The recovery effort at Mount Maunganui following last week’s landslide remains ongoing today, as the operation moves into week two.
Superintendent Tim Anderson, Bay of Plenty District Commander says this has been a challenging operation for everybody involved.
“As this operation reaches week two, it gives a great indication of the sheer scale of what we are working with here.”
Police continue to call on staff from out of district
Since the landslide on Thursday 24 January, Police has utilised hundreds of specialised staff across a number of workgroups.
“We have seen a significant number of staff from around the country travel into Mount Maunganui in recent days.
“Over the course of the last week, Police staff from several districts have come into the region to assist with the recovery operation, as well as relieve some of our staff who have worked incredibly hard.
“It has been warm the last couple of days, so we need to maintain our focus on staff safety.”
Specialist technology remains in place
Technology that was sent up from Wellington on Sunday 25 January remains in place and has been a great contributor to the safety of staff working at the scene.
“It was imperative that this technology was brought up and installed, and we have already seen success in its purpose, when staff were alerted to an issue with excess water within the scene on Thursday 29 January, suspending search efforts temporarily.
“While there is no way for us to control a natural hazard, the technology has greatly assisted our recovery teams by providing another safety method for those who are working meticulously to bring people back to their loved ones,” says Superintendent Anderson.
Recovery teams making good progress
Recovery teams working at Mount Maunganui have made good progress in recent days, however there is still a lot of work to do.
“Due to the nature of the work being undertaken, we do not have a timeline on when work will be complete.
“We are here for those grieving and for the families that have lost loved ones in this tragedy. The teams on scene are doing a great job at looking after each other, and we all want to reunite families with their loved ones.”
The Government is rolling out support to schools, kura and families in Northland and Gisborne to minimise potential disruptions, Education Minister Erica Stanford said.
“Our thoughts and ongoing support are with the students, families, and teachers who have been affected by the severe weather we are seeing,” Ms Stanford says.
“Our priority is on ensuring people have access to services they need to minimise disruption. We are ensuring transport and school lunch provision, warm and dry places to learn and meet, and assessment and repairing of damages.
“Closed and damaged roads have disrupted several school transport services in rural areas – we are working on restoring those services as soon as possible.
“Ministry staff are working with schools and providers to ensure the Healthy School Lunches programme remains available, including for support students cut off from their schools.
“In Northland, an Education Hub is being set up at Whangaruru School. This is set to support primary and secondary students who can’t currently access their schools in Whangārei.
“This Education Hub will accommodate up to 40 students. Teacher aides will be available to provide additional support for children who need it.”
“In Gisborne, some schools have moved their start dates to 9 February following the severe weather. School principals in Te Araroa / Hicks Bay are exploring alternatives including online learning, use of local marae for teaching spaces, sharing of teaching space across differing schools, and more teaching support.
Ms Stanford says there will be an 0800 number from the Ministry for families in Northland with education-related concerns. The Ministry of Education’s Gisborne office is available to receive all calls about education concerns and is contactable on 0508 656 565.
“I strongly encourage people to reach out, along with staying connected to the wider support that is available outside of education.
“The school property team are assessing all schools. Most assessments have been completed and damage fortunately appears to be minimal.
“I want to thank the schools and kura for their leadership and innovation, and for stepping up and supporting the affected children and their families during this challenging time. Regional Ministry staff will remain in contact with schools and kura to assist where needed.”
Ōakura Community Hall had been devastated by a slip that smashed through the rear wall and filled the hall with mud, trees and debris on Sunday 18 January, 2026. Muddy water was continuing to flow out the hall’s front doors hours after the slip begun. The hall was only reroofed and renovated about 18 months ago, after a massive community fundraising effort.RNZ/ Peter de Graaf
Residents of small communities are wondering whether there are better ways to empower them to clear up after storms.
In several storm-hit areas, councils asked residents to leave slip clearing on public land and roads to emergency services or council contractors for safety and asset management reasons.
But this could mean long waits for pockets of residents with low priority slips, and communities often take action regardless.
‘Auntie Trish’, of Ōtetao Reti Marae in Northland, was stuck when the extreme weather last week closed the roads to the marae.
No one could get in or out until they coordinated with a neighbouring Mokau Marae to the south.
“All of these young lads here came and just got their shovels and started digging away,” she said.
She said they worked for two days digging it out, and that was the only reason the marae was accessible.
She was proud of their efforts and back at her marae, they did what they could to support the diggers.
“We just fed them and they all turned up,” she said.
“Auntie Trish” is the chief dispenser of hugs for those in need of support at Ōtetao Reti Marae.RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Resident Maureen Hing said without equipment on hand, her sons, nephews and others from both marae took to the physical work.
“They all started digging with their shovels and clearing it, there was quite a lot of them, about 12 of them,” she said.
They all felt that clearing the road quickly was necessary and they were able to do it quickly.
“They just did it to get people, to get supplies – petrol, diesel – that’s the only way we can do it you know, and they did it on the first day we had this, on the Sunday,” said Hing.
However, councils often strongly discourage people from clearing roads, unless absolutely necessary.
A Whangārei District Council spokesperson says slips on public land and roads should be reported to and cleared by trained contractors, primarily for safety reasons.
“While we understand people often want to help clear roads for themselves or their neighbours, clearing slips on public land without an assessment can place individuals at serious risk and may also damage council assets or interfere with emergency response, so this is strongly discouraged unless absolutely necessary,” the spokesperson said.
They said council crews were trained and equipped to assess land movement, falling debris, damaged infrastructure, and know about underground services.
The situation was the same in another storm-hit district of Thames Coromandel, and Mercury Bay South Residents and Ratepayers Association chair Paul Hopkins said he wants to see it change.
He said smaller slips, or slips that don’t completely block a road, can be treated as low-priority by the council and take time to be cleared
“It’s taken some time to actually clear some of the smaller slips on the roads, which I feel the local council should look at their procedures,” he said.
Hopkins thought locals would like to be able to clear roads and reestablish access quickly if given the authority to do so, and that it would be beneficial for everyone.
“The council’s got a lot on their plate, but I do feel as if councils need to give back some responsibility to the locals, because in days-gone-by you didn’t have a council to do it, the locals would do it, and it’s something that I definitely think they need to re-look at,” he said.
Hopkins thought small communities had the skills and people to take more care of themselves – just as the Northland marae proved.
They just needed to be more empowered to do so.
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ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on January 30, 2026.
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Australia needs to get real about Trump’s changing America Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ian Kemish, Adjunct Professor, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Davos speech should unsettle Australian strategic thinkers, who have been raised in the belief the US alliance is the unshakeable foundation of Australia’s regional security. Carney’s point –
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Rethinking Troy: how years of careful peace, not epic war, shaped this bronze age city Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephan Blum, Research Associate, Institute for Prehistory and Early History and Medieval Archaeology, University of Tübingen Imagine a city that thrived for thousands of years, its streets alive with workshops, markets and the laughter of children, yet that is remembered for a single night of fire. That
Welcome to the ‘Homogenocene’: how humans are making the world’s wildlife dangerously samey Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Williams, Professor of Palaeobiology, University of Leicester Pigeons are well-suited to urban living, and are outcompeting distinctive local species around the world. Wirestock Creators / shutterstock The age of humans is increasingly an age of sameness. Across the planet, distinctive plants and animals are disappearing, replaced
Are You Dead? China’s viral app reveals a complex reality of solo living and changing social ties Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pan Wang, Associate Professor in Chinese and Asian Studies, UNSW Sydney Qianlong / AP A Chinese personal safety app called Are You Dead? – recently rebranded as Demumu – has gone viral in recent weeks, attracting widespread media attention. Behind its sudden popularity lie deeper social transformations,
We know how to cool our cities and towns. So why aren’t we doing it? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By A/Prof. Elmira Jamei, Associate professor, Victoria University This week, Victoria recorded its hottest day in nearly six years. On Tuesday, the northwest towns of Walpeup and Hopetoun reached 48.9°C, and the temperature in parts of Melbourne soared over 45°C. Towns in South Australia also broke heat records.
‘Bold’. ‘Elegant’. ‘Introverted’? How words describing wine get lost in translation Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allison Creed, Lecturer and Curriculum Designer, Cognitive Linguistics, The University of Melbourne karelnoppe/Getty I recently watched a participant at a wine tasting freeze when asked for their opinion. “It’s … nice?” they ventured, clearly wanting to say more but lacking the specific vocabulary to do so. The
Dog parks are an unexploited arena for a television dramedy – so now we have ABC’s Dog Park Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phoebe Hart, Associate Professor, Film Screen & Animation, Queensland University of Technology ABC Raise a paw if your dog ever helped you to meet a new two-legged friend? The premise of ABC’s Dog Park capitalises on the fact pet ownership in Australia is increasing, with canines being
Australia’s invitation to Herzog sparks protest plans over Gaza genocide Asia Pacific Report Australia’s decision to host Israeli President Isaac Herzog next month has sparked criticism and a wave of planned protests, as Israel remains under international investigation over its war in Gaza, reports One Path Network. Legal cases are underway at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), examining
Grattan on Friday: 2 aspirants who are unlikely to suit the times vie for the Liberal leadership Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Liberal manoeuvrings for an assault on Sussan Ley’s leadership don’t lack transparency. As members of the Liberal Party gathered in Melbourne on Thursday to attend the memorial service for former colleague Katie Allen, leadership aspirants Andrew Hastie and Angus
The IDF in West Bank, the US in Afghanistan, or ICE? Take your pick COMMENTARY: By Viet Thanh Nguyen Is this the IDF in Gaza or the West Bank, or the US military in Afghanistan or Iraq, or ICE in Minneapolis? The answer is that this is ICE in Minneapolis. But the fact that it’s hard to tell whether it’s the IDF or the US Army or ICE is
Pacific at risky crossroads – Gaza vs the urgent drug crisis at our door COMMENTARY: By Ro Naulu Mataitini An invitation from a distant warzone landed in Suva earlier this month. The United States, with Israel’s endorsement, has asked Fiji to send troops to join a proposed International Stabilisation Force in Gaza. For a nation proud of its United Nations peacekeeping legacy, this whispers of global recognition. Yet, it
With Iran weakened, Trump’s end goal may now be regime change. It’s an incredibly risky gamble Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Australian National University; The University of Western Australia; Victoria University The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran are once again on the brink of a major confrontation. This would have terrible ramifications for both countries, the region
The government wants to track your medicines – here’s why Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan Prictor, Associate Professor in Health Technology Law, The University of Melbourne On Wednesday, the federal government announced plans to reform how medications are dispensed and tracked, aiming to reduce unsafe use, stockpiling and “doctor shopping”. This will include two stages. First, the government will require all
The government wants to track your medicines – here’s why Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan Prictor, Associate Professor in Health Technology Law, The University of Melbourne On Wednesday, the federal government announced plans to reform how medications are dispensed and tracked, aiming to reduce unsafe use, stockpiling and “doctor shopping”. This will include two stages. First, the government will require all
The government wants to track your medicines – here’s why Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Megan Prictor, Associate Professor in Health Technology Law, The University of Melbourne On Wednesday, the federal government announced plans to reform how medications are dispensed and tracked, aiming to reduce unsafe use, stockpiling and “doctor shopping”. This will include two stages. First, the government will require all
Why are some young people attracted to gangs and what are some evidence-based solutions? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kathryn Benier, Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Monash University Olegs Jonins/Unsplash Reports that Victoria Police are issuing anti-association orders to “youth gang members” has sparked fresh debate about how to best deal with youth gang violence in Australia. These orders have previously been used to reduce the presence
The building has sat empty, with blackened walls and damaged signage, since May 2023.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
A Wellington developer has bought Loafers Lodge, the burnt-out boarding house in which five people died more than two years ago.
The building has sat empty, with blackened walls and damaged signage, since the fire in May 2023.
In a statement, Primeproperty Group said it had signed a conditional contract to purchase the property in late 2025.
“Settlement has not yet taken place, and Primeproperty has not taken possession of the site. Settlement is currently scheduled for later this year.”
It said at this stage it was undertaking “preliminary investigations and technical studies to understand the site and assess potential development options”.
No decisions had been made regarding its future, and no applications for resource consent had yet been lodged.
It would not disclose the purchase price as it was “commercially sensitive”.
Four others, who were involved with the management and operation of the building, have been charged with manslaughter, with police alleging they were responsible for aspects of the building’s fire safety.
Primeproperty Group said it was unable to comment on court proceedings or their implications for the transaction.
Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge has been calling for something to be done with the building for the past two and a half years.
“I was delighted to hear that news today, because it means that hopefully something will finally be done about the Loafers Lodge building,” he told RNZ.
It was a source of trauma for those affected by the fire, he said, many of whom remained connected to the City Mission.
“We know every day as they walk past, drive past, catch the bus past the Loafers Lodge building, [it’s] such a traumatic reminder of what happened two and a half years ago.”
Demolition would be the preferable option, he said, but if it was going to be refurbished, he hoped they would “just get on and do it”.
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The deployment of a New Zealand Defence Force liaison officer to Israel has been extended by an additional three months, Defence Minister Judith Collins says.
“The situation in Gaza continues to evolve as implementation of the peace plan progresses,” she says.
“This deployment continues to make a critical contribution to our understanding of what is a dynamic and complex operating environment in and around Gaza.
“This extension is to ensure that the NZDF liaison officer can continue to improve our understanding of what is happening on the ground toinform any future decisions regarding New Zealand’s potential contributions.”
The extension is until 3 May 2026, and the liaison officer will continue to be based in the US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre.
The Manage My Health privacy breach is one of the biggest in New Zealand’s history.RNZ / Finn Blackwell
A cybersecurity group says they’ve identified the person responsible for hacking into the Manage My Health portal, and now it wants justice served.
The privacy breach is one of the biggest in New Zealand’s history, after hackers gained access to health data being held by the privately owned patient records company, Manage My Health.
Those responsible, a hacker who calls themselves Kazu, demanded US$60,000 for the stolen data.
Manage My Health has been granted a High Court injunction preventing anyone from accessing or sharing the stolen data.
Kazu had previously published samples of the leaked information online.
Earlier this month, all posts referring to Manage My Health had been removed from the page.
The International Online Crime Coordination Centre (IOC3) has been tracking Kazu, following the breach.
It targets online harm, including child exploitation, grooming, extremism and fraud.
The group has shared its investigation with RNZ. We have agreed not to name the person believed to be behind Kazu or details that could jeopardise a further investigation.
They have also alerted the authorities.
IOC3 executive director Caden Scott said they needed to be careful.
“We’re just mindful that we’re still looking into this individual, and we don’t want to mistakenly drive this person underground by making them aware that there are these kinds of investigations ongoing into them.”
Scott said they wanted to see the person behind the attack arrested.
“We definitely want justice,” he said.
“We want this person to be looked into and this person to be arrested as a result of their actions. They’ve definitely committed a plethora of crimes there, and this isn’t the only attack that they’ve done. They’ve attacked numerous other institutions from across the entire globe.”
He said health companies hold extremely sensitive data.
“When you look at healthcare institutions, or anything like that, especially ones that hold a lot of people’s very personal data, often times they don’t really have that choice in paying the ransom or not paying the ransom,” Scott said.
“These are very sensitive topics and very sensitive information, so a lot of times it’s best to do whatever possible to stop that information getting out.”
Scott encouraged victims of ransomware attacks not to pay the hackers.
“Paying that ransom doesn’t guarantee that the data isn’t going to be leaked,” he said.
“They might ask you for half-a-million dollars, you pay that, and then they decide: ‘Well, can also sell this database to everyone as well and make even more money’.”
It was better to go through law enforcement, Scott said.
The National Cyber Security Centre’s chief operating officer Mike Jagusch said they were aware of information in the public domain identifying those who’ve claimed responsibility for the attack on Manage My Health.
He said they were working with police, Health New Zealand, and other agencies to reduce the impact of the breach and prevent further exploitation of the leaked data.
“At the National Cyber Security Centre, we have a range of tools and information it uses to help establish the identity of malicious actors,” he said.
“This process is called attribution, and it can be very complex. It requires significant analysis to have the necessary level of confidence to attribute activity to an actor or group.”
Jagusch said public attribution of cyber activity to a group or state is a whole-of-government process, and was undertaken when it was in the national interest to do so.
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The 50-year-old man has interim name suppression.SunLive
A Ni-Vanuatu migrant worker has pleaded not guilty to murdering a woman on a Kiwifruit orchard in the Bay of Plenty.
The 50-year-old man, who has interim name suppression, is accused of murdering a female Ni-Vanuatu tourist with whom he was in a family relationship.
He appeared briefly at the Tauranga District Court on Friday.
The woman was found dead on New Year’s Day at Cameron Orchards in Pukehina, where the defendant worked. Police were called to the Old Coach Road address at around 3pm.
Less than 12 hours later, Adam Nauka, a migrant worker, was found dead on the same property.
Both workers were employed in New Zealand under a Recognised Seasonal Employee (RSE) visa, and were visiting on a tourist visa.
Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Wilson announced last night that Police had filed a murder charge in place of a simple assault charge relating to the death of the women.
A Vanuatu country liaison told RNZ Pacific that Nauka passed away as the result of a medical issue.
In court this morning, defence lawyer John Wayne applied for interim name suppression for his client to continue until his scheduled High Court appearance on 18 February.
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Christopher Luxon says he has a “tight disciplined team”.RNZ / Screenshot
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has confirmed he will return to Waitangi next week to meet with iwi, after opting to be elsewhere last year.
Luxon, however, will not stay up north for the national holiday itself, instead spending Waitangi Day at a community event in Auckland.
In a statement, a spokesperson said Luxon was looking forward to visiting and engaging with iwi about the recent weather response and work the government is doing to grow the economy.
Last year, Luxon observed Waitangi Day with Ngāi Tahu at Ōnuku Marae in Akaroa.
At the time, he said his intention was to celebrate the day around New Zealand, rather than in one location.
Luxon’s confirmation means all party leaders in Parliament will travel north next week.
ACT leader David Seymour said he intended to use the occasion to make clear that: “we are all equal and alike in dignity and have the same opportunity in this country, regardless of when our ancestors got here”.
Māori Crown Relations Minister Tama Potaka said Waitangi represented the font of kotahitanga.
“We go with an open heart… and some pretty strong convictions around what we need to do to get things like the economy back on track, and public services, but also with an absolute appetite to settle and implement Treaty claims.”
The recent RNZ-Reid Research poll showed 62 percent of people think it is at least somewhat important for the prime minister to be in Waitangi for Waitangi Day.
Previous prime ministers have adopted different approaches.
Chris Hipkins and Jacinda Ardern spent a considerable length of time up north in the days leading up to and including Waitangi Day.
John Key and Helen Clark, however, adjusted their plans after falling out of favour.
After being heckled and jostled in 2004, Clark went up for breakfast in subsequent years, but would not visit Te Tii Marae.
And when Key was denied speaking rights in 2016, he opted to go to the NRL Nines in Auckland instead.
Bill English, in his sole year as prime minister, spent the day with Ngāti Whātua at Ōrākei Marae.
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People affected by recent severe weather are receiving temporary accommodation and marae-led welfare support, with recovery assistance now being delivered on the ground, says Minister for Māori Development and Associate Minister of Housing Tama Potaka.
“Temporary accommodation is already in place for households who cannot return home, with 17 motorhomes currently on the ground supporting displaced whānau. A further 25 motorhomes are now on the move, with more being deployed to affected areas as access allows,” Mr Potaka says.
Delivered through the Government’s Temporary Accommodation Service, households are being placed quickly, with assessments typically completed within 24 hours of registering with the service.
“Marae are often the first-place people turn to and they responded immediately with manaakitanga by opening their doors to welcome displaced people providing kai and shelter for whānau when it mattered most. We are making sure their mahi and leadership is acknowledged and that they’re not left carrying that cost,” Mr Potaka says.
The Government, through Te Puni Kōkiri, is delivering $1 million through the Marae Emergency Response Fund. The first tranche will see $600,000 to support 22 marae.
People who have been displaced, or who may need temporary accommodation, are encouraged to register for support.
Notes to editors
Attached is a photo of the first group to receive motorhomes two days ago in Northland.
People affected by the recent severe weather who have a current, or expected future need for temporary accommodation can register with the Temporary Accommodation Service at www.tas.mbie.govt.nzor by calling 0508 754 163. Households only need to register once. Part-payments apply, and a hardship process is available where needed.
If households need support with residential insurance claims, the New Zealand Claims Resolution Service (NZCRS) provide free, independent advice and support, phone 0508 624 327, or visit www.nzcrs.govt.nz.
Marae or organisations that provided welfare support during the severe weather events can contact their regional Te Puni Kōkiri office to begin the reimbursement process at www.tpk.govt.nz/en/whakapa-mai.
A project to restore 110 hectares of native forest on Northland’s remote Kōwhairoa Peninsula Historic Reserve is on track, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says.
“What began with a local vision and volunteer hard work has grown into a thriving restoration project, thanks to the Provincial Growth Fund boost in 2020. Since then, 94,000 native plants have been established from locally-sourced seeds and pests brought under control,” Mr Jones says.
The project received government funding of $1.54 million under the former Provincial Growth Fund’s One Billion Trees programme, administered by Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service.
The project, led by Te Komanga Marae Trust, involves planting 132,000 native trees and controlling pests to recreate a native forest on steep, deforested, coastal land.
“The Kōwhairoa Peninsula is a significant site for Māori and was remarkable for its diverse flora and fauna, and old growth forests which were unfortunately cleared for their timber by early settlers. This project is restoring the old forest species that once dominated the area.” Mr Jones says.
Mr Jones travelled by boat to the remote Whangaroa Harbour reserve today to plant a tree and celebrate the forest restoration progress, five years after first visiting at the project’s launch.
The reserve land was returned to the Te Komanga Marae Trust to manage, as part of Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa’s 2017 Treaty settlement. Te Komanga Marae trustee Roger Kingi has led the project with guidance from ecologist Dr Adam Forbes and early assistance from the Department of Conservation.
“The Kōwhairoa Peninsula Historic Reserve is a culturally and ecologically significant to New Zealand, it is great to be a part of the restoration of such a site.” Mr Jones says.
The project is on track for completion at the end of 2026.
A new facility at Mason Clinic in Auckland has officially opened, marking the next chapter of forensic mental health services in New Zealand, Health Minister Simeon Brown and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey say.
“The opening of this facility is a major step forward for forensic mental health in New Zealand and strengthens the infrastructure needed to deliver safe, effective care,” Mr Brown says.
The Mason Clinic is New Zealand’s largest forensic psychiatric service, supporting close to two million people across Auckland and Northland. E Tū Wairua Hinengaro is a three-storey, 10,000-square-metre building – nearly double the size of the facilities it replaces.
“Modern facilities are essential for good health outcomes. They improve safety, support staff to do their jobs well, and ensure patients receive treatment in environments that are fit for purpose.
“This new facility strengthens the Mason Clinic’s ability to deliver quality forensic mental health services for the long term, while maintaining safety for patients, staff, and the wider community,”Mr Brown says.
The $200 million facility has 60 replacement inpatient beds, enabling the closure of four outdated units. It is one of the largest specialist mental health infrastructure projects in the country and forms part of nearly $1 billion being committed nationally to modernise hospitals and specialist facilities.
Mr Doocey says the new building will deliver safer, more effective care for patients and the community.
“People enter mental health facilities to get well and to be safe, and that is exactly what this new facility is designed to do. Families should be confident that when a loved one is receiving care, they are in a secure environment with the right support to recover.
“By investing in modern, fit-for-purpose facilities, we are ensuring people receive the care they need to get better, while also protecting the wider community.
“Expanding and upgrading mental health facilities is a key part of the Government’s plan to improve access to mental health services and deliver better outcomes for patients,” Mr Doocey says.
The opening builds on wider work underway in forensic mental health, including a $51 million investment in Budget 2025 to deliver 10 new acute inpatient beds and eight new step-down beds through non-government organisations in the Midland region.
Note to editors:
Beds will be introduced gradually through a phased opening to ensure a smooth transition for patients and staff.
Most of us would agree fairness is a good guiding principle in life. Actually defining and applying it in the law, however, isn’t quite so simple.
Since March last year, New Zealand’s financial sector – including banks, insurers and credit unions – has been governed by the Conduct of Financial Institutions regime.
At its centre sits a principle that “financial institutions must treat consumers fairly”. Under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 (and amendments made in 2022), the regime is administered and enforced by the Financial Markets Authority.
Each financial institution must establish, maintain and publish a fair-conduct program that satisfies a set of statutory minimum requirements.
These prescribe internal systems, controls, monitoring and governance processes intended to demonstrate the institution treats consumers fairly in practice. Breaches can incur a “pecuniary penalty order”.
On its face, this is uncontroversial. Fairness offers moral comfort and signals decency and responsibility. But translating fairness into a legal obligation is not without cost.
It also risks compromising consumer autonomy and informed choice by forcing financial institutions to limit the shape or scope of products and services that might otherwise be attractive.
Subjective regulation
While section 446C of the act provides broad definitions of fair treatment, it leaves significant scope for interpretation by regulators and institutions.
The result is a regulatory model that is essentially subjective and which shapes the design and distribution of financial products before they go to market.
This presents practical challenges for intuitions adapting to a fairness standard that is inherently vague. But it also raises questions about the balance between consumer protection and potential regulatory overreach.
In 2024, the government consulted on whether the statutory minimum requirements for fair conduct programs should be repealed or amended.
This was in response to industry concerns that some fairness requirements were either unnecessary or duplicated other regulations, or they were unduly prescriptive given the actual risks of harm to consumers.
Industry submissions generally acknowledged the high compliance costs associated with the current framework while supporting the broader objective of fair consumer treatment.
In response, the government chose to amend rather than repeal those minimum fairness requirements. In 2025, it introduced a draft amendment bill proposing changes to the statutory requirements for fair conduct programs.
If enacted, this may make the regime less strict. But it would also force institutions that have already invested heavily in compliance under the existing law to review and modify their programs once again.
Unintended consequences
This revisiting of the law reflects the the difficulty of defining fairness as a legally enforceable standard. Fairness is not an objective concept. It’s subjective and evaluative. What’s fair to one person may not be fair to another.
Yet the law now requires that financial institutions effectively prove they are designing and offering products and services in ways that align with the Financial Markets Authority’s evolving understanding of fair treatment.
As a result, even where consumers understand a product’s features and willingly accept its risks, the fairness obligation may still require institutions to reconsider whether the product should be offered at all.
On the surface, prioritising consumer interests over consumer choice might seem reasonable. But it can have unintended consequences.
In 2021, for example, the government amended the Credit Contracts and
Consumer Finance Act to impose highly prescriptive affordability checks on all consumer lending.
A 2022 investigation by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment found the reforms had caused borrowers who should have passed the affordability test were being declined or offered reduced credit.
Fairness and risk
Because the fairness principle is broad and subjective, even if the Financial Markets Authority’s current interpretation is reasonable there is no guarantee future enforcement will be.
Once parliament embeds an open-ended moral concept in law, it hands significant discretion to whoever interprets it next.
Of course fairness matters. But it should be a moral compass for financial institutions and a cultural expectation for financial markets rather than an opaque licence for regulatory paternalism.
It risks turning financial institutions into overseers of consumer behaviour rather than providers of products and services.
It would be more straightforward to enforce existing laws such as the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act and the fair-dealing provisions in the Financial Markets Conduct Act.
The aim should be to target specific misconduct, strengthen consumers’ financial literacy through education, and intervene where there is genuine, demonstrated harm.
The law should preserve the space for consumers to make their own decisions, even when those decisions involve risk. Fairness is a virtue, autonomy is a right. We should be careful not to sacrifice the second in the name of the first.
Benjamin Liu 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.
The Manage My Health privacy breach is one of the biggest in New Zealand’s history.RNZ / Finn Blackwell
A cybersecurity company says they’ve identified the person responsible for hacking into the Manage My Health portal, and now it wants justice served.
The privacy breach is one of the biggest in New Zealand’s history, after hackers gained access to health data being held by the privately owned patient records company, Manage My Health.
Those responsible, a hacker who calls themselves Kazu, demanded US$60,000 for the stolen data.
Manage My Health has been granted a High Court injunction preventing anyone from accessing or sharing the stolen data.
Kazu had previously published samples of the leaked information online.
Earlier this month, all posts referring to Manage My Health had been removed from the page.
The International Online Crime Coordination Centre (IOC3) has been tracking Kazu, following the breach.
It targets online harm, including child exploitation, grooming, extremism and fraud.
The company has shared its investigation with RNZ. We have agreed not to name the person believed to be behind Kazu or details that could jeopardise a further investigation.
They have also alerted the authorities.
IOC3 executive director Caden Scott said they needed to be careful.
“We’re just mindful that we’re still looking into this individual, and we don’t want to mistakenly drive this person underground by making them aware that there are these kinds of investigations ongoing into them.”
Scott said they wanted to see the person behind the attack arrested.
“We definitely want justice,” he said.
“We want this person to be looked into and this person to be arrested as a result of their actions. They’ve definitely committed a plethora of crimes there, and this isn’t the only attack that they’ve done. They’ve attacked numerous other institutions from across the entire globe.”
He said health companies hold extremely sensitive data.
“When you look at healthcare institutions, or anything like that, especially ones that hold a lot of people’s very personal data, often times they don’t really have that choice in paying the ransom or not paying the ransom,” Scott said.
“These are very sensitive topics and very sensitive information, so a lot of times it’s best to do whatever possible to stop that information getting out.”
Scott encouraged victims of ransomware attacks not to pay the hackers.
“Paying that ransom doesn’t guarantee that the data isn’t going to be leaked,” he said.
“They might ask you for half-a-million dollars, you pay that, and then they decide: ‘Well, can also sell this database to everyone as well and make even more money’.”
It was better to go through law enforcement, Scott said.
The National Cyber Security Centre’s chief operating officer Mike Jagusch said they were aware of information in the public domain identifying those who’ve claimed responsibility for the attack on Manage My Health.
He said they were working with police, Health New Zealand, and other agencies to reduce the impact of the breach and prevent further exploitation of the leaked data.
“At the National Cyber Security Centre, we have a range of tools and information it uses to help establish the identity of malicious actors,” he said.
“This process is called attribution, and it can be very complex. It requires significant analysis to have the necessary level of confidence to attribute activity to an actor or group.”
Jagusch said public attribution of cyber activity to a group or state is a whole-of-government process, and was undertaken when it was in the national interest to do so.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Lisa Maclennan, 50, worked at Morrinsville Intermediate School.Supplied / Givealittle
A third victim of the deadly Mt Maunganui landslide has been formally identified as Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50, who was hailed as a hero after giving warning to others at the campground.
Her body was found on January 27, five days after the slip.
At an identification hearing at Tauranga District Court on Friday, Coroner Heather McKenzie told Maclennan’s family joining by video link, to rest assured she was at the heart of the identification and a human being.
“I am so very sorry or your loss, I extend to you my sincerest condolences,” she told them.
“I didn’t have the privilege of meeting Lisa, but I do have the privilege of meeting you via this link today as you join us in the courtroom.”
Maclennan was identified with the help of DNA, dental records and a butterfly tattoo above her ankle.
Detective Senior Sergeant Brent Griffiths told the Coroner the evidence established her identity to the required legal standard.
Coroner McKenzie said the evidence before her was the culmination of specialist work undertaken by police staff, forensic staff and many others.
It was evidence she accepted, she said.
Maclennan had been a literacy centre tutor at Morrinsville Intermediate School.
A Givealittle page set up by Maclennan’s sister had raised more than $35k for the Morrinsville teacher’s family.
“She lost her life trying to save everyone else,” the page said.
“We cannot put a value on the loss of a loved one but any donations will make a difference and help this whanau through this extremely difficult time.”
Many donors commented on Maclennan’s work with Morrinsville Intermediate School students over the years, while others paid tribute to the final acts of a “courageous, selfless woman”.
A woman present at the campsite on the morning of the landslide said Maclennan had woken her up shortly before 5am to warn her a slip had pushed her campervan forward.
“She took control. She was making sure everyone was safe. She was, you know, literally rounding people and making sure they were all safe, and being the organiser.
“Lisa [Maclennan] and her husband were amazing. And if it hadn’t been for them there, I would imagine that there would have been many more people.”
On Wednesday, the first victim was formally identified as Max Furse-Kee. His identity was released on the same day he would have turned 16.
The next day, Thursday, Måns Loke Bernhardsson, a 20-year-old Swedish tourist was also formally identified.
Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71, Susan Doreen Knowles, 71 and Sharon Maccanico, 15, remain unaccounted for.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
The following is a statement on behalf of Lisa’s husband, Travis:
We are absolutely devastated following the loss of our beloved Lisa.
Lisa was a cherished daughter, mother, aunty, sister, grandmother (Nan Nan) and wife, and we all loved her dearly.
Lisa was very spontaneous and adventurous. She was always looking for new things to do and would never shy away from a challenge.
Lisa was fully devoted to her job as a learning assistant and loved working with young people that had challenges in their learning. She loved nothing more than seeing students succeed and overcome personal obstacles.
That is one thing, among many, that we loved about her, and know the whole community did too.
Lisa always had the best interests of others at the front of her mind, and she would always put others before herself. She was incredibly selfless and would often sacrifice things for other people.
Lisa went above and beyond for her friends, her family, and the community.
She was loving, humble, loyal and we are going to miss her immensely.
Lisa did not like attention, but she always worked so hard in the background to help others succeed.
We as a family would like to thank Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s Urban Search and Rescue teams, rapid relief, local iwi, and everyone who has been on site day after day working tirelessly to help bring Lisa and all those unaccounted for, back to their families.
Note to media: The family will not be providing further comment and ask that their privacy be respected as they grieve.
How do you translate ancient Palmyrene script from a Roman tombstone? How many paired tendons are supported by a specific sesamoid bone in a hummingbird? Can you identify closed syllables in Biblical Hebrew based on the latest scholarship on Tiberian pronunciation traditions?
These are some of the questions in “Humanity’s Last Exam”, a new benchmark introduced in a study published this week in Nature. The collection of 2,500 questions is specifically designed to probe the outer limits of what today’s artificial intelligence (AI) systems cannot do.
The benchmark represents a global collaboration of nearly 1,000 international experts across a range of academic fields. These academics and researchers contributed questions at the frontier of human knowledge. The problems required graduate-level expertise in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science and the humanities. Importantly, every question was tested against leading AI models before inclusion. If an AI could not answer it correctly at the time the test was designed, the question was rejected.
This process explains why the initial results looked so different from other benchmarks. While AI chatbots score above 90% on popular tests, when Humanity’s Last Exam was first released in early 2025, leading models struggled badly. GPT-4o managed just 2.7% accuracy. Claude 3.5 Sonnet scored 4.1%. Even OpenAI’s most powerful model, o1, achieved only 8%.
The low scores were the point. The benchmark was constructed to measure what remained beyond AI’s grasp. And while some commentators have suggested that benchmarks like Humanity’s Last Exam chart a path toward artificial general intelligence, or even superintelligence – that is, AI systems capable of performing any task at human or superhuman levels – we believe this is wrong for three reasons.
Benchmarks measure task performance, not intelligence
When a student scores well on the bar exam, we can reasonably predict they’ll make a competent lawyer. That’s because the test was designed to assess whether humans have acquired the knowledge and reasoning skills needed for legal practice – and for humans, that works. The understanding required to pass genuinely transfers to the job.
But AI systems are not humans preparing for careers.
When a large language model scores well on the bar exam, it tells us the model can produce correct-looking answers to legal questions. It doesn’t tell us the model understands law, can counsel a nervous client, or exercise professional judgment in ambiguous situations.
The test measures something real for humans; for AI it measures only performance on the test itself.
Using human ability tests to benchmark AI is common practice, but it’s fundamentally misleading. Assuming a high test score means the machine has become more human-like is a category error, much like concluding that a calculator “understands” mathematics because it can solve equations faster than any person.
Human and machine intelligence are fundamentally different
Humans learn continuously from experience. We have intentions, needs and goals. We live lives, inhabit bodies and experience the world directly. Our intelligence evolved to serve our survival as organisms and our success as social creatures.
Large language models derive their capabilities from patterns in text during training. But they don’t really learn.
For humans, intelligence comes first and language serves as a tool for communication – intelligence is prelinguistic. But for large language models, language is the intelligence – there’s nothing underneath.
Even the creators of Humanity’s Last Exam acknowledge this limitation:
High accuracy on [Humanity’s Last Exam] would demonstrate expert-level performance on closed-ended, verifiable questions and cutting-edge scientific knowledge, but it would not alone suggest autonomous research capabilities or artificial general intelligence.
Subbarao Kambhampati, professor at Arizona State University and former president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, puts it more clearly:
Humanity’s essence isn’t captured by a static test but rather by our ability to evolve and tackle previously unimaginable questions.
Developers like leaderboards
There’s another problem. AI developers use benchmarks to optimise their models for leaderboard performance. They’re essentially cramming for the exam. And unlike humans, for whom the learning for the test builds understanding, AI optimisation just means getting better at the specific test.
But it’s working.
Since Humanity’s Last Exam was published online in early 2025, scores have climbed dramatically. Gemini 3 Pro Preview now tops the leaderboard at 38.3% accuracy, followed by GPT-5 at 25.3% and Grok 4 at 24.5%.
Does this improvement mean these models are approaching human intelligence? No. It means they’ve gotten better at the kinds of questions the exam contains. The benchmark has become a target to optimise against.
Unlike academic-style benchmarks, GDPval focuses on tasks based on actual work products such as project documents, data analyses and deliverables that exist in professional settings.
What this means for you
If you’re using AI tools in your work or considering adopting them, don’t be swayed by benchmark scores. A model that aces Humanity’s Last Exam might still struggle with the specific tasks you need done.
It’s also worth noting the exam’s questions are heavily skewed toward certain domains. Mathematics alone accounts for 41% of the benchmark, with physics, biology and computer science making up much of the rest. If your work involves writing, communication, project management or customer service, the exam tells you almost nothing about which model might serve you best.
A practical approach is to devise your own tests based on what you actually need AI to do, then evaluate newer models against criteria that matter to you. AI systems are genuinely useful – but any discussion about superintelligence remains science fiction and a distraction from the real work of making these tools relevant to people’s lives.
Kai Riemer is co-author of the annual “Skills Horizon” research project, which identifies key leadership skills (including in AI), based on interviews with global and Australian leaders and executives across various fields. He also educates leaders in AI fluency through Sydney Executive Plus at the University of Sydney.
Sandra Peter is co-author of the annual “Skills Horizon” research project, which identifies key leadership skills (including in AI), based on interviews with global and Australian leaders and executives across various fields. She also educates leaders in AI fluency through Sydney Executive Plus at the University of Sydney.