Category: MIL NZ OSI

Posted on

Application for a mātaitai reserve, at Guards Bay and Anakoha Bay, Marlborough Sounds

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

Your views sought

Ngāti Kuia has applied for a mātaitai reserve covering the waters of Guards Bay in the outer Marlborough Sounds. The proposed area includes all South Island fisheries waters lying between Forsyth Island (Te Paruparu) and Alligator Head with an offshore boundary north of Titi Island and including Anakoha Bay and Titirangi Bay. 

Ngāti Kuia and Fisheries New Zealand invite submissions on the proposal and will hold a local community meeting to discuss the application.

This is the first of 2 consultations to be held about the application.

What area is being proposed?

The proposed area includes approximately 56.6 square kilometres of South Island fisheries waters within the following lines: 

  1. starting at a point on the mean high-water mark at Culdaff Point at 40°56.387’S and 174°04.834’E; then
  2. proceeding in a straight line in an easterly direction for approximately 4km to a point offshore at 40°56.189’S and 174°07.696’E; then
  3. proceeding in a straight line in a south-easterly direction for approximately 2.4km to a point offshore at 40°56.824’S and 174°09.202’E; then
  4. proceeding in a straight line in a southerly direction for approximately 2.4km to a point on the mean high-water mark located approximately 250m east of Alligator Head at 40°58.096’S and 174°09.573’E; then
  5. following the mean high-water mark in a generally south-westerly direction to a point on the south side of Allen Strait/Guard Pass at 40°59.780’S and 174°03.923’E; then
  6. proceeding in straight line in a north-westerly direction for 284m to a point on the mean high-water mark on the north side of Allen Strait/Guard Pass at 40°59.682’S and 174°03.767’E; then
  7. proceeding in a generally northerly direction along the mean high-water mark to the starting point. 

Consultation documents

Map of the proposed mātaitai reserve [PDF, 1.5 MB]

Application for proposed mātaitai reserve [PDF, 13 MB]

Making your submission

The local community are invited to make a written submission on the application. Submissions close at 5pm on Monday 20 April 2026.

Email your submission to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz

While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:

Fisheries management – Spatial Allocations
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.

Public notices about this consultation

Public notices calling for submissions are scheduled to appear in Nelson Mail and Marlborough Express on Monday 2 March 2026 and Wednesday 11 March 2026.

Public meeting planned

A meeting with the local community will be held to discuss the application. A further notice will be published in both the Nelson Mail and Marlborough Express, and on this website, advertising the time, date and venue for this meeting.

A second consultation is planned

After the local community consultation period has closed, Fisheries New Zealand will hold a second consultation. This will invite written submissions from people who take fish, aquatic life, or seaweed or own quota, and whose ability to take fish, aquatic life, or seaweed or whose ownership interest in quota may be affected by the proposed mātaitai reserve.

The second consultation will be advertised in the same newspapers and on this website.

About mātaitai reserves

A mātaitai reserve is an identified traditional fishing ground where tangata whenua have a special relationship. Mātaitai reserves are limited to fisheries waters and do not include any land area. Mātaitai reserves do not change any existing arrangements for access to private land.

Mātaitai reserves do not affect private landowners’ land titles or their ability to exercise resource consents for such things as taking water or extracting gravel or sand. Resource consents are managed under the Resource Management Act 1991.

Find out more about mātaitai reserves

Fisheries (South Island Customary Fishing) Regulations 1999 – NZ Legislation

Recreational fishing

Mātaitai reserves do not change the recreational fishing rules. However, the tangata tiaki/kaitiaki for a mātaitai reserve may propose changes to the rules at a later date. These are called mātaitai reserve bylaws. Any proposed bylaws will be consulted on separately with the public and relevant stakeholders. They need to be approved by the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries.

Commercial fishing

Commercial fishing is generally prohibited in a mātaitai reserve, and the applicants have not sought any conditions to enable specified commercial fishing activities to continue in the area if it becomes a mātaitai reserve.

Submissions are public information

Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.

People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.

Official Information Act 1982 – NZ Legislation

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/application-for-a-mataitai-reserve-at-guards-bay-and-anakoha-bay-marlborough-sounds/

Posted on

Ghiotti brand Chorizo Velita recalled due to incorrect date mark

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

New Zealand Food Safety is supporting Granarolo New Zealand Limited in its recall of Ghiotti brand Chorizo Velita (150g) due to the product being labelled with the incorrect date mark.

“The concern is that this chorizo has been mislabelled with the incorrect date mark. The affected product is labelled Best Before 21/05/2026. The correct date mark should be Use By 21/02/2026. This is important because use-by dates indicate when the product is no longer safe to eat,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director general Vincent Arbuckle.

“This product should not be eaten. You can return them to the place of purchase for a refund. If that’s not possible, throw them out.”

The affected batch of Ghiotti brand Chorizo Velita (150g) is sold at retailers throughout New Zealand.

Visit New Zealand Food Safety’s recall page for up-to-date information and photographs of the affected product.

If you have eaten any of these products and are concerned for your health, contact your health professional, or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free advice.

The products were imported from Spain and labelled in New Zealand. The products have not been re-exported. They have been removed from stores.

“As is our usual practice, New Zealand Food Safety will work with Granarolo New Zealand Limited to understand how the how the date mark labelling error occurred and prevent its recurrence,” says Mr Arbuckle.

The vast majority of food sold in New Zealand is safe, but sometimes problems can occur. Help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts. Information on how to subscribe is on the New Zealand Food Safety food recall page. 

Ghiotti brand Chorizo Velita

Read more on our website about how to read food labels.

How to read food labels  

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/ghiotti-brand-chorizo-velita-recalled-due-to-incorrect-date-mark/

Posted on

Kaikōura dairy farmer fined $35,000 for multiple NAIT failures involving hundreds of animals 

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

A Kaikōura dairy farmer has been fined $35,000 for failing his National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) responsibilities involving hundreds of cattle, following a successful prosecution by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). 

Trevor Ronald Bolton (59) was sentenced in the Kaikōura District Court (6 March 2026) on 3 representative charges under the NAIT Act. Mr Bolton earlier pleaded guilty to the charges.  

Under the NAIT Act, the movement of all cattle or deer must be declared to the NAIT organisation, Operational Solutions for Primary Industries (OSPRI), within 48 hours. Additionally, all animals must be fitted with a NAIT tag and registered in the NAIT system by the time the animal is 180 days old, or before the animal is moved off farm.  

Mr Bolton runs 2 large dairy farms and is the person in charge of the animals. MPI’s investigation found significant failures including not registering 269 NAIT animals, failing to declare 571 NAIT animals that were being moved off farm, and failing to declare movements of 83 NAIT animals onto his farms. For each of these failures, he was fined $11,666.  

“The system is critical to New Zealand’s ability to trace potentially affected animals to manage disease or biosecurity incursions. This farmer’s failures under the NAIT Act related to almost 1,000 animals. As we have learned from our experience with Mycoplasma bovis it only takes one animal to cause a problem,” says MPI district manager of animal welfare and NAIT compliance upper south, Paul Soper.  

“MPI takes non-compliance with NAIT seriously. Put simply, when people in charge of animals disregard or fail to live up to their NAIT obligations they put the whole agricultural sector at risk,” says Paul Soper.   

More information on NAIT and your obligations as a person in charge of animals – OSPRI

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/kaikoura-dairy-farmer-fined-35000-for-multiple-nait-failures-involving-hundreds-of-animals/

Posted on

Groundbreaking New Zealand product set to tackle yellow-legged hornets

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

Biosecurity New Zealand is deploying a new tool in the fight against the yellow-legged hornet in Auckland.

Mike Inglis, commissioner north, says the agency will soon be using a locally developed protein-based insecticide bait that has proven extremely successful on wasps and is expected to be effective against the hornet. 

“Targeting hornets with this product, called Vespex®, is a world-first, as unlike in other countries, New Zealand has no native wasps that are attracted to this bait, so native species won’t be harmed. 

“Research has also shown that the product does not affect honeybees.

“Vespex® has low toxicity to mammals and birds, and they would need to consume a large amount of bait to show any symptoms of poisoning. The active ingredient, fipronil, is used in pet flea and tick products in higher concentrations than what we’ll be using.”

Mr Inglis says the bait will be placed in special stations and visiting hornets then roll it into small balls and take it back to the nest where it poisons others.

Starting in mid-March, when hornets are looking for protein feed, bait stations will be set in the response ‘B’ and ‘C’ Zones, which are the surveillance areas furthest from where hornets are being detected on Auckland’s North Shore.

“We’re targeting these outer areas first to destroy any hornets that have so far evaded traps or sightings by the public. This gives us an extra layer of insurance. 

“We will ultimately use the Vespex® in the central ‘A’ Zone where the hornets are concentrated, but we are holding off for now because we’re having great success tracking hornets to nests using visual inspections and radio trackers.

“In addition, we’ve had a new breakthrough using drone-based thermal imaging. Using this technology over an area where a suspected nest was present, we were able to locate a new secondary nest, adding another tool to our toolbox.

All of the activities being undertaken to get rid of this hornet are based on science and guided by the advice of a group of technical experts, many with experience managing yellow-legged hornets overseas. 

“The yellow-legged hornet response is progressing well, and the end goal remains eradication, which is considered feasible.”

Read more about yellow-legged hornets

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/groundbreaking-new-zealand-product-set-to-tackle-yellow-legged-hornets/

Posted on

Response continues in Papatoetoe, with no further fruit flies found today

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

Biosecurity New Zealand’s Oriental fruit fly response continues in Papatoetoe, Auckland, with no further fruit flies found today.

Four male Oriental fruit flies have so far been found in traps within our surveillance zone. 

“Our team hit the ground running over the past several days, installing signs, setting additional traps, distributing fruit disposal bins, and sharing information with the community,” says Mike Inglis, Biosecurity New Zealand commissioner north.

“Staff are continuing to visit businesses, schools, and households to provide information and support and today they’ll be focused on those in the newly extended Zone A and B areas.”

There are now 3 areas under Zone A restrictions, 200 metres around each fly detection, with their combined area including approximately 1,400 properties. Zone B has also been extended to account for the location of the new detections and now covers approximately 14,500 properties.

Residents in the 2 new areas subject to Zone A restrictions will receive a bin to securely dispose of their fruit and vegetable waste.

“There is one bin for each household in Zone A and bins are publicly available right across Zone B,” Mr Inglis says.

“An interactive map will be available on our website today showing the location of those Zone B bins, where you can search for your nearest bins based on your address.”

A map of the controlled area and a full description of the new boundaries and movement controls is available at:

Oriental fruit fly detection in 2026 in Papatoetoe, Auckland

A biosecurity operation has been under way in the area since last Wednesday, with legal controls in place on the movement of fruit and vegetables to help prevent any fruit flies spreading beyond the controlled area. 

“We have a specialist team working in a mobile laboratory, collecting and inspecting fallen fruit for evidence of Oriental fruit fly,” Mr Inglis says.

“Since the response began, they have sliced and examined a significant amount of this windfall fruit.” 

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/response-continues-in-papatoetoe-with-no-further-fruit-flies-found-today/

Posted on

Steinlager Ultra Low Carb beer recalled due to incorrect alcohol-free labelling

Source: NZ Ministry for Primary Industries

New Zealand Food Safety is supporting Lion NZ (LION) Limited in recalling a specific batch of its Steinlager Ultra Low Carb beer due to individual bottles in some 24-packs being incorrectly labelled as alcohol-free. 

“The concern with these beers is that although the box says the beers contain 4.2% alcohol, some of the bottles in the box have been incorrectly labelled as alcohol-free,” says New Zealand Food Safety deputy director-general Vincent Arbuckle. 

“I am very mindful that this recall will be concerning for a range of consumers who have medical, cultural, or lifestyle reasons why they select non-alcoholic beverages. 

“People avoiding alcohol should not consume this product. Customers can get a full refund by contacting Lion NZ on freephone 0800 835 554.” 

Steinlager’s Ultra Low Carb 24 Pack (24 x 330ml) with a best before date of 21/10/26 is affected by this recall. 

The affected products are sold at retailers and hospitality businesses nationwide. They have been removed from store shelves and have not been exported. 

Visit New Zealand Food Safety’s recall page for up-to-date information and photographs of the affected product.

Steinlager Ultra Low Carb beer recalled

If you have consumed any of this product and are concerned for your health, contact your health professional, or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for free advice. 

“As is our usual practice, New Zealand Food Safety will work with Lion NZ (LION) Limited to understand how this happened and prevent it recurring,” says Mr Arbuckle. 

The vast majority of food sold in New Zealand is safe, but sometimes problems can occur.  Help keep yourself and your family safe by subscribing to our recall alerts. Information on how to subscribe is on the New Zealand Food Safety food recall page.  

For further information and general enquiries, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email info@mpi.govt.nz

For media enquiries, contact the media team on 029 894 0328.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/steinlager-ultra-low-carb-beer-recalled-due-to-incorrect-alcohol-free-labelling/

Posted on

Innovative digital labelling trial to progress

Source: New Zealand Government

The Government will move ahead with a digital labelling trial, another step towards removing barriers to consumer choice and competition.

It follows consultation at the end of last year on the trial, a requirement under the Food Act.

“Food retailers have told us labelling products can be a costly barrier to entry or expansion into the New Zealand market.

This trial provides an opportunity to test innovative digital labelling technologies and allows more flexibility to potential new entrants,” Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis says.

“For smaller players and new entrants in particular, these costs would often need to be passed on to customers, resulting in higher prices that make it harder for them to compete.

“The end goal is a better deal for Kiwi consumers. It’s with that front of mind that the Government has decided to proceed with the trial.”

An Expression-of-Interest process is now open, seeking participants for a 12-month digital labelling trial for approved retailers.

Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard says the trial will ensure robust food safety protections remain in place.

“A small number of approved retailers will temporarily be exempt from existing physical labelling requirements under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. It will only apply to lower-risk, pre-packaged imported foods.

“Products in the trial will have physical labels that comply with rules in countries with strong food regulatory systems, similar to New Zealand’s, and all the information that Kiwis are used to seeing on labels will be available digitally.” 

All other retailers will continue to display the normal physical labels during the trial. 

“Food safety and suitability remain non-negotiable during the trial, so all products must comply with the Food Act 2014, the compositional requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, and all other relevant legislation.”

To ensure regulatory oversight, New Zealand Food Safety will assess potential participants, run the trial, provide guidance and monitor performance.

“The world is moving toward using this sort of innovative technology. New Zealand’s trial of digital labelling will inform broader consideration of the role of digital labelling for food, by Food Standards Australia New Zealand” says Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard.

“The trial will help us understand how the system could work to ensure safety while providing business and consumers with more choice, without compromising the standards New Zealanders rightly expect.”

Locations of retail trial participants will be provided once they have been selected.

More information on the trial, including information for prospective trial participants, can be found here.

Submissions to the Expression of Interest process close on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/innovative-digital-labelling-trial-to-progress/

Posted on

Police acknowledge IPCA report into justified use of force, Tairāwhiti

Source: New Zealand Police

Police acknowledge and accept an Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) report that found officers were justified in using force when taking a man into custody in Tairāwhiti.

On 14 December 2024, Police received reports of a man (referred to in the IPCA report as Mr Z) in a stolen ute in Tiniroto. He was believed to be in possession of a firearm.

Police saw the vehicle earlier in the day and the vehicle was signalled to stop, however, Mr Z fled driving in a dangerous manner and a pursuit was abandoned.

Mr Z was later located in the ute parked on the side of the road in Tiniroto.

While being told he was under arrest, Mr Z resisted and was seen to reach over the centre console and into the passenger footwell while kicking out towards the officers.

Officers believed Mr Z was reaching for a firearm, resulting in officers to act and use tasers, the deployment of a Police dog, and strikes and punches to apprehend Mr Z.

After a search of the vehicle, no firearm was located.

An IPCA investigation found the officers were justified in the use of force to take Mr Z into custody, and that overall Police’s actions were considered reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances.

Eastern District Commander Superintendent Joel Lamb acknowledges the report’s findings released today.

“I am proud of our Police Officers for their actions that day, they believed the man posed an imminent threat to them, their fellow officers, and members of the public.

“They took the appropriate steps to control the rapidly evolving situation and made split-second decisions that ensured the safety of everyone within the community.”

Mr Z made a full recovery from the injuries sustained during his arrest.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/police-acknowledge-ipca-report-into-justified-use-of-force-tairawhiti/

Posted on

‘We’re just meant to say thank you’: Goverment u-turns on disability funding

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied

Disabled people and their carers are welcoming a government back-track on funding for support services, but say the past two years have been deeply traumatic and won’t be forgotten.

The Government has wound back controversial cuts to disability support services it made in 2024.

Two years ago Whaikaha Ministry of Disabled People – which at the time was in charge of the disability budget – abruptly introduced new purchasing guidelines which severely restricted what disabled people and their carers could use their allocated budgets for.

Following a review into the funding system, and a commitment the system is now “stabilised” the Government has confirmed as of 1 April the restrictions will be lifted.

Most recently people were told that as of 1 April their new budgets would reflect what they had spent between June 2023 and June 2025 – which for many had not been their full budget due to the restrictions on purchasing.

The Minister Louise Upston has now promised budgets won’t be cut to match the limited spending.

Carer Katy Thomas told Nine to Noon the trauma caused to families when the cuts were abruptly made, will not be easily overcome.

“I’m only aware of like one of my friends whose children are still in school there was just like a mass exodus of autistic children from mainstream schools.

“They just couldn’t cope without the supports.”

“Obviously it’s wonderful that it’s going to be reversed but I’m just going to hold my breath and wait and see because what I have seen is that they give with one hand and take with another.”

Emily Writes, the former director of Awhi Nga Matua – a charity supporting parents of disabled and medically fragile kids – told Nine to Noon she did not want to see the news turned around as a good news story.

“When we have literally thousands and thousands of families left utterly traumatised and having really long repercussions from the decisions that were made.”

“We had more than 10,000 people in just one week sign a petition begging for acknowledgment and an apology over the removal of supports. That was not even acknowledged by the Minister.

“And now we’re just meant to say thank you?”

Kristy Kewene is a Northland mother who carers for her adult son. She said it was shocking how quickly the supports were able to be taken away.

“It was scary that without consulting could just decide that they’re taking something quite significant from our lives and how we cope with our lives.

“We relied on that respite.”

Disability Support Service Tranformation general manager Alastair Hill said the community had been listened to, and he could assure certainty for them going forward.

“We heard a lot from carers through the community consultation… and they’re saying, for me, I’m best placed to know about what respite or what looking after myself looks like.

“And so they’ll be able to make those choices again.

He said the reintroduction of flexible funding was possible due the changes that had been made over the past two years.

“There is more money … our annual operating funding is around $500 million more than what it was two years ago.

He said under the previous system there was no way to forecast cost pressures and where the growth may come from, which lead to budget overruns almost every year, but now there was “commercial rigour” in place.

“We have a predictable growth track, we understand more and more the funding that we’re going to require.”

He acknowledged the past two years had been really difficult for people.

“It was a real privilegde to bge able to meet with people face to face around the country last year and to hear from them directly to hear their experiences, but also to hear what would make the biggest difference.

“We’ve worked really hard to rebuild the trust. It’s not for me to say whether that job is done.”

RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Disability Issues Minister Louise Upston said the changes reflected feedback from the disability community last year, and the recommendations of the 2024 Independent Review.

“The steps we have taken since 2024 to stabilise the disability support system have been successful. Because of this, we can now confirm two things: the current purchasing rules will be removed in April, and people’s flexible funding allocations will stay exactly the same as they are now.

“This means we no longer need to look at what people spent in previous years to set new budgets.

“People will also get more support, guidance or coaching to manage their flexible funding – in a way that reflects their situation.”

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/were-just-meant-to-say-thank-you-goverment-u-turns-on-disability-funding/

Posted on

Arrests after attempted robbery

Source: New Zealand Police

A group fleeing the scene of an attempted robbery at a central Auckland superette have also failed to give Police the slip.

Just before 9pm, two males covering their faces with balaclavas entered the store on Karangahape Road.

“These offenders entered the store, verbally abusing the shopkeeper,” Auckland Central Area Commander, Inspector Grae Anderson says.

“One of these males has jumped onto the counter, resulting in both offenders being chased out of the store by the shopkeeper.”

Both males ran to a waiting stolen vehicle which fled from the area.

Police units were dispatched to the incident.

“This vehicle was later detected in the Western Springs area, with a Police camera operator tracking its movements until the Police Eagle helicopter got overhead,” Inspector Anderson says.

The vehicle was seen stopping near St Lukes, with two males exiting before it drove off again.

“The two 17-year-olds were soon located by Police units and arrested, one of which was carrying a machete,” Inspector Anderson says.

Meanwhile, Eagle continued to track the stolen vehicle heading west on the northwestern motorway (SH16).

Inspector Anderson says the vehicle was stopped by Police on Te Atatū Road a short time later and two males, aged 12 and 13, were taken into custody without further incident.

Following further enquiries by Police, the two males have been referred to Youth Aid.

The two 17-year-olds arrested in St Lukes have been jointly charged with unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.

One of the pair has been charged with possessing an offensive weapon. They will appear in the Auckland Youth Court today.

“I would like to acknowledge all the Police staff involved in responding to last night’s incident, resulting in these apprehensions,” Inspector Anderson says.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/arrests-after-attempted-robbery/

Posted on

First MRI scanner for Wairarapa Hospital

Source: New Zealand Government

A new purpose-built facility at Wairarapa Hospital will house a new MRI scanner as part of a wider investment to strengthen diagnostic services, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.

“Wairarapa is currently the only district in the lower North Island without its own MRI scanner. Once operational, this $3.7 million scanner will significantly improve access to diagnostic services for the Wairarapa community,” Mr Brown says.

“Improving access to timely radiology services across the lower North Island is a priority, and this scanner will help ease pressure on existing MRI services in surrounding areas.”

There are an estimated 1700 MRI scans undertaken each year for public patients who reside in the Wairarapa and southern Midcentral districts, with demand expected to grow by 6 to 7.5 per cent annually. Currently, however, those patients must travel to Hutt Valley, Wellington, Palmerston North, or private providers to receive those scans, and face waits of around 72 days.

“Having an MRI scanner on-site means patients will be able to access scans closer to home, while helping reduce wait times toward the 42-day target. Faster access to imaging will mean earlier diagnosis, quicker specialist decision making, and earlier access to treatment.”

Mr Brown says the Government is focused on delivering modern infrastructure that keeps patients at the centre of care. 

“By expanding local diagnostic capacity, we’re supporting our targets for faster cancer treatment, shorter wait times for first specialist assessment, and shorter waits for elective procedures.

“Establishing MRI services in Wairarapa will make it easier for patients to get the scans they need, reduce unnecessary travel, and strengthen the resilience of health services across the region.”

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/first-mri-scanner-for-wairarapa-hospital/

Posted on

The New Zealand Threat Classification Series hits 50

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

A milestone worth celebrating for Aotearoa New Zealand’s biodiversity

The New Zealand Threat Classification Series has officially reached its 50th issue! That’s 50 deep dives into the state of our unique species, 50 scientifically robust contributions to conservation knowledge, and 50 reasons to feel proud of the mahi behind this nationally important series.

Lepidium rekohuense | Credit: CC-Y Peter de Lange

What is the Threat Classification Series?

Since 2013, the New Zealand Threat Classification Series (NZTCS) has served as a cornerstone of conservation science in Aotearoa. It’s a scientific series, but not the gathering dust on a shelf kind. These publications are all open access, living online on DOC’s Science Publications webpages, and widely used by researchers, conservationists, NGOs, and agencies here and overseas.

Each issue shares the most up-to-date conservation status of New Zealand’s wild species, from algae and spiders to birds, fungi, and everything in between. On average, three publications roll out every year, covering 23 different species groups. More than 16,000 species have been assessed to date.  

Atrichopsis tenuirostris | Credit: Marley Ford

Flashback to issue #1

The very first issue, published in June 2013, was a whopper, compiling results from 21 peer-reviewed studies covering 12,223 species. It marked a major shift, moving NZTCS data from membership only journals to an open, freely available platform. 

The second issue, also released June 2013, helped shape the series’ now-recognisable structure, though the look has evolved over the years (including the addition of the official NZTCS colour scheme in 2021). 

We’ve actually come full circle – the series launched with a reptile assessment in 2013 and now issue #50 celebrates reptiles again. 

Enjoy the photos in this blog. They’ve all featured on the cover of a report.  

Awakopaka skink/Oligosoma awakopaka gravid female Homer Fiordland | Credit: James Reardon

It started with spreadsheets

In the early days, each issue came with an accompanying Excel spreadsheet packed with data. In 2018, this transformed with the creation of the NZTCS database, and supportive data is now accessed directly through digital links inside each publication.  

A global audience

The NZTCS isn’t just for New Zealand audiences. In 2025, it had more than 2,500 reads, including readers in 68 countries. Outside Aotearoa, the biggest readership comes from the United States, Australia and China. 

The most popular publication so far?

Issue 36 – Conservation Status of Birds in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2021. The issue was a real milestone, announcing that North Island Brown Kiwi, while remaining conservation dependent, was no longer threatened or at risk of becoming threatened thanks to 30 years of community conservation. 

A massive collaborative effort

Behind each issue lies a considerable cross-sector effort. More than 200 authors – from DOC, Crown Research Institutes, universities, museums, and consultancies – have contributed their expertise. 

Why the NZTCS matters

The NZTCS provides evidence-based assessments of extinction risk for species across Aotearoa, including marine species. It complements the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but tailors its criteria to New Zealand’s unique natural environment such as island ecosystems, naturally small populations, and species with restricted ranges found nowhere else in the world. 

Sperm whale in Kaikoura | Credit: Will Rayment/NZ Whale Dolphin Trust

Panels of experts reassess each species group roughly every five years, weighing abundance, distribution, and population trends. The result is a clear, nationally relevant picture of how our species are doing and where conservation energy is most needed. 

Here’s to 50 issues, and many more to come

The NZTCS is more than a set of publications. It’s a living record of the state of Aotearoa’s biodiversity. It informs policy, recovery planning, advocacy, science and even national reporting. 

Reaching 50 issues is a huge achievement. And as long as our taonga species need champions, the series will keep growing, evolving, and supporting the mahi to protect our natural heritage. 

Aphis coprosmae

” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Aphis_coprosmae_O8A1425-Photo-supplied-by-Bioeconomy-Science-Institute-1.jpg?fit=199%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Aphis_coprosmae_O8A1425-Photo-supplied-by-Bioeconomy-Science-Institute-1.jpg?fit=580%2C873&ssl=1″ data-id=”59399″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Aphis_coprosmae_O8A1425-Photo-supplied-by-Bioeconomy-Science-Institute-1.jpg?resize=580%2C873&ssl=1″ alt=”” class=”wp-image-59399″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Aphis_coprosmae_O8A1425-Photo-supplied-by-Bioeconomy-Science-Institute-1.jpg?resize=680%2C1024&ssl=1 680w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Aphis_coprosmae_O8A1425-Photo-supplied-by-Bioeconomy-Science-Institute-1.jpg?resize=199%2C300&ssl=1 199w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Aphis_coprosmae_O8A1425-Photo-supplied-by-Bioeconomy-Science-Institute-1.jpg?resize=768%2C1156&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Aphis_coprosmae_O8A1425-Photo-supplied-by-Bioeconomy-Science-Institute-1.jpg?resize=1020%2C1536&ssl=1 1020w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Aphis_coprosmae_O8A1425-Photo-supplied-by-Bioeconomy-Science-Institute-1.jpg?resize=1360%2C2048&ssl=1 1360w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Aphis_coprosmae_O8A1425-Photo-supplied-by-Bioeconomy-Science-Institute-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C1807&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/blog.doc.govt.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Aphis_coprosmae_O8A1425-Photo-supplied-by-Bioeconomy-Science-Institute-1.jpg?w=1740&ssl=1 1740w” sizes=”auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px”/>

Aphis coprosmae | Credit: Bioeconomy Science Institute

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who has contributed, supported, read, shared, or relied on this work. Here’s to the next 50! 

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/the-new-zealand-threat-classification-series-hits-50/

Posted on

WOMAD music festival returns to New Plymouth after ‘purposeful rest’

Source: Radio New Zealand

The WOMAD Aotearoa festival is to return to New Plymouth in 2027 after taking a “purposeful rest” this year.

Event director Suzanne Porter believes the time is right for it to make a comeback.

“I think we have lost a number of festivals worldwide in the last three years. It’s been significant. But WOMAdelaide happened last weekend and they had a stellar turnout and that was after two not good years. So we think the tides are turning. We’ve got to be optimistic.”

The crowd at the Bowl for Womad in 2020.

Isabella Brown

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/womad-music-festival-returns-to-new-plymouth-after-purposeful-rest/

Posted on

Sudden death, Tāmaki River

Source: New Zealand Police

Police have recovered a man’s body from the Tāmaki River in east Auckland.

Search efforts have been underway through the week after the man was reported missing near Waipuna on 6 March.

Police responded to the area just before 6pm last night, 11 March, after a member of the public had located the man in water.

Inspector Jim Wilson, Auckland City East Area Commander, says the man’s death will be referred to the Coroner.

“Searching has been underway involving the Police Maritime Unit and the Police National Dive Squad, with assistance from the Navy,” he says.

“I would like to acknowledge all of those experts involved in the search effort.

“Our thoughts are with the man’s family for their loss.”

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/sudden-death-tamaki-river/

Posted on

AI in warfare being tested in Iran, needs ‘much more’ careful thinking by NZ – Defence

Source: Radio New Zealand

Defence says new AI-supercharged weapon systems will need to be “very, very carefully designed”. NZDF / Supplied

New AI-supercharged weapon systems will need to be “very, very carefully designed” to comply with international and domestic laws, MPs have been told.

And it would be the software behind the systems that would dictate like never before just how effective any new missiles, guns or electromagnetic jammers were, a defence official told a select committee.

Defence ministry deputy secretary Anton Youngman said it was time for some serious thinking by New Zealand.

“One of the key points that we talk about here is that with these new capabilities … they need to be very, very carefully designed to comply with international and domestic laws,” he said.

The briefing coincided with the first week of the Iran war.

Experts said the war was testing out for real the questions of what artificial intelligence should be used in warfare and who controlled it.

Fox News has reported that the advance in AI “is changing the nature of the battlefield by speeding up targeting and analysing intelligence all while raising new concerns over the role of human judgment and oversight in modern warfare”.

The Guardian reported, “The use of AI tools to enable attacks on Iran heralds a new era of bombing quicker than ‘the speed of thought’ experts have said, amid fears human-decision-makers could be sidelined.”

AI targeting has been developing rapidly in the last several years.

Youngman, for his long-term insights briefing of the select committee, drew on a less militaristic example. He described a future where NZ kept an eye on nearby oceans by using satellites, drones flying high and on and under the sea, surveillance aircraft and land-based radars – ” all of these working in sync together”.

The software did that syncing.

Such technology was typically ‘dual-use’ with civilian and military applications.

Youngman went on: “The ability of defence forces to collect and analyse data at speed will increasingly be the key determinant of military advantage.”

Defence Minister Judith Collins in her speech to a geopolitics conference on Tuesday said New Zealanders understood the world had changed, and “the highly skilled personnel” in defence needed to be ready to do what the govenment “and people ask of it”.

“That’s why we are focusing on more than doubling our defence spend and investing in a defence force that is combat capable with enhanced lethality and deterrence; a force multiplier with Australia and increasingly interoperable with partners,” her speech notes said.

Defence Minister Judith Collins. Nick Monro

What does this have to do with NZ?

NZ has already put development of these syncing technologies on a faster track under last year’s $12 billion defence capability plan (though officials had been tightlipped about the aim to get a sovereign satellite).

Its latest move was to start testing 14 drones for the sea and air, with potential strike capability, from local firm Syos.

It was also working internationally through its defence science technology section with its counterpart in Australia, and with the US and other countries. NZ has not waited to join AUKUS Pillar Two – which focuses on emerging military tech – to make these moves.

AI-targeting experiments were part of that. The NZDF has been taking part in the US-led Project Convergence exercise to test joint AI systems alongside multinational forces.

Last year’s exercise in California had a “digital backbone” provided by data-mining firm Palantir.

The Washington Post has reported that Palantir tech was being used by the Pentagon in Iran. The Post said its targeting system called Maven was using an AI tool, Claude.

“Anthropic’s AI tool Claude central to US campaign in Iran, amid a bitter feud,” ran the paper’s headline.

Palantir, co-founded by Peter Thiel, a NZ citizen, has said the software used at Project Convergence “provided a unified data infrastructure for advanced battlespace management that empowered users across all levels to plan, execute, and assess operations effectively and enable commanders to rapidly make informed decisions”.

Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel. Marco Bello / Getty Images / AFP

Another such Convergence exercise was scheduled for the coming US summer. The NZDF did not respond when asked how many people it was sending.

RNZ has previously reported how this work fits under a Pentagon top-priority project with allies and partners called CJADC2 or Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control.

‘Needs to be thought through much more carefully now than it ever previously did’

Youngman offered MPs another insight, that the ascendancy of software would change soldiering itself.

“Under the human-machine team … it’s a different role for defence personnel in this long-term future,” he said in response to National MP Tim Costley suggesting that NZ might be too small to properly deploy AI weapons and be better off adding to its soldiers, sailors and bullets.

Youngman said the role was moving potentially “from less kind of in the field work and more into that kind of tuning and training systems, interpreting the outputs, making decisions and ensuring adherence with … law and doctrine”.

Whose law and doctrine? That second question, of who controllrd the AI, also came up at the committee.

Green MP Teanau Tuiono asked, “You were saying earlier around making sure that the system design adheres to domestic international law. How are you going to do that?”

Green MP Teanau Tuiono. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Youngman said the challenge was new, now that machines could now take action themselves, for the first time in warfare.

“It’s going to continue to be a growing challenge and something that through the design of the capabilities, needs to be thought through much more carefully now than it ever previously did,” he said.

Labour MP and former Defence Minister Peeni Henare asked, “Do we have the foundational legislation to make sure that we’re able to govern effectively in the spaces of war?”

Youngman replied that was beyond the scope of the long-term briefing but added, “This is exactly the type of questions that this research is pointing to and saying we need to have this conversation.

“We are looking at a longer term horizon here, 2035, and the reason for doing this type of long-term research now is to say these are the types of conversations that we need to have.”

What about NZ being able to afford its own cloud-based AI military systems in future, Henare asked.

“Really good quesiton,” said Youngman. “I think the importance of remaining interoperable with partners is going to be key. It is today and it will continue to be.

“However … [the briefing] does talk about needing to continually balance that cost with sovereignty, with legality and social licence.”

‘A grey ship is a grey ship’

Everyone agreed that explaining all this to the public was much harder than talking about buying a new frigate.

“A grey ship is a grey ship,” said Henare.

“People will read this and go, this is preparing us for AUKUS,” he added.

Labour MP and former Defence Minister Peeni Henare. VNP / Phil Smith

Youngman replied that defence would “need to be more proactive” in communicating around the new capabilities.

The briefing itself said this was one of “three major shifts” defence had to get its head around.

“Public trust in defence forces is earned, not assumed. Ensuring Defence maintains public trust will remain essential, and possibly more challenging, in an environment defined by increased contestation and technological change,” it said.

When RNZ asked NZDF to lay out the nature of its technology and data-sharing with the US and other Five Eyes partners, Defence responded by turning it into an Official Information Act (OIA) request that would take at least five weeks to answer; similarly, a question about whether defence was taking a role in testing or developing systems from Palantir.

“Your request is noted, but the NZDF still needs to manage information requests in the way it deems appropriate,” Defence said.

The nature of NZ’s national security work within Five Eyes had come up earlier at a select committee. In that case, the SIS and GCSB replied they had tight controls around intellligence sharing and could withhold intel if legal, policy and human rights settings were not met.

An OIA in December showed that defence currently used nine AI-enabled tools in a restricted cacpacity for research in data and sensor processing and modelling. Sensors could be used in targeting.

The nine were: ChatGPT, Dalle-2, Github Copilot, Azure Machine Learning, Azure OpenAI services, Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Teams, AiZynthFinder and Meta Llama 2.

National MP Dana Kirkpatrick thanked Youngman for the insights briefing: “There’s no time like the present in the current geopolitical challenges to be talking about future capability and interoperability in defence.”

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/ai-in-warfare-being-tested-in-iran-needs-much-more-careful-thinking-by-nz-defence/

Posted on

New pay deal for primary teachers welcomed

Source: New Zealand Government

Education Minister Erica Stanford welcomes the decision by Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche to enable school boards to offer primary teachers new pay agreements. The move benefits around 10,000 primary teachers who are not bound by the NZEI Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement.

“From today, school boards will be able to offer primary teachers, who are not part of the union and employed on individual employment agreements (IEAs), new agreements, which will allow them to receive pay increases of up to 4.7 percent within 12 months. These increases are comparable to those accepted by their secondary counterparts last year,” Ms Stanford says.

“Teachers have right to a contract and is fair and reasonable that nearly a third of primary school teachers, who are not part of the NZEI, should be offered a contract so they can receive the pay increases that the Government has already offered. 

“This would equate to approximately $50 to $76 each week and is pay that non-union teachers could already be receiving if not impacted by the NZEI’s ongoing approach to bargaining.

“I know the Commissioner did not come by this decision lightly. However, he has made his concerns on the delays in primary teacher bargaining very clear. 

“New IEAs will be available today through school boards for the primary teachers who are not a member of the NZEI Te Riu Roa union or bound by the NZEI Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement. 

“Sir Brian will continue to negotiate with the NZEI in good faith, and everyone is hopeful the bargaining process will result in a new collective agreement being ratified for teachers who are bound by the NZEI Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement. In the interim, the priority is to ensure that at least 30 percent of primary teachers can lock in pay increases without further delay.” 

Media contact: Michael van der Kwast +64 21 875 347

Notes to editors: New Individual Employment Agreement for Primary Teachers

  • Pay increase of 4.5% – 4.7% within 12 months:
    • Teachers on the top two steps of the scale receive a cumulative pay increase of 4.7% by January 2027. This is comprised of a 2.5% increase on 20 March 2026 and a further 2.1% increase on 28 January 2027.
    • Teachers moving up the scale (on steps 1-8) will continue to receive annual step increases along with a 4.5-4.6% pay increase by 28 January 2027. This is comprised of a 2.5% increase on 20 March 2026, and a further 2% increase on 28 January 2027.
  • Management Units Increase to $5,250: All unit holders will receive an increase to the value of salary units from $4,500 to $5,250 (16.7% increase to the rates that units are paid).  

All primary teachers who accept the new IEA will receive a cumulative pay increase of at least 4.5% on printed rates in the Base Salary Scale from the start of the 2027 school year. 

This means teachers who are at the top of the pay scale will see their base salary increase to $107,886 per annum from the beginning of next school year, and this is before units and allowances are included. For the many teachers who hold one or more than units, this increase will be even higher.  

Primary teachers who hold at least one unit will receive an overall 5.1% to 5.4% salary increase within 11 months of settlement.

Budget 2025 has already provided for teaching council certification costs to be met until 2028, saving teachers up to $550 per renewal.  

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/new-pay-deal-for-primary-teachers-welcomed/

Posted on

Can you really turn into a tree when you die?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Would you like to be a tree when you die? ​Or would you like to be an AI chatbot hologram?

​There is a widening spectrum for how to dispose of our bodies after we die and how we will be grieved and remembered. Dr Hannah Gould, a death expert and Australian academic, recently wrote the book How to Die in the 21st Century.

In it, she covers everything from the greenest way to go to whether AI chatbots can really help with grief, exploring these subjects from a philosophical and practical perspective with a dose of humour.

Gould recently took questions from RNZ’s Nine to Noon listeners and host Kathryn Ryan.

Supplied

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/can-you-really-turn-into-a-tree-when-you-die/

Posted on

Outgoing MP Peeni Henare on being Māori, a politician, and why he’s walking away from the Labour Party

Source: Radio New Zealand

Peeni Henare stands in Matangireia at Parliament. RNZ / Lillian Hanly

Outgoing Labour MP Peeni Henare says he is ready to “see the back of this place”, as he prepares to leave both Parliament and the party who gave him an “opportunity” after 12 years.

“You can only try your best, and I believe I’ve done that,” he said in a sitdown interview with RNZ during his final week as a Labour MP, revealing the most difficult times for him were balancing “being Māori” and “being a politician”.

Henare said he had “mixed emotions” during his last days in Parliament, and said it was the “human connections” in the place that made him feel sad this week.

He had connections across the House, enjoying good relationships with members from all parties, saying that was a testament to how he conducted himself politically, “that’s always been my style”.

He also had connections with the security guards, earlier this week he thanked them for leaving kina in his fridge.

“I’ve had a lot of people from all different walks of life, inside and outside of Parliament, talking about how sad they are to see me leave politics, some even hope that I might change my mind,” he said.

Asked whether anyone in the Labour leadership had asked him to change his mind, he responded: “There’s always conversations with the Labour leadership, but my mind’s pretty made up”.

Peeni Henare is congratulated after his valedictory speech. RNZ / Lillian Hanly

The resignation

Henare’s shock resignation was announced at Waitangi, after he confirmed he was not contesting the Tāmaki Makaurau seat.

Following a messy media briefing with Labour leader Chris Hipkins, Henare announced he was calling time on his 12-year Parliamentary career, citing exhaustion and a desire to spend more time focusing on his family and future.

Hipkins, who initially refused to answer questions about the resignation, denied the announcement had been bungled, but it did not stop questions being asked about the circumstances.

At the time, New Zealand First Deputy leader Shane Jones, and a relation of Henare’s, expressed his surprise at the retirement.

He said he wanted to find out what had happened and that the “kumara vine” would inform him.

Ahead of Henare’s valedictory on Wednesday, Jones said he no longer wanted to speculate.

“That was a word said at Waitangi, and the god of wind has blown those words long way into the distance,” Jones said.

Asked if he thought Labour regretted letting Henare go, he said Henare was not the first Māori that Labour “forced out”, having left the party himself in 2014.

New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones expressed surprise when he heard of Henare’s retirement. RNZ / Mark Papalii

‘Maybe I should have been more of a Māori’ – Henare

In Henare’s maiden speech in 2014, he referred to Dr Pita Sharples of Te Pāti Māori, who had not been re-elected, saying “I have taken up the paddle of the vessel that you left behind”.

Asked about this, Henare said he believed every Māori had a bit of Te Pāti Māori in them. He described marching in the Foreshore and Seabed hīkoi in 2004, and more recently the Toitū te Tiriti hīkoi.

“I’m Māori to the core, but I make no bones about it – Labour gave me an opportunity, and one that I was fortunate to have.”

Surprising too perhaps given his family had been tied to the National Party.

“I ultimately chose Labour, and have worked hard for 12 years with them.”

He has held multiple ministerial portfolios, such as ACC, Civil Defence, Whānau Ora, Defence, Forestry, Tourism, Veterans and Youth Development, as well as various roles in opposition.

He was also the only Labour MP to be sent to the Privileges Committee as part of the haka Te Pāti Māori started in the house over the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill.

He was most proud of securing a significant boost of funding for Whānau Ora. In his valedictory speech on Wednesday, he described the establishment of the Māori Health Authority as a “crowning moment”.

Asked if he had any regrets from his time in Parliament, he referred to the Covid-19 pandemic response and questioned whether he had made the right decision at times.

“It was hurtful at that time, those decisions around burial and tikanga Māori and things like that were always quite difficult.”

Another “particularly challenging time” was Ihumātao he said, when he had to “dance on the head of a pin, if you like, as a politician and as a Māori”.

“I walked away from there thinking, maybe I should have been more of a Māori.”

On walking that fine line within the Labour party, he acknowledged it was challenging, however, the feeling of isolation or inability to express “your Māoritanga to its fullest” was a challenge for any Māori MP.

But because of the roles he had held in the past, and also the burden of his whakapapa (ancestry), it meant he would question “is Peeni the Māori today, or is he the politician?”

He did have fond memories of times when he was well supported in the Labour party and able to “progress kaupapa”, so it was a “bit of give and take”.

Peeni Henare (L), then Labour MP for Tamaki Makaurau, listens to speeches at Ihumātao in 2022. RNZ

The Māori vote

Last election, Labour lost six out of the seven Māori seats. He said there was strategising taking place to win them back.

“No doubt about it, we’ve got work to do” he said, on winning the Māori vote.

“My message is always the same for Māori in the Labour Party, don’t rebuild for the election.

“Rebuild with a view towards securing the Māori vote for the next 10 to 20 years.”

He said Willie Jackson, co-chair of the Māori caucus, did a good job of talking about Labour’s key areas of focus this year (jobs, health, homes), while also listening to what Māori wanted to see from a potential Labour government, “he’s a political animal”.

“But be under no illusion, the 2026 election is going to be a tough one.”

Asked whether the turmoil Te Pāti Māori faced last year was the reason Labour was in with a chance in the Māori seats this year, Henare said that was part of it.

He reflected on his success in 2014 being partly because the “tide was going out on Te Pāti Māori” because of their association with the National Party.

Peeni Henare stands in Matangireia at Parliament. RNZ / Lillian Hanly

‘My time was done’ – Henare

Last year, Henare lost for a second time to Te Pāti Māori in a by-election for the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate seat.

He had been honest about how bruising the loss was, and there were questions about whether he would run for the seat again.

He said there were ongoing conversations about how he was feeling and his career, and ultimately the party asked him to consider it all.

“There comes a time where you should call your time on your career and allow others to push the kaupapa forward.

“I decided my time was done.”

He described personal reasons, such as his family, for the decisions, but also that no one’s time in politics was infinite.

Hipkins was asked by RNZ on Tuesday this week whether he had any regrets that Henare was leaving. He said he was “very fond of Peeni”.

“I’m always sad to see any of my colleagues go, and I’ll be sad to see him go.”

Asked if the Labour leadership told Henare there was not a place for him, Hipkins maintained what he had said all along, that it was “Peeni’s decision”.

Chris Hipkins (R) and Peeni Henare, pictured in 2023. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

What’s next?

He had his eyes set on putting his experience, knowledge, connections and talent to work for his iwi, Ngāpuhi.

“Continuing to progress the kaupapa of my people and the wellbeing and interests of my people – that’s a calling that’s always been there for me.”

That could potentially take the form of being a negotiator for the Ngāpuhi treaty settlement, “Without being presumptuous – I think there’s an opportunity.”

On whether the Treaty Negotiation Minister had approached him, Henare said there had been nothing official, “he knows my number, when I leave this place – feel free to give me a call”.

Minister Paul Goldsmith told RNZ he would “have a chat” with Henare.

“I’ve got big challenge to find a way through to a settlement with Ngāpuhi, and I’ve got good Crown negotiators, but there may be a role somewhere in there for Peeni, he’s a real leader.”

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/outgoing-mp-peeni-henare-on-being-maori-a-politician-and-why-hes-walking-away-from-the-labour-party/

Posted on

Hawke’s Bay human trafficker Joseph Matamata loses sentence bid

Source: Radio New Zealand

Joseph Matamata in court. RNZ/ Anusha Bradley

New Zealand’s most notorious slavedriver and trafficker has failed in a bid to have his sentence shortened.

Joseph Matamata was jailed for 11 years in 2020 for using 13 people as slaves and 10 charges of human trafficking.

But the Court of Appeal has set aside two of the trafficking convictions, because the attorney general had not given delegation for a decision on those charges being brought.

The court had previously ruled the 11 year term imposed by Justice Helen Cull was ‘lenient in the circumstances’, and declined to cut it down further.

“We are satisfied that the outcome of the recall application should not impact Mr Matamata’s sentence,” said the Court of Appeal judges in yesterday’s decision.

“The number of convictions was a very minor consideration in setting the starting point and was just one of many considerations. Cull J also considered the extent of the emotional and financial harm caused to the victims, the abuse of Mr Matamata’s position of trust and authority in relation to the victims, the number of victims (which remains unchanged), the vulnerability of the victims and the high level of premeditation”

Matamata has served his minimum term of imprisonment of five years. The parole board twice refused him parole last year and he is due to reappear before the panel in June.

The 71-year-old brought people from Samoa to New Zealand to supply labour to orchards in Hawke’s Bay over 25 years from 1994 to 2019, promising them a better life.

But he kept their wages, restricted their movements and communications, and used threats or violence to control them.

They worked up to 14 hours a day in the fields, seven days a week, completing chores at Matamata’s home late into the evening and beaten up if they broke rules, including speaking to their families in Samoa or leaving his Hastings home without permission.

The oldest victim was in his 50s and the youngest was just 12. The boy described being beaten, stabbed and fed stale food.

“When the bamboo stick breaks, then it’s the belt,” he told police. “When he gets a sore hand from the belt, from holding the belt, then that’s when the stick comes.”

Matamata denied a nine-foot fence around his property was to lock his slaves in. Immigration New Zealand “conservatively estimated” he kept more than $400,000 in wages they had earned.

He used three-month holiday visas to recruit new workers, and adopted three young people in 2016.

A 15-year-old girl, who thought she had come to New Zealand for schooling, told the jury she was instead made to look after Matamata’s children, cook and clean. She said she ran away to Auckland but Matamata caught up with her and tied her up in his car for the journey back, when she was placed in a storeroom for the night.

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/hawkes-bay-human-trafficker-joseph-matamata-loses-sentence-bid/

Posted on

Beneficiary numbers soar to 12-year high despite government’s reduction promise

Source: Radio New Zealand

Social development minister Louise Upston. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Beneficiary numbers have soared to a 12-year high, under a government that promised a reduction.

They were the highest both by volume and percentage of the working-age population since at least the 2013 welfare reforms.

Social development minister Louise Upston said in 2024 – less than three months after taking office – that the government was taking action to “curb the surge in welfare dependency” that ocurred under the former Labour government.

But the most recent Ministry of Social Development data revealed that was yet to take hold.

As of December last year, 427,236 people – about the population of Christchurch – were receiving a main benefit.

That was 13.2 percent of the working-age population, the highest recorded since at least 2013, when reforms replaced multiple benefits with three main benefits: Jobseeker, Sole Parent Support and Supported Living Payment.

More than half of beneficiaries – 223,512 people, or 6.9 percent of the working age population – were on the Jobseeker benefit. That was also a record.

Soon after taking power the government set a target of 50,000 fewer people on the Jobseeker benefit by 2030.

So far, there had been an 18 percent jump: from 190,000 in December 2023 to 223,500 in December last year.

The 18 to 24-year-old age group on the Jobseeker benefit had grown the most in that period, rising 32 percent.

Minister blames former Labour government

Upston said the numbers were a result of the coalition inheriting “difficult economic conditions and a tough labour market” from the former Labour government.

“Unemployment has been rising since 2021 and is always one of the last things to improve after a recession,” she said.

“We know there is more work to do to grow the economy, fix the basics and build a welfare system focused on getting more people into work.”

More than 83,500 people came off a main benefit and found work last year, she said.

The government’s initiatives to curb benefit numbers included the traffic light system which was working well to ensure jobseekers were fulfilling their obligations, she said.

In Parliament on Wednesday, Labour’s Willie Jackson grilled Upston about rising Jobseeker numbers.

Upston said Labour’s increased spending during the Covid-19 pandemic drove up inflation, leading to higher unemployment.

“That’s why the forecast has always been due to get worse before it gets better,” she said.

Labour’s social development and employment spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said the Prime Minister Christopher Luxon needed to take responsibility.

“It’s been more than two years since National took office, their excuses are getting old and shows just how out of touch they are,” she said.

“Christopher Luxon promised to fix the cost of living. He hasn’t just failed – he’s made it worse.”

Labour’s social development and employment spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime. VNP / Phil Smith

High unemployment driving benefit dependency, but set to improve – economist

The rise was largely driven by a weak labour market, said Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen said.

“There has been a larger proportional increase in Jobseeker support benefit requirements compared to all other benefits on average,” he said.

The government had options to intervene but they were not all politically or socially palatable, Olsen said.

That included clamping down access to benefits.

Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

“Which could well reduce the overall numbers, but would likely leave a number of New Zealanders out in the cold and facing very challenging circumstances at a time when we know that the number of jobs being advertised in the economy are still 25 percent lower than pre-pandemic and the unemployment rate is at a 10-year high.”

The government could also try to create jobs but that was expensive and could lead to higher inflation, said Olsen.

“The government doesn’t have a lot of spare money to all of a sudden magic up a whole bunch of jobs there in the short term without generating other economic challenges in other areas.

“So at the moment, our expectation would more be that the government will look to try and reduce the number of beneficiaries over time as the labour market improves, and we do expect that will happen over the next couple of years.”

Although unemployment was high, there had also been a 0.5 percent expansion in the number of jobs which was the largest in about two and a half years, he said.

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

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/beneficiary-numbers-soar-to-12-year-high-despite-governments-reduction-promise/