Source: Radio New Zealand

Warning: This story contains content some may find disturbing.

Convicted killer Nathan Boulter was investigated four years ago over an allegation he raped a 15-year-old girl when he was 14.

He was spoken to while serving time in Otago prison where he denied any wrongdoing, and said the sex between the two was not rape and that the woman was his girlfriend at the time.

Police said after reviewing all the available evidence, the matter did not reach the threshold to prosecute under the Solicitor-General Prosecution Guidelines.

Boulter – who had a long history of stalking and assaulting ex-partners – pleaded guilty last week to murdering a woman in Parklands, Christchurch, on 23 July.

The woman had been in a brief relationship with Boulter. After she ended it, he harassed, stalked and threatened her, making nearly 600 calls in two weeks, before hiding outside her home, then stabbing her 55 times with a hunting knife, as she arrived home with her children.

It can now be revealed a woman went to police in 2021 with allegations that she had been raped and physically assaulted by Boulter while they were at Aparima College in Riverton in 2003.

A police report form detailing the allegations, seen by RNZ, said police investigated two allegations of historical sexual assault and one allegation of physical assault made by the woman.

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

The report said Boulter had “numerous convictions” and referred to his “violent offending” making national headlines.

In April 2021, the woman, then aged 32, went to the Hamilton Central Police Station with her partner to report a sexual assault.

During a preliminary interview she alleged she had been raped by Boulter on two occasions and was physically assaulted by him on one occasion.

The alleged attacks occurred over a one-two week period when she was 15 and he was 14.

“[The woman] stated that she had seen something in the media where Boulter’s adult offending was reported on and this has triggered an emotional response from her,” the police report said.

“She thought it was best to now report what happened to her as a young person as the offending had caused ongoing psychological damage.”

The report also said that when talking about the sexual assaults the woman’s position was “she only went along with it as she was fearful, felt coerced and was subject to Boulter’s control and pressure”.

The woman was formally interviewed by police a week later where she detailed the three incidents.

She described feeling “fearful, scared, and terrified” during the first incident.

A week later she alleged Boulter raped her again one night in her home.

“[She] described being in shock and panicking.

“She talked about being 15yrs, underage and not wanting to get into trouble.”

She said Boulter was “laughing, smiling, and smirking”.

“Before leaving, Boulter threatened to kill [the woman’s] father if she said anything.”

The third incident, an allegation of assault with a weapon, occurred when the pair ran away together days later.

The woman told police they spent about two days hitchhiking together, using her money to fund the trip.

While on the main street in Balclutha the pair had an argument and Boulter allegedly presented a knife and pressed it against the woman’s neck. She said she ran off and sought help at the Balclutha Pub where two women helped her.

The woman told police that she “went off the rails” in the years that followed.

Boulter was interviewed by Detective Jason Bishop from the Waikato Child Protection Team at Otago Prison on 24 June, 2021.

Boulter was formally cautioned and provided with legal advice. After speaking to a duty lawyer he declined to provide a statement.

“In response to the allegations Boulter denied any wrongdoing. He informed Detective Jason Bishop that [the woman] was his girlfriend during the period in question.

“Boulter stated that the sex that occurred between the two was not rape and commented on it being his first sexual encounter.”

The police report said that “notably” the woman had earlier described Boulter as being the first person she had sex with.

“She also commented on him being a popular classmate, appreciating him showing interest in her on occasion and talking about school camp where there was some positive interaction involving leg touching.”

The author of the report said it was their “personal belief that the requisite evidence is not present” to meet the Solicitor-General’s prosecution guidelines.

“In my opinion the required minimum standard for a prosecution is not attained and to do so would risk a possible miscarriage of justice.”

In relation to public interest, the author said there was “no doubt” the matter was serious enough that public interest could require a prosecution, but identified several matters to consider. This included where a prosecution was likely to have a “detrimental impact” on the physical or mental health of the victim, and where the defendant was a youth at the time of the alleged offending.

It was recommended the matter should be filed.

The woman told RNZ going to police in 2021 was “one of the hardest things I’ve ever done”.

She was “devastated”, when police told her they would not be laying charges.

“I felt misheard and abandoned. I lost faith in the justice system’s ability to protect victims and prevent repeated harm.”

The woman was referred to mental health services in June 2003 by the principal of Apirima College and a counsellor.

The counsellor’s referral, seen by RNZ, said the woman had been going through a “difficult experience as a result of a break-up with a year 10 boy in her class with whom she had a sexual relationship”.

“It is my impression that [the woman] has been subject to severe emotional and physical pressure from this youth in order to obtain sexual favours since the break-up.”

The woman was “fearful” of the possibility of Boulter returning to school following an extended suspension.

The counsellor noted that the woman’s father told them that he had spoken to the police.

Notes seen by RNZ said she was referred following concerns about her mood, self-esteem and PTSD after “an abusive relationship” with Boulter.

“Nathan has consistently been emotionally + physically abusive including slapping her around, pushing her to the ground at school, frequently stating he would kill himself if she did not comply to his demands.

“[The woman] has also been under pressure to give sex when she would otherwise wouldn’t have.”

The notes from the intake nurse also said Boulter had threatened to kill her, at which point her father contacted police and a protection order was put in place.

The woman said police were notified of her allegations in 2003. However, a privacy act request she made did not find any record of any complaints at the time.

The woman told RNZ Boulter was “controlling, possessive, and violent”.

“I was terrified of him, but I felt trapped because no one seemed to take it seriously.”

She said she heard about Boulter being charged with murder from friends in Riverton.

“My heart sank,” she recalled.

“My reaction was one of grief, disbelief, and anger. It brought everything back. I was heartbroken for the victim and her family in Christchurch and it confirmed my fears that the warning signs were there all along, but no one intervened when they could have.”

She wants to see Boulter “locked up indefinitely”.

“I want people to understand that these patterns of harm don’t happen in isolation. When victims are dismissed or disbelieved, it allows offenders to escalate.

“I hope sharing this encourages better accountability, for schools, police, and communities to act decisively when young people report harm. Because if someone had acted 20 years ago, this story could have had a very different ending.”

Case ‘did not reach the threshold’

Waikato district manager of criminal investigations Detective Inspector Daryl Smith told RNZ police immediately began an investigation in 2021 when the woman came forward.

The investigation included interviewing both parties involved.

“Upon reviewing all the available evidence, the matter did not reach the threshold to prosecute under the Solicitor-General Prosecution Guidelines.”

At this stage, police had no intention to review the matter, Smith said.

“However if any further information comes to light then police will of course assess this and action any appropriate follow up as required.”

Where to get help:

Sexual violence

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) is calling on the professional firefighters union to call off strike action planned for Friday.

Paid firefighters will walk off the job for an hour at midday as the two parties continue to negotiate a new collective agreement.

Areas affected by the strike are Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill.

On Tuesday next week, the case was set to be before the Employment Relations Authority for an urgent facilitation meeting.

FENZ Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler said striking was unwarranted given its meeting to discuss the case at the ERA and that they were continuing pay talks in good faith.

Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) national committee member David Phillips said it’d be prepared to call off the strike if the employer was willing to get around the table with meaningful solutions.

Phillips said that included problems with staffing and equipment.

“Whilst we have met with Fire and Emergency this week in bargaining, being on the bargaining team myself I can tell you it was disappointing … not surprising but disappointing.”

FENZ was offering a 5.1 percent pay increase over three years.

Stiffler said both were far apart in their offers at a meeting this week and that she was disapppointed the strike would go ahead.

Faulty brakes cause late response to Ōtara house fire

The firefighters union said a crew was seven minutes later to a house fire than it should have been because of a faulty handbrake on a truck.

It said the delay getting to the fire in the Auckland suburb of Ōtara on Wednesday morning could have been deadly if people had still been inside the home.

The union said the trip from the station to the scene should have taken just a minute, but instead it took eight because the handbrake on the truck jammed.

Phillips said it was a nightmare situation trying to get the vehicle moving while a house was going up in flames.

He said they were lucky no one was in the home at the time.

“As you can imagine if you are stuck in that house fire and you are waiting eight minutes instead of two minutes that is a long period of time and potentially a fatal period of time.”

He said it was the latest problem in an extensive list of fleet failures that the union had highlighted.

Fire and Emergency said it was hypocritical for the union to criticise an eight minute response when it was compromising public safety with a one hour strike at midday today.

Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler said the fire broke out at 12.04 in the morning and when the Ōtara crew couldn’t respond because of the brake problem, a crew was sent from Papatoetoe and arrived at 12.12. A second crew from Ōtara arrived at 12.15.

She said fire trucks were large, complicated machines and sometimes they broke down despite regular servicing.

“We acknowledge we have an ageing fleet and that is why we have a fleet replacement programme underway.

“We’ve replaced 317 trucks since Fire and Emergency New Zealand was established in 2017.

“We have 78 more trucks on order, and plan to spend approximately $20m a year for the next five years to continue to replace our older appliances,” she said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealanders are buying home tests for pregnancy, herpes, chlamydia and more that may be no more accurate than flipping a coin.

The tests, which give on-the-spot results, are called invitro devices used at point of care – and include RATS (rapid antigen tests) and urine pregnancy kits.

They had surged in popularity since the Covid pandemic but a paper in the New Zealand Medical Journal Friday said they were largely unregulated.

Last year, over-the-counter RAT tests for chlamydia, gonorrhoea and herpes-2 were “vigourously advertised and sold” in New Zealand.

But, they had not been verified, and overseas evidence on similar kits showed they performed poorly, the paper said.

In 2021, a pregnancy test was withdrawn for showing a high rate of false positives. In 2016, one that had been used professionally gave too many false negatives or inconclusive results.

One of the report authors, pathologist Samarina Musaad, said having inaccurate or inconsistent tests could have serious impacts.

For example, a false negative pregnancy test may mean some people could not make informed choices about their care – or they might have a procedure or medication that was not safe for pregnancy.

A false positive could be very disappointing – or cause a lot of anxiety – depending on people’s situations, she said.

A cabinet paper to former Health Minister Shane Reti last year said there were “low performance devices” available online and from major retailers but there was no public information about the volume being sold.

One test had a false negative rate of between 37 and 88 percent, the cabinet paper said.

“Given many STIs are asymptomatic even while the person is infectious, a false negative result may lead to a person and their sexual partners being falsely reassured that they do not have an infection and may affect their sexual behaviours in a way that increases the risk of transmission,” it said.

Musaad said the examples showed better regulation was needed.

“There are huge concerns from many clinicians that these tests are little more than the flip of a coin,” she said.

Many tests were easily available online at sites like Amazon and Ali Express.

On one hand, it was good for consumers to have choice but they also needed to be able to make an informed decision, Musaad said.

Under the current rules, anyone could bring anything into the country and use it, she said.

Sub-standard tests had sometimes also made their way into health clinics and found to be inaccurate when tested in labs, she said.

At the moment, Pharmac could fund tests for use even when they had not been approved as safe and reliable by Medsafe – something that needed to change, Musaad said.

Regulations minister David Seymour said Medsafe could not approve every product available, particulary if they were from international sellers.

But, Pharmac had its own procedures for assessing which tests would be funded, including expert advice about their suitability, he said.

People should make safe decisions when buying the tests, he said.

“For example, purchasing [point of care tests] from pharmacies is much safer than purchasing them online, because Medsafe can recall unsafe or ineffective products and remove them from shelves,” he said.

There was work underway into an approval process for the tests before they came into the country, he said.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police Assistant Commissioner Sam Hoyle was the senior staffer who visited Jevon McSkimming along with former Deputy Police Commissioner Tania Kura while he faced charges of possessing child sexual exploitation and bestiality material.

McSkimming pleaded guilty earlier this month.

The former deputy commissioner was arrested on 27 June.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers earlier confirmed to RNZ Kura and another member of the “wider senior leadership team” visited McSkimming while he faced the charges.

RNZ can now reveal the other staffer was Sam Hoyle who is the Assistant Commissioner chief capability and infrastructure officer.

RNZ understands Kura asked Hoyle to visit McSkimming with her. It’s understood the purpose of the visit was to do a welfare check on McSkimming.

Hoyle was not mentioned in the IPCA’s report released last week.

RNZ asked police if Hoyle had any comment.

Chambers earlier told RNZ he became aware Kura visited McSkimming in July.

“When I found out about that from concerned colleagues, I asked Tania Kura for an explanation and I expressed my disappointment in her,” Chambers said.

“To me it showed a total lack of judgement and very bad decision making. It was inappropriate for an executive member and a statutory deputy commissioner.”

Asked what Kura’s response was, Chambers said “she seemed surprised that I saw it as a problem”.

Chambers said it was for Kura to say why she visited McSkimming.

“However, it was my view there was no reasonable explanation.”

Asked whether it led to Kura’s retirement, Chambers said that was not discussed.

“A short time later, Ms Kura did announce she was retiring from NZ Police.”

RNZ approached Kura for comment on why she visited McSkimming, and whether it had anything to do with her retirement.

RNZ also asked her if she had any response to the IPCA’s report.

She replied, “sorry … not at this point. However for balance you could check how many other people have done the same”.

In response, Chambers said he was aware another member of the “wider senior leadership team” visited McSkimming along with Kura.

“I did speak to that person and expressed my disappointment at the decision making and lack of judgement.

“Mr McSkimming also had regular contact with a member of my leadership team appointed by me as a welfare point of contact, as is the usual process with Police.

“That was in an official capacity and was appropriate. That person did not visit his home and did not meet with him in person after charges had been laid.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Two people have been killed and another seriously injured after a crash between a car and a truck north of Timaru on Thursday evening.

Emergency Services were called to the scene on State Highway One near the intersection of Brosnan Road at about 5.10pm.

Police said two people died at the scene while a third was airlifted to hospital in a serious condition.

Officers are investigating the scene and the road is expected to stay closed until later on Thursday night.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Indigenous peoples are leaving the world’s largest indigenous education conference (WIPCE) feeling inspired, uplifted and strengthened.

Over the week thousands of indigenous educators descended on Aotea Centre, Tāmaki Makaurau, for the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education 2025 (WIPCE).

Alongside keynote speakers and hundreds of presentations, discussions over the week-long hui have centred on kotahitanga (unity), shared strategy, and the reaffirmation of Indigenous sovereignty.

Miriam Zmiewski-Angelova (Choctaw, Cherokee descendant, Black) travelled from traditional Duwamish territory in Seattle.

Her mahi (work) with Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services brought her to WIPCE as a kaikōrero (speaker).

She told RNZ this week’s experience in Aotearoa has been “life changing,” especially sharing memories and learnings with her tamariki (children).

“We need to do more to make sure that there’s representation of indigenous folks, especially in the places that the education systems are happening in.”

She said it’s an experience “that we don’t have enough of.”

“Many times we’re at these conferences, and we’re desperately trying to find each other. I would love for a conference like this to be every year.”

Barbara Dude (Tlingit) and Margaret Katzeek (Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska) travelled to Aotearoa from Juneau, Alaska.

They told RNZ they are leaving the conference feeling incredibly inspired.

“It feels like we’re in the right place at the right time, and we needed to hear all these messages,” Dude said.

“Auckland is a big city, and so, I really didn’t know what to expect, but the people and hosts are just amazing.

“To be immersed in the singing and the dancing and rituals, the ceremony has been so uplifting.”

Katzeek said they hope to take back home with them the teachings and words from their ancestors, and other indigenous nations.

“The value of belonging has been really prevalent and that’s something that we really care about – making sure that our kids feel like they belong – so taking that energy back home is really important.”

Lee Breaker (Siksika Nation, Canada) is what he calls a ‘knowledge keeper’ of his peoples First Nations reserve.

This was his first visit to Aotearoa, and he said a big takeaway was experiencing a taste of te ao Māori.

“The Māori people are beautiful,” he said.

“I am learning about the culture of the Māori people right now. And right now, I believe it’s similar to what we do… especially the spiritual side.”

In their culture, they have the traditional practice of powwow – a gathering of Native American and First Nations peoples that involves dancing, singing, and celebration to honour and maintain tikanga, or traditions.

“What we do is a passion. It’s something that I can’t explain.

“We put our heart into our ceremonies back at home. And I see that [Māori] put a lot of heart into their ceremonies here too, learning to sing the songs and learning to understand the dance.”

Kereama Wright (Te Arawa) is a senior member of Ngāti Whakaue – the winning haka rōpū of Te Matatini 2025.

They were set to perform at Te Ao Pūtahi – a free festival taking place alongside the conference in Aotea Square.

He told RNZ kaupapa like WIPCE is hugely important, as it brings indigenous people from across the world together.

“We might be experiencing unprecedented attacks on our culture and on our language and on our lands, but we are better together. We are stronger together,” he said.

This year Wright has been to around six different countries, and he said that as a result of Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke’s viral haka in response to the Treaty Principles Bill, people identify him as Māori wherever he goes.

“That’s why I think it’s important that we come together as indigenous people, so that we can share the trauma, so that we can share the success stories, so that we can share models of education and models of political discourse that might be beneficial to other indigenous cultures.”

He said it’s also important to come together as one to give each other some “awhiawhi, hugs and kisses.”

Te Tai Tokerau leader Hone Harawira told RNZ, the importance of language revitalisation remained a core focus of the week-long hui.

“The language is the portal to your independence,” he said.

“Without an understanding of the reo, you can’t truly understand rangatiratanga, you can’t truly understand those principles which make us the special people that we are.

“You can learn about them in an academic way, but if you follow the reo, you can hold on to its principles.”

He encourages whānau to not “just chase around the edges,” and instead have the courage to challenge themselves to be a bit better every day, so that our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren can see role models that they can feel comfortable aspiring to.”

“Charge into the reo, build your next generation so that those who do take over have something that we just struggled to have.”

The next WIPCE will take place in Hawai’i in 2028.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The equivalent of 4.8 million rubber car tyres have been collected in the first year of a recycle scheme.

Tyrewise is governed by a charitable trust and funded by the fee that is charged on the sale of all new regulated tyres in Aotearoa.

There are now 86 public collection points around the motu.

Tyrewise said a year into the scheme illegal dumping of tyres has been slashed, along with the number of tyres going to landfill.

Adele Rose, the CEO of 3R Group that manages the Tyrewise Scheme, told Checkpoint the number of tyres recycled had continued to steadily tick up, today reaching close to five million.

Currently, around half of the recycled tyres remain within the country.

“About half of them go to Golden Bay for use as an alternative to coal and their cement production.”

While rubber being burnt is not usually seen as a sustainable method, Rose said a unique process is used at Golden Bay to ensure it is clean.

“It’s actually a really unique method of combustion. It’s called hot disc and it actually literally as it sounds, it’s two very hot discs that heat up the tyres.

“There’s also clinker that’s formed as a result of the tyres being combusted and that clinker goes in as an add mixture into the production of cement and that’s what enables Golden Base cement to produce their low carbon cement product.”

She said there is rigourous air quality testing to ensure that it is a clean burning method.

The remainder of the recycled tyres are then shipped offshore.

“Then there is about 20,000 tonnes which are exported offshore to verified markets… for a whole range of things like rubber for matting and various other products like that.”

Rose hopes that the number of tyres being recycled onshore would increase over the coming years.

“The scheme has only been going for a year and you can’t magically produce the domestic market within one year,” she said.

“That volume will be reducing as our market in New Zealand can utilise the rubber.”

The trust is currently focusing on using the recycled tyres for rubber roading.

“That will take about 18,000 tonnes of tyre crumb so you can see there’s a really awesome balance there, where we can stimulate your own market, we can reduce the amount that’s been exported.”

Rose said construction is another key area they hope to use the recycled rubber in.

“Anything you can imagine that has rubber in it, like engineered materials, building materials, paved materials.”

Tyrewise is aiming to have 80 percent of tyres transformed into products that can stay in New Zealand by 2028.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A Canterbury landlord, who had been warned multiple times that his property was not up to standard, has been ordered to pay $33,000, remove industrial rubbish and repair holes in the roof and walls of a boarding house in Lyttelton.

The Tenancy Tribunal took action against landlord Murray Lawrence Hill, who has a long history of complaints, for failing to ensure his property was compliant.

Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team national manager Brett Willson said Hill had previously been issued warnings for the property.

“Despite receiving multiple warnings over a number of years, he failed to take meaningful steps to address these concerns until 2024/2025. His prolonged inaction over a four-year period demonstrates a deliberate and intentional disregard for his obligations.”

His failure to maintain the property to the required standard despite multiple warnings, had a direct and harmful impact on his tenants.

Wilson said landlords are running a business and if they want to operate a boarding house they must comply with their obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act.

Alongside the rubbish removal and hole repairs, he was required to install glass planes in windows that were boarded up, install mechanical ventilation in the bathrooms and clean the kitchen and bathrooms to an acceptable standard.

It is the first time the Tenancy Tribunal has ordered a landlord to pay pecuniary penalties and Wilson said the amount reflected the seriousness of the intentional and ongoing nature of the breaches.

Wilson said where possible, the team works with landlords to achieve compliance and allow tenants to remain in their homes, but where a landlord is not willing to engage, then it would take further action up to and including an application to the Tenancy Tribunal.

He said Hill was an experienced landlord who had regular interactions with Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team, Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the Christchurch City Council, and was aware of his obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act.

The investigations team received a complaint from a member of the public in December 2023, who said the boarding house was in a serious state of disrepair, with rubbish rotting on the property.

The tenants were described as vulnerable and afraid to complain, for fear of being evicted.

Investigators visited the house and raised the issue with the Tenancy Tribunal, as two prior warnings had not resulted in any action.

At a case conference in March this year, Hill said he had completed some of the work required, but he failed to provide evidence of it.

At a subsequent site visit, investigators found some work had been done but there was still industrial rubbish outside the house that needed to be removed, part of the ceiling in the hallway was leaking and rotting, the stairway wall was in need of repair and parts of the guttering were broken and leaking in several areas. A smoke alarm was also missing outside one bedroom.

The Tenancy Tribunal found Hill failed to ensure the property was in a reasonable state of cleanliness and repair, failed to comply with the healthy homes standards for ventilation, draught stopping and moisture ingress and drainage, and failed to comply with smoke alarm regulations.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Foodstuffs South Island has been fined $39,000 for selling recalled hummus.

The dip was recalled in 2023 over the possible presence of salmonella.

Foodstuffs South Island was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court, after selling 39 units of the recalled hummus to consumers.

The deputy director-general for NZ Food Safety, Vincent Arbuckle, said the hummus should have been removed from shelves, and there was a significant failure in the company’s recall system.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Criminal investigations have begun into three police staff in relation to “misuse and inappropriate content”, RNZ can reveal.

RNZ earlier revealed several police staff were under investigation, including an officer who has been stood down after inappropriate material was found on a police-issued device.

It follows an audit of staff internet usage sparked by the resignation of former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming who recently pleaded guilty to possessing objectionable publications, including child sexual exploitation and bestiality over a four-year period.

Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers told RNZ on Thursday six out of 20 staff under investigation in relation to “misuse and inappropriate content” had been stood down.

“Those six are being investigated for serious matters, ranging from potentially accessing objectionable material, or accessing inappropriate material while also subject to separate misconduct matters.”

Some of the staff being investigated may have had legitimate purposes for accessing material, which police would verify through their inquiries.

“Criminal investigations are being conducted into three of the cases.”

Police were not able to disclose the ranks of those under investigation.

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

Rogers earlier told RNZ a “small number of users of concern” were under investigation.

RNZ asked for clarification but did not receive a response from police.

On Wednesday, Rogers said police continued to progress investigations into about 20 cases of misuse and inappropriate content as part of the ongoing audit of staff use of police devices.

“Employment processes are underway in some of these cases while others are still at the preliminary stages of investigation.

“We can assure the public appropriate action will be taken in every case and cannot rule out charges if the Solicitor General’s guidelines for prosecution are met.

“We are unable to comment further while these processes take their course.”

Rogers earlier confirmed to RNZ a police officer had been stood down from duty for “inappropriate content on a police device”.

“The officer is under employment investigation for serious misconduct, relating to inappropriate, but not objectionable, material on a police-issued device. The alleged misconduct was uncovered through following recent audits of staff internet usage.”

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers earlier told RNZ the misconduct being investigated was uncovered as a result of the new monitoring measures introduced following the Rapid Review of the settings for police devices, launched after McSkimming’s resignation.

“I sought that review because of my concern that such conduct was not being detected. This offers some reassurance that we now have the necessary tools to detect potentially inappropriate behaviour.”

Police Minister Mark Mitchell earlier told RNZ he had not been briefed on the allegations, but expected police to “take action on any matters that involve inappropriate behaviour”.

The investigation into McSkimming led to concerns that staff could bypass internal controls and “exploit vulnerabilities to access inappropriate content”.

The concerns prompted Chambers to order a “rapid review” of police’s information security (INFOSEC) controls to ensure police had sufficiently strong controls to prevent or detect the misuse of police technology and equipment for non-work-related purposes.

A summary of the review said the main risks were; weaknesses in technology configuration, lack of visibility over user activity and gaps in governance.

The report included key findings and recommendations in relation to each of the risks.

There was “inconsistent application” of internet access policies across different workgroups as well as a “lack of robust filtering mechanisms” to consistently prevent access to unauthorised websites.

The review also found there was “insufficient monitoring of internet usage to detect and respond to potential security threats and inappropriate usage”.

Other findings included unmanaged devices being used for operational activities and inadequate monitoring of user activity and network traffic.

There was an absence of centralised logging and analysis tools to detect anomalies and potential issues and “insufficient resources allocated to continuous monitoring and incident response”.

The review also said there was a lack of “clear governance structures and accountability” for INFOSEC controls, with “inconsistent enforcement” of security policies and procedures.

The report called for “improved oversight and coordination among different workgroups”.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Warning: This story contains content some may find disturbing.

There are calls for a public awareness and education campaign about domestic violence, after fresh data has revealed its prevalence around the globe.

A new report from the World Health Organisation has found a quarter of women have been physically or sexually abused by a partner.

It shows there’s been no improvements in that statistic in the last two decades.

In Australia and New Zealand, 24.5 percent of women have been sexually or physically abused by a partner.

The head of Women’s Refuge, Ang Jury, is disappointed but not at all surprised.

“Until such time as men realise that they don’t own their women, nothing’s gonna change,” she said.

Jury said big societal shifts have been achieved before in Aotearoa, like attitudes towards smoking and drink driving.

But part of that shift was long-lasting, expensive public campaigns. She wants to see something similar – “long running, sustained action” – for domestic violence prevention.

“It would have to be a bipartisan thing, with the understanding that nothing is gonna change overnight.”

In the mid-2000s, the “It’s Not Okay” campaign advertisements beamed into living rooms across the country.

University of Auckland professor Janet Fanslow, who’s researched violence for nearly 40 years, said it was brilliant.

“At the beginning it was not only the national campaign around the messaging and building the understanding, but that campaign was actually backed with 150 community-based prevention projects. And then we let it drop.”

Fanslow advised the World Health Organisation on interpreting and analysing data for the report.

She said to force change in New Zealand, a similar nationwide campaign is needed, underpinned with well-resourced advocates educating people about things like power in relationships.

Fanslow said in some places overseas, those community programmes saw intimate partner violence drop by 50 percent in four years.

“It’s huge, and it’s fast,” she said.

“We often talk about it as an intergenerational problem, but I think what we actually mean is that we need intergenerational funding to implement it consistently across whole populations, long enough to get the change in behaviour that we would really like to see.”

Political reaction

Politicians on either side of the aisle agreed the statistics were horrific – and that a bipartisan approach was the way forward.

“Fully agree, and that’s why we have continued the previous government’s programme that they put in place,” said Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

That’s called Te Aorerekura – a 25-year strategy to eliminate family and sexual violence, with a series of shorter-term action plans.

The minister for family and sexual violence prevention, Karen Chhour said the government’s second action plan has accomplished all its early milestones, like improving multi-agency responses, expanding access to safety programmes for survivors, and extending rehabilitation support for prisoners on remand.

“In recent years there has been an increase in reporting, meaning more people are aware these behaviours are unacceptable and are seeking help,” she said.

Chhour encouraged anyone experiencing family or sexual violence to seek help.

Labour’s family and sexual violence prevention spokesperson Helen White said there were emerging challenges to deal with.

“We have a really strong wind of misogyny coming through our social media, and it is really taking its toll on the way that young people think about their sexual relationships,” she said.

White believes change starts with young people.

“Education is absolutely key. We do need to make sure that this is cross-party, we should be able to cooperate on something like this. It’s huge.”

Family Violence

Sexual Violence

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Marlborough District Council are warning residents to be cautious of residual smoke after a Blenheim rubbish treatment plant blaze.

Fire crews were called to the Resource Recovery Centre in Wither Road at 2:50pm on Thursday.

Over two and a half hours later the council said the blaze was still burning, with it taking possibly three to four hours before it is put out completely.

All staff were evacuated and were safe.

The council said the cause of the fire was not yet known and a investigation team has been called.

The facility, and the dump shop will remain closed until further notice.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Concerned parents and teachers have been bagging up and delivering children’s play sand which could be contaminated with asbestos to designated council centres.

The products had been sold in both New Zealand and Australia and subject to multiple safety recalls.

At the Auckland Council asbestos lab in Auckland’s Grafton, Kedgley Intermediate learning and support coordinator Jane Goodill was shocked to learn they had the sand at her school.

She said she felt “horror” when she realised.

“We had some of the sand. I looked at the bar code and found it was a different bar code than the recalled ones but it was the same product, same colours, same seller, but different weight.”

To be perfectly safe, she said it was decided to get rid of it.

Adrian Blake, an Auckland father, said he and his wife were “pretty shocked” when they heard about the recall.

He said his children had played with the sand.

“I’m shocked that the product standard hasn’t been met. Surprised for a product that kids play with that it wasn’t checked more.”

Blake said he was pleased the council had come up with a solution for families unsure of what to do with the sand.

Auckland Council set up a drop-off site for the sand at the council asbestos lab on Kari St in Grafton.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police say they believe two incidents – where one man died and another suffered serious injuries – in Waikanae on Wednesday are related.

Three men aged 20, 25 and 26 are facing charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after a man was found critically injured in Kakariki Grove about 3.15pm.

At the time, Detective Inspector Jamie Woods said the man died at the scene despite medical attention.

On Thursday, Woods said police were treating the death as a homicide and further charges were “currently being considered”.

He said another man was found with serious injuries just over eight kilometres away in Hadleigh Court, Paraparaumu at about 4.25pm on Wednesday.

“We believe the incidents in Kakariki Grove and Hadleigh Court are related, and we are working to establish exactly what has occurred, and to identify and locate anyone else who may have been involved,” Woods said.

A neighbour of the Kakariki Grove address told RNZ they were outside on Wednesday afternoon when they heard loud voices and what “appeared to be a gunshot”.

“Then the screaming got louder and there was a second shot, I think.”

The person said the commotion was followed by the sound of cars “taking off down the street”.

They said neighbours were a little bit nervous and shaken up.

Woods appealed to members of the public who had information about either incident to get in touch.

“A large number of officers from across Wellington District have been deployed to assist in this investigation, and Waikanae residents can expect to see a continued police presence in the Kakariki Grove and Hadleigh Court areas as we continue our enquiries,” Woods said.

Another neighbour told RNZ armed police were stationed outside the property on Thursday morning.

“They’re the big guns, not the small ones.”

They said there were tents and plastic on the ground at the house and residents were signing in and out of the street cordon.

Residents were “battening down,” they said.

“It’s kinda freaky.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

It’s been revealed Kmart NZ’s sold tens of thousands of pots of potentially asbestos-laced children’s play sand.

The retail giant has sold 67,000 units of coloured children’s sand across the four products. That number doesn’t include suspect products sold through different retailers.

The sand has been sold at Kmart for several years, with the pink magic sand sales dating back to 2015, according to the Product Safety website.

In a statement, Kmart apologised for the inconvenience caused by the recalled products. It said whenever there is any potential risk associated with a product, they act “swiftly and proactively”.

Kmart has withdrawn all sand-based toys from sale as a precaution.

It said the risk that any asbestos found is likely to be airborne or fine enough for inhalation is low.

The sand is part of a massive recall that’s expanded even further on Thursday.

The latest contaminated item added to the list is 380 gram pots of craft sand in 15 different colours.

Samples of the product, which are sold in dozens of cut price retailers and dollar stores, have tested positive for asbestos.

MBIE and other agencies are proactively testing samples from other similar products that are available in New Zealand.

Testing of other play sands in New Zealand is ongoing, MBIE said.

“MBIE and other agencies are proactively testing samples from other similar products identified available in the New Zealand market. We are expecting to receive the first further results later this week and will update our partners and New Zealanders as they are received,” an MBIE spokesperson said.

Some councils have set up drop-offs sites for the recalled products.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A crash south of Hokitika on the West Coast has left eight people injured, four seriously.

The multi-vehicle crash happened on State Highway 6 near Donoghues Road in Ross, shortly after 1pm on Thursday.

St John says two people in a serious condition were flown by helicopter to Christchurch Hospital and two others were taken to Greymouth Hospital.

Two people in a moderate condition and two with minor injuries were also taken to Greymouth.

The highway is closed between Kakapotahi and Ross and is expected to be blocked for some time.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Concerned parents and teachers have been bagging up and delivering children’s play sand which could be contaminated with asbestos to designated council centres.

The products had been sold in both New Zealand and Australia and subject to multiple safety recalls.

At the Auckland Council asbestos lab in Auckland’s Grafton, Kedgley Intermediate learning and support coordinator Jane Goodill was shocked to learn they had the sand at her school.

She said she felt “horror” when she realised.

“We had some of the sand. I looked at the bar code and found it was a different bar code than the recalled ones but it was the same product, same colours, same seller, but different weight.”

To be perfectly safe, she said it was decided to get rid of it.

Adrian Blake, an Auckland father, said he and his wife were “pretty shocked” when they heard about the recall.

He said his children had played with the sand.

“I’m shocked that the product standard hasn’t been met. Surprised for a product that kids play with that it wasn’t checked more.”

Blake said he was pleased the council had come up with a solution for families unsure of what to do with the sand.

Auckland Council set up a drop-off site for the sand at the council asbestos lab on Kari St in Grafton.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Queenstown Lakes District Council has received two abatement notices following a series of failures at Wānaka’s wastewater treatment plant.

Heavy rain hit last month while the Project Pure Wastewater Plant was being upgraded and working at reduced capacity, causing nitrogen levels to spike and treated wastewater to flood disposal fields and run off.

The Otago Regional Council has since issued the two notices calling for the district council to stop discharging treated wastewater to land without complying with its consent.

One of the abatement notices described effluent flowing down an access road, into a nearby property and forcing grazing stock to drive through it to access other paddocks.

Five of the last 12 consecutive sample results for total nitrogen were “very high”, and at least three of them breached the consented limit this year.

District council property and infrastructure manager Tony Avery said the council was fully cooperating and trying to address the issues to become fully compliant as quickly as possible.

But he acknowledged the situation was disappointing.

“With the recent upgrade work now complete, and all three reactors operating as expected, we’re already seeing material improvements in the treated wastewater quality,” Avery said.

“We will continue to keep the community informed while we work through these issues.”

The Otago Regional Council warned that enforcement officers might do inspections to check compliance.

The district council also reported three wastewater ponding incidents between August and early October.

Another ponding incident was reported on 28 October following the heavy rain and a mechanical failure that reduced the capacity of the plant.

The abatement notice said staff diverted process wastewater to the disposal field.

“However, the disposal field was inundated and could not cope with the volume, causing ponding and the overland flow of wastewater down an access road,” the notice said.

When enforcement officers checked the plant on the same day, they estimated effluent to be about 80 millimetres deep throughout the disposal field zones, sludge with the ponded effluent, an odour on occasions and effluent flowing about 300 metres down an access road.

Some of that was discharging through a culvert and onto an adjacent property.

The effluent runoff flooded an access road to a property, forced stock from grazing areas to drive through the effluent to access other paddocks, contaminated silage and concerns were raised about the impact on the health of people, animals and the paddocks, the notice said.

The council did not rule out prosecution under the Resource Management Act if the district council did not comply.

The latest abatement notices followed a spate of recent compliance issues with two of the district council’s treatment plants.

In June, the Environment Court ruled that the council must fix the issues with its Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant after it was issued with 10 infringement notices and two abatement notices over about a year and half.

The district council has a permit for its Wānaka treatment plant to discharge no more than 26,400 cubic metres of wastewater to the disposal field per calendar day.

The groundwater quality in the bores sampled are not meant to exceed 11.3 grams per cubic metre of nitrate nitrogen.

It also has conditions requiring no ponding or surface run off of treated wastewater and does not allow the discharge of sludge to land or water apart from to an approved landfill.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

An engineering issue on a Air New Zealand flight from Auckland to Nelson has forced the plane to return to Auckland.

Fire and Emergency said they were called to the airport shortly after 3pm on Thursday, after being told there’d been an “engine shutdown” on the flight.

Nine fire trucks and more than 30 firefighters were on standby at the airport.

St John ambulance also sent more than a dozen ambulances and its major incident support team.

Air New Zealand said the flight landed safely, and its maintenance team will now inspect the aircraft.

It said the plane had an “engineering issue”.

“We regret the inconvenience this has caused our customers travelling to Nelson this afternoon and we are working to get them to their destination as quickly as possible,” said its chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The new Wellington City Council have voted to do a review of the contentious Golden Mile project.

Council officers are now predicting the project, which was budgeted to cost $139 million, could cost up to $220 million.

Some works have already begun on the project, but council officers said in October it was discovered that the Courtenay Place works, which are currently under negotiation, are now expected to exceed budget by $15 to $25 million dollars.

It’s the second time this year a budget blowout has been reported on the project. In August a $20 million blowout was reported, but the project was brought back into budget.

Mayor Andrew Little described the review as the responsible thing to do, he said the cost of the project had got to a level where they could not proceed in good conscious as if nothing had changed.

But he said the objectives of the Golden Mile were good.

Meanwhile Deputy Mayor Ben McNaulty said the council couldn’t afford the cost blow out, particularly in light of recent blow outs with the Town Hall and the Sludge Minimisation Plant.

“We can’t afford it, it’s just that black and white”

Councillor Rebecca Matthews said the council had far too many times pressed paused when they should have pressed fast forward.

She was concerned the review could represent the first step in terminating the project. She said she hoped she was wrong in her fears.

The vote passed with 12 in favour and 4 opposed. Those opposed were Matthews, Laurie Foon, Jonny Osborne and Geordie Rogers.

‘Council needs to create an environment where people can afford to live’

New Eastern Ward Councillor Tiefenbacher told councillors he wanted to be proud, but couldn’t be until the council looked back at the end of the term and saw Wellington was a better place than it is now.

He said the council needed to create an environment where people could afford to live, businesses could thrive and there were opportunities for youth.

Fellow new Eastern Ward Councillor Sam O’Brien said many of the challenges Wellington faced were a result of choices, not chance.

He pointed to an infrastructure deficit, unaffordable rents and water challenges.

“None of this is inevitable it is the consequence of decisions to defer and deflect and hope that someone else will deal with it later.”

He said the council needed to invest in public services that made people’s lives better on a day-to-day basis.

Other councillors who made their maiden speeches were Matthew Reweti, Jonny Osborne, Afnan Al-Rubayee and Andrea Compton.

Some Councillors oppose appointment of Ray Chung as chairperson

While discussing chairperson appointments, new councillor Osborne said he, Foon, Matthews and Rogers did not support Ray Chung’s appointment.

“Undermining the mana and integrity of your colleagues by spreading offensive and misogynistic rumours is not good leadership,” he said.

Early this year former Mayor Tory Whanau released an email Chung sent to three fellow councillors in early 2023 recounting a story he’d been told by his neighbour about the neighbour’s son allegedly having a sexual encounter with the mayor.

But Osborne said as “constructive partners” and recognising this was a decision for the mayor, the green faction would vote in favour of the paper.

The vote passed unopposed.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Feral cats will be added to Predator Free 2050’s hitlist, a sharp change of policy announced by Conservation Minister Tama Potaka.

Describing feral cats as “stone cold killers”, Potaka told RNZ they would “join their buddies, stoats, ferrets, weasels – mustelids, rats and possums” on the official list for eradication.

The move appears to be a sudden change of tack after RNZ’s reporting this week pointed out Prime Minister Christopher Luxon had promised during a 2023 election debate to add feral cats but failed to do so.

A proposal recently circulated by the government suggested feral cats should continue to be excluded from the strategy and Potaka made no mention of including them when approached by RNZ earlier this month about Luxon’s campaign promise.

But today, Potaka said it had been decided a couple of weeks ago to include them. He would not say why it was announced today.

It marks the first change to the list of species since the target’s inception in 2016, when then-Prime Minister John Key announced the predator free goal.

* See RNZ’s special report on the advance of destructive wild cats across NZ’s native heartland

‘We’ve got to get rid of these killers’

Potaka said feral cats were “stone cold killers”, responsible for killing birds, bats, lizards and insects.

“In order to boost biodiversity, to boost heritage landscape and to boost the type of place we want to see, we’ve got to get rid of some of these killers.”

The number of feral cats in New Zealand is unknown, but estimates range from 2.4 million upwards. They’re apex predators, which have been linked to the extinction of several native bird species. They also hunt bats, lizards, frogs and even insects such as wētā.

The announcement comes ahead of the results of a review of the Predator Free 2050 strategy due to be publicly revealed early next year.

The review included a proposal the public was invited to give feedback on. The proposal suggested feral cats be excluded at present, saying eradication wasn’t feasible. However, it did ask for public feedback on the benefits and risks of not including them.

The decision to not include them in the review drew criticism from conservationists, who said it was a “misread of the room” and the dial had shifted on the public’s understanding and acceptance of the issue.

Potaka said the proposal generated a large number of submissions and the majority called for feral cats to be included in the target species list.

The U-turn on feral cats inclusion, announced today, was welcomed by conservation groups. Chief executive of the charity group Predator Free New Zealand Trust, Jessi Morgan, said she’d been hoping for the inclusion for years.

“I can’t believe it really, I’m thrilled that decision has been made and I think it’s the right decision for New Zealand and I think New Zealand is ready.”

She said public opinion had shifted on the topic.

“There’s understanding that feral cats are a completely different kettle of fish to the cats that are sitting on your lap at night watching Shortland Street with you.”

What will this mean?

Potaka said the inclusion will drive an increased focus on eradication of feral cats.

This could involve investigating different ways to target them through poisoning, such as sausage baits laced with poison, or “spit” based methods where a poison is sprayed on the cat.

“There may be other options in the future, like genetic options or genetic solutions that can help reduce and eliminate any of these predators. Those are yet to be found, of course”

Potaka said scientist Sir Peter Gluckman had been in touch with him on possible scientific advancements which could be implemented.

Potaka didn’t specify what funding would be put behind eradicating feral cats, but said money from the International Visitor Levy was already going toward predator eradication.

Revenue from the levy has emerged at the same time as Jobs for Nature funding came to an end, and the company set up under Key to spearhead Predator Free New Zealand was wound up earlier this year to save $12.6m over three years.

The functions of the company were handed to the Department of Conservation (DOC). Costs for managing the company’s existing projects and contracts fell to DOC, which got no extra money earmarked for Predator Free 2050 other than a transfer of $2.3m already allocated to Predator Free 2050 Ltd.

Morgan, from Predator Free New Zealand Trust, said the inclusion of cats would send a strong message to councils that feral cats are now in the hit list.

“It will impact, hopefully, the policies that regional councils are putting out there to include better measures around feral cats,” she said.

What is a ‘feral’ cat?

The inclusion on the predator hit list has the potential to drive other changes.

Feral cats are wild cats, which survive without human help, and are the only cats targeted for eradication. But the challenge of including a common pet species in the predator free line up could mean pet cats will need protection.

This may come in the form of regulations, such as registration and microchipping. Potaka said he couldn’t confirm if this would happen.

“That’s for another day, and I’m sure that our government, at some stage will look at that more intensely,” he said, adding that it was a hot topic for National MP Barbara Kuriger.

Kuriger and Green MP Celia Wade-Brown have a member’s bill calling for compulsory microchipping and registration of companion cats. Currently, the bill would need to be drawn from a ballot in order to be considered, although the government could also adopt it. Kuriger and Wade-Brown could also get the support of 61 backbench MPs across Parliament for it to be advanced for a first reading.

Potaka said he’s a cat person himself, and owns two rescue cats, Haku and Scout, which has only three legs. He said as a cat lover he has no qualms about cats being added to Predator Free 2050.

“No, I don’t but I want to make sure my cats have their relevant microchips , which they do, and they’re looked after and there’s a very clear distinction between companion cats and feral cats.”

See more about New Zealand’s growing feral cat problem in Feral, a special RNZ investigation]

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Source: Radio New Zealand

About 10,000 insurance claims have been lodged as a result of the wild weather that battered New Zealand last month.

Severe wind and heavy rain warnings were issued for much of the South Island and the lower North Island.

A wind storm on 23 October cut power to tens of thousands of homes, tore off roofs, and downed trees and fences, leading to a state of emergency being declared in Southland and Clutha.

The Insurance Council said about 70 percent of claims were from Southland and Otago.

“Most of the claims received to date are for wind-related damage, and insurers are working with customers to assess and progress these as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson said.

FMG – the country’s biggest rural insurer – said it had received more than 3000 claims from severe wind on 23 October that were expected to cost more than $28 million.

“Of these claims, approximately 1,500 are from Southland and 700 are from Otago,” a spokesperson said.

“We had over 650 claims for Canterbury and over 80 of those related to irrigators.

“We’re not expecting the number of claims to change significantly now. We’re continuing to work to resolve claims as quickly as possible – with 10 percent of claims closed and over $1.5m already in communities.”

FMG had also received about 350 claims from severe wind on October 21 with about 100 coming from Canterbury.

Tower’s head of natural disaster response Lisa Maxwell said Tower received 850 claims from the storm.

“260 of these are from our customers in the Southland region and 150 from our customers in Otago,” Maxwell said.

“The majority of claims are for minor damage, for example, fences, roofing and damage from debris.”

An IAG spokesperson said its AMI, State and NZI brands had received more than 4300 claims from 23 October.

“More than 3,000 of those claims were received from customers in Southland and Otago regions,” the spokesperson said.

“Most of the strong wind damage caused smashed windows and doors, flying roofs and sheds, and also spoiled food as a result of the power outages.

“Additionally, the hailstorm affecting Timaru and South Canterbury on 15 November has prompted more than 1,000 claims.

“At this stage, it’s too early to put a cost to these events.”

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