New Zealand’s Lyon Farrell reacts after competing in the snowboard men’s big air qualification at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park, in Livigno.AFP
New Zealand has made a flying start to the Winter Olympics in Italy, with all three men qualifying for the final of the snowboard big air event.
Lyon Farrell, Rocco Jamieson and Dane Menzies all finished inside the top 12 in a 30-man field to secure their spots in the high-pressure showdown at Livignio Snow Park on Sunday morning (NZT).
Farrell was the best of them, locking down seventh with his third and final run, reacting with animation when he landed his run and then again when the judges’ score was announced.
Needing to score 73.50 to finished inside the 12, Farrell produced a score of 81.50.
New Zealand’s Lyon Farrell competes in the snowboard men’s big air qualification at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno.AFP
“Olympic finalist sounds incredible, I can’t believe it, it’s so good,” he told Sky Sport, reflecting on the additional pressure of being the 30th and last competitor to complete his run.
“There were a lot of people getting their runs done and I’m just waiting.
“I’ve got the best team ever, to keep me going forward. Everyone believes so much in me, it’s the best formula I could possible have to doing well.
“They kept me in a place where I felt like I could do anything and somehow in the last run I made it happen. Just crazy.”
Farrell, the oldest member of New Zealand’s 17-strong Olympic team at age 27, produced a combined score of 170.00. It was found by adding his two best runs.
That was enough to lift him one place ahead of Jamieson (168.25) while Menzies snuck through in 11th place with 164.00.
The top qualifier was Japan’s Hiroto Ogiwara (178.50), followed by Italy’s Ian Matteoli and Japan’s Kira Kimura.
The next New Zealanders in action will be Ruby Star Andrews and Sylvia Trotter in women’s freeski slopestyle qualifying on Saturday night (NZT).
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
This year’s Waitangi commemorations have provided a platform for many diverse voices, for togetherness and disagreement, and for culture, fun and getting out into the sun.Mark Papalii
After the Waitangi Day Festival dawn service at Te Whare Rūnanga – the Treaty Grounds, in the Bay of Islands, people lined the beach in front of Te Tii Marae and the Waitangi Bridge to watch the arrival of the waka flotilla.
Organisers prepared for some 700 kaihoe (waka paddlers) to make their way under the Waitangi Bridge to Te Tii Marae, led by the massive Waka Ngātokimatawhaorua.
Crowds awaiting the arrival of the parade of waka.RNZ/ Mark Papalii
RNZ/ Kim Baker Wilson
But first, a cameo by Bosco, known in Pahia as “the surfing dog”RNZ/ Kim Baker Wilson
RNZ/ Kim Baker Wilson
RNZ/ Giles Dexter
Organisers prepared for some 700 paddlers (kaihoe) to paddle under the Waitangi Bridge to Te Tii Marae, led by the massive Waka Ngātokimatawhaorua.Mark Papalii
The waka are welcomed at the beachKim Baker Wilson
A group representing Pacific, Māori and Aboriginal Australian peoples waited at Te Tii beach to welcome the estimated 700 waka paddlers arriving on Waitangi Morning.RNZ/ Kim Baker Wilson
A multicultural welcome for the wakaRNZ/ Kim Baker Wilson
Mark Papalii
Kaihoe (waka rowers) power their way through the moana during the annual waka parade at Te Tii beach.Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
RNZ/ Mark Papalii
Treaty Grounds officials said about 3000 people attended the dawn service and there were about 35,000 people at the grounds by midday Waitangi Day.
Albert Cash, kaihautū of the waka parade, spoke to RNZ just before the waka were launched this morning: “It’s exciting, what a beautiful day we’re blessed with,” he said.
People had come from all corners of Aotearoa to share in the ambience, and honour what the tūpuna signed,” Cash said.
“Waka is what’s brought us together, waka is what brought us across the Pacific.”
RNZ/ Mark Papalii
The arrival of kaihoe at Te Tii Beach.RNZ/ Kim Baker Wilson
RNZ/ Kim Baker Wilson
RNZ/ Kim Baker Wilson
Many took a break from the official Waitangi Festival programme with a manu (divebomb) from the Waitangi Bridge.
“We’re popping some manus out here today at Waitangi,” said one of the people lined up to leap from the packed Waitangi Bridge. “Why? For the culture – I’ve got 20 years experience and I’m kind of used to it,” he said.
It was his first time jumping from Waitangi’s bridge, “but I’m used to the height”.
While popular with children, adults were taking a dive too.
But one adult jumper said they was steering clear of the famed manu slap: “I backslap – so I just do a coffin [instead]. It’s not my first time but it’s great, I love it,” she said.
Jumping was only painful when landing in the water with your thighs, she said.
RNZ/ Giles Dexter
RNZ/ Kim Baker Wilson
RNZ/ Kim Baker Wilson
Crowds on the Waitangi Bridge, during the Waitangi Day Festival.RNZ/ Kim Baker Wilson
“This year’s kaupapa or theme is manaakitanga (hospitality) and Mō tātou, mā tātou (by all of us, for all of us),” the organisers said ahead of the festival, in the programme.
“Manaakitanga reflects the importance of caring for others, extending warmth, respect and generosity to all.
“Mō tātou, mā tātou reminds us that the future of Aotearoa is something we shape together. It speaks to collective responsibility and shared benefit, a commitment to build a future designed, carried and upheld by all who call this place home.
“As we gather to celebrate Waitangi, we invite you to honour these values, fostering an atmosphere of unity, respect and shared purpose.”
Hīkoi at Waitangi DayMark Papalii
Mark Papalii
RNZ/ Craig McCulloch
Mark Papalii
The chair of the Waitangi National Trust said Waitangi is a place for all New Zealanders, not just a few.
Tania Simpson said this year’s theme, ‘Mō tātou, mā tātou’, was about the constructing a future together.
She said New Zealanders from all walks of life should be respected.
“Whoever is in the conversation about where we’re going, it needs to be a future for all of us, a future that we can all see ourselves in.
“And that doesn’t mean sameness or homogeneity, it means that we collectively construct something that everybody feels their identity can be respected within.”
RNZ/ Craig McCulloch
RNZ/ Craig McCulloch
Kapa HakaRNZ/ Mark Papalii
RNZ/ Mark Papalii
RNZ/ Mark Papalii
Many people made a day of it, enjoying lunch together in the shade of the norfolk pines and pōhutukawa.RNZ/ Craig McCulloch
Australia is battling its biggest rise in whooping cough cases in 35 years.
During 2024 and 2025 Australia recorded 82,513 whooping cough cases – the highest number since monitoring began in 1991.
Also known as pertussis or the “100-day cough”, whooping cough is a potentially fatal respiratory illness which causes severe coughing episodes.
It spreads from one person to another and is particularly deadly among infants.
So why the surge? And how can you protect yourself and your loved ones?
What is whooping cough?
Whooping cough is a respiratory infection caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis.
Transmission occurs through close contact with infected people such as via coughing and sneezing.
Early symptoms include runny nose or sore throat. This is called the “catarrhal phase” and can look similar to a common cold.
A persistent cough comes next, and typically lasts between six and ten weeks.
This leads to intense bouts of coughing, with babies and children often making high-pitched “whoop” sounds when they breath in. This is where the term “whooping cough” comes from.
Whooping cough can be very severe in newborn babies and infants. About one in 125 babies with whooping cough aged below six months dies from pneumonia or brain damage.
Household contacts and carers often pass the illness onto infants, with parents the source of infection in more than 50% of cases. Infants can also pick up an infection from siblings and health-care workers.
Complications in older children and adults include interrupted sleep and pneumonia, a lung infection which can require hospitalisation. Patients can even sustain rib fractures from coughing so hard.
Antibiotics, when given early, can stop disease progression.
However after the cough is established, which is when most people realise they are infected, antibiotics have little effect on the disease’s progression.
But, there’s a vaccine for it?
Yes. The whooping cough vaccine is given as a combination vaccine with diphtheria and tetanus.
In Australia, this vaccine is part of routine infant and childhood immunisation schedules. A booster dose is also given to Year 7 students.
Pregnant women are advised to vaccinate every pregnancy to boost the production and transfer of antibodies to their unborn baby. This also helps protect infants who are too young to be immunised.
A 2025 study from Denmark found vaccination during pregnancy to be 72% effective against laboratory confirmed whooping cough.
Although infants are most vulnerable to whooping cough, it can cause infection across all ages and put a large strain on the health-care system, especially for adults aged over 50.
To protect themselves and limit spread of the disease, adults should get vaccinated every ten years.
Australia’s national vaccine regulator checks the safety of whooping cough vaccines each year. Ongoing monitoring over many years shows these vaccines are safe and continue to protect people of all ages.
But low immunisation rates among children and adolescents remain a concern, with new data showing Australia’s 2024-25 childhood immunisation rate was the lowest in a decade.
Only about one-fifth of adults 50 years and older are up to date with the whooping cough vaccine. This means they have had a booster within the last ten years.
Why are there so many cases right now?
Whooping cough is a challenging disease to control because immunity, acquired through immunisation or natural infection, wanes over time. This gives rise to whooping cough epidemics every two to three years.
Whooping cough is most commonly diagnosed using PCR testing of a throat swab. This usually involves visiting a GP to get the swab sent to a lab, and then waiting for the results. This method has been routinely used since the early 2000s.
In 2024, 57,257 whooping cough cases were detected in Australia. This included a case where a child with an antibiotic-resistant infection required intensive care support.
This represents the highest notification rate since records began in 1991. And it reflects a true increase in the prevalence, as well as awareness and testing, of whooping cough.
The 2024 surge in cases was likely due, at least in part, to COVID public health restrictions which disrupted the usual epidemic cycle.
During this time, many children didn’t get the normal immune “boost” after being vaccinated and exposed to the bacteria. This left them more vulnerable to infection, particularly when authorities lifted social distancing restrictions.
Whooping cough was also widespread in 2025 with 25,256 cases reported that year. All age groups were affected, but notification rates were highest among school-aged and preschool-aged children.
Unfortunately, whooping cough isn’t going away anytime soon. However, timely vaccination across all ages is vital to curb its spread and protect vulnerable populations.
Archana Koirala has done research with funding from the Australian Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and NSW health. She is the chair of the Vaccination Special Interest Group and a committee member of the Australia and New Zealand Paediatric Infectious Diseases Network of the Australasian Society of Infectious DIseases.
Fire crews dealt with two vegetation fires.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Fire and Emergency (FENZ) is warning that ongoing strikes are putting the public at risk.
It received 18 calls during Friday’s strike, and 10 cases were in areas impacted by the industrial action.
Fire crews dealt with two vegetation fires. One was controlled and the other burned out of control, but was stopped within the hour.
FENZ deputy national commander Megan Stiffler said the continued strike action was unnecessary and dangerous.
She said union threats to escalate to twice weekly strikes was not bargaining in good faith.
FENZ expressed similiar concern after a fire destroyed a Pakuranga business on 9 January when firefighters a few minutes away were on a notified stopwork for an hour.
Professional Firefighters’ Union national secretary Wattie Watson rejected that criticism at the time, saying FENZ had presented them with a “long list” of types of incidents the union might call off the strikes for, though the action had strict legal parameters around it, including advance notice.
“FENZ is attempting to go behind that notice, and any change that we give them would give them an argument that these notices are no longer valid,” she said.
Waitangi Day celebrations are ongoing, starting with a dawn service which included a rowdy reception for the deputy prime minister and a waka flotilla and poewrful haka.
Follow coverage on our live blog below.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Afro-soul artist Ch! Nonso (Emmanuel Chinonso Nwachukwu) wants music to make you move, but also make you feel something.
“It had to have rhythm, it had to make you dance, but it also had to pull at your heartstrings. It had to tug at something; it had to make you think beyond the music,” he says of the music he makes.
The Nigerian born artist, who was a nominee for a Silver Scroll last year, says his voice comes a rich stew of musical genres.
This video is hosted on Youtube.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Jimmy Hilton has been plucked from the NSW national premier league side the Marconi Stallions.supplied
Auckland FC have signed British-born and Australian-raised rookie Sydney goalkeeper Jimmy Hilton until the end of the season.
The 23-year-old has impressed for Sydney club Marconi Stallions in the NSW National Premier League.
A call-up for the A-League has come as a complete shock for Hilton, with the competition representing a significant step up.
“If you told me last week, ‘Jimmy, come Saturday, you’ll be in New Zealand playing football for Auckland FC’, I wouldn’t have believed you, but here we are,” he said.
“Now the shock has worn off, I’ll be getting my head down, focusing on training, performing at my very best and seizing any opportunities the come my way.
“I’m 23, I want to make the most of my career and Auckland FC is a great place to do that.”
Auckland FC director of football Terry McFlynn said Hilton, who was born in Manchester, was an excellent addition to the squad.
He was awarded the National Premier League NSW 2025 Men’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.
“He has a good attitude, brings some great experience,” said McFlynn.
“With a couple of players injured and others doing the business in the OFC Pro League, signing Hilton was a no-brainer for us.
“We had a great chat on Monday, he has a good attitude, brings some great experience and will be an excellent addition to the squad. He also never missed a game though injury and we could probably do with some of that luck right now.”
Auckland second-string keeper Oli Sail will miss the remainder of the season, the club has confirmed.
He injured his patellar tendon during last week’s away game against Perth Glory and had to be stretchered off the field during the 2-1 loss.
Joseph Knowles is slowly working his way back to full fitness following surgery for a hip issue, Oscar Mason and Blake Callinan are away in Papua New Guinea, and Eli Jones is out with glandular fever, leaving coach Steve Corica with Michael Woud as the only fit keeper in the side.
Hilton, who also holds a double major degree in molecular genetics and disease, has plans to become a doctor after football.
He was invited to train with Auckland last Monday, after Sail’s injury blow.
One person has died, after a boat capsized off Tararu Beach, Thames on Friday morning.
Coastguard was alerted to two people in the water at 11.45am and found both had reached shore, but efforts to resuscitate one of them through CPR and a defibrillator proved unsuccessful.
Police, Fire and Emergency NZ and St John were also at the scene, and the capsized boat was recovered.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on February 6, 2026.
Lessons from Bondi Junction attack show what we really need from schizophrenia care Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Hickie, Co-Director, Health and Policy, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney Joel Cauchi’s psychiatrist failed to see the early warning signs of his relapse into psychosis and should be investigated by the Queensland health ombudsman, New South Wales coroner Teresa O’Sullivan has concluded. Cauchi, who
With international law at a ‘breaking point’, a tiny country goes after Myanmar’s junta on its own Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Emma Palmer, Lecturer in International Law, Griffith University Just four months ago, Timor-Leste formally became a member of the Association of Southeast Asian States (ASEAN). This week, the tiny country took an unprecedented step: its judicial authorities appointed a prosecutor to examine the Myanmar military’s responsibility for
What our teeth reveal about the growing gap between rich and poor Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eve Vincent, Associate Professor, Anthropology, Macquarie University Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels, CC BY Teeth are one of the most visible markers of poverty: structural circumstances that are individually borne. In an essay for Aeon, US journalist Sarah Smarsh calls them “poor teeth”. She writes: Often, bad teeth are blamed
Bunnings’ backyard pods won’t fix the housing crisis, but they signal a shift Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ehsan Noroozinejad, Senior Researcher and Sustainable Future Lead, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University Bunnings, The Conversation Australia is in a deep housing crisis. The latest National Housing Supply and Affordability Council analysis shows the country is likely to fall more than a quarter-of-a-million homes short
Climate change a priority for NZ’s iwi leaders at Waitangi By Layla Bailey-McDowell, RNZ Māori news journalist Climate change has been a key focus for iwi leaders gathering at Waitangi this week, as coastal communities across New Zealand’s North Island recover from recent severe weather events. The National Iwi Chairs Forum, representing more than 70 iwi, has been meeting to set priorities for the year
Why comparisons between AI and human intelligence miss the point Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celeste Rodriguez Louro, Associate Professor, Chair of Linguistics and Director of Language Lab, The University of Western Australia Aelitta / Getty Images Claims that artificial intelligence (AI) is on the verge of surpassing human intelligence have become commonplace. According to some commentators, rapid advances in large language
The Voice campaign entrenched immature politics. We must do better for First Nations people Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Scott, Department of Pro Vice Chancellor (Society), UNSW Sydney; Indigenous Knowledge The defeat of the Voice referendum was not simply a political loss. It was a political and cultural failure. It exposed, yet again, the profound immaturity of Australia’s political life when it comes to First
Green Party celebrates decision to decline ‘dead end’ Taranaki seabed mining RNZ Pacific The Green Party is celebrating the decision to decline plans to mine the Taranaki seabed. In a draft decision on Thursday, the fast-track approvals panel declined Trans-Tasman Resources’ (TTR) bid to mine 50 million tonnes of seabed a year for 30 years in the South Taranaki Bight. The panel found there would be
If Australia and Indonesia agreed to end new thermal coal mines, it could drive the green transition. Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonathan Symons, Director of Research and Innovation, School of International Studies, Macquarie University In the 1960s, major oil-producing nations formed a cartel to drive up the price of oil. It worked. For decades, nations in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have agreed to manage
No diagnoses and no gap fees for physios and speechies. What else do we know about Thriving Kids? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Dickinson, Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney Kindel Media/Pexels Thriving Kids is back in the spotlight, after the states and territories agreed last week to match the federal government’s A$2 billion dollar investment. The new national program is targeted at children aged 0-8 with developmental delay
WHO membership doesn’t threaten NZ’s sovereignty – walking away from it would Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Helen Petousis-Harris, Associate Professor in Vaccinology, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images When NZ First leader Winston Peters responded to the recent US withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) by questioning whether New Zealand should continue funding it, he employed a familiar narrative.
Can a bird be an illegal immigrant? How the White Australia era influenced attitudes to the bulbul Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Farley, Assistant Lecturer, History, The University of Melbourne The Conversation, CC BY-NC-SA In early January, authorities from South Australia’s Department of Primary Industries took to the streets of Adelaide on the hunt for a suspicious individual. This individual had been spotted several times in the preceding
Is federal government spending really to blame for higher inflation? It’s not clear cut Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Bartos, Professor of Economics, University of Canberra There has been a spate of articles and commentary in recent days calling on the Australian government to reduce spending. Those calling for government cuts – mostly long-time advocates of smaller government – claim this would lower inflation, and
Taxi Driver at 50: Martin Scorsese’s film remains a troubling reflection of our times Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney IMDB Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver turns 50 this month. Nominated for four Oscars and winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Festival, Scorsese’s searing, hallucinatory portrait of urban alienation is widely regarded as
Speeches, celebrations and heckling – what happened at Waitangi By Russell Palmer, RNZ News political reporter New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon faced sustained heckling and had to fend off questions about a revived Treaty Principles Bill as he returned to Waitangi this year. ACT leader David Seymour predictably attracted his own jeers, and NZ First’s Winston Peters focused on a return serve. The
Grattan on Friday: Jim Chalmers’ ticker is about to be tested as he tacks towards the May budget Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The next few months may be the most crucial Jim Chalmers has faced as treasurer, at least for judgements about his ability to drive change. They could tell us whether Chalmers really is as committed to serious economic reform as
With a shortage of aged-care beds, discharging patients stranded in hospital is harder than it sounds Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Hal Swerissen, Emeritus Professor of Public Health, La Trobe University David Sacks/Getty Images The Australian government has finalised a A$220 billion hospital funding deal with the states and territories. A key part of the negotiation was $2 billion designed to help hospitals move more than 3,000 patients
Committee to Protect Journalists: The First Amendment is in peril Sweeping cuts by one of most iconic investigative newspapers in the United States, The Washington Post, now owned by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, apply to about one-third of the newsroom, with sport and international coverage largely gutted. Another major blow to media freedom in the US that came after the following CPJ editorial was published.
Why did it take 9 days to declare the Perth bombing attempt a terrorist attack? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Levi West, Research Fellow, Research School of Social Science, Australian National University Tim Clifford/Instagram Nine days after it happened, police have declared an alleged attempted bombing at an Invasion Day rally in Perth an act of terrorism. A 31-year-old man is accused of throwing a homemade fragment
A new comet was just discovered. Will it be visible in broad daylight? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jonti Horner, Professor (Astrophysics), University of Southern Queensland The Great Comet of 1680 over Rotterdam. Lieve Verschuier/Rotterdam Museum A newly discovered comet has astronomers excited, with the potential to be a spectacular sight in early April. C/2026 A1 (MAPS) was spotted by a team of four amateur
Police are investigating the “water-related” death of a five-year-old boy in Napier, after recovering his body early Friday morning.
The boy went missing around the Westshore area between 6pm and 8.30pm on Thursday. Police were notified that a body was seen in the water off The Esplanade, Westshore, at about 8.25pm and it was located by emergency services at 1.30am Friday.
A formal identification process was underway and the death will be referred to the coroner.
“Police would like to hear from anyone who was in the Westshore area, in particular Charles and Gardiner Streets, and the Ferguson Avenue Surf Life Saving Club area, who saw an unattended child on Thursday night,” said Detective Sergeant Ryan Kemsley of Hawke’s Bay Crime Squad.
Anyone with CCTV footage or any other information can contact police on 105.police.govt.nz or call 105, and use the reference number 260206/9567. Information can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
At Waitangi, Papamīharo stands out as an intentional space.Coco Lance / RNZ Pacific
At Waitangi, Papamīharo stands out as an intentional space.
The colourful, immersive tent has invited mokopuna, rangatahi and whānau to slow down, reconnect and “simply be”. Creating room for play, imagination and rest, grounded in the principles of taakaro, or indigenous play.
Designed by mokopuna, for mokopuna across Te Tai Tokerau, the space positions children as leaders – “atua of the space”.
Papamīharo has been evolving for nearly six years. Led by ĀKAU Foundation, the space is a collaboration between Whetū Marewa, the Children’s Commission, Mana Mokopuna and schools across the rohe.
Papamīharo is an immersive space. It invites mokopuna, rangatahi and whānau to slow down, reconnect and “simply be”. Photographed is Hope Pūriri and Joe Henare.Coco Lance / RNZ Pacific
Kaimahi at ĀKAU Joe Henare and spatial designer Hope Pūriri have both been involved in this year’s presence.
They said that rather than emerging from a single vision, the kaupapa grew out of a shared concern from whānau, hapū and iwi around Te Tai Tokerau – that Waitangi is often experienced through an adult lens, with children expected to follow along.
“Well, going into this, we weren’t alone,” Henare said.
“It was a want, a need from our community, from our iwi, from our hapū. If you look around the Waitangi space, it’s a very adult space, and our kids are usually just dragged along for the ride.”
Papamīharo offered an alternative – an immersive, hands-on environment where people of all ages were encouraged to take part.
Fun was central to the kaupapa, but not in a “loud or over-stimulating way”, Henare said. Instead, the space was designed to support different ages, energies and rhythms, from pēpi through to kaumātua.
“This year, we’ve just gone for it and created this beautiful mokopuna space for our mokopuna, where our kids are the atua of the space.”
Intergenerational care
Papamīharo is an immersive space. It invites mokopuna, rangatahi and whānau to slow down, reconnect and “simply be”.Coco Lance / RNZ Pacific
Papamīharo is an immersive space. It invites mokopuna, rangatahi and whānau to slow down, reconnect and “simply be”.Coco Lance / RNZ Pacific
Intergenerational care was also key, Pūriri and Henare explained. Throughout the week, kaumātua and kaitiaki had been present to support the space and those moving through it.
“Papamīharo came together with kōhanga reo babies, preschoolers, through to our school kids, but our older kids too… A lot of it’s been around this creation of ideas of taonga tākoro,” Pūriri said.
“So we’ve got some of our kaumātua from around who’ve been amazing, and just coming along on the journey with us, being here to manaaki, all of us throughout this time, ensuring that our babies, our tamariki and our whānau are safe during their time here,” she added.
The space itself had been shaped directly by tamariki and rangatahi. Schools from across Te Tai Tokerau were given design packs, resources and timeframes, with everyone’s mahi coming out “completely different”.
“So, we gave out design packs to each school. They all had the same resources, the same tohu, the same timeframes, but yet we have 1000 different variations of the same thing. And that is beautiful. It speaks to the individualism of each child,” Henare said.
There had been poi and rākau making, tamataiki weaving, and manu rere making, amidst climbing structures and shelters, many made from recycled and natural materials.
Every piece reflected what mattered to the child who created it.
“They’ll see that whānau is important to them. They’ll see that learning is important to them. And our challenge to the school is, does your curriculum reflect what your kids want?” Henare said.
Underlying Papamīharo was a belief that children did not need to be taught how to play – they already knew.
“For us here, they’re the teachers. They’re the ones who know how to naturally play, who have vivid imaginations, who are free to express themselves inside these walls,” Henare added.
Papamīharo is an immersive space. It invites mokopuna, rangatahi and whānau to slow down, reconnect and “simply be”. Photographed is Dr Claire Achmad, Children’s Commissioner.Coco Lance / RNZ Pacific
That belief was echoed by Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad, who saw Papamīharo as a place where play and culture existed together.
“It’s a week and a day for everyone in Aotearoa, Māori, Pākehā, and what I’ve heard from taitamariki here in Te Tai Tokerau is the importance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi for them; they’ve talked to me about how it’s an important document… for all people.
“They want more taitamariki to feel empowered with knowledge about Te Tiriti o Waitangi,” Achmad added. “Here… taitamariki are sharing their whakaaro.”
For her, the leadership already being shown by rangatahi was unmistakable.
“The rangatahi of today, they are already stepping up to be rangatira, to lead and show the way towards that kotahitanga for Aotearoa, and I think that’s incredibly powerful.
“Papamīharo is here to ensure mokopuna have space at Waitangi, and have the opportunity just to be themselves here at Waitangi.”
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
A man’s attempt to flee police by setting sail quickly failed when he came across a police catamaran operating nearby.
Police said at about 8.30am Friday, officers told a 27-year-old Porirua man at the Mana Twin Bridges public boat ramp he was under arrest for breaching bail conditions.
“Rather than face the consequences of his actions on a public holiday, the man jumped into his boat and fled towards the horizon,” police said.
Unbeknownst to him, the police catamaran, Lady Elizabeth IV, was operating nearby and responded when shore-based officers reported his escape from custody.
Unit Supervisor Sergeant Richard Kennedy said the appearance of the police boat, complete with flashing lights, probably came as a surprise to the fleeing skipper, who allegedly ignored all instructions to stop.
“When he saw us, he did a 180 in his boat and headed off at a rate of knots. He hit Porirua Harbour at speed and headed toward the shore, with us in pursuit,” Kennedy said.
“It didn’t get any better for the absconder because we were speaking with police units on the ground and letting them know where he was heading ashore.”
The man was quickly found hiding under a boat shed on the south side of the twin bridges at Paremata and placed in custody.
Police said the man has been charged with breach of bail and escaping custody. A further charge of dangerous boating was being considered.
Fisheries officers were also making enquiries after an inspection of the vessel.
The man is expected to appear in the Wellington District Court in the coming days.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Joel Cauchi’s psychiatrist failed to see the early warning signs of his relapse into psychosis and should be investigated by the Queensland health ombudsman, New South Wales coroner Teresa O’Sullivan has concluded.
Cauchi, who had a recurrent form of schizophrenia, was un-medicated and homeless when he killed six people and injured ten others at the Westfield shopping centre in Bondi Junction in 2024.
In the 837-page coronial inquest report, released yesterday, O’Sullivan outlined how Cauchi’s psychiatrist weaned him off his medication and discharged him to his GP in 2020. He lost touch with family in Queensland and was sleeping rough in Sydney at the time of the attack.
The care provided was “one of the factors that led to this tragic outcome,” O’Sullivan said.
The tragedy has again exposed a system that doesn’t reach out to those who are most unwell.
The coronial report makes several recommendations to improve the care of people with schizophrenia, encourage the use of medication and boost housing and social supports for people with severe mental illness.
How can schizophrenia affect thoughts and behaviour?
Severe, untreated schizophrenia can rob a person of their capacity to understand their normal environment, form rational thoughts or stop antisocial or violent behaviours. This is known as psychosis.
People with schizophrenia may receive false information, through auditory or visual hallucinations or misinterpretations of social cues, and may develop complex, paranoid but wrong explanations (known as delusions) of ordinary events.
A person with acute schizophrenia is often terrified: afraid of the harm that some threatening entity is about to do them. Sometimes they lash out against people they perceive to be driving those threats.
How is schizophrenia managed?
The symptoms of acute schizophrenia can usually be treated with medications. These reduce hallucinations and delusions, agitation and the risks to the person or others that arise from these experiences.
But there is often a price to pay in terms of side-effects. These medications can cause sedation, weight gain, sexual dysfunction and emotional numbing.
Many people are keen to stop the medicines as soon as they regain reasonable control over their life.
Why family and support is crucial
Seeing a loved one experience recurrent episodes of psychosis can be traumatic for family and carers. They are the ones at greatest risk from the unpredictable or threatening behaviours that may accompany the illness.
Over time, a person with un-managed schizophrenia can become disconnected from, family, housing and social supports. Homelessness and social isolation can quickly follow.
As these connections are lost, they may experience a recurrence of their psychotic state. Stopping medical care accelerates this process.
Once a person with schizophrenia is out of home, and out of their local community, the chances that our private or public mental health services will maintain contact is very low.
The worst outcome
The tragedy here is that Cauchi was effectively treated while engaged with Queensland’s public mental health services and, at that time, posed no threat.
But when he stopped treatment, with the assistance of his psychiatrist, he quickly relapsed.
His family raised concerns about his deteriorating mental state but this information was not validated or acted on.
In a psychotic state, Cauchi abandoned his family and health care supports. He moved interstate and became homeless.
NSW health authorities were not looking for him. No one had an agenda to reconnect him to care or provide continuity of support. The result was catastrophic.
Housing is intricately linked
This is not an isolated story. Thousands of people with mental illness, often young men, are living transient lives in cars, temporary accommodation or on couches. They are disconnected from family, housing and services. They are largely invisible to our mental health system.
Rough sleeping has surged to record levels in Australia, and the system set up to house and support the most vulnerable people is in crisis.
While Australia has repeatedly acknowledged that proactive, home-based care is optimal, investment has remained limited and inconsistent. Australia’s mental health spending is predominantly directed towards hospital inpatient and emergency services, not in the community.
the NSW government establish and support short- and long-term accommodation for people with severe mental illness, with accessible, ongoing mental health care
renewed investment in outreach psychiatric services capable of engaging people who are severely unwell, including those without housing
clinical bodies develop up-to-date guidelines for psychiatrists who “de-prescribe” anti-psychotic medications for patients with schizophrenia
indefinite monitoring of patients who choose to stop treatment
better guidance for clinicians and families on how to recognise the early warning signs of a relapse and what to do next.
Effective community-based care for people with severe mental illness also relies on better service coordination. It requires clinical services delivered by states, housing and social support that are largely funded federally, and implementation tailored to local and regional needs.
We have a new hospital funding agreement between the Commonwealth and states. We now we need a similar commitment to mental health care between state, Commonwealth and local services to improve the care for people with severe mental illness and prevent further tragedy.
Australians understand mental illness better now than previous generations. They expect this part of our health system to function like any other medical care, which should be affordable, accessible and effective.
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Ian Hickie is a Professor of Psychiatry and the Co-Director of Health and Policy, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney. He has led major public health and health service development in Australia, particularly focusing on early intervention for young people with depression, suicidal thoughts and behaviours and complex mood disorders. He is active in the development through codesign, implementation and continuous evaluation of new health information and personal monitoring technologies to drive highly-personalised and measurement-based care. He holds a 3.2% equity share in Innowell Pty Ltd that is focused on digital transformation of mental health services.
Sebastian Rosenberg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Just four months ago, Timor-Leste formally became a member of the Association of Southeast Asian States (ASEAN).
This week, the tiny country took an unprecedented step: its judicial authorities appointed a prosecutor to examine the Myanmar military’s responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity. It’s believed to be the first time an ASEAN state has taken such an action against another member.
The case resulted from the persistence of a victims’ group, the Chin Human Rights Organisation, in pursuing justice for the Chin people, a minority group in Myanmar. In submitting the complaint, the head of the organisation expressed solidarity with Timor-Leste’s own historic efforts to secure justice and independence.
Timor-Leste authorities will now assess whether to bring charges against Myanmar’s military leaders, including junta chief Min Aung Hlaing.
Any prosecutions would be on the basis of “universal jurisdiction”. This is a legal principle that allows domestic courts to hear cases alleging international crimes, regardless of where the crimes occurred, or the nationality of the victims or perpetrators.
Limitations of international courts
This week, a major study of 23 conflicts around the globe said the international legal system designed to protect civilians is at a “breaking point”. Observers are also asking whether the United Nations has any future at all.
It has long been clear that international courts have limited efficacy in prosecuting cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
However, proponents of the court say it has been unfairly maligned and targeted, including by the Trump administration, which imposed sanctions on it last year.
Both the ICC and ICJ have investigations underway on Myanmar, but they deal with crimes allegedly committed against the Rohingya minority group before the coup. The ICC case covers incidents committed partly in Bangladesh.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor asked the court’s judges to issue an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlang in November 2024. More than a year later, a decision has yet to be made.
Challenges for domestic courts
In this environment, universal jurisdiction could play a more important role. The United Nations has implicitly recognised this by establishing investigative mechanisms for Syria and Myanmar that gather evidence for future prosecutions in domestic, regional or international courts.
Many states have laws that allow them to prosecute international crimes like torture, genocide or war crimes. What is lacking are resources to fund investigations and transparent criteria or guidelines for how to undertake them.
There are other challenges once cases are underway, too. For one, domestic courts have limited reach. Arrests are difficult, as high-level officials can rely on diplomatic immunity or just avoid the countries where they believe they could face prosecution or extradition.
Prosecuting even lower-level or mid-level perpetrators can be politically awkward. Cases can be expensive and practically difficult, especially when witnesses and evidence are mostly overseas.
And if trials go ahead, victims can still find justice elusive, even if the cases have broader strategic or symbolic aims.
Still, there have been successes. Nearly 10 years ago, the former president of Chad, Hissène Habré, was convicted of international crimes in Senegal. The case was tried using universal jurisdiction, driven by civil society networks.
More countries need to step up
This latest initiative in Timor-Leste comes after victim groups have tried many different countries to seek justice for the people of Myanmar. This includes Argentina, where arrest warrants were issued for Myanmar’s leaders, Turkey, and Germany.
In the Asia-Pacific, lawyers have also attempted to bring cases in Indonesia and the Philippines.
While European countries are increasingly using universal jurisdiction to prosecute crimes, other countries have been less keen to take these cases on. For instance, some suggest Canada and Australia could do more to investigate war crimes cases, even though they both have the laws in place to do so.
This just leaves the heavy lifting of prosecutions to others, possibly in courts with more limited resources.
With atrocities continuing to be committed around the world, it’s become more vital than ever for governments to not just back international justice with strong words, but show a real commitment to investigating them at home.
Associate Professor Emma Palmer is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Australian Discovery Early Career Award (project number DE250100597) funded by the Australian Government. The views expressed herein are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the Australian Government or Australian Research Council. She is also affiliated with the Association of Mainland Southeast Asia Scholars.
Please attribute to Detective Sergeant Ryan Kemsley of Hawke’s Bay Crime Squad:
An investigation has been launched into the water-related death of a five-year-old boy who went missing in Napier’s Westshore area sometime between the hours of 6.00 and 8.30pm on Thursday night 5 February.
The boy was located deceased in the water at 1.30am, this morning [6 February] by emergency services.
Police would like to hear from anyone who was in the Westshore area, in particular Charles and Gardiner Streets, and the Ferguson Avenue Surf Life Saving Club area, who saw an unattended child on Thursday night.
Also, if you have CCTV footage from the area that could be of assistance, please get in touch.
Contact us online at 105.police.govt.nz, or call 105, and use the reference number 260206/9567.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
In a desperate bid for freedom, a Porirua man fled from Police in a boat today, only to be pursued across the water by Wellington Maritime Unit’s vessel Lady Elizabeth IV.
Officers had gone to the Mana Twin Bridges public boat ramp about 8.30am and told the 27-year-old Porirua man he was under arrest for breaching bail conditions. Rather than face the consequences of his actions on a public holiday, the man jumped into his boat and fled towards the horizon.
Unbeknown to him, his plan had already hit a critical issue; the shore-based officers reported his escape from custody and The Maritime Unit answered their call.
The Police catamaran, Lady Elizabeth IV, was operating nearby and its crew began searching for a “red and old” boat, which came into view about 20 minutes later, off the Plimmerton coastline.
Unit Supervisor Sergeant Richard Kennedy says the appearance of the Police boat, complete with flashing lights, probably came as a surprise to the absconding skipper, who allegedly ignored all instructions to stop.
“When he saw us, he did a 180 in his boat and headed off at a rate of knots. He hit Porirua harbour at speed and headed toward the shore, with us in pursuit.
“It didn’t get any better for the absconder because we were speaking with Police units on the ground and letting them know where he was heading ashore.”
The Lady Elizabeth IV crew boarded their tender in anticipation of finishing their pursuit on dry land, but the co-ordination meant officers were already waiting nearby. They found the man hiding under a boat shed on the south side of the twin bridges at Paremata.
Fifteen minutes after trying to outrun the Lady Elizabeth IV, the man was back in custody.
“It’s extremely unusual for boats not to comply with directions – most boaties are great to deal with and it’s very unusual for them to try to run from us.”
The man has been charged with breach of bail, and escaping custody. A further charge of dangerous boating is being considered.
Fisheries Officers are also making enquiries after an inspection of the vessel.
He is expected to appear in the Wellington District Court in the coming days.
Teeth are one of the most visible markers of poverty: structural circumstances that are individually borne.
In an essay for Aeon, US journalist Sarah Smarsh calls them “poor teeth”. She writes:
Often, bad teeth are blamed solely on the habits and choices of their owners, and for the poor therein lies an undue shaming […] Poor teeth […] beget not just shame but more poorness: people with bad teeth have a harder time getting jobs and other opportunities.
In the age of “whitened, straightened, veneered smiles”, the distance between ruined poor teeth and healthy, wealthy teeth is growing.
In 1970s Australia, when Medicare’s predecessor was designed, dental care was left out. Since 2014, the Child Dental Benefits Schedule has enabled children up to 17 years of age to access free dental care at most private clinics if they’re eligible for Medicare and part of a family that receives certain Australian Government payments.
“Dental into Medicare” was a key Greens policy in the 2025 federal election campaign. While this commitment to expanded coverage has stimulated public attention to the question of teeth and poverty in recent years, Grattan Institute researchers stated in late 2024 that “more than two million Australians avoid dental care because of the cost” and that “more than four in ten adults usually wait more than a year before seeing a dental professional”.
Peter Breadon, the institute’s health program director, argues that Australia’s public dental system is “underfunded” and “overwhelmed”.
In July 2025, the ABC reported that around a third of Australians are eligible for free or low-cost public dental services.
These services receive some Commonwealth funding but are provided by state and territory governments. The ABC obtained data showing that while average wait time varies across states and territories, in some cases people have waited years to access dental care.
Left untreated, dental emergencies can result in hospital visits. Or worse.
The United Kingdom’s intensely conditional welfare system imposes a strict “work capability assessment” in a bid to limit access to disability benefits, as does Australia’s through a similar assessment tool.
A recent book memorialising the victims of the UK system includes details of a 57-year-old man found dead in his flat. His relatives discovered the lid of a shoebox in his cupboard holding two large molars and a pair of pliers.
Many Australian children aged up to 17 can access free dental care if they’re eligible for Medicare – but that isn’t true for adults. Pixabay/Pexels, CC BY
Published in 2014, Linda Tirado’sHand to Mouth documents her experiences of being poor, working low-wage, unstable jobs and raising her two children with her husband, who shares her precarious position in the US labour market.
In a voice that is direct, sassy, frustrated and funny, Tirado writes about the sex lives of poor people, the costly burdens of poverty (such as late payment fees), her coping mechanisms, the enjoyment she derives from smoking – and about teeth.
The book’s title has a clever double meaning: it’s about how fragile day-by-day existence is but also speaks to the shame surrounding poor teeth, which a hand shielding the mouth attempts to hide.
Tirado’s book began life as a post on an online forum she was reading to unwind after a “particularly gruelling shift” at one of her two jobs. Someone posted the question: “Why do poor people do things that seem so self-destructive?” Tirado’s extended response went viral; eventually, she was approached to write a book.
The late Barbara Ehrenreich supplied a short, generous foreword. She declared herself “waiting for this book” since the publication of her 2001 classic, Nickel and Dimed.
Ehrenreich contrasted her “brief attempt” to subsist on low-wage service and retail jobs with Tirado’s authentic dispatches from impoverished America, lending weight to the valorisation of experiential accounts of poverty over journalistic or scholarly perspectives.
Increasingly, people in poverty have challenged the presumption of academics and community sector advocates to mediate their perspectives, using digital platforms, social media accounts and publishing ventures to communicate their direct experiences, embedded knowledges and political demands directly to audiences. The persistent ethical dilemmas anthropologists and journalists must wrestle with, in terms of representing others’ lives, have become more heightened still.
Ehrenreich declared herself an outsider to the topic of contemporary poverty, Tirado the “real thing”. She concluded in her foreword, “But let me get out of the way now. She can tell this story better than I can.”
NewSouth Books
This is also the premise of the 2024 Australian collection Povo.
The storytellers in this book found their voices in workshops run across Western Sydney by Sweatshop Literacy Movement, and they write from direct experience.
Teeth are central to one especially compelling contribution.
“Plot twist!”, Victor Guan Yi Zhou’s story, revolves around the narrator’s tooth
gems, which he takes every opportunity to flash.
Got them at a salon… right after Mum and Dad kicked me out. Four of them. Two on the top canines. Two on each incisor. Crystal Swarovski. $150 all up. Each gem will help me manifest my dreams.
In the lead-up to the 2023 Budget, I attended a protest at Albanese’s electoral office. I went in solidarity: the protest was organised by the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union.
Speakers addressing the protest were on JobSeeker and the Disability Support Pension. They described their struggles to exist on miserly income support payments and shared their frustration about the hope Albanese’s election seemed at first to represent – hope that was by then fading.
Despite some marginal improvements to the JobSeeker payment over the past few years, Australia’s payment levels still remain below the poverty line.
At this protest, I met a JobSeeker recipient who was probably in her late fifties or early sixties. Fraser-era hostility to “dole bludgers” in Australia revolved around a masculine image of workshy youth. Today, researchers describe a JobSeeker recipient as “likely to be older, to be a woman and importantly to have […] a chronic illness or disabilities”.
I chatted with this woman about the two days a week she spends kneeling in the bush, tugging out weeds to fulfil her “mutual obligations”, the signature measure of the conditional welfare state.
I liked her hand-painted sign, “welfare not warefare”, and took a photo.
In the picture, her mouth is clamped tight. I admit I had noticed her chipped teeth.
Eve Vincent does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
An Aboriginal group say being present at Waitangi is about strengthening ties between Indigenous nations.Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
A group of Aboriginal manuhiri (visitors) say they have travelled across the Tasman to stand alongside Māori at Waitangi, drawing on shared experiences as Indigenous peoples navigating the impacts of government policy on culture, language and land.
The rōpū arrived in Aotearoa mid-week and took part in a WugulOra – a morning ceremony – at the Upper Treaty Grounds at dawn. They say being present at Waitangi is about solidarity, learning, and strengthening ties between Indigenous nations.
Gumbaynggirr woman Ellie Buchanan attended the dawn ceremony with her young daughter, Raya.
“We’re here to show support for our Māori whānau. To show solidarity,” Buchanan told RNZ.
“Toitū Te Tiriti.”
She said Indigenous communities in Australia closely watched what happened in Aotearoa, particularly in relation to language revitalisation and the protection of cultural rights.
“We look towards our Māori whānau in terms of being staunch on their culture and staunch on their language,” she said.
“If that changes, it has a significant impact on us as well as Indigenous people all around the world.”
Ellie Buchanan (Gumbaynggirr woman) says indigenous peoples have the closest relationship to their countries so it’s important to maintain ties between them.Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Buchanan said relationships between Indigenous nations were grounded in a shared responsibility to the whenua (land) and to future generations.
“It’s absolutely important,” she said.
“Indigenous people have the strongest relationship to our country and to our earth. If we want to be able to sustain that, we need to be looking towards our First Nations’ people and to our Indigenous people.”
She described similarities between Gumbaynggirr and Māori values, particularly around caring for children, elders and land.
“[It is] very important to fill our bellies and love our babies and look after our old people and our country and sing our song and tell our story,” she said.
“It’s beautiful to connect and continue to connect.”
Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Buchanan also spoke about the political climate in Australia, saying it has been a difficult period for many Aboriginal people.
“A little while ago we had a referendum to get our own treaty, which was turned down,” she said.
“Unfortunately what that has opened up is more opportunity for racism and more opportunity for our people to be spoken down and denigrated.”
Despite that, she said her community continued to focus on strengthening its own foundations.
The group she is travelling with is connected to the Gumbaynggirr Giingana Freedom School, which she said translated to “a place of freedom for our Gumbaynggirr people”.
“We see that as an opportunity to say, we’re not dealing with that. You fellas do your own business, and we’re going to stand up for what’s right for our community and be staunch and be Gumbaynggirr every day.”
Troy Robinson (Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Dunghutti) travelled to Aotearoa to stand in solidarity with Māori and take home key learnings on language revitalisation.Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Troy Robinson, a Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Dunghutti man from the mid-north coast of New South Wales, was also part of the delegation. He said gatherings like Waitangi were important opportunities for Indigenous peoples to reconnect across borders.
“I think it’s very important that we have these gatherings and coming together of different nations, different cultures,” Robinson said. “We say different cultures, but in actual fact we’re actually quite similar in everything we do.”
Robinson said witnessing te ao Māori in action – particularly the strength of te reo Māori and tikanga – had been a key reason for making the haerenga (journey).
“Coming here to Aotearoa and seeing just the significance with language and the people, the strength and the resilience that they’ve built here, that’s why we come here,” he said.
Robinson is involved in establishing a bilingual school on Gumbaynggirr country, which now caters for children from kindergarten to Year 9. He said visiting Māori immersion and bilingual education settings here in Aotearoa was very valuable.
“Showing our children how important language is, the response to being together and being as one and looking after one another and sharing – that’s so important for our people.”
Leaders of the Aboriginal delegation say it was important to bring rangatahi (young people) to Aotearoa so they could see the strength that comes from embracing their culture.Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
Robinson said the dawn ceremony his group performed at the Upper Treaty Grounds was a long-held cultural practice.
“Morning ceremonies and sunrise ceremonies were very frequent in a lot of cultures, and ours, it’s very, very frequent,” he said.
“Setting the mind, the body and the spirit free in peacefulness and solidarity – it’s something that our people have done since time immemorial.”
Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ
He said bringing rangatahi (young people) on the trip was a key focus, with around 15 to 20 of them travelling to Aotearoa.
“They’ll go back and be humble enough to share,” he said.
“Strength and resilience and love, caring, sharing – it’s already in their blood. They need to just move
forward and lead the way.”
Robinson said being at Waitangi was part of a much longer story of exchange between Indigenous peoples across oceans.
“The passing of knowledge, the passing and sharing of country, our people were at one with country,” he said. “Building that with others, that’s what our people did and have done since a long time ago.”
Both Buchanan and Robinson said their presence at Waitangi was about standing beside Māori as fellow Indigenous peoples.
“We’re here to show our solidarity,” Buchanan said.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Two more areas of Sudan have fallen into famine-levels of malnutrition, signalling a deadly expansion of a hunger crisis in the conflict-torn country that is threatening millions, Save the Children said.
New data released today by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC),global acute malnutrition rates in the Um Baru and Kernoi localities have reached nearly 53% and 34% respectively, with concerns that nearby areas may also be experiencing similar catastrophic conditions, with the extent remaining unknown due to access constraints [1].
This latest announcement comes on top of an already severe hunger crisis sweeping through conflict affected parts of the country, with famine confirmed in Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur in August 2024. In September 2025, the expanding famine was also confirmed in El Fasher (North Darfur) and Kadugli (South Kordofan).
For famine conditions to be reached, many people must already be experiencing an extreme lack of food, with starvation, death, destitution and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels evident [2].
In some cases, families have already sold all their assets including land and animals, with many others eating the seeds they had been saving for the next planting season, or selling their only means of income – includingsewing machinesand wheelbarrows [3].
Across Sudan, acute malnutrition is expected to worsen in 2026 according to the alert, with a 13.5% increase in cases of acute malnutrition in children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women – from 3.7 million children and women in 2025, to nearly 4.2 million in 2026. Violent conflict ensues, undermining humanitarian service delivery and disrupting people’s access to agriculture production and livelihoods, exacerbating vulnerability and suffering.
Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) – the most dangerous and deadly form of extreme hunger – is expected to increase to 800,000 cases, up 4% since2025 [4].
Severe acute malnutrition is a life-threatening condition requiring urgent treatment, which is impossible to access across much of Sudan due to the collapse of the country’s health system, with hospitals in conflict-affected zones no longer functional due to attacks, looting, and shortages of staff, medicines, and essential supplies.
Mohamad Abdiladif, Country Director for Save the Children in Sudan, said:
“In many parts of Sudan, children’s lives are hanging by a thread, and some already dying from hunger-related causes. Families who have escaped bullets and bombs and those who are in difficult to access areas are now facing extreme and life threating shortages of food. Every day we hear devastating stories of parents selling the last of what they own simply to keep their children alive from one day to the next. Without immediate action, more lives will be lost.
“As our frontline teams in Sudan consistently witness, extreme hunger can be both life-altering and life-ending for a child. Children facing severe malnutrition have dramatically higher death rates-succumbing not only to starvation and dehydration, but also to preventable diseases that become deadly as hunger weakens their bodies.
“We urgently need donor governments to step up now, to restore the lifeline before it breaks entirely, and to push for strong, sustained diplomatic pressure on parties to the conflict that protects civilians and guarantees safe, unhindered humanitarian access.
“Without this, any chance of restoring reliable access to food will disappear. Supporting mutual aid, strengthening communities’ coping capacities, and ensuring unimpeded, large-scale humanitarian response are essential to prevent people from being pushed into starvation and to avert further loss of life and suffering.
Beyond immediate survival, childhood malnutrition causes irreversible long-term harm. Affected children often experience stunted growth, impaired cognitive development, and learning difficulties. They face elevated risks of chronic illnesses throughout their lives, along with lasting psychological trauma.
Save the Children has worked in Sudan since 1983 and is currently supporting children and their families across Sudan providing health, nutrition, education, child protection and food security and livelihoods support.
Notes
[1] The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) defines famine as IPC Phase 5, the highest level of the IPC Acute Food Insecurity scale. An area is considered to be in famine when it meets the following criteria: At least 20% of households are experiencing extreme food shortages; At least 30% of children are suffering from acute malnutrition; Two people out of every 10,000 are dying each day from starvation or malnutrition and disease.
[2] The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) provides a common scale for classifying the severity and magnitude of food shortage and acute malnutrition.
