Category: Public Media

Source: Radio New Zealand

Thousands have queued – some for hours – to get back in the doors of Wellington Central Library, which reopened on Saturday, newly strengthened and renovated after being shut for seven years.

A ceremony was planned, with a ribbon-cutting, then music and story-telling performances throughout the weekend. The library, called Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui, was open again for normal operations, from 10am Saturday.

The eye-catching building in central Wellington has been closed since March 2019, when it was deemed an earthquake risk, with significant work needed.

As the launch unfolded, former library staff member Jane Shallcrass told RNZ she never once would have expected thousands of people to be waiting outside the door for a library, but she was thrilled by the community support.

“To see the joy on people’s faces as they came up the escalator and realised the full glory of the new library, and I think to hear the music – that was really great, just wonderful. And that all these people are queuing two hours, for a library – not for a pop star or anything.”

Shallcrass worked at the central library when the Ian Athfield-designed building first opened in 1991 (the library itself has existed since 1893). But today she was back to perform in one of the choirs, and said the $217 million bill for the library project was money well spent.

Te Ngākau Civic Square, next to the library, also reopened on Saturday, with new landscaping, seating, play areas and water features.

Wellington mayor Andrew Little said the milestone is a positive turning point for the central city.

He said as well as books, the library contains a variety of creative spaces, including an area with 3D printers and a CNC machine.

• First look inside the new Wellington library

Andrew Little, at the official ceremony on Saturday. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

“The area of town which the library is in has been kind of boarded up and shut down and difficult to move around for some time,” Little said.

“So with all the hoardings coming down and the library opening up and a place for people to come in their hundreds, it’s really going to make a big difference to that part of town.

“We’ve now got a space – or spaces – for people to come. They can come to the library, there’s a range of things they can do here, and they can go into the square and just enjoy, relax, meet, gather, protest – do whatever they want to do. The spaces are back.”

On another side of Civic Square, Te Whare Toi The City Art Gallery, which closed for construction work in June 2024, is scheduled to reopen later this year. While facing the gallery across the square, the Wellington Town Hall, which closed in 2013 as it was deemed earthquake-prone, could reopen next year.

• Take a look inside the newly refurbished library with RNZ.

Inside the library, earlier this month. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Creative spaces are a feature of the new Wellington library building, which RNZ toured earlier this month. Supplied

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/14/thousands-queue-as-doors-open-at-revamped-wellington-library-after-seven-years/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Corrections officer was told to “shake off” his injury following an attack by a prisoner, and was later suspended for the incident and put on trial as the accused.

It was around this time that Duane Farrell also learned his life was under threat in his work, which had not been communicated to him by his employer.

Now, almost 10 years later, Farrell has been awarded almost $95,000 in compensation and lost wages after the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) found he had been treated unfairly while working for the Department of Corrections.

According to an ERA decision, on April 20, 2017, an inmate at an Auckland prison attacked Farrell from behind while he was moving him through the prison.

Farrell told his superior officers he believed he had suffered a significant injury and asked several times for an ambulance to be called to take him to hospital.

This was denied, and he was instead taken to the medical unit, where he was told by a nurse to “shake it off” and wait in the duty supervisor’s office before he was driven to the hospital by another Corrections officer.

In June and July 2017, information came to Corrections’ attention that there was a specific safety threat against Farrell, but Farrell was not informed.

On his return to work in August, he was rostered to work in the same unit in which he had been assaulted.

He told the authority he felt this was appropriate because of his familiarity with the other Corrections officers working there, the systems and the prisoners in that unit.

But that month, Farrell identified a security risk in the unit, which he reported.

Following an assessment, the prison director arranged for him to be moved to another unit that was deemed safe, as there was a potential threat to Farrell.

Later that month, he was promoted to senior Corrections officer and relocated to another unit.

But Farrell was concerned that the reason he was moved was not properly communicated to him, and he did not understand the nature or extent of the threat against him, leaving him fearful and on edge at work.

Farrell found out at a meeting in September that there was a “level 1 threat” made against him, which meant “life is under specific threat of an act of violence from an individual or group capable of carrying out the threat”.

He “felt sick” knowing he had been allowed to return to work in a unit where he could have been attacked again and Corrections had not told him.

“Farrell’s concerns about his safety at work and Corrections’ ability to keep him safe at work were escalating,” authority member Marija Urlich said in the decision.

“He felt his trust that his employer would keep him safe at work was breaking down.”

On November 16, Farrell attended a police interview regarding the earlier assault.

He was told the charges against the prisoner were likely to be dropped and that he would instead be charged, along with two other officers, for assaulting the prisoner.

In March 2018, Farrell was working in a unit holding vulnerable prisoners when an inmate threw urine at another officer, which splashed on Farrell.

Later that month, a prisoner asked to speak with Farrell while he was on duty.

He was then spat at, which resulted in “a spontaneous use of force” by Farrell.

That action was found to be inappropriate, and he was put on non-facing prisoner duties in the gatehouse.

In April 2018, Farrell was suspended from work after police charged him with the initial assault.

A trial took place, with the Crown alleging that Farrell and two other officers attacked an inmate after he hit Farrell.

He was acquitted of the criminal charge.

Farrell returned to work in 2022, completing a refresher course, then resumed duties in his usual work location. His concerns about an adequate, safe return to work continued.

Urlich found that Corrections failed to provide information in relation to serious threats to Farrell’s safety at work during 2017 and to provide a safe system of work after the assaults and injuries he suffered.

It also failed to fairly and reasonably place him on alternative duties and fairly and reasonably consider alternatives to suspension.

“He said he felt punished for doing his job and felt he had been left out of the loop about information that was pertinent to his safety,” Urlich said.

“His understandable alarm and distress to learn the threat against him personally had been assessed by Corrections at the highest level and that this information had not been provided to him, or why, has amplified his fear of threats to himself and his family and made him feel on edge at work.”

Corrections was ordered to pay Farrell $60,000 in compensation, $25,000 in general damages and $9500 in lost earnings.

It was also ordered to pay a $4000 penalty to the Crown.

A Corrections spokesperson told NZME it was still considering the determination and its next steps.

Farrell did not respond when approached for comment.

This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/14/corrections-ordered-to-pay-officer-duane-farrell-94k-after-failures-following-prison-hit-threat/

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Automobile Association is advising people to take steps that could help save fuel as the Middle East conflict bumps up prices.

Principal advisor Terry Collins said people can use less fuel by driving safely, checking tire pressure and taking fewer trips.

“Getting the car up to operating temperature … doing all those trips in one go coming back you’re saving fuel.”

Prices have been going up because of the volatility on the wholesale market caused by the conflict in the Middle East following the US-Israel strikes on Iran.

Collins said saving on the cost of fuel can come down to taking simple steps like carrying less weight in the car.

“Don’t drive all week with extra weight unnecessary like golf clubs or other things in your car that aren’t doing anything other than sitting in there. Weight will always make you use more fuel.”

Collins advised people to take a roof rack off their car, as it will make the aerodynamics of the vehicle better.

Checking tyre pressure was also on the list to save fuel, as he said it can decrease in colder weather.

He is also urging people to use an app, like Gaspy, to find the cheapest petrol station near them.

“It’s a homogeneous product which means basically its the same where ever you get it and so buying it by the cheapest price is the best smartest thing to do.”

Since the start of the conflict the price of oil has almost doubled from where it was at the start of the year.

The ripple effects of the price increase has also been the potential for inflation across a wide range of goods and services.

This week demand on Gull’s discount day left some of its petrol stations running low on fuel.

Gull said 3 percent of its sites had not been able to meet the extra demand from customers when it cut prices on its regular Thursday promotion.

Emeritus Professor in Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Energy at Massey University, Ralph Sims, had previously given similar advice to drivers on saving fuel as prices spiked.

“Most people don’t understand how to drive a car efficiently. I see people accelerate to a red light and then brake heavily, and if you’re running on low tyre pressures, it consumes much more fuel,” Sims said.

He also suggested the government do a national education campaign on fuel-saving tips like avoiding heavy braking, checking tyre pressure, and taking things that add weight, like a roof rack, off their vehicle when they are not needed.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/14/carry-less-weight-and-check-tyre-pressure-aas-advice-to-save-fuel/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A teacher censured for asking students inappropriate questions, including, “How long would you wait to have sex with a dead girl?”, has now been suspended from his teaching role in Australia.

Teacher Jason Morgan made multiple sexual comments to students while working as a boarding house assistant at a New Zealand school in 2023.

The Teachers’ Disciplinary Tribunal was only able to censure him, because he had moved overseas and was teaching at Chanel College in Queensland, Australia.

The tribunal decision said the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) was aware of Morgan’s teaching background.

A former student of Morgan’s at the time of the incidents told NZME he was shocked to hear Morgan was still teaching in Australia.

“For him to be teaching again is completely unacceptable for a man who has made sexual jokes.

“I highly recommend Chanel College do change their mind as he should be terminated from teaching and any job that involves kids.”

The former student alleged that more comments were made, beyond what was mentioned in the tribunal’s decision, which made students at the time uncomfortable.

However, a Catholic Education – Diocese of Rockhampton spokesperson, who oversees the Queensland school at which Morgan was teaching, has now told NZME that he has been suspended.

“The college has recently become aware of concerns relating to one of our teachers while in a previous role at a school overseas,” the spokesperson said.

“The staff member has been suspended from all duties while the matter is being investigated.”

They said the college had notified the relevant authorities.

“The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority.”

A spokesperson for QCT said it could not comment on any individual’s teacher registration or matters of professional conduct.

At the time of the misconduct, Morgan was a teacher and boarding house assistant at a school that cannot be identified.

During Term 1 and 2, Morgan made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature while in his capacity as house assistant, specifically at the end of the day when they shared a “thought of the day”.

The “thought of the day” was a way to wind down students before bed.

The students said comments made by Morgan during these discussions included, “Would you have regular sex with a seven out of 10 or have a one-night stand with a nine out of 10?” and, “Would you sleep with an absolute 10 out of 10 if she was crazy as?”

The decision states he also asked, “How long would you wait to have sex with a dead girl?”

Morgan also engaged in banter and jokes with a student over several days, while other students were present.

During this exchange, Morgan told the student that he would “come on your mum’s back”, the decision stated.

After Morgan made the comment, he apologised to the student.

Later that month, Morgan made inappropriate comments in front of several students when speaking about hunting. He reportedly said, “Be careful you… boys don’t f*** [goats]”.

Morgan voluntarily resigned after the complaint. He has been approached for comment.

– This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/14/australian-college-suspends-censured-nz-teacher-jason-morgan-after-tribunal-reveals-sex-talk-with-students/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A ceremony will officially reopen the newly strengthened and renovated Wellington Library on Saturday morning after being shut for seven years.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was planned at the site, followed by music and story-telling performances throughout the weekend.

It will be open for normal operations, from 10am.

The library has been closed since March 2019 after it was deemed an earthquake risk.

Civic Square next to the library is also reopening, with new landscaping, seating, play areas and water features.

Wellington mayor Andrew Little said it’s a positive turning point for the central city.

He said as well as books, the library contains a variety of creative spaces, including an area with 3D printers and a CNC machine.

• First look inside the new Wellington library

“The area of town which the library is in has been kind of boarded up and shut down and difficult to move around for some time,” Little said.

“So with all the hoardings coming down and the library opening up and a place for people to come in their hundreds, it’s really going to make a big difference to that part of town.”

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/14/doors-open-at-revamped-wellington-library-after-seven-years/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Cars were the leading cause of reported kiwi deaths across Northland last year, according to new figures obtained by RNZ.

In 2025, the Department of Conservation received 39 reports of the birds being killed by vehicles in the region – up from 26 birds the year before.

Dogs were the next biggest cause of reported kiwi deaths, with 29 killed in confirmed (16) or suspected (13) dog attacks.

That was also an increase on the previous year’s tally of 16 (11 confirmed, 5 suspected).

However, a kiwi expert cautioned that reported deaths may not reflect the actual numbers killed by different causes.

Kiwi Coast Mid North coordinator Andrew Mentor said the bodies of kiwi killed by cars were more likely to be seen and hence reported.

“When kiwi are killed on the road that’s obviously more available and visual, so you’d expect them to be found more easily than those that are killed by dogs in the bush – which might not be found or reported,” he said.

DOC’s figures showed the hotspots for kiwi deaths by vehicle last year were Whangārei Heads (11), Russell-Ōkiato (7) and Rangitane-Ōpito Bay near Kerikeri (4).

Within Whangārei Heads, most deaths occurred in a small area between the Nook Road turnoff and McLeod Bay.

Rangitane, with its high density of both humans and kiwi, used to be the worst place in Northland for kiwi road deaths.

However, in recent years Rangitane’s kiwi road toll had dropped significantly.

Dean Wright, founder of the Kerikeri Peninsula Conservation Charitable Trust, put that down to greater awareness among local motorists and a highly visible billboard campaign.

Wright said the trust had identified the three worst hotspots for kiwi deaths, then put up roadside signs alerting motorists.

Some signs were lit up at night, when the birds were out and about, while others were updated with the current toll each time another kiwi was killed.

The group also placed roadside crosses anywhere a kiwi had been run over.

“When we first started recording we were at seven [kiwi road deaths] a year, but it’s been on a downward trend. We’re hoping that’s because of our signage and that this year it’s going to drop more but who knows. I guess there’ll be the odd blip, but at least the trend is going the right way.”

One of the problems was that the speed limit in much of Rangitane was 80km/h.

“We reckon that 50km/h gives them a chance, so you’ve got time to brake if they run out in front of you. But not everyone’s going to do that.”

Collecting kiwi corpses was his “least favourite job”, Wright said.

“Someone will call and we’ll go and pick up the body off the side of the road. It’s really sad, you know, because it’s a preventable death. If you take a few more minutes to get to your destination on the peninsula, it could save a kiwi’s life.”

Wright said the reported figures likely understated the impact of dogs and stoats.

“One, the bodies are never found, and, two, if your dog killed a kiwi, what are the chances of you getting on the phone straight away and ringing DOC and telling them? Bugger all, I’d say.”

By far the worst area in Northland for dog attacks on kiwi was the Purerua Peninsula in the northern Bay of Islands, with 16 fatal maulings recorded last year – 12 of which occurred in Wharengaere Bay.

Other reports put that number as high as 20 in Wharengaere Bay alone.

Two dogs were seized for roaming in the isolated bay in January this year.

Last year, three Northland kiwi were reported as being killed by stoats, a drop from four by stoats and one by a ferret in 2024.

Adult kiwi could generally defend themselves against cats with only one kiwi known to have fallen victim to a feline last year.

Other reported causes of death in 2025 included drowning (4), traps (3), natural causes (4), ingesting karaka berries (2) and trauma (4).

Deaths by trauma included being run over by a mower, crushed by a digger, and falling off a retaining wall.

Ten died of unknown causes – usually because the body was too decomposed to establish the cause – compared to 19 the previous year.

The total number of reported kiwi deaths in 2025 was 99, up from 86 the year before.

Mentor said the increasing number of kiwi deaths was in part a result of extensive pest control across Northland.

With growing numbers of kiwi in some areas, more were being killed by cars, dogs and other means.

His advice for Northlanders was to take extra care while driving at night.

“Don’t assume it’s a possum on the road, it could well be a kiwi. And please tie up your dogs and be responsible dog owners,” he said.

The kiwi death data was obtained under the Official Information Act.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Three years minimum to set them up for a better career – and then new graduates discover there’s nothing out there for them, thanks to our soaring jobless numbers

Dubbed ‘the job wars’ by one TikTok user, graduates are struggling to secure entry-level work thanks to a tough labour market.

Figures released by Stats NZ in February showed that the unemployment rate for 15 to 24-year-olds was at 16.5 percent, three times higher than the overall unemployment rate.

On Saturday’sThe Detail, we look at the grim realities of the job market for graduates.

Justin Tuburan recently graduated from AUT with a bachelor of communications and is still struggling to find work in his field.

He’s been living off his casual job as a security guard and says the lack of direction is taking its toll.

“I don’t know really what I am doing with my life. I don’t have this full-time job that I can see career progression and the next 40 years of what I’ll be doing.”

Tuburan said that his current casual position wasn’t meant to form his main income.

“[During university] I was also getting student loan and living costs. That’s $300 a week that I was using to pay rent or pay for public transport… trying to get that money from a job that I used during uni that was only meant to supplement my living cost and now it’s my main source of income. It’s kinda rough trying to find the hours to pay for everything.

“I’m definitely asking my parents for money every once and a while.”

Happier times could be on the horizon though, said Seek’s senior economist, Dr Blair Chapman – but graduates may need to hold out a bit longer.

“It’s good news, the labour market is picking up, job ad growth is picking up. But it can take time for that to flow to graduates,” he said.

Chapman may be getting that vibe at his work, but figures out this week show the number of people receiving Jobseeker support has risen by 5700 to 223,500 since September.

Some reports suggest that AI is cutting graduate and entry-level positions, but Chapman said whether that’s true is still unclear.

“We have seen a dramatic increase in the demand for AI-related skills but it’s not obvious that is eating into the number of those jobs.”

Professor Catherine Moran, the deputy vice-chancellor and academic at the University of Canterbury, said one sector that wants students to be up-skilled in AI is law.

Their law school completed a survey with law practices across the country and asked if students needed to have skills in AI – 92 percent of them said ‘yes’.

But is going to university to learn these skills still worth it?

Moran said getting a degree is more than just learning information.

“There can be a sense that university is all about just book learning as compared to skills learning… It’s through a degree you get deeper and deeper understanding of content.

“You’re more challenged where you’re starting to bring a whole bunch of different ideas together.”

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

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/14/graduates-in-a-battle-over-job-wars/

Source: Radio New Zealand

“We are stuck,” an out-of work stroke survivor says.

On Friday RNZ reported on the “invisible unemployed”: people who have too much to qualify for a benefit, but not enough to make ends meet. The story prompted a number of people to share their struggles.

Here are some of them.

A stroke survivor resorting to canned soup and bread

“I read your article today and cried,” said Andrew.

“Finally someone has seen us.”

Andrew was formerly the head of music at a private school. He had two strokes in November 2021 at the age of 47, leaving him unable to work.

He could not get WINZ (Work and Income) help due to his husband’s $77,000 income.

“My husband’s pay has to cover our mortgage, rates, insurance, utilities, and food. We often can’t make it through the fortnight and have to resort to canned soup and bread. There’s nothing left for rehabilitation or psychological support or emergencies. We are both exhausted.”

He recently started relief teaching one day a week, but the physical and cognitive energy it required wiped him out for days afterwards, he said.

“Working in a school is not good for my health, but I feel I have to, it’s all I can do. I have applied for hundreds of part-time jobs, but no one wants a 50-year-old ex-music teacher.”

He believed the current system only worked back in the 1970s and 80s, when one income could support a household. That was not the case in 2026, he said.

“We are stuck. Unseen, unheard, not cared about, and completely alone.”

A full-time carer fundraising for her daughter’s medical needs

Casey could not work as she was an at-home carer for her two children, who had disabilities.

She wanted to apply for the supported living payment, because she was carrying out the equivalent of full-time work.

But her husband made $90,000 – too much for her to qualify, despite it having to stretch to support their family of six.

They tried to feed the family on up to $60 a week, and did not qualify for food grants.

Casey had started a Givealittle page to fundraise for her daughter’s wheelchair and accessibility modifications to their home.

“It’s been extremely difficult.”

A solo parent

A person who did not want to be named said they left an abusive relationship with their teenage son, but they still owned a house with their former partner.

That put them over the Work and Income cash asset limit, so they could not get a benefit.

“If it wasn’t for the $172 a week from Working For Families, we would not be eating,” they said.

They earned $45,000 annually, paid $550 each week in rent, “and try as I might I haven’t got a flatmate yet”.

Their ex-partner gave them $50 a week, but that did not cover their son’s food and clothing, they said.

“My ex is eligible to get a benefit because he lives in the house we own that he refused to leave.

“It just seems ridiculous the abuser can get a benefit when the person who has to leave with children to support gets nothing and I have worked pretty much all my life.”

Social Development Minister Louise Upston said benefit thresholds were a long-standing feature of the welfare system.

She was not looking at raising them, focusing instead on getting people off the benefit and into work.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/14/stories-from-the-invisible-unemployed/

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Green Party is warning that New Zealand is facing a “perfect storm” of transport disruption after the latest ferry breakdowns and cancellations left travellers stranded and freight operators scrambling to move goods between the North and South Islands.

The Interislander’s Kaiārahi has been out of service since Tuesday night because of a technical fault. An Interislander staff member has gone overseas to collect crucial components to fix the stricken ferry.

Meanwhile, a technical fault meant that Bluebridge’s Connemara ferry was also cancelled on Thursday and Friday. Its Picton-Wellington service was scheduled to return to service early on Saturday morning.

“All customers affected by this cancellation have been automatically transferred to an alternative sailing and will receive an updated e-ticket with revised sailing and check-in time,” Bluebridge said on its website.

“If your re-scheduled sailing time doesn’t suit your needs, standby lists will be operating from each direction for affected passengers across subsequent sailings.”

Greens transport spokesperson Julie Anne Genter said that the Interislander fleet had effectively dropped from six ships to four in recent days.

She said the situation highlighted the risks created by the government’s decision to cancel a previous contract for two new Interislander ferries that had already been ordered.

On Thursday, Genter raised the issue during Parliamentary question time, when she asked acting Prime Minister David Seymour if he accepted that his government’s decision to cancel the new ferries would likely continue to cause disruptions to passengers and freight.

“On behalf of the Prime Minister, no, I don’t accept that, because there have been long-documented problems with the existing ferries,” Seymour replied.

“That does not mean that the unaffordable and unviable solution that the previous government put in place was the best answer for New Zealand. Yes, the ferries break down from time to time. Now, I’ve heard about politicians that bark at every car, but I’ve never heard of one that barks at every ferry,” he said.

Genter said the decision to cancel the contract was “irresponsible” and accused the government of creating a transport crisis across the Cook Strait by leaving New Zealand relying on an ageing fleet that was increasingly breaking down.

“We’re seeing massive disruptions to supply chains and also passengers’ ability to get between the North and South Island because yet another Interislander ferry has had to be taken offline,” she said.

‘Perfect storm’ of pressures

Genter warned that ageing ferries, rising oil prices and more severe weather were combining to create mounting pressure on the Cook Strait crossing.

“It’s a perfect storm,” she said.

“We have potentially an extended period of high and fluctuating oil prices affecting airlines, more severe weather affecting both airlines and ferries, and ageing ferries being taken offline for unplanned maintenance when there should already have been replacement ships here this year.”

She said the government’s decision to cancel the ferries previously ordered by KiwiRail meant replacements would not arrive until at least 2029.

“That’s going to mean huge cost and disruption to freight and passenger movements between our two islands until we can get replacement ferries.”

Genter accused the coalition government of refusing to acknowledge the scale of the problem.

“The government is clearly unwilling to admit that it made a mistake,” she said.

“They cancelled the ferries that were on order and the wharf upgrades that were underway. Now they need to come up with some sort of interim solution.”

Travellers stranded

British tourist Stephen Edwards, who is travelling around New Zealand with his wife, described chaotic scenes at the Picton ferry terminal on Thursday after multiple cancellations.

Edwards said he first received an email saying his Interislander sailing had been cancelled. He then booked a replacement with Bluebridge, which was also delayed and later cancelled.

“We were on our feet for three hours trying to rebook,” he said.

“You’ve never seen chaos like it.”

He said queues formed across the terminal as hundreds of passengers attempted to rebook sailings while vehicles blocked lanes waiting to board.

Eventually the couple were forced to book a hotel and return on Friday before securing a new ferry.

“We were utterly exhausted,” Edwards said.

Confusion and crowding

The couple’s friend Dave Rees, who helped drive the tourists to the terminal, said the disruption created confusion and long waits for passengers seeking information.

“It was just very crowded, people coming in all the time,” he said.

“Information was scant and had to be sought rather than given.”

Rees said the issues left a poor impression for visitors.

“It gives the impression of a very disorganised place and a place that’s kind of operating on a shoestring,” he said.

He compared the ferry route to a critical transport link.

“The Cook Strait is like a bridge between the two parts of a motorway and the bridge is forever closing.”

Businesses feeling the impact

Contract electrician Michael Casey, who regularly travels between the North and South islands for work, said ferry reliability was becoming a serious issue for contractors and freight.

“If I can’t travel, I can’t work,” he said.

Casey, who is based in Nelson but often works in the North Island, said cancellations could make it impossible to get to jobs with the tools he needed.

“You need your vehicle. I take my tools up. If I tried to take them on a plane it would be bags and bags and it’s just not economic.”

He said sailings were often booked out days in advance, making disruptions even harder to manage.

“When one ferry goes down that’s 25 percent of the market gone.”

Cleaning up the ”Cook Strait iReX mess’

The Minister for Rail, Winston Peters said the government’s record was cleaning up the ‘Cook Strait iReX mess”, while the legacy of the Greens could be seen at Moa Point.

“The previous government turned a simple ferry and port project into a $4 billion blow out, which we turned around and saved the taxpayers $2.3 billion without compromising on what New Zealanders expect,” he said.

“Two state-of-the-art ferries will arrive in 2029 to serve road, rail and passengers, while marine infrastructure in Picton and Wellington will be rebuilt without the expensive frippery introduced by the last government.”

Peters said the previous project had “Taj Mahal level” passenger buildings and sought to completely rebuild perfectly good road and rail marshalling yards to the tune of billions in total, all at the taxpayer’s expense.

“This week, the Interislander demonstrated an abundance of caution by taking the Kaiarahi out of service, as New Zealanders expect, and a replacement part arrives on Friday ahead of services resuming on Sunday,” he said.

“We have a firm expectation for high Interislander reliability, which has been near 100 percent over the past year, thanks to a significant lift in asset maintenance and management.”

The Minister said Interislander lifted its spare parts inventory following government expectations to improve reliability, and they were now responding to its query as to whether any additional parts could be added to the inventory to speed up the repair programmes.

“In the end, our focus is on freighters and families and Interislander has assured us it is prioritising freight bookings, put on eight additional Kaitaki sailings, and has offered refunds to any passengers with vehicles booked to ‘make way for freight’ which may suit some customers.”

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/14/green-party-warns-of-perfect-storm-as-ferry-breakdowns-disrupt-travel-and-freight/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Second-rower Leka Halasima and winger Dallin Watene-Zelezniak scored a try double each, as NZ Warriors overpowered Canberra Raiders 38-6 at Auckland’s Go Media Stadium.

The contest was locked at 6-6 at halftime, but the home side piled on 32 unanswered points to draw away in the second half.

Halasima was a late replacement into the starting line-up, after veteran Kurt Capewell strained a calf in warm-ups, but delivered the 80-minute performance predicted by coach Andrew Webster a week earlier.

The Raiders scored first through fullback Kaeao Weekes, but Watene-Zelezniak responded and halfback Tanah Boyd slotted a penalty for the halftime scoreline.

Centre Ali Leiataua had provided the final pass for his winger’s try and had one of his own after the break, when he intercepted a pass in midfield and scampered away to spark the onslaught.

Canberra beat the Warriors twice last season, en route to the minor premiership, but had no answer in the rain at Mt Smart.

Veteran wing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck couldn’t score a try in his 150th outing for the Warriors, but had the distinction of slotting the final conversion of Watene-Zelezniak’s second try.

See how the game unfolded in our blog:

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/13/nrl-warriors-v-raiders/

Source: Radio New Zealand

After an error-ridden first 40, a disjointed looking Hurricanes side went to the sheds trailing the Force 8-5 at McLean Park.

Cue the cavalry.

Bolstered by their bench, the Hurricanes went on a rampage, notching 26 unanswered points to secure a 31-23 win which shoots them to the top of the Super Rugby Pacific table.

It was the Force who struck first through the boot of Ben Donaldon and then electric winger Darby Lancaster, standing up his opposite Bailyn Sullivan for the first try.

Cam Roigard got the Canes on the board, sniping from the base of the ruck, but it was not enough as they would trail the Force 8-5 at the break.

A Donaldson penalty opened things up in the second with another penalty before the floodgates opened, reinforcements arriving from the bench to immediate affect.

Brad Shields kicked off the scoring spree from short range, the Hurricanes going back to back courtesy of a quick tap by Roigard which sent Devan Flanders away.

Callum Harkin stretched the lead, running a superb line to cross the chalk before Warner Dearns soared into the sky to charge down a Donaldson kick, regather, and streak away.

The Force pulled a couple back through Lancaster and Jetaya Faifua, but the deficit was too great, the Hurricanes closing out their third win of the season.

Follow the blog to see how the action unfolded

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/13/hurricanes-close-out-third-win-after-early-scare-against-western-force/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A child has been seriously injured after being hit by a car in Invercargill.

Police said emergency services were called to the McDonald’s on Dee Street at 7 pm.

The child was taken to the hospital in a serious condition, a spokesperson said.

“Police have spoken to the driver of the vehicle, and enquiries are ongoing into exactly what happened,” a police spokesperson said.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/13/child-seriously-hurt-after-being-hit-by-car-at-mcdonalds/