Source: Radio New Zealand

A person has died in a crash that has closed part of State Highway 73 near Sheffield in Canterbury.

The two-vehicle crash happened at the intersection with Deans Road, shortly before 3pm on Wednesday.

St John said another two people have been taken to Christchurch Hospital with moderate injuries.

The highway remains shut between Bulls and Auchenflower Roads.

It’s expected to stay closed for several hours as the Serious Crash Unit investigates.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The government is halting new prescriptions of puberty blockers for young people with gender dysphoria, saying “a precautionary approach” is needed while evidence remains uncertain.

In a statement published on Wednesday afternoon, Health Minister Simeon Brown said Cabinet had agreed to the new settings until the outcome of a major clinical trial in the United Kingdom, expected in 2031.

The drugs – known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues – would remain available for people already using them for gender dysphoria, as well as for medical conditions such as early-onset puberty, endometriosis, and prostate cancer.

Brown said the new rules – taking effect on 19 December – would give families confidence that any treatment was “clinically sound and in the best interests of the young person”.

“These changes are about ensuring treatments are safe and carefully managed, while maintaining access to care for those who need it.”

Existing youth gender services would stay in place, with information brought together into one national online hub, Brown said.

In a post on social media website X, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said his party was the only one to campaign on stopping the use of puberty blockers in children.

“It is commonsense to put a pause on these unproven and potentially damaging drugs for children until we assess the results of the clinical trials in the UK once it’s completed.”

The ACT party’s children’s spokesperson Karen Chhour also issued a statement, declaring a victory for science, evidence, and the safety of children.

“I believe young people should be supported to love themselves, not change themselves with experimental medication.”

Green Party MP Ricardo Menéndez March told RNZ the government was “buying into imported culture wars” and targeting trans people on the eve of Transgender Day of Remembrance.

“We know from queer people that gender affirming healthcare can be life-saving,” he said. “The government should focus on addressing the core issues that our health system faces… rather than waging culture wars on trans people.”

The coalition’s move mirrors a major shift in the UK following the Cass Review – a four-year investigation commissioned by the National Health Service (NHS).

That review, spearheaded by paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass, concluded that the evidence base for gender-affirming medicine was “remarkably weak”, with study results misrepresented by people on all sides of the debate.

Cass also recommended a formal clinical trial to properly test whether puberty blockers, which delay the onset of puberty by suppressing oestrogen and testosterone, were safe and effective for young people. That trial was due to run until 2031.

In response, the NHS stopped routine access to puberty blockers for new patients. Other countries, including Sweden, Finland and Norway, had already tightened access and guidelines.

The Cass Review split opinion among clinicians and academics worldwide. While some endorsed the call of higher evidence standards, others criticised the report’s methodology and warned it downplayed the risk of denying treatment to young people.

At the time, the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA) criticised the review as irrelevant to New Zealand and said it ignored the global medical consensus.

“The final Cass Review did not include trans or non-binary experts or clinicians experienced in providing gender affirming care in its decision-making, conclusions, or findings,” PATHA president Jennifer Shields said.

“Instead, a number of people involved in the review and the advisory group previously advocated for bans on gender affirming care in the United States, and have promoted non-affirming ‘gender exploratory therapy’, which is considered a conversion practice.”

Youth health specialist Dame Sue Bagshaw also said she believed puberty blockers were safe and reversible and warned against any “moral panic”.

However, public health expert and Otago University emeritus professor Charlotte Paul said the British approach should give New Zealand clinicians “pause for thought”, saying some had abandoned “normal standards of informed consent for children”.

New Zealand’s Health Ministry last year also released a report finding “a lack of high-quality evidence” on the benefits or risks of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have closed off a street in the Wellington suburb of Newtown after a suspicious item was found.

Cordons are in place on Riddiford Street near Constable Street.

Police said members of the public are advised to avoid the area.

– more to come

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Daily smoking numbers have plateaued at 6.8 percent as the country looks down the barrel of its Smokefree 2025 goal.

In the year to July 2025, the latest New Zealand Health Survey showed the prevalence for daily smoking had dropped just a fraction from 6.9 to 6.8 percent, while the prevalence of daily vaping had increased slightly from 11.1 percent last year to 11.7 percent this year.

The estimated number of daily vapers this year was 509,000 in 2024/25, up from 33,000 in 2015/16.

Vaping was highest in the 18 to 24 age-group, with more than one in four vaping every day.

Meanwhile, the estimated number of daily smokers has nearly halved since 2011/12, decreasing from 572,000 to 294,000.

Has Smokefree 2025 gone up in smoke?

Vape Free Kids said the data shows New Zealand has failed to achieve the Smokefree 2025 goal, falling far short of the estimated 82,000 people needed to quit smoking in the last year to achieve the goal.

But Associate Health Minister Casey Costello and Action on Smoking and Health group (ASH) say that’s not the case.

Costello said the data is only to the end of June 2025, so the entirety of the year’s data won’t be known until the next survey.

Ruth Bonita, an Emeritus Professor of Public Health and ASH spokesperson, said she believes it is possible New Zealand could reach the under 5 percent goal of Smokefree 2025 by next year.

Costello and Bonita also both noted that under 25s were already a “smoke-free generation” with smoking rates of around 3 percent.

“This is a real success story,” Bonita said.

Small decrease a ‘predictable pattern’, focus on getting older long term smokers to quit

Bonita said the data shows the country is on the right track, and it’s to be expected that smoking rates are no longer declining rapidly.

“As prevalence gets lower and lower [it’s] harder to make a bigger impact on it.”

Costello said the data very clearly shows the 45 to 64 age group is the demographic of long term addicted smokers that more still needs to be done to reach.

“The progress New Zealand has made means that those who currently smoke cigarettes are mostly older, long-term smokers and since the start of the Smokefree work, they have been the most difficult group to get to quit,” she said.

“All of the tools, supports and approaches that have worked so well over the last few years are still in place. We need to build on these and target the key populations – older smokers and especially Māori and Pacific peoples. Māori and Pacifica smoking rates have fallen significantly over the last five years, but this trend has to continue.”

She said the Government’s approach was to take practical steps to provide smokers the tools to quit and stay quit.

“I want to ensure we are making the best use of the resources in this area, including getting people to engage with quit smoking providers and I’m looking at further regulatory change to ensure we have a regime that reflects the harm of products and has appropriate controls on the market.”

Concern about young people vaping

Vape Free Kids are concerned about youth vaping rates.

The group said the youth vaping rate has increased for 15 to 17 year olds from 10.3 percent to 13.6 percent.

They said this means an additional 4000 young people are living with a daily vaping addiction.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The jury in an Auckland slavery trial has been told they have to decide whether a man treated two young people as if they were his property.

Moeaia Tuai, 63, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of dealing in slaves, two rapes and assaults, and other sexual offences.

Justice Wilkinson-Smith, summing up the case, said the prosecution say Mr Tuai’s actions were the ‘very definition of slavery’, in exercising rights of ownership over the complainants.

“It can include conduct such as restricting freedom of movement – where a person can go, restricting freedom of association – who they can spend time with, restricting freedom of communication – who they can contact and talk to, using actual or threatened violence for breach of rules, retaining income and denying access to money, threatening consequences such as deportation to ensure compliance, restricting access to education to maintain control.

“All of these things can be used to control a person in a way that is tantamount to possession.”

The jury had to decide whether that happened, she said.

She said most prosecutions in New Zealand courts could only be for offending which happened here.

“Slavery is different. It captures alleged offending both in and out of New Zealand. So, the charge of slavery relating to both [complainants] covers the time period and the events that are alleged to have occurred in Australia as well as in New Zealand.”

The Crown alleges Tuai kept their passports, bank cards and wages, forcing one to take out a loan, and threatening both with deportation if they spoke out.

Tuai’s lawyer Tua Saseve told the jury at the High Court at Auckland that the defendant did not take unreasonable or excessive expenses from the young people’s wages, and safeguarded their bank cards and passports.

He was also not a ‘puppetmaster’ who forced the female complainant to make a previous, false allegation of rape against another man.

The jury is now considering its verdicts.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Northland’s roaming dog epidemic has turned a Whangārei grandmother into a prisoner in her own home.

Tracy Clarke says she loves walking, but has not ventured even to the corner of her street in three years, after a series of close calls with rushing dogs.

If it was not for a courier driver who saved her during one particularly frightening incident, she was convinced she would not be alive today.

“I just walked around the corner of the street. I really had nowhere to go. This dog just came flying out a couple of metres in front of me, it was heading straight for me, and I just froze,” she said.

“Then I heard a lady scream at me, and I literally dived into her van, slammed the door shut, and this dog’s mouth was up at the window.”

Clarke’s walking days ended there and then.

Dogs were constantly roaming her neighbourhood, she said.

She praised the efforts of the council’s animal control officers, but said they were hamstrung by ineffective and outdated laws.

She knew of one especially aggressive dog that had been wandering her street for more than three years – but every time it was picked up, the council was required to give it back.

Clarke has now organised a petition, calling on Parliament to tackle the crisis.

“People have had enough of the situation. They want to see the government step up and rectify it, sort it out, and rewrite laws that were actually written way back in the 1980s.”

New measures could include mandatory desexing, a three-strike rule for owners of roaming dogs, fence height requirements and steeper fines for irresponsible owners.

Her petition did not target responsible owners – she said it could actually benefit them.

Responsible dog owners currently carried much of the cost – collected through registration fees – of fixing the problems created by bad owners.

Clarke said she had received high-powered backing in recent days with the SPCA urging its supporters to sign the petition.

The SPCA said roaming dogs were a serious risk to animal welfare and public safety.

“Dogs that roam are at risk of being injured or killed in traffic, becoming involved in dog attacks, transmitting disease, wildlife predation, fouling and becoming a community nuisance. Many dogs that roam are often not desexed, contributing to unwanted litters.”

Fixing those problems required a combination of education, enforcement and legislative reform, the SPCA said.

Further north, Bay of Islands dog advocate Leonie Exel agreed the situation was “out of hand”.

“As the economy worsens and people get poorer, it’s getting worse because people don’t have the money to fence, they don’t have the money to feed their dogs properly. People are exhausted so they let their dogs wander. All these factors come into play, it’s a very complicated issue,” she said.

Exel said the current law did not serve communities well, and led to inconsistencies in the ways councils around the country approached the roaming dog problem.

She said mandatory desexing – except for dogs belonging to registered breeders – would help, but the “absolute key” to changing owners’ behaviour was community education about how to care for dogs and be safe around them.

“A happy dog is not often a dangerous dog … We need to have lots of loved dogs, not wandering on the streets killing cats or getting into people’s rubbish and driving them mad, or biting people, or making people afraid to walk their own dog. Until we do community education, de-sexing, and have really effective animal control, we’ll keep having the same problem.”

Far North Mayor Moko Tepania said his council would explore its options when the dog control bylaw came up for renewal next year.

The problem was huge, he said.

“In the Far North, we have around 8000 dogs registered annually and 12,000 dogs on record. But the probable reality is that we’ve got more than 20,000 to 30,000 dogs across the district,” he said.

Tepania agreed the current law needed to change.

He supported a push by Auckland Council for greater powers to de-sex roaming dogs when they were picked up, so they did not carry on breeding once they were returned to their owners.

New figures from ACC showed the dog problem was also hitting New Zealanders in the back pocket.

In the year to the end of October, dog-related ACC claims totalled more than $15.6 million, on track to break 2024’s record of $18.5m for the full year.

That was a roughly 80 percent increase from the total of $10.6m five years ago.

In Northland alone the cost was $1.1m for the year to the end of October, more than double the 2020 figure of $509,000.

The number of dog-related injury claims to the end of October was just under 12,000, with 750 of those in Northland.

Tracy Clarke said politicians had allowed the problem to escalate for too long.

“All I want is to be able to walk down to the dairy to get my milk, or walk up the road to wait for the bus. In three years I haven’t walked to the corner, which is probably about 100 footsteps away.”

However, Clarke said the petition was not just for herself.

It was for everyone who had been affected by poorly cared-for dogs, or those who had lost their lives, such as Elizabeth “Effie” Whittaker in Moerewa in 2023 and Neville Thompson in Panguru in 2022.

“This is about the Nevilles from Panguru. It’s about the people whose animals have been killed, it’s about the kid down at the park you see on the news who’s just suffered a dog bite. It’s about the old lady who’s too scared to take her little chihuahua for a walk. All those scenarios we’re just seeing way too many of,” she said.

Local Government Minister Simon Watts said he understood and shared community concerns about roaming dogs.

Watts said he and Andrew Hoggard, the minister responsible for animal welfare, had asked the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) to “explore non-regulatory approaches to support better dog control”.

That included improving the quality and consistency of dog-related data, he said.

The DIA told a Parliamentary Select Committee last month that the Dog Control Act was “increasingly not fit-for-purpose” but the government had no plans to amend it at this time.

Clarke’s petition on the Parliamentary website closes on 25 November.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A West Auckland School has confirmed a small number of coloured sand samples tested for asbestos have come back positive.

Several coloured play sand products have been recalled after tests found a naturally occurring asbestos.

About 40 schools and early childcare centres have closed, or planned to, because of the contamination fears.

The product has been sold in both New Zealand and Australia and is subject to multiple safety recalls.

Matipo School in Te Atatu Peninsula originally told parents they did not have any of the recalled sand products, but was testing other types of sand used for art activities as a precaution.

The school set out steps including independent testing, isolating and temporarily closing affected class rooms, and ensuring there was no access to the sand until it was confirmed safe.

However, Principal Jonnie Black wrote to members of the school community to say a small number of samples tested had returned positive results.

“I want to reassure our community that there is no immediate risk, and we are following all recommended Ministry of Education and health and safety procedures,” he said.

“Affected classrooms have been temporarily relocated while we complete air-quality testing and arrange professional decontamination of those spaces.”

Students were safe, well supervised and settled in alternative learning areas, he said.

Black said they had asked the families of specific classes to seal and return any sand-based artwork, so it could be disposed of safely and appropriately.

“This step is part of the national precautionary process to ensure full compliance with safety guidelines.”

The school understood how unsettling the situation was, Black said.

“Please be assured that the safety and wellbeing of our tamariki and staff remains our highest priority.”

Meanwhile, in Nelson, Enner Glynn School principal John O’Regan told Checkpoint they had to close four classrooms due to the potentially contaminated sand. The children have been sharing classrooms or moved to another space such as the library.

“It’s certainly been disruptive,” O’Regan said.

He said the tests for three of the classrooms have come back negative, while they are still awaiting the results of the fourth classroom.

However, O’Regan said despite having negative results back, they are advised not to send children back into those spaces.

“We are still waiting to have the all clear to open those classes.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Police are responding to an incident in Waikanae on Kāpiti Coast.

Emergency Services were called to Kakariki Grove just before 3.30pm.

A police spokesperson says officers are at the scene and people are asked to avoid the area.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Thames Coromandel District Council hopes to be able to say soon when two of its libraries caught up in the contaminated play sand scare will re-open.

Action around potentially asbestos contaminated children’s play sand has expanded beyond schools and early childhood centres.

Council libraries in Thames and Tairua in Coromandel were closed on Wednesday so work can be done to reduce the risk of any asbestos.

Thames Coromandel District Council said the closures were for vital health and safety maintenance so the public and staff could be kept safe.

“An investigation into the use of play sand in council facilities has revealed that products from the recalled list have been used recently in Thames Library and we are seeking clarity whether one of the recalled products was used more than six months ago at Tairua Library,” it said.

The council said it had spoken to WorkSafe and had engaged an asbestos disposal specialist to take possible contaminated material from Thames library.

It was hoping to advise of plans to re-open the libraries as soon as it knew more from its technical advisors.

It comes after the Education Ministry on Tuesday night sent updated advice to schools and early learning centres.

It told them all recalled sand products must be presumed to contain asbestos.

Auckland Council said there are no indications the sand was used in any of its libraries. The council later issued advice for what Aucklanders should do with any of the recalled sand.

It was to take safely-contained product to the council’s Asbestos Lab in Grafton between 9am and 3.30pm Monday to Friday.

The site was for homes only, with education facilities needing to follow advice from WorkSafe

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A rescue helicopter in Otago followed a car for 30 kilometres after lasers were pointed at the pilots flying on a hospital transfer mission this week.

Local pilots have condemned the behaviour of people who point lasers at helicopters, after two paramedics were targeted while flying over Palmerston.

Helicopters Otago said someone in a car shone lasers into the eyes of the paramedics mid-flight on Tuesday night, prompting the pilot to follow the car for about 30 kilometres until police brought the driver to a stop.

Managing director Graeme Gale said the laser attack came as a shock for the paramedics.

“They’ve since been to an eye specialist to get checked out, to make sure there’s no damage to the back of their eyes,” he said.

“It can be really serious and cause total blindness, so we don’t take it lightly.”

Gale said laser attacks could have catastrophic consequences.

“We’re not out flying around at night for fun. We’re taking seriously and critically ill patients to care,” he said.

Police said the car was intercepted at about 1.40am near Coast Road in Omimi.

A vehicle of interest was searched and enquiries were ongoing, they said.

Gale said it was fortunate the helicopter was on a return journey and able to pursue the car but that was not always the case.

“We’ve had a number over the last 12 months and we’ve had quite a number over the last few years,” he said.

“It’s not just us, airlines get hit every now and again, but it’s a criminal offence. You can’t just go around pointing lasers and shining them at aircraft.”

Last year a 39-year-old man who shone a laser at the Otago Rescue Helicopter for four minutes was charged with endangering transport.

A 33-year-old Dunedin man admitted shining a laser at a helicopter in 2021.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Researchers say New Zealand is attracting international attention for all the wrong reasons following it being awarded the ‘Dirty Ashtray’ award.

The ‘Dirty Ashtray’ was given to New Zealand at the biennial meeting of Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Geneva, Switzerland.

The ‘Dirty Ashtray’ is awarded each year at the Conference of the Parties meeting following a review of international progress and consideration of each country’s performance.

New Zealand’s citation is “for trying to portray their current tobacco control plan as a success when in reality since COP10 they’ve reversed world-leading reforms, sabotaged Indigenous tobacco-free aspirations, have alarming vaping rates among young people and have plummeted from 2nd to 53rd on the global index for tobacco industry interference.

New Zealand’s legislative reversal is being used by tobacco industry interests globally to push bad policy.”

Co-Director of the ASPIRE Aotearoa Research Centre Professor Janet Hoek said New Zealand was once a leader in global tobacco control policy.

“Now, our national shame is playing out on an international stage.”

Last week New Zealand also fell from second to 53rd in the global Tobacco Industry Interference Index.

“Last week the Cancer Society’s Tobacco Industry Interference Index marked a cataclysmic decline for Aotearoa New Zealand. The ‘Dirty Ashtray’ award reinforces the Cancer Society’s conclusions,” Hoek said.

Dr Mary Assunta, Head of Global Research and Advocacy at Global Centre for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC) and principal author of the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index said if the country had implemented the measures the coalition Government repealed, “large, rapid and equitable declines in smoking prevalence were predicted.”

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A controversial outside application to change an Auckland school to a charter school has been abandoned.

Bangerz Education and Wellbeing Trust and a former board member, Siaosi Gavet, were behind the bid.

They argued Kelston Boys’ High is violent, has low achievement and attendance rates and has lost community confidence.

But the school didn’t support the move and said becoming a charter school wouldn’t be in students’ best interests.

The Trust earlier ended its own consultation on its plans, and said the school had drawn battle lines in its public opposition.

Commenting on the battle last month, Labour said the charter school system is set up so “cowboy organisations” could pressure state schools.

The Charter Schools Agency said it was told last week the application would be withdrawn.

Kelston Boys’ High, on its social media, has called it a positive update.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Twenty police staff are under investigation in relation to “misuse and inappropriate content”, police have now confirmed.

Police say they cannot rule out criminal investigations into the staff.

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.

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

Acting Deputy Police Commissioner Jill 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 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

The sister of a man accused of killing Dunedin’s Gurjit Singh says he was not upset when he discovered the woman who rejected him had married Singh instead, a court has heard.

A 35-year-old, known only as Rajinder, is on trial at the High Court for the murder of Gurjit Singh.

Singh was found dead on the lawn of his home in January last year after being stabbed more than 40 times.

The High Court has heard of a complicated love triangle involving Singh, his widow Kamaljeet Kaur and Rajinder.

Kaur told the court on Tuesday that she rejected Rajinder in 2022 before marrying Singh the following year.

Rajinder’s sister Harmeet Kaur said Kamaljeet Kaur’s family approached her family twice about marrying her brother in 2022 but they rejected the proposal.

She found out about Singh and Kamaljeet Kaur’s marriage in 2023 as a result of an Instagram post about the wedding when she was living with a mutual friend of Singh’s – Harjit Kaur – in Auckland.

Harmeet Kaur told the court that she was shocked and called her brother. She told the court he was surprised but not upset, saying it was a small world.

A marriage broker had pushed for them to accept Kamaljeet Kaur, saying she wanted to go abroad, only for the woman’s family to say she was not ready to leave India after a video call between Rajinder and the woman’s father, Kaur said.

She said Rajinder was not upset when Gurjit Singh rejected a plan for him to marry his sister, because he accepted that she was too young.

Stevens asked Harmeet Kaur about her time living with her brother, father and Rajinder’s wife in Dunedin from August 2023.

She said they enjoyed their time together and her brother’s marriage appeared to be happy.

His wife spent about six months staying at home adjusting to New Zealand culture but they then went on long car rides, watched movies and cooked together.

Kaur said Rajinder also gave his wife driving lessons, usually later at night after work and dinner.

Harmeet Kaur told prosecutor Richard Smith that she called Rajinder after seeing Singh’s wedding photo because he had received two proposals from Kamaljeet Kaur, only to be told she had changed her mind again about leaving India.

It had been a waste of time, Kaur said.

The trial is set down for three weeks.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A two-storey classroom block at Auckland’s St Kentigern College in Pakuranga caught fire on Wednesday afternoon, leading to a full school evacuation.

About 20 firefighters attended the incident after Fire and Emergency said they were called to the school on Pakuranga Road about 1.30pm.

A FENZ spokesperson said firefighters saw a “large plume of smoke” coming from the building when they arrived.

Students and staff were evacuated onto the sport fields as a precaution.

The school confirmed there were people inside the classroom when the fire started.

.

A spokesperson for the college said the fire was quickly put out, which allowed senior students to start their exams at 2pm despite the brief disruption.

The cause of the fire was unknown and the school was working with Fire and Emergency.

The school could not confirm the extent of damage done to the classroom block, but nobody was hurt injured.

Police have been approached for comment.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A man who was travelling on State Highway 25 towards Coromandel town this morning said he saw rocks, small slips and “spontaneous waterfall” along the way.

Mieke Kregting took a video of what appeared to be a landslide along SH25.

The video showed rocks and debris spilling onto the highway, and water gushing down a muddy cliff-face onto the road.

Meanwhile, Bay of Plenty Regional Council activated its flood room protocols as it prepared for a downpour.

MetService has issued an orange heavy rain warning for Bay of Plenty until 11pm on Wednesday, with 80mm to 110mm of rain on top of what has already fallen expected.

The heavy rain warnings in place in Bay of Plenty as of Wednesday 3pm.

In a statement on social media the Bay of Plenty Regional Council said it was reacting as a result of the wet weather.

“This means our flood team is set up to monitor the situation 24/7 as it develops. We will be providing real-time river level information to supporting agencies (such as local councils and Waka Kotahi), to assist with planning and responding to local communities.

“We’ll also have our flood monitoring team out in the field. It’s their job to be the eyes and ears on the ground, checking flood defences (such as stopbanks and floodwalls), monitoring river levels, flows and rainfall and reporting back to the Flood Room.”

The council said members of its operations team were also out in the community, checking the condition of the flood infrastructure, assessing the weather conditions in key areas and pumping out flood waters from any drainage canals where needed.

“Your local council is also monitoring the situation and will be providing updates via their websites and social media channels around roading, blocked culverts/drains, and water/stormwater/wastewater.”

Heaviest rain in Auckland CBD

Earlier on Wednesday central Auckland bore the brunt of the rain, MetService said.

Orange heavy rain warnings were in place for Northland, Auckland and Great Barrier Island (until 2pm), Waitomo, Waikato and Taupō (until 6pm), Bay of Plenty (until 11pm) and Tongariro National Park (until 10pm).

MetService meteorologist Samkelo Magwala said all those areas had received a “decent amount” of rain overnight.

It was heaviest in Auckland, particularly in the central city, he said.

Have you been caught up in the weather? Share your stories and pictures with us at iwitness@rnz.co.nz

“Some stations in Auckland have recorded about 15.5mm of rain in the period of an hour, some even as high as 21mm of rain,” he said.

The band of rain would move eastwards throughout the day, easing before another band was due to ramp up again in the afternoon.

Gisborne was not under a weather warning, but the rain was heading that way later this afternoon, he said.

After Wednesday, high pressure would begin to build, Magwala said, “giving us some more settled weather for a couple of days”.

Taumarunui and Taihape north of Ohakune, as well as Taranaki are also under heavy rain watches until Wednesday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Bluebridge ferry, Connemara, is stuck in Picton after an issue with the ramp has left passengers unable to disembark.

The ferry left Wellington shortly after 8am and arrived in Picton just before midday.

Passenger Nick Simcock said those onboard had been told the ramp was stuck and staff had been working for the last 2.5 hours to free it.

“We boarded in Wellington about 8am and it was a great sailing across the channel but we arrived about midday and no-one has been able to get on or off the ferry, the back door ramp is firmly stuck,” Simcock said.

“It’s something to do with the mechanism, the pins are stuck that lock the door into position.”

Simcock is heading to the Marlborough Sounds for a fishing and diving trip with friends and he said they were keen to get off the ferry so they could get on with that.

“Everyone is resigned to the fact I think, we have been down this road before with the ferries here.”

Bluebridge has been approached for comment.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government’s Cook Strait ferry project will cost less than $2 billion, says the Rail Minister.

Winston Peters announced in March the government would buy two new Interislander ferries to replace the current ageing fleet.

The new ferries are expected to come into service in 2029.

It was revealed today the total budget for the project was currently estimated to be $1.86 billion – with taxpayers paying less than $1.7 billion of that.

Briefing documents said the cost would not surpass $2 billion.

Peters said the contract for the ferries were a fixed price $596 million between Ferry Holdings and shipbuilder Guangzhou Shipyard International.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis pulled the plug on iReX, the previous government’s Cook Strait mega ferry plan, in 2023.

Peters said the public had benefited as a result of the new plan.

“Spending less than $1.7 billion means the taxpayer has saved $2.3 billion while still getting the ferries and infrastructure they want, because we have done away with the expensive consultants who hijacked the project by adding more and more infrastructure until Treasury warned the project would cost $4 billion.”

He said funding spent on infrastructure would be recovered over the life of the new Interislander ferries and infrastructure, through port fees paid from Interislander revenue.

Interislander would also be expected to build sufficient money reserves to buy new ferries again in 30 years, Peters said.

The new ships would be 200 metres long and rail-enabled, which meant rail freight could be rolled on and off them.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Anita Hart, 61, was reported missing on 13 November, after her abandoned car was found on Gillespies Road.

“Police, along with multiple Search and Rescue teams, have been extensively searching the area working to locate her, and while this is not the outcome we hoped for, we hope it will help provide some closure for her family and loved ones,” Detective Senior Sergeant Kylee Cusin said.

“Police would like to thank the public and everyone who helped in the search.”

Her death has been referred to the Coroner.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A two-storey classroom block at Auckland’s St Kentigern College has caught fire this afternoon, and about 20 firefighters are in attendance.

Fire and Emergency said they were called to the school on Pakuranga Road about 1.30pm.

A FENZ spokesperson said firefighters saw a “large plume of smoke” coming from a two storey classroom block upon arrival.

She said the building is 50 metres by 22 metres, and the fire has now been contained to one classroom.

FENZ said nobody has been hurt.

Five fire trucks are still at the scene.

More to come…

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Manawatū Prison has reopened after a bomb threat.

The facility was locked down after police received a threatening phone call at 8.40am on Wednesday.

The prison’s deputy general manager Shane Petersen said police conducted an extensive search but no bomb was found.

“The safety and security of the prison is our priority. We take threats to the operation and security of our facilities very seriously and have detailed protocols for dealing with incidents of this nature,” Petersen said.

There were no injuries and prison staff were assisting police with follow up enquiries into the threat.

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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 new measles case has been detected in the country, with contacts at Auckland Airport.

Health New Zealand says rapid immunity checks are taking place at the airport for staff who have been exposed.

It has yet to provide detailed locations of interest.

It was gathering a more specific list of locations where the person may have been, a spokesperson said.

“There also may be additional locations published in subsequent days, following further assessment by the National Public Health Service,” she said.

Anyone at those locations needed to follow health advice.

“Anyone who develops symptoms of measles, including fever, cough, runny or red eyes, and a rash starting at the face, should contact Healthline on 0800 611 116, or their usual healthcare provider,” she said.

The new case did not change the national total of cases in the current outbreak, which stood at 19.

That was because an earlier case reported in the total had since returned overseas – where they were intially diagnosed – and would be officially counted in that country’s cases.

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