Category: AM-NC

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Teaching Council says it will investigate whether mandatory reporting obligations were met over allegations involving a priest now convicted of sexually abusing boys, with its disciplinary process set to examine the actions of “everyone involved”.

It comes after RNZ revealed that the Society of Mary was made aware of allegations against the priest nearly 20 years ago. The religious order was unable to verify the allegations from the anonymous complainant, but removed him from public ministry and enacted a “safety plan”.

RNZ reported on Wednesday that Fr Rowan Donoghue had pleaded guilty to six charges, five of which are representative, including indecent assault on a boy aged 12-16, indecent assault on a boy 16 and over and sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.

The offending related to four boys who were boarding at St Bede’s College in Christchurch between 1996 and 2000.

• Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

In response to questions from RNZ, a Teaching Council spokesperson said any situation where a young person had been harmed or made to feel unsafe was “deeply distressing”.

“Our thoughts are with all those affected by this case. No child or young person should ever feel unsafe at school.”

In general, the council did not comment on complaints or mandatory reports that had been made to the council.

“However, given the level of public interest, we can confirm that we have been working closely with New Zealand Police since early 2025 in support of their investigation into offending by Mr Donoghue.

“The legal requirement for mandatory reporting to the New Zealand Teachers Council (now the Teaching Council) relating to the dismissal, resignation under investigation, serious misconduct, competence concerns, or specified convictions of teachers was first inserted into the Education Act 1989 by the Education Standards Act 2001 to protect the safety of children and young people in our education system.”

Now the criminal process had concluded, the council’s professional disciplinary process would resume.

“This process will include consideration of whether obligations have been met to report conduct or competence concerns to the council that were known at the time, and appropriate action depending on the findings.”

Asked who the disciplinary process would look at, the spokesperson said the council would “look into the actions of everyone involved”.

“We are committed to ensuring the safety of children and young people and the quality of teaching in our education system, and we encourage anyone who has concerns about the conduct or competence of a formally registered teacher to reach out to us.”

In response to questions from RNZ on Wednesday, the Society of Mary confirmed an anonymous complaint of a sexual nature was made against Donoghue in 2007.

“The Society of Mary sought to investigate the complaint, but was unable to gain sufficient information to verify the allegations. Even so, the Society of Mary determined that Donoghue should be removed from public ministry, with a safety plan enacted. That has stayed in place since that time.”

The society was not aware of the allegations to which Donoghue entered guilty pleas until police laid charges, the spokesperson said.

“Our first thoughts are with those who came forward and described what happened to them. We extend our apologies to them, and will seek to do so personally at an appropriate time. We deeply regret the hurt or harm caused.”

The society was “committed to ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of all people in Church settings”.

Asked whether police were told, the spokesperson said the complainant was “encouraged to contact the police”.

St Bede’s College rector Jon McDowall told RNZ on Wednesday the details outlined through the court process were “deeply disturbing”.

“As rector, it makes me feel sick to think that young people entrusted to an adult’s care were abused in this way. I am deeply sorry that this happened to them, and my thoughts are with the victims and survivors who continue to live with the impact of that harm.”

McDowall said the school had worked openly with police throughout the process.

“We will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities should any further information come to light.

“Abuse has no place at St Bede’s – past, present, or future. The College has an established policy in place to respond and support victims of historical abuse, alongside safeguarding policies and practices to protect the wellbeing and safety of students today. Our focus remains on providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community.”

McDowall extended an open invitation for victims in the case, and others who may have been impacted, or anyone with concerns to contact him directly.

He earlier told RNZ the school was “formally notified” of the allegations by police and had “worked openly with them since that time”.

“We hold victims and survivors in our thoughts and remain focused on providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community – past, present and future.”

In early 2023, police were contacted about the allegations of sexual abuse by Donoghue in relation to his time at St Bede’s College.

St Patrick’s Silverstream rector Rob Ferreira told RNZ the school had not been made aware of any allegations of abuse in care while Fr Donoghue worked at the school between 1982 to 1992.

“We have not had any inquiries from the police either.

“We operate according to clearly set out guidelines and best practice and you should note that our primary concern is the wellbeing of our students. Given that – our protection of the privacy and any other rights of survivors of abuse and other individuals would be paramount.”

He said the school had informed the community that Donoghue’s name suppression had lifted.

St Patrick’s College Wellington rector Mike Savali confirmed to RNZ that Donoghue was on the college staff from 2003 to 2007.

Where to get help

If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

If you have been abused, remember it’s not your fault.

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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/2026/01/30/teaching-council-to-examine-actions-of-everyone-involved-over-sex-abuse-claims-against-st-bedes-priest/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A low uptake of New Zealanders with motor neurone disease are using the only publicly-funded treatment available for the disease, a new study shows.

Motor neurone disease (MND) was a fatal, rapidly progressing neurodegenerative disease that deprived people of their ability to move, talk, and eventually breathe.

The only Medsafe-funded treatment available for the most common variant of the disease, known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), was a riluzole tablet.

A research paper was published in the New Zealand Medical Journal on Friday.

Research showed 48 percent of research participants with ALS took riluzole, a lower uptake seen overseas.

Four European ALS centres showed an 83 percent uptake while an Australian MND survey recorded 76 percent usage.

The study was led by Motor Neurone Disease New Zealand (MND NZ) research advisor Dr Natalie Gauld, and neurologists Dr James Cleland and Dr Sarah Buchanan.

Participants, who were not taking riluzole, said they were either worried about its effectiveness or side effects, had not been offered or prescribed it, or had never heard of it.

People with swallowing issues (bulbar onset) were less likely to be prescribed riluzole, underlining a need for the liquid form to be introduced in New Zealand, researchers said.

“As lead investigator on this research and a person living with motor neurone disease, it has been concerning to see our riluzole uptake is so low when compared internationally.

“I believe it is vital for everyone with ALS to have access to liquid riluzole and the right information about its life-extending properties to aid uptake in New Zealand,” Gauld said.

Recent research showed, on average, riluzole extended survival by seven to 11 months, Gauld said.

“This is meaningful for those living with this fast-progressing terminal disease and their whānau. Earlier riluzole trials only showed a median increased survival of 2 to 3 months compared to a placebo.”

The average life expectancy of the disease was two to three years after diagnosis, with 50 percent of people dying within 30 months of the onset of symptoms.

Two people each week in New Zealand were diagnosed with MND.

Dr Cleland, one of the paper’s co-authors, said he was pleased to see the paper published, which brought benefits to people living with MND in New Zealand.

“This research highlights the strength of collaboration between patients, whānau, and healthcare and research teams. It shows that New Zealand can play a meaningful role in advancing MND research, and we look forward to ongoing partnerships focused on reducing the burden of this devastating disease for New Zealanders,” he said.

“It also highlights the evolving nature of science and the need for clinical practice to adapt as evidence changes over time.”

Dr Gauld and MND NZ chief executive Mark Leggett had contacted Pharmac and Medsafe to ask the government to urgently introduce and fund a liquid form of riluzole in New Zealand.

The findings from Friday’s paper was also presented at a neurological association conference in November last year to raise awareness amongst neurologists.

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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/2026/01/30/new-zealanders-missing-out-on-motor-neurone-disease-treatment-study-shows/

Source: Radio New Zealand

There are concerns divers are plundering one of New Zealand’s famous shipwrecks. Are they treasure-hunting pirates, or just amateur souvenir-seekers?

Concerns have been raised over the summer that the historic contents of a shipwreck off the Mahia Peninsula are being plundered by divers.

The site where the alleged theft is happening is that of the S.S. Tasmania, a grand passenger steamer that went down in a fierce storm in 1897 after hitting rocks off Table Cape.

On board was a suitcase full of jewels, carried by a distant relative of the famous Rothschild family. It was that treasure that prompted diving pioneer Kelly Tarlton to buy the wreck, and in the 1970s he managed to recover about 250 rings and other items encrusted with rubies, opals, sapphires and diamonds.

But it was only a fraction of the loot, and the rest – more than half of what went down – is still there.

That may well be the allure of diving the wreck but the experts all agree that what’s left will remain lost. Storms, shifting currents and sludge from land clearances have literally muddied the waters.

Now the site of the wreck is targeted by fishers going after the prize species that gather there, but some divers are believed to be after crockery and other bits of history they can lay their hands on.

One expert however doubts there’s any looting going on.

Garth MacIntyre owns the property closest to the wreck at Mahia. He’s been diving and exploring shipwrecks for 50 years, and counts Kelly Tarlton among his mentors.

The ship site is “dived regularly by numerous recreational divers, and probably predominately spear fishermen who free dive over the wreck,” he says.

“The wreck in its own right acts like an artificial reef and draws in a lot of fish life. It’s a spectacular dive when the conditions allow you to dive it. It’s a great location.”

But he says if you’re keen enough to explore an old wreck for its potential treasure, you’re probably going to be spending more money setting up your operation than you’ll gain from any plunder.

“It’s a passion – you’re not going to get rich out of it,” he says.

For him, it’s more about the history and the stories of those who were on board.

“We don’t have an old history here, so we know most things about the wrecks that have gone down, in terms of their design and probably what they’re carrying,” he says.

“But it’s still a real buzz and a real thrill to be able to try and find these wrecks and document them – you know, video record them. There’s so much great technology out there now to relay that to the general public, and that’s what keeps driving me and this small group of people who are endeavouring to find these deep water wrecks or revisiting the shallow water wrecks.”

Today on The Detail, MacIntyre also talks about the laws governing diving around shipwrecks, and who has salvage rights.

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/01/30/the-treasures-in-the-tales-of-new-zealands-2500-sunken-ships/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Trading cards like Pokémon have become serious business, straddling the worlds of gaming and high-value investment.

Originally created in 1996 for competitive play and on sale for approximately a dollar per card, the most expensive card has since sold for a staggering US$5,275,000 (NZ$8.7m).

And soaring collectible value has turned the cards into targets for theft and fraud.

Liam O’Neil, managing director of Hobby Lords, said they had to beef up security to protect staff after one worker was recently stabbed in a robbery.

“Each of our stores in this industry has more money (stock value) than jewellery stores. We have to look like jewellery stores with security and alarms, and all bells and whistles.”

And while the burglary is now before the courts, O’Neill said the theft of Pokémon cards was not being taken seriously enough by police.

“Police are under-resourced, understaffed, and that’s causing part of the problem that they don’t have the resources to investigate these crimes.

“But when it comes to the punishment levels versus jewellery stores, cigarettes, ram raids, do I think the punishment [for card thefts] is lesser than those? Yes, 100 percent. I don’t think it’s been taken seriously.”

But police deny this, saying they treat all the reports of fraud or theft the same.

In a statement, Superintendent Blair Macdonald, director for service said: “Police treat reports of fraud or theft the same – it doesn’t matter what has been stolen or defrauded, or from what type of community. Police conduct an initial assessment for any matter reported to us, which considers a number of factors in determining whether it will be investigated. This is not based on monetary values.”

Trading cards first became popular in the ’90s. Along with Pokémon cards, The game Magic: The Gathering was particularly hot at the moment.

O’Neil said one of his customers lost around $25,000 worth of Magic: The Gathering cards when their home was burgled in early January. Two weeks later, a woman walked into O’Neil’s store attempting to trade them.

Staff instantly recognised the cards and made multiple calls to police while trying to keep the woman in store for 90 minutes.

O’Neil said the 90-minute wait for police was a disruption for the business as they discreetly asked other customers to leave, and the woman began behaving aggressively after they told her they knew the cards were stolen.

Police confirmed they had arrested someone in relation to the burglary and have returned stolen items to the victim.

Scams are also widespread within the trading card community, O’Neil said.

“We had a person I know personally stole at least $10,000 worth of stuff from scamming. We had her address, we had a bank account number, we had everything which has been presented to the police, and nothing’s ever happened to them.”

Macdonald told RNZ they had not identified it as a particular issue of concern, but they encouraged victims of this type of offence to report it.

“Aside from enabling us to investigate if appropriate, it also helps us to build a picture of offending and understand any trends, which in turn can help us more effectively target our response.”

Collector Peter Johnson believed the increase in crime was due to increased publicity over the potential value of trading cards.

“Over the last two years, there has been a small influx of theft going on as the community has seen the value in Pokémon and sees an increase in your investment over a short period of time. So that’s definitely interested a lot of people that are outside of the hobby.”

He had been collecting Pokémon cards since they first launched in 1996.

In the past month, his Umbreon VMAX card – currently valued at $3500 – had been stolen twice at trading events.

The first time, Johnson recovered the card after alerting the trading card community. It was taken by a 10-year-old boy and later returned by his apologetic parents.

But two weeks later, it was stolen again and was still missing.

“It hurts and it’s sad, but it’s motivated me more to be more alert. This weekend just gone, I’ve put up a tripod and a camera and filmed the whole event. “

Card Merchant Westcity store manager Marshall Stevenson had also seen an increase in shoplifting.

He suspected much of it was carried out by parents trying to fulfill their children’s wish list.

“Any time we hear about particularly valuable collections or a particular card that have ended up being sold within our local area, most of our industry is aware of the situation and will keep an eye out for that sort of thing.

“Hopefully someone will be able to come across it at some point, but I don’t hear many of them ever showing up again. A lot of people are able to sell overseas.”

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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/2026/01/30/collectors-fear-police-arent-taking-pokemon-card-thefts-seriously/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Quick minds and fast feet are not the only skills that will be on display when the Masters Games kick off this weekend in Dunedin.

Just over 3500 competitors have already signed up, ranging in age from a 94-year-old cyclist to a 20-year-old swimmer.

They would soon be facing off in sports ranging from traditional athletics to ballroom dancing and the popular jigsaw puzzle racing – which sold out on the first day.

Mosgiel resident Carole Evans got into cycling later in life, when she was about 50.

But the now-84-year-old was excited to compete in another Masters Games – her first was back in 1992 in Dunedin, and she has not missed one in the southern city since.

“Everyone was lovely and they put me on some good handicaps sometimes so I did win a few races,” she said.

But it was running – 10 kilometres and a half marathon – that first got her involved, until the cycling bug kicked in.

“I like the speed of it. You can go a lot faster than walking or running and we meet some lovely people. Quite a few come from overseas every year and from different parts of New Zealand, and it’s just a fun thing to do, and I’m quite competitive as well,” she said.

She has a drawer full of medals but her favourites were from the World Masters Games in Auckland, Canada and Australia.

Evans stayed fit with mountain bike rides over Saddle Hill and around the suburbs once a week and enjoyed getting on her racing bike as well as using her rowing machine and exercise bike.

Christchurch couple Chris and Norm Ellis first competed in the Masters Games two years ago after hearing about it through their indoor bowls club.

As well as indoor bowls, they also gave cornhole and petanque a crack, enjoyed it so much that Norm has since built a cornhole board and they have joined a petanque club.

Chris, 72, said it was such a great week they were coming back for more and adding a sports accuracy challenge to the mix.

“It was fantastic. Everybody was happy and they were chatty … it was just fun, caring, I mean you could go through the dictionary but it was just a lovely week and everybody was so, so helpful down there,” she said.

They were looking forward to teaming up for cornhole after being on different teams last games.

“I’m not really a sporty person, never have been, but these games and the games we play sort of galvanise you just to be social and have a good time,” she said.

Norm, 74, said they first took up indoor bowls just before Covid after a friend had been asking them to give it a go for about eight years.

He enjoyed being able to play together, saying that he wanted to share more experiences after doing night shift work for about 27 years.

He would like to get a medal in indoor bowls, but said the competition would be tough.

“But the thing is we know who we are up against and they’re people who have been playing 40, 50 years and they’re very wily, they’re very good and they’re very experienced,” he said.

“Just over five years experience doesn’t cut the mustard with them and we’re working hard. But the thing is we’ve improved enormously after the last five years.”

A lot of different sports had come out of the woodwork over the 13 years Vicki Kestila had been the games manager.

“Jigsaw racing is fantastic. It’s such a great event to watch and very intense. We’ve got Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which is the first time we’ve had that,” she said.

“Extreme petanque, looking forward to that. It’s a bit like mini golf-petanque cross.”

About 60 percent of competitors come from out of town with the average games bringing in $3.5 to $4 million to the local economy.

It was the people and great atmosphere that kept people coming back year after year, she said.

“Some people are not competitive at all. But there are a lot of people, they get on that sports field and that competitive streak comes out. I know I’m one of them,” she said.

“It just depends. That’s what I think great about the games is that it’s there for everybody, so if you are competitive, that’s great, and if you just want to give it a go or you just want to participate, that’s great too.

“There’s something for everybody.”

Registrations remained open for some sports, and she encouraged people to get in touch if they wanted to compete.

The Masters Games opening ceremony on Saturday would be a chance for competitors to glam it up at the Edgar Centre before the sweat started to fall.

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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/2026/01/30/the-masters-games-jigsaw-puzzle-racing-ballroom-dancing-and-competitive-cornhole/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Travel agents say they are fielding queries from panicked travellers who think they might be caught out by new United Kingdom passport rules.

From 25 February, expat British and Irish dual citizens are required to use their British or Irish passport to enter the UK, or pay more than NZ$1300 for a ‘certificate of entitlement’ to use in their New Zealand passport.

Alternatively, they can pay about NZ$1100 to renounce their citizenship.

Previously, dual citizens have been able to visit the UK on a New Zealand passport, more recently with an ETA, an electronic online declaration costing about $37.

Tori Keating, managing director of Queenstown travel agency xtravel, said the rules had left “an awful lot of people quite confused”.

“I actually had a client book her trip to the UK to visit family and friends for the 25th of February literally the day before the announcement came out. So she had to get herself a passport. She only had a four week turnaround for her passport to come through, but now the turnaround time is extending out as literally hundreds of thousands of people are trying to organise passports for trips that they have pre-booked this year,” she said.

To start the passport process, people had to track down their birth certificate or apply for one in the UK, she said.

“That gets sent over, then you have to send it back so that you can actually do your passport application,” she said.

Auckland visa consultant Thelma Lorence, of Visa Assist, said she too had been inundated with questions about the change.

She was trying to find out how it would affect people on a cruise ship travelling around the world, who boarded last month and were due to arrive in the UK after the deadline.

“It’s thrown a huge curveball for those who may be caught out,” she said.

The British High Commissioner has encouraged people to use an online tool to check if they have British citizenship.

Lorence said a key point of confusion was whether people entitled to apply for a UK passport needed to apply, including children and descendants of citizens.

“Nowhere does it say you must now apply for a British passport to come to the UK. Nowhere is that in black and white. But there won’t be any case studies until after the 25th of February,” she said.

Dunedin travel agent Rosann Connolly-George, of Vincent George Travel, said about a third of her clients heading to the UK this year had already been in touch, worried they would be affected.

Some were thinking about avoiding the UK altogether, she said.

“A couple of our clients are actually rethinking about going into the United Kingdom and focusing more on the European side of things – which is a real shame for the tourism there,” she said.

UK border system goes digital

The new passport rules were part of what British High Commissioner Iona Thomas called a broader shift towards a more streamlined immigration and border-control system.

The UK government was rolling out a fully digital system, replacing physical documents with online records of immigration status and digital travel permission.

Disability advocate Blake Forbes said he was concerned about what that could mean for people who were “digitally isolated” and less computer-savvy, including elderly people and those with disabilities.

“I would like to see them just keep those more non-technological options for a little bit longer,” he said.

Earlier, the British High Commission said it had put out notifications last year to make people aware of the change.

Thomas said she was sorry dual citizens were finding the new passport rules hard to adjust to.

Dual citizens warned to sort passports well ahead of travel

Dual citizens who did not have travel plans should still be aware of the change, Keating said.

“It’s no longer going to be enough to be able to get into the UK urgently with a New Zealand passport, even if you try and say that you didn’t realise you had the citizenship, you don’t want the citizenship. All of the processes, all of the steps need to have been taken before you can actually board the plane. And in fact, you won’t even be allowed to board the plane if you don’t have your UK passport or your Irish passport,” she said.

“Being prepared right now gives you more flexibility to be able to move quickly if needed.”

People with queries should not rely on AI or social media for answers, she said.

“Start with the British consulate, or the Irish consulate,” she said.

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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/2026/01/30/panicked-travellers-fear-getting-caught-out-by-new-uk-passport-rules/

Source: Radio New Zealand

There are calls from the senior doctors’ union for an explanation from Health New Zealand as to what caused the most recent IT outage to hospitals in the upper North Island.

The computer systems outage happened over a 12-hour period between Wednesday night to Thursday morning.

Health NZ executive director for the northern region Andrew Brant confirmed the outage had affected several hospitals.

“Health New Zealand hospitals in Te Tai Tokerau, Waitematā, Auckland and Counties Manukau experienced an IT outage yesterday impacting some clinical and operational systems,” he said.

“The outage lasted around 12 hours with services restored to all impacted hospitals in the early hours of this morning.”

He said patient care continued safely during those hours.

“We are currently completing an incident debrief to identify any potential opportunities to improve our systems,” he said.

It comes less than a month after online portal Manage My Health was hacked and patient data held ransom.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) executive director Sarah Dalton said an outage had happened more than once recently and staff and the public deserved answers.

“We haven’t had any kind of a meaningful response from Heath New Zealand’s leadership and given the frequency of these system failures, I think the public deserves to know what’s going on in our public health system.”

Dalton said it was chaos for many staff during the outage period.

“Clinicians were unable to print patient labels, access laboratory records which means no bloods, they couldn’t book theatres, they couldn’t see patient histories online.

“Basically anything that might be recorded digitally, was unable to be accessed.”

Dalton put the outage down to the lack of resources and investment into the systems by the government.

“There is no meaningful investment and the kind of work that is needed to bring it up to scratch and to deal with issues of interoperability between community based care, hospital based care and across the country, they are just not in a place to make those things happen,” she said.

But Health New Zealand acting chief information technology officer Darren Douglass said there was no link between the IT outages in recent weeks and staffing numbers in the Digital Services team.

“All but one of the outages this month have been due to third party vendor issues.

“We operate a very complex technology environment, and we have monitoring and support in place across the system.

“We do experience technical issues from time to time. This includes the recent IT outages where thanks to strong back-up plans, patient care continued safely.

“Since we became a single health organisation, we have been working hard to rationalise and modernise our systems, improve the quality of our data and digital platforms and ensure that they connect across the country to support and enhance healthcare delivery,” he said.

Auckland University computer scientist Dr Ulrich Speidel said the country’s systems needed a complete overhaul.

He said the systems were vulnerable due to decades of neglect.

“That dates back even to the district health boards, back then every district health board was cost under pressure, so you know, where do you go when you’re not having to save on doctors and nurses, you go and see what you can save in the IT and your trying to make your old equipment tick over,” he said.

Douglass said it had a 10-year Digital Investment Plan to modernise current systems.

“While we continue to improve and modernise our technology environment patient safety remains our priority. Our hospitals have contingency plans in place to ensure the delivery of safe patient care during and IT outage,” he said.

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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/2026/01/30/staff-public-deserve-answers-after-major-it-outage-at-hospitals-union-says/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Damage in the Wairata Valley following torrential rain on 16 January that brought down slips on SH2, closing the Waioweka Gorge.

Several families living in the Waioeka Gorge in Bay of Plenty remain isolated, two weeks after dozens of slips came down.

The landslides have closed kilometres of State Highway 2 – the main route between Ōpōtiki and Gisborne and helicopters have been taking supplies to the cut-off locals.

Even before last week’s storm laid waste to North Island communities – families in the Waioeka Gorge were isolated.

On Friday 16 January, torrential rain brought down multiple slips on SH2, trapping around 40 motorists, who had to be evacuated by helicopter.

On the family farm in the Wairata Valley, Rebecca Redpath said the rain was relentless.

“It was just coming down in sheets … you often get heavy rain, but it doesn’t last, and this just lasted, and lasted, and lasted.”

The nearby creek turned into a roaring torrent as boulders came crashing down, she said.

The damage to the gorge road, meant her in-laws Bob and Mary Redpath – who were away – had to be helicoptered to their home.

Bob Redpath said while they had had floods in the past – the damage had never been this extensive, and the bird’s-eye-view from the chopper was sobering.

“We’ve had nothing this complete. Every creek, every little spring has blown out.

“It was just so much rain – 160mm in two hours – and y’know, nature can’t deal with that.”

Mary Redpath said in her 47 years on the farm, she’d never seen anything like it, with streams rerouted 10 metres away from their original course.

“It’s … totally mindboggling.”

She said they were lucky the deluge came at a time when no one was out on the farm and in danger from rushing water and slips.

“Because we would never expect this to happen. Tracks here on the farm – you’ve got to scramble over rocks and debris and trees.

“The whole land has just slipped away in places that it’s never slipped before and washed out all these fences, and it’s like, ‘Where do you begin?’”

Bob Redpath said the ongoing gorge closure, had meant their farmstay operation has come to a grinding halt.

“This is our prime part of the season, so we have had people booked right through … to autumn.

“We’ve had to ring people and say, ‘Look, you’re on standby but it doesn’t look like you’re going to be able to get in here, so very sorry, we’ll have to try that again another day.’”

But, he’s philosophical about it.

“Yeah, it is rough. But hey, you live in a wild place like the Waioeka Gorge occasionally these things jump out and bite you in the bum.”

Rebecca Redpath said the impact of the road’s closure went well beyond her family, and she was just hopeful they would be able to drive out this weekend in time for her children to start school in Hawke’s Bay, next week.

NZ Transport Agency regional transport services manager Mark Owen said crews were working overtime to reopen the section of SH2, but it was a huge job.

“Unfortunately, there’s been massive damage in there, so again crews are working away, beavering away at each end – they’re doing a full assessment.”

He was hopeful they could provide a timeframe for opening later this week.

“The good news, is that we think the road will probably be okay, but we’ve got massive slips that have come down … so we can clear and get a lane but then we’ve actually got to stabilise the hill as well.

“Then once the river recedes we then need to determine whether we’ve got any under-slips where the river may have scoured into the highway,” Owen said.

“Teams are working, we’ve got all the expertise that we need, it’s just going to take some time.”

Ōpōtiki mayor David Moore said up to 30 people were living in the gorge, which ran through both Ōpōtiki and Gisborne districts.

He said the council’s civil defence teams had been working together since its closure.

“There’s people who’ve been in and out for medical appointments. There were some people that were in there that needed to get out and people that needed to get in.”

Moore said Ōpōtiki town was lucky to dodge the severe weather that ripped across the North Island last week, but the damage on the outskirts – especially on the highways – had been significant.

“It’s caused a lot of damage in the Waioeka Gorge, which is our main arterial route, transport route – lifeline for Gisborne.

“[It’s] one of three roads to Gisborne, and all three roads are out now.”

SH35 from Ōpōtiki to Gisborne around the East Coast is closed in sections following torrential rain on 21 January, and SH38 which links the regions via Lake Waikaremoana is also shut.

“There’s a massive monetary cost, but that’s nothing compared to the tragedies that are playing out, the devastation to homes and the community on the SH35.

“The alternative route to Gisborne now is through SH5 – it’s a beautiful drive but it’s a very long drive and will add a lot of time and expense.”

Moore said when the Waioeka Gorge shut on 16 January, the alternative around SH35 added about five hours travel time between Ōpōtiki and Gisborne.

He said trucks took SH5 which added at least three hours to the travel time, joining the East Coast just north of Napier.

Moore anticipated it would be months until SH2 through the gorge returned to what it was, and said once that was done the focus should shift to the future.

“Whether we like it or not these weather events are happening more frequently. I was a beekeeper for 21 years so I do understand the weather.

“I know the Waioeka Gorge very well, so I’ve been in a weather event like that up there and it came out of nowhere.

“This is what’s happening so we have to make these roads as resilient as we can.”

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Westport locals are using brokers or specialist insurers as standard insurance in the flood-prone town becomes more difficult or expensive to get.

RNZ reported on Thursday that AA Insurance had temporarily stopped offering new home insurance policies in Westport because of the town’s flood risk.

However, Westport residents said that while AA Insurance was the only company to publicise its policy, many others were also refusing to take on new customers.

Life-time local Glenys Elley lives on a 10-acre lifestyle block on the outskirts of town, close to the Buller River but not in a flood area.

She was quoted nearly double her previous premium, after her broker was unable to secure a new policy for her in 2024.

“We had comprehensive insurance, we had total replacement. [In] 2023, we paid $4700 for our insurance,” she said.

“My broker rang and he said, ‘Glenys, I just can’t get any reasonable insurance for you.’ And I said, ‘Oh, really?’ And he said, ‘$8500.’

“And I said, ‘You are joking.’”

After calling insurers herself, Elley was able to get a quote from specialist rural insurer FMG, for a lower premium than her existing policy.

“I had a great experience with them, and they’ve been great.”

Elley is not the only one – FMG was recommended by locals in Facebook community pages as among the few insurers still reliably offering new policies in Westport.

Jonathan Cleland, head of underwriting at FMG, told RNZ, “we have a limited risk-appetite within urban areas, given our focus on supporting rural and provincial areas”.

“For areas of heightened natural hazard, including flood risk, FMG takes a case-by-case approach considering individual client circumstances aligned with our underwriting risk-appetite.”

Taryn Sweyt and her partner ended up going through a broker to secure insurance for their first home, which they will move into next month.

The house – a 1950’s bach-style property – is at Carters Beach, a part of town the couple had always wanted to live in.

“Being able to hear the ocean all the time, being able to walk over to the beach and go for a swim, we know a lot of people who live at Carters Beach so you can wander round to each others’ houses easily.”

Carters Beach is low-lying and has had problems with erosion, but the house was on higher land, had not experienced flooding, and the vendors had an insurance policy, Sweyt said.

It was a surprise, therefore, when right before going unconditional they discovered that none of the major insurers would let them take out a policy.

“As soon as you put the postcode in, it says, ‘We’re no longer accepting insurance quotes’,” she said.

They even contacted the vendor’s insurer to see if they could transfer the policy, but were turned down.

“We thought, things have been kind of too good to be true, maybe this is the thing that makes it not happen.”

At their lawyer’s suggestion, they contacted a broker – a former cricket teammate of her partner’s – who was able to secure them insurance that afternoon.

It had been “an interesting experience”, Sweyt said.

“The postcode is associated with flooding but where the property is, yes it’s near the beach, but a lot of places in New Zealand are, and it’s never had flooding before.”

Monitoring data published by Treasury in recent years has shown that insurers are starting to hone in on flood-risk areas, charging elevated premiums and removing some online availability.

Experts have warned that insurance will become prohibitively expensive or impossible to get at all for some properties as the risk from climate change-driven weather events continues to rise.

Westport has been repeatedly flooded over time, escalating in recent years. A 2021 flood left more than 100 homes uninhabitable.

Last March, Buller District Council endorsed a flood protection plan that includes opening up lower-risk land away from the existing town for development, building 17 kilometres of stopbanks and improving flood warning systems.

West Coast Regional Council chief executive Darryl Lew said on Thursday that two sections of stopbank had been completed.

But long-time Westport real estate agent Charlie Elley – Glenys Elley’s brother-in-law – said many residents felt there had been limited progress.

It was unsurprising that AA Insurance had decided to pause new policies, he said.

“I think the insurance companies have had to make this decision, and they have included in their statements that when things improve, they will reassess.”

Charlie Elley said problems with getting affordable insurance stretched back years, to when insurers started to use flood mapping.

“Even without floods, some of our premiums around town went up then, and that’s back in about 2005.”

The issue escalated after the 2021 flood, though.

“[Home buyers] tended to first up seek properties that weren’t affected. Then after that, and the rebuild of the houses that were affected took its course … people started to look at those properties, and then they started to get a few questions over their ability to get insurance.”

More recently, insurers seemed to be affected by “postcode insurance syndrome”, he said.

“It soon became obvious that there was a trend or a change … and now they’ve come out and announced it, [but] it was already being implemented.”

Nowadays, he often advised buyers to ask the seller for their insurance information so that they could request a policy transfer.

“We say it might cost you a little bit more, but it’s better than a total outright rejection.”

There had also been “a shift in loyalty” away from the traditional insurers to others with more leeway, he said.

“And we’ve now got an insurance broker in town offering to do what they can to get insurance for anybody. So, you know, where there’s a need, then there’s a market and somebody will probably meet it.”

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There are concerns divers are plundering one of New Zealand’s famous shipwrecks. Are they treasure-hunting pirates, or just amateur souvenir-seekers?

Concerns have been raised over the summer that the historic contents of a shipwreck off the Mahia Peninsula are being plundered by divers.

The site where the alleged theft is happening is that of the S.S. Tasmania, a grand passenger steamer that went down in a fierce storm in 1897 after hitting rocks off Table Cape.

On board was a suitcase full of jewels, carried by a distant relative of the famous Rothschild family. It was that treasure that prompted diving pioneer Kelly Tarlton to buy the wreck, and in the 1970s he managed to recover about 250 rings and other items encrusted with rubies, opals, sapphires and diamonds.

But it was only a fraction of the loot, and the rest – more than half of what went down – is still there.

That may well be the allure of diving the wreck but the experts all agree that what’s left will remain lost. Storms, shifting currents and sludge from land clearances have literally muddied the waters.

Now the site of the wreck is targeted by fishers going after the prize species that gather there, but some divers are believed to be after crockery and other bits of history they can lay their hands on.

One expert however doubts there’s any looting going on.

Garth MacIntyre owns the property closest to the wreck at Mahia. He’s been diving and exploring shipwrecks for 50 years, and counts Kelly Tarlton among his mentors.

The ship site is “dived regularly by numerous recreational divers, and probably predominately spear fishermen who free dive over the wreck,” he says.

“The wreck in its own right acts like an artificial reef and draws in a lot of fish life. It’s a spectacular dive when the conditions allow you to dive it. It’s a great location.”

But he says if you’re keen enough to explore an old wreck for its potential treasure, you’re probably going to be spending more money setting up your operation than you’ll gain from any plunder.

“It’s a passion – you’re not going to get rich out of it,” he says.

For him, it’s more about the history and the stories of those who were on board.

“We don’t have an old history here, so we know most things about the wrecks that have gone down, in terms of their design and probably what they’re carrying,” he says.

“But it’s still a real buzz and a real thrill to be able to try and find these wrecks and document them – you know, video record them. There’s so much great technology out there now to relay that to the general public, and that’s what keeps driving me and this small group of people who are endeavouring to find these deep water wrecks or revisiting the shallow water wrecks.”

Today on The Detail, MacIntyre also talks about the laws governing diving around shipwrecks, and who has salvage rights.

Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here.

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Gil Elliott fears his daughter’s murderer may kill again if given a chance at freedom.

Clayton Weatherston was a 32-year-old economics tutor at Otago University, who had taught and had been in a relationship with honours student Sophie Elliott.

The 22-year-old had left Weatherston and on 9 January 2008 was packing up her life to move to Wellington to take up a job at Treasury.

Weatherston arrived at her family’s home in the Dunedin suburb of Ravensbourne armed with a knife.

He stabbed her to death so viciously the knife broke and Weatherston also used a pair of scissors in the frenzy.

At trial he tried to blame the attack on Sophie, claiming the partial defence of provocation.

Her death shocked New Zealand and Weatherston’s antics at trial outraged the nation, leading to the partial defence of provocation being abolished by statute.

Gil Elliott said while Sophie’s death was 18 years ago, it felt like little time had passed at all.

“The 18 years just seems to have gone by in a flash, quite honestly,” Elliott said.

“It won’t have for him, no doubt. It’s probably been a bit of a grind for him, but too bad.”

Now Elliott was facing the possibility of Weatherston being released on parole.

The now 50-year-old murderer would appear before the Parole Board for the first time on Friday.

“We don’t have Sophie – it’s terrible to think about it,” Elliott said.

“She was such a lovely person too and she was absolutely innocent. There was no reason for him to do what he did to her.

“He didn’t just kill – he butchered her. I mean 216 times, seven blunt force injuries, he must have bashed her as well. And then to mutilate her when she was dead.”

Weatherston had not acknowledged his guilt or offered an apology in his 18 years behind bars, Elliott said.

He was a narcissist and a danger to society, Elliott said.

“He’s not necessarily going to be in there forever and a day. I mean, that’s the problem with our system – he eventually probably will get out.

“So he didn’t get a life sentence, did he? He got denied his freedom for 18 years, but it hasn’t cost him a cent.

“It’s cost our family a hell of a lot in emotional harm and financial harm as well. The taxpayer forked out all this money to give him a trial, allow him to appeal, and then lock him up.”

Elliott said he feared Weatherston had parallels to Paul Wilson, who was also known as Paul Tainui.

Wilson spent more than 16 years behind bars for sexual assault and murder.

After being released on parole he raped and murdered another innocent woman.

Elliott met with the Parole Board on Thursday and raised Wilson’s offending.

“I reminded the Parole Board of that particular case,” Elliott said.

“I’m sure they don’t need to be reminded – they let him out.

“Corrections didn’t keep a close eye on him … and he murdered again.

“There’s no reason why Weatherston couldn’t do exactly that same thing. So I said to them ‘I just hope that if Weatherston gets out, he’s not another Wilson’.”

Weatherston’s chances of parole were remote at this time, but Elliott said he was still concerned about the narcissistic killer being released – no matter how small the possibility.

He told the Parole Board if Weatherston was released he should have conditions on where he could live and visit.

“We don’t want him to be in Dunedin. We don’t want him to be in Christchurch – we’ve got family here. We don’t want him to be on the West Coast – we’ve got relations over there. We don’t want him to be in Auckland because we’ve got relations and family in Auckland. We don’t want him to be in Whangārei as well.

“So, facetiously, I suggested they send him to the Auckland Islands.”

Steeling himself and preparing for Weatherston’s parole hearing had been draining for himself and his family, Elliott said.

“It’s been emotionally draining, quite honestly,” he said.

“I wrote a written submission and sent that in about two months ago, along with a lot of other people [who] have sent in written submissions.

“So it’s almost re-victimisation. My two sons … they wouldn’t come to the hearing because they … just couldn’t go through that again.

“I did.”

He told the Parole Board to decline parole and impose a postponement order, so Weatherston could not seek parole for several more years.

“The thing about it is it was Sophie that got the life sentence and our family,” Elliott said.

“But he didn’t because he can get out one day.

“He got 18 years because he defiled Sophie after she was dead.

“But, theoretically, he can be released.

“I’d hate to actually meet up with him. I really would.”

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As floodwaters recede and damage assessments continue after last week’s deadly storms, scrutiny is turning to whether New Zealand is prepared for the next disaster – and how it will pay for it.

One long-term economic analysis shows New Zealand has developed a pattern of spending heavily after disasters strike, while investing comparatively little upfront to reduce future risk.

“Our key problem is that we tend to respond to every disaster in an ad hoc way,” said adaptation expert Professor Bronwyn Hayward, from Canterbury University. “And we’re treating every disaster individually.”

Treasury flagged the same issue in 2024, warning there is an 80 percent chance New Zealand will experience another Cyclone Gabrielle-scale event within the next 50 years, and describing extreme weather as a repeat and growing fiscal risk for the Crown, rather than a one-off shock.

Despite those warnings, funding and planning for climate adaptation has been scaled back by the current government – even as recovery bills have climbed well over $1b following Cyclone Gabrielle, the Auckland Anniversary floods and last year’s Tasman floods.

Experts say the bill will only continue to rise as climate change worsens, unless the nation makes urgent changes to how it funds climate adaptation.

“You end up paying six times more for emergency repair than you would if you’d actually planned ahead and planned the upgrades or planned a city,” says Emily Mabin Sutton, chief executive of the Climate Club, a group that organises climate action. “Basically – we can brush our teeth each day or get a painful root canal…and at the moment we’re going to the dentist screaming.”

The government has argued resilience investment continues, but through mainstream infrastructure and regional funding rather than ring-fenced funds.

Deadly storms and mounting recovery costs

Heavy rain triggered widespread flooding, evacuations and landslides across parts of the North Island last week, including Bay of Plenty, Northland, the Coromandel and Tai Rāwhiti. In Mount Maunganui, six people were killed when a landslide struck a campground after intense rainfall destabilised steep hillsides. Two more died in a slip in nearby Papamoa, and another in Northland when his car was swept down a river.

Cabinet approved $2.2 million in immediate recovery funding, including for the marae which opened its doors to evacuees. Further support is expected as damage estimates are finalised. Gisborne District Mayor Rehette Stoltz estimated the damage caused to her region alone during last week’s storms will cost $21.5m to fix.

The money has already been criticised as “not enough” by opposition parties, who say there needs to be more funding for resilience, not just recovery.

“Aotearoa New Zealand needs to get out of the pattern of crisis and response. We know that climate change charged weather events are going to become more frequent and more extreme, and we need to plan accordingly,” said Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick.

Since its election in 2023, the government has removed or reduced most forms of dedicated climate adaptation and resilience funding.

In Budget 2024, Finance Minister Nicola Willis ended the ring-fencing of Emissions Trading Scheme revenue for the Climate Emergency Response Fund. The government also dismantled a $6 billion national resilience fund created after Cyclone Gabrielle, arguing resilience spending should instead be assessed through standard Budget processes.

At the same time, scientific capacity has been reduced. NIWA has confirmed job cuts affecting climate modelling, physical oceanography and marine science roles, while the government discontinued Te Ara Paerangi – Future Pathways, a programme intended to strengthen the science system supporting long-term climate risk assessment.

Planned adaptation actions quietly discontinued

The policy framework intended to guide climate adaptation has also been scaled back.

When the Ministry for the Environment released the first National Adaptation Plan in 2022, it was intended to translate climate risk assessments into practical decisions about where and how the country builds, protects infrastructure, and supports communities facing growing hazards.

At the centre of the plan were tools designed to help governments and councils move beyond ad hoc responses to extreme weather. These included guidance for central government policymakers on incorporating climate risk into decision-making, updated methodologies for local climate risk assessments, and a framework for councils to identify when areas should be protected, redesigned or retreated from as risks escalate over time.

An official addendum table published in January 2025 shows much of that work has since been stopped, leaving decisions about rebuilding and upgrading exposed assets largely to existing regulatory and funding settings.

Economic and social adaptation measures were also discontinued, including work on income insurance and welfare reforms intended to support communities facing climate shocks, as well as targeted support for Māori small-business resilience and sector-specific adaptation initiatives in areas such as tourism.

Swarbrick said the fact funding for Māori resilience had been cut was “gutting”.

“That would have enabled more investment in building that resilience, as opposed to what [the government] are doing right now, which is patting iwi Māori on the back and simply reimbursing them.”

While national direction on natural hazards remains in place through planning instruments, the National Adaptation Plan was intended to provide the tools, standards and coordination needed to act on that direction.

Mabin Sutton said the cuts had real-world impacts for communities wanting to make decisions about their futures.

“Over 65 percent of New Zealand’s population in major infrastructure sits within 5 kilometres of the coast. And we haven’t got a map yet of where is the most risky place to live or the safer places to live.”

The new plan

The government says it has not abandoned climate adaptation. In October 2025, the Ministry for the Environment announced a National Adaptation Framework, setting out 16 initial actions focused on improving coordination across agencies, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and establishing principles for adaptation planning.

It will also develop new national hazard datasets, and a requirement for councils to develop adaptation plans for priority areas.

But that framework does not include a dedicated funding mechanism, and it does not reinstate many of the delivery tools discontinued from the first National Adaptation Plan.

One of its central initiatives – a national flood-mapping programme – is not expected to produce its first public outputs until 2027, while decisions on cost-sharing have been deferred until the next parliamentary term. The Climate Change Commission has warned that the lack of clarity about who pays for adaptation remains a major barrier to progress.

The weighting towards crisis response was last year captured in economic analysis commissioned by insurance company IAG, which examined central government spending on natural hazards over time.

The report found spending had increased but is dominated by post-event recovery, highlighting that recovery spending following events such as Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary floods ran into the billions of dollars, while investment aimed at reducing future exposure remains comparatively small and episodic.

Sapere Research Group, which completed the report, found severe weather events requiring large-scale Crown intervention are occurring more frequently. It also noted that central government increasingly acts as the funder of last resort, particularly where homes, infrastructure and communities remain exposed to known flood and landslip risks.

The insurance sector is also beginning to reflect those risks from climate more explicitly. This week, AA Insurance confirmed it had temporarily stopped offering new home and landlord policies in parts of Westport because of flood risk, citing elevated exposure.

‘Significant fiscal cost’ must be shared, government says

When questioned about the funding cuts this week, the government said resilience investment continues, but through mainstream infrastructure and regional funding.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said climate and resilience spending should be assessed through standard Budget processes rather than ring-fenced funds. Finance Minister Willis has cited flood protection works, stopbanks and transport upgrades as evidence resilience investment is ongoing, arguing such projects should compete alongside other infrastructure priorities.

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts told RNZ that adaptation involves “a significant fiscal cost” that will need to be shared across society over time.

“The work we are doing with the National Adaptation Framework will give us an enduring system that prepares New Zealand for the impacts of climate change, while keeping costs to our society as low as possible,” Watts said in a statement to RNZ.

“Our approach is about making sure people have the right information to make the right decisions. This will allow people and businesses to plan ahead and make decisions that lower risk and boost resilience.”

Watts said the government’s framework included shifting spending towards reducing risk before climate-related events like floods or storms happen.

He pointed to funding available through the $1.2b regional infrastructure fund, including $200m ring-fenced for flood protection, but has said councils will need to develop adaptation plans and then work with central government and other stakeholders on how costs are met.

Meanwhile, the latest climate projections indicate New Zealand is already around 1.1C warmer than in the early 1900s, and could be up to 3C hotter by the end of the century if global greenhouse gas emissions are not rapidly reduced.

Scientists say that warming will increase the frequency and severity of floods, landslides, storms, heatwaves and droughts, while also placing growing strain on emergency response systems, public health, insurance availability and government budgets.

Hayward said the stakes were clear. “Children that have been born in 2020 and since will face over four times the number of extreme events in their lifetimes than any of us who were 55 in 2020 will ever experience in our remaining lives,” she said.

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