Category: Public Media

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‘Durable’ defender Francis de Vries first to bring up 50 for Auckland FC

Source: Radio New Zealand

Francis de Vries of Auckland FC takes a selfie with fans, supporters and crowd. Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

Auckland FC defender Francis de Vries has played every A-League game – and nearly every minute – in the club’s history, making him the first player to bring up a milestone for the team.

Plucked out of amateur club football to join the new club in their first season in 2024, de Vries has come to epitomise what the reigning Premiers are about.

De Vries has been steadfast at the back and reliably accurate with his crosses into the box, for the side which will bring up 50 games in the A-League against Macarthur FC in front of their home fans on Saturday.

For two seasons de Vries has started every game.

Last season he played 2206 minutes during the regular season, getting subbed off for a total of 134 minutes.

In the finals, he was only on the bench for the last 10 minutes of the away semi-final when Auckland had the lead. The following week he played the full 90 minutes in the loss at home that ended the season earlier than expected.

This season he is on 1890 minutes from the 21 games played so far with coach Steve Corica not once subbing him.

He has played with a bandaged head after a tangle of bodies against Melbourne City in January and has captained the side from kick-off four times this season. Including taking the armband in November when he had only arrived back in the country in the early hours of Friday morning from All Whites duty in the United States and playing for Auckland at 3pm on the Sunday.

Corica has called the 31-year-old “very durable” and has enjoyed witnessing de Vries’ progression over his first 49 A-League games.

“You can see the qualities that he has, but he’s come a long way, I think, in two years,” Corica said.

“Obviously, 50 games is a small milestone for us as a club, which is great, and he’s the first player to hit it, full credit to him. He’s got a World Cup to look forward to as well, but for us we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.”

Auckland FC manager Steve Corica speaks to Francis de Vries (L) and Nando Pijnaker. photosport

De Vries credited “consistency and habits” for keeping him ready to go every time he is called on.

“Early bedtime, that’s non-negotiable, and then good social life outside of football, lots of support from family,” de Vries said.

“Just enjoy the routines of keeping yourself fit, it’s nice to go outside and stretch for 10 minutes, well, it’s not nice going on the ice bath, but it feels good afterwards.

“Just these things compound over time and if you can stick with a good, solid routine, you’re in a good spot.”

Before Auckland FC came calling de Vries was playing for local side Eastern Suburbs. Prior to that he was playing semi-professionally in Sweden until an ACL injury put a pause on his playing career.

Spending months out of football rehabbing the injury and wondering if he would ever get another professional contract meant de Vries does not take his latest playing streak for granted.

“Some games obviously cramp up a bit towards the end. But [being a hard worker] it’s part of how I want to be as a player, and I’m glad I’m able to do it for the team here.

“There’s lots of other boys that work just as hard, so I think it’s a whole team identity thing, and it’s nice to just be a part of.”

Francis de Vries playing for the All Whites. Adam Nurkiewicz / www.photosport.nz

De Vries’ parents are also key to this journey for him. He said they were all encouragement and no sideline coaching when it came to the regular game day messaging when the centre-back is playing for Auckland or New Zealand.

“Dad’s got his routine in the morning, he’ll send me a message and it’s always lovely to see, and then I call them straight after the game.

“So it’s just lovely to share those moments. I think that’s what football can bring, that connection.

“They’re stoked to watch me play because I spent seven, eight years overseas, so they watched maybe two games live in that time and it was bad hours for New Zealand with the time difference, so it feels great to be able to share that with them.”

Auckland FC are one point behind league-leaders Newcastle Jets with five games left in the regular season and the race for the Premiers Plate.

Francis de Vries of Auckland FC takes a corner kick. Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz

Auckland are on a six-game unbeaten run and in a quirk of the draw play the same five opposition sides as the Jets in their remaining games.

“I like that we’re playing the same teams, whoever wins the Premiership will deserve it, I think, because they’re playing five top teams as well, just below us, all fighting for the top six,” Corica said.

“We’re one point behind, can’t really afford to drop too many points in these last five games.

“I do keep an eye on [the Jets], obviously, they’ve got a big game against Sydney as well, who came off a loss on the weekend. They’re trying to get as high as possible as well, so it’s going to be exciting.”

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Dilworth abuse survivor says $90,000 redress offer ‘insultingly small’

Source: Radio New Zealand

Dilworth’s redress programme began in 2023, with 261 survivors having accepted and settled their applications for redress by the end of 2025. RNZ / Dan Cook

Warning: This story discusses sexual abuse.

A Dilworth survivor says a $90,000 redress offer is insultingly small.

Hector, whose real name RNZ cannot use, was a school boy when he was abused by Dilworth housemaster Alister Harlow in the 1990s.

Harlow was sentenced in 2022 on charges of attempted sexual violation, indecency with a boy, and indecent assault.

Since then Hector has gone through the redress process, which he described as degrading, and he wanted to know whether anyone would take responsibility for what had been done to him.

When Hector was offered the redress, more than 30 years after being abused, he felt marginalised.

“I’ve always known that the redress programme from Dilworth was a face-saving exercise,” he said.

“I’ve heard from other guys that have gone through the process that the wording in the redress offers is not a genuine apology, no one from Dilworth has or is going to take responsibility for what happened to me and others.”

He was unsure whether or not to take the money.

“No amount of money is going to make up for what happened, but it does seem insultingly small considering how much it affected my life, that Dilworth has known about what has happened to me since at least 1996.”

Hector said he was not told how the compensation panel arrived at the $90,000 figure, but the offer was essentially take it or leave it.

The whole process had been humiliating and degrading, he said.

“I have told my story to lawyers, judges, police officers, journalists. But the thing that really pissed me off and made me really angry was that I had to go to talk to three strangers and let them put a monetary value on it, on my trauma – and they thought it was worth very little.

“It’s possibly the angriest I’ve been over this whole process.”

Dilworth’s redress programme began in 2023, with 261 survivors having accepted and settled their applications for redress by the end of 2025.

The school said financial redress offers were not in themselves apologies, but survivors could receive a direct apology from the school or trust when they receive one.

Alister Harlow was sentenced in 2022 on charges of attempted sexual violation, indecency with a boy, and indecent assault. RNZ / Dan Cook

The school said many had done that, while others had declined the offer.

Board chair Jonathan Mason said in a statement the school understood the impact the abuse had and continues to have on survivors and that no amount of redress can make up for what happened and the harm it has caused.

“Dilworth’s response has been to front up and acknowledge what happened to survivors of abuse at the School, to sincerely apologise to those who were impacted including their families, and to assist survivors of abuse to access the redress programme and other support services,” he said.

“The redress programme’s independence from Dilworth is a critical feature of the programme, with the independent redress panel assessing claims brought forward by survivors and its expert determinations binding on Dilworth.”

The terms of reference for the programme stated any level of financial redress would have regard to the nature and extent of abuse suffered by the survivor, as well as the impact it had, the survivors vulnerability, the degree of failure from Dilworth, and any aggravating factors.

Neil Harding was another Dilworth survivor and advocated for others. He raised concerns about the consistency of the redress process.

“There’s 300 guys at least going through the process, what are they doing to determine consistency between the first guy and the 300th,” he asked.

There were others who had not accepted offers, Harding said.

“From my perspective, compensation is part of the process.”

“In terms of redress, you’re looking at recognition that it happened, remorse that it happened, putting in place policies to stop it happening again, recompense, and then restitution is the restoration of mana,” he said.

“It’s actually a journey, and the financial compensation is just one part of that.”

Harding believed the process was wrong.

“They have failed to budge and failed to listen at any step of the way.”

The redress panel operated independently of Dilworth.

The maximum amount of financial redress awarded to any survivor is $200,000 or $300,000 in exceptional circumstances.

Where to get help

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Fuel situation could get worse before better, says Christopher Luxon

Source: Radio New Zealand

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has acknowledged a “big shift” in the government’s messaging around the war in the Middle East, warning New Zealanders the fuel situation could get worse before it gets better.

Speaking at a media conference at Parliament on Thursday, Luxon said it had become clear the conflict would have ongoing effects on supply chains, even “in the unlikely event” it was resolved tomorrow.

“Hope is not a plan,” he said. “And so we are preparing for the worst-case scenario where the conflict is prolonged.”

Luxon said ministers, officials and industry were all keenly focused on the next eight to 12-weeks.

“New Zealand has sufficient fuel supplies. But I do want to be straight with New Zealanders: things could get worse before they actually get better. And [as] a responsible government, we need to take a prudent response and be very prepared.”

Standing alongside him, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said she wanted to reassure New Zealanders the government was taking the situation seriously in case future fuel supplies were disrupted.

“We live in challenging times,” she said. “We’re not just sitting back and saying, well, the fuel supplies are fine now. They are fine now… but we are actively preparing for scenarios where they are disrupted in future.”While the tone of the media conference was sharper than previous ones, the substance of the government’s plan remained largely as outlined earlier in the week.

That included engaging with other countries around accessing refined fuel and keeping in close contact with fuel companies to stay on top of any challenges.

Willis said she would provide an update next week on the steps which could be taken at each level of the National Fuel Plan, but stressed no escalation was required right now given the country had seven weeks’ worth of fuel either in the country or on its way.

Officials would soon begin giving public updates on the country’s fuel levels twice a week, up from just once a week now.

Petrol stations across the country are seeing a surge of drivers filling up as petrol prices rises amid fears of rapidly jumping prices and potential shortages.

On Thursday, New World’s Levin station had no 91 or diesel. The local Z also had no diesel but was expecting some after midnight.

Willis said that was being driven by the individual fuel companies’ logistics and distribution, not by a national fuel shortages.

“They have sufficient supplies in the country to replenish their stocks and petrol stations. So they will be able to do that.

“But when people are buying more petrol, then they go through more at the petrol station than is normally the case. They are working to ensure that their logistics, their distribution, is working as effectively as possible.”

Regarding potential cost-of-living support, Willis said she had instructed Inland Revenue and Treasury to work on some options relating to the “tax and transfer system”.

But she stressed the government would not be able to allievate all of the cost pressures.

“We have to be careful not to raise an expectation that we will be able to blunt all of the pain that is occurring for people across the world because of the conflict in the Middle East.”

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Major fire at automotive shop in Ponsonby

Source: Radio New Zealand

A major fire at an automotive shop in the Auckland suburb of Ponsonby has been extinguished.

Assistant Commander Kenton Rusbridge said crews are dampening down hotspots.

Earlier, the fire caused concern due to it’s proximity to a Z petrol station.

Photos from St Paul’s College, on Richmond Rd, showed smoke rising in the distance.

Do you know more? Share your pictures and stories with us at: iwitness@rnz.co.nz

A fire at Ponsonby Automotive on Williamson Avenue sent black smoke into the air. Jess Andrews

The Domus apartment complex and several nearby businesses were evacuated.

Residents reported hearing explosions and said the air smells acidic and metallic.

Firecrews from as far away as Otara attended the scene.

Smoke can be seen billowing above Ponsonby. Supplied

Auckland Pet Hospital on nearby Pollen St was also evacuated.

In a post to their Facebook page, staff said “all our animals are safe and have evacuated with us.”

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How do I make the most of my mince?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Usually considered a low-cost staple for families, the price of mince has recorded the biggest annual increase since data began.

Beef mince is up 23.2 percent, to an average of $24.46 a kilogram – about $4.60 more than the same time in 2025.

Tauranga butcher Jason Pears knows budgets have been tight for his customers for some while, but says this is the worst it’s ever been.

Debbie and Jason Pears from Kiwi Fresh Meats.

Supplied

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In Pictures: The people of Polyfest

Source: Radio New Zealand

This week, the Manukau Sports Bowl has been transformed into a multi-stage cultural hub for 11,000 performers from 73 high schools.

Participants tell RNZ the Polyfest festival is a celebration of cultural diversity as well as an opportunity to learn.

Faith Fomai from Southern Cross Campus says Polyfest is about “learning your roots, staying cool, also just be connected and be one”.

Southern Cross Campus students at ASB Polyfest.

RNZ Pacific / Coco Lance

Indian students Pierah Kohli, Aashritha Vathsavaya and Sonam Chaduvula of Maclean College

Pierah Kohli, Aashritha Vathsavaya and Sonam Chaduvula of Maclean college.

Tiana Haxton / RNZ

Lauryn Wattam and Hingano Hill-Willis of Wesley College, representing the Cook Islands

Cook Island performers Lauryn Wattam and Hingano Hill-Willis of Wesley College.

Tiana Haxton / RNZ

A Samoan dance performance by Alfriston College

Samoan performers Tofiga Maletino and Omeka Fau from Alfriston College.

RNZ

A Samoan dance performance by Alfriston College.

Nick Monro / RNZ

A performance by Samoan students from Alfriston College.

RNZ

Samoan performers from Alfriston College.

RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

Metua-Ani Raea-Araitia and Hillary Tiro, visiting from the Cook Islands, attended with a group from Tereora College

Metua-Ani Raea-Araitia and Hillary Tiro, visiting from the Cook Islands, attended with a group from Tereora College.

Tiana Haxton / RNZ

A group from Manurewa High School, including Ayveah Mizziebo, who says Polyfest is “a way to learn about my culture outside of my home, my church, my family, and to embrace other people’s cultures as well”.

“Polyfest is a way to learn about my culture outside of my home, my church, my family, and to embrace other people’s cultures as well” – Ayveah Mizziebo.

Tiana Haxton / RNZ

Bailey li, a Korean student from St Cuthbert’s College, says Polyfest is an opportunity to learn about “other cultures and their beauty”.

“To me, Polyfest means cultural diversity, and it allows everyone to perform their culture, represent other cultures, as well as be aware of other cultures and their beauty” – Bailey li.

Tiana Haxton / RNZ

Breona Nassau and Joseph Tulua from Tangaroa College say Polyfest is an opportunity to see many cultures in one festival

Breona Nassau and Joseph Tulua from Tangaroa College at ASB Polyfest.

RNZ Pacific / Coco Lance

A group from Otahuhu College

Otahuhu College students at ASB Polyfest – day one

RNZ Pacific / Coco Lance

A group of Chinese students from St Cuthbert’s College say Polyfest is a celebration of cultural pride and diversity

A group of Chinese students from St Cuthberts College say Polyfest is a celebration of cultural pride and diversity.

Tiana Haxton / RNZ

A Chinese student from St Cuthbert’s College demonstrates a traditional dance with fans.

Tiana Haxton / RNZ

Fijian students from Baradene College of The Sacred Heart

A group of students from Auckland’s Baradene College of The Sacred Heart.

Tiana Haxton / RNZ

Students from Baradene College

RNZ Pacific / Coco Lance

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GP stops uploading patient notes to MyIndici as a precaution

Source: Radio New Zealand

MyIndici said it hasn’t been compromised. 123rf

A Wellington GP clinic has stopped uploading consultation notes to patient portal MyIndici as an extra layer of protection for patients’ data.

MyIndici said it hasn’t been compromised, but there have been two high-profile security breaches involving health data at other companies in the past few months – ManageMyHealth, and then MediMap.

Newlands Medical Centre, in response to questions from RNZ, said: “Whilst we have no concerns re Indici security, we made a decision to discontinue open notes as an added layer of protection for the security of our patients’ data. We will not be providing any further comment.”

But Valentia Technologies, the company behind patient portal MyIndici and the associated practice management system Indici, said it had not experienced any breach or security issue.

A spokesperson said the ability to control access to patient notes at either a practice-wide or individual patient level had been a long-standing feature of the Indici system, and prior to the news of the ManageMyHealth breach, some GPs already had their systems set up so patients wouldn’t see their notes on the portal.

Has your GP stopped uploading notes to its patient portal? Email me on kate.green@rnz.co.nz

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Watch: Students share what Polyfest means to them

Source: Radio New Zealand

Students performing at this weeks ASB Polyfest say the festival is a celebration of their diverse identities.

More than 11,000 performers from 73 schools are set to grace the stage over the next three days.

Polyfest is the world’s largest secondary school Pasifika cultural festival held annually since the late 1970s.

For Baradene College students Izzy Porter and Marlo O’Hagan representing Fiji, the event means “sharing our cultures” and “being able to represent our families and our ancestors on the stage”.

Baradene Fiji group at the ASB Polyfest 2026. 18 March 2026 RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

For Manurewa High School’s Ayveah Mizziebo, “It’s a way to learn about my culture outside of my home, my church, my family, and to embrace other people’s cultures as well.”

Manurewa High School at the ASB Polyfest 2026. 18 March 2026 RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

AUT student representative Lolomanaia Filia’i said Polyfest was all about identity.

“Finding who you are through culture, through food, through dance, through music.”

Tangaroa College student Breona Nassau said “regardless of whether or not you are the culture that you’re performing for, just representing that, and you know doing your best”.

Southern Cross Campus student Faith Fomai said the event was about “learning your roots, staying put, like, stick to your roots, our voices and our culture”.

St Cuthbert’s College student Bailey Li said Polyfest meant cultural diversity.

Bailey li, a Korean student from St Cuthbert’s College, says Polyfest means cultural diversity. 18 March 2026 RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

“It allows everyone to perform their culture, represent other cultures, as well as be aware of other cultures and their beauty.”

For Iris Wen it was about “getting together and celebrating different cultures with different causes”.

A Chinese fan dance by St Cuthbert’s School at the ASB Polyfest 2026. RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton

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Body found in search for man missing in Lake Manapouri

Source: Radio New Zealand

The man fell overboard into the lake last Saturday.

Police searching for a missing man in Lake Manapouri over the past week, have recovered a body on Thursday.

Last Saturday, around 6.15pm, police were told a man had fallen overboard from a vessel 1km offshore in Lake Manapouri.

While formal identification is yet to take place, police believe it is likely to be the missing man.

Police Search and Rescue and the Police Dive Squad, assisted by the Royal New Zealand Navy, conducted extensive searches of the lake and surrounding areas over the last few days.

Today, the Police Dive Squad and the New Zealand Navy recovered the man’s body from the lake.

Sergeant Alun Griffiths said officers have offered their condolences to the man’s family.

“I would also like to thank all those involved in the search – we are especially grateful for the assistance of the New Zealand Defence Force in providing specialist expertise that allowed this extended search to be concluded,” he said.

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Clark Laidlaw extends time as Hurricanes head coach

Source: Radio New Zealand

Clark Laidlaw head coach of the Hurricanes before Super Rugby Pacific – Hurricanes v Chiefs at Sky Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand on Saturday 13 April 2024. Photosport / Elias Rodriguez

Head coach Clark Laidlaw will continue to guide the Hurricanes after re-signing with the franchise to the end of the next Super Rugby season.

Laidlaw’s contract renewal extends his tenure as head coach of the men’s team to a fourth season since joining the Hurricanes from the All Blacks Sevens ahead of the 2024 campaign.

New Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

The 48-year-old has led the Hurricanes to a semi-final and a qualifying final over the past two seasons, and has guided the team to the top of this year’s Super Rugby Pacific standings after five rounds.

Laidlaw said he’s thoroughly enjoyed his time at the Hurricanes.

“It’s a huge honour and privilege to continue serving the club. I really feel like I’m at home here. I love being involved with the team. We play a brand of rugby that really fits with my thinking on the game,” Laidlaw said.

“We’re building a squad and a club with new owners and new leadership, and I feel I really align with how they see it, so that was a big part of my decision to stay. The identity of the team and the way we want to play the game is something I really align with as well.

“Some days you feel like you’re only getting started. I’m a couple years in, but I still think there’s loads to develop, loads for me to be better at, loads for the team to grow into, and this is the place I want to do that.”

Prior to his appointment as Hurricanes head coach, the former Scottish sevens international – who became a New Zealand citizen late last year – had been an assistant coach at the club between 2013 and 2015.

Laidlaw has previously coached the All Blacks Sevens and has had roles with London Irish, New Zealand U20, Samoa, Taranaki, and Wellington sevens.

He won the 2018 Sevens World Cup, 2018 Commonwealth Games, 2020 World Sevens Series, and a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics while All Blacks Sevens head coach.

Interim Hurricanes chief executive Tony Philp was thrilled to secure Laidlaw’s services for another season.

“We’re excited that Clark has signed on with the Hurricanes until 2027,” Philp said.

“He embodies our values and has a unique ability to get the best out of people. Clark cares first, which fosters an environment of deep connection that then enables performances to be proud of.

“Having him on board for another year will ensure our culture deepens.”

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Takeaways from US intelligence officials’ testimony amid war with Iran

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Aaron Blake, CNN

Director of Defense Intelligence Agency James Adams III, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Acting Commander of US Cyber Command William Hartman testify during the Senate Committee on Intelligence hearing. AFP / OLIVER CONTRERAS

Analysis – Top Trump administration officials testified publicly on Thursday (NZT) for the first time since the launch of the Iran war three weeks ago.

Officials including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Kash Patel testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, where they were pressed on the administration’s often-confusing and contradictory claims about the Iran war and the underlying intelligence.

The testimony came a day after the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, became the highest-profile Trump administration official to resign over the war. Kent did so while suggesting the administration had lied about Iran posing an imminent threat.

Here’s what to know from Wednesday’s hearing:

Intel officials contradicted or failed to back up Trump’s biggest claims about the war

The biggest question going into the hearing was what these officials would say about the Trump administration’s many dubious claims about the Iran war. These officials see the intelligence after all, and they were testifying under penalty of perjury.

Wednesday (local time), they repeatedly either contradicted Trump and the administration’s claims or failed to back them up.

Officials repeatedly contradicted or failed to support Donald Trump’s claims about the war with Iran. AFP

On Iran’s nuclear program, Trump has stated that Iran had “attempted to rebuild their nuclear program” after his June strikes on that program, and he said in his State of the Union address last month that they were “starting it all over.”

White House adviser Steve Witkoff went further, saying Iran was “probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material.” And the White House has cited an “imminent nuclear threat” posed by Iran.

But Gabbard in her prepared opening statement told a far different tale.

“As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer (in June), Iran’s nuclear enrichment program was obliterated,” she said. “There has been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability.”

Gabbard notably did not read this portion of her opening statement. When pressed on why, she said it was because her “time was running long.”

When asked by Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia whether that remained the assessment of the intelligence community, she said, “Yes.”

Also in his State of the Union address, Trump claimed Iran was building intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that would “soon reach the United States of America.”

But that’s not what US intelligence has said. And Gabbard in her prepared statement reiterated a previous assessment that Iran “could use” existing technology “to begin to develop a militarily viable ICBM before 2035 should Tehran attempt to pursue that capability.” Gabbard said that assessment would be updated in light of the current war.

When Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton of Arkansas cited other analysts’ estimates that Iran could have had an ICBM “to threaten the United States in as few as six months,” Ratcliffe declined to put a date range on it.

Ratcliffe instead said Cotton was right to be concerned, and that “if left unimpeded … they would have the ability to range missiles to the continental US.”

But he did not echo the six-month timeframe – or Trump’s claim that it could be “soon.”

And lastly, Gabbard also would not back up Trump’s claim this week that no experts had predicted Iran would respond to being attacked by attacking its Gulf neighbours. In fact, Iran has spoken publicly about that possibility, and it was no secret.

When Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon asked about Trump’s claim, Gabbard avoided directly answering the question.

When pressed by Democratic Vice Chairman Mark Warner of Virginia, Gabbard said she wasn’t “aware of those remarks” and declined to say whether she briefed Trump on the possibility – citing “internal conversations.”

The very mixed signals on Iran as an ‘imminent’ threat

Joe Kent in his resignation letter said Iran did not pose an imminent threat. ANNA MONEYMAKER / AFP

Perhaps the central issue is a more subjective one – whether Iran posed an “imminent” threat that warranted going to war.

The Trump administration has offered a series of different reasons why that was the case, many of which haven’t withstood scrutiny.

Kent in his resignation letter said Iran did not pose such an imminent threat. And afterward Gabbard – who before joining the administration strongly opposed war with Iran – issued a carefully worded statement in which she didn’t pass judgement on the claim herself. She instead cast it as Trump’s call to decide whether the threat was “imminent.”

But that in and of itself was remarkable – Trump’s own DNI declining to call the threat “imminent,” in the judgement of herself or the intel community.

The hearing didn’t provide too much evidence that the intelligence showed an imminent threat.

The testimony about Iran’s nuclear intentions and ICBM program didn’t suggest those were imminent threats.

When asked by Ossoff whether the intelligence showed an “imminent nuclear threat,” Gabbard responded, “The only person who can determine what is and is not a threat is the president.”

“It is not the intelligence community’s responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat,” Gabbard maintained.

Ossoff rejected Gabbard’s stance, saying making such independent determinations was in fact the job of the intelligence community.

In his own comments, Ratcliffe reflected on Iranian-backed attacks on Americans in the region and said it has long posed an “immediate” threat.

“I think Iran has been a constant threat to the United States for an extended period of time and posed an immediate threat at this time,” Ratcliffe said.

Ratcliffe was also asked about whether he disagreed with Kent about Iran’s capabilities, and he said, “I do.”

But the exchange largely focused not on Iranian attacks on the US homeland, but rather attacks on Americans in the Middle East, including via Iran’s proxy groups.

And none of the witnesses described Iran as an “imminent” threat to the United States, in their own words.

Democrats didn’t dwell on Kent

While Kent’s resignation was major news, the Democrats on the committee declined to lean too hard on his account.

Warner brought up Kent’s claim about there being no imminent threat early in the hearing. Later, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas asked Ratcliffe about whether he disagreed with Kent.

But the hearing didn’t get into the nitty-gritty of Kent’s claims, including his meeting before he resigned with Gabbard and Vice President JD Vance, both of whom have also been reluctant to vocally support the Iran war.

So why did Kent get short shrift?

Part of the reason could be that Democrats were wary of aligning themselves too much with him. Kent has a history of associating with extremists on the right, and his resignation letter accused Israel of being behind not just the Iran war, but also the Iraq war and the Syrian civil war.

Trump’s allies have criticised the political left for leaning so heavily on Kent’s account.

Democrats on Wednesday seemed to reason that they could get at the crux of Kent’s resignation without invoking him personally.

Gabbard provides little clarity on Fulton County search

It’s not as current an issue as the Iran war, but Gabbard’s presence at an FBI search of a Fulton County, Georgia, elections office two months ago raised more than a few eyebrows. And given concerns about the Trump administration’s activities vis-à-vis the 2026 midterm elections, it’s likely we’ll hear more about it.

The administration struggled mightily to explain why Gabbard, whose purview generally involves foreign threats, was present at the search. The search itself was controversial, too, given the affidavit used to get the search warrant recycled a series of dubious and debunked claims about the 2020 election.

Gabbard initially said Trump sent her. But then the White House distanced itself, with Trump saying Attorney General Pam Bondi had sent Gabbard (“she went at Pam’s insistence”) and that he didn’t even know why Gabbard was there. Then Gabbard claimed both Trump and Bondi had sent her, but Bondi declined to confirm it.

The situation remained clear as mud after Wednesday’s (local time) hearing.

Gabbard reiterated that she was at the Fulton County search “at the request of the president.”

Gabbard declined to say how Trump conveyed this request to her, but she said he asked her to “help oversee” the search.

But when Warner pressed her on why Trump would be involved or even aware of an FBI search, Gabbard suggested it was possible Trump wasn’t aware of the details behind the search.

– CNN

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Greenpeace targets PM’s office over possible NZ minerals deal with US

Source: Radio New Zealand

The scene of the protest on Thursday. Supplied

Pictures of US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, and US flags have been plastered on the prime minister’s electorate office in the Auckland suburb of Botany on Thursday morning.

A sign which reads ‘Trump War Minerals HQ’ with a cutout of a bald eagle preying on a Kiwi bird was also put up outside the office.

Greenpeace has claimed responsibility.

In a statement, campaigner Juressa Lee said they were protesting a potential deal for New Zealand to supply rare and critical minerals to the US.

She said a minerals deal would lead to more mining projects, causing “environmental destruction”, and also make New Zealand complicit in the war in the Middle East.

“We know a minerals deal would be bad for the land and sea of Aotearoa. But since the United States and Israeli governments launched a military attack on Iran in clear breach of international law, the stakes are even higher.

“We’re calling on Luxon to say no to a minerals deal with Trump. We’re also inviting the public to show their strong opposition to this deal if they’re concerned about complicity in warmongering and the exploitation of our environment for military aggression.”

Luxon has previously said New Zealand is among more than 40 countries talking to the US about supplying minerals, and no Cabinet decisions have been made.

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Helicopter sent to scene of crash in central Otago

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / REECE BAKER

There has been a serious crash on the Cardrona Skifield Road.

Police were called to the single vehicle crash around 10.30am on Thursday.

St John have also sent a helicopter to the scene.

The Serious Crash Unit has been advised.

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New figures show slow growth in job market

Source: Radio New Zealand

The latest SEEK employment report shows job ads rose 0.9 percent in February. 123rf

A slow warming in the job market appears to be broadening out into a more meaningful market shift.

The latest SEEK employment report shows job ads rose 0.9 percent in February, the ninth consecutive monthly increase. It took annual ad growth to 12.2 percent, the strongest annual rise since 2022.

SEEK country manager Rob Clark said the growth was led by industries like construction, engineering and farming.

“If you track the last 18 months, we had a significant decline in job advertising, then it was pretty flat and now we’re seeing growth,” Clark said.

“What that says is that people are a bit more optimistic, they’re seeing some more growth opportunities, and typically that translates to hiring more people, and because we’re seeing it across most industries and most geographies, that implies that it’s a genuine market movement.”

The report shows there is less competition for the jobs being advertised, with applications per ad falling 2.4 percent from the month prior, off the peak seen in August last year.

Only a few sectors are in decline and they include retail and consumer products, as well as banking and financial services. All of the largest sectors saw improvement, according to SEEK’s report.

“The longer-term picture is roles in engineering, farming, construction, trades, healthcare are all growing at about 20 percent year-on-year,” Clark said.

“So they’re the key drivers of activity at the moment.”

Whether the momentum is likely to continue in the same direction is unclear, said Clark, although confidence could take a hit as a result of the Middle East conflict.

South Island regions still the engine driving jobs growth

The South Island showed some of the strongest growth year-on-year with Otago up 23 percent, Southland up 21.3 percent and West Coast up 20.9 percent and Canterbury up 20 percent.

“What we’re seeing is the South Island growing well ahead of everywhere else, and obviously they have a strong agricultural base,” Clark said.

“We’re seeing growth there driven by both a strong ag sector and population movement with a lot of internal migration from other parts of New Zealand to the South Island, because there are more opportunities there.”

Urban centres like Auckland and Wellington are showing little momentum, according to the SEEK report.

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Inflating cost of running a farm now structural – report

Source: Radio New Zealand

AFP / William West

The cost of running a farm in New Zealand is more than a quarter higher than it was before the Covid pandemic.

ANZ’s latest Agri Insights report, which analysed financial performance across more than 4000 dairy, red meat, kiwifruit, arable and pipfruit customers over five years, found farm operating costs across the board were 27 percent higher than before Covid.

This was driven largely by increased labour and input costs like fertiliser, and on-farm cost inflation becoming structural.

The gap between average farms and the top performers continued to widen, pointing to significant untapped productivity potential, with leading operators consistently generating materially higher earnings per hectare through system optimisation rather than expansion.

The report’s co-author and ANZ’s head of strategy and execution – business and agri Marcus Bousefield said it showed farms must lift productivity just to stand still.

“Really everything is up on that pre-Covid area in terms of costs. We’ve seen it as a structural shift as opposed to just being inflationary and moving with the inflation cycle.”

Despite having the largest cost increases – which was reflective of their labour-intensive nature and impacts of wage pressures during and after the pandemic – the report found both dairy and kiwifruit had some of the strong returns.

Total kiwifruit farm income rose 59 percent driven by the maturing of post-PSA plantings and higher orchard productivity, while dairy also saw higher earnings per hectare achieved through improved milk production per cow and better herd performance, rather than expansion.

Red meat farms had modest income growth, with a wide gap between top-performing operators who earned about 80 percent more per hectare than poorer-performing counterparts.

Pipfruit faced the most challenges, including labour shortages and multiple weather events.

Bousefield said the report showed the strongest performances were linked to reinvestment and commitment to improving productivity.

“You can look to the singular price in commodity prices being a key leader of performance but that is always outside of farmers’ control.

“It’s really the sum of the parts of all the other components that drive the topline revenue piece that has a bigger bearer on what we saw as performance of the top 25 percent.”

Bousefield said this included factors like the execution of buying and selling, crop management and animal efficiency, particularly in the dairy sector.

He said farming was multi-generational industry where decisions made today would pay off in later years. He said it was at a junction point where stronger markets, coupled with agritech advances provided opportunity to improve efficiencies on farm.

Bousefield cautioned that conflict in the Middle East would continue to create global uncertainty in the shorter term.

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Conan O’Brien funded Sona’s IVF, so she made him Godfather of twins

Source: Radio New Zealand

Sona Movsesian and Conan O’Brien are co-workers but also “just two people who really care about each other”.

Making the 62-year-old comedian a Godfather to her two sons was also a way to present them with someone who has a great work ethic and character to try and emulate, Movsesian tells RNZ’s Afternoons.

“Plus Conan loves the Godfather movie, I know it’s his favourite movie. When we asked him, my husband quietly put on the Godfather theme, and we said, ‘we want to ask you a question…’”

This video is hosted on Youtube.

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Crashes cost up to 70% more than expected, Transport Ministry finds

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Ministry of Transport currently factors elements such as road closures, emergency service response, and the social costs for the life lost into the total cost of a road fatality. RNZ

A transport consultancy firm says analysis of traffic data reveals the total cost of a crash is up to 70 percent higher that previously calculated.

The Ministry of Transport currently calculates the social cost of a road fatality at more than $15 million, which includes elements such as the road closure, emergency service response, and the social costs for the life lost.

But Abley Principal Transportation Planner Chris Blackmore told Nine to Noon data analysis shows that the impact of a crash on the overall road network is not factored into that calculation.

“There’s a lot of big immediate costs that we see when you look at the impacts of road trauma – be that FENZ, hospital admission, recovery costs.

“We do occasionally take into account any easily visible impacts of closing a road … but at the moment that’s only really included at a high level, and it ignores a lot of the secondary and following impacts.”

Councils and the Transport Agency had traditionally relied on physical equipment such as pneumatic road tubes to measure traffic data.

“That’s really what has prevented, up until now, having a more holistic view of the impacts of what we call network disruption.”

But a system called TomTom Area Speed enabled the analysis of more information, and more sophisticated data about the wider impacts crashes had, Blackmore said.

TomTom takes information from sources such as Apple, data from the cars themselves, and other apps motorists might be using to show exactly how widespread the congestion is, for how long, and what activities might be affected.

Blackmore provided the example of a crash between a bus and a car on Auckland’s Tamaki Drive, which closed the significant connection between the eastern bays and the city centre for more than 24 hours.

“What we could see with TomTom was that as that link closed, people had to find their way around.

“Say five O’clock, six O’clock in the morning, that’s all right … but what happens when you get into the peak hour … we see all of the other connections from the eastern bays massively overloaded.

The TomTom data showed exactly how people reacted to road closures, he said.

“Some people do u-turns, some people turn of earlier and try and get through some back roads, some people try to tough it out in the queue.”

When the data was added up, it revealed the overall impact the crash had on travel times, and the total disruption to the road network.

Crashes on rural roads also could carry a heavy unseen cost, Blackmore said, using the example of a crash on State Highway 6 near Kington in Otago.

“What we saw there was that travel time increases weren’t as significant because there’s not a heap of congestion. People could figure out that there’s a crash before they started driving down State Highway 6 and make their choices.

“But we did see hundreds of thousands of extra kilometres that people had to travel, and that has impacts on people’s lives and their routines as well.”

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Cost of driving 15km in Auckland nearly double that of public transport – AT

Source: Radio New Zealand

It’s now costing people nearly double to drive their own cars. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Public transport is nearly half the price of driving to work in Auckland as fuel prices surge amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East

It comes amid huge uncertainty on the price of petrol in New Zealand following Israel’s attack on the world’s largest natural gasfield in Pars overnight, AA is warning.

The attack has increased uncertainty and seen Brent Crude prices surge to $US110 a barrel by 11am on Thursday (NZT).

Auckland Transport said before the Iran conflict began late last month, the cost of public transport was roughly the same as the cost of driving a vehicle with single occupancy in Auckland.

It’s now costing people nearly double to drive their own cars.

“The cost of petrol has risen at least 50 cents per litre since then, with a 15-kilometre single person commute now costing roughly 80 cents per kilometre, which is equal to about $12 for the total trip.”

AT said this did not include any parking costs.

“On public transport, that same 15-kilometre trip would typically cost $4.90 and would be a significantly faster journey due to congestion and the availability of bus lanes, frequent rail and ferry services.”

“We can confidently say that the cost of driving 15-kilometres in or out of the city is now roughly double the cost of travelling the same distance by public transport.”

AT said the first week of March was the was the busiest for the public transport network this year with 2.217 million trips on bus, train and ferry services – up from 2.174 million trips, the same time last year.

It said this was likely just a result of more people using public transport rather than concerns over the cost of fuel.

However it expects the trend will continue upward as the fuel crisis developed.

Auckland Transport said despite big numbers of travellers, it has plenty of capacity across the network.

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Economy grew by 0.2 percent in last three months of 2025

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Quin Tauetau

  • Economy grows 0.2 pct in December quarter, 1.3 pct on year ago
  • Data at the low end of expectations
  • Previous quarter revised to 0.9 pct growth from 1.1 pct
  • Primary sector and tourism industries lead growth
  • Manufacturing flat, construction sector contracts
  • Data not likely to change Reserve Bank holding cash rate at 2.25 pct next month.

The economy posted tepid growth at the end of last year as the rural sector and tourism growth offset soft manufacturing and weak construction before the Middle East conflict threatened to stymie recovery.

Stats NZ data showed gross domestic product (GDP), the broad measure of economic growth, rose 0.2 percent in the three months ended December, to be 1.3 percent higher than a year ago. On an annual average basis, the economy grew 0.2 percent over the year.

Expectations were for quarterly growth in a range of 0.2 to 0.5 percent, although the growth of the previous quarter was revised lower to 0.9 percent from 1.1 percent.

Stats NZ spokesperson Jason Attewell said it was the first time the economy had posted annual growth in more than two years.

“GDP has now risen in three of the last four quarters.”

Turned the economic corner

The strongest sectors were primary industries, which grew 0.9 percent, and service industries, which make up about 70 percent of the economy and grew 0.7 percent.

Attewell said strong spending by overseas visitors in the quarter boosted a broad range of businesses.

“This flowed through to parts of the economy that service tourism, such as rental car hire, retail trade [and] accommodation.”

Exports of goods and services were up 0.1 percent, with higher meat and forestry exports offsetting lower dairy sales.

There were positive contributions from real estate and financial services, retail, recreation, and energy and water industries.

The main drag on growth was from construction, which was down 1.4 percent on the previous quarter because of a fall in non-residential building.

Individual shares of the economy – per capita GDP – were unchanged for the quarter, to be 0.4 percent lower than a year ago.

The country’s purchasing power (disposable income) was also flat for the quarter, but 1.5 percent ahead of a year ago.

Derailed recovery ?

The GDP reading has already been discounted by economists as historical information overtaken by the Middle East conflict.

The latest monthly partial monthly read on inflation and a further slip in consumer confidence driven by a surge in fuel prices are seen as pointers for future activity.

Forecasts before the hostilities were for a gradual pick-up in growth this year to more than 2.5 percent, rising towards 3 percent in 2027.

The Reserve Bank last month held the official cash rate (OCR) at 2.25 percent and signalled rates would be held at an “accommodative level” to support the economy.

Economists have highlighted the uncertainty caused by the US/Israel-Iran war and its ability to derail economic activity through higher inflation, disruption to supply chains, and dampening of household and business demand and activity.

New Zealand’s quarterly growth rate was the same as or close to those in the US, UK, EU, and Japan, but lagged Australia’s 0.8 percent.

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Rocket Lab wins record contract with US Department of War

Source: Radio New Zealand

Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Sir Peter Beck. Supplied / Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab has won a US$190 million (NZ$327m) contract from the United States Department of War, formerly the Department of Defence, for a series of hypersonic test flights using its HASTE launch vehicle.

It is the largest single contract in the NZ-founded company’s history and lifts its total order backlog to more than US$2 billion (NZ$3.44b).

The four‑year agreement covers 20 test flights of Rocket Lab’s Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) rocket, a modified version of its Electron launcher designed to carry suborbital payloads of up to 700 kilograms at speeds above Mach 5.

The launches will be carried out under the Multi‑Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH‑TB) 2.0 programme – a partnership between the Department of War and the Naval Surface Warfare Centre Crane Division that aims to accelerate hypersonic flight testing and related technologies.

Rocket Lab has already conducted several HASTE missions since 2023 under the MACH‑TB programme.

Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Sir Peter Beck said the expanded partnership with the Department of War and MACH‑TB would help strengthen US national security by providing rapid and affordable hypersonic testing.

“Our advanced technology, responsive launch schedules, and mass production of our HASTE hypersonic rockets are enabling faster progress across a range of hypersonic experiments by our government and industry partners,” he said.

Sir Peter described the new deal as “another proud moment for the team that builds the strength and resiliency of the United States’ aerospace efforts”.

The contract takes Rocket Lab’s launch backlog to 70 missions, and the company has sold 28 launches in the first quarter of 2026 – almost as many as it sold during the whole of 2025.

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