Source: Radio New Zealand

A man who threatened four drivers with a machete in Australia in a series of attempted carjackings will be deported back to New Zealand.

John Suafai Semau held a 64-year-old man in a headlock while trying to flee an accident scene in Queensland in 2022 and steal his car, and rammed that vehicle into another car who blocked his getaway.

A truck driver carrying a shovel stopped him stealing another car, which had a man, his mother and their dog inside.

His last attempted carjacking was on a woman who had just loaded her shopping when he approached with the machete.

The father of eight was jailed for four years for armed robbery, unlawful entry of motor vehicles assaulting a police officer and supplying drugs.

The Australian administrative review tribunal heard that the 38-year-old had lived in Australia about half of his life.

“The applicant drove a car into a parked car and then drove off. A 64-year-old man followed the applicant as he was driving and later approached the applicant about driving into the parked car.

“The applicant put [him] in a headlock and wrestled with him, pushing and shoving him to the ground several times. In the course of that struggle, the applicant returned to the car and retrieved a machete and held it towards the 64-year-old man.”

Witnesses watched him wave the machete in the air and strike the top of the driver’s side door frame. He got in the car, while the older man tried to stop him.

The tribunal heard the offending had been ‘highly traumatic’ to the general public.

“I raised with the applicant that death of a person was a possible consequence of further offences and he did not disagree,” said appeal decision-maker Dominique Murphy.

“It is of note that a significant proportion of the Applicant’s serious criminal offending involved him driving a car, committing offences while driving or in the course of driving.

“The use of a machete would be a terrifying experience for any person.”

Semau said he suffered a workplace accident in 2018 which resulted in him not returning to work, and the year afterwards his baby son died aged only five weeks old.

He said he collapsed internally and made reckless harmful decisions, including taking methamphetamine.

His rehabilitation and weekly counselling meant that he could be safely managed in the community under supervision because he now understood the warning signs he previously ignored.

Murphy said his removal would not be in the best interest of his children. The youngest is three and has a congenital heart condition and her five-year-old brother has level 3 autism.

“The five eldest children would be aware of the applicant’s criminal offending and his incarceration, which will have had a negative impact on those children. These children have written multiple letters and cards about their close relationship with their father and their love for him.”

But she ruled that was outweighed by the seriousness of his offending.

“The applicant, as a non-citizen who committed the serious crimes described in these reasons, should generally expect to forfeit the privilege of staying in Australia.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A Department of Conservation (DOC) ecological report reveals that native plants are making a comeback in the blackened fire-charred areas of Tongariro National Park, but warns that invasive weeds and animal pests pose a risk to a full recovery.

One species – the Volcanic Plateau speargrass – normally hidden amongst dense, tussock, flax and mānuka scrub – has surprised scientists with its abundance.

In November, fire swept through about three thousand hectares of New Zealand’s oldest national park which is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its cultural and natural significance.

Set alight accidentally through a car tyre rim creating sparks on State Highway 47, which ignited dry roadside vegetation, some held fears for native flora and fauna in the fire zone.

DOC technical advisor and botanist, Paul Cashmore, said the park had a history of fires dating back thousands of years and would recover naturally over time.

“Essentially we’re really pleased with the level of regeneration of native species that’s occurring to date given it’s only a few months since the fire actually occurred.

“Key species such as red tussock, which is a major component of the ecosystem there, was regenerating within six months of the November fire across a really wide area.”

The fire ground also held surprises.

“Some other particular species such as our Volcanic Plateau Speargrass, which is one of our threatened native North Island endemic species that occurs in the area, appeared to have survived the fire.

“So, it appears there’s a more significant population there than we previously thought and that’s likely to increase now that there’s more open habitat available post fire.”

Cashmore, who said animal and birdlife would repatriate the fire-zone as plant species got re-established, said weeds such as broom and gorse and browsing animals such as deer, hare and possum were threats that would need monitoring.

“One of our memorable experiences in the field was walking into a completely intact stand of Hall’s tōtara, with a chorus of native birds including toutouwai/robin.

“Remnant patches of vegetation like this act as refuges where flora and fauna have survived, which can assist with natural recolonising of the burnt area.”

Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro rununga member Te Ngaehe Wanikau said the report was a stark reminder of the damage the fire inflicted.

“From a cultural perspective Tongariro in our eyes is our tipuna, he’s our koroua and a part of him has been impacted, so our priority first and foremost is as hau kāinga is to restore his korowai and then to work hand in hand with DOC so they can address some of the ecological impact.”

Ngāti Hikairo would play a cultural role in the recovery, identifying areas of significance to iwi members and helping to maintain the rahui.

“The rahui itself what it does is it provides firstly the required works to be done in a safe manner without public interference. It gives awareness to everybody and it keeps everybody culturally, physically and spiritually safe.”

Crucially, tracks including the Tongariro Crossing would be accessible during the 10-year rahui.

Cashmore said despite the optimistic outlook DOC and its partners still had plenty of work ahead of them.

“We’ll continue working closely with Ngāti Hikairo ki Tongariro to monitor and act, particularly where it comes to weeds and deer.”

Visitors could help by staying on the tracks.

“Walking on the burnt area can introduce new threats like weeds and can directly affect the recovery of slow growing alpine plants.

“So, if you’re keen on naturing in this World Heritage listed landscape, we ask you to respect the 10-year rāhui by keeping off the firegrounds and sticking to the marked tracks.”

Ruapehu mayor Weston Kirton said the ecological report confirmed whispers he had been hearing.

“We had a hint things were shaping up to be quite positive, but to have this confirmed by those specialists in this area is great.

“What I do understand too is that we’ve got funding from central government to the tune of over $3 million to accommodate any costs associated with weed control or planting and it could well be we have pest control as well.”

He said it was a shot in the arm for the region.

“It’s a destination, of course, well known to people. The Tongariro Crossing, for example, is part and parcel of Tongariro National Park, but also that we’ve got the tussock and we’ve got other species in that particular area and walks that go amongst all those areas.

“So, I think it’s great we are seeing some recovery sooner rather than later. We thought it was devastation and daunting the actual magnitude of the fire.”

The full police and FENZ report into the fire was yet to be released.

Police have confirmed there was no evidence of the fire being deliberately lit or criminal intent being involved.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Should teachers give children lollies and chocolates for good behaviour?

Some do even though Health Ministry guidelines say schools should not serve sweets or chocolate at all.

A teacher RNZ agreed not to name said rewarding children with sweets was surprisingly widespread – she saw it in about 20 schools she worked in recently across Auckland and Northland.

Northland parent Kali Kahn told RNZ teachers at her son’s first school routinely rewarded children with sweet treats.

“Lollies were given out in classrooms and in the playground for good behaviour like picking up rubbish in the playground or incentives to help clean up, as rewards for good work in the classroom,” she said.

Kahn said her son’s current primary school gave chocolate and lollies as special prizes.

She said neither approach was a good idea – especially in the far north.

“I absolutely don’t think that’s okay that teachers are giving out lollies as incentives or as rewards in the classroom or outside of the classroom in the playground. Within the school grounds the school should not be providing high-sugar foods to kids,” she said.

“There’s really poor dental health amongst our children. There’s high rates of teeth extractions, there’s high rates of cavities … We have rising rates of obesity and metabolic disease in children, it’s getting younger and younger our obesity levels and diabetes levels.”

Dental Association-Colgate oral health promotion manager Anishma Ram told RNZ lollies seemed to have become a common reward at schools.

She said the association obviously opposed the practice, but it also recognised that teachers seemed to lack other options for cheap, small rewards.

“Somewhere along the line it has become so readily available that we don’t have any other option,” she said.

Northland principal Pat Newman said his school rewarded classes with iceblocks a few times a year but some teachers also gave lollies.

He did not see a problem.

“The dental health that we’ve got in Northland is not caused by the few lollies or treats that they get at school. It’s probably caused by either the heaps of lollies they get from home or the malnutrition that they’re not getting the good food that they need. Or juice. Juice is one of your big ones up here,” he said.

“My attitude is they’d have to eat a hell of a lot of what we give out at school to actually damage their teeth. If they get one iceblock every couple of weeks it’s not going to do a hell of a lot of harm. If it means that they’re at school, well they’re better off at school and learning than not.”

Newman said teachers gave rewards for good behaviour.

“Going out and seeing them doing something nice, helping someone or going out and picking up some rubbish without us telling them. What we’re doing is we’re using it more for around citizenship and also for good work, but a lot of ours is around citizenship because that’s crucial,” he said.

In Rotorua, Kaitao Intermediate principal Phil Palfrey said he opposed the use of sweets as a reward or treat.

“It gives out the wrong message. We all try and cut down the lollies our kids eat and here we are at school saying ‘oh well, we’ll give out lollies’,” he said.

He said instead of sweets, the school’s teachers constantly gave praise for hard work and good behaviour.

They also had a system of awarding cards that could be cashed in for a pizza for the class – an item that would appear to sit in the health ministry’s no-no list, but one that Phil Palfrey reckoned was okay.

“I eat a pizza once every three months and I eat pretty healthily. These kids would only get probably at the most two or three pizzas in the whole year so I don’t think that’s too bad,” he said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

For most of 2025, the government talked tough on supermarkets, presenting itself as a consumer champion willing to use the toughest tools available to bring down food prices.

If competition failed to improve, ministers said they were even prepared to consider the “nuclear option”- forcibly breaking up the companies that dominate New Zealand’s grocery sector.

“All options are on the table,” Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis announced in March. She promised to “pull out all the stops” for shoppers paying some of the highest food prices in the developed world.

But a year later, the promise of “meaningful change” at the checkout is unfulfilled.

Food prices continue to climb. Stats NZ said food prices increased 4.5 percent in the year to February 2026, with meat, fish and poultry rising the most at 7.5 percent.

Structurally, the supermarket sector looks almost identical to how it did before the threatened political crackdown began.No forced divestment has occurred. No new national supermarket chain has entered the market. The duopoly of Woolworths and the Foodstuffs co-operatives still control about 82 percent of grocery sales, with both suppliers and consumers suffering as a result.

“Consumers in smaller towns and rural areas typically have minimal to no choice… with some stores in small towns functioning as a localised monopoly,” Grocery Commissioner Pierre van Heerden wrote in a 2025 report.

“My concern is that the power imbalance between the major supermarkets and small suppliers creates a reluctance among suppliers to push back.”

The question now is whether the government’s aggressive rhetoric about structural separation was ever a serious threat, or simply a political bluff.

The problem

The problem in the grocery market is well known: it is one of New Zealand’s most concentrated sectors, and competition has long been judged inadequate.

The Commerce Commission’s landmark 2022 market study found the dominant chains were earning about $1 million a day in excess profits.

It concluded competition was not working effectively, and that the supermarket giants benefited from enormous scale advantages, including nationwide distribution networks and buying power with suppliers, that smaller retailers struggle to match.

But rather than forcing structural change – such as separating the companies’ wholesale and retail arms, or forcing the sale of part of the business – successive governments have opted for a more cautious approach.

Labour responded to the Commerce Commission’s findings with the Grocery Industry Competition Act, which created a new regulatory regime for the sector.

The law established New Zealand’s first Grocery Commissioner, introduced a wholesale access regime, and imposed a Grocery Supply Code governing how supermarkets deal with suppliers.

The aim was to increase competition without dismantling the duopoly itself.

After the election in 2023, National also came under sustained pressure to act on rising food prices. In her March 2025 speech, Willis warned of “potentially massive changes” to supermarket logistics and warehousing networks, while emphasising the government would only consider structural intervention once it had done its research.

“We have to get the detail right… New Zealanders need confidence that we’ve thought this through thoroughly,” she said.

To the public, it appeared the government was ready for a fight.

But documents released under the Official Information Act suggest the prospect of a supermarket break-up was never the central focus of officials’ work.

Just asking questions

While ministries did examine structural reform options, the bulk of the policy effort focused instead on smaller regulatory fixes and market-led solutions.

By the time Willis gave her speech, officials were already preparing advice on structural reform options. For example, reports titled “Outline of de-merger options FINAL” and

“Information regarding structural reform of the grocery sector” and an aide-memoire about the separation of Telecom were drafted in early 2025.

While most of the information is redacted, what’s left shows officials were careful to frame structural separation as conditional and preliminary.

Briefing notes prepared for meetings with supermarkets and potential entrants emphasised that the Government was not consulting on a decision to break up the sector.

“The government is not consulting on policy options at this initial stage… This is a genuine request for information,” one briefing said.

At the same time, a much larger programme of work focused on regulatory changes aimed at lowering barriers to entry and tightening enforcement. This included making supermarkets eligible for fast-track approvals, improving building consent certainty, exploring changes to the Overseas Investment Act, strengthening Fair Trading Act penalties and clarifying predatory pricing rules under the Commerce Act.

Officials warned internally that these measures might deliver only limited gains. One memo noted there could be criticism that addressing regulatory barriers would “only have a marginal effect on improving competition”.

Structural separation, meanwhile, was more likely to be effective – but was also inherently risky.

In one briefing, officials wrote: “I am aware that structural separation comes with risks – however, I have heard from a number of parties this is the only option which ensures greater competition.”

With open arms

By August, talk of structural separation had largely been put on the backburner.

Instead, Willis pivoted to a strategy of facilitation, introducing planning reforms and the so-called “Express Lane” approach to speed up consents for new supermarkets, and attempting to attract a new international competitor.

By streamlining the Overseas Investment Act and Resource Management Act, the government hoped to lure a “third major player” like Costco or well-funded domestic ventures to take on the duopoly’s 82% national market share.

Effectively, that move shifted the financial risk of competition away from the state and onto private investors. Willis admitted the limitations of the approach, noting: “I can’t force a third entrant in… All I can do is open my arms as wide as possible.”

As part of the plan to attract a third competitor, the government launched a Request for Information (RFI) process to figure out what was stopping new competitors from entering.

Ministers and officials engaged directly with a range of potential challengers, including Costco, Sir Stephen Tindall, Farro Fresh, Night ‘N Day and iwi organisations considering a supermarket venture.

But the response from the industry’s biggest global players has been muted.

Documents released to the Herald earlier this year show Tesco declined to participate in the process after “internal personnel changes.”

Two of the world’s most aggressive discount chains – Aldi and Lidl – also declined to take part, with Aldi confirming it currently has no plans to expand into New Zealand.

Without a large international entrant, the government’s strategy of creating competition through a new market entrance faces a much steeper climb.

Local alternatives have emerged. Christchurch grocery co-operative Kai Co has drawn significant consumer interest, positioning itself as a community-owned alternative to the major chains.

But regional initiatives remain a long way from challenging the incumbents’ national scale.

Limited signs of change

By late 2025, some observers were describing developments in the sector as “Groundhog Day.”

The 2025 Review of the Grocery Supply Code, published in June, had said the original rules failed to rebalance power because suppliers were still reluctant to push back on retailer behaviour for fear of damaging relationships or losing shelf space.

In response, the Commission announced tougher new rules in October 2025, including a standalone ban on retaliation and the prohibition of “investment buying”- the practice where supermarkets profit from supplier-funded discounts without passing them to shoppers.

But even the Commerce Commission has acknowledged those kinds of changes address specific behaviours rather than the underlying structure of the market.

The government has prioritised what some call “low-hanging fruit”- prosecuting supermarkets for misleading pricing and inaccurate specials.

While this led to criminal charges and record fines – including a $3.25 million penalty for Foodstuffs North Island – consumer advocates like Jon Duffy warn that these fines may be a “feather rather than a stick” for billion-dollar entities.

Willis is currently considering raising maximum fines to tens of millions of dollars to match Australian standards, though this has faced significant pushback from the industry.

Will they or won’t they

As inflation concerns return with war in the Middle East, the political shield of “all options on the table” may be wearing thin.

If the new Supply Code and the arrival of players like Kai Co fail to shift the balance of power in the market, the current and future governments will eventually face a stark choice: accept the duopoly as a permanent feature of New Zealand’s grocery sector, or pursue the threatened structural break-up.

Willis repeatedly signalled that stronger intervention remained possible if her reforms failed to embed change. As of last year, a cost-benefit analysis was underway, she said. But similar work commissioned under the previous government found the economics of a break-up were far from straightforward.

A 2023 MBIE analysis suggested forced divestment could deliver competition benefits but also carried the risk of a $3.8 billion net cost over 20 years, largely due to the loss of economies of scale.

Officials warned that if those efficiencies were destroyed, grocery prices could actually rise – a scenario described internally as a “very high regret” outcome.

A forced break-up would also be highly disruptive to a $25 billion industry, raising complex legal and commercial questions that could take years to resolve.

Willis has previously cautioned that restructuring the supermarkets would be a “significant intervention”.

“A decision to restructure the supermarkets is not a decision that would be taken lightly. It would be a significant intervention that would carry costs and risks that would need to be rigorously weighted against the potential benefits to shoppers,” she said in announcing the “express lane” changes last August.

Supermarket executives argued that the Grocery Supply Code and wholesale access rules needed time to “bed in” before further radical changes were made.

But industry observers have noted that while the expertise for a break-up likely exists within the Commerce Commission, the government has already effectively “run out of time” to implement such a complex legal and commercial overhaul before the next election cycle.

What’s more likely is that plans for the “nuclear option” remained locked away, again.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Out of work New Zealanders who say they have worked hard and paid taxes all their life are forced to rely on their partners as their welfare system.

RNZ has been reporting on the “invisible unemployed”: people who have too much to qualify for a benefit, but not enough to make ends meet.

At the end of last year unemployment rose to its highest level in more than a decade, with more people chasing work than jobs created.

But not all of those people qualify for government support.

To be eligible for the Jobseeker benefit, your household could not earn more than a certain threshold: $1039 before tax for a couple without children, and $1088 before tax for a couple with children.

It meant if your partner earned more than $54,028 annually – or $56,576 if you had children – you could not get the Jobseeker benefit.

The median weekly income from wages and salaries is $1380, StatsNZ data showed – or $71,760 annually.

Ricky, whose partner earned more than the $1211 weekly threshold for him to receive the Supported Living Payment – a benefit for people with a health condition or disability – said the situation was “just sad”.

“The government essentially wipes their hands and say, your partner is your welfare system,” he said.

Ricky and his partner had always kept their money separate, he said.

“When I stopped working … we’ve both had to learn, and adjust that his money is now our money.

“But it’s still very awkward … I never ask for money for my personal expenses.”

On Friday the Minister for Social Development Louise Upston said the thresholds were a long-standing feature of the welfare system.

“Raising the threshold is not something I am looking at right now, my focus is on getting people off the jobseeker benefit and into work.”

RNZ asked further questions of Upston on Monday including what advice she had for people who could not get work, nor a benefit.

Her office said the minister had nothing further to add.

‘The numbers just don’t add up’

Covering the rent or mortgage payments was the biggest worry for people who contacted RNZ to share their stories.

There was an accommodation supplement available, but you did not qualify for that if you had more than $16,200 in the bank, for a couple.

StatsNZ data showed in the year ended June 2025, average weekly rent payments were $505.50 ($26,286 annually).

Average weekly mortgage payments were $690.90 ($17,272 annually).

For someone who was not working, and paying the average weekly rent with a partner who earned $1100 a week – above the Jobseeker benefit threshold – that left $594.50 a week, before tax, to cover both people’s costs.

An Auckland man, who RNZ agreed not to name, said once his savings were depleted in the next few weeks, he and his wife would struggle to pay the rent despite her earning well above the threshold.

He was made redundant “out of the blue” in October last year after 30 years in his industry but could not get the benefit because of his wife’s income.

“I wasn’t surprised, but I did just laugh because that $1040 [threshold], after tax … doesn’t even cover our rent,” he said.

“So how would we have been living … the numbers just don’t add up.”

The man said he did not know what the government expected him to do when his savings ran out.

“I just always assumed that if the worst came to the worst, and I’d expended all of my own … efforts, that there would be some way of getting help in New Zealand.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A woman who is trying to claim $12,000 from Inland Revenue’s unclaimed money list says she has been frustrated by continuous hurdles.

IR has a database of amounts of at least $100 that have been left untouched in banks, finance companies, investment funds or with someone such as a solicitor or accountant.

When reasonable efforts have been made for five years to try to locate the owner, it can be transferred. In some circumstances, it can be transferred to IR earlier, such as when an organisation is running a routine remediation process.

In the middle of last year, there was more than $600 million waiting to be claimed.

But Jess, who did not want to be identified, said that had proved hard to do in her case.

“In September 2025, I applied for $12,000 of unclaimed money which is listed in my dad’s name, who passed away July 2025.

“This is a huge sum of money. The money is listed as being from ANZ, and IRD are refusing to pay unless I can provide the bank account number that the funds were in, despite telling me that the account was opened prior to 1975, which means it was a childhood account of my dad.

“We cannot find this account number, and ANZ are also saying they cannot help.

“There must be other ways to prove that the funds belong to my dad … It is listed on the unclaimed funds register in his full name, and IRD have told me that the account was opened in Palmerston North, which is where my dad is from, so we are confident it definitely belonged to him.”

She said she had contacted ANZ as well as the Banking Ombudsman but had no luck getting the information that Inland Revenue wanted.

Inland Revenue said it could not comment on her case specifically.

“Banks and other institutions who pass on unclaimed money to Inland Revenue have to tell us what information they have about the owner and the money.

“From time to time this information is limited and that poses challenges for both IR and claimants alike when establishing ownership.

“However, the onus remains on the claimant to satisfy IR they are entitled to the money. Only then can Inland Revenue pay the money to them (s 11(1) of the Unclaimed Money Act 1971).

“Sometimes the information the bank or other institution has provided is limited but based on circumstances, and the balance of probabilities, it is enough for IR to be satisfied the claimant is the owner of the money. In other cases, it is not enough to satisfy Inland Revenue that they are the owners.”

Consumer NZ said a lawyer could potentially be able to help Jess.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Former Social Investment Agency chief executive Andrew Coster is refusing to comment on the resignation of the deputy chief executive who quit while being investigated over allegations of bullying and harassment.

Social Investment Agency (SIA) deputy chief executive Kylie Reiri left the job last month. Her departure comes after Coster quit in December following a scathing Independent Police Conduct Authority report.

In an Official Information Act (OIA) response released to RNZ, the SIA confirmed there had been two employment investigations over the last 12 months.

“I am also able to confirm that there has been one investigation in response to four formal reports of bullying and harassment. In the interest of privacy, we cannot provide a breakdown as to what each allegation was concerning.”

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

RNZ understands the investigation, which is ongoing, relates to Reiri.

“As a responsible employer, SIA takes these matters seriously and all complaints are investigated and followed through to the end. We have robust policies and procedures to manage disclosure of any allegations including protected disclosures (speak safe) and bullying and harassment policies, which provide informal and formal options for staff to raise concerns of serious wrongdoing and bullying and harassment.”

RNZ approached a spokesperson for Coster to see if he had any comment on the allegations faced by Reiri.

In response, they replied: “No, it wouldn’t be appropriate for Andy to comment on SIA employee-related matters. Best any queries are directed to the SIA”.

Within days of Coster’s resignation, RNZ was contacted with allegations that Reiri was under investigation in relation to complaints of bullying and harassment.

RNZ contacted Reiri at the time who said she was on leave due to health-related reasons. She did not respond to requests for comment over the weekend.

Approached for comment in December, the SIA said it did not comment on individual employment matters. Asked why that was and for the status of Reiri’s employment, the SIA treated the follow up questions as a request under the OIA.

Then, in January, the SIA released an OIA which said it did not generally comment on individual employment matters “as the disclosure of information relating to individual employees would involve the unwarranted disclosure of personal information”.

The following month Reiri resigned.

In an email on 12 February, released to RNZ, SIA’s acting chief executive and secretary for social investment Alistair Mason said Reiri had resigned.

“We acknowledge the contribution Kylie has made during her time here. We thank her for her service to the organisation and wish her well for the future,” he said.

“I know you may have questions, however, out of respect for Kylie’s privacy I am not able to discuss this matter.”

A SIA spokesperson said in a statement to RNZ over the weekend they could confirm Reiri had resigned from her role.

About a month before the IPCA’s report was released, Coster sent an email to all staff following a meeting that day.

In the email, seen by RNZ, Coster said it was important for him that the SIA was an organisation “where each one of us feels we can bring our best to our work, in an environment that is positive and enabling”.

“Acknowledging the wider context from the Public Service census (in which we fared well and in connection with which we have an action plan), some comments in a recent Te Rama survey have given me cause for concern. I want to be able to address any issues, to ensure this is a place where everyone feels respected and valued. To do this, I need to understand your experiences and perspectives.

“To that end, I want to make myself available to meet with anyone who would like to talk. If you have something to share, please reach out to me directly. Anything you share will be treated with respect and care. I value your thoughts and insights, and I will only use what you share in a way that aligns with what you are comfortable with. I understand that speaking up isn’t easy but I invite you to feel that I will listen and take action where that is required.”

In December, RNZ asked SIA Minister Nicola Willis’ office for comment on Reiri. They said questions were best put to the SIA.

“Staffing within agencies is an operational matter for which Ministers don’t have responsibility.”

On Monday, a spokesperson for Willis said the minister did not have any comment to make.

“Employment matters within government agencies are for agency chief executives and, if warranted, the Public Service Commission to manage.”

Reiri’s profile on the SIA website, which has since been taken down, said she brought a “unique blend of public and private sector experience to the Social Investment Agency”.

“Her career has been dedicated to improving outcomes for New Zealanders through data-driven decision making and social investment approaches.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The government should be keeping tabs on the lingering and “deeply concerning” effects of Long Covid around the country, a health support group says.

Newly released data by the Ministry of Health estimated 185,000 New Zealanders experienced Long Covid symptoms in the 12 months ending July last year.

Figures released on Tuesday indicated over 400,000 people had developed Long Covid at some stage, equating to one in 11 adult New Zealanders.

About 12 percent of adults had reported having had Covid-19.

The survey indicated women, Māori and disabled adults were more likely to report having had Long Covid.

Of those who had contracted Covid, about one in six Māori adults (15.5 percent) reported having had Long Covid, compared to about one in nine non-Māori (11.3 percent).

Almost half of those who developed Long Covid were still experiencing symptoms when surveyed.

The Long Covid Support Aotearoa group was renewing its calls for better monitoring of Long Covid by authorities after front-footing the matter last week.

Spokesperson Larisa Hockey said it was surprising it took so long for the data to become public.

“[The] survey suggests about 185,000 New Zealanders were living with Long Covid symptoms at the time of the survey, roughly the population of Hamilton and broadly consistent with the earlier estimate,” she said.

“It also suggests more than 400,000 people may have experienced Long Covid at some stage, about the combined population of Wellington and Hamilton.”

Data from the survey was collected between July 2024 and July 2025 and included more than 9000 people aged 15 and over.

The group said the figures were sobering.

“We’re shocked and concerned that so many people have been underserved by New Zealand’s health authorities,” Hockey said.

“Now that the scale of the problem is clearer, we want to know why there are still no plans to monitor it.”

Long Covid Support Aotearoa nurse practitioner Catherine Appleby said the results were deeply concerning.

“The relatively high Māori prevalence of Long Covid is unacceptable. This significant inequity is an urgent public health issue that deserves government attention,” she said.

About a year ago, public health experts called for the government to protect people from Long Covid, which included the development and implementation of a health response strategy.

At the time, Health Minister Simeon Brown said Covid-19 and Long Covid were being managed as part of a ‘business as usual’ healthcare response, with the primary care sector largely taking the lead in patient care.

RNZ has approached the ministry for comment.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A government-led cap on dental school admissions are contributing to workforce shortages for clinics around the country, an oral health expert says.

The New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA) said clinics were going several months short-staffed after it surveyed almost 500 of its members between November and December last year.

The Fees and Dental Workforce Survey 2025, released on Tuesday, showed dental clinics across the country were facing long delays filling vacancies, putting pressure on communities already struggling to access dental care.

On average, it was taking clinics 24 weeks to recruit a dentist, with one-in-four vacancies going over 40 weeks unfilled.

The recruitment barriers were even more pronounced in the regions, where vacancies took close to a year to fill, or even longer.

A recent pop-up clinic offering free dental care in the Hawke’s Bay town of Wairoa was overwhelmed with demand as the township has not had a full-time dentist for five years.

Three-quarters of survey respondents worked in clinics with three or fewer dentists.

NZDA director of dental policy Dr Robin Whyman told RNZ the supply of dental school graduates had stalled.

This was down to domestic intake caps at the country’s only dental school at the University of Otago, he said.

“The number of dentists trained in New Zealand hasn’t really increased since the 1980s. The cap sits at 60 per year at the moment,” Whyman said.

“We think that number needs to rise to keep track with the population.”

The country’s population had increased from over 3 million in the 1980s to over 5 million, but the same number of dentists were being trained, Whyman said.

In 2014, the John Key-led government agreed to increase the number of undergraduate domestic dentistry students at Otago for the first time in more than half a century, from 54 to 60.

NZDA president Dave Excell said the figures pointed to growing pressure on both patients and dental teams.

“Clinics are doing everything they can to keep services running, but when positions stay vacant for months, staff are stretched and patients end up waiting longer,” he said.

“When a town like Wairoa has had no resident dentist for years and a free clinic is overwhelmed, it shows how fragile access becomes when the workforce isn’t there.”

Prolonged shortages took a toll beyond the numbers, Dr Excell said

“These gaps aren’t just operational issues because they also affect people.

“Clinicians want to care for their communities, and patients deserve reliable, ongoing access rather than short-term fixes.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Global popstar Robbie Williams will play Christchurch’s new stadium later this year.

Williams will be one of the first international acts at the One New Zealand Stadium when he brings his BRITPOP World Tour to the city on 28 November – the singer’s first concert in Christchurch in 25 years.

He would also play Auckland’s Eden Park on 24 November.

“Australia and New Zealand have always had a very special place in my heart. Ever since my first solo tours, you have welcomed me with open arms and made me feel at home. I’m beyond excited to be coming back this November for the BRITPOP World Tour. Can’t wait to see you all there!” Williams said.

Released in January, BRITPOP was a nod to the 90s Britpop era and featured collaborations with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Gaz Coombes (Supergrass), Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi, Mexican pop duo Jesse & Joy and Gary Barlow.

“I set out to create the album that I wanted to write and release after I left Take That in 1995. It was the peak of Britpop and a golden age for British Music. I’ve worked with some of my heroes on this album; it’s raw, there are more guitars and it’s an album that’s even more upbeat and anthemic than usual. There’s some ‘Brit’ in there and there’s certainly some ‘pop’ too – I’m immensely proud of this as a body of work and I’m excited for fans to hear this album” Williams said.

The government said Williams was bringing his BRITPOP World Tour to Aotearoa with the support of its $70 million Major Events and Tourism Package.

“It’s fantastic to welcome a showstopper act like Robbie, giving fans the chance to see him entertaining us,” said Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston.

She said the tour had been backed because of its capacity to attract large audiences and international visitors.

“We know concerts like his bring a significant economic injection into our cities and create a real buzz. It’s been calculated that for every dollar spent on live performance, $3.20 is returned in benefits to the wider community and that’s why we’re investing in them.”

Williams has six of the Top 100 best-selling albums in British history, 90 million album sales worldwide, a record 16 UK Number 1 albums and 18 BRIT Awards – more than any other artist.

In 2023, Netflix released a four-part documentary series, Robbie Williams, and in 2024 his Oscar-nominated film, Better Man, was released globally to critical acclaim.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Seven Oranga Tamariki workers are accused of bashing two teens – or failing to stop them being bashed – in a tiny phone room at an Auckland youth justice facility.

Prosecutors said the staff had gratuitously assaulted the boys after the teens had barricaded themselves in the two-by-1.5 metre room for more than an hour.

When the staff eventually got the door open, the six male defendants “stormed the booth in quick succession” and when they emerged, the teens appeared slumped over and injured.

But defence lawyers said the staff were using legal restraint to keep themselves and the teens safe in a high risk situation where the boys were destroying the booth, setting off sprinklers and flooding the unit.

Joseph Kirifi, Tapu Brown, Aidan Va, Quentin Schmidt, Susana Sofara, and two others with name suppression are on trial at the Manukau District Court and today pleaded not guilty to two charges of ill treatment or neglect of a child on 23 May 2023.

The crown told the jury that the charge meant each defendant had either assaulted the young people themselves, or failed to take reasonable steps to stop others hurting them.

Crown prosecutor Katie Karpik said the 16- and 17-year-old boys, who have name suppression, had been refusing to come out of the booth on the day in question, setting off the sprinklers.

When staff were finally able to open the door, the staff were frustrated and “elevated”, she said

“Despite there being only two youths in that small phone booth room they became significantly outnumbered by the defendants, she said.

“All seven defendant were in the room at one stage….and all six male defendants were in it for three minutes with two youths.”

Witnesses in the following days noticed black eyes and other injuries, she said

“The crown suggests such injuries are the result of gratuitous assaults and not necessary and reasonable levels of force.”

One of the defendants, Aidan Va, already had a conviction that for harming a boy at Korowai Manaaki about a month earlier, she said

He had arranged and filmed a one-on-one fight between two boys, she said.

She noted that did not mean he was guilty of the latest charges.

Relating to today’s case, he had sent a text to a friend saying he had “f***ed up” two boys and it was “crack up,” Karpik said.

The investigation that led to today’s charges was not sparked by a complaint from the boys, but other case workers had noticed their injuries.

When asked about them, the boys had lied and blamed them on things like falling off a chair, she said.

“They appreciated snitching was not the done thing,” she said.

No solid evidence, says defence

Each defendant has their own lawyer, and many wanted to make clear each defence was likely to be unique.

But most pointed out that, under law, the justice facility staff are entitled to use force against young people as long as it is reasonable.

They noted their clients were well trained and had used known, safe tactics to restrain the boys.

Joseph Kirifi’s lawyer Rasyad Ismail said his client was responding to a fast past situation that had escalated in the unit.

“Staff had no choice but to force entry into the room,” he said.

“The situation unfolded in a custodial environment where staff are sometimes required to intervene quickly to manage behaviour and to maintain safety,” he said.

Each of the boys had a long history of serious violence, including escaping custody, he said.

Several of the lawyers noted prosecutors did not know what happened in the booth – so, they could not separate who was alleged to have done the assault and who was alleged to have allowed it.

Shannon Withers, defending one of the men with name suppression, said the Crown case was “inferences at best, guesses and speculation at worst.”

He noted there were a lot of small people in a very small space where the boys had been destructive. That meant there could have been accidental injuries.

Emma Priest, for another with name suppression, noted the text messages the Crown was relying on for some of its case should be taken with a grain of salt.

They could be black humour among friends, she said, noting the use of emojis.

The trial is likely to take several weeks.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A humble spag bol dinner may no longer be an option for people on a tight budget, with the price of mince rising to its highest level since records began.

Food prices have gone up 4.5 percent in the year to February, with beef mince up a whopping 23.2 percent to $24.46 per kilogram.

Fruit and veggies also shot up by 9.4 percent and meat, poultry and fish were up 7.5 percent annually.

Checkpoint has also been monitoring the cost of everyday groceries across the different supermarket chains for the past four years, we did the same on Tuesday.

Shoppers were squinting their eyes and shaking their heads as they looked over their grocery receipts outside PAK’nSAVE in Auckland’s Royal Oak.

“Nothing’s gone down, everything else has gone up, milk, meat, fruit and vegetables and cheese [it’s] shocking,” one shopper told RNZ.

“It really has changed things in our everyday lives, especially when you have six kids,” said another.

While another person was concerned about wages not keeping up with inflation. “In the last two years, we’ve had to just gradually step up our groceries budget which has been really difficult cause wages don’t always increase to cover the inflation at the same time.”

The rising costs were also tough for those on pensions. “I’m a pensioner, I live on a fixed income so it’s crazy.”

While another person commented on the lengths some people are considering. “I was looking at this lady walking down one aisle and she had very pink eyes looking at the pet food and I thought I know what she’s thinking, it’s getting too hard”.

Stats NZ data out on Tuesday found food prices were up 4.5 percent in the year to February, with mince recording its biggest ever increase – up $4.60 per kilogram.

Sirloin steak wasn’t far behind, shooting up 21.4 percent over the year to $44.71 per kilogram.

Bad news for chocolate lovers, too, with a 250-gram block up 20.3 percent.

Shoppers told Checkpoint because of the high price of some items such as cheese, they have stopped buying them.

One shopper said “more frozen veggies instead of fresh, if they’re not as cheap.”

While the price of butter was still causing pain. “The butter, it’s crazy, it’s almost doubled.”

Some shoppers said their habits had changed. “I don’t buy red meat.”

And the classic kiwi staple was also raising eyebrows. “I used to buy 500 grams of good quality mince, it used to be 10, 11 dollars, now it’s 14.”

It wasn’t all bad news, though olive oil was down 22.1 percent to $17.62 a litre and eggs saw a 6.2 percent drop to $8.77 per dozen.

BNZ chief economist Mike Jones said international meat prices are at record levels, driven in particularly by a tightening in the United States market.

“Cattle numbers are at the lowest level since 1951 so they are short of beef, and that is pushing the global price up.

“We’re now seeing that reflected more and more in retail prices that we are paying.”

He said it’s a similar story for many everyday essentials.

“Much higher mince and meat prices, you’ve got bread, veggies all going up, in some cases in double digits.

“We’re [also] staring down some pretty big increases in petrol prices, so it is very much concentrated in some of those essential categories.

“So, it’s going to be particularly tough going I think for households that never really got much relief [from] the cost of living.”

Checkpoint has done the same shop every year since 2022 to compare prices at the country’s main supermarket chains.

We did another comparison on Tuesday in light of Tuesday’s Stats NZ data.

In May 2022, Checkpoint’s shop at Woolworths Greenlane cost $238 and was $217 at PAK’nSAVE Royal Oak.

On Tuesday those items at PAK’nSAVE have shot up to a total of $257, an extra $40.

A shop at Woolworths coming out at $293, adding an extra $55.

Compared to our shop in 2022, most fresh fruits and vegetables were more expensive, but overall, most are at least a dollar cheaper compared to last year.

Other items that are cheaper or have stayed the same throughout the years are Wattie’s Baked Beans, tomato sauce, Marmite, Pam’s canned diced tomatoes, a kilogram’s worth of plain white rice and items in the baking aisle such as plain flour and sugar.

But meat and dairy products are clearly hurting shoppers the most, with a kilogram of mince at Woolworths at $21.90 a kilogram, that’s an extra $7.

Other shoppers told Checkpoint the cost of gluten-free products had gone up over the years, and some were buying items such as butter in bulk to cut costs.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Public Service Association is calling on the government to offer targeted financial support to home support workers.

Many of country’s 23,000 home support workers are earning minimum wage and travel is reimbursed at only 63.5c per kilometre, the union for public servants said.

Home support workers provide assistance to elderly, disabled and injured people, helping with everyday tasks such as showering and taking medication.

Lower Hutt support worker and PSA delegate Lisa Thomson said those in the sector were struggling even before fuel prices surged.

“It’s actually pretty horrendous at the moment because we only get paid minimum wage and we get paid fortnightly and we’ve got to budget everything to the last cent,” Thomson said.

“There’s no room for extras on anything.

“It’s pay week this week, we’ll put gas in but next week where are we going to get the money from to put the gas in to go to our clients?”

The travel reimbursement – which was almost half the IRD kilometre rate – did not go far when support workers were travelling dozens of kilometres to visit more than 15 clients a day, Thomson said.

“We don’t get any money for the upkeep of our cars. We get a little bit for petrol and that’s about it.

“And one of the girls today just found out she needs four tyres this week – there’s a grand. Where’s that coming from? And then she’s still got to put her gas in the car.”

Home care workers’ pay equity claim was among those scrapped when the government wound back pay equity legislation last year.

Thomson wanted the government to increase the travel reimbursement immediately and to address pay equity for the sector.

It felt like the government did not care, she said.

“I would tell [Finance Minister Nicola Willis] … start thinking about the now and how everyone is going to do their jobs and do it effectively with the rising cost, because it’s not even just the petrol.

“Cost of living has gone up horrendously and we are essential workers and we should be getting paid what we’re worth.

“The government has taken all that away from us and they need to adjust it.”

PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said home support workers were getting a raw deal.

“We’re asking the government to make home support workers their top priority when it comes to addressing fuel prices,” she said.

“These are essential workers who make sure people can live in their own homes and use their own vehicles. The increased cost of fuel is biting them hard.

“They’ve already had their pay equity claim cancelled. We want government action to make sure that they are properly reimbursed for their fuel costs and the use of their own vehicles.”

“It’s a deeply unfair situation for these workers. They have to pay for their own cars, their own petrol, their maintenance, their warrants, their insurance and it’s really biting given the increased cost of fuel.

“We need to see urgent action from government for home support workers. They are bearing the brunt of the fuel crisis and we need to see an urgent response.”

RNZ has approached the Minister for Finance’s office for comment.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Cancer comes with a high price at the best of times, but it is getting more costly for hundreds of patients as fuel prices rise.

Many people with cancer are forced to drive hundreds of kilometres to main centres for treatment and specialist appointments, and are struggling as the conflict in the Middle East pushes up the price of petrol.

Under the National Travel Assistance scheme, patients needing to travel frequently to see specialists can apply for a mileage reimbursement. But the payment is only 34 cents a kilometre and has strict criteria.

The Cancer Society says an increasing number of patients can not afford the cost of what is supposed to be free treatment and the assistance scheme is totally inadequate.

Cancer Society southern head of cancer services Craig Watson told Checkpoint it was not just the cost of getting to treatment, but the price of everything, such as insurance.

“So it’s already hard times and this is going to make it a lot harder.”

Watson said people were still falling through the cracks of the travel assistance scheme.

“One woman who lived just north of Greymouth who had to travel five times to Christchurch for treatment, that’s 350 kilometres each way, so 3500kms, so because she didn’t meet the criteria of six appointments in six months, she wasn’t eligible for any support at all.”

He said the woman was not sure she would be able to afford to continue her treatment, until she got support from the Cancer Society and other organisations.

Watson said changes to the system in 2024 had improved things, “but we’re still stuck in a situation where it’s super expensive if you don’t live in a major city to get treatment”.

The process of actually getting the financial assistance was also an issue.

Watson said patients who travelled for treatment still had to apply for the milage by sending proof of appointments and other paperwork to get reimbursement, which could take months.

“We know times are tough and we know Iran is going to affect the budget of the government, so we’re just asking the government just to do what was promised, to make it more agile. They also promised to regularly increase the rates, which have only be updated once in the last 17 years, so let’s focus on doing what is right for patients.”

Health New Zealand acknowledged the scheme needed to improve to make it fit for purpose.

Planning and funding director Rachel Haggerty said the rate was lifted from 28 cents per kilometre to 34 cents in April 2024 and the mileage rate was not intended to cover full travel costs.

She said Health New Zealand had been working to modernise the scheme and patients can make claims electronically.

Haggerty said further improvements were being investigated, including changes to eligibility criteria and more flexible payment options, such as pre-payment.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

• Parents feel the effect of Ministry of Education-funded school bus route reviews
• One mother’s petrol bill jumps from $120 a week to $300 a week now her son can’t catch a bus
• Ministry says reviews are routine, to make sure transport funding is fair and efficient
• Officials back down from changes in Gisborne, RNZ understands.

A mother who now has to make two one-hour round trips to get her son to school every day says her petrol bill has tripled to more than $300 a week.

Becs Barr said her son Murphy is no longer eligible for a government-funded bus to school, after the Ministry of Education reviewed routes in the wider Manawatū region last year.

Officials said such reviews are routine and ensure compliance with its rules, such as students going to their nearest school.

It had recently undertaken such a review in the Gisborne area, but today it’s understood officials have backed down from changes that were to take effect from the start of the second school term, in April.

Fuel bill triples

For Murphy Barr’s first three years at Palmerston North Boys’ High School, getting to and from his home near the Horowhenua town of Shannon was easy – he’d catch the bus.

But this year, his fourth at the high school, he’s had to rely on his mum Becs for transport, after he was ruled ineligible to catch a ministry-funded service because Boys’ High isn’t his closest school.

“I have to take him to school each day, travel by car, and then turn around and come all the way back pretty much nearly to home to then go in the other direction to go to my job.

“I’ve now have lost an hour each morning at my job and I’ve also tripled my fuel bill.”

That bill has gone from $120 a week last year to more than $300 a week before the price hikes of the past few days.

When Becs Barr was recently sick, Murphy had to drive to Palmerston North, just two weeks after getting his restricted licence, to make sure he got to class.

Shannon parents and caregivers were looking at user-pays options, like families in some Manawatū towns Rongotea and Tangimoana had organised, Becs Barr said.

She was particularly displeased to often follow the funded-school bus into town as it transported students still deemed eligible to catch it.

“The bus which he would normally have got still leaves from exactly the same spot it used to and still takes children to their colleges in Palmerston North, but it won’t take Palmy Boys’ or Palmy Girls’ [students].”

Murphy Barr is set on becoming a helicopter engineer, and his Becs Barr said Palmerston North Boys’ High offered the best courses to help him achieve this.

The family made the decision to send him there knowing a funded bus was then available, and with no reason to think they wouldn’t fall within rules that weren’t being enforced.

“We’re fighting against a government that’s saying, ‘Get your children to school’. On the other hand they’re saying, ‘We’re not going to help you. We’re actually going to make it harder.’

“Do I quit my job to go on the dole and claim lots of benefits, so I can have more money to get my child to school. Is that what they want to happen?”

Reviews routine – ministry

The ministry has reviewed more than 250 routes nationwide, including in Manawatū, Northland and Hawke’s Bay.

General manager school transport James Meffan said such reviews were a routine, ongoing part of its work.

“We generally give schools at least a term’s notice of any changes to their school bus services,” he said.

“We notified the schools affected by the Palmerston North area review of the final outcome of our review on 17 September 2025. It is the school’s responsibility to notify their communities of school bus changes.”

The ministry funded buses from Shannon for students attending the closest high school, in Levin, and for those at state-integrated religious schools.

Eligibility criteria for buses were to make sure funding was allocated fairly and efficiently, Meffan said.

“The ministry’s bus operators can choose whether to transport ineligible students on ministry-funded services, as long as the student has permission from the school/s they are bypassing and there are enough seats for all students.

“We understand that the bus operator has elected not to carry ineligible students at this time.”

Biggest frustration in 14 years as school head

Palmerston North Boys’ High School rector David Bovey said about 300 students at the school were affected by bus route changes.

The school was looking at options for students. At times, some weren’t able to get to school.

“We’re having some families that are are making significant sacrifices to get their boys to school and it doesn’t always work.

“We had one situation where you could tell by the tone of the e-mail the mum was really, really frustrated, and had a bit of a crack at us because the car wouldn’t start and she couldn’t get her boy to school from Shannon.

“I feel for her because I’m right behind her. It’s it’s bloody tough.”

Bovey said the changes were a disaster.

“This has been the single most frustrating thing I’ve had to deal with in terms of our boys since I’ve been the rector, and that’s in 14 years.

“I know that they’re saying ‘it’s the policy’. So why now? The policy has been ignored for about 100 years,” he said.

“The government’s spending money on charter schools that we don’t need, and we’ve got kids who can’t get to the school they want to go to because of the bus situation.”

Backdown after Gisborne review

Rural students near Gisborne from term two faced the same challenges in getting to school after the ministry reviewed routes there.

Gisborne Boys’ High School headmaster Tom Cairns said the school had about 75 students who were no longer eligible for a funded bus, and other schools were affected too. Many came from isolated, rural communities, where families would struggle to travel into town.

But now RNZ understands the ministry has reversed course and services will stay as they are, a decision Cairns welcomed.

“We’re very pleased with the outcome. To reverse that shows that somebody is listening and has seen some sense.

“The really pleasing thing is they’ve recognised there’s an issue, and a significant one, and have acted on that.”

RNZ has approached the ministry on Tuesday for comment on the Gisborne situation.

Meffan had previously said: “Our recent review of routes in the Gisborne area showed that many students currently using our services are not eligible, either because public transport is available or because they are not attending their closest school.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Canterbury lines company MainPower is offering a $5000 reward for significant information relating to the tampering with or theft of copper earthing wires.

There have been more instances of copper theft in North Canterbury since January, compared to the whole of last year according to chief executive Sean Horgan.

“This year alone we’re up to well over 200. Over the last couple of days we’ve had another 11 that were stolen.”

Horgan said the copper that is stolen provides protection for MainPower’s equipment and for the public.

The stealing of the copper wiring impacts MainPower workers, because instead of their normal work they are also having to find and repair the power lines where the wire has been stolen, Horgan said.

And it is also costly to replace.

“We’re replacing these things. It’s about $1000 to $2000 a pop.”

The copper is on top of power poles, but not on every pole. Horgan said it is an integral part of the wider system, and it ensures the electricity runs safely to earth if there is a fault with the equipment.

Horgan said the copper runs down the length of the pole and is covered in a protective covering, and the thieves are cutting through it to take one-and-a-half to two metres of copper.

Horgan described it as an “agricultural operation”, and said thieves are using axes and wire cutters to get it out.

MainPower decided to offer a reward in the hope it would help the company find those responsible for stealing the copper, and have also enlisted the help of a private investigator.

“If you see something suspicious, our staff, the MainPower staff, are easily identifiable, they’ve got the full gear on, they look professional. If it’s somebody out the back of a car or truck with an axe, then chances are they’re up to no good, so please let us know.”

The number to report any information is 0800 WIRETHEFT (0800 947 384).

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A man who claims he was sexually assaulted as a teen by an older man decades ago has been accused of making up the allegation to get a prison sentence reduced.

The accused, who has name suppression, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection between 1994 and 1995.

A retrial of the alleged assailant started in the Christchurch District Court yesterday.

Yesterday, Crown prosecutor Penny Brown said the complainant, who was 18 or 19 years old at the time of the alleged offending, claims the pair drank and smoked cannabis at a bach in Lake Coleridge bach, before the complainant became so intoxicated he thought he might have been drugged.

The complainant said he was put to bed by the accused, and woke to find he was being sexually assaulted.

Brown said the complainant didn’t report it to the police until 2020, by which time she said his life had derailed and he was due to be sentenced for serious offending.

The complainant had earlier mentioned the alleged abuse to the writer of a pre-sentence report.

The accused’s defence lawyer, David Stevens, today asked the complainant about the timing of the complaint.

Stevens put to the complainant he told the pre-sentence report writer he had been abused in an attempt to reduce his sentence, and told his family about the allegation to try and explain his offending.

“No, I didn’t use anything. I don’t advertise my past, I don’t pity myself for what has happened to me over my life time. I don’t … poor me.”

Brown asked the complainant what led to him making the complaint when he did.

He said while in prison he encountered people who had experienced a lot of abuse in their lives, but he saw some of them had spoken up about what had happened to them and it had helped them.

“When you are brought up kids are supposed to be seen but not heard, you’re not meant to bring things up. And you live that life but seeing some of these old boys, and some of them are tough buggers, but to hear them come out and say you need to get it off your chest, you need to speak to someone.”

Brown asked him his response to the allegation he made up the complaint.

“What am I doing here now then? Why am I going through this now?” said the man.

“I’ve been sentenced and I’m a free man. If someone was in jail? Sure. But I’m a free man and this could have been knocked on the head ages ago. I wouldn’t be putting myself through this.”

The trial is continuing.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Millions in new government funding to meet winter demand is a drop in the bucket, healthcare unions say.

The $25 million funding will see 378 full-time staff and 71 beds added to hospitals ahead of the colder months, which the government says will increase patient flow and reduce wait times.

Health minister Simeon Brown said the goal was to keep people out of hospital by strengthening GP-level care, and improving patient flow by getting people out of those beds and into care in the community.

“Of course, this plan is not a silver bullet,” he said at the announcement at the Auckland Business Chamber on Tuesday morning.

“We know that demand will still be high and hospitals will face record levels of patients this winter,” he said.

“But by planning early, expanding capacity and supporting front-line teams we give our staff the tools, resources and flexibility they need to manage this pressure, and deliver the care when New Zealanders need it the most.”

The package included funding for 567 short-stay spots in aged care facilities, to free up space in hospitals.

Aged Care Association chief executive Tracey Martin said it was great to see the value of the aged care sector being recognised, but it was already at more than 90 percent capacity.

Finding beds to fund, and the staff to go with them, might be tricky, she said.

“So you might have money, but can you find a bed? And can you find a place that has the beds and the staffing that you need?” she said. “When you starve the sector for so long, you can’t just suddenly dial it up.”

It could be an option for aged care facilities – which were predominantly privately owned – to physically add more beds, but Martin said they might be reluctant to grow their footprint or hire staff on a short-term basis.

“I don’t think it’s going to be as easy to implement as they think it is,” she said. “There aren’t 567 short-term care beds just sitting empty right now, in New Zealand.”

Labour’s health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said demand needed to be addressed in the community first.

“It’s a pretty standard winter plan, the sort that was rolled out under Labour governments,” she said.

“But the difference here is now we know 650,000 New Zealanders each year can’t afford to go to the general practitioner because of the cost. As long as that’s the case, demand will remain high in our hospitals, and they’ll continue to struggle.”

Labour has committed to three free GP visits for every New Zealander, if they are elected, to treat people before they need hospital level care.

Meanwhile, the nurses’ union said any increase in staff was welcome, but this announcement severely underplayed the shortage.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation chief executive Paul Goulter said it was not yet clear how much of the funding would go towards hiring nurses specifically, but the union’s own research estimated a business-as-usual shortage far beyond what could be met by this funding.

“We’ve got an ongoing shortage of nurses across the hospital system, and our research showed that our hospitals are short on average 587 nurses every shift, and then you’ve got the impact of winter coming.”

Sarah Dalton from the senior doctor’s union, the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, called it a drop in the bucket.

When that criticism was put to Brown, he stood by his announcement.

“We’re focused on putting more resource into the front line and actually making progress, and actually, this has been a plan put together by working with our local hospitals across the country, them highlighting what’s going to make the biggest difference.”

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have chased a stolen car across Auckland as it hit other vehicles following a home invasion in the east of the city.

The burglary in Howick was reported just after 3pm on Tuesday, with offenders reportedly armed with a machete. The offenders left the scene in a Ford Ranger taken from the property on Bleakhouse Rd, police said.

Police had seen the vehicle heading towards the East Tāmaki area.

“Eagle monitored the vehicle as it drove dangerously through Ōtara, Manukau and onto the Southern Motorway into the central city.” Superintendent Shanan Gray said

On multiple occasions it was seen driving on the wrong side of the road at high speeds.”

Gray said the Ford Ranger was the cause of several collisions with cars that belong to members of the public.

“Police vehicles were rammed on more than one occasion.”

One lane of Karangahape Rd was blocked by police.

An RNZ reporter at the seen said two damaged vehicles can be seen, a small Honda with extensive damage to the front and its bumper ripped off and lying on the road, and a Ford Ranger nearby.

Because of the risk, Gray said the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) was deployed and followed the car on Queen St.

“AOS has carried out a non-compliant vehicle stop on Karangahape Road, immediately taking all four occupants into custody,” he said

“Police deployed a range of tactics including a distraction device, a non-lethal sponge round and a police dog to effect the arrests.”

It was lucky no-one was seriously hurt, he added.

Police also want to hear from anyone who had their vehicle damaged by the incident.

They will be laying charges on Tuesday afternoon.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Bay of Plenty health team has had a big boost in childhood vaccination rates, saying “pressure free kōrero” and giving people space are the keys to success.

Over about 18 months, the Western Bay of Plenty Primary Health Organisation (PHO) has lifted the vaccination rate for Māori under-twos in its care from 58 percent to 70 percent.

For all its under-twos, it has gone from 78 to 83 percent.

Childhood vaccination rates for diseases like whooping cough and measles took a hit in the Covid era and have been slow to recover in many parts of the country.

The Western Bay of Plenty team said a flexible and personalised approach was driving change.

It was holding night and mobile clinics, and had nurses who would visit people at home if they had not been able to contact them.

Donna Moon was one of the outreach vaccinators.

She got mixed reactions when she turned up at people’s homes but said face-to-face visits made a huge difference.

It was a privilege to be at someone’s home and she always tried to respect their boundaries, she said.

“I will always say ‘look there is no pressure in this conversation’ early in the conversation,” she said.

There were many reasons why people were behind on their vaccinations.

“It could simply be that they haven’t had time, they haven’t had petrol money, they’ve made appointments then the kids have been sick so there’s so many different reasons. Sometimes mum is needle-phobic and they just can’t face it,” she said.

Moon said she rarely vaccinated children at the first home visit, more often having a chat and listening to any concerns before leaving.

The nurses understood that patients had often been dealing with a lot of conflicting information on social media and it was hard for many to work out what was scientific and what was emotional, she said.

It was important to give people lots of space – many wanted to discuss it with their whānau, she said.

“We know that if we go at people with a whole lot of factual information, they’ll just close off. They need time to think about it, especially if they have been in that space of being reluctant,” she said.

The team never judged people on their decisions or the time they were taking, she said.

The Western Bay of Plenty PHO is a partnership between 23 GP practices and the Ngāi te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui iwis.

They also worked with the public health services and other iwi health organisations – it ran its overnight clinics alongside Ngati Kahu Health.

Tori Macartney oversees the outreach vaccination team and said, for the night clinics, the starting point was a “pressure free kōrero.”

Some people would choose to have their children immunised there, others would just glean information.

About 75 percent of the PHO’s vaccinations were done in standard clinics – but having options for the other quarter was crucial, she said.

“Is it easiest for us to come to the home? Would they prefer the immunisation done in their whare or in a van or in a night clinic?” she said.

The chief executive of the PHO, Sarah Stevenson, said the collaborative approach was key.

It was also working hard to take an equitable approach to its work and the team had been working on getting a better understanding of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.

Stevenson said one of the keys was to be very tailored to what the community needed and it was fantastic to see that working.

“It’s kind of delivering healthcare out there on the road in a way that is just more convenient,” she said.

“It’s an important service I think in any healthcare delivery that we look at what is the easiest and best way to deliver healthcare – and immunisation is no different.”

The organisation had about 148,000 patients enrolled across its clinics.

There were more than 800 under-twos covered by the statistics in the 18 month period, just over 120 of them Māori.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Labour leader Chris Hipkins is expected to respond to allegations made by his ex-wife at a media conference at 4.45pm today.

He arrived back in the country from Australia on Tuesday.

The claims – which do not relate to any unlawful activity – were posted on Jade Paul’s private Facebook page on Sunday evening but were since removed.

On Monday, Hipkins said “I reject the allegations entirely and don’t intend to make any further comment.”

In response to questions from RNZ, Paul said she stood by her comments.

Hipkins and Paul married at Premier House in early 2020 and separated in 2022. They have two children.

Hipkins publicly confirmed the split in January 2023, shortly after becoming prime minister, saying they had made the decision in the best interest of their family.

Later that year, Hipkins revealed during his election night concession speech that he had a new partner, Toni Grace.

Hipkins proposed to Grace in November.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

TradeMe says rising petrol prices are prompting more people to consider electric vehicles.

The site said it experienced a 142 percent spike in searches for electric vehicles in March compared to February.

The average price of 91 is now over $3.05 a litre according to price monitoring app Gaspy.

TradeMe said there were 125,000 searches for electric vehicles in the first half of March, compared to 50,000 in the same period of February.

TradeMe head of motors Brendan Hall said the end of the government’s Clean Car Scheme in December 2023 created a huge spike in demand previously.

“We saw EV searches peak at 111,000 in October 2023 as buyers rushed to take advantage of the rebate before it disappeared. As expected, interest cooled considerably after it ended, with searches declining in the beginning of 2024.

“The latest interest marks a significant turnaround, showing that while the rebate was a strong motivator, the current pressure of fuel prices has Kiwi drivers seriously considering whether an electric model would suit their needs.”

The average price of an electric vehicle on Trade Me is $39,000.

The most commonly searched cars were a Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Kona.

Hall said a 2015 Tesla Model S was the most viewed and watchlisted EV.

“At the same time, there is currently a 2013 Nissan Leaf with an asking price of $2,500, so there really is something for everybody.”

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