Minister for Local Government Simon Watts said he was seeking urgent advice on dangerous dogs.123RF
The SPCA is calling for an overhaul of dog control laws and for the government to reinstate funding for the desexing of menacing and roaming dogs.
The agency said it had been campaigning for a review of the Dog Control Act 1996, for more than 10 years.
Mihiata Te Rore, 62, was killed by a pack of three dogs at a property in Northland’s Kaihu on Tuesday- the third fatal attack in the region in the last four years, and the fourth nationwide.
Kaipara District Council’s animal management said it had received four complaints about the dogs since November last year, and visited the property twice in February – though were unable to talk to the owner or uplift the dogs.
Minister for Local Government Simon Watts said he was seeking urgent advice on the issue.
SPCA senior science officer Alison Vaughan told Morning Report the Dog Control Act was “hopelessly out of date” and there needed to be a substantive, urgent, evidence-based review, and an overhaul.
Vaughan said there was a lack of consistency in how local governments responded to dog attacks, and that needed to change.
Shane Jones.RNZ/Samantha Gee
“What we really need right now is leadership from central government so we can get standardised national guidelines, so we can get more funding to address desexing of menacing and roaming dogs, because right now this population is continuing to grow.”
Asked about thoughts on minister Shane Jones’ comments on Morning Report that his father’s generation would shoot dangerous dogs, Vaughan said there needed to be solutions to address the underlying issues.
“We do know from overseas examples that indiscriminate culling of roaming dogs doesn’t find a sustainable solution, so it may reduce numbers temporarily, but if we don’t address the irresponsible breeding and roaming, we will see population quickly rebound.”
Police were at the scene on Hoani St in Christchurch’s Northcote.SAM SHERWOOD / RNZ
An incident that left four people injured, one critically, in Christchurch is believed to involve rival gangs Black Power and Mongrel Mob, RNZ understands.
Emergency services were called to an address on Hoani Street in Northcote about 9.30pm on Wednesday.
One person has life-threatening injuries, and another was seriously hurt.
Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz
The two others had minor or moderate injuries, police said.
RNZ understands the incident is believed to involve members of rival gangs Black Power and Mongrel Mob.
An RNZ reporter at the scene last night was told by police that there had been reports of shots being fired.
When asked whether the incident involved firearms, Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said: ” This forms part of police enquiries.”
“The community can be assured that police are working at speed to identify and locate those involved.
“Police believe the parties involved are known to each other and the risk to wider public is minimal.”
Hill said there would be more officers in the Northcote area today “as we work to resolve this incident as swiftly as possible”.
A scene examination is underway at the property.
Police are appealing to anyone in the area who may have witnessed anything last night to contact them. They can be contacted on 105 using file number 260218/3391.
Maritime NZ featured in the lead story on Seven Sharp on Wednesday, 4 February.
The story examined the rapid emergence of new recreational water craft and the safety risks that can arise as technology and usage patterns evolve.
The segment focused on how innovative designs – particularly faster, quieter and more powerful craft – are changing the way New Zealanders interact on shared waterways, and why safety messaging must evolve alongside them.
Supported by wing foil instructor Simon Croft and eFoil expert Greg Wright, the story opened with a review of the technology, followed by on-water demonstrations.
Matt Wood, Maritime NZ’s Principal Advisor Recreational Craft, was interviewed as part of the story, providing Maritime NZ’s perspective on the practical risks associated with these new craft.
Matt highlighted that while innovation can deliver environmental and performance benefits, it can also introduce unfamiliar handling characteristics, higher speeds, and reduced visibility or audibility to other water users. These factors can increase the likelihood of incidents, particularly when operators are inexperienced or unaware of how their craft behaves in different conditions.
The story reinforced core safety messages: understanding your craft, wearing lifejackets, maintaining situational awareness, and respecting other users on busy waterways. With swimmers, paddleboarders, paddle craft and powered vessels often sharing the same spaces, the consequences of misjudgement or lack of knowledge can be serious.
The segment also emphasised that most incidents are preventable through preparation, education and responsible decision‑making.
An association of local businesses, Destination KRL, said hospitality and other water-dependent employers had lost – on average – more than half their customers in the last two weeks.
They have called for support from Wellington City Council.
Worst timing possible
On a warm, still summer evening at Wellington’s Lyall Bay, the usually bustling beach is deserted.
Co-owner of nearby Botanist cafe Maria Boyle said the sunny weather – especially following a storm in the capital – would usually see her cafe packed with customers.
“With this weather everybody gets out, they’re excited, the weather’s nice. We would be completely full right now and we’ve got, maybe, a quarter of the amount of tables we’d normally have.”
Maria Boyle of the Botanist cafe her daytime customers have halved since the plant failed.Bill Hickman / RNZ
She said daytime customers had nearly halved since the plant failed.
Boyle said – for her business – the closure of the beaches could not have come at a worse time.
“We essentially rely on this busy summer trade to get us through winter. Last winter was the worst winter we’ve ever had. For this to happen – after the last two years of terrible hospitality – it’s a disaster.”
Further down the beach, local fish and chip shop Seaview Takeaways had been feeding beachgoers for nearly 34 years. Owner Vicky Shen said in the last two weeks they had lost nearly 70 percent of their business.
She had planned to cut staff hours to stay afloat.
“I have to deal with it. So I will cut down some hours of my labour. I will do it myself. So I will work longer myself – so that’s very difficult – but otherwise I can’t afford it.”
Surfboard maker Jack Candlish of Verdure Surf builds his boards within sight of the city’s most popular surf break – right next to Wellington Airport and Moa Point.
Surfboard builder Jack Candlish says he’s considering relocating if the closure of the beaches “drags on”.Bill Hickman / RNZ
He usually sold just over a third of his boards to locals, but said he had not received a single local inquiry since news of the contamination of the surf spot broke.
“If it drags on much longer we’ll probably look at relocating. It’s something that we’ve already thought about doing but this has been a bit of a kick to, kind of, fast-track that process.
“We might as well be in Palmerston North as far as I’m concerned, when the beach isn’t even accessible.”
Another massive mountain to climb
Steve Walters of Destination KRL said he had heard from about 30 businesses in the area reporting dramatic losses over the last fortnight.
He said people in the beachside suburb paid some of the highest rates in the country, and if a solution could not be put in place quickly the council should step in to help.
“We’ve got government workers being reduced in this town and people being pretty tight with their money. Now on top of that a combination of entities have failed in providing a service which these businesses have paid for, so they’re feeling ‘we’ve just suddenly got another massive mountain to climb’ and they need support to get over that.”
A spokesperson for Wellington City Council said they had been in touch with business leaders in the area and were looking at how best to support affected businesses. But the council could not provide details of any plans at this stage.
“We appreciate the Moa Point plant failure will be having an impact on the South Coast, in particular some of the businesses in Lyall Bay,” a spokesperson said.
“We want to encourage Wellingtonians to get down to Lyall Bay, especially on a good day, and pay the cafes and other businesses a visit and spend some money.”
Wellington Water said it could be months before the plant was back in operation.
The Government has ring-fenced $80 million in the Regional Infrastructure Fund to develop and process domestic critical minerals resources, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Regional Development and Resources Minister Shane Jones say.
“Critical minerals are used everywhere, from clean energy technologies and electronics to aviation, medical technology and more. They are essential to modern life,” Mr Peters says.
“A year ago the Coalition Government released its Minerals Strategy and Critical Minerals List. Since then, there has been increasing interest by a number of countries in securing supplies of critical minerals and rare earths.
“With global demand clearly rising, New Zealand is in a position to be a credible and reliable source of critical minerals and an essential link in the international supply chain,” Mr Peters says.
“By backing the extraction and processing of our own critical minerals resources, the New Zealand Government is sending a message to the world that we are serious about contributing to the critical minerals market.”
“New Zealand engages with a broad range of partners to gather information about the scope of market interest in this sector, and how that relates to the New Zealand Government’s objectives and priorities.
“We will continue to engage with the New Zealand public appropriately, as and when policy and project proposals around critical minerals are developed,” Mr Peters says.
Mr Jones says the $80m Regional Infrastructure Fund package will help New Zealand turn its resources into more jobs, investment and long‑term value for its communities.
“Our regions hold substantial deposits of critical minerals that could support a strong, sustainable economic recovery and position the country at the forefront of high‑value industries,” Mr Jones says.
“By supporting the development of critical minerals opportunities in New Zealand, we create jobs, build self-sufficiency, improve national resilience, and benefit from the new infrastructure, technology and skills that come with development.
“It’s important that we think beyond just extraction when it comes to critical minerals. Developing advanced processing techniques and technology that could help other countries to unlock their resources is an equally exciting prospect. That could open the door to new and deeper partnerships with countries looking to strengthen their own supply chain resilience.
“Given the scale of opportunity, and the importance of the sector to regional development, it makes sense to create this $80m package to help realise those benefits while supporting our Minerals Strategy, which lays a strategic and enduring path for the mineral sector.”
Relevant projects which meet the criteria and have already applied to the Regional Infrastructure Fund will be considered. Applications for new projects will also be accepted for consideration.
Successful projects will be announced when they have been evaluated and ministers have made decisions.
Influencers must stay on the right side of the tax rules. (File photo)Supplied/123rf
Emily Holdaway, or Officially Em, as she is known to her thousands of online followers, says she is running a constant type of mental tally when it comes to what is a “business” expense and what is just the cost of normal life.
While Holdaway had more recently moved her focus to offering social media workshops and building an online community, she was previously best known for her blog Raising Ziggy and related work as a social media influencer.
Some of the admin questions she had to address as part of her business highlight the complexities the influencing industry navigates when it comes to staying on the right side of the tax rules.
Generally, self-employed people could claim their business costs in their tax returns, which reduced the amount of income on which they must pay tax. But people usually cannot claim deductions for personal expenses.
When your income comes from sharing your life, that can be a problem.
Holdaway said she claimed all the business-related expenses any other type of business would. “My computer, my phone, and then we have a percentage of our living expenses that we’re allowed to claim based on the floor area ratio of our office space compared to our house space.
“But for things like when I’m in my car and I’m sharing on my [social media] stories, I’m thinking is this work or is this not?”
She said she did not claim food costs or clothing, whereas other social media influencers might.
“I don’t claim my clothes but I also shop at secondhand shops. If I’m running an event or if I’m somewhere that’s because of work or I’m going to something I’m going to create content with, then yes.
“If I’m going out and getting lunch and sharing that I went to McDonalds I’m not going to claim that because it’s still part of your everyday living. But if I have an event where I’m getting together with a whole heap of people within the community then it’s a business expense.”
She said it was complicated for self-employed people, and particularly influencers.
“Is work the influencing or what you’re getting paid to influence? Is it work when you’re showing up because you’ve got a campaign for someone… or it just the get ready with me, hey I’m having my coffee let’s go for a walk. You could argue both ways, I think. Does my coffee become a work expense if I show that on my story every morning?”
Hnry chief executive James Fuller said, based on the 2023 census, influencers in New Zealand were paying up to $50 million a year in tax but that figure was fluid and growing.
Hnry co-founder James Fuller. (File photo)Supplied/Hnry
“It’s a really interesting development over the last 10 to 15 years in the economy that we have a whole group on the sole trader spectrum who are earning income in content creation and as influencers.
“That can stretch from everything from micro influencers who have a couple of thousand followers all the way through to people who have a couple of hundred thousand.
“I think often when people say ‘influencer’ they imagine someone with millions and millions of followers. But what we are seeing is actually the rise of content creators who are able to generate an audience, bring in brand deals, partnerships, sponsorships and then managing revenue effectively as a sole trader.”
He said people needed to be aware that if they were generating revenue, even if it was just from talking about life, that would come with the same obligations as any other business.
“As such there are things to consider such as the taxes, but also the expenses side of things.”
In the 2023 Census, 2646 people selected “multimedia designer” or “multimedia specialist” from the available occupation options, 228 of whom were self-employed.
“It can be quite tricky to work out, you know, actually is this my life? Am I being paid for being in business or am I being paid for being on social media? But, you know, in the eyes of IRD, it’s very clear that if you’re if you’re generating revenue from it, then it is a taxable activity and therefore you are in business and you have all of the opportunities that come from being in business when it comes to expenses, tax management, those sorts of things.”
Expenses that influencers would often be able to claim would include home office costs, travel expenses, music, the cost of giveaways or the games used by gaming creators.
Inland Revenue said people could claim expenses even in years where they spent more than they earned but there needed to be an intention to make a profit.
“If you monetise content and receive regular amounts from subscribers or platforms, then the amounts are likely income and taxable,” the department said.
Deloitte tax partner Robyn Walker said small scale social media use could sometimes be considered a hobby if there was not a clear intention of making a profit or there was not a lot of activity happening.
But there would always be a level at which it had to be treated as a business.
She said expenses claimed would need to have a sufficiently direct connection to the income-earning activity.
“The other thing to be aware of is that if you are buying assets and then you stop doing content creation that might have implications. If you bought a phone or a camera or a computer and you claim that deduction – normally as depreciation depending on the cost of the asset, if you stop doing then you will have to make tax adjustments to reverse out or effectively sell the asset back to yourself.”
The increase showed the job market in 2026 was on “much stronger footing”, according to SEEK. (File photo)123rf
Job ads rose for the eighth month in a row in January, showing the job market was on a “much stronger footing” than a year ago, according to SEEK.
The latest SEEK NZ Employment Report shows job ads increased 1.3 percent in January, while December’s result was revised up to a 1.5 percent rise from an initially reported fall of 0.3 percent.
SEEK NZ country manager Rob Clark said New Zealand’s job market had entered 2026 on a “much stronger footing” than a year earlier.
“Nationally, annual growth is at its highest in over three years and monthly volumes have been ticking up since the middle of 2025,” Clark said.
Gisborne led monthly growth with a 3.9 percent lift in job ads, followed by Manawatū, Otago and Taranaki.
Wellington rose 1.5 percent, driven by a 3.3 percent increase in Government & Defence roles.
In Auckland, small gains in large industries – including Information & Communications Technology and Trades & Services – pushed ad volumes 1.1 percent higher.
On an annual basis, the South Island continues to outperform the North Island.
Otago and Southland both recorded job ad growth of more than 23 percent, led by demand for construction and trades workers.
Nationally, the construction and industrial sectors remain the strongest performers, with annual job ads up 20.1 percent and 16.5 percent respectively.
Meanwhile, applications per job ad were unchanged in December, signalling a stabilising job‑seeker market, though competition for roles remains elevated.
Clark said persistent strength in construction, agriculture, trades, logistics and the ICT ecosystem over the past year was “welcome news after such a long period of decline”.
He said the market was now characterised by “gradual but consistent expansion rather than rapid swings”, reflecting growing employer confidence.
Property experts say there are a few things that can happen to influence a property’s value – some within the owner’s control and some not.RNZ
House prices aren’t moving much in many parts of the country – but what could cause the value of your place to drop?
Property experts say there are a few things that can happen to influence a property’s value – some within the owner’s control and some not.
Messy neighbours
Property economist Ed McKnight said having neighbours who did not look after their house could be a problem.
“If your neighbour’s property looks like a mess – overgrown lawns, rubbish piling up, cars on the front lawn – that could make it harder to get a premium price for your property. It’s hard to quantify this in data.
“But buyers tend to pay premium prices for the dream home. If next door makes it seem more like a nightmare, then the price premium will fall.”
More neighbours
There has been a townhouse boom around parts of Auckland but work in neighbouring sections can make your house less valuable – at least in the short term.
McKnight said he visited a house in Ōrākei, Auckland, where the owner was grappling with this.
“Just as this owner was trying to sell, the neighbour was bulldozing their house and knocking up a five-storey apartment building. It was hard to get someone to pay a premium price for a property when there’s going to be noise and disturbance next door for the following three years.
“The tricky part is that most of this is outside your control. You can have the best-maintained property on the street, but if next door is a disaster, you’re wearing some of that cost.”
Property economist Ed McKnight.Supplied / Ed McKnight
Cotality chief property economist Kelvin Davidson said many people valued privacy and having sunlight.
“Putting townhouses up next door potentially reduces that. But I think it’s just the world we’re in at the moment, the government is pushing hard on intensification, infill housing.”
But Vanessa Williams, a spokesperson for Realestate.co.nz, said in an area with a lot of finished townhouses, having a place with a garden and garage could be worth more.
Flooding
Recent weather events have drawn more attention to potential flooding, and properties that could be in a flood zone.
Williams said it was something that many buyers should research before they bought a house. A property in a risky area could have a lower value. Some owners might not realise they were affected until they went to sell.
Power pylons
McKnight earlier said a house that was less than 250 metres from a power line could be worth up to 20 percent less than the same property not near the lines.
“The further away you are the less impact. Once you get over 250m away, there was no discernible difference.”
But he said if they were blocking an otherwise nice view, that could cut a property’s price by 27 percent.
McKnight said lamppost cell towers and simple monopole towers made no impact. But armed monopoles could add about a 10 percent discount for houses very close to them.
Flight paths
Davidson said anywhere that had planes flying closely overhead at regular intervals could face challenges.
But an Airways and Auckland Airport report in 2018 said a new flight path over parts of Auckland did not impact property prices, media reported at the time.
An earlier study in Brisbane said aircraft noise only had a minimal impact on property prices.
Davidson said homes next to correctional faciilties could also face a stigma.
A UK survey showed 36 percent of people would live by a prison but half would expect a discount in price of almost a third to do so.
Apartments near Auckland’s Mt Eden Correctional Facility are valued at about $860,000, a similar price to some a few streets away. But in areas where there is less employment, the arrival of a prison can mean more work.
New Zealand’s Dane Menzies falls as he competes in the snowboard men’s slopestyle final run 2 during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park, in Livigno (Valtellina), on February 18, 2026.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
Dane Menzies has missed out on a medal in the Snowboard Slopestyle final at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy.
The New Zealander was 12th in the line-up and got off to a strong start.
Run one earned him a solid score of 76.10, but run two saw him drop to fifth place.
Menzies was unable to up his score with a clean run on his last attempt, leading to a seventh place finish.
He only needed another three points to crack the top three.
The women’s Snowboard Slopestyle final, where Zoi Sadowski-Synnott will bid for another medal, is due to kick off at Thursday 2.30am NZT.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Designed as the next milestone in Infinix’s flagship journey, the NOTE 60 SERIES elevates the brand’s signature NOTE line with a sharper focus on flagship-class performance, expressive design, and immersive everyday experiences that go beyond expectations.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 18 February 2026 – At its annual flagship showcase, Infinix today unveiled the NOTE 60 SERIES, featuring the NOTE 60 Pro and NOTE 60—demonstrating a new chapter in delivering premium technology experiences to global users.
Infinix NOTE 60 Pro
Advancing design and performance within its class, the NOTE 60 Pro marks a significant milestone as Infinix’s first smartphone built on the Snapdragon® 7s Gen 4 Mobile Platform, delivering exceptional responsiveness and seamless multitasking that befits flagship-level performance.
It further elevates everyday experiences with an avant-garde Active Matrix Display that stays invisible when inactive, yet transforms into a dynamic interface for personalized interactivity, intelligent notifications, and on-screen entertainment—expanding what a smartphone can do in everyday life. Paired with a fluid 144Hz 1.5K Ultra HDR Cinematic Display and immersive SOUND BY JBL, the NOTE 60 Pro sets a new benchmark for premium multimedia experiences within its segment, proving that exceptional technology can be both powerful and pleasurable.
“NOTE 60 SERIES is our annual flagship showcase—an ‘all‑out’ blockbuster created with industry leaders,” said Tony Zhao, CEO of Infinix. “Embracing a whole-series 5G strategy, we are bringing together the best of performance, design, and entertainment—from our first NOTE powered by Snapdragon from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., to premium design craftsmanship with Pininfarina, and immersive SOUND BY JBL. This ensures we deliver a pleasurable, fun experience that lets our global consumers actively enjoy the best modern technology.”
Performance Without Compromise with Snapdragon
The NOTE 60 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon® 7s Gen 4 Mobile Platform, delivering robust multitasking and exceptional gaming efficiency with up to 75%¹ faster CPU performance and 210%¹ improved GPU rendering compared to the NOTE 50 Pro. Infinix and Qualcomm Technologies have collaborated for the NOTE 60 Pro, integrating Infinix’s proprietary performance engine to fully harness the hardware’s capabilities. These optimizations deliver up to 25%¹ enhancement in multitasking performance, significantly faster app launch speeds, and a smoother, more stable experience when switching between apps during heavy use.
Powered by its strong Snapdragon chipset, the NOTE 60 Pro takes gaming performance even further, delivering smooth high‑frame‑rate gameplay across popular titles. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Honor of Kings run up to 120 FPS, ensuring ultra‑responsive, fluid action even during intense team battles. To maintain consistent performance, the NOTE 60 Pro also introduces an upgraded 3D IceCore Vapor Chamber cooling system featuring a 0.36 mm copper sheet that directs heat from the chipset to the vapor chamber, reducing temperature by up to 3 °C¹ during intense gaming for stable, sustained performance.
Active Matrix Display: Functionality Through Design
Featured on the back of the NOTE 60 Pro, the all-new Active Matrix Display represents a major design innovation for the NOTE SERIES.
This miniature, interactive LED interface stays invisible until activated, then instantly lights up to show smart notifications, animated pets, or mini-games. It enables at-a-glance information, versatile alerts, and moments of playful interaction. Users can personalize it with custom signatures, emojis, or dynamic patterns, giving users a creative outlet to express their personality and emotions, and turning the phone into a more emotionally connected personal companion.
Built around a robust one-piece frame of high-strength aluminum alloy with a refined micro-matte texture, the NOTE 60 Pro delivers a sophisticated, high-end feel while offering durable practicality and dependable IP64 protection² against dust, splashes, and everyday wear. Infinix NOTE 60 SERIES introduces multiple practical functions on the robust middle frame, including the new One‑Tap Button providing instant, customizable activation of Silent Mode or tools like the flashlight. It also features an industry-exclusive Advanced Health Monitor, providing proactive wellness tracking of key vitals like heart rate, blood oxygen, and long-term HRV to deliver actionable health insights.
Immersive Entertainment: A Stunning 1.5K Display Paired with SOUND BY JBL
The NOTE 60 Pro is engineered for an immersive, all-day comfortable audiovisual experience. It features a vivid 1.5K display with ultra-slim bezels, reaching 4500 nits peak brightness for visibility in any light and a 144Hz refresh rate for ultra-smooth visuals. The display is designed for extended viewing comfort, featuring motion sickness prevention technology, which helps users stay comfortable while reading, watching videos, or gaming when commuting or traveling. Last but not least, NOTE 60 Pro is protected by durable Corning® Gorilla® Glass 7i, and this visual excellence is complemented by a high-fidelity stereo sound system with SOUND BY JBL, to complete a truly compelling entertainment experience.
Capture Anything, Day or Night: The Pro-Grade Camera Setup
At the core of the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro’s imaging system is the exclusive 50MP OIS Night Master Camera, engineered to deliver crystal-clear photos and stable videos even in low light. Paired with a 112° ultrawide sensor, the system effortlessly captures everything from expansive landscapes to group portraits.
The device marks a major leap in imaging with Infinix’s first Ultra HDR pipeline, enabling full-chain HDR imaging, from capture and processing to display for brilliant, true-to-life photos. This high-end shooting mode preserves details in shadows and highlights that standard shots often miss, resulting in greater dynamic contrast range and rendering everything from daylight to neon with perfect clarity. Complementing this, the new Live Photo mode captures life as it happens and turns every photo into a vivid, pocket-sized memory.
Rounding out the professional imaging suite are intelligent features like 2x Lossless Portrait Zoom for studio-quality framing, 4K Ultra-Steady Video recording³ with creative filters, and the Infinix AI Studio for effortless, intelligent editing.
All-Day Power, Intelligent Care
The NOTE 60 Pro features a battery capacity up to 6500mAh⁴, a substantial 25%¹ increase over its predecessor. This provides ample power to support all-day browsing, messaging, and gameplay. To ensure power and performance are maintained in the long run, Infinix combines the increased energy density with an industry-first active healing system that automatically repairs internal battery materials in the long term, extending the battery longevity up to 200 cycles over time and ensuring at least 6 years of effective, hassle-free battery performance. The NOTE 60 Pro keeps you charged with 90W wired and 30W wireless⁵ charging. For the fastest wireless experience, an Infinix MagCharge phone case⁵ is included to guarantee perfect alignment. This gives you both the speed and the flexible convenience to power up seamlessly throughout your day.
Infinix NOTE 60: Flagship Implementation with Greater Accessibility
A design similar in high-end refinement to the NOTE 60 Pro’s graces Infinix NOTE 60, another 5G phone featuring a premium metal frame, a 1.5K Ultra HDR display at up to 144Hz, and exceptional battery capacity with advanced charging and longevity management. It’s built around the ultra-efficient MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultimate 5G mobile platform and delivers true 5G performance. The NOTE 60 sports many of the quality features common to the latest NOTE lineup, including Active Halo notification lighting, highly optimized system-level software, and the 3D IceCore Vapor Chamber cooling system. It retains the 50MP OIS Night Master Cam and Live Photo mode of NOTE 60 Pro, promising fun memory capture, editing, organization, and sharing with family, friends, and more.
Beyond “Pro”: Expanding the NOTE 60 SERIES
As a key step in its flagship journey, Infinix also previewed the NOTE 60 Ultra, marking a bold move into the premium segment. Designed by Pininfarina, the NOTE 60 Ultra introduces breakthroughs in form and delivers comprehensive upgrades in imaging, performance, and connectivity—representing the pinnacle of performance and experience within the NOTE 60 SERIES. More details about the NOTE 60 Ultra will be announced at a later date.
Demonstrating Infinix’s commitment to long‑term user support, the entire NOTE 60 SERIES comes equipped with the upgraded XOS 16, offering three generations of XOS platform upgrades and five years of security patches⁶. In addition, the whole series also supports eSIM connectivity⁷, providing users with greater flexibility and convenience in managing their mobile network experience.
Product availability
NOTE 60 Pro is available in five colors:* Mist Titanium, Solar Orange, Deep Ocean Blue, Mocha Brown, Frost Silver, Torino Black (Design by Pininfarina)*
It will be available in three variants:* 8GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB, 12GB + 256GB
NOTE 60 is available in five colors:* Mist Titanium, Rose Gold, Fizz Blue, Midnight Black, Mocha Brown
It will be available in two variants:* 8GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB
*Availability may vary by country/region. The Turino Black (Design by Pininfarina) will be released at a later date. Please consult local retailers and third-party shopping websites for more purchasing options.
*Available storage and RAM are less than the total memory due to storage of the operating system and software pre-installed on the device.
Price and availability vary between markets and sales channels. Please refer to the Infinix Official website for product availability and detailed regional sales information.
Disclaimer
Snapdragon is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.
¹All data comes from Infinix laboratories. The testing data may vary slightly between different test versions and testing environments.
²The phone is dustproof and splash-proof under normal use. Under controlled laboratory conditions, its performance can reach IP64 level under IEC 60529 standard. Differences exist between real-life scenarios. Any damage caused to the phone by immersion in liquid is not covered under the warranty.
³Record at up to 4K 30 fps, with ultra-steady stabilization and a wide range of creative filters.
⁴Battery capacity and configurations may vary by market.
⁵MagCharge requires using the Infinix-branded magnetic attachment phone case.
⁶The specific XOS upgrade plan for each model will be announced separately. Please note that availability of this upgrade may be limited in certain countries.
⁷eSIM availability is carrier and region-dependent; it may not be supported in all countries.
Hashtag: #Infinix
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
The peninsula remained under a state of emergency although State Highway 75 from Christchurch to Akaroa reopened on Wednesday afternoon and telecommunications were restored after widespread outages.
About 120 properties remained without power and at least 15 local roads were closed because of slips and flooding.
Kinloch farmer Tom Power said the “mental” rain caused the worst flooding he had ever seen.
Kinloch Road farm in Little River was flooded.Nathan Mckinnon
“I’ve never seen anything like it. It was predicted to be 100 millimetres or so and we ended up tipping out 430 millimetres in this catchment. It was chaos,” he said.
“I’ve never seen anything through Little River like that before and even up Okuti Valley, properties up there. It’s so widespread, it’s unbelievable.”
Power was dealing with stock losses as paddocks remained under water, with troughs and fences swept away and debris strewn across the property.
“We moved a lot of stock away to traditionally high areas that we’ve never seen go under water. We spent hours doing that beforehand and we were prepared for a lot of it, it was just the severity,” he said.
Flood damage in Little River.Nathan Mckinnon
“We’re still trying to get our head around what the damage is, to be fair, until the water goes away you don’t really know.
“People’s livelihoods have been well and truly affected by this, which is a crying shame.”
In Little River, Déjà New Preloved Goods owner Lisa Ashfield had cleared mud and silt from her shop with the help of firefighters – the second time her business had flooded in 12 months.
Flood damage at Deja New in Little River.Nathan Mckinnon
“I imagine this is probably the end of the shop,” she said.
“All of my furniture, my bookshelves, my storage units, people’s home-made jewellery, toys, books, clothes, furniture. Everything is just a mudbath,” she said.
“I was flooded in May last year, about 300 millimetres, over the top of your gumboots kind of level. This flood, unfortunately, was thigh-deep. All the preparation we did on Monday, raising everything off the floor, just wasn’t high enough,” she said.
Déjà New Preloved Goods Little River owner Lisa Ashfield said she’d been flooded twice in 12 months.Nathan Mckinnon/RNZ
Ashfield was now sorting through stock to work out what to throw in a skip.
Little River Cafe & Store owner Cameron Gordon also spent the day shovelling mud and silt from the building after water gushed in on Tuesday.
He said food from the chiller had to be thrown away and fridges and freezers would need replacing but he hoped to open the store by the end of the day and the cafe by the weekend.
Little River Cafe and Store.Nathan Mckinnon
Gordon was heartened by the support of locals who were helping to clean up the mess.
“They’re pretty keen to get the shop back going and get us up and running again. We got a lot of calls, a lot of messages overnight with people offering help, a lot of tools brought down, water blasters, squeegees and brooms and random people I haven’t met before. It’s great,” he said.
Gordon said the cafe had flooded five times, most recently last May when a foot of water washed through some businesses, but he had never seen flooding so bad in his 20 years living in the settlement.
He said water in Little River drained away quickly once Lake Forsyth was opened to the sea on Tuesday afternoon.
Outside the shop on Wednesday.Nathan Mckinnon
“If it was opened before this I think we would have had a lot less damage and probably a lower level through the building,” he said.
“[The council] seem to have their rules and their guidelines about how they monitor all that but it doesn’t seem to work for us. It seems to be the same story every year, with the same excuses every year as well.”
Living Streams Community Nursery co-ordinator Nicky Steinmetz said raging floodwaters had left a layer of silt over the plants, leaving a months-long clean-up job.
“Most of our volunteers will be really upset about what they see. It’s the small seedlings that will be most impacted, rather than the bigger plants. We’ll be able to wash those down, but it’s going to take forever,” she said.
Flood damage at Little River nursery.Nathan Mckinnon
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell and Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger visited Little River on Wednesday.
Mitchell told RNZ the flooding was worse than in May 2025.
“They’re in the middle of their summer season so we’ve got to do everything we can to support them and get them back on their feet as quickly as we can,” he said.
Boil water notices remained in place for Little River and Wainui.
Mauger said the water supply in Wainui was “absolute toast”.
The clean up inside the Little River Cafe and Store.Nathan Mckinnon
The council had sent Starlink WiFi devices to Akaroa and Wainui, although Chorus found and fixed a damaged fibre cable on a bridge that restored cell tower connections on Wednesday afternoon.
Students on two school trips who were stuck at Wainui and Ōnuku Marae had returned home.
Provisional figures from Earth Sciences New Zealand showed 243 millimetres of rain was recorded at its site in Akaroa in the 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday morning.
That was the highest 24-hour rainfall total for Akaroa in the month of February since records began in 1977, the organisation said.
Earth Sciences said Akaroa had received 316 millimetres of rain so far this month, making it the wettest February on record.
New integration adds data-centric protection to Temenos Transact, streamlining compliance, secure modernization, and AI analytics.
WIESBADEN, GERMANY – EQS Newswire – 18 February 2026 – comforte AG, a global leader in data-centric security, and ITSS Global, a premier Temenos delivery partner, have announced a collaboration to help retail, commercial and private banks using Temenos Transact eliminate the risks associated with clear-text personally identifiable information (PII) and payment data across core banking systems and their connected environments. As banks accelerate digital transformation and data-driven programs such as fraud prevention and AI, exposure of sensitive data across systems has become a growing concern. Regulators and industry standards worldwide are also raising the bar for how banks protect sensitive data and prove control across connected environments, including PCI DSS, privacy requirements, and resilience expectations. The comforte and ITSS collaboration addresses these challenges with a co-developed solution that extends data protection into Temenos Transact environments without complex customization. Delivered by ITSS as part of its Temenos services, the integration leverages comforte’s TAMUNIO technology for centralized policy management, tokenization, and controlled de-tokenization, keeping sensitive data protected across environments while still supporting reporting, analytics, and downstream processing, including fraud detection workflows and AI-driven insights built on Transact data.
Turning Security into an Enabler “The modern threat landscape demands a shift from securing systems to securing the data itself,” said Henning Horst, CTO at comforte. “Today’s regulators and auditors expect readable data to stay out of places it doesn’t belong. Together with ITSS, we help banks prove that control and move faster on analytics, fraud initiatives, and AI programs using protected data.”
Safe Implementation into Temenos Transact “As banks modernize their Temenos environments, the real security challenge is no longer the perimeter. It is protecting sensitive data as it moves across core systems, analytics platforms, and the cloud,” said Somasundaram M, Regional Sales Director, MEA at ITSS. “Through our partnership with comforte, we enable Temenos clients to embed data-centric tokenization directly into their transformation journeys. This significantly reduces breach exposure, supports compliance with evolving regulatory mandates such as PCI DSS 4.0 and GDPR, and allows banks to adopt cloud, analytics, and AI-driven use cases without compromising data sovereignty or performance.”
To learn more or request a briefing, visit comforte.com. You can alsocontact us via email: sales@comforte.com / marketing@ITSSglobal.com.
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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Artist’s visualisation of a second Mt Victoria Tunnel in Wellington.NZTA / Waka Kotahi
The Transport Minister says holding off on a second Mount Victoria tunnel is something under consideration, if congestion charging shows it is not needed.
But the Finance Minister insists the project is “all go,” with work already underway.
A second tunnel through Mount Victoria was a key 2023 campaign promise from National, and the project made its way into the Roads of National Significance programme.
A second Terrace Tunnel has also been proposed, reserved solely for southbound traffic, while the existing three-lane tunnel would become a dedicated route for northbound traffic only.
The New Zealand Transport Agency estimated the costs of the new tunnels, along with removing parking on Vivian Street, would cost between $2.9 billion and $3.8 billion.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop says a question on whether the Mount Victoria tunnels would be tolled was “complicated” by potential time-of-use pricing.RNZ/Mark Papalii
The National Infrastructure Plan, released on Tuesday, said time of use charging for congested urban networks would encourage people to travel during less congested times or take public transport.
This, the plan said, would reduce delays and improve network performance, but also “defer the need for expensive capacity expansions”.
The government has legislated to implement time-of-use charging, establishing a framework to allow councils to set up a congestion charging scheme.
The plan said New Zealand ranked fourth to last in the OECD for asset management, or the practice of looking after existing infrastructure.
The commission said better understanding of existing assets would help avoiding diverting maintenance spending into new capital investment, to the cost of future generations.
“Reform is needed to better align transport investment with what users can fund, supported by clearer and
more independent oversight to ensure spending is focused on maintaining existing networks and delivering new projects only where they respond to demand and provide clear value for money.”
Transport Minister Chris Bishop said a question on whether the Mount Victoria tunnels would be tolled was “complicated” by potential time-of-use pricing.
“Which is why I’m not getting ahead of any of that. There’s a variety of quite complicated issues around tolling and time-of-use pricing in both Auckland and Wellington, which we’re working our way through, and any decision on that is a long time away.”
Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the tunnel has not been cancelled.RNZ / Mark Papalii
Asked whether time of use charging should be used first before committing funds to two tunnels, Bishop said it was an option under consideration and he would have more to say soon.
“I’m not cancelling the tunnel, but we are giving active consideration to what time-of-use pricing might do to our transport projects. You have to factor these things in, because thay are a mechanism for demand management and making more efficient use of our infrastructure, which is exactly what the commission says.”
Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the tunnel had not been cancelled.
“Mount Vic Tunnel is all go. And in fact, work is already underway on that project, which is to say there’s around I think $150 million of geotechnical work underway already, which has involved drills and spades in the ground.”
Willis was more ambiguous when asked whether the second Terrace Tunnel “all go” as well, referring questions back to Bishop.
She said the point the Infrastructure Commission was making was that when deciding how to prioritise, sequence, fund, and finance projects, one of the things to consider was the role of different financing tools like petrol taxes, tolls, and congestion charging.
Wellington mayor Andrew Little said the Mount Victoria tunnel was always the government’s project, so it decides what happens.
“From Wellington’s point of view, what matters most is we have good infrastructure that means people can move around and across the city,” he said.
“What we need most of all is certainty about what the government is doing so that the council and residents can plan with confidence.”
The head of Wellington’s new water entity says it’s still unclear how its takeover of the barely-functional Moa Point wastewater treatment plant will work.
Tiaki Wai replaces Wellington Water from 1 July, inheriting council-owned water assets including the Moa Point plant.
For two weeks, raw sewage has been spewing into the sea after a massive failure at the facility, which is extensively damaged and cannot treat wastewater.
It’s unclear what happened, and when the plant will be fixed. Officials say they can’t give much information, citing the impending Crown review and insurance processes.
During an “Introduction to Tiaki Wai” briefing to Wellington city councillors on Wednesday afternoon, Tiaki Wai chair Will Peet mentioned Moa Point within the first minute and a half of his address.
“The catastrophic failure of the plant is very significant for us as an organisation,” he said, adding that he looked forward to the Crown review.
“We’re very much supportive of getting some interim reporting as the inquiry progresses, I think we want to hear what we can do, and when we can do it.”
Councillor Ray Chung questioned whether Tiaki Wai would hold off taking over Moa Point “until we’ve solved all the problems”.
But Peet said that had not been top of mind.
“The main job is dealing right now with the response and immediate recovery steps, we’ve got four months to work through the particulars.”
Peet said he was confident Tiaki Wai had the “financial ability to work it through”, and he would continue to work with the mayor and council chief executive on a “sensible approach to that”.
“The main thing is that nobody should win or lose based on a change of ownership,” Peet said.
There was little discussion of Moa Point during the meeting – but at the beginning chairperson Nureddin Abdurahman had reminded councillors it was not the focus.
“Today’s focus is on Tiaki Wai, and if you want to ask any question beyond that, be aware of some of the ministerial inquiries that we have as well.”
The public was excluded for the second half hour of the meeting, because commercially sensitive information was being discussed.
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has announced the appointment of Stuart Calman as New Zealand’s Climate Change Ambassador.
“I am pleased to welcome Stuart to this role, given his expertise in foreign policy, trade and development, along with strong climate policy experience,” Mr Watts says.
“Stuart brings an excellent understanding of opportunities for enhanced cooperation with the Pacific and Southeast Asia. A particular focus in 2026 will be supporting Australia in its role as chair of the UN Climate COP31 negotiations, in partnership with the Pacific. Stuart’s expertise will be beneficial in supporting New Zealand’s economic, trade, and climate goals.”
Mr Calman is a senior diplomat who served as New Zealand’s Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) based in Jakarta from 2022-24. He has held leadership roles in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade with a focus on energy, climate resilience and sustainable economic development in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Prior to joining the Ministry in 2013, Mr Calman held management roles in the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry of Economic Development, responsible for climate change, energy and environmental policy.
Mr Calman studied Business, Economics and Development at Massey University and his whakapapa includes Ngāti Toa, Raukawa ki te Tonga and Kāi Tahu. He will take up his new, Wellington-based role effective immediately, replacing Stuart Horne who has taken up the role of New Zealand Consul-General in Honolulu.
Mr Calman’s appointment as Climate Change Ambassador starts on Monday 16 February 2026.
Police have recovered a cache of weaponry as part of an ongoing investigation into a family harm event.
Counties Manukau West Police responded to Māngere address on Sunday afternoon.
“A disagreement between family members occurred, when a firearm was allegedly presented by one member,” Area Response Manager, Senior Sergeant Steve Albrey says.
“The man left the address in a vehicle along with an associate, and Police were contacted.”
Police responded to the area, locating this vehicle leaving a Kirkbride Road address.
“An armed traffic stop was carried out and the driver was taken into custody,” Senior Sergeant Albrey says.
“Police have returned to the Kirkbride Road property and made an armed approach to the address and invoked a search at the property.”
Inside, Police seized a range of firearms and ammunition.
“This included a pistol, revolver, pump-action shotgun and two rifles.”
Senior Sergeant Albrey says a cross bow and an imitation pistol were also recovered.
Meanwhile, units also stopped a second vehicle in connection with the family harm incident, taking that driver into custody as well.
“Our enquiries are continuing, and we expect charges will be laid,” he says.
“It’s a good outcome for the Māngere community that these firearms are now out of circulation.”
Animal control officers visited the property where Mihiata Te Rore was mauled to death four times, including the day before the attack.
Te Rore, 62, was visiting a person she knew at a property in the small Northland town of Kaihu when she was attacked and killed on Tuesday.
Police say the three dogs involved lived at the property.
Te Rore is the third person to be killed by dogs in Northland in the past four years, sparking calls for more to be done by local and central government to deal with the growing problem.
Police have been at the taped-off home where Te Rore died on Tuesday.
In a statement, Kaipara District Council said there had been four complaints about the dogs in November, December and this week, and had responded to each request on the same day.
“Staff visited the property on multiple occasions to attempt to speak to the owner, including reaching out to family and iwi liaison. When the dogs were seen they were on the property.
“In December staff managed to speak with the owner about compliance and keeping the dogs secure, including consequences if this did not occur. In February they visited the property twice, including the day before, but were unable to talk to the owner or uplift the dogs.”
The council said there had also been “multiple” proactive patrols in the area, looking for any loose dogs, including a door knock of every property along Kaihu Wood Road (no loose dogs were sighted during these patrols).
“Dog owners are responsible for their dogs – they have a legal responsibility to look after and control their animals but we also acknowledge that council’s animal control plays an important role in managing risks in the community. Our staff work with dog owners across the district every single day and are devastated that any such incident, in this case on private property, has occurred in Kaipara.
“We have a very small but extremely passionate team covering the whole of the district, and in their role they deal with a wide range of owners and dogs daily, often in complex and challenging situations.”
It said its animal management team was investigating the incident.
“The three dogs were secured after the event and have been impounded, and will be destroyed as soon as police have finished their investigation.”
‘All four have pack attacked my dog’
A local – who RNZ has agreed not to name – said authorities were warned in the past year about issues with the dogs.
He has had his own experience with the four dogs he says live at the property.
“They’ve actually come onto my property and attacked my dog,” he said.
“They pack attacked him, all four have pack attacked my dog, and that was just over six months ago.”
Like many in the community, he was frightened.
“It is quite stressful because you don’t even know if you’re going to get attacked and for me, I’ve got to go out my drive to get to my letterbox, and you don’t know whether the dogs are around the corner,” the man said.
“It’s really quite frightening.”
The man said Tuesday’s attack should never have happened.
“There were so many warnings before that happened and nothing had been done,” he said.
“I can’t believe that people are ringing dog control and yet nothing had been done.”
Statistics from the Kaipara District Council showed the number of dogs impounded by the council more than doubled over the four years from 2021 to 2025.
In the period from July 2022 to July 2025, there were 174 call-outs for dog attacks, but only one person was prosecuted in the same period.
RNZ asked the council to comment on these figures, but have not received a response.
The Kaipara District Council promoted cycle trails in the Kaihu area where Te Rore was killed.
Three years ago, Mike Wespel-Rose was biking on a track from Dargaville to Russell with his wife, when the pair were chased by dogs from a nearby property north of Whangārei.
“They were chasing us, and chasing us, it went on for quite a few minutes.”
“They jumped up on my wife’s bike […] we didn’t dare stop because God knows what we might’ve faced, so we just rode like crazy, very fearful about what might happen,” he said.
Wespel-Rose said the dog issue in the north is a symptom of wider problems with crime and poverty.
“It needs more resourcing doesn’t it, so that it can be dealt with more fully,” he said.
“It’s a tough one.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon described Te Rore’s death as unacceptable, and said the council needed to act.
“I would expect that within seven days that the Kiapara District Council is taking action and going after the dogs, and packs of dogs that are out there,” he said.
“Just imagine being a mum with a young baby, or young toddlers, and the anxiety that that causes.”
Push to reform laws ignored
However, Auckland Council’s Animal Management said its push for the government to reform dog control laws over the past year had fallen on deaf ears.
Elly Waitoa from the council’s animal management department said she was shocked that as recently as Tuesday morning, the government had told them they were not considering changes to the dog control act.
Meanwhile, police have said they want to hear from anyone in the Kaihu community who has had issues with dogs roaming in the area.
Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer said the dogs involved were now with Animal Management.
“This was a very upsetting and tragic event in which a woman has suffered unsurvivable injuries,” he said.
“I know the community will have a lot of questions; our investigation is still in the early stages and our focus is on establishing all the facts in this case.”
‘It’s almost become normalised’
Liz Woodward, a trustee of the Best Dog Trust – which provides free desexing for dogs in Kaipara, Whangarei and Wellsford – told Checkpoint the number of animals was overwhelming.
“We’ve had a dog applied for desexing just yesterday, she had 11 puppies. That’s really common, just the sheer number of dogs and lack of affordability of vet care, and also people being able to get to vets,” she said.
“For Kaihu residents it’s 90 kilometres to get a vet in Whangarei for desexing, so it’s no easy undertaking.”
She said the price was also prohibitive.
“It ranges from about $350 for a vet in Whangarei that’s low cost, the vets we deal with in Kaipara and Wellsford are more expensive,” she explained.
“We recently desexed a 56 kilo dangerous female, and she would have cost the owner over $1200.”
Woodward said aggressive behaviour from pet dogs had become normalised in Northland.
“Probably in most communities in Northland there’s an understanding within your community that there are certain dogs on certain streets or in certain areas that you just don’t get too close to,” she said.
“It’s really disheartening to hear of tourists on our cycle trails, trying to enjoy our beautiful countryside, being chased by dogs. It’s almost become normalised up here.”
“I can’t even begin to explain how big the dog issue is for Northland.”
Invercargill man Kevin Belling, 62, was last seen at his Motu Rimu farm on Friday 9 January.Supplied / NZ Police
Effluent ponds and other waterways on the farm of a missing Southland man are now being searched by the police.
Kevin Belling, 62, was last seen at his Motu Rimu farm on Friday 9 January and was reported missing on 18 January.
Search and Rescue teams have been scouring the Caesar Road property in Kapuka.
People living nearby are asked to check their properties for any sign of him.
Anyone with information that may help the police locate Kevin Belling is asked to call 105 and use reference number 260118/6964, or information can be reported anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.