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The government is expected to make an announcement on housing plans for Auckland. RNZ / Kate Newton

The details of the government’s election year U-turn on housing plans in Auckland are expected to be announced shortly.

The Housing Minister has had to grapple with potentially legislating over a plan change that is already underway – a process which he says is “legally complicated”.

“Rarely if ever does it happen,” said Chris Bishop.

But, government ministers say it is “democracy”, and the Prime Minister says he is listening to feedback.

Others are concerned it is slowing the delivery of housing in Auckland.

The change comes after various iterations of plans to allow for more housing in Auckland.

In 2021, National and Labour agreed to allow three homes of up to three storeys tall on most properties in New Zealand.

Auckland Council then had to grapple with the effects of the Anniversary Weekend floods in 2023 and decisions around where – and where not to – build new homes in the future.

Bishop said the council could opt out of the medium-density rules that applied to most cities, as long as it delivered the same number of homes overall.

That was enough for at least the next 30 years of projected growth, a requirement under the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPSUD) from 2020.

Auckland Council proposed enabling up to two million new homes through a new plan, called Plan Change 120.

This, in part, proposed a change to district plan rules to enable intensification mainly around rapid transit stops and went out for consultation late last year.

Housing Minister Chris Bishop. RNZ/Mark Papalii

In January this year the coalition confirmed it was taking another look at the housing intensification plans after pushback from critics.

“Ultimately, the feedback is saying things are going to need to change, and there will need to be some changes,” said Christopher Luxon in January.

Bishop echoed this the same week, “We needed to make some changes there to make it more sustainable politically.”

He said the 2 million number took on “a life of its own”.

It was not entirely clear what official feedback the government was talking about, given Auckland Council had not yet seen the public submissions at that time.

Chair of the Policy, Planning and Development Committee Richard Hills told RNZ in January staff were still going through the submissions as part of the $3m consultation process.

“The only frustration from council’s point of view, is that all of these requirements on us were passed through cabinet and there are people clearly in cabinet who have acted like they didn’t know about it.”

Auckland Council Policy, Planning and Development Committee chair Richard Hills. Alexia Russell

Bishop shared that frustration, speaking to RNZ this week.

“I’m as frustrated as everybody else,” pointing to the NPSUD which came into effect multiple years ago.

He said Auckland was the last remaining city to implement its rules and regulations around land for housing.

Infrastructure NZ’s Nick Leggett thought central government and Auckland Council had been on the same page.

“I’m never surprised when politics gets in the way of infrastructure.

“Unfortunately, political intervention causes lots of problems and costs more money for New Zealanders when it comes to infrastructure.”

He was waiting to see the details, but was concerned about any weakening of planning allowances that meant “Auckland couldn’t grow up as well as growing out”.

Infrastructure NZ’s Nick Leggett. RNZ / Angus Dreaver

Chief executive of the Property Council of New Zealand, Leonie Freeman, said the development community needed certainty around what you could build and where.

“We had changes with the medium density, we had Plan change 78 now Plan change 120 – any calibration of figures or numbers or where houses are going to go need to be targeted and need to be evidence based.

“We need to take the personal opinions out of it.”

She said when there were continuous changes, it was hard to plan, and if you did start planning then the rules changed, “you’ve wasted a whole lot of time, money and energy”.

“It’s probably unintentionally slowing the delivery of houses in some places in Auckland, or it’s limiting intensification in areas where it does make sense.”

RNZ asked multiple cabinet ministers about making a change despite the formal consultation process still being underway. Bishop, Paul Goldsmith and David Seymour indicated they were listening to constituents and it was “democracy”.

MP for Epsom David Seymour. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Seymour, who is also the MP for Epsom, told the NZ Herald in January the issue of intensification in Auckland had been “highly politicised” and “symobolic” rather than a practical one about how to make it easier to build more houses faster and cheaper.

He said residents in his Epsom electorate were not “anti-intensification”, but if they were told towering buildings would be constructed “looking into everyone’s backyards and their swing sets and their pools”, they would ask, “Why would you do that?”

Speaking to RNZ he said the number of houses stipulated by Parliament was simply too high. He said Auckland Council had not been transparent about where exactly those houses would go.

“If the council had been transparent about what two million actually looked like, we probably would have got a different result in Parliament – we ain’t gonna make that mistake again.”

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/19/government-expected-to-make-announcement-on-auckland-housing-plan-u-turn/

February 19, 2026

Little River residents question why Lake Forsyth wasn’t opened to sea before flooding

Source: Radio New Zealand

Lake Forsyth in Banks Peninsula following the bad weather. Nathan Mckinnon / RNZ

Residents of a Banks Peninsula town flooded for the second time in a year are questioning why the Christchurch City Council again waited until it was flooded before opening a nearby lake to the ocean.

Little River is again counting the cost of flooding after the town was inundated during the deluge on Monday and Tuesday.

The town of 300 about 30 kilometres south of Christchurch was flooded last May.

But residents said opening Lake Forsyth to the sea could have lowered the level of flooding in the town.

Little River Cafe and Store owner Cameron Gordon. RNZ/Nathan McKinnon

Little River Cafe and Store owner Cameron Gordon – whose business and home had been flooded – said it was clear that Lake Forsyth contributed to flooding in the town.

“Once that lake opened … it drained away pretty quickly,” he said.

“I wish they’d open the lake prior to these events every time. I don’t know what the science is behind their decisions but they seem to have their rules and guidelines about how they monitor all that. But it doesn’t seem to work for us and it seems to be the same story every year with the same excuses every year.”

Lake Forsyth is about a kilometre south of Little River and is fed by the Okana and Okuti Rivers.

The only thing separating its southern banks from the Pacific Ocean is the gravel of Birdlings Flat Beach and a canal connecting the lake and ocean that could be opened by diggers when needed.

The resource consent allowed the council to open the lake when it reached 2.3 metres above mean sea level in spring and summer or 2.7 metres in autumn and winter. But it could also be opened if a storm was predicted to bring it to that level or threaten inundation.

The council did open the lake on Tuesday afternoon after it had peaked at about 4.4 metres and Little River was already inundated.

Gordon said it came too late.

“I think [Lake Forsyth] played a significant role,” he said.

“I think it delays the water flowing away. I don’t think it stops the water coming into the building at first, but I think it definitely slows it receding which is the problem. I think if it was opened before this then we would have had a lot less damage and a lower level through the building. It still would’ve come in but it would’ve been a lot less significant.”

Lisa Ashfield’s second-hand store flooded for the second time in 10 months. Nathan Mckinnon/RNZ

Lisa Ashfield, whose second-hand store had also been flooded for the second time in 10 months, said authorities seemed to be ignoring the experience of locals.

“From what I’ve noticed in 13 years of living here, we’ve had floods, the water’s up really high and you can’t get through the roads, they empty the lake and the water is gone within hours,” she said.

“For everybody to be saying it doesn’t make any difference if the lake is full or not, it doesn’t seem to make sense. It does seem to be that if we had a constant flow of water out of the village, while it’s raining, to the lake and to the ocean it probably could mitigate some of the flooding.

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger was not convinced and said the lake’s level was low before the deluge.

“It went from there to up in 36 hours. No one has seen rain like that there,” he said.

“It wouldn’t have mattered what level the lake was, the river – getting it to the lake – was the bottleneck and that’s why all of Little River township got flooded.”

Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger. RNZ/Nathan Mckinnon

Mauger wanted a diversion installed along the Okana River which could take excess water during heavy rain.

“The climate is getting worse. It seems to be that we’re having a 10-year rain event every three years or two years or whatever, so we’ve got to be starting to be ready for this,” he said.

“That’s why I’m keen on getting this diversion channel dug in the farmer’s land right next to the main road to bypass so it goes to the lake without ruining the road and people’s livelihoods.”

A multimillion-dollar barge and pump project – known as the Ocean Connection – that would allow continual flow of water between the lake and sea was also in its final design stage, he said.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/19/little-river-residents-question-why-lake-forsyth-wasnt-opened-to-sea-before-flooding/

February 19, 2026

More injured sea birds seen after storms by beach clean up group

Source: Radio New Zealand

An albatross/toroa being looked after at Wellington Zoo. Supplied / Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo

A beach cleanup group says it is seeing more injured or deceased sea birds after storms.

Stormy weather in the capital this week blew birds off course and left some exhausted and in need of rescue.

An albatross, a gannet and a fairy prion were among those picked up by the Petone Beach Clean Up Crew.

“Because they’re seabirds, they’re not made for the land, so we know they’re in trouble and need help, and they need to go to DOC (Department of Conservation) or the Nest at Wellington Zoo,” said Lorraine Shaab, who ran the clean up crew.

Shaab said she kept a cage in her car ready to hold rescued birds, but this week the albatross proved not to be a good fit.

“He was a huge bird. He came up past my knee.” she said.

If people come across native birds, like this albatross, DOC is the best port of call. Supplied / Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo

But she said the bird was also exhausted, which made transporting him less of a challenge.

“I actually put him in my car because he was too big for the cage.”

“Normally I would never do it, but he was exhausted,” she said. “He had no fight in him whatsoever.”

Meanwhile, Shaab’s gannet rescue had left her less fond of the bird.

“They’ve got good beaks on them,” she said.

“So I learned a bit of a lesson just to be a little bit more prepared next time if I rescue a gannet.”

A gannet. Supplied

The fairy prion proved to be more smooth sailing.

“He was just, I think, soaking wet and happy to be in a dry cat cage,” she said.

Shaab said following the storm she had also come across some dead gulls and was aware of some other dead birds people had reported to her.

She said they were finding more birds injured or deceased after storms, but it was not the only thing killing them.

“We’re finding more birds with entanglements from fishing line and swallowing fish hooks as well.”

Shaab said in Wellington if people came across native birds like an albatross or a gannet, DOC was the best port of call. For other birds like seagulls she said she was happy to collect them and drop them off with the appropriate people.

Another albatross was picked up by the Department of Conservation.

Wellington Zoo currently has three albatrosses in its care. Supplied / Te Nukuao Wellington Zoo

Operations advisor Brent Tandy said its rangers picked up the wandering albatross in Petone on Wednesday.

“It seemed to be uninjured, just exhausted and blown off course because of the storm.”

“The albatross was taken to the Nest Te kohanga at Wellington Zoo where it’s currently being rehydrated and stabilised before full health checks in the next couple of days,” he said.

Wellington Zoo said it currently had three albatrosses in its care, two found in Petone and another in Upper Hutt.

It said the birds had been blown off course and were exhausted by the storm.

The zoo said the albatrosses had arrived dehydrated and weak, with some injuries to their feet from the crash landing. But they were responding well to IV fluids and nutritional support

“First we need to rule out any underlying diseases or injuries, then they need careful nursing and waterproofing on our salt water pool. Birds that are fit to return to the wild need to be released at sea by boat.”

The zoo said climate change was having a serious impact on the fitness and survival of seabirds.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/19/more-injured-sea-birds-seen-after-storms-by-beach-clean-up-group/

February 19, 2026

Reality bites for Kiwi job seekers as unemployment climbs

Source: Radio New Zealand

Unemployment is at its highest in more than a decade, but an economist says that could actually be an early sign of economic strength, as more people return to the workforce. RNZ

New Zealand’s unemployment rate is the highest in a decade, but a leading economist is cautiously optimistic about the country’s economic outlook

There was a feeling of “cautious optimism” at a business breakfast in Auckland this week, after warning signs began flashing in the jobs market.

The latest figures, from Stats NZ, have revealed unemployment has risen to its highest level in more than a decade – 5.4 percent – with more people chasing work than jobs being created.

A total of 165,000 people are now unemployed – that’s a rise of 4000 on the previous quarter and 10,000 on a year ago.

When looking to the country’s future economic and employment outlook, Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold, the guest speaker at the breakfast, tells The Detail that he’s “cautiously optimistic” – a phrase he had on repeat.

“You know, in the last couple of years it’s been tough, hasn’t it?” he says. “We had a couple of years where things looked quite good as we went through the summer period in the early part of the year, only to find the economy sag in the middle of the year.

“And even though we have good reasons to be optimistic about this year, you have to be conscious that that could happen again, particularly given it’s an election year.”

He says the recent spike to 5.4 percent in unemployment is a complicated number. Yes, it’s higher than expected, but he says there’s also been a bump in the number of people wanting jobs.

“They survey New Zealanders to try to ascertain how many of us are actually looking for work, because not all of us are for various reasons. And the surprise last time was that jobs grew, but actually the number of New Zealanders thinking they wanted to be in the workforce grew as well.”

He believes this could be “early evidence of economic strength”.

“Often this relationship works in reverse – when the economy is weak, then people drop out of the labour force, they go ‘well, there’s not very many opportunities anyway, or the pay’s not going to be any good’, so they think about other alternatives, study or training for example.

“And when the economy picks up, people think ‘there are options out there now, I can actually go out there and get an interesting opportunity, I can get more income,’ and you tend to see people attracted into the workforce during these periods.”

He says hiring remains strong in government-related sectors, such as health and police, but construction is hurting.

“But we are starting to see some better signs … as lower interest rates filter through, although it is early days.”

Peak point

He believes the unemployment rate has peaked – “it should fall next quarter, modestly” – which is a sentiment echoed by Shay Peters, CEO of the Australia and New Zealand umbrella of Robert Walters, a recruitment firm. He hosted the business breakfast.

“I think what we will be seeing and what everyone will be forecasting over the next 12 months is for that unemployment rate to drop,” Peters tells The Detail.

He points to the 76 percent of businesses surveyed for the company’s latest Salary Guide who say they are planning to hire this year, up from 66 percent last year.

“Our labour market is showing a renewed sense of optimism, but caution remains.”

He says, “unfortunately”, New Zealand continues to be a victim of the brain drain to Australia.

“That is probably my biggest concern, around the level of individual that’s gone to Australia … they are the productive ones. They are there, they are productive, they are doing the job.

“They are the ones who we see leave New Zealand with their families and buy houses in Australia.

“Will these people come back? It’s highly unlikely. Will we be able to import talent from other offshore resources? I don’t know, it’s a tough one.”

When asked about the role of AI in New Zealand’s job market, he says, “I think there is a nervousness about AI taking people’s jobs, but we aren’t seeing it play out en masse yet”.

But, he says, AI is working overtime for those chasing a job.

“A great example is one of our clients, who said to us [that] when AI was just starting to be implemented by job seekers … they received 12 cover letters that were exactly the same from 12 different people. Clearly, they put it into the same bot, they put in the same job description in and it spat out the same cover letter.

He says “authenticity” is what sets candidates apart. And in a tough market, anything and everything helps.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/19/reality-bites-for-kiwi-job-seekers-as-unemployment-climbs/

February 19, 2026

‘Impossible deadline’: Union questions shorter consultation period for Māori curriculum

Source: Radio New Zealand

NZEI President, the head of the country’s largest education sector union. NZEI supplied

Education union NZEI Te Riu Roa is questioning why the consultation period on a draft Māori curriculum is only half as long as its English counterpart.

“It’s pretty much an impossible deadline, really. I mean, you cut the deadline in half, we’ve got till April to respond,” president Ripeka Lessels said.

The Ministry of Education opened the draft Te Marautanga o Aotearoa framework and Year 0-10 wāhanga ako (Pūtaiao, Waiora, Toi Ihiihi, Hangarau, Ngā Reo, and Te Reo Pakeha) for consultation from 28 January until 24 April 2026.

However, consultation on the Year 0 to 10 draft New Zealand Curriculum opened three months earlier in October 2025. The consultation period closes at the same time as Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, alongside the New Zealand curriculum, make up the national curriculum statements, Lessels said.

The shorter consultation timeframe would impact on teachers, who would have less time to digest and respond to the changes, she said.

“It’s gonna be a challenge, unless [teachers] have subject specific association members beside them to actually take them to go through and read through that stuff, so that they can, you know, download it all and be able to respond appropriately.”

Lessels said the government and ministry had prioritised speed over experience and it would lead to less kaupapa Māori embedded in the curriculum.

“I think this is the only chance that most of the sector will get, is to respond in this time frame … but that’s true also of the New Zealand curriculum, there’s been very little consultation with the subject association around curriculum development since the beginning of this government.”

This curriculum would also apply to the majority of Māori students who were not in Māori medium education, but who Lessels said had a right to be taught in their language regardless of their choice of school.

“What’s good for Māori is good for everybody … tamariki Māori are still part of the education system in Aotearoa New Zealand and we still, and the government, still have an obligation to improve education, as they are trying to do, improve education for all tamariki Māori.”

Lessels said the previous curriculum documents had a lot of input from Māori in the education sector, but input on the new draft had been limited.

“I’ve been going through the Te Reo Rangatira document, and, you know, it reads very much like the Pākehā document, and that’s because this minister has pretty much demanded what it should look like, and that they should be the same. You can see that, it’s in the document, you can see that in the Te Reo Rangatira document, the step stages and phases in that document kind of mirror the New Zealand curriculum, the Pākehā document.”

In a statement the Ministry of Education said it was its intent to release the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa side by side.

“We decided that further work was needed on the draft framework and Years 0-10 wāhanga ako of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, to make sure we released the best possible version for New Zealanders to consider and provide feedback on. This is an important milestone in Māori-medium education, and we needed to get it right.

“We recognise that kura and schools using Te Marautanga o Aotearoa have a shorter consultation time period than those using the New Zealand Curriculum, so we are making it possible for kura, schools and whānau to provide feedback through multiple avenues. In addition to the feedback forms for the framework and each wāhanga ako, we are also:

– holding webinars that anyone can attend and provide feedback at

– arranging workshops through Kahu Pūtoi to discuss the drafts, and

– holding local workshops through the Curriculum Advisory Service.

“The final National Curriculum is expected to be released in mid-2026, and we intend the final versions of both curricula to be available together at that time.

“We believe the three-month consultation period, supported by multiple feedback opportunities, provides enough time for kura and schools to engage with the draft Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and provide feedback. The consultation closes on Friday 24 April 2026.”

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/19/impossible-deadline-union-questions-shorter-consultation-period-for-maori-curriculum/

February 19, 2026

Ironic that government has ‘run out of time’ to pursue longer Parliamentary term – law expert

Source: Radio New Zealand

University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis. Supplied

A law expert says it is ironic the coalition appears to have run out of time to put a four year Parliamentary term to a referendum.

The government has ditched a bill to put a longer electoral term to a binding referendum, citing time constraints and a desire to prioritise law and order policies.

University of Otago law professor Andrew Geddis said the proposal was basically dead now.

“Ironically, it’s dead because the government has run out of time which is the very thing that governments say they need more of and which is why they’re so keen to actually get a four year term if they can get the public to agree to it.”

The select committee that considered the bill had recommended it progress to second reading without the ACT Party’s proviso a longer term came with greater checks and balances on the government of the day.

New Zealand and Australia are outliers in having three-year parliamentary terms; four or five year terms are far more common.

The arguments for a longer term include that there three years is too short for a government to accomplish its goals, with the first year settling in and the third year all about gearing up for another campaign.

Those wary of allowing longer terms argue New Zealand lacks certain checks and balances on government power other countries have, such as a supreme court that can strike down legislation or an upper house like the Senate in Australia and the United States or Britain’s House of Lords.

Geddis said MPs clearly had concerns about the uncertainty the legislation might bring.

“The original legislative proposal, which was an ACT Party move, was that four year terms would only happen if the government agreed to give opposition parties control [of] the select committee and that would be written into the legislation.

“The worry about that was you never actually knew whether you’d have a three year or four year parliamentary term until the government made the decision as to whether to let opposition have select committee power.

“Putting that into the legislation itself could create future uncertainty down the track. So the select committee said it would be better to have a simple vote on whether to have a three year term or four year term with no extra complications put into the legislation.”

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said a four year term was something a future government might look at.

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February 19, 2026

NZ Warriors facing early halves crisis through heavy NRL pre-season injury toll

Source: Radio New Zealand

Shaun Johnson and coach Andrew Webster at Warriors training. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

NRL pre-season: Warriors v Dolphins

Kickoff: 8pm Friday, 20 February

Leichhardt Oval, Sydney

Live blog updates on RNZ

An old, familiar face made a rare appearance at NZ Warriors training this week, as coach Andrew Webster faced early test of depth among his halves to start the coming NRL season.

Club legend Shaun Johnson, who retired to a media career last year, was throwing his weight around without actually putting his TV face at risk with any contact drills.

“We sent an SOS out, but I think he brushed us,” Webster quipped. “He just wanted to come and watch – I didn’t see him tackling those boys on the pads today.

“It was good to have an old boy around – he would say not so old. He’s obviously a big part of our path and done so much for our club.

“Any time he wants to come, he’s welcome.”

Webster could use some Johnson magic right about now, with an injury crisis among his inside backs just two weeks out from round one against Sydney Roosters.

As it stands, Luke Hanson may be winning a battle of attrition for his first-grade debut, as he lines up alongside Tanah Boyd – a combination that guided the Warriors reserves to glory last year – for their second pre-season trial against the Dolphins on Friday.

Last year’s incumbents – Luke Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita – are both nursing niggles that could impact their availability during the opening weeks of the schedule.

Metcalf is still rehabbing from knee surgery that ended his 2025 campaign midway through and will likely miss a couple of months of the coming season. Harris-Tavita – along with second-rower Marata Niukore – has picked up a calf complaint that has kept him out of the pre-season.

Luke Hanson in action for the Warriors against Manly Sea Eagles. Kerry Marshall/Photosport

“They’re minor, but they haven’t progressed as quickly as we’d like,” Webster explained. “I’m assured they’ll be up for selection for round one, but that could change.

“They will have to tick every box from here, but they’re only light injuries.

“The reason we haven’t announced them as injuries is, at a push, they could have played, but there’s no point in risking it.”

Meanwhile, the Warriors have suffered a major blow, losing utility Te Maire Martin for 12-14 weeks with a broken leg suffered during his stint with the Māori All Stars on Sunday. While he was used as a Swiss Army Knife off the bench last year, Martin is primarily a half and would have been third or fourth on the pecking order.

“He’ll get operated on tomorrow,” Webster said. “Really frustrating.

“As we’ve learnt with fractures, they’re really slow early and we’re not going to know when he’s back until we start seeing big chunks of improvement.”

Up-and-comer Jett Cleary – son of former Warriors coach Ivan and brother of Penrith Panthers star Nathan – was another bolter, but has had to deal with his own health challenges during the off-season.

“Jett’s just completed his first full session with the squad,” Webster said. “He had osteitis pubis [inflammation of the pubic joint] over the break and a long recovery.

“He did warm-ups the last couple of weeks, 80 percent of the session today and he’ll start progressing over the next two weeks to get ready for round one. He’s not available for selection this week.”

The other bolter is former Newcastle Knights junior Jye Linnane, who is also returning from anterior cruciate ligament knee surgery last year.

Jett Cleary at Warriors training. Andrew Cornaga/Photosport

Boyd stepped into Metcalf’s vacant spot for the latter stages of 2025 and, with 76 first-grade games to his name, will probably start the season in the No.7 jersey.

Hanson was signed from the Penrith system two years ago and has played 35 games for the Warriors reserves, playing a key part in their NSW Cup and NRL State Championship triumphs last season.

The ‘other’ Luke seemingly has his nose ahead of the pack right now.

“He’s going to play big minutes this week,” Webster said. “We’ve got options and people will stand up.

“We’ve got faith in those guys and Luke Hanson has had a great pre-season. He just keeps doing his job each day and putting himself one step closer.”

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February 19, 2026

State Highway 35 to partially reopen after landslides led to weeks-long closure

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied / NZTA

State Highway 35 is set to reopen, once more connecting Tairāwhiti to the eastern Bay of Plenty.

It has been three weeks since heavy rainfall and flooding brought down multiple slips, closing the road between Pōtaka and Te Araroa.

Transport Minister Chris Bishop said a quarter of a million cubic metres of rocks and soil came down in the Punaruku slip, and workers had shifted 25,000 cubic metres of it to restore access.

“While there have been multiple slips along this stretch of state highway, the focus has been on two particular areas – the Waikura slip between Pōtaka and Hicks Bay, and the largest slip of all, the Punaruku slip, closer to Te Araroa.”

The Transport Agency confirmed the section of SH35 from Pōtaka through to Hicks Bay and around to Te Araroa would be open daily between 7am and 7pm, starting on Thursday.

Outside of those hours, crews would continue work on repairs.

“We know how important this is for medical appointments, to replenish supplies and reconnect with family and friends,” Bishop said.

The road remained fragile, and work would continue for some time.

“People travelling through will need to remember to take extreme care – the journey will take longer, the road will be down to single lane in multiple locations, and lower speeds and traffic management will be in place,” Bishop said.

Te Araroa Civil Defence said to expect 45-minute delays, and the road was not suitabe for truck and trailer units, or any vehicle over 18 tonnes on the Pōtaka to Hicks Bay section.

However, there were no restrictions on weight or length on the section between Hicks Bay and Te Araroa.

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February 19, 2026

Food helicoptered to more than 200 South Wairarapa residents cut off by road

Source: Radio New Zealand

Repaired Lake Ferry Road at Turanganui River bridge. Supplied

The South Wairarapa District Council is delivering supplies by helicopter to more than 200 people still cut off on the southern coastline.

The bridge to Lake Ferry was reopened Wednesday evening, freeing roughly 70 people who had been cut off by storms.

Wairarapa emergency management controller Simon Taylor estimated another 200 people were still cut off in Ngawi, and another 30 were stuck in Whāngaimoana.

“We’re actually using helicopters to get the food in, and some of it is just estimates because we’re talking to people within these areas but there are a couple of areas, like Whāngaimoana, that I believe don’t have mobile coverage at the moment,” he told RNZ shortly after helicopters had left to deliver food on Wednesday evening.

“We’re just trying to get in there and start the process of understanding their welfare needs, but we are bringing food with us.”

Once council staff got into the cut off areas, he expected the number of damaged properties to spike.

“While the number seems small at the moment, we’re talking less than a dozen [damaged homes], we still haven’t had access to a number of our communities and that’s where we believe the number is going to increase,” he said.

“We’re still concerned there’s a number of homes that are damaged but we just can’t get to them.”

Taylor said an engineer had visited the bridge to Ngawi and the council was waiting on a report.

“We had an engineer in [Wednesday morning] looking at the bridge leading in Ngawi … We are still waiting just to confirm the structural integrity of the bridge before we can make a decision on whether it reopens or not,” he said.

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February 19, 2026

Independent investigation needed into historical allegations of abuse at St Bede’s College – Chief Victims Advisor

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Phil Pennington

The Chief Victims Advisor says there needs to be an independent investigation into historical allegations of sexual abuse at St Bede’s College.

The Christchurch boys’ school is conducting its own investigation, but Ruth Money says that is like marking its own homework.

A man who was sexually abused by a priest at the school says he doesn’t see how the college can conduct its own internal investigation.

RNZ earlier revealed that former priest Rowan Donoghue had admitted sexually abusing four boys at the school between 1996 and 2000.

On Wednesday, RNZ revealed that another priest, former rector Fr Brian Cummings, was also accused of abuse by three different complainants in 1996, 2014 and 2023. Cummings, who died in 2022, “strenuously denied” the allegations.

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

The school has confirmed to RNZ it is investigating what was known historically and how the matters were addressed. That work is being led by the current board and rector Jon McDowall.

Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money told RNZ there should be an independent investigation.

“What concerns me the most is the fact that people do not take this issue seriously, and they continue to think that they can investigate themselves.

“There should be a specialist investigation with safeguarding principles applied, not me marking my own homework.”

She said the school had “lost the trust and confidence of the community and certainly the victims and survivors.”

“There should be sexual violence experts involved to help the community through it, as well as the school through it.

“For me, as the Chief Victim Advisor to the government, I see this time and time again in education, and this is what I am worried about at a system level.

“Sexual violence is an epidemic, and we need to do whatever we can to prevent it as a community, and that’s my concern… certainly best practice is that an expert is involved. It is independently investigated, but also support for the survivors, for the ex pupils and current pupils, for the school community, that needs to be done by experts, and that is not the school’s job.”

A man who was sexually abused by Donoghue told RNZ he also believed there should be an independent investigation.

“Due to the information that has come out in the media over the last few weeks, I can’t see how either St Bedes or the Society of Mary believe they have the remit to conduct their own internal investigation.

“If they had a genuine commitment to supporting the victims, as they’ve stated in every single comment they’ve released, then I would expect nothing less than an external inquiry. I personally wouldn’t believe any of the findings from an internal investigation, and doing so would no doubt discourage other potential victims who’ve not yet come forward, from doing so”.

RNZ asked McDowall for comment on the calls for an independent investigation.

He said he understood why there were “strong views about how this should be addressed”.

“Trust in this process matters.

“I was not at the College when these matters arose and had no involvement in the decisions of that period. That allows me to approach this work independently. My highest priority is ensuring we fully understand what occurred, support those impacted, and respond appropriately.”

The college has, for many years, had established processes for responding to complaints concerning clergy at the college, McDowall said.

“Some of those matters are subject to ongoing legal proceedings, and we are therefore limited in what we can say publicly.

“It is important to me that anyone who may have been impacted feels heard and supported. I have written directly to our Old Boys and publicly extended an open invitation for any person who may have been affected to contact me personally. Concerns raised will be addressed in accordance with school policy.

“Any form of abuse and any failure to address it is simply wrong. As Rector of St Bede’s, I continue to invite anyone who is impacted by this matter, or who has concerns, to contact me directly.”

A Society of Mary spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday it had records of three complaints of sexual abuse against Cummings from three complainants.

“They were received in 1996, 2014 and in 2023; the third came after he had died. All related to his time at St Bede’s College. Cummings strenuously denied the accusations in 1996 and 2014.

“The first two complaints were investigated by police and the Society of Mary. Police took no action on either complaint. The third complaint was investigated by the Church.”

McDowall earlier told RNZ the school was aware of allegations against Cummings.

“Those allegations are working through a process and we are not able to offer any further comment at this time.”

He said he found the matters “distressing”.

“Any form of abuse is unacceptable, regardless of when it occurred or whether it involved one individual or many.

“I was not in this role at the time these matters arose. My responsibility now is to ensure we respond with clarity, care and integrity.”

He said work was under way to understand what was known historically and how those matters were addressed.

“That work is being led by the current boards and myself.

“Some historical allegations were previously subject to investigation. Where new information comes to light, we encourage it to be brought forward and addressed through the appropriate channels.

“What matters most is that anyone impacted feels supported and heard. We are committed to ensuring concerns are addressed appropriately, with care, integrity and accountability.”

He said the school today operated with “clear safeguarding expectations, strong oversight, and a culture where student well-being comes first”.

“Abuse has no place at St Bede’s – past, present or future.”

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February 19, 2026

Olympics: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott wins silver at women’s Snowboard Slopestyle final

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski Synnott reacts in the snowboard women’s slopestyle final run 3 during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park, in Livigno (Valtellina), on February 18, 2026. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has won silver in the women’s Snowboard Slopestyle event, in a final run that left viewers on the edges of their seats.

The win secures New Zealand’s third medal of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy.

After topping the qualifying round, Sadowski-Synnott was up last in the line-up of 12 women. Her run one score of 73.01 immediately took her to third place, despite coming off early on one of the rails.

She dropped to fourth during round two, where she remained after her 77.61-scoring run when, despite some impressive jumps, she again came off early on the second rail.

However, the 24-year-old managed to turn the competition around in her last attempt, with a clean run bringing her up to second place with a score of 87.48 – just 0.35 points behind Japan’s Mari Fukada, who took home gold.

The win marks Sadowski-Synnott’s fifth Olympic medal.

It was a longer than expected wait for competitors, after heavy snow saw the event postponed on Tuesday (local time).

New Zealand’s Dane Menzies falls as he competes in the snowboard men’s slopestyle final run 2 during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Livigno Snow Park, in Livigno (Valtellina), on February 18, 2026. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

Earlier, Dane Menzies missed out on a medal in the men’s Snowboard Slopestyle final.

The 20-year-old from Wanaka was also 12th in the line-up after placing first in the qualifier, and got off to a strong start.

Run one earned him a solid score of 76.10, his best in the event, but run two saw him drop to fifth place with a score of 21.03.

Menzies was unable to up his score with a clean run on his last attempt, scoring 34.61, leading to a seventh place finish.

He only needed another three points to crack the top three.

China’s Su Yiming won the event with a top score of 82.41.

New Zealand has now secured three medals in this year’s games.

Luca Harrington brought home bronze at the men’s Freestyle Skiing Slopestyle event last week, while Zoi Sadowski-Synnott claimed New Zealand’s first medal of the games, taking silver in the Big Air event.

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February 19, 2026

Live: Large police presence, reports of shots fired on suburban Christchurch street

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police were at the scene on Hoani St in Christchurch’s Northcote. SAM SHERWOOD / RNZ

Police have swarmed a Christchurch street after a reported home invasion where several people were injured.

A reporter on the scene at Hoani Street in Northcote said there were multiple police cars and ambulances on the road just before 10pm on Wednesday.

The reporter was told by police at the scene there had been reports of shots being fired, however this is yet to be confirmed.

RNZ understands the incident is a reported home invasion and that several people are injured.

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February 18, 2026

A ‘huge crash’: Wellington family evacuates property after branch hits roof during storm

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Wellington family has been forced out of their home after a large branch flattened their roof in this week’s vicious storm.

William Ray, an RNZ employee and Johnsonville resident, said his family were lucky to leave when they did, with the branch now precariously leaning against his house.

Ray said his neighbours have five big macrocarpa trees standing at the property’s boundary, and about six branches snapped in fierce winds on Sunday night or Monday morning.

The winds that struck Wellington were the strongest in a decade, tearing down power lines down across paddocks, roads, and over people’s cars and houses.

Wellington resident William Ray said a massive branch flattened the roof of his house during this week’s storm, forcing his family to evacuate. SUPPLIED

Ray said throughout the night he heard the branches overhanging his roof “smacking down” against the house.

“It was like having a machine gun constantly banging against the roof, and I was just lying awake, getting more and more nervous.”

He moved his wife and newborn into the lounge, fearing damage. Thirty minutes later, one massive branch came down.

“There was just this huge crash when it hit the house, the whole house shook.”

Ray said he considered escaping the house with his family during the night, but looked outside to see branches lying either side of the car, realising it would be too dangerous to even run to the car.

The branch went through the roof of the home. SUPPLIED

Waking on the Monday morning Ray found the big branch had flattened the roof over the bedroom, smashing up eaves on one side, and ripping off all the guttering.

Branches were still coming down as Ray inspected the house – including one lying on his front doorstep.

“It very nearly squished me, it was pretty spooky to see.”

An arborist he called in the aftermath inspected the tree and informed Ray the family can’t stay there while it was unstable.

The family would be out of their house for at least a few days. SUPPLIED

Ray said the family was likely out of their house until Monday, and while the incident had been disruptive with a five-month-old, he was thankful to be able to stay with family.

Insurance would likely cover the damage to the house, though Ray was still trying to confirm what would happen with the macrocarpa trees.

“I don’t really know how things work with tree law, I’ve been doing a lot of tree law googling, recently.

“It’s a shame to see the trees go, they’re lovely, beautiful trees but I’m not prepared to get squished by them.”

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February 18, 2026

Government scraps plans for referendum on four-year term

Source: Radio New Zealand

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith. RNZ / Mark Papalii

The government has scrapped plans for a referendum on a four-year Parliamentary term.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says the coalition agreements secured getting legislation to select committee and no further.

“We won’t be progressing with a referendum on a four-year term at this election,” he said.

“To have a referendum would require passing the Bill through the rest of its stages, with enough time to prepare.

“It’s something that a future government might do, but our priority is progressing legislation that will help fix the basics in law and order.”

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February 18, 2026

Spark sees 83% increase in net profit to $64 million in six months to December

Source: Radio New Zealand

Spark saw a net after tax profit of $64 million for the six months ended December. RNZ / Kim Baker Wilson

Telecommunications company Spark’s mobile and broadband businesses delivered slight revenue growth over the first half, contributing to an 83 percent increase in net profit.

“The first half of FY26 has delivered a clear step up in Spark’s performance, as we build momentum towards our SPK-30 strategy ambitions,” chair Justine Smyth said.

Key numbers for the six months ended December compared with a year ago:

Smyth said [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/569697/spark-to-sell-75-percent-stake-in-data-centre-to-pacific-equity-partners

proceeds from the sale] of 75 percent of its data centre business, completed 30 January 2026, will be used to reduce debt in the second half of the year ending in June.

The board also reaffirmed Spark’s underlying full year profit guidance in a range of $1.01 billion and and $1.07b.

Spark chief executive Jolie Hodson said growth of its mobile network was the core of its growth strategy, along with remaining competitive, while working to simplify its portfolio of products.

“What I’ve been really pleased about in this first half is the growth we’ve seen in mobile, and that’s core and central to our strategy ahead.

“And that includes both from an investment that we’re making the network, but also the work we’re doing around our customer experience. We’ve reset the business, and it was pleasing to be able to deliver the step-up of performance in first half.”

Amova portfolio manager Michael De Cesare said the result was largely in line with expectations, with the company’s cost cutting programme delivering substantial savings.

“Becoming a leaner operation with improved productivity effectively takes some pressure off the top line performance,” he said.

While Spark delivered slight revenue growth in mobile and broadband, De Cesare said the company had challenges ahead, including the decline of its traditional phone lines and older network services.

Forsyth Barr analyst Ben Crozier said the result was softer than expected though growth in mobile and broadband segments were broadly in line with expectations.

Crozier said the net profit growth was a “meaningful” step-up, but missed its $93m estimate.

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February 18, 2026

Nepal’s government looks to tighten the rules around who can climb Mt Everest

Source: Radio New Zealand

Nepal’s government is looking at rules to ensure that only experienced climbers can climb Mount Everest. credit: Nirmal Purja

A Wanaka-based adventure consultant says she agrees that anyone wanting to climb Mount Everest should have previously summited a 7000 metre high mountain at least once.

Nepal’s government is considering the new rule that would require climbers to have previously summited a 7000m high mountain in Nepal before attempting Everest which is 8848m high.

New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first people known to reach Everest’s summit in 1953.

But recently the mountain has been been in the spotlight over increasing pollution with discarded climbing gear, tents, oxygen canisters and human waste.

And the traffic jams with climbers literally nose to tail at dangerous pinch points as more people attempt Everest.

Wanaka-based Adventure Consultants takes climbers up Everest and its general manager Caroline Ogle said they had strict rules around who they took to Everest but there was a real mix of people on the mountain.

She said there were some operators, such as hers, which had been on the mountain for many years and ran well-resourced expeditions ensuring that only experienced climbers came onto Everest.

“Unfortunately there are a lot of teams that are a) quite large in size and b) their climbers don’t have necessary experience before heading onto the mountain and those factors combined can mean that people do get into trouble and that’s what you end up seeing in the headlines.”

Adventure Consultants advised anyone who wanted to climb Everest to follow a programme which started with a mountaineering course and to ensure they had a lot of climbing experience either in New Zealand, the European mountains or in the United States, she said.

“So building up experience on multiple 6000 to 7000m peaks and ideally another 8000m peak before going on to Everest.”

But often the climbers do not want to put in the preparation, she said.

“And we often see them turning up on other climbing teams who are just happy to accept their money for a place on their expeditions.”

A lot of people including influencers have been documenting their Everest trips on social media in the last few years with some willing to put in the work and some less so, she said.

Ogle said she agreed that climbers wanting to take on Everest should have climbed a 7000 metre peak at least once.

“But the key caveat here is the proposed regulations require climbers to have climbed that 7000m peak in Nepal, where as lots of climbers who are already on their Everest pathways, they may have climbed a 7000m peak in South America or Kyrgyzstan or even 7000m peaks in Tibet or Pakistan – but under these proposed regulations those would not be applicable.”

That requirement could set back climbers who were wanting to take on Everest and had already climbed a 7000m peak, but just not in Nepal, she said.

“Summiting Everest (is) definitely not a walk in the park, it’s an extremely serious and dangerous mountain and you need to have experience before doing that.”

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February 18, 2026

A ‘huge crash’: Wellington family evacuates property after huge branch hits roof during storm