Category: AM-NC

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government wants taxpayers to pay for a new liquefied natural gas import terminal, but is promising lower power prices will come as a result.

It is estimated the new terminal, expected to be ready next year at the earliest, will save New Zealanders around $265 million a year by reducing price spikes and lowering the risk premiums.

But a new levy will be charged to get it built.

The government is touting it as a solution to New Zealand’s energy woes.

“It will mean that Kiwis will not need to suffer through an endless series of winter bill shocks,” energy minister Simon Watts said on Monday.

‘Vital part of the overall puzzle’ – Energy Resources Aotearoa

The idea is that it will reduce the risk of shortages during a dry year.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) can be imported at large volumes, stored, and then ‘regasified’ to be sent out for use.

John Carnegie, chief executive of industry body Energy Resources Aotearoa, said the terminal would be a useful insurance policy for when the weather did not play ball.

“LNG will be useful as a vital part of the overall puzzle of New Zealand’s energy system security,” he said.

“LNG can be expected to take the heat out of the electricity market when renewable fuels like wind, water, and the sun don’t turn up when they’re needed. It will place downward pressure on wholesale electricity prices and reduce the risk premium in the out years.”

Last year’s Frontier Report – commissioned to review the performance of the electricity market – warned it should only be used as a last resort.

The report said using it just to meet dry year risk made no economic sense, as the large fixed costs would be spread over a relatively small amount of output.

But Carnegie said LNG provided a “virtuous circle” to support the development of more renewables, and pointed the finger at the previous government’s ban on offshore oil and gas exploration as a reason why power prices were spiking in dry years.

“More wind and solar and batteries are great, but also the conundrum is their growth exacerbates the problem of being too weather dependent. So we need a reliable fuel to fill the gaps which domestic gas previously filled. And so New Zealand’s energy system, I believe, will be at its most effective when renewable generation and firming fuels like LNG and domestic gas work in harmony.”

A separate study by gas company Clarus, along with the four gentailers, found it was feasible but would likely be costly, and only needed occasionally.

Following the announcement, Clarus’ chief executive Paul Goodeve said it would increase New Zealand’s energy resilience and increase the range of markets it could draw from.

“At the moment, the coal that we import is relatively restricted where it comes from. The global market in LNG is vast and diverse, and appears to be continuing as we speak.”

Goodeve was confident it could be financially sustainable, and the government’s involvement in the procurement system made sense.

“It appears as though they’ve got work done by financial advisors who pointed out the benefits to the overall New Zealand energy system, but particularly the electricity system, of having LNG in the mix.”

Details on the shortlist of six were being kept under wraps, but all were in Taranaki.

Port of Taranaki chief executive Simon Craddock said it was a great opportunity for the region, and while the port was not an LNG developer, it was keen to support it.

“The current terminal developments, as I understand it, are all focused on the Taranaki region, and the reason for that is largely proximity to the Maui gas pipeline. But the developers are international companies who may or may not partner with local interests.”

Craddock said there was nothing the port had seen that could have major adverse effects on its current trade.

“The port has a number of advantages… the proximity to the pipeline, we’re the only deep water port on the West Coast. So this is the sort of thing we do day to day, where our main customer to-date has been Methanex. We also have other petrochemical customers on the port, so it really is within our core business suite.”

ACT’s energy spokesperson Simon Court said it was a “sad but necessary bookend” to the oil and gas exploration ban.

“Labour promoted the view that gas is something to be ashamed of. It’s not. Gas is a practical, reliable option when hydro lakes are low. Gas keeps factories running, heaters humming, and lights buzzing. And the environmental case for gas is strong too, because when we can’t burn gas, we burn coal,” he said.

‘It’s cooked’ – Green Party

On Monday, Watts said discussions were commercially sensitive but it would cost “north of a billion dollars” to build.

To pay for those infrastructure costs, the government will charge users an electricity levy of $2 to $4 per megawatt hour.

But Watts was keen to point to the net benefit, with advice showing the facility was expected to cut future prices by at least $10 per megawatt hour.

“So straight away, we’re in the money in regards to benefits versus costs, and our expectation of having that certainty of supply takes away the price spikes that we saw, for example, in 2024.”

That has not convinced the Green Party.

Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the government was guaranteeing added costs to New Zealanders, while relying on “hopes, wishes, and prayers” for future savings.

“I think it’s absolutely bonkers for power bills, for the planet, for our country’s energy resilience. The only people who want this are the fossil fuel industry and seemingly the National Party. Whatever claim, whatever remaining claim the Nats have to being economic managers is now, frankly, up in flames,” she said.

“Honestly, it’s cooked. Christopher Luxon has once again chosen to throw New Zealanders’ money at fossil fuels, which is bad for power bills, energy security and the planet. This is Christopher Luxon’s New Zealand. Profits are flowing offshore, while New Zealanders are paying handsomely for it.”

‘Gas tax’ – Labour

Labour, meanwhile, is calling it a “gas tax”.

Leader Chris Hipkins said households were already struggling with the cost of living, and he did not believe it would reduce power prices.

“I think, if anything, they’re trying to make the argument that this will decrease the rate of increase in power prices. There are other ways to do that. A billion dollars would buy you a hell of a lot of solar panels and batteries, which would save households a significant amount of money.”

Hipkins dismissed questions over whether Labour would terminate any agreements, or put the costs onto the energy companies and take away the levy on households, as “hypothetical.”

The prime minister’s assertion it was a levy, and not a tax, was criticised by the Taxpayers’ Union.

“You don’t make electricity bills cheaper by taxing them. Dancing on the head of a pin over what is a tax and what is a levy is a Labour Party talking point. Luxon should spare us the spin and abandon this folly,” said spokesperson James Ross.

Climate change advocacy group 350 Aotearoa was previously one of twenty signatories that sent an open letter to Luxon and Watts, urging against the new terminal when it was first signalled in October.

Following the confirmation, co-director Alva Feldmeier said while she agreed with the government that New Zealanders were feeling the squeeze with their power bills, the terminal was not the solution.

“Essentially, what they’re doing now is putting a new tax on every New Zealander’s power bill to subsidise an expensive sunset industry,” she said.

Feldmeier said LNG-generated electricity was double the price of new renewable electricity, and the risk of importing and being reliant on international fossil fuels was that New Zealand could also import international price shocks.

“This is a political choice this government is making. They’d rather kowtow to the fossil fuel and the gas lobbies and keep us hooked on gas for longer, than explore how we’re going to get off it, and how we’re going to make some tough decisions in the next few months and years.”

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/10/new-liquefied-natural-gas-terminal-vital-or-bonkers/

Source: Radio New Zealand

John Campbell makes his return to RNZ, joining Ingrid Hipkiss as the new co-host of Morning Report on April 13.

RNZ’s Chief Audio Officer Pip Keane said the field of applicants for role on the flagship news programme was impressive but Campbell stood out .

“John’s experience as a journalist and host is exceptional, but equally important is his passion for pursuing the stories that matter and our audience values this strong journalism. He’s also a highly skilled interviewer, and that’s crucial for Morning Report.”

Keane says he will be a key part of RNZ’s dedicated audio plan, which aims to grow RNZ National’s audience.

“We know John can build an audience; he added 50,000 listeners to Checkpoint’s audience during his time on that programme.”

Campbell says he is thrilled to be returning to daily news.

“3 News, Campbell Live, Checkpoint and Breakfast were all daily shows. In total, I hosted or co-hosted them for over twenty years. I’ve missed the racing heart and the urgency and the way broadcast journalism can respond in an instant to the political cycle, and to breaking news.”

Campbell said he’s listened to Morning Report since it began.

“My parents woke up to it. My childhood mornings echoed to the sound of it. That makes this programme really special to me. My first understanding of journalism would have been from Morning Report. It gives voice to the less powerful and holds a mirror up to New Zealand life. To be able to do that, every weekday morning, with neither fear nor favour, is a such an exciting opportunity.”

His start date is to be confirmed.

He replaces Corin Dann who is stepping down from the role to become RNZ’s new Business Editor.

Dann will replace Gyles Beckford who is retiring as business editor and moving to a new part-time role as Economics Correspondent.

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/2026/02/10/john-campbell-returns-to-rnz-as-morning-report-co-host-on-april-13/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A KiwiRail contractor is “mortified” after eight welds which join the rails together tested faulty.

Auckland train services on both the Southern and Western lines have been restored after the faults were found between Waitematā and Newmarket.

The Parnell rail tunnel was closed overnight after deficient track repairs were carried out over Waitangi Weekend.

Auckland Transport said the fault has now been fixed and that all train services are running as normal.

“The track issues found overnight between Waitematā and Newmarket stations has been fixed.

“All trains will operate as normal from the start of services.”

Replacement buses are no longer required.

The Eastern line was also operating to Waitematā as normal.

KiwiRail chief metro officer David Gordon told Morning Report it became clear on Monday some of the welds that join the rails together had tested faulty.

The contractor had found six with faults – and with a further 18 to be tested – the decision was made to close the tunnel overnight, as the work would not be completed in time for the morning services.

But all were able to be tested overnight and with only a further two found faulty, the work could be done.

By “good fortune”, the tunnel could be opened on Tuesday.

But Gordon said eight faulty welds out of 28 was still a “very high proportion” and why it had happened would need to be investigated.

Gordon said the contractor involved was “mortified” and had done all it could to help to fix the issue.

It had also voluntarily said it would not do any further work until the issue was worked through.

Gordon said KiwiRail had used the contractor it would not name for many years and never had this issue before.

Gordon said there was no impact on safety as a result of this issue.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/10/contractor-mortified-as-fault-welds-found-on-auckland-rail-network/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A rural health expert says increased access to pain relief and blood clotting medications will improve medical outcomes could be life-saving for patients in remote areas.

Pharmac on Monday announced new funding for emergency treatments in rural communities from 1 March.

The funding specifically provided an extended list of medications available to midwives assisting in home births in remote locations, and Primary Response in Medical Emergency (PRIME) services – specially trained GPs and nurses who are first responders for trauma and medical emergencies in rural areas where ambulance services are not readily available.

Rural Health Network clinical director Rebekah Doran told Morning Report having an extended list of medications will make a huge difference.

Those in remote locations had often needed to wait several hours for the right treatment, even for things like pain relief, Doran said.

The Rural Health Network was particularly pleased to see the quickly-administered pain relief methoxyflurane, colloquially called the “green whistle”, added to the list of funded medications for PRIME services, she said.

“It’s something you can inhale and acts as a really quick pain relief for moderate to severe pain, and certainly that will be great for those people involved with trauma or severe pain who are in a rural community and having to wait a while for an ambulance to come.”

Intravenous tranexamic acid – a blood clotting agent – would also be provided to rural midwives assisting in homebirths, which could be used to prevent severe bleeding, she said.

“When women have very heavy bleeding after giving birth it can make the difference [between life and death], so the earlier it’s given, the better outcome.”

Pharmac director strategy policy, and performance Michael Johnson said the increased funding was aimed at ensuring those in remote areas were given the same access to emergency healthcare as those in urban centres.

Pharmac would also fund ketamine for uncontrollable pain in people receiving palliative care in their communities, he said.

“Ketamine is currently funded for palliative care in hospitals, but not in the community.

“Ketamine will be available by prescription or pre-stocked in rest homes and hospices so that people can get it when they need it.”

List of drugs to be funded

PRIME services:

• Droperidol, glucose (5% 100 ml bag and 10% 500 ml bag)
• Ketamine, methoxyflurane
• Intravenous tranexamic acid
• Enoxaparin 100 mg

Home births:

• Intravenous tranexamic acid for postpartum haemorrhage

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/10/new-medicine-funding-could-be-life-saving-for-rural-areas-health-expert-says/

Source: Radio New Zealand

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It sounds like an impossible task – eradicating all stoats, rats and possums from more than 110,000 hectares of South Westland and keeping them out.

But that’s the aim for Predator Free South Westland, a collaborative project with these three pests in its crosshairs.

Its ambitious goal is now nearing completion, and it could provide a template on how to approach large pest removal projects in Aotearoa.

Backcountry beginnings

The project area stretches from the Tasman Sea to the crest of the Southern Alps and is bounded by the Whataroa and Waiau rivers. It covers shoreline, nature reserves, farmland, townships, and lots of rugged, remote backcountry.

But there’s only one way to eat an elephant, and the first ‘bite’ was the Perth Valley. It was here that the project began in 2018.

Tackling its target pests in this rugged backcountry terrain involved 1080 toxin aerial drops. Once that was done, mopping up stragglers and continuous monitoring for reinvasion became key.

It is remote and challenging terrain, further complicated by the West Coast weather, but it became like a second home for field rangers such as Chad Cottle.

“There’s a lot of ephemeral creeks that can come up out of nowhere if you’re not aware of them,” he says.

“So we got used to the ones that came up and weren’t crossable after some rain and ones that went down really quickly. So we know where our boundaries were if we were going out during a rain day we’d know we better not cross that one because we won’t be able to get back across it if it keeps raining.”

Those early days involved chew cards and trail cameras, with rangers then classifying camera images in the hut at the end the day, but along the way the project has embraced new technology.

Now a network of 1200 AI cameras are spread across the project area. These were developed by Zero Invasive Predators, one of the project partners, alongside the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Next Foundation.

The thermal-sensing cameras are trained to identify the three target species and alert the team by email when one is spotted. Pests are lured to the area using mayonnaise, dispensed automatically from a system that creates its own hydrogen gas to put periodic pressure on a plunger. In practical terms, these technological advances mean fewer trips to the backcountry, and therefore lower costs.

Once a pest is spotted, the team jumps into action. Decision-making on how to respond depends on what has been sighted, and where. A breeding population of rats in the backcountry would likely trigger an aerial drop. A possum could be hunted down by a species dog and dispatched with a rifle, or a live capture cage could be set for it. A stoat might be targeted with toxic rat bait.

But the backcountry is only one part of the project area. Around the small towns of Whataroa, Ōkārito and Franz Joseph the team is also working with private landowners, with a very different approach.

The end in sight

Following its early work in the Perth Valley the project area was divided into large distinct blocks of land to tackle one by one. Now it is down to the last section – around 10,000 hectares of farmland around Whataroa – which it aims to complete this year.

Here aerial toxin drops are not an option, so bait stations and trapping become key tools.

Pouri Rakete-Stones, the rural elimination team lead, has been working with farmers and landowners in the community, answering questions about what the project operating on their land would mean for them. And though many of the conversations often start with scepticism, Pouri says in general people are on board with what it’s trying to achieve.

“Most people can’t believe, they don’t believe that we can do it. First thing they say, you’re never going to get rid of rats. You know, there’s too many rats. You might be able to do it with possums, you’re never going to do it with stoats,” Pouri says.

“So trying to have that conversation about what tools we use, what techniques we do, how we go about work.

“We are elimination, we’re not suppression. So we are looking at targeting the last one. Having that conversation, telling those stories, getting them comfortable around what we can do. And then once we get on the ground and start doing the work, they can see the results pretty quickly.”

Maintenance

The project area was carefully chosen for several reasons. A high proportion of conservation land, a region home to several threatened native species, and geographical features that would help the mission.

While pests like possums have at times been spotted at surprising altitudes, the peaks of the Southern Alps seem to be forming an effective barrier against reinvasion.

The Whataroa and Waiau rivers also allow some protection, but roads and bridges across these are weaker points. Pest-proof gates have been installed on the swing bridges in the back country, but low river flow, or perhaps rat stowaways in vehicles mean that reinvasions continue to occur.

The area is thought of as having a ‘core’ that is free of targeted pests, with a buffer zone around it, into which rats, stoats and possums will stray.

Rapid AI camera recognition and response are how it deals with such incursions, but in addition, having identified the rivers as the weak point, the team is now running targeted operations on the other side of the rivers, to limit pest numbers there.

The goal now is to make this maintenance phase as affordable as possible. Nate St Hill, operation coordinator for Predator Free South Westland, says it is close to $30 a hectare, so an annual bill of $3 million (it has cost $50m to do the eradication). The agreement is that the maintenance will be supported by DOC through the Tomorrow Accord. It will continue to work to get that cost down, says Nate, by further embracing technology, thereby reducing labour time, and helicopter costs.

Seeing changes

While rats, stoats and possums are not the only introduced pest mammals in the project area, getting rid of those targeted three is leading to positive changes. Those working on the project for several years, as well as local eco-tourism operators, are reporting increases in both bird and plant life.

More kākāriki and kea have been sighted in the back country, there are reports of large flocks of kererū, and the only natural population of rowi, New Zealand’s rarest kiwi, are now starting to move beyond the Ōkārito Kiwi Sanctuary.

Dion Arnold is managing director of White Heron Sanctuary Tours, which operates in Waitangiroto Nature Reserve, near Whataroa.

The reserve is home to country’s only white heron kōtuku breeding ground, and Dion has been working here for almost three decades.

In recent years, Dion says, native species have been flourishing in the absence of pests.

“Just seeing those regenerating plants on the forest floor, areas that would have looked like a lawnmower had been through the forest in the past, in the last few years has come back with growth all across it,” he says.

“And the same with the bird life all around us. We’re hearing tūī and bellbird, grey warblers, the fantails and tomtits are around. And to see the number of those birds about having flocks of 30 or 40 of them in the trees above us is just incredible.”

The family-run business has been trapping in the area for a long time, but he says the intensive work to get rid of pests in the surrounding region means its traps are mostly for education now.

“Now we can go months and not have a catch in any of our traps out around here. It’s fantastic.”

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/10/our-changing-world-predator-free-south-westland-nears-eradication-goal/

Source: Radio New Zealand

More university students are getting into financial trouble because they are being bombarded by sports betting companies, the Problem Gambling Foundation says.

Stories were emerging of flats of students gambling rent money and student allowances on sporting fixtures.

PGF Services, also known as the Problem Gambling Foundation, was launching a campaign and claimed gambling was becoming increasingly embedded in sport, with young men being increasingly targeted and exposed to betting promotions.

Health promoters from the foundation would be visiting university campuses around the country during O-week.

Director of Advocacy and Public Health Andree Froude told First Up young people were being lured in before they began their tertiary studies.

“We’ve even heard of school students on a bus in uniform talking about the bets they were going to place on sports teams. We’ve heard stories of them openly gambling on their laptops when they’re walking between classes at university,” she said.

“It seems almost like a rite of passage that when they turn 18 they put the Betcha app on their phones.”

There had been examples of students watching games during classes to see if students had been successful with their bets, Froude said.

“Gambling in flats, one person might place the bet but others might be watching and egging them on. There’s a peer pressure element there,” she said.

“Losing rent money, gambling away student allowances. Unfortunately, we’ve heard it all.”

Parents, who were often unaware of the seriousness of the problem, were urged to have conversations with their adult children before they left for university.

“It’s really easy for them to get hooked into it. Once they do become addicted, it can become problematic really quickly,” she said.

Froude said tougher restrictions needed to be introduced on largely unregulated gambling advertising.

“[Students] are being bombarded with ads.

“We would like to see gambling advertising banned but there certainly needs to be much tougher restrictions,” she said.

“They’re being offered inducements to open accounts. There’s ‘live play betting’ which is really harmful as well. There’s things that can be done to protect students and it needs to happen.”

Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour told First Up whilst he had some sympathy for his former employer PGF Services, “personal responsibility” also needed to be underlined.

“We’re talking about university students who are receiving a huge amount of taxpayer money, on the basis that they’re smart and have a future that we should invest in as taxpayers,” he said.

“Casting them as victims incapable of making better choices doesn’t help either.”

Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden was due to introduce gambling legislation to the house this week, Seymour said.

The law would seek to block overseas websites and license a restricted number of online gambling sites, including regulations on advertising.

“[Students] can make choices too. They should know about gambling and that the house always wins. If it didn’t the house would no longer be in business and they wouldn’t be gambling with them.”

Seymour said that although addiction should not be taken lightly, it was not impossible to overcome.

“It almost sounded as though [university students] are completely hapless victims. That’s not how I see New Zealanders.”

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/10/university-students-bombarded-by-sports-betting/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow Our Changing World on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts

It sounds like an impossible task – eradicating all stoats, rats and possums from more than 110,000 hectares of South Westland and keeping them out.

But that’s the aim for Predator Free South Westland, a collaborative project with these three pests in its crosshairs.

Its ambitious goal is now nearing completion, and it could provide a template on how to approach large pest removal projects in Aotearoa.

Backcountry beginnings

The project area stretches from the Tasman Sea to the crest of the Southern Alps and is bounded by the Whataroa and Waiau rivers. It covers shoreline, nature reserves, farmland, townships, and lots of rugged, remote backcountry.

But there’s only one way to eat an elephant, and the first ‘bite’ was the Perth Valley. It was here that the project began in 2018.

Tackling its target pests in this rugged backcountry terrain involved 1080 toxin aerial drops. Once that was done, mopping up stragglers and continuous monitoring for reinvasion became key.

It is remote and challenging terrain, further complicated by the West Coast weather, but it became like a second home for field rangers such as Chad Cottle.

“There’s a lot of ephemeral creeks that can come up out of nowhere if you’re not aware of them,” he says.

“So we got used to the ones that came up and weren’t crossable after some rain and ones that went down really quickly. So we know where our boundaries were if we were going out during a rain day we’d know we better not cross that one because we won’t be able to get back across it if it keeps raining.”

Those early days involved chew cards and trail cameras, with rangers then classifying camera images in the hut at the end the day, but along the way the project has embraced new technology.

Now a network of 1200 AI cameras are spread across the project area. These were developed by Zero Invasive Predators, one of the project partners, alongside the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the Next Foundation.

The thermal-sensing cameras are trained to identify the three target species and alert the team by email when one is spotted. Pests are lured to the area using mayonnaise, dispensed automatically from a system that creates its own hydrogen gas to put periodic pressure on a plunger. In practical terms, these technological advances mean fewer trips to the backcountry, and therefore lower costs.

Once a pest is spotted, the team jumps into action. Decision-making on how to respond depends on what has been sighted, and where. A breeding population of rats in the backcountry would likely trigger an aerial drop. A possum could be hunted down by a species dog and dispatched with a rifle, or a live capture cage could be set for it. A stoat might be targeted with toxic rat bait.

But the backcountry is only one part of the project area. Around the small towns of Whataroa, Ōkārito and Franz Joseph the team is also working with private landowners, with a very different approach.

The end in sight

Following its early work in the Perth Valley the project area was divided into large distinct blocks of land to tackle one by one. Now it is down to the last section – around 10,000 hectares of farmland around Whataroa – which it aims to complete this year.

Here aerial toxin drops are not an option, so bait stations and trapping become key tools.

Pouri Rakete-Stones, the rural elimination team lead, has been working with farmers and landowners in the community, answering questions about what the project operating on their land would mean for them. And though many of the conversations often start with scepticism, Pouri says in general people are on board with what it’s trying to achieve.

“Most people can’t believe, they don’t believe that we can do it. First thing they say, you’re never going to get rid of rats. You know, there’s too many rats. You might be able to do it with possums, you’re never going to do it with stoats,” Pouri says.

“So trying to have that conversation about what tools we use, what techniques we do, how we go about work.

“We are elimination, we’re not suppression. So we are looking at targeting the last one. Having that conversation, telling those stories, getting them comfortable around what we can do. And then once we get on the ground and start doing the work, they can see the results pretty quickly.”

Maintenance

The project area was carefully chosen for several reasons. A high proportion of conservation land, a region home to several threatened native species, and geographical features that would help the mission.

While pests like possums have at times been spotted at surprising altitudes, the peaks of the Southern Alps seem to be forming an effective barrier against reinvasion.

The Whataroa and Waiau rivers also allow some protection, but roads and bridges across these are weaker points. Pest-proof gates have been installed on the swing bridges in the back country, but low river flow, or perhaps rat stowaways in vehicles mean that reinvasions continue to occur.

The area is thought of as having a ‘core’ that is free of targeted pests, with a buffer zone around it, into which rats, stoats and possums will stray.

Rapid AI camera recognition and response are how it deals with such incursions, but in addition, having identified the rivers as the weak point, the team is now running targeted operations on the other side of the rivers, to limit pest numbers there.

The goal now is to make this maintenance phase as affordable as possible. Nate St Hill, operation coordinator for Predator Free South Westland, says it is close to $30 a hectare, so an annual bill of $3 million (it has cost $50m to do the eradication). The agreement is that the maintenance will be supported by DOC through the Tomorrow Accord. It will continue to work to get that cost down, says Nate, by further embracing technology, thereby reducing labour time, and helicopter costs.

Seeing changes

While rats, stoats and possums are not the only introduced pest mammals in the project area, getting rid of those targeted three is leading to positive changes. Those working on the project for several years, as well as local eco-tourism operators, are reporting increases in both bird and plant life.

More kākāriki and kea have been sighted in the back country, there are reports of large flocks of kererū, and the only natural population of rowi, New Zealand’s rarest kiwi, are now starting to move beyond the Ōkārito Kiwi Sanctuary.

Dion Arnold is managing director of White Heron Sanctuary Tours, which operates in Waitangiroto Nature Reserve, near Whataroa.

The reserve is home to country’s only white heron kōtuku breeding ground, and Dion has been working here for almost three decades.

In recent years, Dion says, native species have been flourishing in the absence of pests.

“Just seeing those regenerating plants on the forest floor, areas that would have looked like a lawnmower had been through the forest in the past, in the last few years has come back with growth all across it,” he says.

“And the same with the bird life all around us. We’re hearing tūī and bellbird, grey warblers, the fantails and tomtits are around. And to see the number of those birds about having flocks of 30 or 40 of them in the trees above us is just incredible.”

The family-run business has been trapping in the area for a long time, but he says the intensive work to get rid of pests in the surrounding region means its traps are mostly for education now.

“Now we can go months and not have a catch in any of our traps out around here. It’s fantastic.”

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/10/our-changing-world-going-for-eradication/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington’s mayor can’t say if ratepayers in the broader Wellington region will foot the bill for the failure of the Moa Point wastewater plant.

It could be months before the plant returns to full operation after nearly 80 percent of its equipment was damaged by a backflow of sewage.

Wellington Mayor Andrew Little met with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Local Government and Energy Minister Simon Watts on Monday night. Little said they both agree an independent inquiry into the failure of the Moa Point wastewater treatment plant was needed as soon as possible.

Little told Morning Report that he agreed any review needed to be independent.

Wellington Water manages the region’s water infrastructure on behalf of Wellington, Hutt Valley, Porirua and South Wairarapa district councils.

Tiaki Wai Metro Water, the new water services entity for the Wellington metropolitan area, is set to take over from Wellington Water on 1 July 2026. Little said the new entity won’t pick up liability if Wellington Water is found culpable.

Little said the Moa Point plant is a Wellington City Council asset. He said it will deal with who pays once the plan to get the plant back online is in place.

In the meantime, the council would foot the bill.

“If there’s been a breach of obligations, a breach of duties, then that, to me, has to be sorted out between the parties. In the meantime, the critical thing is to get the [plant] recovered, fixed and back operating. The Wellington City Council will no doubt underwrite that cost,” Little said.

“We want to know what went wrong, where the responsibility lies and if we can recover any costs, then obviously we want to do that.”

Wellington Water chief executive Pat Dougherty told Morning Report on Monday there’s been under-investment over a long period at the Moa Point plant and backs an investigation.

Dougherty said there have been a couple of incidents over the last few months that he suspects may have been early indicators. He also backs an independent investigation into the failure.

“I worry that there may have been some early warning signs that there were troubles with the discharge and we missed those. But everything needs to be on the table,” he said.

Little said he wasn’t aware that early signs may have been missed, adding that was “concerning” to hear.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/10/questions-over-who-will-pay-for-wellingtons-sewage-plant-failure/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Northland couple denied Earthquake Commission (EQC) cover for their landslip-damaged home finally got a payout after bringing in their own expert three years later.

Even so, they came close to losing out entirely when engineers hired by EQC, now called the Natural Hazards Commission, backed its original call that it was not landslide damage.

But those engineers had not visited the site and after being told to do a visit by the commission changed their decison.

A newly released ruling from the Chartered Professional Engineers Council unpacked what went on and the lessons for engineers and home owners.

It was not a trival matter, said the ruling – the situation “had the potential to create an outcome in which insured homeowners were deprived of their entitlement to damage repair”.

“The respondent ought to have either undertaken a site visit or ensured that the report was caveated, identifying its limitations on that basis.”

It took three years for the home owners to reverse EQC’s original decision, and get some cover.

Their expert, Whangārei geotechnical engineer David Buxton, spent another couple of years over his official complaint against the engineer who oversaw the report that backed EQC’s original decision.

“Imagine your house is badly damaged and EQC says it is not landslide damage without the engineer coming to look at it,” he told RNZ. The stakes were too high to not be more careful, he said.

The complaint has now been finally dismissed for a second time on the grounds the engineer had retired, the industry could learn from the case and “the alleged misconduct is insufficiently grave to warrant further investigation”.

‘Widespread cracking of gib’

Home owners have cover for the first $300,000 of landslide damage from the commission.

In Northland, the unidentified couple noticed cracks and movement around their home near Whangārei in 2018.

They lodged a claim a year later but EQC knocked it back within a week, saying it was not damage from natural hazards.

Initially they accepted this, and got some drainage work done.

But more damage occurred, and in 2022 Buxton visited and concluded it was landslide damage.

EQC reopened the case, and its own senior assessment specialist took photos and records of the damage.

“Main part of house is causing widespread cracking of gib and ceiling from centre of house to the east end of house,” the specialist recorded.

“Driveway has pulled away from the curb … outside decking is buckling up.

“Ongoing slippage will require extensive home site land stabilization [sic] and extensive repairs/replacement of pilings.”

EQC called in private consultant engineers WSP; it had two or three firms at the time it relied on to do a lot of assessments.

At WSP, an unnamed senior engineer took charge. He handled all “specialist service requests” from EQC at the time, and in the Northland case, reviewed the work of a more junior geotechnical engineer.

He was sent the specialist’s photos.

However, while his workplan allowed for a site visit, no visit was made, the November ruling said.

In June 2022, he signed off on a two-and-a-half-page draft report that rejected landslide as the cause.

“The homeowners were living in a stressful situation,” the ruling noted and “had been presented a report that could have greatly undermined their confidence in the engineering profession”.

A spokesperson for WSP told RNZ it acknowledged the ruling, that it regularly reviewed its technical and quality assurance practices, and had further strengthened its processes since this period.

“The complaint regarding the engineer involved was dismissed, and there has been no finding of professional misconduct by WSP or its staff,” it said in a statement on Monday.

“The case does, however, underline the importance of robust assessment processes where natural hazard damage is complex or disputed.”

The Natural Hazards Commission, formerly EQC, on Monday defended its processes as robust and fair, while providing for accurate and fast decisions on claims.

“If the evidence clearly suggests a landslide, an onsite assessment would generally be required,” it said.

“However, in this case the cause of the land damage was not initially clear, including whether it resulted from a sudden landslide event, which may be covered under the EQC Act, or from a slow moving land movement, which is not covered.”

‘The damage to the property is landslip damage’

The Chartered Professional Engineers Council’s ruling in November said it appeared the supervising engineer was of the opinion that long-term subsidence exacerbated by a high groundwater table was to blame.

“There is evidence to suggest that this was not a sound conclusion to have been reached, or at least reached unequivocally, given the documentation available,” it said.

Buxton challenged the engineer’s draft report immediately in mid-2022.

“They can decline all insurance cover. So that means this is when they should be the most careful to take a look at it,” he told RNZ this week.

EQC told WSP to do a further report.

“EQC instructed WSP to undertake a site visit,” the ruling issued in November 2025 said.

The new report issued in September 2022 was 10 pages long, had additional sections on property damage following the site visit and did not get the geology of the site wrong as the June 2022 report had.

It also reversed the finding: “Concludes that the damage to the property is landslip damage as defined by the EQC Act.”

What the home owners had contended back in 2019 had been upheld, and the site visit was key.

A comparison of the June and September 2022 reports “is demonstrative of the difference that undertaking a site visit made to both the quality of the assessment and the conclusion reached”, the ruling said.

‘Careful and competent manner’

But Buxton was not finished.

He had “concerns about the flaws in the WSP June 2022 report. In particular, the use of the term ‘subsidence’ and failure to undertake a site visit”, the ruling said.

“Visiting a site provides an understanding that is not readily possible from written reports and photos,” Buxton told adjudicators.

He laid an official complaint in 2023 with Engineeering New Zealand (ENZ), questioning what went on and the reasons for it and seeking to confirm the supervision at WSP was adequate.

ENZ’s investigating committee dismissed his complaint, saying the case was about a “difference of engineering opinion”, among other reasons. It resisted Buxton bringing up technical evidence.

The committee chair considered the WSP overseeing engineer “acted in a careful and competent manner; and that he carried out the work required” and EQC accepted his report.

Buxton appealed that dismissal to the Chartered Professional Engineers Council.

Its ruling in November 2025 said, “The appeal panel is not in the position of determining whether the opinion formed and the report content was the standard expected but considers there is sufficient substance to the allegation it fell short through either negligence or incompetence.”

However, it was far from conclusive.

“Stepping back, the Appeal Panel sees this as a matter in which an otherwise experienced CPEng [chartered professional engineer] appears to not have adequately supervised and reviewed another engineer’s work,” said the ruling.

“There is evidence to suggest that his actions or inactions were below the standard expected and, without intervention of EQC and the appellant, [Buxton] could potentially have had significant consequences for the homeowner.

“However, there also appears to be the possibility of explanations being available that mean his conduct would not be seen as conduct worthy of sanction.”

‘Fair, accurate natural hazard assessments’

WSP’s spokesperson told RNZ the firm was “committed to high professional standards and fair, accurate natural hazard assessments”.

“Since the period relevant to this case, internal guidance and peer review have been further strengthened to support assessments that are appropriate to the circumstances and agreed scope of work, and to ensure professional judgement is clearly documented.

“Site visits are an important assessment tool, but whether they are required depends on the specific circumstances of each claim, the information available, and the scope agreed with the client. There is no single approach that applies in every situation, and professional judgement is used to determine the most appropriate methodology.”

The Natural Hazards Commission’s (NHC) chief recovery officer Kate Tod said in the Northland case, it had no privacy waiver so she could not speak in detail, but that the initial decision in 2019 rejecting the claim was based on the information provided at the time.

“When the homeowner provided new information, we sent a qualified engineer onsite to carry out an assessment,” she said in a statement.

All claims were assessed with “significant input” from experts either based on information from home owners, or “if it was complex” the agency might send an engineer onsite.

Asked if it had looked back at any other assessments following this case, Tod said the NHC had a “comprehensive claims quality assurance programme that monitors and reviews technical assessment quality”.

“Based on this, we have not identified wider issues in past assessments,” she said.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/10/northland-couple-finally-sees-eqc-landslide-damage-payout-three-years-after-claim/