Radio New Zealand – Page 21

About 25,000 dance music fans flocked to Mount Maunganui to see Australian DJ Fisher.

A minute silence was held to acknowledge the six lives lost in a landslide tragedy nine days ago at the nearby Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.

All of the six victims have now been formally identified after the landslide on 22 January.

A rāhui is in place at the site where the six people – including two teenagers – were caught in the slip.

The Fisher event was on the calendar for the last weekend of January, and plans to go ahead were made thoughtfully, Trademark Live co-director Toby Burrows told RNZ.

“Everything was sort of on pause for a bit there,” he said, in the week that followed the tragedy.

“We’ve just been working with council and local kaumātua to get their blessing, which we got. It’s been pretty tender times down here, for everyone.”

Tauranga-based Burrows had heard from DJ Fisher, and other acts daily, who wanted to make sure everyone involved was fit to go ahead.

“They’ve been in close touch with us about it … They’re all deeply moved by it all, obviously and concerned.

“….It’s very close to home for us, and we’re down at the mountain like every day, you know, and a lot of our staff are as well, so it’s rocked us real hard.”

Burrows said the festival had used their platform to help raise funds for the families and community affected.

“Objectively I think it’s like people need to actually come together and talk about this as well. It’s not necessarily like celebrating, but just being with your friends. And it’s not a necessarily a time to just, you know, be at home by yourself … but I understand if people don’t feel it’s appropriate.”

Burrows, along with Mitch Lowe, were behind one of the country’s biggest music festivals, Bay Dreams.

UB40, featuring Ali Campbell, will perform at Bay Oval at Waitangi Weekend, as part of the Kingston Calling 2026 tour.

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January 31, 2026

Cricket: Northern Districts cruise to Super Smash men’s title

Source: Radio New Zealand

Brett Hampton hits out in his Super Smash man-of-the-match performance. Photosport

Northern Districts have lived up to their top seeding with a five-wicket win over the Canterbury Magicians to claim the Super Smash men’s domestic T20 crown at Hagley Oval.

Chasing 172 runs for victory, the regular-season leaders showed their class, reaching their target with more than two overs to spare – their third title in the past five years.

Canterbury were in early trouble, losing the toss and put into bat. Opener Chad Bowes fell to the third ball of the innings from Zak Gibson and the Magicians were staggering at 57/5 in the ninth over.

Black Caps test captain Tom Latham was the only member of the top order to gather any momentum, accumulating 34 off 23 balls, but when he and captain Cole McConchie fell within six balls, Northern seemed well in control.

Wicketkeeper Mitch Hay and Leo Carter both scored half-centuries to rescue their team somewhat, putting on a century stand that dragged them to 171/5 after their allotted overs.

Hay was unbeaten on 56 off 34 balls, including three sixes, while Carter had 54 off 36, with seven fours, but the total seemed a few runs short of par.

Brett Hampton was the best of the bowlers with 3/37 off his four overs, while spinner Tim Pringle was the most economic with 1/20 off his four.

Northern began the chase strongly, with openers Katene Clarke and Hampton compiling 89 off 49 balls for the first wicket.

Both were dismissed by Michael Rae in the ninth over and the Magicians took 4/23 to halt the charge. Hampton hammered 55 off 23 balls, including five sixes, and was ultimately named Player of the Match.

They were still well ahead of the required run rate, which became less than a run a ball, when Joe Carter sent Rae towards the perimeter fence in the 17th over.

Rae had the last laugh though, as Carter (47 off 28) ballooned the next ball to Bowes, leaving his lower order to find 15 runs for victory.

He need not have worried, as Scott Kuggeleijn audaciously lapped Fraser Sheat over the keeper for four in the next over to complete the win with 13 balls to spare.

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January 31, 2026

Serious motorcycle crash causes delays on State Highway 3

Source: Radio New Zealand

Motorists have been advised to expect delays after a serious crash involving a motorcycle on State Highway 3 at Ratana on Saturday afternoon. Screenshot

Motorists have been advised to expect delays, after a serious crash involving a motorcycle on State Highway 3 at Ratana on Saturday afternoon.

The crash happened about 4.20pm, between Whanganui and Bulls.

The rider of the motorbike was being treated for critical injuries.

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January 31, 2026

Wellington Blaze surge late to claim Super Smash crown again

Source: Radio New Zealand

Georgie Plimmer and Jess Kerr celebrate Wellington’s Super Smash women’s title. © Photosport Ltd 2026 www.photosport.nz

Wellington Blaze have beaten Auckland Hearts to claim the Super Smash women’s crown in a nailbiting final in Christchurch.

The Blaze won their seventh title in the past nine years and closed off their second threepeat in that time.

Chasing 147 to win, they reached their target with a ball to spare, thanks to captain Jess Kerr, who hit 17 runs, including two sixes and a boundary, in the final over at Hagley Oval.

Kerr was unbeaten on 46, the hero of the five-wicket victory, as she orchestrated the late surge, after the innings faltered in the middle stages.

Opener Rebecca Burns hit an imperious 55 from 41 balls and put on 66 for the first wicket with Georgia Plimmer (28 from 27), before things went awry for a while.

The Hearts batted first and scored 146/5, with their top order all getting starts. Izzy Gaze and Brook Halliday both scored 31, and captain Maddy Green 29, while Xara Jetly took 2/27 for the Blaze.

Rebecca Burns bats for Wellington against Auckland Hearts. © Photosport Ltd 2026 www.photosport.nz

Burns and Plimmer got the Blaze off to a great start in their chase, but things slowed after their departures, with Jetly and Hannah Francis dismissed cheaply, and Kerr, batting at No 3, having trouble finding strike.

She and Jess McFadyen (11) combined to give them a chance in the latter stages, and were still together when they needed 16 off the final over from Halliday.

On their scoring rate up, it looked a few runs too many, but Kerr hit a six off the second ball, before McFadyen was run out trying for a second run off the third ball.

Kerr smacked another six and then hit a cover drive to the boundary to give the Blaze the win, as her teammates stormed the field.

Molly Penfold was the best of the Heart bowlers, with 2/14 off her four overs.

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January 31, 2026

Sixth, final victim of Mount Maunganui landslide confirmed as Jacqualine Wheeler

Source: Radio New Zealand

Jacqualine Wheeler was a respected member of the equestrian community. Supplied

Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71, from Rotorua has been formally identified as a victim of the Mount Maunganui landslide.

She’s the last of six people marked as missing in the days following the slip.

The others were, in the order of their formal identification, Max Furse-Kee, 15, Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20, Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50, Sharon Maccanico, 15, and Susan Doreen Knowles, 71.

The slip tore down tents, caravans and structures, when it swept through the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park and the Mount Hot Pools on 22 January at 9.29am.

Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell had earlier confirmed on social media that Wheeler, known as Jackie, was from the area and was the founder of Colour Concepts, an interior design store in Rotorua.

Wheeler had been on her annual summer camping trip with long-time camping buddy Susan Knowles, who was formally identified earlier today.

The pair went camping there together every summer, Holtom said.

Equestrian magazine Show Circuit posted a tribute to the pair on social media.

“Sue and Jackie were well known, and deeply respected within the local equestrian community and this news has come as a profound shock to all who knew them,” it said.

Chief coroner Anna Tutton told the court, despite the procedural nature of the hearing, Jackie as a person had been at the centre of the investigation. While her family were not in attendance at the court, Tutton extended her condolences to them.

She said Wheeler was described as the “backbone and matriarch” of her family.

Evidence was presented by Detective Senior Sergeant Brent Griffiths, who told the court Wheeler had been identified by her fingerprints and by comparing her DNA with that of her daughter.

The remains would now be released from custody of the coroner to the family.

As this was the final identification hearing, Tutton thanked everyone who had been involved in the recovery and identification of the victims, including emergency services, those standing on a cordon, driving diggers and trucks, caterers and cleaners.

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January 31, 2026

English cricketer Harry Brooks admits lying about Wellington nightclub incident

Source: Radio New Zealand

Harry Brook speaks after England’s loss to the Black Caps in Wellington, the day after he was hit by a nightclub bouncer. Photosport

England whiteball captain Harry Brook has admitted he lied about being on his own, when he was hit by a nightclub bouncer in Wellington on their New Zealand tour in November.

Brook, 26, told media last week he was alone, when he went to a nightclub on the night of 1 November, the eve of their one-day match against New Zealand in the capital.

He has now acknowledged other team-mates were present at the nightclub.

The Daily Telegraph had reported Brook, Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue were at the nightclub.

“I accept responsibility for my actions in Wellington and acknowledge others were present that evening,” Brook said.

“I regret my previous comments and my intention was to protect my teammates from being drawn into a situation that arose as a result of my own decisions.

“I have apologised and will continue to reflect on the matter. This has been a challenging period in my career, but one from which I am learning.

“I recognise I have more to learn regarding the off-field responsibilities that come with leadership and captaincy. I remain committed to developing in this area, and to improving both personally and professionally.”

The New Zealand tour was Brook’s first as captain of England’s whiteball side. They lost the match in Wellington.

Brook was fined £30,000 (NZ$70,000) and given a final warning, after he reported the incident to team management, but that only came to light publicly about two months later, after the Ashes series, which Australia won 4-1.

In an interview with BBC Sport last week, Brook said some players had gone with him to get some food in Wellington.

Harry Brook in action for England against the Black Caps. PHOTOSPORT

“I took it upon myself to go out for a few more and I was on my own there. I shouldn’t have been there.

“I was trying to get into a club and the bouncer just clocked me, unfortunately. I wouldn’t say I was absolutely leathered – I’d had one too many drinks.”

The Daily Telegraph reported the cricket regulator was preparing a report, after receiving paperwork on Brook, Bethell and Tongue from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last week. It said Bethell and Tongue had also already been fined by the ECB.

The regulator was able to fine or suspend players for disciplinary offences.

When he apologised to the England team and fans last week, Brook rejected suggestions the side had a drinking culture.

There had been criticism on the Ashes tour, when a video surfaced of opener Ben Duckett apparently drunk during the team’s mid-tour break in Noosa.

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January 31, 2026

Surfers pay tribute to those killed in Mount Maunganui landslide

Source: Radio New Zealand

Surfers participated in a paddleout during the 2026 Grom Series. Supplied

Surfers participated in a paddleout on Saturday during the first event of the 2026 Billabong Grom Series to pay their respects to the victims of the Mount Maunganui landslide.

The paddleout was organised by Surfing New Zealand and Bay Boardriders, who are hosting the event at Tay Street Beach, Mount Maunganui.

Surfing New Zealand chief executive Ben Kennings said it was organised as a way to “go out and pay our respects”.

Kennings said people were coming to the event from all around the country to have fun and it was a good opportunity to acknowledge the lives lost in the landslip.

“Whenever we lose someone, the surf community does it,” Kennings said, referring to a paddleout, and he said it was a good way to acknowledge that things were “not normal” in Mount Maunganui.

Surfers included those participating in the event, as well as local surfers.

The second day of competition takes place on Sunday, one of three stops in the series, with the next event at Whangamatā, before finishing at Piha in late February.

State of Emergency extended

The State of Emergency declared for Tauranga following recent severe weather has been extended until Wednesday.

The Tauranga City Council said the focus remains firmly on supporting the recovery operation and the whanau of the six people who died in the landslide.

The memorial along the fenced-off area will remain, but all messages and momentos will be relocated to the He Maimai Aroha Community Care Centre, when the cordon is moved.

Business owners or residents inside the cordoned-off area will need a permit to get through the road closures with a vehicle, the Tauranga City Council said.

Earlier on Saturday, Fire and Emergency stood down its specialist Urban Search and Rescue team at Mount Maunganui.

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January 31, 2026

More than 40 rescued before tourist boat capsized at Akaroa

Source: Radio New Zealand

Akaroa (file photo) supplied

A boat full of tourists have been rescued, after their vessel started taking on water at Akaroa, near Christchurch.

More than 40 passengers and crew were safely evacuated, when a tourist boat grounded in Akaroa Harbour on Banks Peninsula.

Thirty-eight passengers and three crew were aboard the vessel, run by Black Cat Cruises, when struck trouble just outside the Akaroa Heads.

They’ve been taken back to the main wharf and the company said, while some were shaken, no-one was injured.

Efforts were underway to recover the vessel and a spokesperson said there was no environmental damage at this stage.

Black Cat Cruises said it’s grateful to local boaties who helped with the evacuation.

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January 31, 2026

More than 40 rescued before tourist boat capsized in Akaroa

Source: Radio New Zealand

Akaroa (file photo) supplied

A boat full of tourists have been rescued, after their vessel started taking on water at Akaroa, near Christchurch.

More than 40 passengers and crew were safely evacuated, when a tourist boat grounded in Akaroa Harbour on Banks Peninsula.

Thirty-eight passengers and three crew were aboard the vessel, run by Black Cat Cruises, when struck trouble just outside the Akaroa Heads.

They’ve been taken back to the main wharf and the company said, while some were shaken, no-one was injured.

Efforts were underway to recover the vessel and a spokesperson said there was no environmental damage at this stage.

Black Cat Cruises said it’s grateful to local boaties who helped with the evacuation.

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January 31, 2026

Two protests in Auckland’s CBD monitored by police with cordons, road closures

Source: Radio New Zealand

Hundreds of people gathered at two separate protests on Saturday afternoon, prompting police cordons and some road closures.

Destiny Church-affiliated Freedom and Rights Coalition protesters gathered at Victoria Park in the late morning, and marched towards Fanshawe Street, where a police cordon had been set up.

A second protest took place in early afternoon, led by Toitū te Aroha, who calling for solidarity among diverse communities.

The first was led by Destiny Church’s Brian Tamaki, who delivered a speech and then asked the large crowd to follow him in a march.

Hundreds gathered at Victoria Park for the Destiny Church-affiliated rally. RNZ

In anticipation of the march, police had set up a cordon at the Fanshawe Street motorway on-ramp and off-ramp.

Superintendent Naila Hassan said more than a thousand marched towards the cordon.

“In Victoria Park, at its peak, police estimate 1200 people gathered and marched to our Fanshawe Street cordon, before dispersing.”

Police cordon during Destiny Church-affiliated protest. Blessen Tom/RNZ

Hassan said the police cordons were a “precautionary measure” for the safety of pedestrians and motorists.

“I’m immensely proud of all the police staff deployed on today’s operation for their professionalism in response to this event. Pleasingly, Aucklanders have been able to largely go about their weekend without incident.”

Protestors approach the police cordon at the Fanshawe Street motorway ramps.

The protesters marched to the entrance of the motorway, but retreated, after being met with dozens of police officers.

Tamaki addressed supporters of the Freedom and Rights Coalition at the cordon, and not long after, the group dispersed with many returning to Victoria Park.

The group was denied a permit to walk across the harbour bridge last month and police said no protest group from here on would be allowed to cross the harbour bridge for safety reasons and the pressure placed on the bridge’s infrastructure.

Protesters soon dispersed, after being met with dozens of police officers.

Superintendent Naila Hassan said a temporary stoppage of all southbound traffic on State Highway 1 was put in place from the Onewa Road off-ramp, but was lifted after a short period of time.

“We thank the public for their understanding, particularly those motorists who were briefly stopped on the northern motorway earlier today.”

About midday, a protest led by Toitū te Aroha saw hundreds of attendees march along Queen Street, escorted by police and temporarily blocking the road.

Hundreds marched along Queen Street as part of a protest led by Toitū te Aroha. Gaurav Sharma/RNZ

Police escorted the march, which temporarily closed Queen Street. Gaurav Sharma/RNZ

Spokesperson Bianca Ranson had said the aim was to stand in solidarity with diverse communities across Aotearoa.

The march continued through to Te Komititanga Square and the group then gathered in Myers Park.

The group called for unity among what they said was rising harassment of some minority groups. Gaurav Sharma/RNZ

Community group members addressed the gathering, including New Zealand Central Sikh Association representative Marshal Walia.

Marshal Walia, representative of New Zealand Central Sikh Association. Blessen Tom/RNZ

The rally ended with a haka led by Eru Kapa-Kingi.

Eru Kapa-Kingi. Blessen Tom/RNZ

After both rallies had ended, Hassan said police operations would continue to monitor any protest activity happening across Auckland CBD.

The police cordon around the Fanshawe Street motorway ramps was stood down about 2pm and Hassan said the protest group at Victoria park had largely dispersed.

“Our operation remains , and a police presence will remain across parts of the motorway network and CBD to monitor the situation.

“There are no further issues to report at this stage.”

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January 31, 2026

Mt Maunganui landslide: FENZ Search and Rescue team return home

Source: Radio New Zealand

Teams working at the Mauao search site on 25 January. RNZ / Nick Monro

One of the teams who have worked at the tragic Mt Maunganui campground landslide are returning home.

The Fire and Emergency specialist Urban Search and Rescue team are “in the process of demobilisation” and have left the cordoned-off site, FENZ said on Saturday.

However, Bay of Plenty police district commander Tim Anderson confirmed recovery efforts were continuing at the site.

“While some teams have started to depart, all the required safety measures and equipment remain in place to ensure the safety of all the teams who continue to work at the scene,” Anderson said.

The departing FENZ team have “worked meticulously and tirelessly throughout the operation”, FENZ assistant national commander David Guard said.

“Our thoughts remain with the families who lost loved ones in this devastating event. I would also like to thank the community for their outpouring of support.”

Guard also acknowledged the FENZ partnership with Police: “It was instrumental in our ability to achieve outcomes through our rescue phase and as we supported them in the DVI recovery phase.”

Six people were believed missing at the site, after the massive landslide struck on 22 January. On Saturday, a coroner confirmed the body of Rotorua woman Susan Doreen Knowles had been identified – she is the sixth victim formally identified.

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January 31, 2026

Mt Maunganui landslide: FENZ Search and Rescue team returns home