A-League: What you need to know ahead of Auckland FC v Wellington Phoenix derby

By Evening Report -

December 5, 2025

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland FC v Wellington Phoenix

Saturday, 6 December

Kick-off: 5pm

Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland

Live blog updates on RNZ

Auckland FC may be the most vulnerable they have ever been ahead of a New Zealand derby game in the A-League.

Saturday’s fifth edition of the derby with the Wellington Phoenix is the only one of this season’s three head-to-heads that will be played in Auckland.

Auckland have dominated the previous four derby games, over two seasons, including a 2-1 win in November in the first clash this season.

But the Phoenix come into the round seven game with momentum on their side. While the Phoenix upset Adelaide United 2-1 in Wellington last week, Auckland lost for this first time this season going down to the Newcastle Jets in heavy rain.

Will the second derby of the season live up to the first?

An opening goal scored less than 30 seconds into the game, red cards and injuries, the first New Zealand derby of the 2025/26 season was a spectacle at Sky Stadium.

Auckland silenced the Yellow Fever fans after just 28 seconds when Sam Cosgrove scored the first of his two goals. The Phoenix levelled the scores through their own import striker, Ifeanyi Eze, in the ninth minute before Cosgrove scored the winner just after the half hour mark.

The second half was punctuated by two red cards for Auckland players – first centreback Dan Hall and then Logan Rogerson – as well as a dislocated shoulder for stand-in skipper Jake Brimmer.

For the Phoenix, it was another painful chapter in the growing rivalry – a night when numerical advantage, home support and near-total dominance could not deliver a first victory against their rivals.

The second derby of the season, just four weeks (or two games) after the first, comes on a big day for New Zealand football.

On Saturday morning the All Whites will find out who they will play at next year’s Football World Cup when the draw for the global tournament is made in Washington DC. Less than 12 hours later potential All Whites team mates will face off, or play alongside each other, at Mt Smart Stadium with their attention needing to be firmly on what is in front of them over the next 90 minutes rather than the next six months.

Will the Phoenix capitalise and end the Auckland dominance on a day when football is a focus in New Zealand?

What they said

Rogerson is good mates with Phoenix captain and fellow All White Alex Rufer, and is a former Phoenix player but said he tried to keep to himself before the derby games.

“It’s hard to not give [Rufer] a little look but by the time we’re in the tunnel all the boys are pretty much in the zone and then once we cross the white line it’s full noise.”

Rogerson’s two match suspension from his red card picked up in the last derby game was his first suspension in his career but it will not change his approach.

“I’m just going to go out there and try and do the same things as I do normally,” Rogerson said.

“It happened so quick, half a second, like a little brain explosion, so I’ve just got to think about it like that and play more normal game really.”

Auckland FC coach Steve Corica said derby games were “special” and he wanted to keep the dominance going.

“For us it’s about winning at every opportunity and so far we’re doing a great job but that can turn around very quickly if we don’t do the right thing and to make sure that there’s no complacency, there shouldn’t be because we just had a loss last week, and we should be all hungry to want to get back on track and back to winning ways. It’s going to be an important game for both teams,” Corica said.

Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano said he was “confident” ahead of this derby game.

“I’ve spoken to the group about evolving and part of that evolution is maturing as a collective and I felt like we were a little but undone the last game when we played Auckland, we played the moment and played 30 minutes like it was the last minute and we’ve addressed that and I think there is a sense of maturity coming within in the group now and I’m really looking forward to the challenge tomorrow.

“Any victory against them would be satisfying… outside of Auckland I think most people are cheering for us. I haven’t heard anyone outside of Auckland say they like Auckland.

“Losing four is probably not a reflection of where both teams are at.”

Squads ins and outs

Auckland FC’s Jake Brimmer will captain the side in Hiroki Sakai’s absence. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Auckland captain Hiroki Sakai will miss his second derby in a row as he recovers from a hamstring injury.

The Phoenix have a long injury list including All White Tim Payne as well as Paulo Retre, Hideki Ishige, Nikola Mileisnic, Nathan Walker and Luke Supyk.

Auckland FC: 1. Michael Woud, 3. Jake Girdwood-Reich, 4. Nando Pijnaker, 6. Louis Verstrate, 7. Cameron Howieson, 8. Felipe Gallegos, 9. Sam Cosgrove, 10. Guillermo May, 11. Marlee Francois, 14. Liam Gillion, 15. Francis de Vries, 17. Callan Elliot, 19. Oliver Middleton, 20. Oli Sail, 21. Jesse Randall, 22. Jake Brimmer, 23. Dan Hall, 27. Logan Rogerson, 35. Jonty Bidois, 77. Lachlan Brook.

Wellington Phoenix:1. Josh Oluwayemi, 3. Corban Poper, 4. Manjrekar James, 5. Fin Roa Conchie, 7. Ifeanyi Eze, 11. Carlo Armiento, 12. Dan Edwards, 14. Alex Rufer (c), 15. Isaac Hughes, 17. Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues, 18. Lukas Kelly-Heald, 20. Ramy Najjarine, 24. Xuan Loke, 25. Kazuki Nagasawa, 27. Matt Sheridan, 29. Luke Brooke-Smith, 30. Alby Kelly-Heald, 37. Anaru Cassidy, 39. Jayden Smith, 40. Eamonn Mccarron.

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

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