Campervan operator Tourism Holdings (THL) says strong growth in its rental business has helped drive first-half net profit up 17 percent, with revenue growth of 4 percent.
“Our rentals business remains the engine of THL’s business model and continues to power our global revenue performance,” chief executive Grant Webster said.
“Globally, rental performance remained strong during H1 FY26, with 11 percent growth in sale of services revenue (primarily rentals) in the first half.
“As of today, we are seeing global forward rental revenue for future travel periods more than 15 percent higher than at the same point last year, despite the decline seen in the US market.”
Key numbers for the six months ended December compared with a year ago:
Net profit $29.6m vs $25.3m
Revenue $477.3m vs $458.4m
Underlying net profit $29.5m vs $26.5m
Interim 3 cents per share vs 2.5 CPS
“We remain confident in the outlook for global tourism. The industry is finally moving away from pre-Covid comparisons,” Webster said.
“Structural drivers, including growing global airline capacity and growing demand for our category of free independent travel, continue to support a positive outlook for RV rentals.
“Looking ahead, we expect continued momentum and growth through calendar year 2026 in New Zealand, Australia and Canada, with these markets seeing between 20 percent to 30 percent growth in forward rental revenue.
“The downside is that we are in an environment where the USA is ‘off the menu’ for many international travellers this year. While the 2025 high season still had the benefit of solid booking intakes before the Liberation Day tariffs were announced (subject to some cancellations), the entire 2026 booking window has been impacted.”
Progress on the strategic initiatives announced in August 2025
“We continue to view FY26 as a transition year as we implement transformational initiatives against a background of ongoing weakness in RV sales markets, broader macroeconomic challenges, and uncertainty regarding the timing of a recovery,” Webster said.
“Notwithstanding this, we are focused on our forecast for FY26.”
The company expected full-year underlying net profit to be in the range of $43m and $47m, including a $1m reduction associated with the timing of its UK divestment.
He said challenging vehicle sales conditions persisted, and the second half of FY26 was expected to largely reflect the trends seen in the first half, with any meaningful recovery unlikely within the current financial year.
Net debt was expected to be less than $400 million.
“Looking further ahead, the execution of our strategic initiatives, continued recovery in international tourism and rental demand, alongside ongoing cost-out actions, are expected to materially benefit FY27.
“We expect gross fleet capital expenditure in FY26 to be around $210 million, reflective of our fleet and capital management decisions.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Changes to the United Kingdom’s entry requirements for dual citizens come into force on Wednesday, but a last-minute update has added further confusion according to travel agents.
Late last year, the British government announced anyone classed as a British citizen would soon need a valid UK passport to enter the country, or have to get a $1300 certificate in their foreign passport.
But on Friday, the Home Office said it will now allow airlines to decide whether to accept an expired British passport alongside a valid foreign one.
Travel Agents’ Association chief executive Julie White told Morning Report leaving it to the airlines’ discretion was risky.
“You can’t rely on that and look, it’s expensive, it’s stressful and you’ve taken annual leave so our suggestion is, you really should be travelling with the right documentation.
“We’re inundated with people contacting our travel agents around clarity because it really is confusing.”
She said airlines could only deal with the information they’d been provided and would face fines if they got it wrong.
“So, if the person standing in front of them has got a New Zealand passport with an ETA [Electronic Travel Authorisation], they will go through a set of questions … the liability then sits on the person travelling, which may actually be denied entry into the UK and turned around.”
White said the British Embassy had not been forthcoming about how airlines would know whether a person required a new passport/ETA or not, but expected people to be questioned upon entry into the UK about whether they had a British parent.
She said the motivation behind the changes was driven by the UK’s desire to tighten its borders and also its move toward digital.
“As they move along to [become] more digitally enabled, I think they’d have greater clarity on who has what rights.”
She said a grace period to comply with the rules would be helpful, but with the changes coming into effect in only three days’ time, thought it was unlikely.
White said some people had chosen to cancel or defer their travel due to the stress, noting insurance wouldn’t cover the cost.
This week as Ukraine marks the grim anniversary of four years of war and a growing mental health crisis, World Vision New Zealand is funding a digital chatbot to help caregivers support children living through conflict.
Four years of armed combat, bombings, and death have scarred children and nearly 85% of households report psychosocial distress among children, with nearly one-third of under-fives showing visible signs of anxiety and trauma [i]
World Vision New Zealand Acting Head of Fragile and Developing Contexts, Andy Robinson, says the impact of the war on children will last generations.
“Children in Ukraine are growing up feeling unsafe and scared. Many have been separated from their fathers, and many will have witnessed death and violence at close quarters.
“We’re seeing high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. Professional mental health services are limited and families are overwhelmed. World Vision hopes that this digital chatbot will give parents practical ways to support their children’s mental health and wellbeing right now,” he says.
The Parenting in Crisis Chatbot, locally named Batkivska Opora, is a digital tool that provides Ukrainian caregivers with evidence-based guidance on child protection, psychosocial support, and positive parenting amid the ongoing war.
In partnership with Parenting for Lifelong Health, it delivers practical, culturally-adapted guidance via messaging platforms using text, audio, illustrations, and short videos, and provides strategies for stress management, positive parenting, and child protection.
Its flexible, low-bandwidth format ensures access, even in remote or low-connectivity areas.
“This is not a replacement for professional care, but it will help parents who are already struggling with displacement, lost jobs, reduced income, and ongoing security concerns who tell us that they don’t have the resources to support their children effectively,” Robinson says.
A recent World Vision report found that access to protection and mental health services was extremely limited in Ukraine with only 28% of households reporting that they are able to access services from NGOs or UN agencies, leaving 72% without child protection or mental health support at a time of heightened vulnerability.[ii]
The chatbot will initially be trialled with around 500 parents before being scaled-up to reach thousands and complements World Vision’s other work to support children and families in Ukraine.
World Vision’s Ukraine Response Director, Arman Grigoryan, says children and families are currently suffering not only the perils of war, but of an extremely cold winter.
“Winter intensified the risk facing children. It compounds learning loss, emotional distress, and protection concerns all at once. When power cuts disrupt schooling and displacement interrupts in-person education, children suffer and lose stability. Children and families in Ukraine need extra support in winter – it is a life-saving intervention,” he says.
More than half of families report disruption to their children’s education. A quarter of children are unable to attend school due to unsafe conditions, and a third cannot access online learning because of power outages.[iii]
As Ukraine enters another winter at war, World Vision New Zealand is calling on New Zealanders to help expand support for children and families facing prolonged trauma.
World Vision New Zealand is a children’s charity working to overcome poverty and injustice so that children can build a brighter future. World Vision works to support the most vulnerable children in more than 100 countries around the world.
World Vision has been working in Ukraine since the war began in 2022 and in that time has supported more than 2.3 million people, including more than one million children. World Vision has provided food, non-food items, cash assistance, protection, education, livelihoods, and mental health support. We operate in 22 of Ukraine’s 24 regions and continue to deliver both immediate relief and long-term recovery programmes.
Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales, arrive at the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards in London, on 22 February, 2026.Jaimi Joy / POOL / AFP
‘One Battle After Another’ US singer-songwriter and actor Teyana Taylor.AFP / Adrian Dennis
‘Bugonia’ US actress Emma Stone.AFP / Adrian Dennis
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and ‘Stranger Things’ US actress Sadie Sink.AFP / Adrian Dennis
‘Sinners’ US actor Michael B. Jordan.AFP / Adrian Dennis
‘Marty Supreme’ French-US actor Timothée Chalamet.AFP / Adrian Dennis
‘Adolescence’ British actress Erin Doherty.AFP / Adrian Dennis
‘The Woman in Cabin 10’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ British actress Hannah Waddingham.AFP / Adrian Dennis
‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ US actress Glenn Close.AFP / Adrian Dennis
‘Bugonia’ US actor Jesse Plemons and ‘Roofman’ US actress Kirsten Dunst.AFP / Adrian Dennis
‘The Bride!’ US actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.AFP / Adrian Dennis
‘One Battle After Another’ US actor Leonardo DiCaprio.AFP / Adrian Dennis
Nigerian-British actress Wunmi Mosaku poses with the award for best supporting actress in the film ‘Sinners’.AFP / Justin Tallis
‘BOONG’ Indian film director Lakshmipriya Devi and Indian film producer Ritesh Sidhwani pose with Paddington The Bear and the award for best children and family film.AFP / Justin Tallis
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
The redundancies were forced on Health NZ by government cuts, says the PSA.RNZ
Spending millions on redundancy payouts for non-clinical staff at Health NZ is a “disgraceful waste of money”, says the PSA union.
Te Whatu Ora made nearly $58 million in redundancy payouts between late 2023 and 2025.
In total, $57.91 million in payments for voluntary redundancies and early exits for non-clinical staff were made between 1 November 2023 and 31 December 2025, according to figures released under the Official Information Act to the PSA union.
PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimmons said the union estimated the agency let go about 2800 workers through cuts and voluntary redundancies during this time.
She said the non-clinical staff such as IT experts and administrators were still desperately needed in the public health system.
“We’ve lost administrators, we’ve lost IT experts, we’ve lost analysts, we’ve lost people that support training of health professionals – all people who played a critical role in our health system, who have more to give and who will be missed.”
Fitzsimmons said the $58 million in payouts was a “disgraceful waste of public money”, that will have “costs on our health system for years to come”.
“Everyday, we’ll see the cost of these departures in IT failures, in longer waiting lists, and in clinicians needing to do more of their own administrative and clerical work at the expense of seeing patients.”
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the government’s priority was ensuring more resources are directed to frontline care, rather than “back-office bureacracy”.
He said fewer New Zealanders were waiting for elective surgery or a first specialist assessment than at the start of last year, emergency department wait times are improving, along with childhood immunisation rates.
“This progress is being supported by significant workforce growth, including around 2000 additional nurses and hundreds more doctors employed by Health New Zealand since 2023.”
A Health NZ spokesperson said voluntary redundancy was a choice staff could make based on their own circumstances.
“Changes that have been made within Health NZ are part of an ongoing effort toward a more sustainable future for healthcare.
“We want to ensure our resources and people are organised to strengthen and support the front-line so more New Zealanders get the right healthcare when and where they need it.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare has upped its full year revenue and profit guidance on the back of “good growth” in its full range of hospital products.
“We have continued to see good growth across the full range of our hospital products so far during our second half,” managing director Lewis Gradon said.
“While relative seasonal respiratory hospitalisations in the northern hemisphere winter may continue to impact the second half result, our performance to date suggests pleasing progress in our efforts to change clinical practice.
“Continuous improvement activities and other efficiency gains are also contributing to improvements in our gross margin and operating margin.”
23 February 2026 guidance* versus 29 November 2025
Net profit $450m – $470m vs $410m – $460m
Revenue $2.30b vs $2.17b – $2.27b
Assumes US exchange rate of 60 US cents vs 57 US cents
Does not incorporate any potential refund of US tariffs paid to date during the 2026 financial year.
Update on US tariffs
The company updated its view on US tariffs following a US Supreme Court decision invalidating tariffs imposed by the US administration under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
“There are still a number of uncertainties regarding the implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling for companies that import into the United States,” it said.
“The company continues to work through the complexities associated with the US court rulings, refund processes and application of free trade agreements and the Nairobi Protocol to its products, and will provide an update on tariff impacts with its full year results at the end of May.”
The company continued to view the current and proposed tariff structures in the context of cost increases that will be mitigated over time by the company’s long-standing continuous improvement activities.
“As such, the company does not currently believe these matters have any material impact on the company’s long-term direction, strategy or sustainable profitable growth.”
F&P declined to comment further.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Media are invited to the presentation of a Certificate of Appreciation to Samson Aruwa in recognition of his courageous actions at a critical incident in Dunedin on the night of 5 October 2019.
On that night, during a life threatening crowd crush at a student gathering, Samson demonstrated exceptional courage, calmness, and leadership. Tragically, the night was marked by the loss of Sophia Crestani, whose life and memory are honoured with enduring respect.
The Commissioner of Police Richard Chambers will be presenting this award on behalf of New Zealand Police, with Sophia Crestani’s parents in attendance, as well as University of Otago Vice Chancellor Grant Robertson, Southern District Commander Superintendent Jason Guthrie, and members of Southern District Police leadership.
Date: Thursday, 26 February Time: Please meet no later than 10.50am Location: Clocktower, University of Otago, 362 Leigh Street, Dunedin (there is a bench seat dedicated to Sophia Crestani nearby and the presentation will take place there).
Customs Minister Casey Costello will travel to Honolulu this week to represent New Zealand at the United States’ Pacific Agenda: Investment, Security, and Shared Prosperity Summit.
“The Summit is an important opportunity for New Zealand to strengthen partnerships that support the Pacific’s long‑term prosperity and resilience,” Ms Costello says.
“Stronger economic connections, resilient infrastructure, and increased investment are central to lifting incomes, growing jobs, combatting transnational organised crime, and supporting communities. These benefits extend across our region, where shared prosperity depends on collaboration and trusted long‑term partnerships.”
Hosted by the United States Government, the Summit will bring together a number of Pacific leaders, senior US officials, and private‑sector investors to discuss reducing barriers to investment, accelerating project readiness, and connecting capital with opportunities across the Pacific.
The inclusion of all Pacific Islands Forum member countries at the Summit reflects the central role of the Forum in regional cooperation. New Zealand welcomes this initiative by the United States, a Forum Dialogue Partner, as an important contribution to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
“Meeting US private‑sector organisations will also help identify opportunities for investment in priority sectors, including commercial partnerships that complement regional initiatives such as PACER Plus, an comprehensive agreement aimed at fostering sustainable economic development in the Pacific,” Ms Costello says.
“New Zealand remains committed to supporting a resilient, prosperous Pacific. Our success as neighbours, partners and family is closely interconnected — and strong economic and investment cooperation is key to our shared well‑being.”
The Government has confirmed it will buy up to $200 million of new Genesis Energy shares as part of a capital raise announced by the company this morning.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the raise will support and advance the Government’s goals for secure and affordable energy.
“We confirmed last year that we would consider requests from all three Mixed Ownership Model energy companies for Crown investment in commercially sound generation capacity.
“Genesis’ proposed investments will directly contribute to enhancing energy security, including through enabling Genesis to bring more flexible capacity to the market which can be used to address dry-year risk”.
State Owned Enterprises Minister Simeon Brown says the Government’s investment aims to strengthen the performance and long-term value of one of New Zealand’s state-owned assets.
“This is about delivering better outcomes for Kiwis and ensuring we have a stronger, more secure, and more reliable energy system.”
Energy Minister Simon Watts says this is only one part of a wider Government work programme.
“This decision is part of a wider package of work the Government is undertaking to support energy security and drive down the cost of living for all New Zealanders”.
The purchase of new shares will ensure the Crown retains a 51 per cent share of Genesis at the conclusion of the raise.
All eligible investors in the Genesis equity raise are encouraged to undertake their own due diligence and seek individual professional investment advice before making decisions with respect to the raise.
And yet, as the war following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 enters its fifth year, the attitude of the Russian public remains difficult to gauge: Just over half of Russians, according to one recent poll, expect the war to end in 2026; yet a majority say that should negotiations fail, Moscow needs to “escalate” with greater use of force.
As observers ofRussian society, we believe this ambiguity in Russian public opinion gives President Vladimir Putin the cover to continue pushing hard for his goals in Ukraine. Yet at the same time, a deeper dive into the Russian public’s apparent support for the war suggests that it is more fragile than the Russian president would like to believe.
Putin’s social contract
From Day 1 of the conflict, Western strategy has been predicated on the belief that economic sanctions would eventually cause either the Russian elite or its society to persuade Putin to abandon the war.
This, in turn, is based on the assumption that the legitimacy of Putinism rests on a social contract of sorts: The Russian people will be loyal to the Kremlin if they enjoy a stable standard of living and are allowed to pursue their private lives without interference from the state.
The Russian economy has been struggling since 2014, so many analysts believed that this social contract was coming under strain even before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, after four years of war, the combination of exclusion from European markets and a tripling of military spending has led to economic stagnation and mounting pressure on living standards.
One problem with the social contract approach is that it tends to downplay the role of ideology.
It is possible that Putin’s “Make Russia Great Again” propaganda resonates with a significant part of the Russian public. Polling has consistently placed Putin’s approval rating above 80% since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict.
Of course, the validity of the results of polls in an authoritarian society at war cannot be taken at face value. Yet, one shouldn’t rule out that some of that support is genuine and rests not just on a stable economy but also on popular endorsement of Putin’s pledge to restore Russia’s power and influence on the world stage.
Some scholars point to a “rally around the flag” effect. There was an apparent surge in Putin’s approval rating after the use of military force against Ukraine in 2014 and 2022.
It is hard to tell whether the surge in support for Putin reflects a genuine shift in opinion or just a response to media coverage and what people perceive as the acceptable response.
That leaves open the question of whether the “Putin consensus” will break down at some point in the future if the costs of the war start to hit home for a majority of Russians.
The problem with polls
The consensus view among observers is that a small minority of Russians oppose the war, a slightly larger minority enthusiastically support the war, and the majority passively go along with what the state is doing.
There are still some independent pollsters conductingsurveys in Russia that report a high level of support among respondents for the “special military operation” against Ukraine, with figures ranging between 60% and 70%.
A number of researchers have pointed out the difficulty in getting an accurate snapshot of Russian public opinion, given that the polling questions might make the respondent fearful of being accused of breaking laws that penalize “spreading fake news” and “discrediting the army” with a lengthy prison sentence.
The Levada Center, which is still regarded as an independent and relatively reliable pollster, conducts its interviews face to face in people’s homes but has a very low response rate. Polls conducted online, in return for monetary rewards, can try to find demographically balanced respondents, but the problem of wariness about giving answers that are critical of the regime remains. In Russia’s current political environment, refusing to answer or giving a socially acceptable response is a rational strategy.
Some scholars, such as those associated with the Public Sociology Laboratory, which looks at public sentiment in post-Soviet states, still conduct fieldwork inside Russia, sending researchers to live incognito in provincial towns and observe social practices involving support for the war.
Their ethnographic research finds little evidence for a “rally around the flag” effect in provincial Russian society. Other analysts have turned to digital ethnography of social media as an alternative source of insight. But analysts unfamiliar with the local and digital context risk mistaking performative loyalty for genuine belief.
‘Internal emigration’
Most Russian citizens try to avoid political discussion altogether and retreat into what is often described as “internal emigration” – living their own lives while keeping interactions with the authorities to a minimum.
This practice dates back to the Soviet period but resurfaced as political repression increased after Putin’s return to the presidency in 2012.
There is no doubt that there are many fervent war supporters in Russia. They are quite vocal and visible because the state allows them to be – such as the military bloggers reporting from the front lines.
Apart from looking at opinion polls and social media, one can also probe the level of genuine support for the war by looking at everyday practices. If popular support for the war were enthusiastic, recruitment offices would be overwhelmed. They are not.
Instead, Russia has relied heavily on financial incentives, aggressive advertising, prison recruitment and coercive mobilization. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of men have sought to avoid conscription by leaving the country, hiding from authorities or exploiting legal exemptions.
Symbolic participation follows a similar pattern. State-sponsored Z symbols continue to dominate public space – the letter Z is used as a symbol of support for the war, in slogans such as “Za pobedu,” which translates to “for victory.” But privately displayed signs of support have largely disappeared.
Humanitarian aid to be sent to soldiers on the front lines or occupied Ukraine is often collected through schools and churches, where participation is shaped by social or administrative pressure. But many participants frame their involvement as helping individuals rather than supporting the war itself.
Reality vs. lived experience
High-profile propaganda products frequently fail to resonate. Music charts and streaming platforms in Russia are dominated not by patriotic anthems but by an eclectic mix of songs about personal relationships, such as Jakone’s moody ballad “Eyes As Wet As Asphalt,” songs in praise of “Hoodies” and even a catchy Bashkir folk song.
Book sales show strong demand for works such as George Orwell’s “1984” and Viktor Frankl’s Holocaust memoir “Man’s Search for Meaning,” suggesting that readers are searching for ways to understand authoritarianism, trauma and moral responsibility rather than celebrating militarism.
Putin’s campaign to promote what he sees as traditional values appears not to be cutting through. Divorce rates are among the highest in the world – and birth rates continue to fall.
Heading into the Ukraine war’s fifth year, the gulf between the Kremlin version of reality and the lived experience of ordinary Russians remains. It echoes a pattern we have seen before: In the final decade of the Soviet Union the Kremlin became increasingly out of touch with the views of its people.
History will not necessarily repeat itself – but the masters of the Kremlin should be conscious of the parallels.
Much has been done, by way of interviews and Instagram reels, to market Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights as a tale of ferocious passion and untameable desire. The question of precisely whose passion we see play out onscreen is a crucial one.
Fennel says the film reflects her personal reading of Emily Brontë’s arresting tale of generational trauma, possession and violence. I had a different experience when I first read Wuthering Heights. I became immersed in a decidedly unsexy story of abuse, and had “bad dreams in the night” over Heathcliff’s brutal nature.
Nowhere is Heathcliff’s brutality more explicit than in his treatment of Isabella Linton, who becomes his wife. Isabella is the sister (or, in Fennell’s interpretation, ward) of Edgar Linton, Heathcliff’s rival for Catherine (Cathy) Earnshaw’s affections.
Heathcliff and Isabella’s marriage is marked by severe domestic and sexual abuse. In Brontë’s novel, Isabella chooses to flee Heathcliff’s tyranny and construct a life for herself independent of him. As the literary scholar Judith E. Pike notes, this was a radical transgression of historical norms, in which Victorian morality would expect her to endure such treatment for love of her husband.
Isabella is presented as a young, unworldly girl who is extremely childlike.Warner Bros.
Returning to the novel recently, I was struck once more by Isabella’s decimation of her husband’s propensity towards cruelty. I believe any retelling of Wuthering Heights should be faithful to, as opposed to a taming of, its radicalism. Yet when faced with Fennell’s Isabella, I encountered not the daring figure of the source text, but a doglike submissive.
Dogged desire
The words of writer Katherine Angel came to my mind upon exiting the cinema. In her work Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again, Angel argues that, in the wake of #MeToo, a heavy burden has been placed on women to “say what we want, and indeed know what we want” when it comes to sex and desire. It was Angel’s bold question, “Why must the secrets of desire be uncovered?” that reared its head in me after seeing Isabella on all fours.
As Angel contends, “context is everything” when it comes to desire. At first glance, Isabella (portrayed by Irish actress Alison Oliver) is the epitome of the “born sexy yesterday” trope: a female character who is at once physically mature and attractive, but has the mental faculties of an innocent, naive child. Only just coming into the world in her preliminary scenes, Isabella is a lover of dolls and ribbons, elaborate dresses and hairstyles.
It is this infantilised state, to the point of absurdity (in one scene, she unknowingly creates a scrapbook with flowers and mushrooms evoking genitalia), that makes Isabella’s sudden yearning for Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) all the more jarring. Capitalising on established fantasies of Elordi as the “I can fix him”“ archetype, Fennell renders Heathcliff the key to unlocking Isabella’s secret desires.
The violence Isabella experiences in her marriage is transformed from abuse to consensual sexual play in Emerald Fennell’s adaptation.Warner Brothers
And yet, it is only when Heathcliff is spurned – after Catherine has (finally) put an end to their trysts – that the duty of sexually satisfying him falls to Isabella. From the moment he breaks through her bedroom window, he discloses all of his ill-intent towards Isabella.
Heathcliff not only desires her virginity (“Do you know what comes next?”) but her hand in marriage, all in the name of spiting Cathy. He repeats the refrain, “Do you want me to stop?” as he makes Isabella aware of the brutality he will bring down upon her. As he derides and undresses her, she clutches her crucifix and shakes her head to say, “No, go on.”
Deviating from Brontë’s story, Fennell’s Isabella is rendered a sexual submissive, a consenting party to her own abuse.
Making no attempt to leave him (as she does in the novel), Isabella relishes being the dog, literally leashed by Heathcliff. Rather than giving credence to Isabella’s words as they appear in the book – “The single pleasure I can imagine is to die, or to see him dead!” – in Fennell’s adaptation, Isabella’s deviant sexual desires are read through the words of her abuser: “I’ve sometimes relented, from pure lack of invention, in my experiments on what she could endure, and still creep shamefully cringing back!”
Fennell’s “uncovering” of Isabella’s secret desires helps the audience to decide, as posited by Angel, “whether a man’s actions were justified”. In order to realise her desires for Cathy and Heathcliff onscreen, Fennell’s Heathcliff must be exonerated. And he is, most grievously, through Isabella desiring to be his sexual submissive. Only then could the film’s ending play out: Heathcliff exudes Romeo as he lays beside a dead Cathy in her “skin room” tomb.
So Isabella’s desire is invoked, in accordance with Angel’s theory, as “proof that violence wasn’t, in fact, violence”. Fennel’s Heathcliff is not cruel and abusive, but a communicative and intentional dominant partner in a BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism and masochism) relationship which Isabella, as a submissive, enthusiastically consents to.
It is deeply troubling that the drive of Brontë’s Isabella, a survivor of domestic abuse, has been reread to dramatically absolve her abuser. The girl sobbing behind me as the credits rolled attests to the success of this exoneration. Really, she should be crying over the scripting of violent abuse as consensual play.
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Mounjaro is now available by prescription in some New Zealand pharmacies.Christoph Reichwein / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP
A newly approved weight loss drug could improve competition but will still be costly for patients, an obesity doctor says.
Mounjaro is a self-administered injection which received regulatory approval for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management in December last year.
It is now available by prescription in some New Zealand pharmacies.
Obesity doctor Dr Chaey Leem told Morning Report the drug targeted two hormones when Wegovy, a weight-loss medication already on the market, only targeted one.
“You can kind of think of the medication unlocking two doors instead of one in your body’s metabolism,” he said.
Leem said that increased the drug efficacy.
“At the maximum doses of Mounjaro, patients on average have lost 22 percent of the initial weight in the trail, compared to 15 percent on the maximum dose of Wegovy.”
The cost of the drug was a barrier for some patients, he said.
Mounjaro is pricier than Wegovy, ranging from $430 to nearly $900 a month.
“Competition will hopefully help improve the situation for many patients, however, in fact there still might be a long way to go,” Leem said.
“The drugs are very expensive, and I do feel for the patients who need it the most but aren’t able to afford a really great option that’s available.”
Leem said there was a lot of stigma against obesity, which he hoped could be reduced through treatment.
“Once we have the tools to fight them and treat patients, hopefully the stigma towards obesity goes down, and in turn we can look into other options like bariatric surgery, which is usually much more cost effective from a public health perspective,” he said.
Leem had patients he believed would benefit from the new medication, if price weren’t a factor.
“There’s risks and benefits to everything, but for the many, many patients, the benefits greatly outweigh the risks that the medications can impose.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
The business outlook seems to be improving, Amova Asset Management’s head of equities said. (File photo)123RF
The last week of the corporate reporting season is underway with more than 20 companies yet to report their results to the December 31 balance date.
The past week saw reports from some of the biggest companies including Auckland Airport, Spark, Fletcher Building, SkyCity and A2 Milk, which met or beat market expectations, with positive outlooks.
Amova Asset Management head of equities Michael Sherrock said the sentiment was helped by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand holding the official cash rate at current levels and indicating it would hold steady for the rest of the year.
“We are reassured in the fact that things aren’t getting worse. The outlook is improving,” he said.
“And so I think there’s no sort of lush lawn growing. It’s just starting to sprout. And all of the bits and pieces are in place for a recovery as we move through the year ahead.
Contact Energy kicked off the reporting season last week with a positive outlook, with plans to raise more than half a billion dollars to invest in three large scale renewable energy projects.
Sherrock said the rest of the three big power companies Meridian, Mercury and Genesis, were also expected to report strong results this week, in line with Contact’s.
He said the market was also expecting to see strong results from the agricultural sector, following a positive update from apple exporter Scales, which lifted its full year underlying profit to between $61m and $62m.
He said Sky TV would be watched to see if it delivered on plans to pay a 30 cents a share dividend this year.
Other companies yet to report included tourism firms, Tourism Holdings, Air New Zealand, industrial and infrastructure services sector companies, Port of Tauranga, Channel Infrastructure and Chorus.
In addition to Scales, agri-sector firms PGG Wrightson and T&G Global will be reporting, along with manufacturing firms Vulcan Steel and Steel & Tube,
The market would also see results from property firms Property for Industry, Precinct Properties and Summerset Retirement Villages, and others representing a number of sectors including banks Heartland and KiwiBank, healthcare and petfood firm EBOS, media firm NZME, tech firm Vista Group and many others.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
More than double the planned number of primary care nurses will begin advanced training this year, following strong demand for the government’s new scholarship.
Health Minister Simeon Brown said the government had originally committed to funding 120 primary care registered nurses each year for four years to undertake advanced education through its new Registered Nurse Primary Care scholarships, and become registered nurse prescribers – but this year, it would fund 235.
Brown said there had been a “very high level of demand”, and the extra places could be offered within existing funding.
Placements would begin from the week of 23 February.
Of those 235 – who were registered nurses already working in primary and community healthcare settings – 147 would work towards a postgraduate diploma in prescribing, and 88 would undertake a master of nursing.
Nurses who completed those qualifications could prescribe from an approved list of medicines for common and long-term conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, respiratory conditions, and menopause symptoms.
Health Minister Simeon Brown.RNZ / Mark Papalii
The health minister said this additional training capacity came at an important time following the recent expansion of prescribing rights announced in December.
Te Whatu Ora national chief nurse Nadine Gray said it would improve access to prescriptions for New Zealanders, with more healthcare workers able to see patients and prescribe.
She said these nurses would train at a number of universities across the country, undertaking a mixture of pharmacology post-graduate papers and completing clinical hours under supervision.
Gray said nurse prescribers could go on to become nurse practitioners, who through a masters degree, would have the ability to see, diagnose, prescribe, treat and manage patients as independent practitioners without the need for GP oversight.
“Some nurses probably applied for scholarships or funding through the old DHBs or their districts, but this is far greater than what we’ve had before,” she said.
The scholarship covered course fees and clinical supervision requirements, being released to be able to study – “it’s a real wrap-around supportive scholarship so the nurse is successful”.
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Australian students are returning to university campuses for the start of the academic year. They do so amid highly charged debates around racism and antisemitism.
Australian universities have been accused both of failing to protect freedom of speech and academic freedom, and failing to protect the safety and wellbeing of Jewish students and staff.
A new Australian Human Rights Commission study found more than 90% of religious Jewish students and staff had experienced racism at university. High rates were also reported for secular Jewish, Middle Eastern, Indigenous and Asian students.
The study noted how universities
face the challenge of creating respectful learning environments while allowing some discomfort in engaging with difficult ideas.
I research academic freedom and freedom of speech. As we begin semester one, how can universities balance the need to protect students, teachers and staff with the need to encourage robust and proper debates?
Academic freedom and freedom of speech
Academic freedom concerns speech or work related to teaching, study or research. Freedom of speech relates to activities on university land or in connection with the university, but not related to teaching, study or research.
Legislation requires Australian universities to safeguard freedom of speech and academic freedom and to have policies upholding these freedoms. All university enterprise agreements also contain provisions around academic freedom.
The main practical framework for universities is a voluntary model code for academic freedom and freedom of speech. This was developed by former High Court chief justice Robert French in 2019 at the federal government’s request. It is set up to “ensure” freedom of lawful speech and academic freedom, subject to other “restrictions”.
New report cards
In 2026, universities will also need to demonstrate they have taken meaningful steps to regulate antisemitic speech. They will be assessed via a report card, with grades A through to D.
This was a recommendation from the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism’s report last year. The report cards will focus on university policies, complaints processes and antisemitism awareness. Greg Craven, a former vice-chancellor of Australian Catholic University, is leading the assessment process.
Universities will be given a chance to respond and improve their performance if there are issues. The first round of reports is due in May, adding to the focus on how universities handle these issues.
How can unis respond?
Universities can take several steps if there is antisemitic speech in classes or on campus.
They can take disciplinary action (including sacking or expulsion) against unlawful speech. Unlawful speech includes incitement of violence or hatred toward “protected groups”. These are groups distinguished by a certain characteristic, including race, religion or nationality. It is also illegal to display prohibited symbols or perform the Nazi salute.
Universities can also take action against speech that disrupts its teaching and research activities or prevents it from fostering the wellbeing of students and staff. This might include derogatory slurs in classrooms, protesters coming into classrooms or chanting outside libraries and lecture halls.
There are also protections against threatening, humiliating or intimidating behaviour. This is distinct from something that is merely offensive, shocking or insulting.
This distinction can be difficult to pin down and may require universities to take detailed legal advice. But the model code can be used to protect student and staff safety, while upholding freedom of speech and academic freedom
What does this mean in 2026?
This year, universities need to demonstrate they have taken meaningful steps to regulate antisemitic speech, but without contravening freedom of speech or academic freedom.
It should mean students can debate and take opposing sides about Israel and the conflict in Gaza in an international law class, for example.
If they do this in a biology class, this would not be academic freedom. It may be freedom of speech, but could also be seen as disrupting teaching activities – and so subject to disciplinary action.
If students use derogatory slurs against each other at that time, universities may decide this not only disrupts teaching but is threatening, humiliating or intimidating and so may take disciplinary action.
What about outside classes?
Universities will need to ask similar questions if derogatory slurs, personal attacks or loud aggressive arguments or chanting occur in university corridors or elsewhere on campus.
Although the students or staff would still be exercising their rights to freedom of speech on campus, the manner of this speech can be regulated. Is aggressive chanting disrupting teaching or research? Is it threatening, humiliating or intimidating students on campus?
Under the model code, universities can ban visiting speakers if a speech is likely to be “unlawful”, “prejudice the fulfilment by the university of its duty to foster the wellbeing of staff and students” or,
fall below scholarly standards to such an extent as to be detrimental to the university’s character as an institution of higher learning.
All this shows universities face a delicate balancing job ahead. They need to make sure they remain places of robust debate. And students and staff feel safe to study, work and participate in these debates.