Source: Radio New Zealand

Christchurch Hospital is working on ways to manage an expected influx of patients sick with winter illnesses like Covid-19 and the flu, as the nurses’ union warns the emergency department is already bursting at the seams and understaffed.

The Nurses Organisation said the hospital hit 108 percent capacity on Monday morning, with ED a pinch point.

Union delegate and Christchurch Hospital healthcare assistant Al Dietschin said the ED was seeing more than 400 patients per day, some of whom had to wait in corridors.

“It’s been chronic for some time the busyness. We haven’t seen numbers drop over summer it’s been kind of relentless. That just puts so much pressure on the workforce and obviously affects patient care,” he said.

“It’s horrendous but unfortunately it seems to be the new normal.

“On the ground what it looks like in ED is an overwhelmed department where patients are waiting in corridors. We get a situation when the wards are all so full you can have a bed lock occur.”

Otago University Professor Michael Baker said New Zealand was in its ninth Covid-19 wave, with hospitalisations and deaths climbing.

Wastewater analysis from PHF Science showed the number of cases was at its highest rate for more than six months and the latest Health New Zealand figures showed there had been 50 hospitalisations and 19 deaths with the virus in the past week.

Covid-19 was filling up hospitals, and everyone needed to “act to reduce impact”, Baker said.

Dietschin there were too few staff at Christchurch Hospital for the number of patients and the situation would only get worse over winter.

“It’s quite scary because staff get sick as well and that just increases the short staffing. It just causes sort of a rationing of care which then contributes to the moral injury and burnout of staff,” he said.

He said staff were being regularly redeployed from one area of the hospital to another to meet the shortage.

“It’s kind of a bit like moving the deck chairs around on the Titanic,” he said.

“We’re short of RNs [registered nurses], we’re short of healthcare assistants, we’re short of doctors, we’re short of midwives and Te Whatu Ora and this government don’t seem to be addressing it. We need a massive increase in funding in public healthcare.”

The union had been in bargaining with health authorities over safe staffing levels for 18 months, Dietschin said.

“The increase in presentations within the ED department, that’s partly a result of primary healthcare that’s failing, where people aren’t being caught early so they become more acutely unwell and present in ED,” he said.

Health New Zealand Canterbury operations group director Hamish Brown said Christchurch’s ED was busier than usual at the end of the weekend.

“Our team saw an average 423 patients over the weekend (394 on Saturday and 451 on Sunday), which is 22 patients more compared with the previous weekend and 35 more compared to the same time last March,” he said.

“This pressure was primarily related to acute trauma demand affecting the emergency department and wards rather than staffing shortages.

“We had, and continue to have, staff to cover to meet demand, and our teams actively managed the situation to minimise any impact on care. At very busy times there may be some waits for a bed space to become available, however patients are only discharged when they are well enough.”

Brown said anyone who needed urgent or emergency care should come to ED without delay or call 111.

“We encourage those with non-urgent concerns to consider other options for access to acute care, including the free Healthline (0800 611 116) to speak to a registered nurse, or local GPs, healthcare providers and community pharmacies,” he said.

Initiatives had been put in place or were being worked on at the hospital to help manage the anticipated high winter demand for illnesses like Covid-19, flu, and other respiratory conditions, Brown said.

Kidney patients in Christchurch were also being warned dialysis treatment may have to be rationed because of staffing shortages and a lack of space at the hospital.

In a letter to patients and seen by RNZ, the hospital’s kidney department said some patients might be asked to change treatment days, times or locations to manage the pressure.

Dr Curtis Walker from the Board of Kidney Health New Zealand told Morning Report it was a difficult situation.

“It’s incredibly disruptive for patients. I’ve got patients on dialysis who are trying to run a business, who are trying to get kids to school, trying to look after elderly parents and the last thing they need is even more uncertainty in what’s already a pretty challenging treatment,” he said.

“Most patients need three dialysis sessions a week and if they don’t they start to feel unwell or even worse they can get fluid build up or potassium build up and that can have fatal consequences.”

Walker says dialysis demand was placing stress across the country and was projected to get worse.

“There are 12 main dialysis units in New Zealand and all of them are under stress and strain,” he said.

“All of them say they can’t dialyse all their patients according to the patient’s preference, all of them report a lack of physical capacity and funding and over half have said we’ve had to reduce hours or delay dialysis when patients start dialysis.”

Brown said Health New Zealand was considering options for addressing the problems at the Christchurch unit.

“In 2024, an existing inpatient room was repurposed to add four further dialysis chairs. Longer term options include building a new unit, or re-purposing an existing larger space as well as exploring chairs in more remote sites such as Ashburton, so dialysis care can be provided closer to home for those patients,” he said.

“Advertising for a senior medical officer and approximately six FTE nurses is already underway to meet the immediate need for extra sessions for dialysis in Canterbury.”

Heath New Zealand acknowledged kidney disease was a growing challenge nationally and said it was working to strengthen renal care, increase capacity and improve early detection.

Over the past year it had increased dialysis shifts in several high-demand regions and invested in new and upgraded dialysis units, including the new $40 million Waikato Renal Centre.

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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 South Auckland man who was hit by a car while cycling believes drivers illegally parking on cycle lanes is a safety issue in the area.

He said during busy periods some cycle lanes were clogged up with cars, forcing cyclists onto the road or footpath.

A cycling advocacy group said it was an issue right across Auckland.

Māngere man Selwyn Lilley knows the danger cars pose to cyclists – he was hit by one while coming around a roundabout near Māngere town centre on his bike.

“This car came up from Bader Drive and collected me. So I was lucky… got out of it with just with a couple of cracked ribs and a chipped pelvis. But I spent three weeks on crutches.”

Lilley no longer cycled for fear of being hit again.

There were now several cycleways covering the area around Māngere town centre, but Lilley said drivers parking over the lanes were causing problems for cyclists.

Some days it might be one or two cars, he said, but on busy weekends or when there was an event on nearby, whole streets could be clogged up.

“If you have car after car after car where the road is pretty busy. They don’t take any notification. Then they honk at you and say ‘use the cycle lane that’s what it’s been built for’.

“Most people would turn around and say ‘hey, we’ll use the cycle lane but you cars are in the way’.”

Manukau councillor Alf Filipaina said part of the problem was that there were not enough carparks for families living in new apartments in the area.

“You’ll see a lot of the cars parking on the verge, because they don’t have sufficient car parks … especially when you’ve got multiple families in there.”

“Hopefully we’ll have an alternative – I know they want to get people out of their cars but when you’ve got the car that’s for all the family members, there’s no option.”

Filipaina wanted a community campaign to encourage people to make use of the cycle lanes in the area.

“Let’s use some of our community people to sort of let them know the benefits. But also realise that sometimes we just can’t get the bikes for the kids for them to use the cycle lanes.”

Co-chair of Bike Auckland Karen Hormann said people parking on bike lanes was a problem right across the city.

“It’s forcing people riding bikes, expecting the protection of a cycleway, to be forced out into the traffic. It’s actually really unsafe.”

It was important to keep on top of the issue because getting people onto different modes of transport was the only way to improve congestion in Auckland, she said.

“Auckland is very congested. And drivers are getting frustrated. They’re also parking on footpaths and berms and blocking people’s access. We really need to allow for all of these different mobility modes.”

Auckland Transport (AT) head of transport and parking compliance, Rick Bidgood, said enforcement with consequences was the only real way to deal with the problem. The fine for parking on a cycle lane was $70.

As cycling was relatively new to Auckland compared to European cities, it would take time for people to recognise it as a real form of transport, Bidgood said.

AT head of active modes Tania Loveridge said when the new stretches of cycleway were being built in Mangere, it ran a targeted communications campaign edcuating people about changes to parking.

There had been an average five percent growth per year in cycling across Auckland over the past three years, Loveridge said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Counsellors say long wait lists and not enough publicly funded services are preventing people seeking the help they need.

The Association of Counsellors said its Counselling Workforce Report 2025 found growing demand for counselling – alongside a shrinking workforce and funding pressures.

President Huhana Pene said the lack of public funding for sessions was putting the handbrake on help.

“New Zealand has a qualified counselling workforce that wants to help,” Pene said, “But system barriers mean many people who need counselling are waiting too long or missing out altogether.”

Pene said there were also concerns about the workforce – with more than half working part-time with low or insecure incomes.

Many planned to reduce their practice, retire or leave the profession within two years.

“Without changes to funding and employment conditions, we risk losing experienced counsellors at a time when demand for support continues to grow,” Pene said.

Schools were under particular pressure, with counsellors reporting a steady flow of students seeking support and increasingly complex needs.

Many said they were forced to prioritise students in crisis, leaving limited time for preventative support.

Pene said practical solutions were available – improving funding stability for non-government organisations, increasing the ratio of counsellors to students in schools to 1:400, and strengthening recognition of the profession would all improve access to counselling.

“Counselling is a vital part of New Zealand’s mental health support, and if we address some of these barriers, counsellors would be better able to help many more people when they need it.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A weather alert has been issued as a tropical storm nears the north of the country.

A tropical low is expected to lie north of New Zealand on Wednesday afternoon, bringing southeast gales and heavy rain to the north.

MetService has issued a strong wind watch for the Far North District from 1pm to 11pm on Wednesday. There was a moderate chance the watch could be upgraded to a warning.

Civil Defence Northland is advising people to take extra care on the roads and check they are prepared for any potential power outages caused by strong winds

From Thursday, the forecasting agency said the system is expected to move and reach Auckland.

Meanwhile, another front moves onto Fiordland, bringing strong northwesterlies and heavy rain.

MetService said there is low confidence that warning amounts of rain will accumulate in Northland, northern Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula, but moderate confidence that warning amounts of rain will accumulate in Fiordland.

Come Friday, the remnants of the low and the associated front are expected to move across the northern half of the North Island, while the front over Fiordland moves northeast over the remainder of the South Island.

“There is low confidence that warning amounts of rain will accumulate from Northland through to Taupō, also northern Gisborne/Tairawhiti, and from northwest Tasman to Westland, but moderate confidence that warning amounts of rain will accumulate in Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty and Fiordland,” MetService said.

The rain is expected to ease by Saturday morning.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Five years after Who’s Eating NZ, this series revisits where our food goes – but this time through the lens of Kiwi breakfast, lunch and dinner staples. We track how much of what we produce is eaten here, and who has a seat at our global table during meal times. Today, it’s lunch time.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon memorably advised parents unhappy with supplied school lunches to “make a Marmite sandwich and put an apple in a bag”.

New Zealand certainly does enjoy an abundance of apples.

We grow so many that almost nine out of 10 are sold overseas, fresh and processed.

The bumper crop is no accident. There has been a concerted push to grow the apple export industry with the development and marketing of new varieties. Royal gala and Braeburn apples have been joined by Jazz, Envy and Rockit.

Back in 2012, the industry set a goal of reaching $1 billion in exports by 2022. At that time, exports were sitting at $340 million. The target was missed in 2022, but exceeded in 2025 when exports of $1.26b were achieved.

New challenges come with that success though. Horticulture company T&G won a court order in China, forcing orchards in China to rip out illegally grown knock-offs of its Envy variety.

China clearly has developed a taste for our apples – it was our biggest apple buyer in 2025, followed by Taiwan, Vietnam and India.

For local apple buyers, prices fluctuate through the year, with the highest prices occurring in January. In 2007, 1kg of apples cost $3.89. In January 2025 a kilogram of apples cost $6.15.

The humble avocado might be one of the most controversial foods around. Along with being blamed for creating a generation of renters, its notoriously slippery stone has meant millions in ACC payouts for ‘avocado hand’ injuries, and telling someone they “have the avocados” can spark a language debate.

As well as being keen consumers, New Zealand makes a solid contribution to the global supply of avocados. More than 4700 hectares of the country is planted in avocados, with most concentrated in the Far North and Bay of Plenty.

About 50 percent of what was grown locally last year remained in the country, the rest heading offshore.

Australia is the biggest buyer, purchasing about a third of our exports in 2025, down from a peak of 90 percent in 2020. Far smaller quantities are bought by South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Export earnings have fallen from a 2020 high of $177m to $102m, as New Zealand competes with other global growers, such as Peru, which had a bumper crop in 2025.

New Zealand Avocado chief executive Brad Siebert said countries such as Mexico, Peru, Columbia and South Africa are producing more avocados, which leads to volatile prices. Demand globally is increasing, but at a slow, sometimes uneven pace.

Domestic prices rise and fall annually, often peaking in May. The highest price per kg of $28.67 was in May 2019.

Seafood might be hard to miss in an office lunchroom, but in the data it disappears. It is incredibly hard to put a figure on how much commercially caught seafood ends up in our lunchboxes compared to what’s exported.

The industry body Seafood NZ said there’s been no need to collect domestic information and this position hasn’t changed since RNZ examined seafood exports in 2020.

It is possible to take some stabs at the number. Previously published figures include 90 percent, 77 percent, and numbers previously on Seafood New Zealand’s website say approximately 450,000 tonnes of seafood is caught each year, with 276,901 tonnes exported.

This comes out at about 63 percent – but working on caught weight versus exported weight is not accurate. Fish is gutted and often filleted before export, so it is impossible to match the caught weight up with export data. Sanford’s 2025 annual report says about 82 percent of its sale value is from exports.

Where our seafood goes has shifted over time. In the 1990s, Japan, Australia and the United States were the biggest buyers of our seafood, but by 2011 China emerged as the top buyer. Its spending peaked in 2022 at $709m but by 2025 dropped to $594m.

Seafood exports earned $2b in 2024 and 2025. The biggest single export earner was live rock lobster – China bought $290m worth of them.

Crayfish might not be on everyone’s lunch menu, but rock lobster has been New Zealand seafood’s biggest export earner since 2017 with around 2500 tonnes exported each year, earning between $266m and $392m. Export volumes hit a record 2700 tonnes in 2025.

The demand has put pressure on crayfish populations. In December it was announced that commercial and recreational fishing for rock lobster will be banned from April 2026 off Northland’s east coast in an effort to halt the species rapid decline in the area.

Despite high-profile controversy about global beverage giants bottling our water, exported New Zealand water actually represents a small proportion compared to what’s sold locally.

An exact figure for local sales is hard to come by, but 2018 information published on the Ministry for the Environment’s website suggests only 17 percent is exported.

Bottling companies pay resource consent fees, but do not pay for the water itself. This can mean they pay less for water than residential rate payers.

In 2020 China was the biggest buyer, but since 2022 the US has taken top position.

Despite abundant water here, Kiwis still pay for water from other countries. In 2025 more than 3 million litres was imported, including 1m litres from Italy and nearly 300,000 litres from Fiji.

Stay tuned for Friday’s story, where we take a look at who we’re sharing our dinner with and dive into beef, sheep, onion and wine exports.

Where the data came from

Apples: New Zealand Apple and Pears and StatsNZ trade data items with a harmonised system description containing “Fruit, edible; apples”.

Avocados: New Zealand Avocado and StatsNZ trade data items with a harmonised system description containing “Fruit, edible; avocados, fresh”.

Seafood: Various sources and StatsNZ trade data for items with a harmonised system code between 301910000 to 308909000.

Water: Ministry for the Environment and StatsNZ trade data items with the following harmonised system descriptions: “Waters; mineral and aerated, including natural or artificial, (not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter nor flavoured), other than in metal containers”, Waters; other than mineral and aerated, (not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter nor flavoured), ice and snow, other than in metal containers” , “Waters; mineral and aerated, including natural or artificial, (not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter nor flavoured), in metal containers”, “Waters; other than mineral and aerated, (not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter nor flavoured), ice and snow, in metal aerosol containers, not containing chlorofluorocarbons” , “Waters; other than mineral and aerated, (not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter nor flavoured), ice and snow, in metal containers, not aerosol”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Immigration New Zealand says it is trying to contact nearly a dozen cultural performers from India who are believed to have remained in the country after their visas expired.

The performers travelled to New Zealand last month as part of a group accompanying Bollywood singer Shibani Kashyap for Holi celebrations around the country.

Jeannie Melville, deputy chief operating officer at Immigration New Zealand, said the agency assessed visa applications for a group of 27 Indian nationals travelling under the banner “Community Holi Celebration with Shibani Kashyap”.

“The Indian Consulate in Auckland was the point of contact for the group,” Melville said.

“INZ verified that the event was genuine, including consultation with the Indian Consul General in Auckland who confirmed they were supporting the event,” she said.

“A robust and fair assessment process was applied to the individuals making up this group, including collaboration with our Risk and Verification teams in India.”

Eighteen people from the group arrived in New Zealand. Of those, three have since left the country and 15 remained in the country, according to Immigration New Zealand.

“Four hold valid visitor visas,” Melville said.

Melville said seven applications were initially approved while four were declined due to concerns, including suspected fraudulent documents.

Immigration New Zealand later approved 13 short-term limited visas for the specific purpose of attending the event.

The agency said it had been in contact with the Indian High Commission about the situation and was prioritising efforts to contact those who may now be in the country unlawfully on a case-by-case basis.

The group travelled from India to perform at Holi events around the country, including one held in Pukekohe in February.

Kashyap also visited New Zealand last year and performed at Independence Day events organised by Delhi-based CD Foundation.

Melville said Immigration New Zealand was not aware of similar past cases involving cultural performers from India overstaying their visas, though she noted the agency’s reporting did not record that level of detail.

RNZ has approached the Indian High Commission and the Indian Consulate for comment.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The government has warned the country’s oil deliveries are in doubt if the conflict in the Middle East rages on.

The closure of the Straits of Hormuz and damage to infrastructure has triggered volatility, fuelling record oil prices.

Prices hikes have stretched beyond the petrol pump, with Air New Zealand raising fares, suspending its earning guidance and warning it may have to cut flights if oil prices continued to increase.

Air Chathams said the rising cost of oil was costing the small airline about $140,000 extra a month in fuel, and could see it cut flights.

Associate Energy Minister and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones told Checkpoint the government was not considering rationing, despite the Australian government looking at contingency plans that included fuel rationing.

He said the government had been assured the physical arrival of the fuel was not under threat in coming months.

“But get to May we’re told by the industry unless things change there’ll be big challenges.”

A newly created ministerial oversight group, announced by PM Luxon late yesterday, will meet for the first time on Wednesday, Jones said.

The group is led by Finance Minister Nicola Willis and included Jones, Minister of Agriculture and Trade Todd McLay, Minister of Energy Simon Watts and Minister of Commerce Scott Simpson.

Key inputs for New Zealand’s fertiliser industry such as urea come out of the Middle East, including from Iran, and the government also wanted to keep an eye on any price gouging, Jones said.

The group would discuss options for relief from spiking energy costs.

The minister would not outline what measures were being considering, and warned such actions always had consequences.

The government was already supporting regional airlines through loans from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, Jones said.

The minister said it was a “great worry” a number of countries with refineries were significantly reducing supply.

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) data showed the country had 27 days of petrol in the country, and 22 days worth shipped but yet to arrive, 24 days of diesel, with 29 days on the water, and 28 days worth of jet fuel, with 22 days shipped.

Some oil companies had already declared force majeure – a clause that freed companies from contractual obligations due to extraordinary circumstances, such as natural disasters or wars.

Wise Response Society chair Nathan Surendran said levels of damage across multiple countries meant delays could last weeks or months even if the conflict ended quickly, but the threat went beyond delays.

“The force majeure declarations cascading across Gulf and Asian suppliers did not just mean delays to oil supplies, they void contracts, and could see fuel currently headed to New Zealand diverted to nations willing to pay more,” Surendran said.

There were signs this was already happening, with reports of cargoes being diverted from Europe and Africa to Asia.

The government should take a precautionary approach, signalling possible rationing now, before shortages forced it, Surendran said.

“Australian fuel wholesalers were already rationing supplies to retailers despite Australia holding 36 days of reserves and two domestic refineries – New Zealand has neither,” he said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The diesel-reliant Chatham Islands are bracing for an energy shock as petrol hits $4.50 per litre and may continue to rise.

The Chatham’s relies heavily on diesel to power the island. Although the Point Durham wind farm that opened in November is now carrying a chunk of that load.

Petrol was also shipped to the island, about 800km from the mainland.

The price of Brent crude was fluctuating off the back of war in the Middle East, at one point hitting almost US$120 a barrel.

The approximately 650 residents on the Chathams are bracing for pain at the pump.

Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust chief executive and council interim CEO Bob Penter said residents are a bit nervous.

“We are watching closely at what’s happening in the Middle East… We are certainly starting to see the effects come through to the Chathams,” he told RNZ’s Checkpoint.

Fuel arrives at the Chatham Islands by ship from New Zealand, around 120,000 litres at a time.

Penter said the island’s latest weekly fuel price has jumped about 73 cents, or 57 percent, when compared to the last three weeks.

It puts diesel at $2.29 per litre and petrol at $4.50 per litre, he said.

“We have got a bit of resilience because we’ve got a tank farm that allows us to store approximately 400,000 litres on the island… But not a lot of breathing space and eventually, if the Middle East events continue, we are going to be forced to revisit our pricing.”

Penter hopes petrol doesn’t crack $5 per litre.

“The island depends on fuel for pretty much everything we do here. It’s our flights, it’s our shipping, it’s electricity [and] it’s how we get our food here. If we are looking at price increases, it’s really going to dramatically impact the cost of living for Chatham Islanders, which is going to be a major concern.”

On Monday, the chief executive of Air Chathams said the rising cost of oil is costing the small airlinesome $140,000 extra a month in fuel.

Air Chathams chief executive Duane Emeny told Checkpoint the airline may have to cut the number of flights should the price of jet fuel remain so high.

“If you can’t afford to put aeroplanes in the air, then you’ve got to look at that and say ‘do I cut back my schedule, do I provide less connectivity because of this cost and then wait until it comes right and eases?’.”

Penter said the island hopes the conflict in the Middle East settles down sooner rather than later.

“Chatham Islanders are probably more resilient than the global fuel supply at the moment,” he said.

“They’re pretty stoic in terms of events like this, but really, the fuel, we are essentially a diesel economy.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The price of flying has already gone up – and could take off again if the conflict in the Middle East continues.

Air New Zealand raised its fares this morning, and said it could be forced to raise them again and review routes.

It is all connected to the price of aviation fuel and the critical Hormuz Strait, a shipping route for up to 20 percent of the world oil which is essentially closed due to the conflict in the area.

The price of jet fuel has been fluctuating wildly since the conflict broke out, and has at times gone up more than 120 percent.

Regional carrier Chathams Air said the war in the Middle East could add more than $1.6 million to its annual fuel bill if it continues.

It said the airline could also be forced to look at prices and schedule cuts.

Travel agent Vincent George told Checkpoint the price increase was not only to do with fuel costs, but also supply and demand.

“With the demise of some of the airlines travelling through the Middle East, which were some of the hugest carriers out of New Zealand, Qatar and Emirates, then we’re looking at people travelling on other routes.

“As these routes get taken up and the capacity gets lower not only is the airfare going to increase a little because of aviation fuel, but also because of supply and demand.”

George said travellers hoping to visit the Northern Hemisphere should book their flights as soon as possible to avoid any further price increases.

While many of Emirates flights were now travelling through the Middle East, he said flights stopping over in China and other Asian countries had seen increased demand.

The other option for travellers leaving New Zealand and heading to the Northern Hemisphere is stopping over the US.

“I think that people are maybe looking at going, those who want to travel, those who need to travel, will be looking at different options for a while yet.”

Various airlines have raised their prices due the rising cost of fuel.

Singapore Airlines raised fares to Europe by $140 for a return ticket this morning.

George said while booking with a client today, he noticed a flight to the Cook Islands from New Zealand had also risen by $200.

“Things are certainly looking as though they may be creeping up… $200 on a South Pacific airfare is significant.”

But George said a key concern was how domestic flights would be impacted by the fallout of rising costs.

“I’m worried about connectivity from the smaller outlying destinations.

“I can see that domestic travel is going to be really pricing itself out of the market for the leisure traveller.”

He said the best way to guarantee an affordable domestic flight was to book as far in advance as possible.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the pandemic on Tuesday afternoon released its second report, sparked by public disquiet that its first report did not dig deep enough.

The 500-plus-page report looks at what it calls some of the “most difficult and divisive responses around vaccines and mandates”.

“The adequacy of the processes used to assess and monitor the safety of vaccines” was one of those.

It eked out a pass mark, but with a very big but for the previous government’s efforts to shift the “team of five million” from an early, pretty effective elimination strategy to suppression and minimisation in 2021 and 2022.

“Many of the people we heard from expressed pain and anger about the impacts of the pandemic and response. Some of these impacts on people’s lives continue to this day,” the report said.

“It is clear, however, that ministers and officials were facing a series of complex, high-stakes decisions in a rapidly changing environment and were doing the best they could at the time. Evidence shows New Zealand had among one of the best pandemic responses in the world.”

‘Very bumpy ride’

It was, however, “far from smooth”.

A “very bumpy ride” was how Labour itself summed it up earlier in the day. Though its former top two, Dame Jacinda Ardern and Grant Robertson, also defended it: “We got a lot right. More than most.”

National immediately used the phase two report to pound Labour.

Asked if his predecessors were just being cautious – it was an unprecedented global crisis, as Labour pointed out – Health Minister Simeon Brown told reporters:

“I think they were putting options to Cabinet, which were not backed up by advice,” Brown said.

“And the reality is Chris Hipkins stood up every single day and he said to New Zealanders that he was making decisions based on advice by health officials… The reality is, in a number of these instances, he was not.”

They did not heed warnings from Treasury about inflation-stoking Covid-19 spending that half the time went on non-Covid things, Brown added.

“We are feeling those consequences today,” Brown said.

In a half-hour stand-up, Brown said “ultimately” 13 times.

“Ultimately, some of those decisions, you will have to put those questions to the ministers who made those decisions at the time as to why they made them,” he said.

Hipkins put their approach at the time entirely opposite: “considered, appropriate and guided by the best evidence available at the time”.

The decisions saved lives, though the responses caused hardship, he said.

NZ has so far reported 4500 deaths due to Covid-19 to the World Health Organisation. That is slightly fewer per capita than Australia, well below Canada’s and about four times less than the US and UK.

What are the lessons for Next Time?

While everyone disagreed on what 20/20 hindsight has shown from the inquiry, everyone agrees on the need to do better now to prepare for next time.

So what are the lessons from phase two for Covid 2.0?

Two words: Be prepared.

“The stakes were immense. Each choice carried the weight and quality of lives in the balance. Yet policy-makers could not delay some hard choices,” the report said.

But the “lack of planning for alternative future strategies” that applied to PCR testing was a common shortcoming elsewhere, too.

Going in next time armed already with better research on pandemics and impacts, better strategies for getting the best advice, and some basic pandemic legislation are among the 24 recommendations.

Two more words: Be smarter.

“Decision-makers told us they learned the importance of giving people an end date, or some indication of ‘light at the end of the tunnel’,” the report said.

Without that, people resisted more and more.

Now we know for next time. But the country had to get a better grip on social impacts ahead of next time, by finding ways to build trust and social cohesion, and ways to demonstrate to people the hard science behind “hard choices”, the report said.

In addition to the main report, an extra 300 pages laid out what people who submitted to the inquiry said.

“People frequently told us that the vaccine mandates caused division in society that lingers to this day,” said this last report.

Things got out of balance. “Wobbles” was how it was put after the first phase report.

Cutting the ‘wobbles’

It needn’t have got that bad is one conclusion that can be drawn from the second phase report.

Lockdown decisions, for one, required weighing up health versus bank balances, from Gore to Papakura.

Decision-makers had to weigh up many more factors than public health goals and social disruption, and think about tomorrow, not just today and impacts on this group, versus that group, and eroding.

“Based on the evidence we have heard, that is exactly what they tried to do,” said the main report.

Trying came up short, though, when painful and untested initiatives created pressures, or helped birth mis-and-disinformation, that upset forecasts and analyses or exploited gaps in them, among a public increasingly prone to doubting the experts.

The officials doing the trying lacked enough analysis of lockdown’s impacts on education, for instance (page 270).

They lacked enough evidence fullstop.

“Ideally, though, decision-makers would have been better supported with clearer, more specific evidence about the effects of public health measures.”

That cut down the options to choose from.

“More comprehensive and robust response strategies should have been in preparation much earlier.”

Being smart required being prepared.

The first phase report ran to 716 pages; some of its lessons were discussed two years ago at the Science Media Centre.

There will not be a part three. The commission received more than 31,000 submissions from individuals and organisations, and obtained 8000 documents from government agencies.

“We are satisfied that we were thoroughly well-informed.”

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Freedom campers are falling foul of new Queenstown Lakes District Council rules, with about 18 people per day stung with $400 fines.

Campers in self-contained vehicles were restricted to 141 designated spaces across 15 sites in the district over summer, plus a handful of rural roadside spots and a free campground in Luggate

Between 1 December and 2 March, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) issued 1514 Freedom Camping Act infringements, largely for people parking in the wrong spot or overstaying time limits, and 108 Reserves Act infringements for parking on reserve land.

Freedom Camping Act infringements carried $400 fines, while Reserves Act breaches carried $800 fines, the council said.

QLDC responsible camping programme manager Amy Galloway said it was the highest number of infringements the council had issued since about 2019, but it had also been a bumper summer for freedom camping.

She said more than 7000 freedom campers used a new check-in feature on the QLDC website throughout summer, although the true number of campers was likely much higher.

“Observationally, we see those 15 restricted sites plus the Luggate Red Bridge pretty much full every single day. Campers are using our sites extensively,” she said.

She said the system was working well overall and people were pleased to have a regulated freedom camping system again.

“Generally speaking, campers are going to where we want them to go. Amongst that, there is some behaviour we need to correct, but like everything we’re constantly reviewing and trying to improve operations,” she said.

Campers say demand outstrips supply

Camper Fynn Stolz from Germany said there were not enough spaces to cater to the number of freedom campers visiting the district.

He said he had struggled to find a park for his van each night.

“We go from one to another and see if any of the spots are free. Usually, at 4pm all the spots are taken, so you have to be really fast, one of the first. It’s kind of a race,” he said.

He was fined $400 this week after arriving at the Queenstown Events Centre late at night, when he missed out on one of the nine designated spaces and instead stayed overnight in a regular carpark several metres away.

“It wasn’t a good idea,” he said.

Another camper, Svenja Steger from Switzerland, said Queenstown’s rules were much “more difficult” than other places in New Zealand.

“It’s not as easy as other places to find a park,” she said.

When asked if the QLDC would consider adding more spaces to meet the demand, Galloway said the council encouraged campers to look at other options.

“I think if we provided more spaces, they would be full, but we would also like campers to consider using one of our great commercial campsites that we have in the district and also the many Department of Conservation campsites across the district as well. There are a variety of options for campers, ranging from free up to your more luxurious campsites,” she said.

She said freedom campers had flooded parking areas across the district last summer after the council’s previous bylaw was quashed by the High Court.

“I think sometimes when campers turn up, and they see a site is full, and they think, ‘oh well, I can just park here’. If everybody did that, then the carpark would soon become full, which is what we saw last summer as well – just the insatiable demand for free camping,” she said.

Fines in the Freedom Camping Act 2011 rose from $200 to $400 in 2023.

“I think word is spreading amongst campers that these are the rules and we take them seriously and they will be enforced,” she said.

‘Shitting in the bushes’

In Wānaka, the council temporarily closed a freedom-camping site at Allenby Place because of traffic-related safety concerns.

A group called Save Clean New Zealand has also been petitioning for the removal of three freedom camping spaces at Beacon Point.

Spokesperson Andrea Beryl said it was a pristine stretch of shoreline not fit for freedom camping, or at least the type of behaviour she had seen and photographed.

Freedom campers at the site were “clearly not using their onboard facilities,” she said.

“They’re shitting in the bushes. They’re meant to be self-contained and they’re not. It’s just being abused,” she said.

“We want responsible campers to go to responsible places where there are toilets and places to clean up.”

Data from the QLDC showed that of the 1514 Freedom Camping Act infringements this summer, 71 people were fined for being in a vehicle that was not self-contained.

One person was fined for depositing waste.

Beryl said damage was often done by the time the council issued an infringement notice.

“I don’t know how we change their attitude or how we educate the campers better, but it’s just not working. Then the council fine people after the fact that these problems have already occurred. It’s not preventative,” she said.

In a statement, a QLDC spokesperson said the council was watching to see whether the bylaw needed refinements and valued community feedback.

“Council fully acknowledges ongoing concerns within our community relating to freedom camping, including at Beacon Point,” the spokesperson said.

“It’s important to emphasise that the Freedom Camping Act applies nationally and permits this activity by default on most council land. Local bylaws are limited in both what they can address and the specific area to which they can apply. By balancing community concerns with what the Act requires us to do, the new bylaw is designed to ensure visitors continue to enjoy the experience of freedom camping here while addressing the concerns of residents,” they said.

“Councils, especially those with high volumes of visitors and low resident populations like QLDC, do not have sufficient tools to regulate freedom camping or fund visitor-related infrastructure to support this increasingly popular activity.”

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The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says MetService will step beyond weather services to keep the public informed during times of Tsunami risk.

MetService would now include NEMA tsunami warning banners on its website.

NEMA director Civil Defence Emergency Management, John Price said the move would help to ensure New Zealanders got the emergency information they needed.

“Tsunami warnings only work if people see them and act on them, and we’re pleased to be working with MetService to keep people safe.

“This will bring together NEMA and MetService’s large audiences, so New Zealanders are more likely to get the information they need, when they need it,” Price said.

A NEMA spokesperson said the banners would link to the Civil Defence website for advice and information on how to keep safe.

They said the banners would not appear on the MetService app or push service notifications.

They spokesperson said NEMA was also exploring how automated tsunami messaging could be shared to other government websites to quickly get important information to as many people as possible.

The spokesperson encouraged people – in times of tsunami danger – to listen to their radio for updates and advice on what to do.

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Under-pressure employers taking a hard line on sick leave are being warned to take care with the rules.

There have been reports this week that the country’s collective immunity to Covid-19 is waning.

Wastewater analysis from PHF Science shows that the number of cases is currently at its highest rate for more than six months and the latest Health New Zealand figures show there have been 50 hospitalisations and 19 deaths with the virus in the past week.

Are we sicker than we used to be, and are our sick leave laws keeping up?

Research last year from Southern Cross and Business NZ showed the average number of sick days being taken in 2024 was 6.7, up from 5.5 in 2022. IT was the highest recorded. Manual workers took an average 7.5 days compared to 5.9 for non-manual workers.

In 2021, the minimum sick leave entitlement increased from five to 10 days.

At Auckland University, law school professional teaching fellow Simon Schofield, said he had heard of employers taking an increasingly stringent line in respect to sick leave. “That poses a number of risks for employers that are too aggressive.”

He said there were cases last year where employees had been refused sick leave when there was no medical certificate.

The Holidays Act does not require a medical certificate if people are away from work fewer than three days.

“That breached the statutory requirement and the employee resigned … and was successful in respect of a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal because the employer had failed to follow the requirements of the Holidays Act.”

He said absenteeism was increasing for a number of reasons.

“What happens is employers get increasingly irate. The result is they can mishandle what can be quite delicate situations, especially when you’re talking about disabilities and so forth.”

He said employers should get advice if they were not sure of their obligations.

“I do think that in these difficult financial times that employers are putting a lot of pressure on employees to be present in the office, but there are associated challenges with that, and I think employers need to be careful if they’re proposing to take a hard line in relation to some of these issues.”

Associate professor Paula O’Kane, from Otago University’s management department, said the rules were not keeping up.

She said while people were not sicker than they used to be, they were taking leave when they needed to and were being encouraged to do so.

There was more awareness of the implications of coming to work sick on colleagues, she said. “In essence by taking sick leave we’re hopefully not disrupting other people within the organisation. Because of Covid we learned a lot more. We may have known it but I think we were made much more aware of the implications of those colds and flus and the infectious diseases on people.”

She said there was a lot of inequity in the way sick leave was offered.

Not allowing people to accrue more than 20 days’ sick leave left them vulnerable, she said.

“If you had cancer, for example and were off for six months, had never taken a day’s sick leave in your life, you’d have 20 days, Someone else could take their 10 days every year and they wouldn’t have that much difference… I think we’re not doing enough to accrue sick leave and to enable people to have that whenever something really serious happens.”

The government is making changes that will mean that annual and sick leave will accumulate based on hours worked, rather than as a set entitlement. Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden said it would be more proportionate for part-time workers.

But O’Kane said the government had missed a chance to make it more equitable and fair for everyone.

“We could be doing a lot more around lots of types of leave to really support society and how society has changed over the years in terms of responsibilities and caring. We don’t have that village around us anymore.

“A lot of people don’t have the grannies there, the granddads there, the neighbours that can help when things go wrong. And so when society shifted like that, we probably need to be shifting our policies to help support that.”

Schofield said he supported the idea of dividing carer leave and sick leave up.

“Currently in this country we put carer’s leave and sick leave together. If I’m looking after my children who are sick we put that in the same bucket as sick leave. In Australia they divided the two out.

“That may be an opportunity to solve some of the problems that will be created, certainly some of the pushback that we’re seeing in relation to the employment leave bill, where part-time employees will have a prorated entitlement to sick leave.

“Often that’s covering carer’s leave…You’re looking after children. Often those women, the people looking after those children are women, and often they’re the ones working part-time.”

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The family of a Taranaki teenager killed by a friend – who he looked upon as an older brother – says they have lost a loving son, protective brother and cherished moko.

Rakai Jacob Thompson was jailed for five years for the manslaughter of 17-year-old Te Omeka Pairama Akariri-Buckley when he appeared for sentencing at the High Court in New Plymouth.

The Bell Block teenager died after being stabbed by 26-year-old Thompson following a botched night out in July 2024, attempting to rustle sheep to fill their freezers.

Tensions heightened during the night, culminating in an altercation at Thompson’s Waitara home, where he stabbed his friend, inflicting wounds to the chest and abdomen.

He later died in hospital.

A jury acquitted Thompson of Akariri-Buckley’s murder in December.

Wearing a prison-issued white t-shirt, Thompson sat with his head bowed as members of the Akariri-Buckley whānau read victim impact statements to a room full of supporters, many of them wearing black t-shirts with Te Omeka Forever 17 printed on them.

After karakia were said, Donna Akariri told the court her son lived a life full of “aroha and purpose”, and she wanted to share the impact his death had on his whānau and friends.

“He was loving, talented, funny and full of life. He was a loved and devoted son, a loving, loyal brother, a cherished mokopuna, a treasured nephew, a playful uncle and a loyal, dedicated, loving partner.”

Akariri said the age-group representative rugby league player “had many passions, and he poured his whole heart into them”.

“He led haka for Puketapu School and Spotswood College, always standing proud, always giving it his all”.

He also loved music and the family had donated his drum kits to Manukorohi Intermediate in Waitara following his death, hoping others would take up his passion.

Akariri said her son was particularly close to his brother Don: “They got into mischief, laughed, cried and loved like they were twins”. She said he a devoted partner to his girlfriend, who cannot be identified for legal reasons.

“His death was sudden, violent and not just senseless, but his loving and caring generosity at that time was destroyed. It took him,” she said.

“It took from us, not only a son, but a future, his future, and the future that we imagined with him in it, we will never again feel the warmth of his loving, caring nature, or hear that spontaneous, infectious laughter that could life any room.

“I want everyone to know that Te Omeka was a beautiful, happy, loving, caring young man who always gave me a kiss goodnight and whenever he left home for the day. Followed with ‘Iove you mum’. He was loved deeply, and he loved deeply in return, his was a life full of promise.”

At the end of her victim impact statement, she turned and held a portrait of her son up towards Thompson, who kept his head bowed.

Fighting back tears, Akariri-Buckley’s girlfriend told the court that although the teenagers had only known each other a few months, they could already imagine a life together.

“But no, because surely his life was taken on this road right in front of me. I literally watched his life drain out of his body. I felt so hopeless. There was nothing I could do to help,” she said.

“I would not wish this pain on anyone. Every single day, I wish I could change what happened that night. There is now a huge gap in my life.”

Crown solicitor Prue Lange argued the seriousness of Thompson’s offending and the impact it had on the family and friends of Akariri-Buckley were aggravating factors ahead of his sentencing.

“The Crown suggests a starting point no less than eight years imprisonment.”

Lange argued the use of a 25cm boning knife to stab Akariri-Buckley, the serious nature of his wounds and a level of premeditation in Thompson’s offending put it at the more serious end of the scale.

“He had the knife in his hand, whether he took it outside, or was already outside, he then went straight to Te Omeka and DJ to aggressively confront them, and then used it intentionally against Te Omeka… Mr Thompson used entirely unnecessary and gratuitous violence.”

Lange acknowledged Thompson’s early plea, remorse and willingness to engage in restorative justice, but argued against a sentence reduction for self-defence or provocation. The victim had assaulted the defendant immediately before the fatal stabbing.

The Crown wanted a minimum non-parole period of half of the eventual end sentence.

Thompson’s defence counsel, Paul Keegan KC, put forward a starting point of between six and seven years in jail, pointing to the outcome of December’s trial.

“The prisoner Rakai Thompson appears for sentencing, having been convicted of manslaughter. The jury, of course, found Mr Thompson not guilty of the murder.”

Keegan rejected the Crown’s depiction of Thompson “lying in wait’ for Akariri-Buckley and his brother and argued his actions were essentially defensive “albeit excessive”.

“The human tragedy of this incident is only made more profound when considering Mr Thompson’s link to Te Omeka,” he said.

“Mr Thompson did not intend to kill Te Omeka and counsel submits that in those frantic few seconds, he simply did not turn his mind to the potential consequences of his actions.”

Keegan argued that Thompson was a low risk of reoffending and a minimum non-parole period was not necessary.

Justice Jason McHerron began his sentencing by acknowledging the friends and whānau in court and praising Thompson for his quiet demeanour.

He didn’t find the defendant’s actions amounted to premeditation, but agreed he was enraged and the force that he used “was clearly excessive”.

Justice McHerron had a starting point of seven-and-a-half years in jail, reflecting the use of a weapon and the seriousness of the injuries, but gave discounts for Thompson’s early guilty plea, remorse and the effect of his imprisonment would have on his young daughter, before arriving at a jail term of five years.

He didn’t impose a minimum non-parole period.

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Lying on the rocks and left to die, with puncture wounds, exposed bones, and sometimes missing limbs.

According to conservationists, that is the state Little Penguins/Kororā are being found in on coastlines around the country, and irresponsible dog owners are to blame.

Auckland’s West Coast beaches were a particularly egregious hotspot for dog attacks on penguins.

Peter Hosking from Pest Free Piha said that earlier this year, five Piha penguins were killed by a dog in just one night.

“It was a shock. We only have a handful of birds nesting here. And to lose five in one night was a little short of a disaster,” Hosking said.

“It’s hard to say exactly how many [Kororā] there are at Piha, but it’s fewer than 15, so to lose five in one night is a big loss to the penguin community here.”

From late summer to autumn, penguins shed their old feathers to grow new ones, and they cannot return to sea during that time. It was then that most dog attacks happened.

Hosking said 13 adult Kororā had died at Piha this moulting season, nine of which were confirmed to have been attacked by dogs after post-mortem examination.

At North Piha, dogs were allowed to be off-leash. But Hosking said owners were letting their dogs run free in areas where they should not be, close to penguin habitats.

Auckland Council appointed a dog control ranger just for Auckland’s West Coast four years ago to enforce the rules.

But Hosking said it did not matter that people were compliant during the day if others allowed their dogs out at night, when penguins went wandering.

“Some of the attacks here have occurred at night, which is an indication that people are not keeping their dogs under control at that time. And of course, at night, it is less likely there will be dog patrols or people around to do anything about a dog that’s out of control,” he said.

“It’s pretty clear that it is dog owners, probably in North Piha, who allow their dogs to be out outdoors and off-leash at night, so we’re trying to educate all dog owners, but especially those people that they need to have their dogs under control at all times and at night in a kennel or inside their properties.”

Dr Rashi Parker, from BirdCare Aotearoa, which treats sick or injured native birds, said two of the Kororā brought to them this moulting season were confirmed to have been attacked by dogs.

She said one was recently attacked at Anawhata, a West Coast beach where dogs are prohibited.

“There’s a continued concern from community groups involved with conservation initiatives along the West Coast that there are off-leash dog incidents often involving locals themselves. It’s not visitors coming into the area, it’s locals doing this.”

BirdCare had cared for five penguins confirmed to have been attacked by dogs in the past five years.

But BirdCare rehabilitation assistant Catriona Robersto suspected that 18 of the injured penguins brought to them this moulting season could also have been injured by dogs.

She warned that even small dogs could cause significant and often fatal injuries.

“Most people with a puppy at home will love to play tug of war with them, and it’s really cute in the setting of the home. But out in the world, they’re inherently going to pick up something that is, let’s face it, shaped like a cuddly toy, grab it and shake it. And we often see the sort of ragdoll injury in penguins that come into us,” Robersto said.

“Recently, we had a penguin that ended up with really bad neck torsion to the point where it couldn’t move normally at all because its neck was so stunted from having been shaken around. We had another case come through where that shaking behaviour had actually ended up causing huge lacerations.

“I’ve worked in a professional capacity with these birds for a while now, and I haven’t seen anything damage a bird that way, shy of a moving vehicle.”

She said it was heartbreaking to see Kororā that would have otherwise been healthy, had a dog not got to them.

“It’s poor dog ownership. Because it’s as simple as keeping them on a leash in an area that’s known to have penguins or suspected to have them,” Robersto said.

“All of us here at Bird Care feel like we’re screaming into the void because it is such a simple fix and those breeding adults are so vital to the survival of these species.”

Auckland Council Animal Management West team lead Clarke Trethowen said the West Coast Beach Patrol officer had issued seven infringements, three formal warnings, and a high volume of verbal warnings this moulting season.

He said they had received multiple reports of dead penguins, mainly on Piha beach, which appeared to have been attacked by an animal.

“Unfortunately, no evidence has been obtained to identify the dog responsible and allow for a prosecution.”

“The West Coast beaches have a diverse environment where many animals live, breed and visit. It is important that all dog owners are aware of the rules and read the signs before entering the beach to avoid enforcement action and to ensure our beaches can be shared safely by everyone.”

Melissa Mcluskie, from the New Zealand Penguin Initiative, said dog owners nationwide needed to be vigilant.

She said Auckland was not the only place where they were seeing a large number of attacks. They were also happening in Wellington, Kaikoura, Northland, and the Bay of Plenty.

“Penguins are very smelly and attractive to dogs and so they’re easy for dogs to locate. When dogs are off-leash, uncontrolled, or unsupervised, they could be going into penguins’ habitats, killing a bird and then walking away and the owners have no awareness whatsoever what happened.”

She said not all Kororā killed would be found or sent to a rehabilitation centre like BirdCare.

“The ones that are lucky enough to be rescued and go through the rehabilitation process are documented. But not all of those will be examined or sent off for a necropsy. Due to penguins’ dense feather plumage that covers their bodies, it’s not always obvious that they have been attacked or killed by a dog, so they do need to have a proper necropsy examination. And there are a lot of birds that have likely been attacked by dogs that we are unaware of,” Mcluskie said.

“Another issue is sometimes a bird that’s actually still alive may be put in the dunes or under some vegetation. That actually puts it at risk of being attacked by a dog that may go and walk through the dunes.”

As well as reporting attacked penguin sightings, she urged people to be alert for any penguins wandering on the beach during the daytime

.

“Healthy birds will be coming ashore at night time or they will be tucked away safely away in their burrows or nest boxes. So if you’re seeing a bird that’s out on the beach during the day, it’s not normal. It’s likely sick, injured or starving and it needs help.

“There is a number of community groups around the country that monitor their local colonies, and most of them are willing to rescue a bird and get it the right help that it needs.”

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A Dunedin City councillor was in serious breach of the council’s code of conduct when he publicly criticised a staff member, an independent investigator has found.

Benedict Ong sent an email complaining about the staff member’s performance to the council’s chief executive and two local journalists in February.

Dunedin councillors are set to consider possible sanctions for Ong at a meeting on 25 March, which could include a demand for a public apology or a vote of no confidence.

Ong will also be given a chance to defend himself.

The independent investigation led by barrister Steph Dyhrberg found that Ong’s actions could have been a deliberate attempt to retaliate against the staff member and discredit her.

“By disclosing the allegations to the media, Cr Ong breached the requirements to treat all employees with courtesy and respect and avoid publicly criticising any employee,” she said.

Councillor Ong had earlier filed his own code of conduct complaint against councillor John Chambers, saying he had made inappropriate remarks during a meeting.

An investigator reviewed the evidence, including a transcript of a phone call with a council staff member, and found that Ong’s version of events was not supported.

The complaint was dismissed because it lacked substance.

On 4 February Ong wrote to the chief executive and journalists accusing the council staff member of “apparent political bias” and a “lack of political neutrality”.

While he did not name the staff member, she was found to be “readily identifiable” to journalists.

Dyhrberg said Ong had already been put on notice several times about maintaining confidentiality.

“It is reasonable to infer Cr Ong knew what he was doing was inappropriate,” she said.

“No-one should be victimised or discredited for agreeing to participate in a code of conduct complaint process.”

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Police Commissioner Richard Chambers asked disgraced former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming for a “swift reimbursement” of funds used to pay for up to 10 stays at hotels in Wellington during an affair.

Chambers wrote to McSkimming last week after the Independent Police Conduct Authority released a summary of its investigation into McSkimming’s decision to invite a woman he was having an affair with – Ms Z – to stay with him in hotel accommodation paid for by police, on numerous occasions, primarily in 2016.

In the letter, obtained by RNZ under the Official Information Act, Chambers referred to the IPCA’s report in relation to his “overnight status in Wellington hotels with Ms Z”.

“You have confirmed that 8-10 times you stayed with Ms Z in Wellington hotels at the expense of police, but ultimately the taxpayer. The IPCA made an adverse finding in this respect.

“It is appropriate for you to reimburse police for these 8-10 hotel stays, and you are asked to reimburse police as soon as possible. You have knowledge of the hotels in which you stayed and the approximate cost at the time.”

Chambers said he welcomed McSkimming’s response and “swift reimbursement”.

The IPCA said its investigation was “impaired by a lack of records of travel expenditure and credit card statements from the time, due to the nine to 10 years that has elapsed since the spending occurred”.

The IPCA had not been able to review McSkimming’s credit card expenditure, and relied on the evidence of the complainant, McSkimming, his former executive assistant and one of his supervisors at the time.

“In 2016 and 2017, Mr McSkimming’s workplace was at Police National Headquarters in Wellington. He lived about 60-70kms away.”

McSkimming and his executive assistant at the time told the IPCA that he was regularly required to attend functions or late meetings in Wellington or catch early morning flights.

“On those occasions, his executive assistant would book accommodation at a Wellington hotel, paid for by police. The rationale for these bookings was explained to us as being to avoid a long drive home after a work event, or where he was required to attend a social function to ensure he was not having a drink and then driving.”

McSkimming told the IPCA he thought Ms Z stayed with him eight to 10 times.

“This is corroborated by Ms Z. Mr McSkimming breached policy by not informing his senior manager approving the travel that she would be staying with him. If he had done so, we consider it highly likely that approval would have been declined.

“In any case, whether or not he informed his manager, he breached the Police Code of Conduct by staying in hotels at Police expense and inviting the woman with whom he was having a sexual relationship to join him. If he had paid for the hotels himself, that would have been a different matter. However, the fact that the hotels were paid for by police gives rise to the perception that he was using taxpayer money to further a clandestine affair, thus bringing police into disrepute.”

Chambers earlier said he was “very concerned” to learn of McSkimming’s use of hotels in Wellington and agreed with the findings of the IPCA.

“This showed a disregard for taxpayers’ money and Police expenditure policy.”

Chambers said the police policy for sensitive expenditure required spending to be reasonable and able to withstand parliamentary and public scrutiny.

Mitchell earlier said he welcomed the IPCA report and its findings, which showed the investigations conducted by police were appropriate and adequate.

“Any misuse of taxpayer money is, under all circumstances, unacceptable. I support the Commissioner in his efforts to recoup these expenses,” Mitchell said.

“It is my view that unless there are exceptional work-related circumstances, staff should not require hotel accommodation in the same centre as their normal place of work.”

McSkimming’s expenses

RNZ earlier requested a copy of all expenses made by McSkimming covering the time of his affair.

Police responded with a screenshot of an expenses claim from 2017 and credit card statements for McSkimming covering the 2018 calendar year.

“New Zealand banks retain credit card statements for seven years, after which records are no longer available. No additional expenses have been identified beyond those attached, and credit card records for 2016 and 2017 are no longer held as they fall outside the seven-year timeframe. Therefore, any additional credit card statements are unavailable, and police have no reason to believe these records are held by any other agency.”

McSkimming’s work credit card had a $2000 limit. The 2018 credit card statements reveal he spent some time in Canada and the United States early in the year.

On 6 April, McSkimming stayed at the Thorndon Hotel, about a five-minute walk from Police National Headquarters. The accommodation cost $121.

A significant number of expenses relate to purchases at Wellington International Airport.

In November 2018, there were some expenses at SkyCity Hotel in Auckland and a $229 payment for Audioblocks, as well as an $80 excess baggage payment in Wellington. There was also an $80 transaction at Queenstown Airport.

He also spent $112 at Millbrook Resort in Arrowtown.

In December, there was a $147 payment at Wellington International Airport, followed by a $98 payment later that month.

RNZ asked Richard Chambers for comment on the expenses detailed in the OIA.

“This happened a number of years ago and without detailed records of the reasons for this expenditure, I cannot say whether it was appropriate,” he said.

“However, these expenses would have been considered against the travel policy at the time and were approved by a supervisor.”

Chambers said it was appropriate for police policy to provide for reasonable expenses for executive travel.

“Those expenses can include the use of hotels, parking, petrol and transport such as taxis. Such expenses should only be for work-related purposes, reasonable, and able to withstand public scrutiny.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Wellington region’s mayors, as well as iwi, church and social support agency leaders, say the government’s proposed move-on orders are not welcome in the region.

An open letter decrying the introduction of powers to enable police to relocate people from certain areas – under threat of fines or imprisonment – has been sent to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

But Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the letter was “overly simplistic” and its signatories were “ignoring the facts”.

The letter – signed by 21 Wellington leaders – described the initiative as a “superficial and unhelpful” approach.

“Whilst we accept and understand that anti-social behaviour on the part of some must be able to be responded to, we don’t consider that moving a person to some other unspecified place fixes the problem, nor does anything to address the issues that individual is dealing with, and in fact, potentially causes significant harm,” the signatories wrote.

Breaching a move-on order – which would require someone to leave an area for up to 24 hours – risked a fine of up to $2000 or a three month jail term.

Community leaders ‘united’ in opposition – Mayor Andrew Little

Wellington City Mayor, Andrew Little, said it was important to show the government that leadership in the region was united in opposition to the legislation.

“What we’re all trying to do is just emphasise to the government that – if they’re serious about dealing with the issue – we actually need to be focussed on what the underlying solutions are. Not cosmetic measures that shift the problem to somewhere else,” Little said.

Little said he understood community and business concerns over rough sleeping and antisocial behaviour – but the initiative failed to offer any real solution to the problem.

“[The signatories] are all organisations that [have] people in the front-line dealing with the homelessness and rough sleeper issue and they don’t take their roles and responsibilities lightly. We know it causes concern to a lot of people – including people whose lives and business are disrupted by it. But the move on order – as a response to it – simply is not a solution,” Little said.

Legislation sends the wrong message to vulnerable people

Porirua mayor Anita Baker said the “vast majority” of people who found themselves on the streets we’re struggling with complex issues including mental health challenges, drug dependancy and a lack of appropriate services and housing options.

Baker said the legislation risked sending the wrong message to already disadvantaged people.

“It’s sending an indication to these people that we don’t really care. A $2000 fine, how are they even going to pay that? They can’t afford to be in a house so I think it is unhelpful.

We need more mental health services, we need more houses, how about providing those?” Baker said.

She said the legislation offered nothing to organisations already working to improve the circumstances of people living rough.

“Across the Wellington region there is already a strong collaborative approach between councils, police, health providers, housing organisations, iwi and NGOs.

“The focus is on outreach, connecting people to services, and creating pathways into stable housing. That work recognises that homelessness and related behaviour are usually the visible end of much deeper issues. Our priority will continue to be solutions that address those causes rather than measures that simply push the problem somewhere else,” Baker said.

Letter ‘overly simplistic’ – Paul Goldsmith

Goldsmith responded to requests for comment sent to Luxon.

He said the letter was “overly simplistic” and it’s signatories were “actively choosing to ignore the facts”.

“Only people who refuse those orders, will face prosecution. A move-on order, is not a criminal charge.

“This is about reclaiming our streets and our city centres for the enjoyment of everybody who visits, works and lives there” Goldsmith said.

Goldsmith said police had “the expertise to connect people with the support services they may require”.

“New Zealanders are fair-minded people, and our culture is one where we seek to help those who are in need, but that doesn’t mean we should accept our city centres, particularly our showcase tourist spots, becoming places of intimidation, and dysfunction,” Goldsmith said.

Police ‘overworked as it is’

Police Association head Steve Watt said police on the beat were “overworked as it is” did not have the resources to deal with the issues that led to people sleeping on the streets.

“The vast majority of people that are out on the street suffer from mental health issues, financial issues, anxiety issues. They’re all issues that really need to have specialist capability wrapped around them as opposed to police picking them up off the street and moving them along,” Watt said.

Watt said some members did welcome the additional powers but he felt the tools to deal with criminal behaviour on the streets were already available to police.

“There is legislation in place in order to deal with people that are on our streets, acting disorderly, being threatening towards members of the public or being offensive.

“We have powers under the Summary Offences Act in which we can deal with this. So what we’re talking about here is non-criminal activity and basically having an order to ship that problem down the street,” Watt said.

Legislation ‘another layer of mistreatment’

CEO of Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira, Helmut Modlik said the legislation would add “another layer of mistreatment” into already difficult lives.

“Moving somebody from one spot to an undisclosed second spot without any substantive response to the reason why they were there in the first place is – by my definition – ‘superficial’.

“We don’t want want anything that just adds another layer of mistreatment, or ignoring or unhelpfulness into the lives of these people whose lives are full of all of that,” Modlik said.

He said the legislation was far removed from what he understood to be the values of New Zealanders.

“Nobody likes to see extreme examples of homeless people making a nuisance of themselves. But if people take just a few minutes just to actually understand what’s going on for those poor souls – why they’re there and what’s going on – then a very different response is what follows.

“That should guide us. That should guide our public policy, that should guide our investable activity in this domain. Not a nod to a narrow spectrum of interests and a superficial response. Which is what it is.

“There’s nothing about it that aligns with my understanding of what kind of people we are here in Aotearoa,” Modlik said.

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