The woman reportedly disrupted a Qoran recitation night session at a musalla (a small prayer room) near her villa on Gili Trawangan123RF
A New Zealand woman who reportedly disrupted a mosque prayer session being played over a loudspeaker in Indonesia could face deportation.
According to the South China Morning Post the woman disrupted a Qoran recitation night session at a musalla (a small prayer room) near her villa on Gili Trawangan due to the noise.
It said she was unfamiliar with the traditional celebrations that could last until midnight and a meeting had since been held with her to provide understanding.
However immigration officials said her tourist visa expired in January, which could be grounds for deportation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it’s providing consular assistance to a New Zealander in Indonesia.
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
Ki Tua O Matariki Warns Government That “Move-On” Powers Targeting Homeless Whānau will have negative consequences
Ki Tua o Matariki strongly encourages the Government to reconsider the expansion of “Move-on Orders” under amendments to the Summary Offences Act, which would allow Police to direct people to leave public spaces nationwide and impose penalties for non-compliance.
Under the proposed changes, individuals who breach a move-on order could face fines of up to $2,000 or up to three months’ imprisonment. These powers are expected to apply across town centres and may impact rangatahi as young as 14.
Ki Tua o Matariki does not want to see the Government make decisions it may later regret. The long-term consequences of punishing whānau in need risk creating mistrust, causing whānau to withdraw from visibility and support, and allowing their needs to deepen. We remain committed to supporting the Government to make decisions that uplift and protect our whānau and communities, and to ensure policies do not unintentionally cause further harm.
“From our experience, punishing people who cannot afford necessities such as housing, food, or transport does not reduce homelessness- it deepens fear and mistrust,” says Zoe Witika-Hawke, Chief Executive of Ki Tua o Matariki. “For whānau to engage in support, trust must come first. Pushing people further into the criminal justice system moves them away from the very support that enables long-term wellbeing. Evidence shows that prison does not resolve homelessness, addiction, or mental health challenges. We welcome the opportunity to work alongside Government and communities to implement solutions that strengthen whānau and create the Aotearoa we all want.”
Māori are disproportionately affected by homelessness in Aotearoa. Severe Housing Deprivation estimates from the 2023 Census show tens of thousands of people experiencing homelessness or unstable housing conditions, with Māori significantly over-represented in rough sleeping, overcrowding, and insecure housing. Māori women are particularly impacted, with sector research indicating four out of five homeless women in Aotearoa are Māori.
This amendments of the Summary Offences Act, reflects a concerning assumption that people sleeping rough have somewhere else to go,” says Hineraukura, founding member of the Māori maternal mental health advisory group Hine Ki Te Wheiao. “It prioritises public comfort over addressing the structural drivers of homelessness, including inflation, rising living costs, and housing insecurity. Treating homelessness as a behavioural issue rather than a systemic one risks ignoring the economic realities many whānau are facing. We believe the focus must shift toward practical, compassionate solutions that respond to the real pressures impacting our communities”
Any policy that increases enforcement without increasing housing supply and wraparound support risks disproportionately impacting whānau and deepening inequities already present in our system. At Ki Tua o Matariki, we see firsthand that homelessness is rarely about choice. It is connected to poverty, intergenerational trauma, mental health challenges, addiction, and systemic inequity. Our communities – Māori and non-Māori – deserve better.
Ki Tua o Matariki provides tailored tautoko for mātua taiohi, hapū māmā, their pēpi, and wider whānau. Alongside safe housing, we provide:
– Mental health support
– Transport assistance
– Counselling access
– Education and employment pathways
– Nursing and midwifery care
– Kaupapa Māori wānanga
– Weekly wraparound support
We know what works: stability, trusted relationships, cultural grounding, and consistent support.
Ki Tua o Matariki remains committed to supporting the Government to make decisions that strengthen whānau wellbeing and community safety, while ensuring policies do not unintentionally cause further harm. “Move-on” powers are not solutions to homelessness. Solutions lie in investing in housing, prevention, and culturally grounded wraparound support. We encourage the Government to prioritise policies that care for whānau, rather than moving them out of sight – these are the kinds of policies that Government will not regret.
Our communities deserve public policy grounded in manaakitanga, not punishment.
The woman reportedly disrupted a Qoran recitation night session at a musalla (a small prayer room) near her villa on Gili Trawangan123RF
A New Zealand woman who reportedly disrupted a mosque prayer session being played over a loudspeaker in Indonesia could face deportation.
According to the South China Morning Post the woman disrupted a Qoran recitation night session at a musalla (a small prayer room) near her villa on Gili Trawangan due to the noise.
It said she was unfamiliar with the traditional celebrations that could last until midnight and a meeting had since been held with her to provide understanding.
However immigration officials said her tourist visa expired in January, which could be grounds for deportation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it’s providing consular assistance to a New Zealander in Indonesia.
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
Police were called to a property on Hoani Street in the suburb of Northcote about 9.30pm on 18 February after an altercation.
Four people were injured.
One was in a critical condition and police said that person had now died in hospital.
Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves said the individuals involved were associated with Black Power and Mongrel Mob, but to date the investigation had indicated this was not a gang-motivated attack.
It appeared to be an isolated incident between specific individuals, Reeves said.
Reeves warned any form of retaliation would not be tolerated.
“Anyone considering taking matters into their own hands should expect an immediate and firm response.”
There was no information to suggest there was any ongoing risk to the wider public, she said.
Police would maintain a visible presence in the area.
Superintendent Jason Guthrie, Southern District Commander said the 46-year-old was arrested in Fraser’s Gully after his attempts to avoid Police, during which Police fired a shot which did not injure anyone.
“The man faces charges of assaulting Police, failing to stop for Police, driving a motor vehicle in a dangerous manner, and driving while disqualified third and subsequent.”
Officers involved in an operation to locate the man had seen him at a commercial premises on Kaikorai Valley Road at about 6pm and tried to apprehend him.
Police had been looking for the man in relation to a series of offences in the Otago coastal area over recent days.
Guthrie had previously said the man had fled in the vehicle but was later found in Brockville where police successfully deployed road spikes.
The man fled into the bush but was found soon after by a police dog team in the Fraser’s Gully area.
Earlier on Wednesday, police had cordoned the area near Three Mile Hill and Brockville as officers searched for the man.
He is due in Dunedin District Court tomorrow and an investigation into the events of Wednesday night remains ongoing.
The incident will also be referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority as is standard procedure when a police firearm is used.
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
Police were called to a property on Hoani Street in the suburb of Northcote about 9.30pm on 18 February after an altercation.
Four people were injured.
One was in a critical condition and police said that person had now died in hospital.
Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves said the individuals involved were associated with Black Power and Mongrel Mob, but to date the investigation had indicated this was not a gang-motivated attack.
It appeared to be an isolated incident between specific individuals, Reeves said.
Reeves warned any form of retaliation would not be tolerated.
“Anyone considering taking matters into their own hands should expect an immediate and firm response.”
There was no information to suggest there was any ongoing risk to the wider public, she said.
Police would maintain a visible presence in the area.
Superintendent Jason Guthrie, Southern District Commander said the 46-year-old was arrested in Fraser’s Gully after his attempts to avoid Police, during which Police fired a shot which did not injure anyone.
“The man faces charges of assaulting Police, failing to stop for Police, driving a motor vehicle in a dangerous manner, and driving while disqualified third and subsequent.”
Officers involved in an operation to locate the man had seen him at a commercial premises on Kaikorai Valley Road at about 6pm and tried to apprehend him.
Police had been looking for the man in relation to a series of offences in the Otago coastal area over recent days.
Guthrie had previously said the man had fled in the vehicle but was later found in Brockville where police successfully deployed road spikes.
The man fled into the bush but was found soon after by a police dog team in the Fraser’s Gully area.
Earlier on Wednesday, police had cordoned the area near Three Mile Hill and Brockville as officers searched for the man.
He is due in Dunedin District Court tomorrow and an investigation into the events of Wednesday night remains ongoing.
The incident will also be referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority as is standard procedure when a police firearm is used.
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
NZPork has previously warned that local producers were struggling against a flood of lower-welfare imports.123RF
Farmers are renewing calls for the Government to enforce the same animal welfare standards that local pig farmers face on imported pork.
A group of farmers, pork producers and advocates wrote to the Prime Minister and government ministers this week, calling for a “level playing field” among locally-produced and imported product.
The pork industry has wanted this for years now, with industry group NZPork warning that local producers were struggling against a flood of lower-welfare imports.
NZPork estimated that more than 63 percent of pork consumed in Aotearoa came from countries like United States, Spain, Germany and Canada.
In some of these countries, farmers still used sow stalls (narrow cages for pregnant pigs) which New Zealand banned, and had smaller space requirements or longer periods allowed for sows in farrowing crates (that have just given birth to protect the piglets).
It came after last year’s controversial move by the Government to allow farmers a decade grace period before enforcing stricter welfare regulations.
Waikato dairy farmer Walt Cavendish was about to transition his Matamata farming operation into free range pork farming.
He signed the letter addressed to the Government, having said farmers, consumers and the animals deserve high welfare standards.
“New Zealand led the way in 1999 with the Animal Welfare Act. It was a world leading piece of legislation,” he said.
“We made quite a clear decision as a country that animal welfare matters. And we seem to have gone down the road of insisting on that for our farmers, but not insisting that for our imports.”
“For these family farming families, they’re trying to compete with product that would just not be allowed to be farmed here.”
Cavendish had met with officials on the matter previously, and said New Zealand could legally enforce what was called a public morals exemption on importers
“The biggest argument that’s put is the trade implications.
“They’re just so nervous about it.
“Everyone keeps using the trade argument.”
But he said it would be unlikely that those exporting nations would take retaliatory action in response, considering the New Zealand market’s small scale.
“It’s just an argument to try and stop this going further, and that’s why I’m quite firm that the public morals exemption is our best way forward.
“And realistically, with such a low amount of the export from these countries, that they’re hardly going to worry about it.”
He believed people’s fears that pork prices would go up even further if we ditched imports was a “false narrative”, as the national pig herd would likely increase to meet demand.
“Because ultimately, you would be able to produce more, so the cost of production would go down.
“We don’t really feel that the price will go through the roof at all, and there are examples that Animal Policy International have done in their research, where we’re talking peanuts, you know, very little. We’re talking cents, not dollars, in relation to the price adjustment per kilogram of pork.”
But he acknowledged it was a significant concern for cash-strapped consumers, though many of them were passionate about animal welfare.
“One of the big things I get from people that comment to me is their fear of the price going up, because they can’t even now afford a lot of the meat products on the shelf.
Trade minister Todd McClay said if New Zealand introduced requirements based on our methods of production, this could potentially undermine our efforts to prevent other countries from applying unjustified measures that could impact negatively on our agricultural exports.
“Last year animal product exports worth $42 billion reached plates around the globe, making up more than half of our total goods exports.”
“New Zealand is a global leader in farmed animal welfare standards, which underpin our trade reputation and the high quality of our global exports.”
McClay said New Zealand works with other countries to improve animal welfare standards through our membership in the World Organisation for Animal Health and through bilateral collaboration.
“It is important to recognise that different countries have different production systems. Approaches to caring for animals are adapted to local conditions and applying the same standard can sometimes result in different welfare outcomes.”
Food and Agriculture Organization’s latest statistics show New Zealand imported more than 47,000 tonnes of pork in 2023.
The “Fair for Farmers” campaign was launched at the Northland Fieldays in Dargaville today that ran into Saturday.
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
NZPork has previously warned that local producers were struggling against a flood of lower-welfare imports.123RF
Farmers are renewing calls for the Government to enforce the same animal welfare standards that local pig farmers face on imported pork.
A group of farmers, pork producers and advocates wrote to the Prime Minister and government ministers this week, calling for a “level playing field” among locally-produced and imported product.
The pork industry has wanted this for years now, with industry group NZPork warning that local producers were struggling against a flood of lower-welfare imports.
NZPork estimated that more than 63 percent of pork consumed in Aotearoa came from countries like United States, Spain, Germany and Canada.
In some of these countries, farmers still used sow stalls (narrow cages for pregnant pigs) which New Zealand banned, and had smaller space requirements or longer periods allowed for sows in farrowing crates (that have just given birth to protect the piglets).
It came after last year’s controversial move by the Government to allow farmers a decade grace period before enforcing stricter welfare regulations.
Waikato dairy farmer Walt Cavendish was about to transition his Matamata farming operation into free range pork farming.
He signed the letter addressed to the Government, having said farmers, consumers and the animals deserve high welfare standards.
“New Zealand led the way in 1999 with the Animal Welfare Act. It was a world leading piece of legislation,” he said.
“We made quite a clear decision as a country that animal welfare matters. And we seem to have gone down the road of insisting on that for our farmers, but not insisting that for our imports.”
“For these family farming families, they’re trying to compete with product that would just not be allowed to be farmed here.”
Cavendish had met with officials on the matter previously, and said New Zealand could legally enforce what was called a public morals exemption on importers
“The biggest argument that’s put is the trade implications.
“They’re just so nervous about it.
“Everyone keeps using the trade argument.”
But he said it would be unlikely that those exporting nations would take retaliatory action in response, considering the New Zealand market’s small scale.
“It’s just an argument to try and stop this going further, and that’s why I’m quite firm that the public morals exemption is our best way forward.
“And realistically, with such a low amount of the export from these countries, that they’re hardly going to worry about it.”
He believed people’s fears that pork prices would go up even further if we ditched imports was a “false narrative”, as the national pig herd would likely increase to meet demand.
“Because ultimately, you would be able to produce more, so the cost of production would go down.
“We don’t really feel that the price will go through the roof at all, and there are examples that Animal Policy International have done in their research, where we’re talking peanuts, you know, very little. We’re talking cents, not dollars, in relation to the price adjustment per kilogram of pork.”
But he acknowledged it was a significant concern for cash-strapped consumers, though many of them were passionate about animal welfare.
“One of the big things I get from people that comment to me is their fear of the price going up, because they can’t even now afford a lot of the meat products on the shelf.
Trade minister Todd McClay said if New Zealand introduced requirements based on our methods of production, this could potentially undermine our efforts to prevent other countries from applying unjustified measures that could impact negatively on our agricultural exports.
“Last year animal product exports worth $42 billion reached plates around the globe, making up more than half of our total goods exports.”
“New Zealand is a global leader in farmed animal welfare standards, which underpin our trade reputation and the high quality of our global exports.”
McClay said New Zealand works with other countries to improve animal welfare standards through our membership in the World Organisation for Animal Health and through bilateral collaboration.
“It is important to recognise that different countries have different production systems. Approaches to caring for animals are adapted to local conditions and applying the same standard can sometimes result in different welfare outcomes.”
Food and Agriculture Organization’s latest statistics show New Zealand imported more than 47,000 tonnes of pork in 2023.
The “Fair for Farmers” campaign was launched at the Northland Fieldays in Dargaville today that ran into Saturday.
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
Attributable to Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves:
One person has died after the serious incident at a Hoani Street, Northcote address on 18 February.
Police were called to the property about 9.30pm after an altercation during which four people were injured, one of whom was in a critical condition.
Sadly, that person has now died in hospital.
Our thoughts are with their family, who are no doubt devastated. We will continue to provide them with support at this difficult time.
Police can confirm that the individuals involved were associated with two separate gangs, however our investigation to date indicates this was not a gang-motivated attack. This appears to be an isolated incident between specific individuals.
We want to be absolutely clear that any form of retaliation will not be tolerated.
Anyone considering taking matters into their own hands should expect an immediate and firm response.
We understand incidents like this can be unsettling to our community, and want to reassure you that there is no information to suggest any ongoing risk to the wider public.
Our teams are maintaining a visible presence and continue to work closely with specialist units, intelligence staff, and community partners to ensure your safety.
Further charges will now be considered against the three men who were arrested in relation to the incident.
The three men, aged 19, 31 and 40, have been remanded in custody and are next due to appear in Christchurch District Court on 17 March.
Attributable to Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves:
One person has died after the serious incident at a Hoani Street, Northcote address on 18 February.
Police were called to the property about 9.30pm after an altercation during which four people were injured, one of whom was in a critical condition.
Sadly, that person has now died in hospital.
Our thoughts are with their family, who are no doubt devastated. We will continue to provide them with support at this difficult time.
Police can confirm that the individuals involved were associated with two separate gangs, however our investigation to date indicates this was not a gang-motivated attack. This appears to be an isolated incident between specific individuals.
We want to be absolutely clear that any form of retaliation will not be tolerated.
Anyone considering taking matters into their own hands should expect an immediate and firm response.
We understand incidents like this can be unsettling to our community, and want to reassure you that there is no information to suggest any ongoing risk to the wider public.
Our teams are maintaining a visible presence and continue to work closely with specialist units, intelligence staff, and community partners to ensure your safety.
Further charges will now be considered against the three men who were arrested in relation to the incident.
The three men, aged 19, 31 and 40, have been remanded in custody and are next due to appear in Christchurch District Court on 17 March.
When a war ends and peace agreements are signed, most people assume the danger is over. But for many communities around the world the danger remains in the ground, waiting.
Landmines and other explosives left behind after a conflict can stay active for decades – buried in the paths to school, in the fields that feed families and in the areas where children play.
In some countries, such as Laos and the Solomon Islands, bombs from conflicts decades ago still injure and kill.
This quiet danger isn’t a distant problem. Today, at least 57 countries are contaminated by landmines and other explosive ordnance, including mortars and grenades.
At the same time, some governments are stepping back from the Landmine Ban Treaty, the first comprehensive treaty aimed at eliminating landmines in conflicts. Decisions made in parliaments today can translate into hazards underfoot for years to come.
Our new research is aimed at understanding the ongoing risk landmines pose. The study is the world’s largest analysis of landmine and explosive ordnance casualties. And the data allows us to answer critical questions: who dies from these weapons, and why?
What do the numbers tell us?
In our study, we analysed 105,913 casualties across 17 conflict-affected countries, using operational data. These are the real world operational records routinely collected by national mine action authorities, the UN and other humanitarian organisations.
These records let us see what communities are facing without adding any burden to these often stretched services.
Across all settings, the case fatality rate was 38.8%. Put simply: for every ten people injured by landmines or other explosive ordnance around the world, nearly four die. This is extraordinarily high.
For comparison, the fatality rate for blast injuries among military personnel or civilians treated in well-resourced trauma centres is around 2%.
The gap highlights the brutal disparity between those who are injured in environments with functioning surgical and trauma care and those who are not.
Not all explosive threats are equal, either.
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were the most lethal weapon type in our analysis.
IEDs are increasingly used in many modern conflicts and are often remotely detonated to maximise casualties. Their explosive force and unpredictability cause devastating injuries that many local health systems are simply not equipped to manage.
Understanding who dies, and why, is essential to preventing future deaths.EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Who is most affected?
Although most casualties from landmines and explosive ordnance are men, women had significantly higher odds of dying from their injuries. This likely reflects unequal access to health care, delayed treatment, and social barriers that limit mobility and decision making in many conflict-affected settings.
Children’s risks are different – they are both vulnerable and resilient.
Children are particularly at risk of detonating landmines when playing, when caught up in active conflict, or simply as bystanders.
The reason is often tragic. Children tend to play together in groups, meaning when one child encounters an explosive remnant, several are injured at once.
Yet, overall, children in our data were more likely to survive their injuries than adults, perhaps because they sustain different injury patterns or receive care sooner when adults rush to assist.
But survival is only the beginning. Children may need multiple surgeries, new prostheses as they grow up, long-term rehabilitation and lifelong disability support. These are needs that many health systems struggle to meet.
Age also shapes outcomes. The highest odds of death were observed in adults aged 45–64. Older people may have pre-existing health issues and face greater barriers to reaching medical care, yet their needs can often be overlooked.
The human cost of explosives
The impact of landmines and explosive ordnance extends far beyond immediate injuries. These injuries disrupt people’s daily lives in ways that can entrench communities in poverty.
There are ways to mitigate the impacts of landmines and explosive ordnance, though. This is a preventable public health crisis.
Our findings highlight the urgent need to strengthen emergency, critical and surgical care in conflict-affected areas to reduce preventable deaths.
Reliable pre-hospital care, transport and basic surgical care saves lives. So does long-term rehabilitation and disability support, especially for children who will live with the consequences of these explosive weapons and injuries for decades.
As old conflicts continue and new ones emerge, explosive ordnance keep contaminating the places where people live, play, work and travel.
Understanding who dies, and why, is essential to preventing future deaths and ensuring that peace, when it comes, offers real safety.
Health NZ says the outage was resolved quickly without affecting patient services.123rf.com
Auckland and Northland hospitals were hit by an IT outage on Thursday afternoon.
Health New Zealand says the outage affected the transfer of radiology images at hospitals across Auckland and Northland for two hours.
The Public Service Association said the outage was “major”, and the system affected manages all medical images including x rays, CT and MRI scans.
National Secretary Fleur Ftizsimons said it’s the second critical failure in less than a month and put patient safety at risk, after clinicians were forced to use pen and paper throughout the night in late January.
“The PACs system impacted by the outage is a critical function of our hospitals which clinicians rely on to access images so they can assess and treat patients needing urgent treatment in EDs, in operating theatres and elsewhere.
“The outage means clinicians and radiographers must communicate by text and phone to pass on vital information from scans.
“Without a doubt this will slow down treatment, compromising care,” Fitzsimons said.
Fitzsimons said the government needs to immediately review funding for health digital services and IT infrastructure.
A Health New Zealand spokesperson said the outage was resolved quickly without affecting patient services.
“During the outage standard back-up processes were used for the reviewing of radiology images.”
The spokesperson said services were fully restored within two hours and patient care was not compromised.
Health NZ says the outage was resolved quickly without affecting patient services.123rf.com
Auckland and Northland hospitals were hit by an IT outage on Thursday afternoon.
Health New Zealand says the outage affected the transfer of radiology images at hospitals across Auckland and Northland for two hours.
The Public Service Association said the outage was “major”, and the system affected manages all medical images including x rays, CT and MRI scans.
National Secretary Fleur Ftizsimons said it’s the second critical failure in less than a month and put patient safety at risk, after clinicians were forced to use pen and paper throughout the night in late January.
“The PACs system impacted by the outage is a critical function of our hospitals which clinicians rely on to access images so they can assess and treat patients needing urgent treatment in EDs, in operating theatres and elsewhere.
“The outage means clinicians and radiographers must communicate by text and phone to pass on vital information from scans.
“Without a doubt this will slow down treatment, compromising care,” Fitzsimons said.
Fitzsimons said the government needs to immediately review funding for health digital services and IT infrastructure.
A Health New Zealand spokesperson said the outage was resolved quickly without affecting patient services.
“During the outage standard back-up processes were used for the reviewing of radiology images.”
The spokesperson said services were fully restored within two hours and patient care was not compromised.
Health NZ says the outage was resolved quickly without affecting patient services.123rf.com
Auckland and Northland hospitals were hit by an IT outage on Thursday afternoon.
Health New Zealand says the outage affected the transfer of radiology images at hospitals across Auckland and Northland for two hours.
The Public Service Association said the outage was “major”, and the system affected manages all medical images including x rays, CT and MRI scans.
National Secretary Fleur Ftizsimons said it’s the second critical failure in less than a month and put patient safety at risk, after clinicians were forced to use pen and paper throughout the night in late January.
“The PACs system impacted by the outage is a critical function of our hospitals which clinicians rely on to access images so they can assess and treat patients needing urgent treatment in EDs, in operating theatres and elsewhere.
“The outage means clinicians and radiographers must communicate by text and phone to pass on vital information from scans.
“Without a doubt this will slow down treatment, compromising care,” Fitzsimons said.
Fitzsimons said the government needs to immediately review funding for health digital services and IT infrastructure.
A Health New Zealand spokesperson said the outage was resolved quickly without affecting patient services.
“During the outage standard back-up processes were used for the reviewing of radiology images.”
The spokesperson said services were fully restored within two hours and patient care was not compromised.
Nitrous oxide has legitimate medical and catering uses, but if inhaled recreationally, the gas can have dangerous long-term side effects like nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord.Phanie via AFP
Police are warning that problems around the huffing of nitrous oxide products or nangs have escalated to where people are “playing chicken” and seeing whether they can drive without blacking out after inhaling the gas.
Nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas, has legitimate medical and catering uses – including being used to whip cream.
However, if inhaled recreationally, the gas can have dangerous long-term side effects like nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord.
And while it is illegal to sell for huffing or recreational purposes, a Checkpoint investigation previously found stores were selling large canisters of the gas, which contain hundreds of hits, with virtually no questions asked.
Tusha Penny, assistant police commissioner of road policing, told Checkpoint police had seen drivers huffing from balloons in eight districts across the country. She also said she had been sent a message from a road user in a rural area who had seen a driver huffing from a balloon on the road.
“It has gone from just individual-use, sitting behind a shop and huffing, [to] getting in a road and almost playing chicken to see whether you can black out and still drive the car,” she said.
“That has really escalated the potential for harm.
“We really want parents and people on the road to ring us, to let us know.”
These cases were still under investigation, she said.
“If we look at the Bay of Plenty, for example, since New Year, we know there’s been some absolutely fantastic work when they’ve highlighted this.
“There’s been an investigation done and a number of drivers have actually been prosecuted and are being dealt with at the moment.”
Despite that, Penny said police had decided to focus on “education” when it came to retailers selling nitrous products illegally.
“What we’re now asking them to do is work with us because we cannot have this amount of community harm that could happen from the illegitimate sale of this item.
“We’re sitting down, we’re giving them the letter, but we’re really explaining it to them,” she said.
“That is the approach we think is best to take at the moment around prevention for a short time, engagement, asking people to work with us.”
When asked how many prosecutions of retailers allegedly selling nitrous oxide products illegally police had taken, Penny was unable to say.
“We’re being really clear on the enforcement approach that we’re going to take, and then we will move to enforcement.”
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
AA chief policy and advocacy officer Simon Douglas told Checkpoint the government was trying to address the fact that there were now more drivers, more cyclists, more scooter riders and cities were increasingly more densely packed.
“So just a bit of a reset of the rules of the game so that everyone’s on the same page around some of these points of rub is a really good idea.”
One of the rules proposed by the government was to introduce a mandatory passing gap of between one and 1.5 metres, depending on the speed limit, to give motorists clearer guidance when passing cyclists and horse riders.
It is already recommended that motorists do not pass a cyclist closer than 1m, but Douglas said currently there was no enforceable rule around the correct distance for a driver to pass a cyclist.
“So what this gives us the opportunity to do is to say very very early in teaching young drivers to drive, there’s a rule that says that there’s a passing distance, a minimum passing distance.
“Setting that up as a rule, as an enforceable rule, really just says ‘you know we’re serious about this, this is one of those things that you need to learn to put into practice as a courteous driver’.”
It would be useful for everyone to know there was no equivocation about this in terms of whether it was a rule or a recommendation, he said.
“So we see it as a way of clarifying, removing doubt and just a way to help enforce good etiquette from a very early age.”
Another proposal is to require drivers travelling under 60km/h to give way to buses pulling out from bus stops.
Douglas said a recent AA survey found that about half of respondents thought you had to give way to a bus that was pulling out but the other half either thought you did not have to give way or didn’t know.
“At the moment the law isn’t, doesn’t say that a bus has right of way,” he said.
Driving was a complex task, he said.
“You’re in that moment where you’re think ‘well the bus is pulling out, does he or she have the right of way, do I scamper in front of them, do I wait behind them?’”
Currently some of the time there was a lack of certainty around what the rule was, he said.
Douglas acknowledged that sometimes people were just not driving courteously.
“One of the things about this set of rules is that it will give the opportunity for enforcement behaviour.
“So if you’re not giving a cyclist the right distance or you’re not letting the bus go past and there’s a police officer nearby, it gives them a tool and they will undoubtedly be able to levy a fine.”
That way drivers do not need to make a decision about how to act, he said.
“You just know, the bus has right of way, I will let the bus in.”
The government is consulting on two packages for rule changes, the first focuses on lane use and everyday road rules, while the second focuses on heavy vehicles.
Other proposed changes in its first package include allowing e-scooters to use cycle lanes, allowing children up to age 12 to ride their bikes on footpaths and clarifying signage rules so councils can better manage berm parking.
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
Air New Zealand CEO Nikhil Ravishankar (left) says the airline was dealt ‘tough cards’ as Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour calls on the government to sell its stakes in the airline.RNZ/Supplied
Air New Zealand chief executive says the airline has been dealt ‘tough cards’ and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the government should be backing the airline’s future but the Deputy Prime Minister continues to question their priorities.
The airline’s CEO Nikhil Ravishankar is carrying out a strategic review in the face of rising costs and told Checkpoint the airline is designed to grow but that hasn’t happened.
“The airline is designed to grow and for the last six years, we haven’t been able to do that.”
This comes after Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour earlier renewed his call for the government to sell its 51 percent stake in Air New Zealand after it reported a significant half-year loss.
The national carrier posted a $40 million loss for the six months ended December compared to a $106 million profit for the same period the year before.
The airline is still blaming severe disruption caused by delays to unscheduled engine maintenance grounding up to eight planes, as well as fuel and operating costs.
Seymour told Checkpoint the airline has placed too much “emphasis on politics” and is not reliable or affordable.
“The drumbeat of frustration from New Zealanders who are saying, look, we’re generally frustrated with the idea that things don’t work and cost too much,”
“And it seems that its distractions into various political projects over the last few years has started to come home to roost.”
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said in a social media post calls for the government to sell its shares in Air New Zealand while the airline market is in a downturn is economic lunacy.
Peters said the airline needs to start being on-time, and getting regional costs down. He said as the majority shareholder, the government should be backing its future rather than dragging it down, and hocking it off.
In response to the high costs of tickets Ravishankar said they are the result of increasing costs especially in fuel prices and engine maintenance.
However, Ravishankar told Checkpoint he was confident customers are not bearing the full weight of inflation when buying tickets.
“Since 2019 the cost that the airline bears has gone up north of 40 percent and our domestic airfares have gone up 32 percent.
“If you compare that with general CPI, general inflation, which has been around 29, 30 percent our fares have gone up a couple of percent over inflation, but our costs have gone up significantly more than that.”
When it came to Seymour’s comments that the airline was focusing on the wrong things such as electric planes and climate change reports, Ravishankar said he believed the airline was focused on the right things.
“It’s not distracting us from focusing on what’s important to our customers, which first and foremost is safe, reliable, and on-time performance, and that’s what we’re focused on delivering.”
“We are an airline that is globally extremely well-respected and people in the industry realise the tough cards we’ve been dealt.”
Ravishankar said matters of ownership were not for him to comment on as that was a question for the airline’s board.
Seymour has in turn said that many airlines have faced high costs and challenges especially after Covid.
“People are shopping around and finding that they can do better with the competitor… it seems that in the rest of the world, they have managed to navigate the challenges more competently.”
“And my charge is that if Air New Zealand was not distracted by its various projects of trying to become a biofuel producer, for example, they might be focussing more on taking off and landing on time.”
Ravishankar was currently carrying out a strategic review, which he said was drive by issues such as rising costs and falling profits.
“We need to tighten our belts and also in terms of looking into our capital management framework.”
Air New Zealand is also expecting to receive two of its 10 new 787 aircraft by the end of June, providing widebody capacity growth of 20-25 percent over the next two years.
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
AA chief policy and advocacy officer Simon Douglas told Checkpoint the government was trying to address the fact that there were now more drivers, more cyclists, more scooter riders and cities were increasingly more densely packed.
“So just a bit of a reset of the rules of the game so that everyone’s on the same page around some of these points of rub is a really good idea.”
One of the rules proposed by the government was to introduce a mandatory passing gap of between one and 1.5 metres, depending on the speed limit, to give motorists clearer guidance when passing cyclists and horse riders.
It is already recommended that motorists do not pass a cyclist closer than 1m, but Douglas said currently there was no enforceable rule around the correct distance for a driver to pass a cyclist.
“So what this gives us the opportunity to do is to say very very early in teaching young drivers to drive, there’s a rule that says that there’s a passing distance, a minimum passing distance.
“Setting that up as a rule, as an enforceable rule, really just says ‘you know we’re serious about this, this is one of those things that you need to learn to put into practice as a courteous driver’.”
It would be useful for everyone to know there was no equivocation about this in terms of whether it was a rule or a recommendation, he said.
“So we see it as a way of clarifying, removing doubt and just a way to help enforce good etiquette from a very early age.”
Another proposal is to require drivers travelling under 60km/h to give way to buses pulling out from bus stops.
Douglas said a recent AA survey found that about half of respondents thought you had to give way to a bus that was pulling out but the other half either thought you did not have to give way or didn’t know.
“At the moment the law isn’t, doesn’t say that a bus has right of way,” he said.
Driving was a complex task, he said.
“You’re in that moment where you’re think ‘well the bus is pulling out, does he or she have the right of way, do I scamper in front of them, do I wait behind them?’”
Currently some of the time there was a lack of certainty around what the rule was, he said.
Douglas acknowledged that sometimes people were just not driving courteously.
“One of the things about this set of rules is that it will give the opportunity for enforcement behaviour.
“So if you’re not giving a cyclist the right distance or you’re not letting the bus go past and there’s a police officer nearby, it gives them a tool and they will undoubtedly be able to levy a fine.”
That way drivers do not need to make a decision about how to act, he said.
“You just know, the bus has right of way, I will let the bus in.”
The government is consulting on two packages for rule changes, the first focuses on lane use and everyday road rules, while the second focuses on heavy vehicles.
Other proposed changes in its first package include allowing e-scooters to use cycle lanes, allowing children up to age 12 to ride their bikes on footpaths and clarifying signage rules so councils can better manage berm parking.
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
Nitrous oxide has legitimate medical and catering uses, but if inhaled recreationally, the gas can have dangerous long-term side effects like nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord.Phanie via AFP
Police are warning that problems around the huffing of nitrous oxide products or nangs have escalated to where people are “playing chicken” and seeing whether they can drive without blacking out after inhaling the gas.
Nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas, has legitimate medical and catering uses – including being used to whip cream.
However, if inhaled recreationally, the gas can have dangerous long-term side effects like nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord.
And while it is illegal to sell for huffing or recreational purposes, a Checkpoint investigation previously found stores were selling large canisters of the gas, which contain hundreds of hits, with virtually no questions asked.
Tusha Penny, assistant police commissioner of road policing, told Checkpoint police had seen drivers huffing from balloons in eight districts across the country. She also said she had been sent a message from a road user in a rural area who had seen a driver huffing from a balloon on the road.
“It has gone from just individual-use, sitting behind a shop and huffing, [to] getting in a road and almost playing chicken to see whether you can black out and still drive the car,” she said.
“That has really escalated the potential for harm.
“We really want parents and people on the road to ring us, to let us know.”
These cases were still under investigation, she said.
“If we look at the Bay of Plenty, for example, since New Year, we know there’s been some absolutely fantastic work when they’ve highlighted this.
“There’s been an investigation done and a number of drivers have actually been prosecuted and are being dealt with at the moment.”
Despite that, Penny said police had decided to focus on “education” when it came to retailers selling nitrous products illegally.
“What we’re now asking them to do is work with us because we cannot have this amount of community harm that could happen from the illegitimate sale of this item.
“We’re sitting down, we’re giving them the letter, but we’re really explaining it to them,” she said.
“That is the approach we think is best to take at the moment around prevention for a short time, engagement, asking people to work with us.”
When asked how many prosecutions of retailers allegedly selling nitrous oxide products illegally police had taken, Penny was unable to say.
“We’re being really clear on the enforcement approach that we’re going to take, and then we will move to enforcement.”
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
