Author: MIL OSI Publisher

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Mediawatch: Solids, liquids and gas – infrastructure ills back in the frame

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

“With the wastewater catastrophe ongoing, the Moa Point treatment plant continues to be cleaned. But what was raw sewage pouring into the water is now screened wastewater,” Newstalk ZB’s Wellington newsreader Max Towle told listeners last Monday.

Better news? Only a little.

“Mayor Andrew Little said there’ll be a terrible stench in areas as crews try to rectify the situation,” said Towle.

“That solid waste has been lying around for a couple of three days, so the odour will be apparent,” Little warned.

And 30 minutes later, ZB News was back with news of a fresh sewage leak.

“Crews over the weekend had to respond to overflow from a manhole near Mana Esplanade after pumps backed off and went off-sequence,” Towle told weary Wellington listeners.

It never rains, but it pours… out into the sea and even out of manholes in Mana, further denting the mana of greater Wellington.

“We’ll see more of these sorts of things happening. All our pumps and our pipes need replacing – and it’s just more infrastructure spending,” Porirua Mayor Anita Baker told Newstalk ZB.

And she wasn’t the only one saying that lately.

Nationwide pipe problem

“These are long-run assets that last 50, 70 years,” Prime Minister Christopher said on RNZ’s Morning Report soon after, making the point that the soiled state of the nation’s capital is part of a national problem.

“Wellington Water in particular had a hybrid model that really hasn’t worked, where each council had to chip in cash to band-aid over solutions and problems as they’ve emerged rather than [have] a consistent long-term, strategic plan for managing what are strategic assets,” he said.

Noting that Canterbury swimming spots were also closed after wastewater was discharged into Canterbury Harbour, the Herald‘s editorial on Monday called it “a rude reminder.”

“It might be another town next month, but we will all need to cut the crap and invest in the future of this country.”

Cutting the crap out of the south coast outfall ASAP is the priority in the capital, but it also echoed what Sunday Star-Times editor Tracy Watkins had said in her paper last weekend. Under the headline Should we wait till we are down to our last pipe? she also pointed the finger at all of us on the electoral roll.

“We – the voters – are the real culprits. We are repeat hip-pocket offenders who keep getting sucked in by politicians who milk our prejudices while avoiding the hard choices,” Watkins said.

But another of her colleagues with a weekly column in the paper, Luke Malpass, pointed the finger at politicians.

He reckoned Labour squandered a chance to sort it out with Three Waters, and now rate-capping under National will lock in underinvestment.

“This is about political choices. Leadership matters. So does making the case and accepting that projects are expensive, unpopular during construction and guaranteed to attract critics – at least until they’re finished.”

But once they’re finished, they also need to keep working – unlike Moa Point right now.

Blame game

The focus of blame also narrowed to Wellington’s local politicians.

On the Breaking Views blog of the right-leaning think tank NZCPR, Peter Bassett – described as an “observer… writing on how narrative replaces scrutiny” claimed “the WCC voted for cycleways but not for sewage protection”.

He cited a single Long-Term Plan Committee meeting five years ago at which a $400m wastewater renewals proposal was not adopted, but a cycleways option was.

He described Green councillors as “zealous apostles for cycling” driven by “climate justice philosophy”, and said the media failed to question former Greens councillor and current Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul.

His article was widely shared online this week and aired on Newstalk ZB by Kerre Woodham.

It also prompted Ryan Bridge on his Herald Now show to ask her: “What’s more important – flushing the toilet or riding a bike?”

Paul pointed out that no amendment was proposed at the time that would have boosted Moa Point, and that spending on water infrastructure during the two council terms from 2017 was substantially higher than in previous ones. That was true.

But is it also true that councillors with skewed priorities made a fateful choice in 2021 that exacerbated the current disaster?

In the Weekend Post on Saturday, Sean Rush – an energy and infrastructure lawyer – said funding was “not diverted from wastewater to cycleways” and was not the reason for the failure at Moa Point.

The proposed plan for wastewater in 2021 would have bumped rates up by almost 6 percent on its own – and Moa Point wasn’t the focus of it.

Accelerating the cycleways would only boost rates by just over half a percent more than the existing plan, he claimed.

On the front page of The Post this weekend, national affairs editor Andrea Vance detailed a startling series of faults and financial blowouts that really did contribute to the failure at Moa Point.

She and her Post colleagues – include long-serving Wellington reporter Tom Hunt – have reported daily since the disaster, as well as documenting wastewater problems before it.

Post readers have learned a lot more from their paper than from media recycling retrospective opinion pieces that seem to have an axe to grind about the Greens and narratives in the media.

Bring on the gas

While Wellington struggled with its sewage solids and liquids, the government made a bold move on gas this week – a terminal for LNG to take the edge off future power shortages.

Vital or bonkers? asked an RNZ headline, reflecting the views of supporters and opponents.

Bridge offered the not-so-helpful opinion that “depending on who you ask, this is either brilliant or batshit.” (Partial success or failure was apparently not an option.)

Other hosts on the opinion-heavy radio network – including Woodham, Mike Hosking and John McDonald – all fell in behind the idea, insisting that sustainable sources of energy were too unreliable. But the estimated billion-dollar-plus bill for it quickly became the focus too, and whether it was a “tax”, a “levy” or a “charge”.

“By the end of the day, the only sort of clarity that we have is it’s very, very clear the government totally botched the comms on this big time,” Stuff’s Jenna Lynch told ThreeNews viewers, after reporting on the political semantics.

Other reporters focused on whether it would be popular with the public.

“Auckland Central has more than 55,000 votes for grabs – and voters we spoke to today shared a common concern – the rising cost of living,” said ThreeNews reporter Zane Small, opening his report on Tuesday.

“Campaigning on energy security for tomorrow may be a tough sell to voters today,” he concluded.

But whether the plan can deliver more and cheaper power in future was the key point.

The Herald‘s veteran correspondent Audrey Young said the promise that power bills will be lower was “wild” – and fine print in the Cabinet paper had warnings.

“The costings provided by respondents through the procurement process all include significant caveats, so should be considered indicative only,” the paper said.

Several pundits noted that when the previous government called things a “levy”. National in Opposition had condemned them as “taxes”, and now the boot’s on the other foot.

“Time will tell if it’s just a divisionary tactic to keep the government on its toes or a sign that Labour has a properly different energy policy to bring to the table. Until then, I guess we’ll just argue about whether it’s a tax or not,” Henry Cooke concluded in The Post.

Been here before

Three years ago, Chris Hipkins was the prime minister when Cyclone Gabrielle showed that our transport, telecoms and emergency systems were not resilient enough.

“We can’t continue the way that we have been going. We’re going to have to look very closely at how we make sure we’ve got as resilient an infrastructure as possible,” he said in 2023.

“These storms are reminding everybody that governments actually have big problems to deal with. And we are back talking about infrastructure, for god’s sake,” an exasperated Kathryn Ryan told Nine to Noon listeners in February 2023.

The Cook Strait ferries had been conking out over that summer, too, and the government was backing away from Three Waters, and the Infrastructure Commission claimed $78b had been committed to infrastructure projects already underway.

Three years on, infrastructure anxiety is back in the headlines – in the year of an election to be fought by the same political leaders.

Are media focusing too heavily on the political debates again, rather than the big picture of infrastructure deficit?

“Yes, but this is an old chestnut which has come up every election for decades. We now have a positive chance of success through the National Infrastructure Commission,” Mike Bishara – publisher of the magazine, Infrastructure Asia Pacific, and the website InfrastructureNews.co.nz – told Mediawatch.

“It’s almost as if a mandated infrastructure pipeline for the next 30 years is too important to leave in the hands of partisan politicians. In fairness, our ridiculous three-year election cycle gives them little chance of being anything else,” said Bishara, whose article in the recently published 2026 Infrastructure Yearbook asks: ‘Can the infrastructure pipeline survive politics?’

“Daily news reporters are doing their job pretty well. They don’t have a lot of time for questions to evasive ministers when they’ve got a deadline looming in an hour or so. As long as the issue is clearly out there in the public domain, we can feel that we’ve done our job.”

Bishara is frustrated by some media reporting that is preoccupied with the total cost of projects and who might bear the cost.

His 2026 yearbook points to the Draft National Infrastructure Plan, finding that our infrastructure spending per capita is high by world standards, but the returns are among the lowest in the OECD.

“Productivity is the key. That’s the root cause of all our problems. There’s not a great deal of urgency put on that. [Politicians] are far more comfortable dealing with sound bites about problems and hoping that the media just concentrate on that.”

When the election rolls around, will these issues be put forward in the media? Or drowned out by the general cost-of-living issues the media focus on a lot?

“I think the issues will be well aired. The daily reporting that we see on TV is well-balanced and researched. We have excellent publications around, like NBR. We’ve got commentators who do address these issues directly.”

“What we have to have is… a commitment across all political parties to hold sacrosanct mandated infrastructure necessities.”

“Media can help with that, but it requires cooperation from politicians themselves. No matter how good a journalist is, if you keep asking the same question and getting the same answer, it’s very hard. That leaves people who have the time and capacity to investigate the statements.”

“The media remain pivotal in its reportage of the election.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/mediawatch-solids-liquids-and-gas-infrastructure-ills-back-in-the-frame/

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Employment relations and speedy, lopsided debates

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

The Employment Relations Bill could override the Uber court decision. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Over the past two years, the government has broken legislative records – helped by more frequent use of Parliamentary urgency and additional sittings.

As a result, it would not be surprising if the prime minister’s to-do list had been whittled down to a toothpick. But Parliament shows no sign of slowing its legislative pace.

The government added an extra morning sitting again this week, pushing aside Thursday’s Select Committees to focus on passing bills in the House. Extra mornings have become the norm, rather than the exception.

The government hoped to progress ten different bills this week, with three moving through multiple stages. Two of those bills were strongly contested, while the third was unanimously supported.

We have already discussed the Public Service Amendment Bill, which, among other things, removes the obligation that the public service reflect the community it serves.

You can also hear audio relating to that bill (and others), at the green and gold podcast link above.

The unanimously supported bill widens the definition of who Anzac Day remembers, to include all Kiwis who have served, rather than just specific veterans and specific conflicts. No party is against this idea.

The third bill, the Employment Relations Amendment Bill, was more acrimonious. Labour’s Jan Tinetti began bluntly:

“Here we are again: another week and another government bill that’s putting a wrecking ball to the rights of workers in this country. …This bill is an absolute disgrace. It is an outright ideological attack on the rights of working New Zealanders, on the dignity of work, and on the very values that keep our community strong in this country. This Employment Relations Amendment Bill doesn’t amend the law, it amputates it.”

The bill finished its second reading debate on Tuesday, and then wrestled its way through a long Committee of the Whole House stage on Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning.

Lopsided debating

The debate was highly contentious, but not really contested. For example, here is National MP Rima Nakhle’s entire speech from the second reading.

“Speaker, thank you. While the Employment Relations Act has indeed provided important protections, over time, some of these settings have created unintended costs and risks for employers.

“What this bill and the changes proposed in this bill do is rebalance the system so that it works fairly for both employees and employers. I commend this bill to the House.”

MPs get 10 minutes to speak per “call”. Nakhle’s speech lasted barely 30 seconds. That is not unusual. The government wants speed, so coalition backbenchers say almost nothing on most bills.

This gives junior governing-side MPs scant debating experience, and it doesn’t help get the government’s arguments across in the House either.

Much of the time, Parliament’s debating is an oddly lopsided affair. The opposition does most of the debating, and the government wins all the votes.

On many bills, the only government speech that makes substantive arguments for passing a bill is the initial speech given by the minister whose bill it is.

ACT MP Brooke van Velden, Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The Employment Relations Amendment Bill

To find a speech that solidly outlines the government’s position on the Employment Relations Amendment Bill, we must reach back two weeks to when ACT’s Brooke van Velden, the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, opened the second reading debate.

“This bill is a key part of the government’s commitment to providing greater certainty for businesses and workers; supporting economic growth; and ensuring our employment relations framework is fit for a modern, dynamic economy.”

Van Velden described the bill’s foci as: “providing greater certainty for contracting parties; strengthening the consideration of accountability for the employee’s behaviour in the personal grievance process; providing an income threshold for ineligibility for unjustified dismissal personal grievances [now $200,000 p/a]; and removing the 30-day rule to improve freedom of choice and cut red tape at the beginning of employment. Together, these changes will improve labour market flexibility across the spectrum.”

The minister also outlined some adjustments to the bill.

“The bill introduces a new gateway test that provides a clearer and more efficient legal test for clear-cut, genuine contracting arrangements, which gives weight to the intention of contracting parties.

“The gateway test now explicitly covers situations where a business facilitates work for a third party… For the intention criterion, the test now clarifies that a business can specify in the written agreement that the worker is either an ‘independent contractor’ or ‘not an employee’. This means businesses that don’t classify workers as independent contractors can still use the gateway test.”

“For the restriction criterion, the test makes clear that contracting a worker for full-time work will not, in and of itself, constitute a restriction on working for others.

“This addresses a risk that the Employment Relations Authority or the Employment Court might interpret full-time work as a restriction on being able to do other work.”

Camilla Belich chairing the Education and Workforce Select Committee. VNP / Phil Smith

Among the opposition speakers, putting a varying point of view, was Labour’s Camilla Bellich.

“[The bill], effectively, rewinds and takes away the victory that some of our most vulnerable workers in New Zealand, Uber workers, gig workers, won in the Supreme Court only in November last year… What is this government doing?

“It is reversing their win through this terrible piece of legislation that will take those hard-won gains that those Uber workers made in the Supreme Court and, effectively, turn those around through the introduction of this gateway test.

“The test for who is an employee is something that is common throughout Commonwealth jurisdictions. It looks to the real nature of the work, which should be the test that we use.

“The test in this bill reverses that and makes it much easier for employers to say, ‘You are not an employee. You don’t get holiday pay. You don’t get parental leave. You don’t get sick leave. You don’t get the minimum wage. You don’t get anything, because you’re not an employee.’ That is what this bill does.”

Belich said the 30-day rule would be abolished, and that had implications for new workers.

“It essentially means that when you start in a job, instead of being covered by the collective employment agreement, …you’ll most likely be covered by an individual employment agreement unless you decide independently to join a trade union.

“The reason that that is really important is because what a lot of individual employment contracts have in them is a trial period-essentially a 90-day period where, similar to what will be introduced here, you have absolutely no rights at all, and you can be sacked for any reason at all.”

There had been plans to get the Employment Relations Amendment bill finalised in this week’s final hour of Parliament, on Thursday afternoon, but the government opted instead to begin the third reading of the Anzac Day Amendment Bill.

The Anzac Day bill seemed especially appropriate within a debating chamber that is, quite literally, a giant war memorial, with plaques for all of the many conflicts and actions New Zealand has been involved in.

And despite powerful speeches of painful history and personal grief, it was still a more convivial discussion than a third reading of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill.

*RNZ’s The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament’s Office of the Clerk. Enjoy our articles or podcast at RNZ.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/employment-relations-and-speedy-lopsided-debates/

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Reviving the art of Niuean barkcloth: ‘I’ll hustle for my people’

Source: Radio New Zealand

Just over a decade ago, Cora-Allan was living in Canada when she was invited to make burial garments for her grandparents from traditional Niuean barkcloth.

Although the Auckland artist “didn’t think too deeply” about it, returning to New Zealand with her partner and first baby in 2016, she threw herself into a “whirlwind” of researching and teaching herself the art form.

Now, as one of the only practitioners making large-scale hiapo in Aotearoa, Cora-Allan is at the forefront of reviving the art form. She chats to Culture 101 about finding her cultural identity as a Māori and Niuean woman and her new exhibition Recording Mauri: Moments of Light and Earth – on at Wellington’s City Gallery till May.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/reviving-the-art-of-niuean-barkcloth-ill-hustle-for-my-people/

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Review: Relationship between coaches and media probably isn’t what you think

Source: Radio New Zealand

All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson speaks to media. Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

It’s fair to say that Tim Percival knows a thing or two about media management and relationships. After all, he had to work for Eddie Jones for a while back when the headline-generating Australian was in charge of England. Currently, the communications lead for the RFU, Percival has put his experiences into a new book, Off The Record & On The Ball.

It’s not just about his experiences, though. Percival sought the help over 30 elite level coaches, including extensive quotes from former Chiefs, Wales and Lions boss Warren Gatland.

The result is a revealing look at the way the media operates within an often variable degree of trust, one that can change with the blow of a whistle or stroke of a keyboard. The book acts effectively as a ‘how to’ guide for both sides of the media/athlete relationship, explaining a lot of the unwritten rules and conventions around an industry that’s often widely misunderstood by the audience that follows it.

Off the Record & On the Ball, by Tim Percival. supplied

One of the main areas of conjecture, especially now that the value of disingenuous empathy as social media currency has never been higher, is around the role of journalists as critics. One of the most notorious instances of that was Gatland’s welcome back to New Zealand as coach of the British & Irish Lions in 2017, where he was greeted with a full page newspaper cartoon depicting him as a clown.

“I don’t think it affected my performance,” Gatland says in the book, with the series against the All Blacks ending in a dramatic drawn third test at Eden Park.

“I was really conscious of the negativity and I’m 100 percent convinced it came from the All Black coaches at the time. It was a deliberate ploy to put pressure on me from day one. It made me determined to do well. It galvanised me and I though, you know, I’m going to work harder here.”

The book also talks about the siege mentality that’s often used by teams to create motivation, against an outside perceived injustice that’s either real or imagined.

Wales’ head coach Warren Gatland Inpho / www.photosport.nz

Veteran former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp, who was famous for giving off the cuff press conferences leaning out of his car window while leaving training, is liberally quoted in the book. He reveals a level of respect between himself and the media, saying he understands that they “have a job to do”.

“I couldn’t drive past someone at seven o’clock in the morning in January, when it’s freezing cold. It’s not in my nature to go straight past someone without stopping and speaking to them. If I can help them do their job, then what difference does that make to me?”

The overarching theme of Percival’s message is that while there’s no one clear right way for athletes, teams or coaches to operate with the media and vice versa, there are plenty of wrong ones. It’s frustrating that the default option, especially now that not just every comment but also not commenting on certain issues by athletes are dissected by the public, is to simply shun social media entirely.

Gatland makes the sad point that it wasn’t the online criticism of himself, rather that of son Bryn that got to him the most.

“Some of the vitriol on social media, it’s just nasty. It’s disgraceful.”

Perhaps that’s where publications like this can help educate the most, because at least Gatland has a right of reply when conversations are held in press conferences and under a ratified journalistic structure. Comments sections don’t have that and likely never will, so the more the public know about how sports journalism actually works, the healthier the environment will be for everyone.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/review-relationship-between-coaches-and-media-probably-isnt-what-you-think/

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Rockpool closures to protect marine life

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government has taken action to stop the wholesale stripping of marine creatures from rockpools on the east coast north of Auckland.

“I have approved a two-year ban on the taking of a range of invertebrate and seaweed species to put an end to over-collection of marine life from rockpools and surrounding coastline and help protect these important ecosystems,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says.

“While most people who visit the coast do the right thing and gather only what is appropriate and legal, there are others who are exploiting it and taking so much that they are collapsing the fragile ecosystems.

The temporary closure will take effect from 12 March 2026. The closure is enforceable by Fishery Officers.

Mr Jones says infringements for breaching temporary closure rules will also be considered as an additional measure.

Oceans and Fisheries Under-Secretary Jenny Marcroft has been working closely with locals, visitors and Fisheries officials to understand the issues and find solutions to the problems.

“As a result, officials have been directed to explore how community volunteers can be supported to encourage visitors to do the right thing. Fisheries New Zealand will also develop multilingual educational material to support this closure and the ongoing management of intertidal fisheries.”

The Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust requested a two-year temporary fisheries closure over the Rodney, Hibiscus Coast, and East Coast Bays coastline and some Hauraki Gulf islands.

Mr Jones says Fisheries worked with the Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust, which will place a traditional rāhui over the same area and species.

The two-year temporary closure provides statutory support for the rāhui.

“My decision excludes some of the species and areas requested by Ngāti Manuhiri where existing closures and restrictions apply,” Mr Jones says.

The closure includes all seaweed species and invertebrate species (all shellfish and sea life such as sponges, starfish, sea anemone, and sea cucumbers).

This closure does not apply to spiny rock lobster and scallops as there are already existing closures already in place for these species. Kina (sea urchin) is also excluded from the closure and can still be taken within the current recreational fishing limits.

“I decided to allow kina to continue to be taken as managing kina barrens is a priority for me. Officials will continue to actively monitor and manage kina populations.”

The closure does not apply to any aquaculture activities such as marine farming or the collection of spat (small juvenile shellfish) for those activities.

“It’s important that these coastal management restrictions do not impact on marine farming and the aquaculture development so it can continue to support our economy and provide jobs in our communities,” Mr Jones says. 

“I’d like to acknowledge Ngāti Manuhiri Settlement Trust’s valuable contribution to fisheries management and their commitment to this kaupapa.

“I will also be considering further restrictions for harvesting shellfish around parts of the country to ensure sustainability.

“My officials have a broader programme of work under way for managing intertidal shellfish and are developing proposals for Auckland and Coromandel, which are expected to be publicly consulted in the coming months,” Mr Jones says.

More information can be found at: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/consultations/proposed-temporary-fisheries-closure-in-the-hauraki-gulf 

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/rockpool-closures-to-protect-marine-life/

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‘Never seen anything like’ weather that hit Waipā – Waikato man

Source: Radio New Zealand

Water rushing over a blown out culvert on Corcoran Rd, Te Pahu, Waipā. Ryan Vickers

A Waikato man says he had never seen damage like the scenes on his parent’s Waipā farm following Friday’s intense rain.

The South Waikato was hit hard by severe weather that hammered the North Island, causing widespread flooding and slips, and the death of a motorist in floodwaters.

Ryan Vickers said the weatherbomb that hit parts of the district was so localised, he had no idea how bad it was from his Hamilton home just 30 minutes away.

But after a long and nervous night for his mother, who was left trapped on the farm after flooding destroyed vehicle access, he drove to the property at the base of Mt Pirongia on Saturday.

What he saw shocked him.

“I’ve lived in rural communities most of my life, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Vickers said a relatively small creek on the property flooded, presumably banking up before bursting with huge force.

“I feel like what must have happened is a slip covered the creek further up, and then it kind of broke, like a dam breaking.

“What came down was the water shifting massive boulders bigger than cars and just throwing them down the mountain.

“It took out logs and trees. Stuff within five metres either side of the river [has] just been shredded, picked up and thrown down the hill.

“Then it got to the bridge, the crossing mum and dad had going up to their farm, and it’s just smashed that as well.”

To get to the Waipā farm, Vickers was forced to take back roads and travel across farmland, before using heavy machinery to clear tracks and create a path out through the back of the farm.

He said while the property had a generator, he expected it to be without water for days.

Fences, bridges, roads and livestock have been damaged or swept away, and several nearby properties are cut off.

He said it was a close-knit community, and everyone would pitch in to help out.

The driveway belonging to Ryan Vicker’s parents was scoured by raging floodwaters which took out roads and bridges. Ryan Vickers

His mother was no stranger to intense weather and flooding, but she described the noise of tumbling boulders as terrifying.

“She was worried, given what happened at the Mount, she was worried a slip could come down at their place, and she was up there by herself because Dad’s working on another farm at the moment.”

His mum got no sleep on Friday, and was a little “shell-shocked” by the experience, he said.

Vickers said the increasing frequency of these type of events pointed to a shift in the climate.

“All these hundred-year events that happen every few years, something’s changed hasn’t it?”

The South Waikato region took a particular beating from Friday’s thunderstorms, with roads, homes and infrastructure damaged in widespread flooding.

Around 80 people were forced to evacuate their homes and a motorist died when his vehicle became submerged at Puketotara on Saturday night.

Flooding and slips have closed State Highway 3 between Te Awamutu and Ōtorohanga, State Highway 39 – Pirongia to Ōtorohanga, and State Highway 31 – Kawhia to Tihiroa, as well as dozens of local roads.

Mayor Rodney Dow said the district had experienced widespread flooding, slips and inundation.

“The situation in Ōtorohanga is serious.”

A local state of emergency for the Ōtorohanga district was declared in the early hours of Saturday morning, with a declaration for Waipā following on Saturday afternoon.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/never-seen-anything-like-weather-that-hit-waipa-waikato-man/

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Wellington Water chair Nick Leggett resigns over Moa Point sewage disaster

Source: Radio New Zealand

Nick Leggett. RNZ / Angus Dreaver

The chair of Wellington Water has resigned following the Moa Point crisis.

Nick Leggett said the failure of the Wellington treatment plant was deeply serious and had affected the environment, public health and the community.

A failure at the treatment plant on Wellington’s south coast earlier this month has been spilling 70 million litres of untreated sewage a day into Cook Strait.

Labelled an environmental disaster by the city’s mayor, Wellington Water has warned it could be months before the plant is operating again and the waters are again swimmable.

Leggett said leadership carried responsibility, and stepping aside would allow Wellington Water to focus on fixing the problems and restoring public trust.

An independent government review would examine the causes of the failure. Leggett said he would fully cooperate with that process.

His last day will be Monday. Deputy chair Bill Bayfield will take over as interim chair.

Leggett had been in the role since 2023.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/wellington-water-chair-nick-leggett-resigns-over-moa-point-sewage-disaster/

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Weather: Heavy rain and damaging gales set to lash eastern and southern North Island

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied/ Dan Bailey

Heavy rain and severe gales are forecast to batter the eastern and southern North Island, parts of Marlborough and North Canterbury, and the Chatham Islands.

MetService issued multiple orange heavy rain and strong wind warnings on Sunday, warning of dangerous conditions from Sunday morning through to Monday evening.

Heavy rain warnings in place

An orange heavy rain warning is in force for Gisborne/Tairāwhiti south of Poverty Bay and Hawke’s Bay, about and east of Wairoa, from 6am Sunday until 5am Monday. Between 100 and 150 millimetres of rain is forecast, with peak intensities of 15 to 25mm per hour on Sunday afternoon.

Rain may briefly ease overnight before becoming heavy again early Monday. There is a moderate chance of the warning being upgraded to red.

Further south, Hawke’s Bay south of Waipukurau, including the Ruahine Range and eastern hills from Cape Kidnappers southwards, is under an orange warning from noon Sunday until 9am Monday.

MetService expects 100 to 140mm of rain, with intense bursts of 20 to 30mm per hour, especially overnight Sunday into Monday.

Inland areas of Whanganui and Manawatū north of Marton, including Taihape, are covered by a warning from 6pm Sunday until 2pm Monday, with 100 to 150mm of rain forecast and peak rates of 10 to 20mm per hour.

A prolonged warning is also in place for Wairarapa, the Tararua District and the Tararua Range from 2pm Sunday until 7pm Monday. MetService says 120 to 160mm of rain is expected over the eastern hills and Tararua Range, and 50 to 80mm across the rest of Wairarapa.

Intensities of 20 to 25mm per hour are possible in elevated areas, particularly overnight.

MetService warns streams and rivers may rise rapidly, with surface flooding, slips and hazardous driving conditions likely.

Damaging winds forecast

Severe gales are also expected.

Wairarapa and the Tararua District are under an orange strong wind warning from 6pm Sunday until 9am Monday, with southwesterly gusts reaching 120km/h in exposed places.

In Wellington and eastern Marlborough, north of Clarence, severe south to southwesterlies are forecast from 6pm Sunday until 3pm Monday, with damaging gusts of up to 130km/h in exposed areas.

Although winds are expected to ease during Monday afternoon, they may remain close to severe gale strength in some places until midnight.

Meanwhile, Gisborne/Tairāwhiti south of Poverty Bay and Hawke’s Bay face severe west to southwesterlies from 5pm Sunday until 7am Monday, with coastal gusts also reaching 130km/h. There is a moderate chance this warning could be upgraded to red.

MetService says damaging winds could bring down trees and powerlines, and make travel hazardous, particularly for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.

Emergencies ongoing

The latest warnings come as parts of the country remain in recovery mode from recent storms.

Local states of emergency are in place in the Waipā District and Ōtorohanga District after widespread flooding in Waikato, where a man died in floodwaters near SH39 on Friday.

Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell says the country is in a “perpetual cycle of response and recovery”, with 25 local states of emergency declared in the past two years.

In Waipā, the district council says its Te Tahi Water Treatment Plant has been significantly damaged. Water has been redirected to Pirongia at reduced flow, and residents are being asked to conserve water for drinking and hygiene only, and to flush toilets sparingly.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/weather-heavy-rain-and-damaging-gales-set-to-lash-eastern-and-southern-north-island/

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Super Rugby Pacific wrap: Rusty Chiefs, hot Highlanders and Moana’s miracle

Source: Radio New Zealand

One moment summed up the Blues’ night against the Chiefs, and it happened before the game had even kicked off. An honour guard of the original 1996 Super 12 winning side stood ready to clap the Blues onto Eden Park, but no one told the players and they ran out the other side, leaving the crowd groaning in embarrassment.

The well-intentioned yet poorly executed theme then continued for most of the next 80 minutes, with the Blues showing glimpses of what they’re capable of. Unfortunately for them and the crowd, it was usually followed by a knock-on or a penalty. It took over half-an-hour for them to score at all, which then wasn’t followed up by any meaningful period of dominance.

Even at halftime the clunkiness was evident, three Kiss Cam targets awkwardly weren’t even looking at the screen and missed their cue – on Valentine’s Day no less.

[embedded content]

It’s not as if the Chiefs were any better in their eventual 19-15 win, mind you. It seemed like both sides were still in preseason mode and it wasn’t until the game entered the final 10 minutes that they were able to click into gear, with three All Blacks combining for the winning try.

That effort from Cortez Ratima was enough for new Chiefs coach Jono Gibbes to breathe a sigh of relief.

“We absorbed a hell of a lot of pressure in that second half,” he admitted post-match.

“What it took was us just staying in that moment and falling back to our prep. We worked it up the middle of the field and had one opportunity, which we converted.”

[embedded content]

Meanwhile, Blues captain Dalton Papali’i lamented his side’s inability to seize key moments.

“We took our foot off the throat, they got two penalties down in our half. It’s small moments that win or lose these games and we gave them three moments to execute, and they did. It cost us the game.”

All I need is a Miracle, while the Highlanders shock the Crusaders

Miracle Faiilagi is two things – a headline writer’s dream and a very, very good rugby player. His three tries helped Moana Pasifika won the Battle of the Pacific 40-26 over the Drua, a surprisingly comfortable scoreline at the otherwise formidable Churchill Park in Lautoka.

Not many were giving Moana much hope after Ardie Savea’s exit for this season, but if they can dig deep and rally around Faiilagi, there’s a way forward for the expansion team whose even existence is constantly precarious.

[embedded content]

While the Highlanders’ 25-23 win over the Crusaders was impressive and celebrated everywhere outside of red and black country, you don’t need to look too far into the past to know that this isn’t the best indicator of how their season will go. This is the second season in a row that they’ve beaten the defending champions in their first home game, last year they ended up losing nine of their next 10 games and coming last.

The same can be said for the Crusaders, who were very flat and still had a chance to win it on the last play. Their redemption season in 2025 still had hiccups, like a big loss to Moana at home, but ultimately that was a long way from the business end of the competition that the Crusaders generally revel in. Put simply: they will be a lot better than this going forward.

[embedded content]

Meanwhile, Max Jorgensen may well have scored the try of the season already on Friday night with his ankle-breaking effort in the Waratahs’ surprisingly comprehensive win over the Reds. Like the Highlanders, the Tahs have form when it comes to early season mirages, but the hope for a strong side in Sydney is something that goes beyond their long suffering fans.

The Tahs’ 2014 final win was the highest attended Super Rugby game in history. It’s fair to say that the appetite among competition bosses to have the narrative revolve around the biggest potential market is large, but it’ll take more than this one result to make that happen.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/super-rugby-pacific-wrap-rusty-chiefs-hot-highlanders-and-moanas-miracle/

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Christchurch supermarket shelves stripped of bottled water after boil water notice issued

Source: Radio New Zealand

123rf

Christchurch City Council is looking at bringing in drinking water to parts of the city as supermarkets sell out, after a boil water notice for bacteria contamination was sent to tens of thousands of residents.

A public health alert was issued on Saturday afternoon for around 14,000 households in New Brighton, Burwood, Wainoni, Aranui and Southshore.

It said all water, including filtered water, needed to be continuously boiled for at least one minute after routine testing discovered total coliforms in the Rawhiti water zone.

Total coliforms are a broad category of bacteria that can be found in faeces, but also live in the environment, including in soil and plants.

They do not generally pose a direct health risk, but the presence of total coliforms indicated bacteria were present and that treatment has not been effective or that treated water was vulnerable to contamination, according to the website of water regulator Taumata Arowai.

Residents and people travelling into the area received multiple emergency text alerts about the problem throughout Saturday.

Linwood Ward Councillor Yani Johanson said boil water notices on metropolitan water supplies were relatively rare, though noted the Rawhiti zone was under a notice for four days following the discovery of e.coli in 2019.

He had pressed the council for more details and advocated for bringing in water tankers to key spots to alleviate the burden for residents.

Some residents would be anxious and would want as much detail as possible about the levels of bacteria and the cause, particularly given the supply is chlorinated, he said.

Residents in the affected suburbs were already struggling with a surge in offensive odours from the city’s damaged sewage plant, which have plagued the eastern suburbs since a fire destroyed key infrastructure at the Bromley Wastewater Plant in 2021, and had intensified again over recent weeks.

“It’s another blow for the community,” he said.

Coastal Ward Councillor Celeste Donovan said the council was looking at options to bring in water, especially as supermarkets in the area were struggling to keep bottled water stocked.

Celeste Donovan with former Mayor Lianne Dalziel. Supplied / Kirk Hargreaves

On Saturday, the council arranged for a water tanker as New Brighton hosted thousands at the Coast to Coast finish line.

Donovan said there was never a good time to get news of bacterial contamination, but the alerts began just as more than 1000 multi-sport athletes, their supporters and spectators descended on New Brighton pier.

“Obviously with a lot of people who aren’t able to boil water at home, we wanted to make sure that people had access to water on site because we had thousands of people turning up for the Coast to Coast.”

Donovan said the influx of visitors was one of the reasons for the repeated emergency alerts, which reached everyone in the area – not just residents.

The council would update the community once further testing had taken place, but it could take a few days to lift the notice even if test results were clear as the council will have to identify the source of the bacteria before it can remove the boil notice, she said.

People could check if they were in the affected area on the council website or Facebook page, she said.

She acknowledged the community’s frustration at another infrastructure issue affecting residents in the area.

“I think that’s why it’s important we put out good information now, but there is a lot of frustration in the community and it highlights how important it is to continue to invest in infrastructure like our water pipes and making sure we avoid things like rates caps in the future,” Donovan said.

Bromley sewage plant. Screenshot / Christchurch City Council

The council was committed to communicating with residents over the lingering stench from the Bromley sewage plant, she said.

Last month, anger boiled over about increasingly bad odours and a lack of information, with residents walking out of a heated public meeting after demanding more information, better communication and more support.

“The main thing is actually getting rid of the stench, which is the goal, of course. So speeding up the permanent fix is the priority and making sure that those live in that impacted area get all the support they need.”

A Christchurch City Council spokesperson said routine testing found total coliforms, but not E.coli in the water supply.

“Total coliforms are a group of bacteria commonly found in the environment, and their presence in the water network serves as an indicator of potential contamination and the possible existence of harmful pathogens.”

The council said staff and contractors were undertaking further testing and investigations to understand the cause of the contamination.

The boil water notice will be in place until further notice, it said.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/christchurch-supermarket-shelves-stripped-of-bottled-water-after-boil-water-notice-issued/

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Fatal crash: Ruatangata West, Whangarei

Source: New Zealand Police

One person has died after being ejected from a vehicle, following a single-vehicle crash on Knight Road last night.

Emergency services were notified of the crash about 10:50pm.

Three other people were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The road was closed while the Serious Crash Unit undertook a scene examination but has since reopened.

The death will be referred to the Coroner.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre.

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/fatal-crash-ruatangata-west-whangarei/

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‘Never seen anything like’ weather that hit Waipā – local

Source: Radio New Zealand

Water rushing over a blown out culvert on Corcoran Rd, Te Pahu, Waipā. Ryan Vickers

A Waikato man says he had never seen damage like the scenes on his parent’s Waipā farm following Friday’s intense rain.

The South Waikato was hit hard by severe weather that hammered the North Island, causing widespread flooding and slips, and the death of a motorist in floodwaters.

Ryan Vickers said the weatherbomb that hit parts of the district was so localised, he had no idea how bad it was from his Hamilton home just 30 minutes away.

But after a long and nervous night for his mother, who was left trapped on the farm after flooding destroyed vehicle access, he drove to the property at the base of Mt Pirongia on Saturday.

What he saw shocked him.

“I’ve lived in rural communities most of my life, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Vickers said a relatively small creek on the property flooded, presumably banking up before bursting with huge force.

“I feel like what must have happened is a slip covered the creek further up, and then it kind of broke, like a dam breaking.

“What came down was the water shifting massive boulders bigger than cars and just throwing them down the mountain.

“It took out logs and trees. Stuff within five metres either side of the river [has] just been shredded, picked up and thrown down the hill.

“Then it got to the bridge, the crossing mum and dad had going up to their farm, and it’s just smashed that as well.”

To get to the Waipā farm, Vickers was forced to take back roads and travel across farmland, before using heavy machinery to clear tracks and create a path out through the back of the farm.

He said while the property had a generator, he expected it to be without water for days.

Fences, bridges, roads and livestock have been damaged or swept away, and several nearby properties are cut off.

He said it was a close-knit community, and everyone would pitch in to help out.

The driveway belonging to Ryan Vicker’s parents was scoured by raging floodwaters which took out roads and bridges. Ryan Vickers

His mother was no stranger to intense weather and flooding, but she described the noise of tumbling boulders as terrifying.

“She was worried, given what happened at the Mount, she was worried a slip could come down at their place, and she was up there by herself because Dad’s working on another farm at the moment.”

His mum got no sleep on Friday, and was a little “shell-shocked” by the experience, he said.

Vickers said the increasing frequency of these type of events pointed to a shift in the climate.

“All these hundred-year events that happen every few years, something’s changed hasn’t it?”

The South Waikato region took a particular beating from Friday’s thunderstorms, with roads, homes and infrastructure damaged in widespread flooding.

Around 80 people were forced to evacuate their homes and a motorist died when his vehicle became submerged at Puketotara on Saturday night.

Flooding and slips have closed State Highway 3 between Te Awamutu and Ōtorohanga, State Highway 39 – Pirongia to Ōtorohanga, and State Highway 31 – Kawhia to Tihiroa, as well as dozens of local roads.

Mayor Rodney Dow said the district had experienced widespread flooding, slips and inundation.

“The situation in Ōtorohanga is serious.”

A local state of emergency for the Ōtorohanga district was declared in the early hours of Saturday morning, with a declaration for Waipā following on Saturday afternoon.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/15/never-seen-anything-like-weather-that-hit-waipa-local/

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SailGP: Kiwi driver Phil Robertson wants changes after Black Foils, France crash

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand and French boats crash during SailGP racing on Waitematā Harbour. Phil Walter

New Zealand SailGP

11.30am Sunday, 15 February*

Wynyard Point, Auckland

Live updates on RNZ

*Start time has been changed due to the weather

Kiwi SailGP driver Phil Robertson hopes the high-speed crash between New Zealand and France on Auckland’s Waitematā Harbour will force a rethink of racing format for the rest of the 2026 championship.

Competition was suspended during race three of New Zealand SailGP, after the two rivals collided during the sprint to the first mark. Replays showed the Black Foils apparently lose control of their rudder and spin into the path of the French, whose boat flew over the bow of Amokura.

All crew were quickly accounted for, but two sailors – one from each team – were injured and rushed ashore to hospital.

The rest of the fleet continued around the mark, but the contest was called off, as they headed back towards the scene of the crash, where the two boats were still entangled midcourse.

Soon after, organisers suspended racing for the day. The French boat was towed back to Wynyard Basin, but Amokura lay in pieces on the harbour and likely be out of action for quite a while.

The incident shook up the entire fleet, with Italian team driver Robertson recounting his own close call in the build-up.

“It’s obviously pretty hectic,” he said. “You never really want to see anything like that.

Italy driver Phil Robertson holds court at the SailGP media conference. Alan Lee/Photosport

“It’s a bit shocking, but it’s racing and it was a racing incident that went on out there.”

Auckland-born Robertson described how the New Zealand boat initially veered towards his boat, but seemed to regain control to avoid that contact.

“I saw them in my peripheral, as they started sliding towards us, then took a glance over my shoulder and saw them spin out. I didn’t really see the rest, until we stopped and looked back, and saw two boats on top of each other – it’s not very nice to see that.

“These boats are pretty hard to control at those high speeds and everyone’s pushing like mad on those reaches. They got a bit slidey, which is very natural to happen, and slid towards us, but you trust they’re going to get grip again and they did.”

New Zealand SailGP is the first time the fleet has raced with 13 boats, with Artemis Sweden joining the championship this year.

At last month’s season-opener in Perth, the Spanish boat suffered damage in practice and was unable to compete.

Organisers hope to add another team next year and have experimented with splitting the fleet into two heats of seven.

[embedded content]

“I think it’s the shortest racecourse in SailGP and 13 boats… yeah, I don’t know,” Robertson offered. “I think questions will be asked.

“I think when it’s conditions like this, I think that [two fleets] will be the expectation. We know it’s going to be tricky and there will be crashes, but it just minimises the risk, when there’s a bit more space on the course.

“Bigger courses sure, 13 boats no problem, but I think small courses and big breeze, when everyone’s on the limit of control already, it’s probably a smart idea to start having that conversation seriously.

“I assume a few sailors will be asking a few questions.”

Despite the Auckland incident, British driver Dylan Fletcher still favours the bigger fleet.

“I’d rather it stay as one fleet,” the defending SailGP champion said. “It doesn’t honestly feel that different, whether you’ve got 11 or 13.

“It’s relatively similar. Even at the start, you’ve got that separation.

“From my point of view, I love the racing with 13 boats. It’s unfortunate we won’t have that for a little bit of while now, but that’s the way it is.”

New Zealand and France come together midfleet, as they sprinted to the first mark of race three. Phil Walter

Robertson has been a SailGP fixture since the professional sailing began in 2019, steering teams from China, Spain and Canada, before joining the Italian outfit last year.

With a weather bomb forecast for the North Island this weekend, the local lad was quizzed about the prospect of racing in big winds on the Waitematā at Friday’s official media conference.

His reaction: “You wet your pants a little and move on.”

Italy narrowly avoided their own disaster, when they were caught in a gust of win that almost tipped them over during the build-up to race one. They barely managed to regain equilibrium and bring their boat back down on both hulls.

Sunday racing has already been moved forward a few hours to avoid the worst of the weather, but most drivers anticipate even more testing conditions on day two.

“Look, the accident was obviously extremely unfortunate, but I don’t think anyone’s really going to change,” Robertson said. “It’s a little bit out of the ordinary and you trust everyone’s being careful out there.

“That’s probably a situation I don’t think anyone envisioned, a boat spinning out and getting run over. It’s always in our mind that someone may crash in front of you, but coming from that position the Kiwis were in and into the French like that, no-one’s really thought about that situation before.”

“I think all the sailors are pretty shaken up, seeing that sight. It’s not something you want to see and I’m sure it affects everyone a bit.”

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/15/sailgp-kiwi-driver-phil-robertson-wants-changes-after-black-foils-france-crash/

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NZ protesters condemn ‘IDF kill chain’ link to Gaza genocide

Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

Asia Pacific Report

New Zealand protesters have again spotlighted the country’s stake in US space militarisation today and speakers branded Rocket Lab as an alleged key link in the “IDF kill chain” as part of the Gaza genocide.

“Rocket Lab is a celebrated New Zealand success story, with a stated mission to open access to space and improve life on Earth,” said Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa  (PSNA) advocate Brendan Corbett.

“Yet many of its key contracts are with the US military and their suppliers.

“It is driven by share price increases and creating value for shareholders.”

Corbett said the global space militarisation market size was valued at US$61 billion (about NZ$100 billion) in 2025 and was projected to grow from US$66 billion this year to US$116 billion by 2034.

North America dominated space militarisation last year with a market share of more than 40 percent.

“Break the Rocket Lab kill chain,” says the protester banner on Queens Wharf in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau today. Image: Asia Pacific Report

‘World war threat’
“The overwhelming majority of our human family are totally appalled at this march to militarisation of space and the threat of world war,” Corbett told the crowd in Te Komititanga Square as they marked the 123rd week of protest over the Gaza genocide.

“But not the war mongering investor class. They make more money.

“Guess what people? Increasing geopolitical rivalry and security threats propels market growth.”

A so-called “ceasefire” came into effect in Gaza on October 10, but since then Israeli violations almost daily have killed 591 Palestinians and wounded 1578 – and children dying at a rate of about two a day — with the besieged enclave facing a severe humanitarian crisis.

Overall, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has topped 72,049 with 171,691 wounded – mostly women and children — since the start of the war, according to Palestinian health authorities.

PSNA activist Brendan Corbett . . . “Military tech companies no longer pretend they are ethical and humane.” Image: Asia Pacific Report

The government has raised the total number of launches allowed for Rocket Lab at its Mahia launch pad tenfold to 1000, as the cap set at 100 in 2017 is close to being breached.

However, a physics professor at Auckland University, Dr Richard Easther, told RNZ News this week that he did not trust the New Zealand Space Agency to make good decisions while the agency said it had assessed all space activities against clear legislative criteria.

Geopolitical tension
Corbett stressed the increasing geopolitical tension, rivalries and escalating security threats across the globe.

This situation was expected to encourage countries to strengthen space-based defence capabilities.

Military forces of various nations required satellites and space systems to maintain secure communications, surveillance, and navigation under hostile conditions.

A “Rocket Lab = death for money” banner at today’s protest in Te Komititanga Square. Image: Asia Pacific Report

“This is the Rocket Lab, Black Sky, Palantir, IDF kill chain,” said Corbett, referring to the Israeli Defence Forces, although critics prefer to characterise IDF as the IOF – “Israeli Offence Forces” in view of Tel Aviv having attacked five countries in the region last year.

“This demand drives procurement of hardened, redundant, and cyber-secure space infrastructure — ”these are the factors contributing to space militarisation market growth”.

Corbett quoted Palantir chief executive officer Alex Karp telling investors in a call last month: “Palantir is here to disrupt and make the institutions we partner with the best in the world, and when it’s necessary to scare our enemies and, on occasion, kill them.”

“Military tech companies no longer pretend they are ethical and humane,” Corbett said.

Space technologies
He explained how space militarisation included deployment and use of space technologies for military applications such as reconnaissance, communications, navigation and so on.

It involved satellites, ground systems and related technologies for defence.

“This is the market niche that fuels Rocket Lab’s business plan,” he said.

Some countries used space and counter-space capabilities and integrated them into regular military exercises.

With space militarisation, countries integrated space assets such as satellites, ground stations, and launch systems into defence operations.

“These factors are driving the overall market growth,” Corbett said. “These are the activities that are driving us to war.”

“Sanctions now” placard pictured outside a McDonalds store – the US-based corporation sponsors Israel’s IDF military. Image: Asia Pacific Report

RIMPAC 2026 exercises
He cited some of the major companies involved, including Lockheed Martin Corporation, Raytheon Technologies — both investors in Rocket Lab — Northrop Gumman Corporation, Airbus Defence and Space, and others.

Other speakers included Kia Ora Gaza activist Patrick O’Dea – who reminded the crowd of nuclear-free protest success in blocking visits by US warships in the 1980s – PSNA’s Neil Scott, and Maire Leadbeater of West Papua Action Tāmaki.

O’Dea challenged the crowd top campaign against New Zealand taking part in the RIMPAC 2026 military exercises in Hawai’i during June to August and “collaborating with the IDF”.

Protesters marched with banners declaring “Break the Rocket Lab kill chain” and “Rocket Lab – death for money” to Queens Wharf where a visiting Norwegian cruise ship Viking Orion (1000 passengers) was moored.

This article was first published on Café Pacific.

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/15/nz-protesters-condemn-idf-kill-chain-link-to-gaza-genocide/

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Francesca Albanese: Why a revolutionary shift on global justice is underway

Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese has dismissed recent accusations of anti-Semitism against her as “shameful and defamatory” in an interview on France 24. She has also warned that “the plan to fully destroy Gaza continues” and denounced Israeli measures in the West Bank, where “soldiers and settlers are spreading terror”. This is a flashback to her influential mid-2025 speech to the Hague Group in Bogotá declaring a global “revolutionary shift is underway”.

ADDRESS: By Francesca Albanese

I express my appreciation to the governments of Colombia and South Africa for convening this group, and to all members of the Hague Group, its founding members for their principled stance, and the others who are joining. May you keep going and so the strength and effectiveness of your concrete actions.

Thank you also to the Secretariat for its tireless work, and last but not least, the Palestinian experts — individuals and organisations who travelled to Bogotá from occupied Palestine, historical Palestine/Israel and other places of the diaspora/exile, to accompany this process, after providing HG with outstanding, evidence-based briefings.

And of course all of you who are here today.

It is important to be here today, in a moment that may prove historical indeed. There is hope that these two days will move all present to work together to take concrete measures to end the genocide in Gaza and, hopefully, end the erasure of what remains of Palestine — because this is the testing ground for a system where freedom, rights, and justice are made real for all.

This hope, that people like me hold tight, is a discipline. A discipline we all should have.

The occupied Palestinian territory today is a hellscape. In Gaza, Israel has dismantled even the last UN function — humanitarian aid — in order to deliberately starve, displace time and again, or kill a population they have marked for elimination.

In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, ethnic cleansing advances through unlawful siege, mass displacement, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, widespread torture.

Across all areas under Israeli rule, Palestinians live under the terror of annihilation, broadcast in real time to a watching world. The very few Israeli people who stand against genocide, occupation, and apartheid — while the majority openly cheers and calls for more — remind us that Israeli liberation, too, is inseparable from Palestinian freedom.

The atrocities of the past 21 months are not a sudden aberration; they are the culmination of decades of policies to displace and replace the Palestinian people.

Against this backdrop, it is inconceivable that political forums, from Brussels to NY, are still debating recognition of the State of Palestine — not because it’s unimportant, but because for 35 years states have stalled, refused recognition, pretending to “invest in the PA” while abandoning the Palestinian people to Israel’s relentless, rapacious territorial ambitions and unspeakable crimes.

[embedded content]
Francesca Albanese condemns “witch hunt” over doctored video about Israel   Video: Al Jazeera

Meanwhile, political discourse has reduced Palestine to a humanitarian crisis to manage in perpetuity rather than a political issue demanding principled and firm resolution: end permanent occupation, apartheid and today genocide. And it is not the law that has failed or faltered — it is political will that has abdicated.

But today, we are also witnessing a rupture. Palestine’s immense suffering has cracked open the possibility of transformation. Even if this is not fully reflected into political agendas (yet), a revolutionary shift is underway — one that, if sustained, will be remembered as a moment when history changed course.

And this is why I came to this meeting with a sense of being at a historical turning point — discursively and politically.

First, the narrative is shifting: away from Israel’s endlessly invoked “right to self-defence” and toward the long-denied Palestinian right to self-determination — systematically invisibilised, suppressed and delegitimised for decades.

The weaponisation of antisemitism applied to Palestinian words, and narratives, and the dehumanising use of the terrorism framework for Palestinian action (from armed resistance to the work of NGOs pursuing justice in international arena), has led to a global political paralysis that has been intentional.

It must be redressed. The time is now.

Second, and consequentially, we are seeing the rise of a new multilateralism: principled, courageous, increasingly led by the Global Majority it pains me that I have yet to see this include European countries. As a European, I fear what the region and its institutions have come to symbolise to many: a sodality of states preaching international law yet guided more by colonial mindset than principle, acting as vassals to the US empire, even as it drags us from war to war, misery to misery and when it comes to Palestine — from silence to complicity.

But the presence of European countries at this meeting shows that a different path is possible. To them I say: the Hague Group has the potential to signal not just a coalition, but a new moral center in world politics. Please, stand with them.

Millions are watching — hoping — for leadership that can birth a new global order rooted in justice, humanity, and collective liberation. This is not just about Palestine. This is about all of us.

Principled states must rise to this moment. It does not need to have a political allegiance, colour, political party flags or ideologies: it needs to be upheld by basic human values. Those which Israel has been mercilessly crushing for 21 months now.

Meanwhile I applaud the calling of this emergency conference in Bogotá to address the unrelenting devastation in Gaza. So it is on this, that focus must be directed.

The measures adopted in January by the Hague Group were symbolically powerful. It was the signal of the discursive and political shift needed. But they are the absolute bare minimum. I implore you to expand your commitment. And to turn that commitment into concrete actions, legislatively, judicially in each of your jurisdictions.

And to consider first and foremost, what must we do to stop the genocidal onslaught. For Palestinians, especially those in Gaza, this question is existential. But it really is applicable to the humanity of all of us.

In this context my responsibility here is to recommend to you, uncompromisingly and dispassionately, the cure for the root cause. We are long past dealing with symptoms, the comfort zone of too many these days. And my words will show that what the Hague Group has committed to do and is considering expanding upon, is a small commitment towards what’s just and due based on your obligations under international law.

Obligations, not sympathy, not charity.

Each state immediately review and suspend all ties with Israel. Their military, strategic, political, diplomatic, economic, relations — both imports and exports — and to make sure that their private sector, insurers, banks, pension funds, universities and other goods, and services providers in the supply chains do the same. Treating the occupation as business as usual translates into supporting or providing aid or assistance to the unlawful presence of Israel in the OPT.

These ties must be terminated as a matter of urgency. I will have the opportunity to elaborate on the technicalities and implications in our further sessions but lets be clear, I mean cutting ties with Israel as a whole. Cutting ties only with the “components” of it in the OPT is not an option.

This is in line with the duty of all states stemming from the July 2024 Advisory Opinion which confirmed the illegality of Israel’s prolonged occupation, which it declared tantamount to racial segregation and apartheid . The General Assembly adopted that opinion.

These findings are more than sufficient for action. Further, it is the state of Israel who is accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, so it is the state that must be responsible for its wrongdoings.

As I argued in my last report to the Human Rights Council (HRC), the Israeli economy is structured to sustain the occupation, and has now turned genocidal. It is impossible to disentangle Israel’s state policies and economy from its longstanding policies and economy of occupation. It has been inseparable for decades.

The longer states and others stay engaged, the more this illegality at its heart is legitimised. This is the complicity. Now that economy has turned genocidal. There is no good Israel, bad Israel.

I ask you to consider this moment as if we were sitting here in the 1990s, discussing the case of apartheid South Africa. Would you have proposed selective sanctions on SA for its conduct in individual Bantustans? Or would you have recognised the state’s criminal system as a whole?

And here, what Israel is doing is worse. This comparison — is a legal and factual assessment supported by international legal proceedings many in this room are part of.

This is what concrete measures mean. Negotiating with Israel on how to manage what remains of Gaza and West Bank, in Brussels or elsewhere, is an utter dishonor international law.

And to the Palestinians and those from all corners of the world standing by them, often at great cost and sacrifice, I say whatever happens, Palestine will have written this tumultuous chapter — not as a footnote in the chronicles of would-be conquerors, but as the newest verse in a centuries-long saga of peoples who have risen against injustice, colonialism, and today more than ever neoliberal tyranny.

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territory Occupied since 1967, made these remarks at the Hague Group Emergency Conference of States in Bogotá, Colombia, on 16 July 2025.

This article was first published on Café Pacific.

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/15/francesca-albanese-why-a-revolutionary-shift-on-global-justice-is-underway/

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Rain, high winds to move south after floods hit Waikato

Source: Radio New Zealand

It seems there is little reprieve on the weather front for the North Island, with rain and high winds set to move southwards.

The South Waikato region took a particular beating from thunderstorms overnight, with roads, homes and infrastructure damaged.

Pictures and stories coming out of Ōtorohanga tell of the extent of the flooding and hasty evacuations, after a deluge overnight caused waters to rise rapidly in the Waikato district.

The Ōtorohanga district was put into a State of Emergency in the early hours of Saturday. Houses and buildings have been surrounded by floodwaters and cars have been submerged. About 80 people were evacuated from a camping site, marae and at least two houses overnight.

Ōtorohanga mayor Rodney Dow has spoken of his sadness after a man was found dead in a submerged car at Puketotara on State Highway 39, and urged those affected to be careful and to stay safe.

Flooding has closed State Highway Three between Te Awamutu and Otorohanga, State Highway 39 – Pirongia to Otorohanga, and State Highway 31 – Kawhia to Tihiroa.

Flooding in Ōtorohanga, captured by drone from the air, on Saturday. RNZ/ Marika Khabazi

In other areas, Tairawhiti escaped some of the worst rain overnight but State Highway Two, the Waioweka Gorge between the Gisborne and Opotiki – and State Highway 35 between Taurangakoau Bridge and Te Araroa remain closed because of previous slips and flooding.

Phillips Avenue, Ōtorohanga. RNZ/ Marika Khabazi

MetService says widespread rain continues in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne.

“A significant low deepens east of the North Island on Sunday bringing heavy rain and severe gales to the east and south of the North Island, northeast South Island and Chatham Islands. Large waves and dangerous sea conditions are also expected.”

An orange heavy rain warning is in place for parts of Gisborne, Hawke’s bay and Inland Whanganui until Monday morning.

Parts of Wellington and Gisborne are also under an orange strong wind warning until Monday and a heavy rain watch is in place for Eastern hills and ranges of Marlborough and Canterbury.

The Transport Agency is warning windy and wet weather is on the way for the lower North Island.

It says with bad weather is due to strike on Sunday, with severe gale south to southwestlies reaching 120 kilometres an hour in exposed places from tomorrow night.

People in the area have been warned to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

Forecasters are calling for people to stay up to date on weather updates, as more wild weather has stamped orange and red weather warnings across much of the North Island, and some of the South Island, with heavy rain and strong wind warnings and watches for many places for Saturday and Sunday.

David and Joy Wickham were evacuated from a campervan camping site after water from the nearby river began to rise. They returned to find it underwater today. Supplied/ Joy Wickham

Follow how the events of Saturday unfolded:

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/15/rain-high-winds-to-move-south-after-floods-hit-waikato/?doing_wp_cron=1771067674.6373789310455322265625

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Stuart Rees: Cowardice over Gaza dressed up as state authority on Sydney’s streets

Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

COMMENTARY: By Stuart Rees

The violence surrounding protests against the visit of Israel’s president was not an accident of crowd control. It reflects a deeper political failure – where authority suppresses dissent rather than confronting uncomfortable truths about Gaza, protest rights and democratic responsibility.

In official explanations of violence outside Sydney Town Hall on Monday evening, February  9, it sounds as though police were only trying to maintain public safety through various professional measures taken against the thousands outraged that President Isaac Herzog of Israel, charged with incitement to commit genocide, should be in the country.

Those explanations are false. Behind the extensive police powers to control and suppress protest lies a cancerous-like cowardice, facilitated by a cornered Prime Minister and by an Israeli sympathising, authoritarian NSW Premier.

Sydney police violence at the Monday night protest against the Gaza genocide and visit by Israeli President Isaac Herzog . . . a 76-year-old journalist and filmmaker, James Ricketson, describes his false arrest and release. Image: FB screenshot

Cowardice can be nurtured by pleasure in dominating, by fear of losing control, by being frightened to face truths, by deceits in pretending that all is well when it manifestly is not.

Restricting protests in order to stifle concern about slaughter in Gaza and the West Bank, or the PM asking the Australian public to “turn the temperature down” so that justifiable outrage about the Bondi massacres will deflect attention from an ongoing genocide in Palestine, is a cowardly technique.

And the PM is not the worst offender, even though government cowardice began when wedged by the Zionist Federation into supporting their invitation to the Israeli President.

Who runs the show you might ask?

Manhandling people
Suppression-oriented Premier Chris Minns delegates responsibility for his anti-protest laws to the chief of NSW police who is happy to oblige. In and out of uniform, cowards appear as strong men, usually men, who like to manhandle or beat up people.

There is no manliness in the police thuggery witnessed in Sydney streets on Monday.

Facile Premier Minns – or is he just naive – with no recognition of his own hypocrisy, says on Tuesday’s news “NSW police are not punching bags”. His holier than thou stance is shown alongside a man held down by police who are punching him repeatedly in the kidneys.

We then switch to the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, in Federal Parliament describing police action in general, “what the police were trying to do was sensible”.

A scene of NSW police brutality raining blows on a young man in a keffiyeh in Sydney on Monday evening . . . “disproportionate” use of force, says Amnesty International. Image: Freeze frame from video x/@jennineak
source Jared Kimpton

As if thuggery on one man is insufficient, other police punch Greens MP Abigail Boyd in the head and shoulder, knock her over and are completely indifferent to her explanations of who she was and the civil and legal reasons for her presence at a legitimate, peaceful protest.

Cameras switch to police apparently unaware that their presence increases conflict, comprehending little, annoyed, then angry at the sight Moslem citizens in prayer on public pavements.

Then we witness no rationality, no civility, only the raw emotions of cowards not getting their way. The men kneeling in prayer are seen being picked up, removed and thrown aside. We’ll never know if deep-seated prejudice affected police conduct, but the question should be raised.

Opposition unity
On Tuesday, the mood of thuggery on the streets moved to the House of Representatives when a Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown inquired of the Prime Minister whether the invitation to the President of Israel had undermined the unity of the country, whether the PM would condemn police violence and send Herzog home.

In response, before the Prime Minister could answer, the opposition benches found a unity which had eluded them for months.

United in their apparent support for Israeli slaughter in Gaza, wanting to be seen to be brave in their dislike of protest about Herzog, and apparently unable or unwilling to know much about genocide continuing during a ceasefire, one of the esteemed members of the newly reformed Coalition, was heard to advise colleagues as to how to deal with the Greens MP.

“Rip her apart,” he was reported as saying. It sounds as though this was exactly what he said. Asked by the Speaker to withdraw his comment, the offending MP did so.

But further support for cowardice camouflaged by thuggery was not far away. Keen to revive his image as macho man at large, former Prime Minister Tony Abbot recommended that police accused of punching protesters should receive a commendation and in future be armed with tear gas and be able fire rubber bullets.

Abbot would never regard himself as a coward but when denial of the existence of a genocide, a failure to face truths, is being multiplied by cowardice evident in acceptance of authoritarianism as the way to conduct politics, policing and even techniques for debate, there should be cross party and widespread public concern.

To meet the Prime Minister’s requests to lower the temperature, the country needs to replace the cowardice with sufficient courage to admit the truths about a genocide, the truths about the values of freedom of speech and the right to protest.

Cowardice may be disguised by violence but is demeaning.

Courage is a way to speak truths. Courageous action can be mentally and physically life enhancing, encourages justice, depicts what Bertolt Brecht called “the bread of the people” and in current Australian culture could infect almost everyone and lower the temperature. Try it.

Dr Stuart Rees AM is professor emeritus at the University of Sydney and recipient of the Jerusalem (Al Quds) Peace Prize. This article was first published in Pearls and Irritations: John Menadue’s Public Policy Journal and is republished with permission.

This article was first published on Café Pacific.

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/14/stuart-rees-cowardice-over-gaza-dressed-up-as-state-authority-on-sydneys-streets/

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SailGP: Black Foils collide with France, two sailors including one Kiwi injured

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Black Foils SailGP collide with the DS Automobiles SailGP Team France. Felix Diemer for SailGP

Sailors from the New Zealand and France teams have been rushed to Auckland hospital, after a high-speed collision in race three of the New Zealand SailGP event off Wynyard Point.

Racing was suspended, when the two boats came together on the opening leg, with the Black Foils seemingly losing control of their rudder and spinning back into the French.

France had nowhere to go and flew over the bow of Amokura, as their rivals disappeared up the course towards the first mark. As they rounded the mark and headed back towards the two entangled boats, race organisers called the race off and safety crews rushed to the wreckage.

Wreckage from the DS Automobiles SailGP Team France F50 catamaran is moved in the technical area after the collision. James Gourley for SailGP

All crew members were quickly accounted for, but two sailors – one from each team – were injured and taken ashore, conscious and alert.

The Black Foils later confirmed grinder Louis Sinclair was in stable condition with compound fractures to both legs.

“This one was super scary and above the margins,” said France driver Quentin Delapierre. “Hopefully, we will find some solutions, so we never see this kind of stuff again.

“I cannot say anything about the incident – everything happened so quickly and it is super cloudy in my head.

“I didn’t review the footage, so I cannot say accurate things, but it was probably the scariest I have experienced.

“Full support to Team NZ and also my teammates. Hopefully, everyone is OK.”

The damaged boat of the DS Automobiles SailGP Team France is craned from the water in the technical area after a collision with Black Foils SailGP Team. James Gourley for SailGP

Delapierre would not reveal which of his crew was injured and could not speculate on whether his boat would be back on the water for Sunday.

“At the moment, it looks difficult for us to race tomorrow, but nothing is impossible, so we’ll see.”

The Black Foils boat has made it to shore, but is not in good shape. RNZ

Unsurprisingly, the Black Foils did not put anyone up for media questions, but driver Peter Burling and strategist Liv Mackay were both spotted – shaken, but apparently uninjured – afterwards.

“A member of the Black Foils is being treated at Auckland Hospital, following a collision with the France boat during racing today,” they later posted on social media.

“The team member was transferred in a stable condition. All five other athletes onboard returned to base safely.

“Further updates will be given when available.

“Thank you for the support and aroha at this time.”

Later, they named Sinclair was the injured crew member.

“Sinclair is receiving treatment for compound fractures to both legs, but is in a stable condition.”

New Zealand SailGP marks the first occasion 13 boats have contested racing, with the addition of Artemis Sweden for this year’s series. Spain missed the season’s opening event at Perth, after suffering damage in practice, but the fleet was at full strength for the first time at Auckland.

The collision left two injured from each team. Phil Walter

All 13 teams were jostling for position off the startline, making the tight run to the first mark chaotic. That leg is usually the fastest of the race, exacerbating the risk.

Next year, organisers hope to add a 14th team to the championship and will likely split the fleet into smaller heats of seven, as they for practice racing currently.

A collision between Black Foils driven by Peter Burling and Blair Tuke and DS Team France, driven by Quentin Delapierre at the start of race 3. Phil Walter

Sunday’s forecast suggests even more wind on the course, with racing brought forward a few hours to avoid the worst of the current weather bomb over the North Island.

“I don’t know what’s the league position, but probably tomorrow, we need to take some decisions to avoid this kind of stuff,” Delapierre said. “We were probably above the margin today, so we’ll see what happens.”

Delapiere admitted the fleet size may have contributed to the accident.

“It’s probably part of the equation, but it’s way more complicated than that, so I don’t want to say too much.”

This is New Zealand’s second major crash in as many events.

Moments into the season-opening race at Perth last month, the Black Foils collided with Switzerland, losing their stern, and were unable to race again that weekend.

They faced an anxious repair process over following weeks, but Amokura was apparently back to full integrity for their home regatta, as the home team finished third and first in the first two races to lead the event into race three.

This time, the damage to boat and crew is even more serious.

After the Perth incident, NZ driver Peter Burling was judged at fault and became the first to incur demerit points under newly introduced SailGP ‘Super Licence’ protocols.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/14/sailgp-black-foils-collide-with-france-two-sailors-including-one-kiwi-injured/

Posted on

Super Rugby Pacific: Blues v Chiefs

Source: Radio New Zealand

Josh Jacomb during the Blues v Chiefs, Super Rugby Pacific match, Eden Park. John Cowpland/Actionpress

The Chiefs have emerged victors in a messy Super Rugby Pacific opener against the Blues at Eden Park. A try by All Black halfback Cortez Ratima was the key play in the 75th minute, after he linked with Tupou Vaa’i and Samipeni Finau up the middle of the field. That gave the Chiefs the last lead in a game that at times neither side looked interested in winning, with errors and 20 penalties blown throughout.

The first half saw both sides struggle with cohesion, bombing chances in each others’ 22s with handling errors. The Chiefs bombed a golden opportunity with three men unmarked when Josh Jacomb sent over a cross kick that went way too far, both kickers missed relatively simple shots at goal.

It wasn’t until half an hour into the game that the deadlock, when Tupou Vaa’i scored a slightly controversial try when he appeared to dive over a Blues defender to score in the corner.

Zarn Sullivan hit back almost immediately for the Blues, after some good work by the impressive Caleb Clarke off a bomb saw the ball moved into the flying fullback’s hands.

Anyone hoping for an improvement in quality after the break was sorely disappointed, although the home side looked to have the better of the moments. Dalton Papali’i crashed over after a long period on attack after 53 minutes, which at the time looked about good enough to win the game.

Kyren Taumoefolau tackles Stephen Perofeta during the Blues v Chiefs, Super Rugby Pacific match, Eden Park. Blake Armstrong / action press

However, Samisoni Taukei’aho gave the Chiefs hope not long after, then a litany of errors once again saw the Chiefs set up for Ratima’s ultimately decisive score.

Chiefs coach Jono Gibbes can now celebrate a win on debut, although it’s unlikely his side will be able to play as flat as this and get away with it again. Meanwhile the Blues will be disappointed after specifically stating they were trying to avoid another poor start to the season.

The Chiefs head south to Dunedin to face the Highlanders next weekend, while the Blues make the long journey to Perth to take on the Force.

Read how the game unfolded below:

Team lists

Blues: 1 Joshua Fusitu’a, 2 Bradley Slater, 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 4 Sam Darry, 5 Josh Beehre, 6 Torian Barnes, 7 Dalton Papali’i (c), 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 9 Finlay Christie, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 11 Caleb Clarke, 12 Pita Ahki, 13 AJ Lam, 14 Cole Forbes, 15 Zarn Sullivan

Bench: 16 James Mullan, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Marcel Renata, 19 Laghlan McWhannell, 20 Anton Segner, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai

Chiefs: 1 Jared Proffit, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 3 George Dyer, 4 Josh Lord, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 6 Kaylum Bosher, 7 Jahrome Brown, 8 Luke Jacobson, 9 Xavier Roe, 10 Josh Jacomb, 11 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 13 Daniel Rona, 14 Kyren Taumoefolau, 15 Etene Nanai-Seturo

Bench: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Benet Kumeroa, 18 Reuben O’Neill, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Tepaea Cook-Savage, 23 Kyle Brown

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/14/super-rugby-pacific-blues-v-chiefs/

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Concerns weather could push raw sewage towards Wellington’s shoreline

Source: Radio New Zealand

Untreated water was leaking onto the capital’s south coast beaches due to the Moa Point Treatment Plant flooding and being turned off. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Wellington Water is concerned that the weather could increase the likelihood of raw sewage being pushed towards the shoreline.

Progress is being made at the Moa Point Wastewater Treatment Plant to clean it, mitigate the odour, and inspect the damage.

Nearly 80 percent of the equipment inside the plant was damaged in a meltdown on 4 February.

Megalitres of raw sewage have spilled into the Cook Strait since, but not through the short outfall pipe since the following day.

However, Wellington Water is warning that wastewater will have to be discharged through that pipe if there is increased flow into the plant.

MetService has placed heavy swell warnings, strong orange wind warnings and a heavy rain watch on some parts of Wellington for Sunday and Monday.

Wellington Water previously said the removal of sewage from the plant and cleaning its rooms were ongoing.

It was also working on understanding the state of the plant’s equipment and operations.

“This assessment will take some time, and we still expect there will be an extended outage at the plant.”

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