Author: MIL OSI Publisher

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Hillary Clinton faces off with House lawmakers in Epstein probe

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Annie Grayer, CNN

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, pictured in February 2026. ADAM BERRY / AFP

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is facing off with the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview as part of the panel’s investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Thursday’s (local time) deposition in Chappaqua, New York, is the culmination of a vigourous fight by both the former secretary of state and former Democratic President Bill Clinton over testifying in what they denounced as a Republican plot against them.

Clinton has said she cannot recall ever meeting Epstein and only interacted with his former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, a handful of times. Republicans, however, insist her testimony is vital to their probe, while Democrats have argued their colleagues’ fixation on the former secretary of state is purely political.

“I want everybody treated the same way. That’s not true for my husband and me because other witnesses were asked to testify. They gave written statements under oath. We offered that,” she told the BBC in an interview earlier this month. “Why do they want to pull us into this? To divert attention from President (Donald) Trump. This is not complicated.”

Clinton is being interviewed the day before her husband’s appearance, which will be the first time a former president has been forced to testify in a congressional probe. The pair of interviews will be videotaped and transcribed, and lawmakers from both parties will have the opportunity to ask questions.

The Clintons only agreed to comply with their subpoenas for closed-door depositions after the House had moved toward a bipartisan vote to hold them in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to appear as scheduled.

The former secretary of state was accompanied by her attorneys, who have been working through painstaking details of what areas could be covered during questioning.

The location for the depositions, the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, was negotiated between Kendall and Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, in hopes of avoiding the indignity and precedent-setting move of summoning a former president to Capitol Hill for questioning.

Proceedings halted for a short time

Lauren Boebert WIN MCNAMEE / GETTY / AFP

Meanwhile, AFP reports the hearing was paused after a photo of the former Secretary of State taken during the deposition was posted online, an apparent breach of the rules.

The photo appeared on the X account of right-wing commentator Ben Johnson who credited the image to Republican committee member Lauren Boebert, prompting lawyers to discuss how to proceed.

“Benny did nothing wrong. Proceeding with deposition,” Boebert wrote on X after an advisor to Clinton, Nick Merrill, told journalists the hearing was paused while lawyers established “why possibly members of Congress are violating House rules”.

The hearing, while closed to the public, is being recorded. Images and video may be released later, possibly following Bill Clinton’s testimony to the committee on Friday (Saturday NZ time).

The hearing has now resumed.

Days of preparation

To prepare, the Clintons in recent days have hunkered down to not only refresh their memories about the Epstein years, but to prepare to counter potentially hostile congressional investigators. Their separate appearances speak to the differences in information the two could offer to the committee.

The Clintons and members of the House Oversight Committee have agreed to five topic areas for the depositions, a person familiar with the agreement told CNN. They are:

  • Alleged mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation into Epstein and Maxwell;
  • the circumstances and subsequent investigations of Epstein’s 2019 death;
  • the ways the federal government could effectively combat sex-trafficking rings;
  • how Epstein and Maxwell sought to curry favour to protect their illegal activities;
  • and potential violations of ethics rules related to elected officials.

Initially, the Clintons wanted their subpoenas for depositions to be waived for sworn statements under oath, an accommodation that Comer granted to several other witnesses in the investigation. But the Oversight Committee chairman wanted them to appear on his terms.

Clinton attorneys and the Republican-led panel negotiated behind the scenes for months, through email exchanges, letters and phone calls to try and find an off-ramp.

When the Clintons did not appear for their scheduled depositions in January, Comer scheduled a vote to hold the pair in criminal contempt.

“Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences. For us, now is that time,” the Clintons wrote in January when they announced they would not be appearing for their in-person scheduled depositions.

Triple the number of Democrats voted to hold the former president in contempt compared to the former first lady, but the bipartisan votes took House Democratic leadership by surprise.

Bill Clinton has never been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein, and a spokesperson has repeatedly said he cut ties before Epstein’s arrest on federal charges in 2019 and was unaware of any crimes.

A CNN review showed the former president travelled on Epstein’s private plane at least 16 times, and he was pictured in Epstein case files released by the Justice Department with women in a jacuzzi, as well as with Maxwell.

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse and lawyers representing them told CNN that they believe it is important for the Clintons, and especially the former president, to testify. In interviews, they stressed that the presence of an individual in the Epstein files and their cooperation with Congress does not indicate wrongdoing.

In the current political environment, victims of Epstein hold far more sway with many Democratic lawmakers than a sense of loyalty to the Clintons. More than 40 current House Democrats were born in 1980 or later, giving them different memories of Bill Clinton’s presidency than party leaders who were in Washington when he ended 12 years of Republican control of the White House.

–CNN / AFP

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/27/hillary-clinton-faces-off-with-house-lawmakers-in-epstein-probe/

Posted on

Hillary Clinton faces off with House lawmakers in Epstein probe

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Annie Grayer, CNN

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, pictured in February 2026. ADAM BERRY / AFP

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is facing off with the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview as part of the panel’s investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Thursday’s (local time) deposition in Chappaqua, New York, is the culmination of a vigourous fight by both the former secretary of state and former Democratic President Bill Clinton over testifying in what they denounced as a Republican plot against them.

Clinton has said she cannot recall ever meeting Epstein and only interacted with his former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, a handful of times. Republicans, however, insist her testimony is vital to their probe, while Democrats have argued their colleagues’ fixation on the former secretary of state is purely political.

“I want everybody treated the same way. That’s not true for my husband and me because other witnesses were asked to testify. They gave written statements under oath. We offered that,” she told the BBC in an interview earlier this month. “Why do they want to pull us into this? To divert attention from President (Donald) Trump. This is not complicated.”

Clinton is being interviewed the day before her husband’s appearance, which will be the first time a former president has been forced to testify in a congressional probe. The pair of interviews will be videotaped and transcribed, and lawmakers from both parties will have the opportunity to ask questions.

The Clintons only agreed to comply with their subpoenas for closed-door depositions after the House had moved toward a bipartisan vote to hold them in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to appear as scheduled.

The former secretary of state was accompanied by her attorneys, who have been working through painstaking details of what areas could be covered during questioning.

The location for the depositions, the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, was negotiated between Kendall and Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, in hopes of avoiding the indignity and precedent-setting move of summoning a former president to Capitol Hill for questioning.

Proceedings halted for a short time

Lauren Boebert WIN MCNAMEE / GETTY / AFP

Meanwhile, AFP reports the hearing was paused after a photo of the former Secretary of State taken during the deposition was posted online, an apparent breach of the rules.

The photo appeared on the X account of right-wing commentator Ben Johnson who credited the image to Republican committee member Lauren Boebert, prompting lawyers to discuss how to proceed.

“Benny did nothing wrong. Proceeding with deposition,” Boebert wrote on X after an advisor to Clinton, Nick Merrill, told journalists the hearing was paused while lawyers established “why possibly members of Congress are violating House rules”.

The hearing, while closed to the public, is being recorded. Images and video may be released later, possibly following Bill Clinton’s testimony to the committee on Friday (Saturday NZ time).

The hearing has now resumed.

Days of preparation

To prepare, the Clintons in recent days have hunkered down to not only refresh their memories about the Epstein years, but to prepare to counter potentially hostile congressional investigators. Their separate appearances speak to the differences in information the two could offer to the committee.

The Clintons and members of the House Oversight Committee have agreed to five topic areas for the depositions, a person familiar with the agreement told CNN. They are:

  • Alleged mismanagement of the federal government’s investigation into Epstein and Maxwell;
  • the circumstances and subsequent investigations of Epstein’s 2019 death;
  • the ways the federal government could effectively combat sex-trafficking rings;
  • how Epstein and Maxwell sought to curry favour to protect their illegal activities;
  • and potential violations of ethics rules related to elected officials.

Initially, the Clintons wanted their subpoenas for depositions to be waived for sworn statements under oath, an accommodation that Comer granted to several other witnesses in the investigation. But the Oversight Committee chairman wanted them to appear on his terms.

Clinton attorneys and the Republican-led panel negotiated behind the scenes for months, through email exchanges, letters and phone calls to try and find an off-ramp.

When the Clintons did not appear for their scheduled depositions in January, Comer scheduled a vote to hold the pair in criminal contempt.

“Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences. For us, now is that time,” the Clintons wrote in January when they announced they would not be appearing for their in-person scheduled depositions.

Triple the number of Democrats voted to hold the former president in contempt compared to the former first lady, but the bipartisan votes took House Democratic leadership by surprise.

Bill Clinton has never been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein, and a spokesperson has repeatedly said he cut ties before Epstein’s arrest on federal charges in 2019 and was unaware of any crimes.

A CNN review showed the former president travelled on Epstein’s private plane at least 16 times, and he was pictured in Epstein case files released by the Justice Department with women in a jacuzzi, as well as with Maxwell.

Survivors of Epstein’s abuse and lawyers representing them told CNN that they believe it is important for the Clintons, and especially the former president, to testify. In interviews, they stressed that the presence of an individual in the Epstein files and their cooperation with Congress does not indicate wrongdoing.

In the current political environment, victims of Epstein hold far more sway with many Democratic lawmakers than a sense of loyalty to the Clintons. More than 40 current House Democrats were born in 1980 or later, giving them different memories of Bill Clinton’s presidency than party leaders who were in Washington when he ended 12 years of Republican control of the White House.

–CNN / AFP

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/27/hillary-clinton-faces-off-with-house-lawmakers-in-epstein-probe/

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‘Gap closing’: Football Ferns ready for Pacific challenge

Source: Radio New Zealand

Football Ferns www.photosport.nz

Coach Michael Mayne says the Football Ferns won’t take their Oceania qualifying campaign in the Solomon Islands lightly, despite their traditional dominance over Pacific rivals.

New Zealand take their first step towards qualifying for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup when they face Samoa in Honiara (3pm NZT).

Their other Group A opponents are the Solomon Islands and America Samoa, with the top two teams from the pool advancing to the semi-finals and final, hosted by New Zealand in April.

Mayne said the message to his players is that the standard is improving within Oceania.

“We know what’s at the end of this series. I think it’s good that we still feel pressure coming into these games. That’s the way it should be,” Mayne said.

“I know these other three teams are going to be all chasing the same dream. I think in terms of the women’s game in the Pacific… I’ve been around the age group. I’ve been to a number of these tournaments. I can see the gap closing.

“I know every single one of these teams that we play over the next 10 days will be well set up, well organised. That’s exciting for us, and we’re used to tough challenges.

“There’s no point worrying about the final or anything. We’ve got to get through the next week first. That’s a good place to be, I think, mentally for the group.”

Michael Mayne www.photosport.nz

Mayne said his players acclimatised quickly to the heat of Honiara.

“The first couple of days have been really good. The facilities and everything here are looking great for the way we want to play and I think probably the difference at the moment is I’m really lucky to have a squad that’s based all around the world in different clubs, different environments, playing different levels.

“To be able to sort of draw some of that experience into the team but also have some really exciting players coming into our squad for this one is a real positive, I think, for the team.”

Three uncapped players are in Mayne’s 23-woman squad.

They are teenage Wellington Phoenix forward Pia Vlok, Newcastle Jets midfielder Charlotte Lancaster and Australian-based goalkeeper Maddie Iro.

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/27/gap-closing-football-ferns-ready-for-pacific-challenge/

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Politicians say immigration threatens ‘Australian values’, but our research shows no one knows exactly what that means

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Pandanus Petter, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and new Liberal leader Angus Taylor have invoked “Australian values” to justify taking a hard line on immigration, especially from countries that supposedly don’t share our values.

The phrase summons comforting and nostalgic images of football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars, but politicians are rarely asked to spell out what our national values actually are.

When they do, they are often talking about different things.

So, what exactly do Australians “value”? And do these values line up with what politicians are saying about migration?

A ‘fair go’

One frequently invoked idea in the context of Australian values is a “fair go”.

It’s an official part of our immigration system. The Australian Values Statement, which all visa applicants must sign and agree to abide by, includes an explicit mention of “a fair go for all”.

Our research on this longstanding national ideal shows people attach many different meanings to it.

Most people thought it included the belief that migrants should have the same opportunities as everyone else.

[embedded content]

What did we find?

In 2024–25 we ran a module in the Australian Survey of Social Attitudes to ask the public what they thought a “fair go” meant.

Respondents were presented with a range of statements about a “fair go” and asked to give a score between one and seven according to how much they agreed, with one being the lowest and seven the highest.

The table reveals widespread agreement that a “fair go” is about people being able to get ahead without facing discrimination, with a common view that all should have access to the same quality of education and healthcare.

Fewer people agreed a fair go was about the redistribution of wealth and income, or people being free to “do what they want”.

Instead, the idea of reward for effort was strongly associated with the fair go.

Importantly for the present debate about immigration, 52% of people gave the highest possible level of agreement that recent migrants should have the same opportunity as everyone else to get ahead in life. Only 7% actively disagreed.

The sentiment towards immigration

We were also interested in how these beliefs coalesced together, and how they related to attitudes toward migrants as people, and toward levels of immigration.

We found that fair-go beliefs fell into two main clusters: an “egalitarian” group that embraced the anti-discriminatory aspects of equal opportunity most strongly, and a “meritocratic” group that favoured ideas of striving and reward for effort.

Those in the first cluster were generally positive both toward migrants as people and toward immigration in general. Those with the second set of beliefs were also somewhat positively aligned toward people of migrant backgrounds, though less supportive of increased immigration.

Of course, not everyone has positive feelings about migrants.

In the survey, around 28% of people thought people born in Australia should be given preference over others, and on levels of migration, people were divided. While 43% thought current levels should remain the same or rise, nearly 47% thought they should be lowered.

These results show the fair go is a collection of disparate beliefs, reflecting underlying ideological and partisan differences in our country.

Australian culture and values blend ideas of equality of opportunity, equitable access to education and health, safety nets for the disadvantaged, and an emphasis on reward for effort.

Australians don’t all sing from the same hymn sheet on migration. But they are also mostly strongly in favour of the view that our core national value requires us to treat new migrants as equals.

Beyond the difficulty of defining Australia’s national values lies the further challenge of deciding which source countries supposedly share them.

This has become a theme in current debates, where certain countries, especially non‑European ones, are portrayed as fundamentally misaligned with Australian values.

The assumption that Australian values are coherent is flawed, and the same flawed assumption is often projected onto other countries.

The tension between values and politics

We also interviewed current and former politicians across the political spectrum.

While all endorsed the importance of the fair go, they differed in how widely they believed this value was shared.

Many politicians from the Labor Party argued their party was the true champion of the fair go, and spoke of conservative efforts to undermine it.

Unsurprisingly, the Greens and One Nation attached very different policy meanings to the phrase, particularly on issues such as migration and same‑sex rights.

Politicians inevitably invoke cultural idioms such as the fair go for their own strategic purposes, and these divergent interpretations reinforce how difficult it is to find common ground on what constitutes Australian values.

While our results show support for migration, they also sound a warning. We asked if the fair go was alive and well today and only 40% answered positively.

On the possibility of people in the future getting more of a fair go than they do today, only 19% agreed.

Instead of invoking Australian values to justify exclusion, our leaders need to build on values we genuinely share, including a fair go for migrants, and make the fair go something people can see and experience in their daily lives.

– ref. Politicians say immigration threatens ‘Australian values’, but our research shows no one knows exactly what that means – https://theconversation.com/politicians-say-immigration-threatens-australian-values-but-our-research-shows-no-one-knows-exactly-what-that-means-276746

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/27/politicians-say-immigration-threatens-australian-values-but-our-research-shows-no-one-knows-exactly-what-that-means-276746/

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Iron Maiden and Megadeth announce NZ show

Source: Radio New Zealand

British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden are bringing their Run for Your Lives tour to New Zealand.

The band, formed in 1970s East London, have announced one show for Auckland’s Spark Arena on 7 November.

Iron Maiden first visited New Zealand in December 1992, playing to 3000 fans at the Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland. They have been back four times in total, most recently in 2024.

For the fifth visit at the end of 2026 they will be joined by American heavy metal band, Megadeth.

Tickets go on sale to the public on 6 March.

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/27/iron-maiden-and-megadeth-announce-nz-show/

Posted on

Iron Maiden and Megadeth announce NZ show

Source: Radio New Zealand

British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden are bringing their Run for Your Lives tour to New Zealand.

The band, formed in 1970s East London, have announced one show for Auckland’s Spark Arena on 7 November.

Iron Maiden first visited New Zealand in December 1992, playing to 3000 fans at the Logan Campbell Centre in Auckland. They have been back four times in total, most recently in 2024.

For the fifth visit at the end of 2026 they will be joined by American heavy metal band, Megadeth.

Tickets go on sale to the public on 6 March.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/27/iron-maiden-and-megadeth-announce-nz-show/

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Kiwi golfer Daniel Hillier well-placed at rain-hit NZ Open

Source: Radio New Zealand

Daniel Hillier of New Zealand talks to caddy Steve Williams during round one of the New Zealand Open. photosport

In-form Kiwi golfer Daniel Hillier flexed his muscles in his curtailed opening round as rain played a part on the first day of the New Zealand Open in Queenstown.

Unheralded Australian Matias Sanchez was the leader after day one at Millbrook Resort on seven-under, one stroke clear of New Zealand amateur Yuki Miya, who was among nearly half of the 156-strong field still to complete their round.

Among that group who will return early to the course on Friday was New Zealand’s second-best player Hillier, who was five-under with five holes still to play.

He sat level with seasoned Australian Wade Ormsby and American veteran Kevin Na, a five-time winner on the US PGA Tour.

Early rain forced a late start, slowing the fairways and greens.

It didn’t stop Hillier unfurling an impressive 13 holes and continuing his strong form from the World Tour.

The 27-year-old has racked up three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up at Dubai, to win about $1 million and break into the world’s top 100 rankings.

He was also married on Saturday, an event that didn’t affect his game in the fading light of Central Otago.

Fellow-Kiwi and World Tour player Kazuma Kobori is a shot back on four-under, also hoping to be the first New Zealander to win the national open in nine years and just the third in 20 years.

Kazuma Kobori. www.photosport.nz

Kobori produced the shot of the day, holing out on the 210m fourth hole of the Remarkables course, his second ace of the Australasia PGA Tour season, following on from the Party Hole at the BMW Australian PGA Championship.

“It was kind of unexpected to get (another) one so soon,” Kobori said.

“You don’t really expect to hole it on that hole, especially with 4-iron in hand in these conditions.”

Sanchez cashed in on the best scoring conditions to shoot 64 on the Remarkables course, holing his last putt just before 8.30pm.

“I was just really happy to get it done, get the round in,” Sanchez said of his bogey-free round.

“This (event) is right up there, so to do it here, it’s really special, but I know it’s a quarter of the way down. It doesn’t really mean a whole lot.”

Matias Sanchez. www.photosport.nz

Ormsby, whose last tournament was as a fill-in player at LIV Adelaide, could rightly claim to have produced the best round of Thursday. His 66 came on the Coronet course which played considerably the more difficult of the two, providing just 10 of the top 29 scores on the end-of-day leaderboard.

A winner of five titles on the Asian Tour, including the Hong Kong Open twice, the South Australian is still searching for a victory on his home tour.

“I’ve never won on the Aussie tour and that’s something that I’ve always wanted to try and do,” Ormsby said.

“It’s nice to put myself towards the pointy end early in the week.”

After leaving LIV Golf, Na has come to Queenstown to start a new chapter of his 24-year professional career and he negotiated yesterday’s round without a bogey.

“I haven’t played competition golf in three months or so, maybe longer, but I feel like there’s a good energy, there’s a positive energy and I’m happy,” he said.

“Mind is fresh and I feel like I have a chance to enjoy golf more.”

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/27/kiwi-golfer-daniel-hillier-well-placed-at-rain-hit-nz-open/

Posted on

Kiwi golfer Daniel Hillier well-placed at rain-hit NZ Open

Source: Radio New Zealand

Daniel Hillier of New Zealand talks to caddy Steve Williams during round one of the New Zealand Open. photosport

In-form Kiwi golfer Daniel Hillier flexed his muscles in his curtailed opening round as rain played a part on the first day of the New Zealand Open in Queenstown.

Unheralded Australian Matias Sanchez was the leader after day one at Millbrook Resort on seven-under, one stroke clear of New Zealand amateur Yuki Miya, who was among nearly half of the 156-strong field still to complete their round.

Among that group who will return early to the course on Friday was New Zealand’s second-best player Hillier, who was five-under with five holes still to play.

He sat level with seasoned Australian Wade Ormsby and American veteran Kevin Na, a five-time winner on the US PGA Tour.

Early rain forced a late start, slowing the fairways and greens.

It didn’t stop Hillier unfurling an impressive 13 holes and continuing his strong form from the World Tour.

The 27-year-old has racked up three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up at Dubai, to win about $1 million and break into the world’s top 100 rankings.

He was also married on Saturday, an event that didn’t affect his game in the fading light of Central Otago.

Fellow-Kiwi and World Tour player Kazuma Kobori is a shot back on four-under, also hoping to be the first New Zealander to win the national open in nine years and just the third in 20 years.

Kazuma Kobori. www.photosport.nz

Kobori produced the shot of the day, holing out on the 210m fourth hole of the Remarkables course, his second ace of the Australasia PGA Tour season, following on from the Party Hole at the BMW Australian PGA Championship.

“It was kind of unexpected to get (another) one so soon,” Kobori said.

“You don’t really expect to hole it on that hole, especially with 4-iron in hand in these conditions.”

Sanchez cashed in on the best scoring conditions to shoot 64 on the Remarkables course, holing his last putt just before 8.30pm.

“I was just really happy to get it done, get the round in,” Sanchez said of his bogey-free round.

“This (event) is right up there, so to do it here, it’s really special, but I know it’s a quarter of the way down. It doesn’t really mean a whole lot.”

Matias Sanchez. www.photosport.nz

Ormsby, whose last tournament was as a fill-in player at LIV Adelaide, could rightly claim to have produced the best round of Thursday. His 66 came on the Coronet course which played considerably the more difficult of the two, providing just 10 of the top 29 scores on the end-of-day leaderboard.

A winner of five titles on the Asian Tour, including the Hong Kong Open twice, the South Australian is still searching for a victory on his home tour.

“I’ve never won on the Aussie tour and that’s something that I’ve always wanted to try and do,” Ormsby said.

“It’s nice to put myself towards the pointy end early in the week.”

After leaving LIV Golf, Na has come to Queenstown to start a new chapter of his 24-year professional career and he negotiated yesterday’s round without a bogey.

“I haven’t played competition golf in three months or so, maybe longer, but I feel like there’s a good energy, there’s a positive energy and I’m happy,” he said.

“Mind is fresh and I feel like I have a chance to enjoy golf more.”

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/27/kiwi-golfer-daniel-hillier-well-placed-at-rain-hit-nz-open/

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Aucklanders protest government’s move-on orders for rough sleepers

Source: Radio New Zealand

People living and working in Auckland’s central city are making their opposition to forcing out homeless people known. Supplied

People living and working in Auckland’s central city are making their opposition to forcing out homeless people known.

On Thursday night, about 30 rangatahi took their sleeping bags to Karangahape Road to protest the government’s new move-on orders.

The government confirmed this week that it would give police the power to move on rough sleepers, beggars, or people displaying disorderly behaviour, not just from Auckland CBD but from all town centres in the country.

Those who did not comply could be fined up to $2000 or jailed for up to three months.

Musician and activist Jazmine Mary organised the sit-in at St Kevin’s Arcade.

“We’ve got signs that say ‘homes not handcuffs’, ‘care not criminalisation’, ‘sleeping is not a crime’, we’ve got people reading books and sitting on sleeping bags and having conversations about how things can change.”

They said it was important to show solidarity with the unhoused community on the street.

“That’s a part of why we’re here to show that community that we’re on their side. And we’re also here to show any businesses in this area that aren’t on that side that we care, and we’re here, and we actually have a lot of power. And to ask the government, our public servants, to listen to us.”

Musician, artist, and activist Jazmine Mary, who organised the sit in. Supplied

Another protestor, 24-year-old Mars Cook said the issue was personal for him.

“I’m using my privilege as a person who was formally homeless and now has housing, so I can be here and sit here and do a little bit of civil disobedience and raise awareness.

“This issue is perhaps the biggest issue that we have in the CBD and in Auckland in general, which is a lack of access to affordable, safe housing.”

Ricki Dewstow, 23, was also outraged.

“This hits particularly hard for me. I’m not able to pay my rent this week. I’m so lucky to have a lovely friend that’s helping me.

“Being homeless and sleeping on the street could happen to anyone in a matter of hours. Being told to move up the street isn’t going to help you. It’s going to further stigmatise you and make you angry.”

People living and working in Auckland’s central city are making their opposition to forcing out homeless people known. Supplied

Auckland City Mission’s chief executive, Helen Robinson, updated the Auckland Council on homelessness and her concerns about the move on orders on Thursday.

After the meeting, she told RNZ she feared the move would push those who needed it away from support services like theirs in the CBD.

“The Auckland City Mission and our building here, Homeground, is located smack bang in the centre of the central city. We’re a block from Sky City and two streets up parallel to Queen Street. Should the move on orders come, and let’s say someone is in the middle of Queen Street and they’re asked to move on a reasonable distance, which is what we understand the legislation says at the moment, that could mean they wouldn’t be able to access our building.”

She said the City Mission was looking at applying to be a legally recognised place of refuge so people issued move-on orders could legally access its premises.

She believed the government’s plan would not be effective in reducing anti-social behaviour.

“I do really acknowledge the genuine intent of the legislation proposed to support a good law and order move, the Auckland City Mission wants that. And what we’re genuinely saying is the answer is homes and support, not move-on orders.”

Auckland City Missioner Helen Robinson. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Speaking to media in Auckland yesterday, Prime Minister Chris Luxon did not share Robinson’s view.

“I disagree completely. What we’re doing here is giving police the tools to deal with disruptive and anti-social behaviour in our CBD. And it’s one tool that they have. Each individual circumstance is actually very complicated and complex, and police will make the assessment as to whether they exercise the move on order or plug the person into social services.

“But we want our families, visitors, and the public to be able to come into the city and not be abused, threatened, and intimidated.”

But Aucklanders like 30-year-old Audrey May, who took part in the Karangahape Road protest, were not backing down.

“It’s deeply wrong and unfair to allow people to be fined $2000 that they probably can’t afford or a three-month prison sentence. It’s kind of ludicrous, to be honest.

“I’m lucky that I can choose to come and sit down here for a few hours, whereas people born into different circumstances don’t get that choice. They’re sitting on the ground because they have nowhere else to sit.”

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/27/aucklanders-protest-governments-move-on-orders-for-rough-sleepers/

Posted on

Flood early warning systems – where are they in the Civil Defence Act overhaul?

Source: Radio New Zealand

An overhaul of emergency management legislation has reached the crucial stage of submissions to a parliamentary select committee. RNZ

Transpower is questioning why early warning systems during disasters do not rate as essential infrastructure under an overhaul of emergency management legislation.

The overhaul has reached the crucial stage of submissions to a parliamentary select committee, in a years-long one-step-forward-and-another-back effort to replace a 24-year-old Civil Defence Act that multiple inquiries have poked holes in.

Submitters said they broadly backed the push but questioned where was the likes of decisionmaking power for Māori, who so often stepped into the breach amid storms, where was alignment with climate change policies, and where was the money to make real change happen.

“The core question for us is straightforward,” Christchurch City Council’s Civil Defence manager Brendan Winder told the MPs, “If Parliament wants higher and more consistent capability across the country, who will fund that uplift?”

‘Brutally tied to best endeavours’

Transpower asked where flood protection services and early warning and monitoring systems were at.

The bill would set up a new schedule of emergency infrastructure providers with new obligations to protect things like celltowers, power lines and emergency broadcasting.

“We consider that the failure to include ‘flood protection services’ and ‘early warning system services’ in Schedule 3 from the outset would have potential negative implications, effects, and costs,” said its written submission.

The lack of warning of rampaging floodwaters that swept people away in Esk Valley near Napier has trigger repeated angry calls by locals for change.

When the Esk River burst its banks during Cyclone Gabrielle, floodwaters filled the entire valley. Supplied

“All of those warning systems are not hard-coded or identified anywhere in any legislation as being important,” Transpower’s senior principal engineer Andrew Renton told the committee this week.

“And therefore councils and everybody else are brutally tied to best endeavours.”

Transpower made its own efforts, including under other laws and regulations that already demanded this: flood protection services had reduced the risks for its Edgecumbe Substation, while monitoring of the Poorman Valley Stream had cut it for its Stoke Substation.

‘New ways to be punished’

Cyclone Gabrielle was a nadir among several low points over two decades of emergency responses marked by individual heroism and systemic failings, with inquiries later on calling for urgent changes.

However, the government has maintained that since Gabrielle local responses had improved a lot.

It scrapped an earlier, drawnout approach by the previous government to overhaul Civil Defence.

The size of the stick wielded under the new law – going as far as criminal offences with fines or imprisonment – had Engineering NZ (ENZ) worried.

“We are concerned the bill adds new ways to be punished during emergencies,” it said in its written submission.

It would give a Director-General of Emergency Management the power to issue compliance orders and duties, then crack down.

“For councils and essential service providers already stretched, penalties could pull money and people away from response and recovery,” ENZ said.

Warnings and guidance would be better, it said.

A broken water pipe in Gisborne following Cyclone Gabrielle. Supplied/Gisborne District Council

‘Without new funding mechanisms’

Hamilton City Council was among those that said they backed the intent of the bill, but threw in a ‘but’.

“As it’s written new statutory duties are being introduced without new funding mechanisms,” said mayor Tim Macindoe.

Tougher still, this coincided with a government move to cap rate rises.

Winder from Christchurch made a similar point, and added the new bill had little to say about reducing the risks and readiness, though these mattered most and cost the least at local level.

“The bill gives little weight to these two areas. It leans heavily towards response and recovery,” said Winder.

“That misses the chance to prevent the very outcomes that drove these reforms.”

Long plans on high shelves would make little difference, he added, and it was people at ground level the legislation had to empower.

Kiri Allan for the National Iwi Chairs Forum Pou Take Ahuarangi said Māori had never been embedded in the legislation before and the bill went a long way to correcting that.

Yet it still did not deliver the essential decisionmaking power, she said.

“Time and time again” disaster inquiry reports had found Māori were crucial in the aftermath – even down to the micro-level of fixing dips in a road that flooded and isolated homes – but were “often not seen”, and though they were included in operational groups they were excluded from decision-making, Allan added.

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/27/flood-early-warning-systems-where-are-they-in-the-civil-defence-act-overhaul/

Posted on

Aucklanders protest government’s move-on orders for rough sleepers

Source: Radio New Zealand

People living and working in Auckland’s central city are making their opposition to forcing out homeless people known. Supplied

People living and working in Auckland’s central city are making their opposition to forcing out homeless people known.

On Thursday night, about 30 rangatahi took their sleeping bags to Karangahape Road to protest the government’s new move-on orders.

The government confirmed this week that it would give police the power to move on rough sleepers, beggars, or people displaying disorderly behaviour, not just from Auckland CBD but from all town centres in the country.

Those who did not comply could be fined up to $2000 or jailed for up to three months.

Musician and activist Jazmine Mary organised the sit-in at St Kevin’s Arcade.

“We’ve got signs that say ‘homes not handcuffs’, ‘care not criminalisation’, ‘sleeping is not a crime’, we’ve got people reading books and sitting on sleeping bags and having conversations about how things can change.”

They said it was important to show solidarity with the unhoused community on the street.

“That’s a part of why we’re here to show that community that we’re on their side. And we’re also here to show any businesses in this area that aren’t on that side that we care, and we’re here, and we actually have a lot of power. And to ask the government, our public servants, to listen to us.”

Musician, artist, and activist Jazmine Mary, who organised the sit in. Supplied

Another protestor, 24-year-old Mars Cook said the issue was personal for him.

“I’m using my privilege as a person who was formally homeless and now has housing, so I can be here and sit here and do a little bit of civil disobedience and raise awareness.

“This issue is perhaps the biggest issue that we have in the CBD and in Auckland in general, which is a lack of access to affordable, safe housing.”

Ricki Dewstow, 23, was also outraged.

“This hits particularly hard for me. I’m not able to pay my rent this week. I’m so lucky to have a lovely friend that’s helping me.

“Being homeless and sleeping on the street could happen to anyone in a matter of hours. Being told to move up the street isn’t going to help you. It’s going to further stigmatise you and make you angry.”

People living and working in Auckland’s central city are making their opposition to forcing out homeless people known. Supplied

Auckland City Mission’s chief executive, Helen Robinson, updated the Auckland Council on homelessness and her concerns about the move on orders on Thursday.

After the meeting, she told RNZ she feared the move would push those who needed it away from support services like theirs in the CBD.

“The Auckland City Mission and our building here, Homeground, is located smack bang in the centre of the central city. We’re a block from Sky City and two streets up parallel to Queen Street. Should the move on orders come, and let’s say someone is in the middle of Queen Street and they’re asked to move on a reasonable distance, which is what we understand the legislation says at the moment, that could mean they wouldn’t be able to access our building.”

She said the City Mission was looking at applying to be a legally recognised place of refuge so people issued move-on orders could legally access its premises.

She believed the government’s plan would not be effective in reducing anti-social behaviour.

“I do really acknowledge the genuine intent of the legislation proposed to support a good law and order move, the Auckland City Mission wants that. And what we’re genuinely saying is the answer is homes and support, not move-on orders.”

Auckland City Missioner Helen Robinson. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Speaking to media in Auckland yesterday, Prime Minister Chris Luxon did not share Robinson’s view.

“I disagree completely. What we’re doing here is giving police the tools to deal with disruptive and anti-social behaviour in our CBD. And it’s one tool that they have. Each individual circumstance is actually very complicated and complex, and police will make the assessment as to whether they exercise the move on order or plug the person into social services.

“But we want our families, visitors, and the public to be able to come into the city and not be abused, threatened, and intimidated.”

But Aucklanders like 30-year-old Audrey May, who took part in the Karangahape Road protest, were not backing down.

“It’s deeply wrong and unfair to allow people to be fined $2000 that they probably can’t afford or a three-month prison sentence. It’s kind of ludicrous, to be honest.

“I’m lucky that I can choose to come and sit down here for a few hours, whereas people born into different circumstances don’t get that choice. They’re sitting on the ground because they have nowhere else to sit.”

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/27/aucklanders-protest-governments-move-on-orders-for-rough-sleepers/

Posted on

Flood early warning systems – where are they in the Civil Defence Act overhaul?

Source: Radio New Zealand

An overhaul of emergency management legislation has reached the crucial stage of submissions to a parliamentary select committee. RNZ

Transpower is questioning why early warning systems during disasters do not rate as essential infrastructure under an overhaul of emergency management legislation.

The overhaul has reached the crucial stage of submissions to a parliamentary select committee, in a years-long one-step-forward-and-another-back effort to replace a 24-year-old Civil Defence Act that multiple inquiries have poked holes in.

Submitters said they broadly backed the push but questioned where was the likes of decisionmaking power for Māori, who so often stepped into the breach amid storms, where was alignment with climate change policies, and where was the money to make real change happen.

“The core question for us is straightforward,” Christchurch City Council’s Civil Defence manager Brendan Winder told the MPs, “If Parliament wants higher and more consistent capability across the country, who will fund that uplift?”

‘Brutally tied to best endeavours’

Transpower asked where flood protection services and early warning and monitoring systems were at.

The bill would set up a new schedule of emergency infrastructure providers with new obligations to protect things like celltowers, power lines and emergency broadcasting.

“We consider that the failure to include ‘flood protection services’ and ‘early warning system services’ in Schedule 3 from the outset would have potential negative implications, effects, and costs,” said its written submission.

The lack of warning of rampaging floodwaters that swept people away in Esk Valley near Napier has trigger repeated angry calls by locals for change.

When the Esk River burst its banks during Cyclone Gabrielle, floodwaters filled the entire valley. Supplied

“All of those warning systems are not hard-coded or identified anywhere in any legislation as being important,” Transpower’s senior principal engineer Andrew Renton told the committee this week.

“And therefore councils and everybody else are brutally tied to best endeavours.”

Transpower made its own efforts, including under other laws and regulations that already demanded this: flood protection services had reduced the risks for its Edgecumbe Substation, while monitoring of the Poorman Valley Stream had cut it for its Stoke Substation.

‘New ways to be punished’

Cyclone Gabrielle was a nadir among several low points over two decades of emergency responses marked by individual heroism and systemic failings, with inquiries later on calling for urgent changes.

However, the government has maintained that since Gabrielle local responses had improved a lot.

It scrapped an earlier, drawnout approach by the previous government to overhaul Civil Defence.

The size of the stick wielded under the new law – going as far as criminal offences with fines or imprisonment – had Engineering NZ (ENZ) worried.

“We are concerned the bill adds new ways to be punished during emergencies,” it said in its written submission.

It would give a Director-General of Emergency Management the power to issue compliance orders and duties, then crack down.

“For councils and essential service providers already stretched, penalties could pull money and people away from response and recovery,” ENZ said.

Warnings and guidance would be better, it said.

A broken water pipe in Gisborne following Cyclone Gabrielle. Supplied/Gisborne District Council

‘Without new funding mechanisms’

Hamilton City Council was among those that said they backed the intent of the bill, but threw in a ‘but’.

“As it’s written new statutory duties are being introduced without new funding mechanisms,” said mayor Tim Macindoe.

Tougher still, this coincided with a government move to cap rate rises.

Winder from Christchurch made a similar point, and added the new bill had little to say about reducing the risks and readiness, though these mattered most and cost the least at local level.

“The bill gives little weight to these two areas. It leans heavily towards response and recovery,” said Winder.

“That misses the chance to prevent the very outcomes that drove these reforms.”

Long plans on high shelves would make little difference, he added, and it was people at ground level the legislation had to empower.

Kiri Allan for the National Iwi Chairs Forum Pou Take Ahuarangi said Māori had never been embedded in the legislation before and the bill went a long way to correcting that.

Yet it still did not deliver the essential decisionmaking power, she said.

“Time and time again” disaster inquiry reports had found Māori were crucial in the aftermath – even down to the micro-level of fixing dips in a road that flooded and isolated homes – but were “often not seen”, and though they were included in operational groups they were excluded from decision-making, Allan added.

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/27/flood-early-warning-systems-where-are-they-in-the-civil-defence-act-overhaul/

Posted on

Foreign crew on retired Interislander ferry earning below minimum wage

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Vega, formerly the Interislander ferry Aratere, at anchor in Tasman Bay in December. Barry Whitnall Photography

The former ferry has been anchored in Tasman Bay for nearly three months while it awaits permission to enter India. Supplied / Barry Whitnall

The former Interislander ferry Aratere has spent five months in New Zealand waters since being retired, with the foreign crew onboard earning below minimum wage, as it waits for permission to enter India.

KiwiRail retired the ferry last year and announced in October it had been sold to a buyer who would deliver it to a specialist recycling shipyard in India.

The ship has since been renamed Vega, the Interislander logos painted over, and flagged to Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. Contracts show it is registered to Jahaj Solutions (F.Z.E), which is based in the United Arab Emirates.

Since December, it has been anchored in Tasman Bay and it is still unclear when it will leave New Zealand.

Earlier this month, the Maritime Union of NZ said it had serious concerns about the pay of the foreign crew onboard the Vega, which it said was significantly below international and domestic benchmarks.

Associate Transport Minister James Meager said the Maritime Labour Convention, an international treaty that New Zealand has signed, included standards for seafarer’s pay.

“How these standards apply to the crew of the Vega is up to the country where the ship is registered. The Vega’s flag state is Saint Kitts and Nevis so the responsibility for the application of these standards sits with them.”

Meager said the government took the safety of seafarers seriously and he had been told by officials who had visited the crew onboard that no welfare concerns had been raised with them.

KiwiRail sold the former ferry to a Dubai based company that is expected to deliver it to a specialist recycling shipyard in India. Barry Whitnall Photography

A Maritime NZ spokesperson said it recently undertook a welfare and safety check of the vessel and found the crew was being adequately provided for and their needs were being met. It was maintaining contact with all parties involved and would continue to monitor the situation.

Immigration New Zealand visa director Peter Elms said the crew of the Vega held visitor visas that permitted them to work on that particular vessel, as it intended to leave New Zealand.

What are the crew being paid?

RNZ understands there are around 20 crew from India on board who had signed new contracts since the union first raised concerns about their pay.

The old contracts viewed by the union showed an able seaman on board the ship was being paid a basic wage of US$206

(NZ$340) per month.

That was significantly below the ILO minimum basic wage for an able seafarer, which rose to US$690 (NZ$1140) per month on 1 January 2026.

New Zealand is a founding member of the International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency dedicated to promoting social justice and internationally recognised human and labour rights.

While the organisation provides international standards and guidance on minimum wages, it is up to individual countries to apply these through their own laws.

Maritime Union of New Zealand national secretary Carl Findlay said he had been told the crew had signed new agreements in line with ILO standards, but the union said that was still not good enough.

“Their pay rates are still well below what New Zealanders would be paid to work in the waters on their coast.”

He said the seafarers onboard the Vega were in a tricky situation as they were stranded in New Zealand with no date for departure, which was a real concern.

Reflagging vessels involved changing a ship’s registration to a different country, often to a “flag of convenience” with lax regulations to avoid strict environmental, safety, labour, or sanction laws.

“This is happening all over the world, on a daily basis, it’s a terrible, terrible problem and we don’t want it to creep any further into New Zealand or Australia.”

In 2012, the government announced that all foreign-owned fishing vessels operating in New Zealand waters

needed to be flagged to New Zealand, to address labour, safety and fisheries practice concerns.

Findlay said action needed to be taken to do the same for other foreign-owned vessels and the Maritime Union would be lobbying the government to make changes.

The Vega, pictured at anchor in Tasman Bay in February, has a number of crew onboard from India. Supplied / Barry Whitnall

Why is the Vega still here?

The Vega is due to be dismantled in India, a practice considered sustainable as it allows materials to be recycled, although there are documented concerns over the environmental, health and safety standards in the industry, and the risks to workers in developing countries where health and safety regulations are poor.

In New Zealand, the Environmental Protection Authority is responsible for making sure the country meets its obligations to the Basel Convention – an international treaty which controls the movement of hazardous waste.

A spokesperson for the EPA said the application for the ship’s export was complete but it still had not received an update from the Competent Authority in India about the requested import consent.

Until that had been received and an export permit issued, the vessel could be exported.

RNZ understands there are plans for the Vega to come into Port Nelson towards the end of the month, for re-provisioning and refuelling.

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/27/foreign-crew-on-retired-interislander-ferry-earning-below-minimum-wage/

Posted on

Foreign crew on retired Interislander ferry earning below minimum wage

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Vega, formerly the Interislander ferry Aratere, at anchor in Tasman Bay in December. Barry Whitnall Photography

The former ferry has been anchored in Tasman Bay for nearly three months while it awaits permission to enter India. Supplied / Barry Whitnall

The former Interislander ferry Aratere has spent five months in New Zealand waters since being retired, with the foreign crew onboard earning below minimum wage, as it waits for permission to enter India.

KiwiRail retired the ferry last year and announced in October it had been sold to a buyer who would deliver it to a specialist recycling shipyard in India.

The ship has since been renamed Vega, the Interislander logos painted over, and flagged to Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. Contracts show it is registered to Jahaj Solutions (F.Z.E), which is based in the United Arab Emirates.

Since December, it has been anchored in Tasman Bay and it is still unclear when it will leave New Zealand.

Earlier this month, the Maritime Union of NZ said it had serious concerns about the pay of the foreign crew onboard the Vega, which it said was significantly below international and domestic benchmarks.

Associate Transport Minister James Meager said the Maritime Labour Convention, an international treaty that New Zealand has signed, included standards for seafarer’s pay.

“How these standards apply to the crew of the Vega is up to the country where the ship is registered. The Vega’s flag state is Saint Kitts and Nevis so the responsibility for the application of these standards sits with them.”

Meager said the government took the safety of seafarers seriously and he had been told by officials who had visited the crew onboard that no welfare concerns had been raised with them.

KiwiRail sold the former ferry to a Dubai based company that is expected to deliver it to a specialist recycling shipyard in India. Barry Whitnall Photography

A Maritime NZ spokesperson said it recently undertook a welfare and safety check of the vessel and found the crew was being adequately provided for and their needs were being met. It was maintaining contact with all parties involved and would continue to monitor the situation.

Immigration New Zealand visa director Peter Elms said the crew of the Vega held visitor visas that permitted them to work on that particular vessel, as it intended to leave New Zealand.

What are the crew being paid?

RNZ understands there are around 20 crew from India on board who had signed new contracts since the union first raised concerns about their pay.

The old contracts viewed by the union showed an able seaman on board the ship was being paid a basic wage of US$206

(NZ$340) per month.

That was significantly below the ILO minimum basic wage for an able seafarer, which rose to US$690 (NZ$1140) per month on 1 January 2026.

New Zealand is a founding member of the International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency dedicated to promoting social justice and internationally recognised human and labour rights.

While the organisation provides international standards and guidance on minimum wages, it is up to individual countries to apply these through their own laws.

Maritime Union of New Zealand national secretary Carl Findlay said he had been told the crew had signed new agreements in line with ILO standards, but the union said that was still not good enough.

“Their pay rates are still well below what New Zealanders would be paid to work in the waters on their coast.”

He said the seafarers onboard the Vega were in a tricky situation as they were stranded in New Zealand with no date for departure, which was a real concern.

Reflagging vessels involved changing a ship’s registration to a different country, often to a “flag of convenience” with lax regulations to avoid strict environmental, safety, labour, or sanction laws.

“This is happening all over the world, on a daily basis, it’s a terrible, terrible problem and we don’t want it to creep any further into New Zealand or Australia.”

In 2012, the government announced that all foreign-owned fishing vessels operating in New Zealand waters

needed to be flagged to New Zealand, to address labour, safety and fisheries practice concerns.

Findlay said action needed to be taken to do the same for other foreign-owned vessels and the Maritime Union would be lobbying the government to make changes.

The Vega, pictured at anchor in Tasman Bay in February, has a number of crew onboard from India. Supplied / Barry Whitnall

Why is the Vega still here?

The Vega is due to be dismantled in India, a practice considered sustainable as it allows materials to be recycled, although there are documented concerns over the environmental, health and safety standards in the industry, and the risks to workers in developing countries where health and safety regulations are poor.

In New Zealand, the Environmental Protection Authority is responsible for making sure the country meets its obligations to the Basel Convention – an international treaty which controls the movement of hazardous waste.

A spokesperson for the EPA said the application for the ship’s export was complete but it still had not received an update from the Competent Authority in India about the requested import consent.

Until that had been received and an export permit issued, the vessel could be exported.

RNZ understands there are plans for the Vega to come into Port Nelson towards the end of the month, for re-provisioning and refuelling.

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/27/foreign-crew-on-retired-interislander-ferry-earning-below-minimum-wage/

Posted on

Tall Blacks beat Philippines in key World Cup qualifier

Source: Radio New Zealand

Max Darling of New Zealand shoots against the Philippines. photosport

The Tall Blacks are off the mark in their World Cup qualifying pool for next year’s basketball World Cup, overcoming the Philippines 69-66 in a tense affair in Manila.

Sam Mennenga was influential under the basket as New Zealand staved off a charge from the home side and a raucous home crowd over the closing minutes.

It follows twin losses for the 25th-ranked Tall Blacks in their two opening Asian qualifying group games against world No.6 Australia last last year which left them on the back foot in their four-team pool.

The top three teams advance to the next window, with New Zealand favoured to finish ahead of 36th-ranked Philippines and 79th-ranked Guam.

They are away to winless Guam in Mangilao on Sunday, although will field a weakened team, with some Tall Blacks players having committed to link up with their professional clubs immediately after the Philippines game.

Forward Max Darling top scored for New Zealand with 11 points but Warriors centre Mennenga produced the best overall statistics, mixing 10 points with 14 rebounds – including five at the offensive end – four assists, one steal and one block.

Adelaide 36ers guard Keanu Rasmussen was handed a late appearance on international debut.

Judd Flavell Andrew Skinner/www.photosport.nz

Coach Judd Flavell was pleased his side emerged victorious in a defence-dominated affair.

“We came here to get the win, and we got the job done,” Flavell said.

“We knew it was gonna be a tough series against Australia in December. Both those games went down to the wire. We got beaten on a last-second bank shot three. There were plenty of positives, so the morale was very good.”

“The group is very connected. We’re not a big country, but that makes us stronger. Because we’re a small country we need to be together and play a connected style of basketball. And that’s the same off the court.”

Flavell said a key to victory was shutting down Philippines’ main scorer Justin Brownlee, who was held to just four points.

“He’s given us the business before and in recent games, so he was a large focal point for us. I thought that went a long way for us defensively tonight.

“It helps that we’ve played each other a lot and it obviously helps them with us too and our system. But we know he takes a lot of attention. He’s a true international scorer, so the intention was that we’ve just got to be within touching distance of him at all times.”

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/27/tall-blacks-beat-philippines-in-key-world-cup-qualifier/

Posted on

Tall Blacks beat Philippines in key World Cup qualifier

Source: Radio New Zealand

Max Darling of New Zealand shoots against the Philippines. photosport

The Tall Blacks are off the mark in their World Cup qualifying pool for next year’s basketball World Cup, overcoming the Philippines 69-66 in a tense affair in Manila.

Sam Mennenga was influential under the basket as New Zealand staved off a charge from the home side and a raucous home crowd over the closing minutes.

It follows twin losses for the 25th-ranked Tall Blacks in their two opening Asian qualifying group games against world No.6 Australia last last year which left them on the back foot in their four-team pool.

The top three teams advance to the next window, with New Zealand favoured to finish ahead of 36th-ranked Philippines and 79th-ranked Guam.

They are away to winless Guam in Mangilao on Sunday, although will field a weakened team, with some Tall Blacks players having committed to link up with their professional clubs immediately after the Philippines game.

Forward Max Darling top scored for New Zealand with 11 points but Warriors centre Mennenga produced the best overall statistics, mixing 10 points with 14 rebounds – including five at the offensive end – four assists, one steal and one block.

Adelaide 36ers guard Keanu Rasmussen was handed a late appearance on international debut.

Judd Flavell Andrew Skinner/www.photosport.nz

Coach Judd Flavell was pleased his side emerged victorious in a defence-dominated affair.

“We came here to get the win, and we got the job done,” Flavell said.

“We knew it was gonna be a tough series against Australia in December. Both those games went down to the wire. We got beaten on a last-second bank shot three. There were plenty of positives, so the morale was very good.”

“The group is very connected. We’re not a big country, but that makes us stronger. Because we’re a small country we need to be together and play a connected style of basketball. And that’s the same off the court.”

Flavell said a key to victory was shutting down Philippines’ main scorer Justin Brownlee, who was held to just four points.

“He’s given us the business before and in recent games, so he was a large focal point for us. I thought that went a long way for us defensively tonight.

“It helps that we’ve played each other a lot and it obviously helps them with us too and our system. But we know he takes a lot of attention. He’s a true international scorer, so the intention was that we’ve just got to be within touching distance of him at all times.”

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/27/tall-blacks-beat-philippines-in-key-world-cup-qualifier/

Posted on

Raglan residents worried about hosting World Surf League Championship Tour

Source: Radio New Zealand

The World Surf League Championship Tour has added Raglan to the 2026 tour. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod

When Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston announced the World Surf League Championship Tour was coming to Raglan it caught many locals by surprise and the reaction has not been completely positive.

On a hot sunny day when the tide was out, RNZ went to the beach and village in Raglan to get the local perspective.

Surfer Edward Wheeler was leaving the water and heading up the beach to wash off his board.

First thing’s first – how was the surf?

“Out there was quite nice, the water temperature’s beautiful at the moment,” he said.

Surfer Edward Wheeler thinks Raglan deserves to be on the tour but worries about the effect on the town. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod

Wheeler could see why the World Surf League had added Raglan to its tour.

“The break is definitely worth the World Surf League, definitely, but it’s more the hidden town we just don’t want to lose,” he said.

RNZ heard this tension between the pros and cons of the 10-day event in May 2026 from most people it spoke to.

It would bring the biggest elite surfing event ever staged in New Zealand to a keen surfing community.

But it could also bring up to 20,000 people and expose the village to millions more watching on television.

“It will be good for Raglan in some ways of course for businesses and this sort of thing, but Raglan, as everyone knows, is a protected little place and when the world is watching it … there will be people that will have money and will think ‘that’s a lovely little place’,” said Wheeler.

Chris Perry was not so worried that the event might introduce the world to Raglan. He swam or blokarted at the beach nearly every day.

“Raglan’s world renowned now, it has a reputation, and I think all this will do is enhance the town,” he said.

Chris Perry swam or blow-carted at the beach in Raglan nearly every day. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod

Whether the announcement was a shock seemed to depend on how connected residents were to the surfing community.

RNZ spoke to two locals, Linda and Barrie, up in the village.

Linda had been surprised when she heard Raglan was joining the tour.

She had concerns, especially about the management of wastewater with so many visitors in town.

“I [want] it shipped out of town – completely … it has to be shipped out, it cannot be kept here because it will be a nightmare,” she said.

But Barrie Rogerson owned B.rex Photo Design in the village, specialising in surf photography, and was in the ‘surf loop’.

“I kind of heard early on there was something happening in that regard,” he said.

Around the corner, Sam McGlennon was ordering a coffee at a humming local cafe.

He could understand why people were nervous about bringing such a big competition to a town which he said could already struggle to cope with its visitor numbers.

“Even a major long weekend in summer here already has an impact on town, on being able to move around and get from place to place and finding a table in the sun to enjoy a coffee for example. I think it’s just going to be an extension of that.”

Sam McGlennon could understand why people were nervous about such a big competition coming to town. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod

McGlennon said some locals were already making plans to leave Raglan for the 10 days.

“A lot of people I know are renting their houses out for Air BnB’s, so in a way there’s ways to benefit from it as well. But it’s a pretty small town, some of our infrastructure is already pretty stretched, and like a lot of places around the country this just places some extra pressure on that.”

Concern over the strain the event would put on housing, roading, and wastewater infrastructure was raised several times.

Eloise Doller was operations manager at Raglan Refuel and a community board member.

She said there was plenty of time and resources to answer everyone’s questions.

“We’ve had a meeting up at the hall last Thursday with the [World Surf League] team, everyone’s getting well prepared for it and they’re giving us great information and support as well,” she said.

Waikato District Council had also set up a dedicated webpage with event information and answers to some of these pressing local concerns.

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/27/raglan-residents-worried-about-hosting-world-surf-league-championship-tour/

Posted on

Residents remain cautious about Moa Point despite authorities’ all clear

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington authorities have decided it is safe enough for swimmers to make their own calls about whether to jump in at the south coast. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

A local diver says he will eat shellfish from the south coast after the mayor has tried some kina from the sewage spill hot spot.

Wellington authorities have decided it is safe enough for swimmers to make their own calls about whether to jump in but kaimoana is a different story.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Public Health strongly advised people not to collect and consume shellfish from the south coast area as they could be contaminated for weeks after exposure to sewage.

But Wellington diver Eugene Ryder said on Thuirsday the mixed messaging was confusing and people should keep out of the water all together.

“Even if you are swimming, the water is gonna get in your ears, your nose and your mouth.

“It just doesn’t make sense that you can do one and not the other, I think it’s preferable that everyone waits till we’re allowed to collect kaimoana before you even get in to swim.

“I thought the mayor was pretty courageous jumping in there yesterday.

“I definitely wouldn’t.”

Wellington mayor Andrew Little swims at Lyall Bay after announcing the lifting of a swimming ban. RNZ / Mark Papalii

But MPI said it was not quite that simple.

“Shellfish they filter water.”

MPI’s deputy director general of food safety Vincent Arbuckle said that was what made it different to swimming.

“A mussel will filter up to 70 litres of water a day, and they condense bacteria and viruses and contaminants. So that’s very different from taking a quick dip in the water.

“If you eat something that’s filtered 70 litres of water, you’re getting a condensed version of whatever’s in the water.”

And in the water there had been millions of litres of untreated sewage.

It was a similar story for grazers paua and kina.

But because the south coast had been closed, those still keen to get in the water had been travelling further afield.

“All the divers are going to Makara, to Titahi Bay … Some are going around to Ngawi and further around on the other side. But it’s put pressure on those areas.”

Some divers had instead been encouraging each other to use the rāhui to check and update their gear, rather than be in the water.

“But unfortunately, there’s been quite a few people going into west coast of Wellington and just hammering it.”

He said in one area he had seen 50 boats out at once which was hugely unusual.

But until south coast kaimoana was on the menu, that would likely remain the situation, Ryder said.

MPI’s Arbuckle said that would take at least three weeks in a perfect world.

“From a sewerage release, around 28 days is normally the period that we would say it’s usually safe if nothing else has happened.”

Dive Wellington runs sessions in the Taputeranga Marine Reserve almost everyday.  Supplied / Dave Drane

Dave Drane from Dive Wellington did not think his usual south coast hot spot, Shark’s Tooth, will be back by then.

He was hoping slightly further afield might come back faster.

“We’ll stick to gathering kaimoana off Red Rocks and places like that.

“It’s pretty tidal and it would take a lot for any sewage to reach there. It’ll go out to sea before it reaches there,” Drane said.

Ryder had a different plan.

“When we see our mayor eating a kina that’s been collected from Princess Bay, then, yeah, then we’ll have a look at it.

“But we’ll wait to see what effect it has on his health first.”

Ryder said he had never heard of Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) until Wednesday and divers were untrusting of what local authorities were reporting.

According to MPI, so far there had been no reports of people getting sick from contaminated kaimoana.

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/02/27/residents-remain-cautious-about-moa-point-despite-authorities-all-clear/

Posted on

Residents remain cautious about Moa Point despite authorities’ all clear

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington authorities have decided it is safe enough for swimmers to make their own calls about whether to jump in at the south coast. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

A local diver says he will eat shellfish from the south coast after the mayor has tried some kina from the sewage spill hot spot.

Wellington authorities have decided it is safe enough for swimmers to make their own calls about whether to jump in but kaimoana is a different story.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Public Health strongly advised people not to collect and consume shellfish from the south coast area as they could be contaminated for weeks after exposure to sewage.

But Wellington diver Eugene Ryder said on Thuirsday the mixed messaging was confusing and people should keep out of the water all together.

“Even if you are swimming, the water is gonna get in your ears, your nose and your mouth.

“It just doesn’t make sense that you can do one and not the other, I think it’s preferable that everyone waits till we’re allowed to collect kaimoana before you even get in to swim.

“I thought the mayor was pretty courageous jumping in there yesterday.

“I definitely wouldn’t.”

Wellington mayor Andrew Little swims at Lyall Bay after announcing the lifting of a swimming ban. RNZ / Mark Papalii

But MPI said it was not quite that simple.

“Shellfish they filter water.”

MPI’s deputy director general of food safety Vincent Arbuckle said that was what made it different to swimming.

“A mussel will filter up to 70 litres of water a day, and they condense bacteria and viruses and contaminants. So that’s very different from taking a quick dip in the water.

“If you eat something that’s filtered 70 litres of water, you’re getting a condensed version of whatever’s in the water.”

And in the water there had been millions of litres of untreated sewage.

It was a similar story for grazers paua and kina.

But because the south coast had been closed, those still keen to get in the water had been travelling further afield.

“All the divers are going to Makara, to Titahi Bay … Some are going around to Ngawi and further around on the other side. But it’s put pressure on those areas.”

Some divers had instead been encouraging each other to use the rāhui to check and update their gear, rather than be in the water.

“But unfortunately, there’s been quite a few people going into west coast of Wellington and just hammering it.”

He said in one area he had seen 50 boats out at once which was hugely unusual.

But until south coast kaimoana was on the menu, that would likely remain the situation, Ryder said.

MPI’s Arbuckle said that would take at least three weeks in a perfect world.

“From a sewerage release, around 28 days is normally the period that we would say it’s usually safe if nothing else has happened.”

Dive Wellington runs sessions in the Taputeranga Marine Reserve almost everyday.  Supplied / Dave Drane

Dave Drane from Dive Wellington did not think his usual south coast hot spot, Shark’s Tooth, will be back by then.

He was hoping slightly further afield might come back faster.

“We’ll stick to gathering kaimoana off Red Rocks and places like that.

“It’s pretty tidal and it would take a lot for any sewage to reach there. It’ll go out to sea before it reaches there,” Drane said.

Ryder had a different plan.

“When we see our mayor eating a kina that’s been collected from Princess Bay, then, yeah, then we’ll have a look at it.

“But we’ll wait to see what effect it has on his health first.”

Ryder said he had never heard of Land, Air, Water Aotearoa (LAWA) until Wednesday and divers were untrusting of what local authorities were reporting.

According to MPI, so far there had been no reports of people getting sick from contaminated kaimoana.

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/27/residents-remain-cautious-about-moa-point-despite-authorities-all-clear/

Posted on

Raglan residents worried about hosting World Surf League Championship Tour

Source: Radio New Zealand

The World Surf League Championship Tour has added Raglan to the 2026 tour. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod

When Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston announced the World Surf League Championship Tour was coming to Raglan it caught many locals by surprise and the reaction has not been completely positive.

On a hot sunny day when the tide was out, RNZ went to the beach and village in Raglan to get the local perspective.

Surfer Edward Wheeler was leaving the water and heading up the beach to wash off his board.

First thing’s first – how was the surf?

“Out there was quite nice, the water temperature’s beautiful at the moment,” he said.

Surfer Edward Wheeler thinks Raglan deserves to be on the tour but worries about the effect on the town. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod

Wheeler could see why the World Surf League had added Raglan to its tour.

“The break is definitely worth the World Surf League, definitely, but it’s more the hidden town we just don’t want to lose,” he said.

RNZ heard this tension between the pros and cons of the 10-day event in May 2026 from most people it spoke to.

It would bring the biggest elite surfing event ever staged in New Zealand to a keen surfing community.

But it could also bring up to 20,000 people and expose the village to millions more watching on television.

“It will be good for Raglan in some ways of course for businesses and this sort of thing, but Raglan, as everyone knows, is a protected little place and when the world is watching it … there will be people that will have money and will think ‘that’s a lovely little place’,” said Wheeler.

Chris Perry was not so worried that the event might introduce the world to Raglan. He swam or blokarted at the beach nearly every day.

“Raglan’s world renowned now, it has a reputation, and I think all this will do is enhance the town,” he said.

Chris Perry swam or blow-carted at the beach in Raglan nearly every day. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod

Whether the announcement was a shock seemed to depend on how connected residents were to the surfing community.

RNZ spoke to two locals, Linda and Barrie, up in the village.

Linda had been surprised when she heard Raglan was joining the tour.

She had concerns, especially about the management of wastewater with so many visitors in town.

“I [want] it shipped out of town – completely … it has to be shipped out, it cannot be kept here because it will be a nightmare,” she said.

But Barrie Rogerson owned B.rex Photo Design in the village, specialising in surf photography, and was in the ‘surf loop’.

“I kind of heard early on there was something happening in that regard,” he said.

Around the corner, Sam McGlennon was ordering a coffee at a humming local cafe.

He could understand why people were nervous about bringing such a big competition to a town which he said could already struggle to cope with its visitor numbers.

“Even a major long weekend in summer here already has an impact on town, on being able to move around and get from place to place and finding a table in the sun to enjoy a coffee for example. I think it’s just going to be an extension of that.”

Sam McGlennon could understand why people were nervous about such a big competition coming to town. RNZ / Libby Kirkby-McLeod

McGlennon said some locals were already making plans to leave Raglan for the 10 days.

“A lot of people I know are renting their houses out for Air BnB’s, so in a way there’s ways to benefit from it as well. But it’s a pretty small town, some of our infrastructure is already pretty stretched, and like a lot of places around the country this just places some extra pressure on that.”

Concern over the strain the event would put on housing, roading, and wastewater infrastructure was raised several times.

Eloise Doller was operations manager at Raglan Refuel and a community board member.

She said there was plenty of time and resources to answer everyone’s questions.

“We’ve had a meeting up at the hall last Thursday with the [World Surf League] team, everyone’s getting well prepared for it and they’re giving us great information and support as well,” she said.

Waikato District Council had also set up a dedicated webpage with event information and answers to some of these pressing local concerns.

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/27/raglan-residents-worried-about-hosting-world-surf-league-championship-tour/