Category: Radio New Zealand

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Christchurch community leaders uneasy about plan to pump partially-treated sewage into sea

Source: Radio New Zealand

Diggers at the burnt-out Bromley wastewater plant. Supplied Image – Christchurch City Council

A controversial plan to pump millions of litres of partially-treated sewage into the Christchurch coastline is leaving community leaders feeling uneasy and sceptical.

Earlier this month, Mayor Phil Mauger floated the idea of pumping around a third of the city’s sewage into the ocean in an effort to lessen the stench from the fire-damaged wastewater plant at Bromley.

The sewage would be partially treated and have chlorine added before being pumped out via the existing outfall pipe into Pegasus Bay.

The announcement came days after the Canterbury Regional Council issued an abatement notice to the city council over the plant’s “objectionable and offensive odour”, which had worsened over recent months resulting in almost 6000 complaints since late January.

The proposal had been met with fierce criticism in some quarters, with Fisheries Minister Shane Jones labelling the idea “ridiculous”.

Fisheries Minister Shane Jones. RNZ / Mark Papalii

The city council had until this week to comply with the abatement notice, including providing details on how it would mitigate the stench.

The Waitai Coastal-Burwood-Linwood community board was briefed on the plan on Monday.

Wastewater treatment plant operations manager Adam Twose told members the “multi-million dollar” plan was under consideration because recently-introduced wastewater regulations were more relaxed.

“Under the new wastewater standards, there’s the option to go a lot looser. So you’re allowed to discharge more contaminants to the environment,” he said.

The proposed sewage bypass would not meet the plant’s existing resource consent conditions, Twose said.

There also remained several unresolved matters, including total cost, timeframes and environmental impacts.

At the meeting, board chair Paul McMahon admitted he felt uneasy about the proposal.

“Given the potential environmental impact and lots of other unknowns. But I do think that it needs to be investigated fully,” he said.

The briefing also raised further questions over the plant’s overall resilience which had been operating at maximum capacity, meaning essential site maintenance had been put off.

Twose said if pressure on the plant was not eased, odours could become more frequent and more severe.

“[Our plan] was to see how long we could keep everything going until the new activator sludge was going in. But it’s become obvious that we need to act,” he said.

Councillor Yani Johanson also questioned whether the plan was viable.

“Is there a risk that we spend all this time and effort looking at this option and we don’t get progress on it to fix the problem ahead of when the new solution’s in place.

“If we spend a whole bunch of money doing something that’s not going to be ready in time, what have we achieved.”

Councillor Yani Johanson. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

The city council was planning to replace the plant’s fire-damaged trickling filters with an activated sludge reactor.

The project was due to completed in late 2028.

The regional council’s director of operations Brett Aldridge said it had received the city council’s plan.

“Our wastewater specialist will work alongside [Canterbury Regional Council] staff to assess the information provided with urgency to ensure it meets the expectations set out in the abatement notice. Depending on the complexity of the material submitted, this may take some time to complete.

“If the plan submitted today is not satisfactory, Christchurch City Council may face additional enforcement action from the regional council.”

Greens’ local government spokesperson Mike Davidson said the city council could be locked into a long-term committment for what was essentially a short-term fix.

“I think the council are genuine in trying to make it temporary, but it will give them a 35-year consent.

“We’ve seen things that were supposed to be temporary last very long, you just have to look at how long this debacle has taken to get to this point.”

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/17/christchurch-community-leaders-uneasy-about-plan-to-pump-partially-treated-sewage-into-sea/

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How to remove mould from clothing and stop it growing in wardrobes and drawers

Source: Radio New Zealand

Ever plan to wear your favourite jacket, only to pull it out of the wardrobe to discover it’s got a weird smell and is covered in mould?

“People living in warm, humid climates or coastal regions are often impacted heavily [by mouldy clothing] because their indoor humidity remains elevated for long periods,” explains Nisa Salim, associate professor and director of Swinburne-CSIRO National Testlab for Composite Additive Manufacturing.

“Often wardrobes positioned against cold external walls can also accumulate condensation.”

Seasonal clothing often cops it the most.

ABC

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LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/17/how-to-remove-mould-from-clothing-and-stop-it-growing-in-wardrobes-and-drawers/

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Southland – New Zealand’s power centre

Source: Radio New Zealand

Artist’s impression of how the data centre is to look. Datagrid

It’s being billed as the data centre that changes everything – but hopefully that doesn’t include the price of your power.

It will be the country’s second biggest user of electricity after the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.

A $3 billion data centre in Southland that, as the marketing says, “changes everything”….

“…delivering the most significant upgrade to New Zealand’s digital infrastructure in a generation. We’re doubling national data capacity and opening up a high-growth gateway to Asia-Pacific’s booming cloud and AI economy.”

Multiple resource consents have been granted by three local authorities to get Datagrid’s huge AI data storage project in Makarewa off the ground, and to land a high-speed internet cable from Australia coming up at Oreti Beach near Invercargill.

But where will all the power come from? The likely answer is the Manapōuri hydro-electric power plant, which also powers Tiwai.

But if there’s a shortage, say in a drought, what will the data centre’s requirement for constant electricity do to the market – and our power bills?

That’s what niggles Newsroom’s South Island editor, David Williams, who speaks to The Detail today after six years of keeping tabs on the project.

Datagrid has told him it won’t be answering his questions until it issues a news release later on – possibly this week.

For its international clients, the fact that the centre will be using clean energy is a big selling point, but is there enough of that energy to go around?

“It’s not like a data centre can just power down,” says Williams.

“The advantage of Tiwai is that they can say, ‘ok, well, we’re not going to put on this particular potline. We will close down for a while, and that’s part of our contract, and we’ll get paid by the country if you like, to shut down because that’s good for New Zealand Inc.’

“Data centres need continuous power. If they power down… that’s why they have these backup generators… if they power down, it’s actually damaging to their units or their processing centre. It needs to be a constant supply.”

Fast Track approval has just been given for a large Contact Energy wind farm just 50 kilometres away from the centre’s site, so that could be a piece of the puzzle.

Williams says this is “not your usual Southland development, I would have thought”.

“The scale of this is quite something.”

Not only does it involve building six data halls, but it is also flanked by 12-metre-high noise control barriers over 9.5 hectares on a 48-ha property. There will be 84 emergency generators, each with a 10,000 litre diesel tank and a 15m high exhaust stack.

The construction phase will offer the most lucrative economic return to the region, with up to 550 workers expected to be on site, but once it’s finished, it will only require about 50 staff to keep it going.

The main transmission line practically runs over the top of the site, and Datagrid will build its own substation and upgrade the grid exit point.

Williams says the company has done well to consult with neighbours, iwi, and anyone else affected, all of whom seem to be on board with the mitigations it’s planning.

Southland mayor Rob Scott has told him, “these people have done it right”.

“They’ve talked to people, they’ve consulted the community, but more importantly, they’ve listened,” he says.

“They’ve taken account of the things that they’ve said, and they’ve tried to change things.”

Measures included noise mitigation from the 24-hour hum of servers and concerns answered over water, required in great quantities for cooling.

“Most of the people who live around them have given their written approval for what’s going on,” he says.

Williams says given the Amazon data centre debacle in Auckland, where billions of dollar’s worth of building and employment were promised but never eventuated, people are right to be sceptical. But he says this project has emerged differently, starting small and getting bigger.

“But I do note,” he says, “with this particular project, the consent approval announcement was not made by the Prime Minister. So maybe that’s a good sign.”

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

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‘Emergency package’ could help low income families amid financial crisis, economist says

Source: Radio New Zealand

Unsplash / Emil Kalibradov

The war in the Middle East could see inflation in New Zealand hit 3.7 percent in a worst case scenario, Finance Minister Nicola Willis revealed on Tuesday.

Willis said the government was focused on mitigating the impact of the war on critical supply chains and the New Zealand economy.

The cost of filling the petrol tank of an average car had gone up about $23 and about $36 for diesel, she said.

Willis said that the government was aware of the pressure that could put on some households, but warned if there was to be any assistance, it would be very specific.

University of Auckland associate professor of economics Susan St John told Checkpoint New Zealand was already in a “crisis” and low income families were likely most affected.

She said it was about time that “something significant” was done.

“An emergency package could be developed, much like John Key did in 2008 in the global financial crisis,” she said.

“But a package that gets that money directly into the lowest of income families.”

Susan St John. RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

One way to do that is to pay them the full amount of working for families that they currently do not get, St John said.

St John said they missed out on about $100 a week.

“It could be temporary, as was John Key’s policy in 2008 for 16 weeks and be extended if more time was needed,” she said.

“But that would be very focused and go to the very lowest families, the ones that miss out on the full package, the ones who are on benefits, all part benefits, including about 250,000 of the poorest children.”

If you gave the full working for families package, it would mean nearly $100 extra a week, she said.

She said there was a lot of flexibility.

“The beauty of it is that it’s so highly targeted, which is what the minister wants and it’s not the only thing that should be done.

“Because those families who are getting the full package, the working low income families also need help.”

St John said the government would have provide payments without expecting to make cuts elsewhere.

“They’ve already cut far too much out of people on low incomes and so it can’t be found by making their lives any more miserable in other ways,” she said.

“There are different ways if you do want to do something really significant for families and make it stick and that might involve creaming a little bit off the top end of New Zealand Super and redistributing that back through the programs that need it in the social security budget.”

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Leaked papers show ‘extreme risk’ around Health NZ decentralisation

Source: Radio New Zealand

Health NZ faces the “extreme risk” of not having enough of the workers it needs to push through the government’s order to decentralise rapidly. Unsplash / RNZ

Papers show that Health New Zealand faces the “extreme risk” of not having enough of the workers it needs to push through the government’s order to decentralise rapidly.

Health Minister Simeon Brown last November ordered the agency to “rapidly devolve decision-making to its four regions and 20 districts” to improve healthcare.

A new devolution committee has been set up and last month was presented a report assessing the “current state” across the board.

RNZ has seen papers from the report.

“People capability is an extreme risk,” it said.

“Workforce has the lowest capability rating identified across regions and their districts with critical resourcing gaps.”

The “most common” gaps were around staff to handle infrastructure, procurement, health and safety, planning, finance and analysis.

Brown had pushed for speed, but the assessment said there was “a feeling that basics need to be in place first”.

“The transition back to a devolved model too quickly may remove the current controls and undermine the effective oversights that have been put in place.”

That included around finances, it said.

Health NZ told RNZ on Monday it was working to address the workforce gaps and capability issues identified.

The papers showed gaps in devolution resources in areas where the centralised agency in the last two years cut jobs and accepted hundreds of voluntary redundancies.

“The highly centralised organisation structure has led to a loss of experience” in making organisational, operational and strategic decisions in districts, the assessment said.

Even at national senior leadership level there were big gaps – “all interim apart from one role”.

Health Minister Simeon Brown. RNZ / Mark Papalii

‘As quickly as possible’

The government two years ago castigated Health NZ for loose financial controls, sacked its board and under a reset the new commissioner Lester Levy embarked on a $2 billion savings plan.

The goverment then embarked on rolling back large parts of the centralisation reforms of 2022.

“We want a nationally and regionally planned system, but one that has strong clinical input and buy-in at the hospital level,” said Brown last November.

He gave HNZ a New Year’s Eve deadline to come up with a devolution policy in his letter of expectations.

“This reinforces my expectation that regional accountability, production planning, and local decision-making is embedded as quickly as possible,” his letter said.

“Local districts and regions should be empowered to manage within their allocated budgets, including hiring decisions.”

On Monday a spokesperson for Brown said the government had had to stabilise and turn around a system Labour had restructured during a pandemic “without a plan”.

It “cannot simply be switched off” and must still deliver more care to more patients, faster, and a key to that was moving health decisions closer to communities, they said in a statement.

The report – the second one done on devolution by consultants Deloitte – offered a glimpse of how devolution had been going.

The senior doctors’ union, the ASMS, in principle supported devolution but warned against districts having to take on more responsibility without the resources.

“The chatter that we’re picking up from around our regular set of meetings with the districts is a massive concern that this is just pushing responsibility onto districts without any realistic means of achieving what needs to be done in terms of providing health care,” said executive director Sarah Dalton.

ASMS executive director Sarah Dalton. LANCE LAWSON PHOTOGRAPHY / Supplied

‘Carefully managing the transition’

The assessment said some areas like in strategy and finance showed progress.

But it varied alot. What it called ‘People and Culture’ would be hugely impacted by devolution and was rated the worst, with ‘low’ assessments across all six measures; it was especially weak in the South Island and central North Island from Taranaki to Bay of Plenty.

“Regional and district finance and operational capacity remain concentrated at national level and many local teams are under-resourced in financial management,” it said.

The solution? “Build capability across the organisation.” The districts had lost key roles, now they needed them back.

A chart showed 12 categories – such as budgeting, analysis and auditing – and rated nine of them as less than fully effective. Three were only partially effective – the second-to-lowest rating – including HNZ’s savings programme and its internal audit programme.

Among the other gaps was technology. Key devolution changes were predicated on AI that was not yet in place, and so manual “workarounds” persisted.

Health NZ executive national director of strategy performance improvement Jess Smaling said the current state assessment report was to support “carefully managing the transition back to frontline decision making”.

It came only after HNZ had addressed the first priority of fixing the financial crisis and improved performance, she said in a statement.

“We are committed to ensuring our districts are ready, able and most of all supported, to have more autonomy over their clinical decisions and operational budgets.”

‘Not driven by … cost savings’

Health system commentator Ian Powell had long called for devolution but said that required the right capabilities.

“And we’ve lost that through short-sighted restructuring.”

He did not see signs in the assessment that the topdown command culture was being overhauled. “That’s the missing bit.

“Overwhelmingly on the management side of Te Whatau Ora, both regionally and nationally, there’s a high level of job insecurity, and that is a terrible environment to actually to have to work in, and it guarantees a destabilised organisation.”

Health system commentator Ian Powell had long called for devolution but said that required the right capabilities. Supplied

Health NZ Te Whatu Ora subsumed all 20 of the old district health boards – DHBs – almost four years ago. Its establishment cost tens of millions of dollars including large sums in consultant fees.

Brown in his letter of expectations to the board chair late last year said it was “clear to me that Health NZ is too centralised”.

“Too many decisions are made by people who are removed from the problems that frontline clinicians are trying to solve.

“While the final devolved structure may result in a smaller national office than in recent years,

this change is not driven by restructuring or cost savings.”

The driver instead was to embed local clinicians in budgeting and planning services, and set up straight lines of accountability everywhere, Brown said.

But the papers the committee looked at last month indicated that districts might struggle with budgeting.

“Staff churn and the absence of robust costing systems and processes has created knowledge gaps, making it difficult to form an accurate bottom-up budget based on cost of services delivered, paticulary in H&SS [Hospital and Specialist Services].”

It talked about reducing some of the risks by adopting a devolution “timeframe” that allowed regions and districts to get critical activities in place to take on more autonomy.

‘Trade-offs and risks’

It sounded other notes of caution, too.

“While there is a desire to accelerate the devolution process, HNZ recognises that there are trade-offs and risks involved,” said Deloitte’s assessment.

This could lead to “lack of control, poor decision-making, duplication of effort, inconsistent reporting and accountability gaps”.

The solution was good planning.

But this appeared a long way off.

“The desired end state has not yet been clearly defined, including the [transition] from a national to a regional structure,” it said.

The “scope, sequence and pace” of devolution all needed defining.

Dalton said while 2022’s centralisation had caused “chaos” by distancing clinicians from decisionmaking, devolution had to be resourced and the minister would be wise to taihoa.

“I mean, it really does smack of trying to come up with what looks like some quick wins in an election year, and that’s no way to run a health system.”

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Petrol price could hit $4, economists warn

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Dan Cook

It’s feasible that petrol prices could reach $4 a litre, economists say.

Ongoing conflict in the Middle East has pushed up oil prices, taking petrol prices with them.

Over March, the average price of 91 has risen about 50c a litre, according to price monitoring app Gaspy. On Monday it was just over $3 on average across the country.

Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold said if the crisis were to continue, the price of oil could hit US$200 a barrel, which would take retail petrol prices past $4.

Westpac noted last week that refining margins had already lifted from US$20 ($NZ34) to around US$35 a barrel, which amplified the effect on retail prices for petrol in New Zealand.

“Refining margins will go quite high because there’s the supply chain that’s going from the Middle East to the refiners in Asia who are overwhelmingly reliant on crude oil coming out of the Middle East, with a three-week lag, maybe a month if you want to be generous.

“Those refiners in Asia are already considering reducing production because they don’t want to shut down a refinery. They would prefer to run it at a lower level because if you shut it down it’s really expensive and hard to start back up again.

“What that will mean is that there’ll be increasingly reduced supply of refined products around Asia and that will obviously be an important input into petrol and diesel here … $4 petrol prices are eminently feasible if you end up in some of those quite negative scenarios.”

Simplicity chief economist Shamubeel Eaqub said oil prices at around US$150 a barrel would mean $4 a litre for motorists.

Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan said with oil prices at around US$100, petrol should be at about $3.27.

“We’re pushing towards that … if you had another US$35 a barrel on top of that, US$135 on a sustained basis, you could be pushing $4. I’ve seen people talking risks around $150.

“I think Westpac came out with $185 and others are talking $200 …. you look at some of those numbers and you’re talking well north of $4 potentially.”

He said every US$1 increase in the oil price added about 2.2c but Eaqub said as long as the refining crack spread remained the same it could be about 1.2c. Westpac estimated a US$10 increase in the price of oil added 11c a litre.

Murat Ungor, at Otago University, said the market was very sensitive to price movements

“If crude oil were to reach US$130 to US$140 per barrel and stay there for three to four weeks, petrol prices could quickly move into the $3.50-$3.70 range.

“To break the $4 barrier, we would likely need a combination of extreme factors, such as crude sustained at US$140-US$170 per barrel, matching or exceeding the record highs of 2008, or such high prices combined with a weaker New Zealand dollar and higher shipping margins.”

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One man, two brutal killings two decades apart: How the mental health system ‘failed everybody’

Source: Radio New Zealand

Leslie Parr killed his partner Fiona Maulolo in 1997, then his mother in 2024. Supplied

Leslie Parr was spiralling.

It had been 27 years since he’d killed his ex-partner Fiona Maulolo, stabbing her repeatedly with a chisel before beheading her.

Following his first killing he was made a special patient under the Mental Health Act after a jury found him not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.

From about 2012 he was back in the community and in 2021 he had his status change to being a patient under the Mental Health Act.

But by early 2024 his mental health was rapidly declining, he was having troubles with his relationship and he was using cannabis. In May 2024 he was admitted to a mental health facility after an altercation with a relative. About a week later he was released back into the community.

Then, five days later he killed “the most important thing to him” – his mother Heather Condon. Once again, he would be found not guilty of murder by reason of insanity.

The case was shrouded in secrecy until RNZ revealed it last year.

On Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed Parr’s application for leave to appeal a decision declining name suppression, allowing RNZ to reveal the full details of the killing.

RNZ has obtained court documents including statements from those who knew him best that lift the lid on Parr’s life, his mental health battles and his family’s anger with the mental health system.

“How can someone who has previously killed another person be able to remain free when the warning signs are right there for all to see?” his father wrote.

Fiona Maulolo was killed by her partner Leslie Parr in 1997. Supplied

‘Cold and sinister’

Leslie Raymond Parr was born in 1974. He was the youngest of four siblings, and a year after he was born the family moved to Whanganui.

Parr’s father Harold Parr would later tell police the children were “all good kids”.

“My boys and I would do lots of things together like hunting, fishing and I coached their school rugby team.”

Wanting the best for his sons, Harold Parr sent them to St Stephen’s secondary school in Auckland.

After finishing school, Leslie Parr returned home. His parents soon separated and Harold Parr moved to Taupō before going to live in Wellington.

Leslie’s troubles were first expressed in 1995 when he developed insomnia, with a decrease in appetite over several months.

He was admitted to a psychiatric unit under the Mental Health Act in August that year after attempting suicide. On admission he was overheard saying “Satan will kill us all. Here to save you”.

A psychiatrist found he was suffering from a disorder of the mind.

“I can only say, most emphatically, that Mr Parr should remain in a psychiatric hospital as an involuntary patient. He is really very ill and is at risk of suiciding. I fear the type of schizophrenia he has is one that is associated with impulsive and often successful suicide attempts, usually based on concealed delusional thinking.”

Parr was then made the subject of a Compulsory Treatment Order. After responding well to medication he was released.

Harold told police about “episodes” Leslie had while living with him.

“I knew he was suffering from something serious because he was so dark and cold when he had an episode.

“I noticed it mostly in his eyes, they were just cold and sinister looking.”

The house where Fiona Maulolo was found dead in 1997. Supplied

‘I had to kill her’

Leslie met Fiona Maulolo in 1996 and the pair soon moved into a property in the Hutt Valley.

Soon after meeting Maulolo, Leslie stopped taking his antipsychotic medication regularly and had an “episode” which led to him being admitted to Porirua Hospital.

Parr was described as a man who was “depressed and delusional”, thinking that his father was Satan. He was predicting the end of the world in the year 2000, and said he heard voices telling him to kill himself.

When his medication was reintroduced he began to deny psychotic symptoms.

On the day he was due to be discharged from hospital he seriously assaulted a police officer who was visiting the same ward.

Parr told a psychiatrist he didn’t believe he was to blame “because the constable had looked at him”.

Parr was then made a compulsory inpatient for six months under the Mental Health Act.

However, he was released nine days later, on 28 March 1996. He was not seen again by mental health services until 15 April 1997 after he was found semi-conscious in a carport at Maulolo’s property.

He was transported to Hutt Hospital by ambulance and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. He later regained consciousness and underwent a psychiatric assessment before he was discharged into his father’s care.

Three days after he was admitted to hospital his father and another person went to collect some clothes for him from Maulolo’s home. On arrival they found Maulolo’s daughters and a relative who had not heard from Maulolo for a week.

They forced their way into the home and found Maulolo’s body in the bath. Police were then called.

Maulolo had been decapitated with her head found in a plastic bag in a clothes dryer. Forensic evidence revealed Parr had driven a chisel multiple times into her heart before decapitating her.

He went on trial for murder in 1998. At trial police said Parr and Maulolo’s relationship was “volatile” with neighbours describing constant verbal arguments and fights between them. There was a suggestion Maulolo was looking to end the relationship.

He told police he killed her because he believed she was Satan.

A jury found Parr not guilty by reason of insanity. A judge ordered he be detained in a special secure unit and not freed without the health minister’s authority.

A coroner later said Parr’s treatment had been seriously deficient.

There had been no ongoing assessment of Parr’s mental health state, or monitoring of his medication needs between when he was discharged and when the murder occurred.

Parr’s hospital file showed that a clinical review of his mental health had been carried out by his responsible clinician, Dr Linda Astor.

She claimed she had examined Parr and “consulted with other health professionals” involved in the treatment and care of him, and that she had taken their views into account when assessing the results of her review of his condition.

She said he was fit to be released from compulsory status, nine days into what was supposed to be six-months as a compulsory patient.

There was, however, no evidence Dr Astor ever saw Parr or consulted with other health professionals involved in his treatment and care.

Astor later fled the country and was unmasked as a bogus psychiatrist.

The Supreme Court dismissed Parr’s application for leave to appeal a decision declining name suppression, allowing RNZ to reveal the full details of the killing. RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

‘He was very loving and caring’

Parr was transferred to Te Awhina, an inpatient acute mental health service, to be closer to his family in 2000. He was put on a different medication and his mental health “improved a lot,” his father said.

In the coming years he started doing day visits accompanied by a nurse and even got a job.

Once he was released eventually released from Te Awhina he started going by the name Zac.

At first he lived with his mother, before finding his own place. Harold said Leslie looked after his mother and grandfather including doing their lawns.

In 2021 the special patient order was removed.

In 2023 Leslie met a woman Rachel (not her real name) via online dating, by September they were in a relationship.

The woman told RNZ Leslie, who told her his name was Zac, seemed “perfectly fine”.

“He was very loving and caring and treated me incredibly well.”

She would later tell police Leslie was “always helping his family”.

“Especially his mum and as far as I knew he was a good person, a kind person.”

Harold told police that Leslie spent several years working at a local freezing works but left after people found out about Maulolo’s death. He went on the benefit for a few years before getting a job at a milk factory cleaning trucks.

In March 2024, the work “dried up,” his father said and Leslie was laid off and went back on the benefit.

Harold said he visited his son days before his birthday in April to help as he was having a party.

“When I arrived, Leslie was there with a friend, and they were bouncing off the walls. It was obvious him and his friend had used drugs.”

The following day Harold told Leslie to get off the drugs or he would call the police.

The pair did not have much contact after the incident as they were “both annoyed at one another”.

It was not until May that Leslie told Rachel he killed his former girlfriend in 1997.

“I laughed and thought he was joking but he had a dead-pan face and I eventually realised he was not joking, and I screamed and told him to leave.”

After he left, she looked him up online and read about what happened to Maulolo.

“At the time I thought it had been years earlier and he wasn’t well at the time and the case had not been handled well, lots of mistakes involved.

“So, I believed it was a one-off thing due to all the circumstances and not likely to happen again.”

Leslie also sat down with her and said he was on the wrong medication at the time and claimed he begged them not to let him go because he knew he wasn’t well.

The admission

In May 2024, following an altercation with a relative he was admitted to a mental health facility.

Rachel said after the admission she became “very scared and very terrified”.

He was released after about a week on 30 May. Following his release, he became preoccupied with the loss of keys to his ute which he could not find.

Harold told police his son did not sleep for four nights, worried about his ute.

“He was so agitated about his keys and seemed really scared and stressed,” he said.

“I could tell how much it was affecting him and he just wouldn’t let it go.”

Leslie visited his father’s home on 3 June. He did not go inside, and just sat on the back doorstep.

“He started to remind me of how he behaved in Wellington when the other incident happened.

“Leslie had those dark eyes and wasn’t present. The biggest thing I notice when he’s like that is you can’t reason with him. He talks so fast and frantic that you don’t even have time to answer.”

Rachel’s concerns were also growing.

“I started to see a side to him I didn’t like.”

He started becoming delusional and irrational which appeared to coincide with his consumption of marijuana increasing a lot higher than she had noticed before.

“He said some weird things to me about his mum not being a human and that she was a Demi-God.”

When she heard he was going to be released from the mental health facility she worried “maybe he’s gonna come for me”.

“But I didn’t want to come tell the police because I thought I needed to try get out of it quietly, because I thought if I piss him off, you know you can get protection orders, you can get that but it’s just a piece of paper they can still kill you.”

A day after he was released Leslie messaged Rachel and said he did not love her anymore and wanted to break up.

The following morning, about 4.30am, Rachel woke up to tapping on her ranch slider. She got up and he was standing outside. He said he had been drinking with his friend all day and night and he had been sick and then drove to her place. He ended up staying the night.

Two days later she was mowing her front lawn when she saw him sitting in his car on the road watching her. Rachel asked him what he was doing, and he replied: “Oh, I love you and I want to be with you.”

She told him he was stalking her and was being “creepy”. He took off, but she then saw him again about an hour later across the road. She told him to go away, and she would see him later on.

The next night he visited her home after repeatedly asking to come over. The couple were arguing back and forth in her bedroom.

Rachel said she told him she did not think the relationship was working and he needed to leave.

He refused to leave and asked her what she was going to do about it. She threatened to call the police and then he left.

A second killing

The following morning, the day of the second killing, Parr called Rachel to say he needed someone to pick him up as he had driven out of town and his car broke down in Bulls. Rachel said she was reluctant to help him but eventually relented.

However, when she got there he was not there. Rachel then called Heather and said she could not find him.

Heather said she wondered if he was testing her.

“I said to her, ‘Yeah, he’s been acting very, very strange’ and she started to get upset and said, ‘Yes, I’m very worried about him and he’s been saying that he can’t trust anybody, that he can’t trust me, he can’t trust his dad and he only trusts you and that he only feels safe with you’.”

Shortly after Leslie called Rachel and said his phone had gone flat and he got a lift with someone else.

Leslie had also been calling his father earlier in the day. Leslie’s sister called Harold shortly before 1pm saying she was concerned about her brother and wanted him to go and stay with her to relax about his ute.

“I told her it was better for him to be in Whanganui near the pysch unit and where there are more cops in case something happened”.

Harold then drove around to Leslie’s home. He was not there, but just as he was leaving Heather arrived.

The pair talked about how their son was behaving, including his worries about his keys and his drug use.

About 20 minutes later he got a call from Heather once she was home to say Leslie was at her home when she got there.

“Heather said they had an argument because he was angry at her for calling [Rachel] and getting her involved.

“She said Leslie told her he needed the car, so she threw him the keys and he took off.”

Harold tried calling Leslie to see where he was but he did not answer.

About 1.45pm Leslie called Harold and they talked about hiring a trailer to pick up his ute.

Harold then picked Leslie up from Heather’s home and headed towards the hire centre.

“When we got there Leslie changed his mind about picking up his car.

“We had a heated discussion about picking up his car and mucking around, but he still didn’t want to go get it, so I dropped him back at his mother’s.”

Harold then went to the supermarket. While there he called Leslie’s sister and spoke about Leslie. She said Leslie had been talking about everyone being out to get him.

“[She] said she could hear in his voice that he didn’t seem well but insisted she could help.

“I told [her] we should call Police and try get him back to the hospital.”

He then called Leslie’s nurse to get and get his doctor’s number.

He claimed the nurse told him Leslie went to get this “shot” around 1pm and was “very cagey”.

“I asked [the nurse] if she drug tested Leslie, but she didn’t because she thought he might think she was picking on him and make him angry.”

The nurse said she would call Leslie’s doctor and tell him how he was behaving and express the family’s concerns.

At 4.53pm Harold received a call from Leslie asking for help. He said he was at his mother’s home and the mob was after him.

“He was puffing and was out of breath like he had been fighting or running.”

At 5.35pm Leslie phoned again and said the same thing about needing help, but he was now at his home.

Court documents reveal that between 4.50pm and 5.39pm there was an incident between Leslie and his mother at her home.

Armed with a knife, Leslie fatally stabbed his mother before leaving the address and arriving at an associate’s home about 6.20pm.

He walked into the address and sat on the doorstep asking his associate “cuz do you know where to get a gun?”

Leslie said he needed the gun because the Mongrel Mob was after him.

He then called his sister and a plan was made to go to Raetihi.

Leslie got into his associate’s car and while they were travelling he said “cuz I’ve killed mum”.

Asked why, Leslie said “Mum’s possessed, Mum’s possessed. I had to do it.”

The associate got out of the car and walked away. Leslie then drove off. The associate eventually drove to the Whanganui Police Station and told them what Leslie had said.

About 5.30pm, Leslie arrived at Rachel’s home. He made himself a chicken sandwich and about 7pm they went to bed.

Meanwhile, Leslie’s family were becoming concerned as they were unable to get hold of him or Heather.

They thought she may have gone to mass, but it was “out of character” for her not to have her phone. Harold drove to her home but there were no cars outside.

He then went and checked the laundry and shops, but could not find her.

At 8.25pm police found Heather dead in the garden beside the porch.

Harold told police that as soon as he was told about Heather’s death he became concerned for Rachel and her daughter.

“I didn’t know any details of what happened to Heather, but I immediately thought Leslie was the only one capable of doing that and given how he had been behaving it was likely.”

About 1am Rachel woke to get some water when she saw lights coming from outside.

“I woke him up and said ‘there’s all these lights and things’ and he just got up and shot out, and then suddenly there’s armed offenders squad and dogs and guns being pointed and stuff like that.”

Rachel went and spoke with the police and asked what was going on.

Leslie was told he was under arrest for murder and he replied:

“Yes, I know.”

The following day, Rachel was told what had happened.

“I was in disbelief, I was sickened and distraught.”

Heather was “the most important thing to him,” she said.

“This is where it is so hard to believe what he’s done to her because he would talk to her every day, if not multiple times a day.

Harold told police Leslie “loved his mother” and did anything for her.

“When he’s well he’s such a caring person.

“Leslie wasn’t well though and he is capable of anything when his mental state is unstable.”

Mental health system ‘failed everybody’

In April last year in the High Court at Whanganui Justice Karen Grau said there was no question Parr was responsible for his mother’s death, but that he was “legally insane” at the time he caused her death.

“I am satisfied, based on the reports of the experts, that it is clear Mr Parr suffered from a disease of the mind, a relapse in his longstanding schizophrenia, at the time he killed his mother.

“It is not the case that he did not understand the nature of his actions, but as the experts have concluded, and with which I agree, he was incapable of understanding his acts were morally wrong, and they were driven by his delusional beliefs.”

He was ordered to be detained as a special patient under the Mental Health Act.

Justice Grau said the case occurred “against a backdrop of apparent significant failures in the mental health system”.

Harold Parr wrote to Justice Grau as part of proceedings, requesting name suppression for both his son and Heather.

He said he had attended “countless appointments” and meetings relating to his son’s mental health over the years.

“I have met his doctors and psychiatrists and have a good understanding of the mental health system, what services are provided and some of its failings.”

He referenced Maulolo’s killing, saying the details of which were “too horrific to repeat”.

He wrote his son’s release by Dr Astor was “unlawful and improper” and said Leslie “should never have been let out”.

“If the proper procedures were followed Fiona would not have been killed in 1997.”

He also referenced the allegations that on the day Leslie killed for a second time he was supposed to be drug tested but wasn’t because he was “acting cagey” and the staffer didn’t want him to feel he was being “picked on”.

“This is a so-called health professional who observed unusual behaviour from a person with severe mental health issues and they didn’t do anything about it. She didn’t test him and basically allowed him to leave. A few hours later Heather was dead.”

Harold wrote the build-up to Heather’s death was “predictable”, adding his son was “on a downward spiral”.

“The health system is not aggressive enough to make decisions. They pussy foot around because they don’t want to hurt people’s feelings or upset them. But the consequence of them being indecisive is the reason that we find ourselves in this predicament now. Heather is dead and it could and should have been prevented,” he said.

“There are more questions than answers. The health system had Leslie in their custody and released him. A health professional saw Leslie on the day he killed Heather, described him as being cagey, did not do the blood test and let him go without anything. How? Who is accountable? How can someone who has previously killed another person be able to remain free when the warnings signs are right there for all to see?”

Speaking to RNZ, Rachel earlier said Leslie should not have been released from the mental health facility five days before the killing.

“I don’t know how they couldn’t have noticed how he was unwell unless he put on a really good show.”

She believed there had been a “massive failure” in the mental health system.

“It failed him, it failed everybody twice.”

Rachel often wondered whether Leslie may have killed her as well. She was in therapy and said she was “a mess”.

“I feel sad. I feel sad for the victims, I feel sad for him. I feel it’s just sad all around really. He was unwell, and he just wasn’t given the care that he should have been given.”

Reviews under way

Health New Zealand (HNZ) national director of mental health & addictions enhancement, Phil Grady, said on Monday the case was an incredibly tragic event.

“Our thoughts remain with the family, friends and communities affected. On behalf of Health New Zealand, I extend our heartfelt sympathies to everyone impacted,” Grady said.

“It is completely understandable that people feel let down and are seeking answers. We acknowledge those concerns and want to approach them with openness and respect, while recognising the deep impact this has had on both victim’s loved ones, the wider community, and the staff involved in Mr Parr’s care.”

Grady said HNZ also recognised that questions had been raised about aspects of Parr’s care and the decisions made at the time.

“These were complex clinical decisions based on the information available, and the external review has carefully examined those concerns.

“Where the review has identified areas that could be clearer or stronger, such as expectations around drug screening, information sharing, and clinical oversight, we are acting on those findings to improve consistency and strengthen practice across the service.”

Health NZ reviewed every serious adverse event that occurs within its services, and were committed to learning from them, he said.

“An external review of the care Mr Parr received leading up to this event is currently being finalised, led by senior Health NZ staff from outside the Central Region to ensure independence.

“We are committed to implementing any recommended changes so that we continue to strengthen the quality and safety of the care we provide.

“Events of this nature are incredibly tragic, but when they occur, we take them extremely seriously. The learning from this event is already informing improvements across the service, including strengthening clinical leadership, improving information sharing, clarifying clinical protocols such as drug screening, and enhancing whānau engagement and staff training.”

Mental health care in the community was complex, and risk could never be removed entirely, he said

“Especially in the case of serious mental illness, but these improvements are designed to strengthen safeguards and provide reassurance to the people we care for, their whānau, and the wider community.”

The Ministry of Health also extended its deepest sympathies to the families, friends and communities affected.

Following Parr’s second killing, Health New Zealand commissioned an external review into the care provided to the individual.

“Health New Zealand has already made changes since the incident, and I support their work,” Director of Mental Health Dr John Crawshaw said.

He said the external review was being led by an external expert panel and is near completion.

“Once the external review is available, I will carefully consider whether any further actions are required.”

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said in a statement his thoughts were with the families impacted.

“I have made it very clear to HNZ that patient and public safety must always be paramount, clearly situations like this are not good enough. New Zealanders deserve to have trust that when people are in the care of mental health services, the appropriate care is being taken to ensure patient and public safety is at the forefront of all decisions,” he said.

“As minister, my focus is on ensuring agencies put in place all necessary changes to prevent tragedies like this from occurring again. I have made it very clear to Health New Zealand that they must move quickly to implement the findings of the reviews and make all necessary changes to prevent this from happening again.”

Doocey was awaiting the Director of Mental Health’s decision on whether he was satisfied with the review and whether any further action needs to be taken.

Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money said the case was “heartbreaking and preventable”.

When RNZ first revealed the case she called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into forensic mental health facilities.

On Monday she said she stood by those calls.

“Given that unbelievably this is not the only recent case where someone in forensic mental health ‘care’ has gone on to kill twice.

“An inquiry that has mandated recommendations is the only way the system will improve, as opposed to Health NZ continuing to mark their own homework every time a tragedy such as this occurs. These victims and the community deserve infinitely better.”

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/17/one-man-two-brutal-killings-two-decades-apart-how-the-mental-health-system-failed-everybody/

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2500 Te Whatu Ora PAKS staff ratify new collective agreement, PSA says

Source: Radio New Zealand

The PSA said its members working in policy, advisory, knowledge and services voted overhelmingly in favour of ratifying a new collective agreement. RNZ

The Public Service Association (PSA) says a group of 2500 Te Whatu Ora staff it represents have ratified a new collective agreement.

The PSA said its members working in policy, advisory, knowledge and services – known as PAKS – voted overhelmingly in favour of the deal.

The PAKS agreement covered those employed in digital services, infrastructure, operations, communications, finance, people and capability, procurement, service design and planning, analytics and research, and policy.

The ratification was the result of 11 months of bargaining, mediation and industrial action.

Health workers covered by the collective would receive a pay increase of 2.5 percent effective from 1 December last year, with a further 2 percent in December this year.

Workers would each receive a $500 lump sum payment prorated for full-time equivalent hours worked.

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Power price shocks unlikely this winter, says major electricity users group

Source: Radio New Zealand

The companies in the Major Electricity Users Group account for more than a quarter of New Zealand’s energy use. File photo. 123RF

Energy prices around the world are being squeezed by the conflict in the Middle East, but there should not be any price shocks in local power bills this winter, says the group representing the country’s biggest energy consumers.

The Major Electricity Users Group says power prices need to hold steady this winter, with businesses already shouldering cost increases driven by war in the Middle East.

The group includes Fonterra, meat exporter ANZCO, Woolworths and Datagrid – the company building a $3.5 billion artificial intelligence factory near Invercargill – and the members account for more than a quarter of New Zealand’s energy use.

The electricity bill can be the third highest cost for many businesses, after wages and raw materials, and over the past two years various manufactors – including several mills – have closed due to energy costs.

But Major Electricity Users Group chair John Harbord told Checkpoint that while it was a “very challenging environment” for its members, there should not be any power price shocks this winter.

He said the country’s hydro lakes have more water than they usually do due to a wet spring, and there was the strategic stockpile of coal at Huntly.

“At this stage, unless we get a prolonged dry period in the lead up to winter, we shouldn’t get price shocks due to scarcity of energy to make electricity with.

“Now obviously we don’t have control over the price, that’s set by the generators but there is no reason at this stage to expect a significant price shock passed from generators on to consumers.”

He said companies are currently absorbing increases in things such as shipping and insurance, and not adding a premium.

Harbord said electricity was an “absolutely critical” cost for businesses in the current environment.

“If it goes up at all and companies have to absorb it that’s going to put some strain on a lot of businesses, and not just our members, larger commercial or industrial users, but even your corner dairy, your retail shops as well, they’re ll looking at increases in electricity bills this winter.”

He said the system was already factoring in the increased demand from the AI factory, saying that it would take some time to get up and running, and the infrastructure was being prepared to handle it.

“People are building generation to get ahead of that.”

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Apartment block evacuated after fire in central Wellington

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied

An apartment block in central Wellington has been evacuated after a fire on Monday evening.

Two people were in the apartment at the time of the fire.

Police say one person was seriously hurt and taken to hospital.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) was alerted to a small third-floor apartment fire at 5.45pm.

Five fire trucks, two aerial appliances, a command unit and a breathing apparatus tender responded.

Response crews came from Wellington, Thorndon, Brooklyn, Kilbirnie and Karori fire stations, FENZ said.

The apartment block was evacuated and the fire quickly extinguished.

Fire investigators were on the scene, as well as police and ambulance.

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Farmers face uncertain future as fuel prices skyrocket

Source: Radio New Zealand

John Austin. RNZ / Evie Richardson

Farmers say the skyrocketing price of fuel couldn’t have come at a worst possible time.

The end of summer marks the beginning of harvest season for arable farmers, a time when they can burn more than double the amount of fuel than any other time of year.

The price of a barrel of brent crude oil is currently at US$104 (NZ$179) a barrel, up from around $70 prior to the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran.

With no way of knowing how long prices will stay so high, or even rise higher, farmers are facing an uncertain future and struggling to figure out how to mitigate the costs.

A huge fuel tank greets you at the top of the driveway of John Austin’s Te Awamutu contracting company.

It holds 40,000 litres of diesel, and in peak season can get re-filled nearly everyday.

When last Sunday’s delivery rolled in, Austin said the bill made for tough reading, an extra 50.9 cents on every litre.

“I actually heard from one of our customers that fuel was going up, I didn’t even realise or know. We were down, it was on a weekend so our next shipment … for every 10,000 litres was another $5000.”

The busy time of year means Austin’s company does work for up to 50 farmers a day, operating combine and forage harvesters, tractors and trucks to help with their harvests.

RNZ / Evie Richardson

It means they are using more fuel than any other time of year.

“It’s huge, one of our forage harvesters would use well over 1000 litres a day, probably 1500 litres.”

With weeks of the peak harvest still to come, Austin has had to think fast about how they’re going to cope with the massive price spike.

But with so much uncertainty it is impossible to know how things will pan out.

“It’s very hard for the business to be fair to the customers and work with the customers when you’ve got such a huge input to the business like fuel when there’s uncertainty around supply and price.”

While some of the cost will be absorbed, the company can’t afford to absorb it all, and have instead had put a fuel surcharge onto their customers.

“It’s impacting them already, it’s costing them extra on their farm when they drive their tractors, when they drive to town it’s costing them extra, and there’ll be lots of different ways our customers are impacted. It’s just not good for NZ it’s not good for the world, it’s not ideal.”

An hour north, at his Gordonton farm, Donald Stobie is preparing to harvest 200 hectares of maize and grain.

Donald Stobie. RNZ / Evie Richardson

It’s a busy time of year, with all his machinery burning around 3000 litres of fuel a week, which he reckons is costing him an extra $1000.

But unlike contractors, he has got no immediate way to offset the cost, and it is being absorbed by the business.

“The crop prices are set in the spring time at planting time, and then the crops grow for six or seven months before you harvest, there’s like two thirds of a year there where if things change you can’t do anything about it.”

Like many farmers, he is also worried about the cost of fertiliser shooting up, with the Middle East a critical supplier.

He has started stockpiling for the planting season later in the year, in the hopes of mitigating some of price spikes.

Alongside fuel, he is concerned what impact these costs will have on his business if this continues for some time.

“It’ll certainly chew away at our bottom line, and I guess that’ll mean we won’t have money for our repairs or maintenance or any capital projects we wanted to do. It’s not just fuel there’ll be all sorts of other prices increases affecting us too from all our suppliers at that so there’ll be cost increases across the board.”

Down the road, the price spike has contracting company Gavins considering its options.

Chris Paterson. RNZ / Evie Richardson

Business manager Chris Paterson said they have been forking out an extra $60,000 a week since prices went up.

While they don’t want to pass costs on to their customers, most of which are farmers, they may be left with no other choice.

“A likely outcome as it stands today would be for us to suck it up a bit and some of our charge out rates to go up a bit.”

Paterson said they are waiting to see how prices evolve over the next week or so before making any decisions, but the price rises are impossible to ignore.

“It is creating a dent today … there’s a real impact immediately, we’re burning fuel each day, the impact is immediate but the size or scale of it will evolve over time.”

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Fears NZ’s tobacco black market will get as bad as Australia’s

Source: Radio New Zealand

In March 2024, Customs carried out search warrants in Gisborne, locating a significant amount of cash in a bedroom and in a vehicle parked outside the restaurant, as well as over a kilogram of loose tobacco and 11,000 cigarettes inside the restaurant. Supplied / New Zealand Customs

New Zealand Customs has warned tobacco smuggling is becoming more organised, large-scale and sophisticated, with the government pledging to stop the country following Australia into tobacco gangland warfare.

But a public health professor says while criminal involvement is a concern, there is no evidence of a dramatic increase in the size of the tobacco black market.

Chief customs officer for fraud and prohibition Nigel Barnes said seizures have been trending upwards over the past decade, though there have been fluctuations due to large busts.

In 2025, Customs seized 11.1 million illegal cigarettes and cigars, and 5.4 tonnes of loose tobacco, compared to 9.2 million illegal cigarettes and cigars, and 2.7 tonnes of loose tobacco in 2024.

In 2022, 4.8 million cigarettes were seized, and 3.6 tonnes of loose tobacco.

Barnes said illicit cigarette seizures in 2025 represented about $16 million in tax revenue evasion.

“That’s just the stuff we’ve seized.”

In August 2025, Customs officers intercepted two separate consignments from China: the first containing 340,000 uncustomed cigarettes of the Chinese brand ‘Double Happiness’, and the second containing 587,000 cigarettes of the same brand. NZ Customs Service

He said illegal cigarettes were selling here for between $20 and $25 in diaries, liquor stores and pop-up outlets throughout the country. A legal packet costs between $40 and $50.

“Obviously, there’s a significant-size market in Auckland, but we’ve identified illicit tobacco distribution networks in regional centres as well, as far afield as the South Island and Gisborne.”

Barnes said the increase in seizures partly reflected a $10.4m funding boost in 2022 and the establishment of a dedicated illegal tobacco investigations team.

But the involvement of transnational and serious organised crime groups concerned him.

“Tobacco smuggling into New Zealand is becoming more organised, large-scale and sophisticated.”

Criminals were increasingly adding tobacco to their drug and money laundering operations, he said, and smugglers were masking themselves under shell companies.

An estimated 1200 kilograms of loose tobacco in a storage unit obtained during search warrants in Auckland in 2025. Supplied

Officials had seized drugs, firearms and other weapons, as well as large amounts of cash in investigations.

In 2023, Customs arrested three Malaysian nationals who travelled to New Zealand to smuggle tobacco into the country. When officials did some digging, they found out the trio had the same operation in Australia.

Agents also discovered a large illegal cigarette manufacturing operation in 2024 in Christchurch, where a man had imported loose tobacco under the guise of tea, setting up machinery to make individual cigarettes, boxes of cigarettes and cigarette branded labels.

Barnes said the trajectory of Australia’s black market for tobacco was “particularly concerning” for New Zealand.

“We’re in contact regularly with our Australian counterparts, and the trajectory of the illicit tobacco market in Australia is particularly concerning, mostly because New Zealand and Australia have the highest excise rates in the Asia-Pacific region. So if it could happen there, it could happen here, is a kind of a theory.

“The standovers and firebombs that are getting reported on in Australia are particularly concerning for us.”

Barnes said Customs was doing everything it could to prevent New Zealand following Australia’s path.

While executing a search warrant Customs confiscated 423 kilograms of loose tobacco, 16,486 cigarettes, machinery used to manufacture individual cigarettes, boxes of cigarettes, cigarette branded labels, and almost NZ$2,500 in cash, as well as other items at a Christchurch business address. NZ Customs Service

Deaths, threats and firebombs in Australia

In Australia, the illegal cigarette black market has developed into a violent and fast-growing criminal market, to the point where rival gangs are fighting over, and threatening retailers to sell illegal products.

Criminal groups have committed more than 200 arson attacks at retailers, and at least three homicides since 2023, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission said.

It found that illicit tobacco linked to serious and/organised crime cost the Australian economy about $4 billion (NZ$4.8b) in 2023-2024.

Associate professor of criminal justice at Bond University, Dr Terry Goldsworthy, said the black market had infiltrated most parts of the country.

“It was problematic in just a couple of states – but we’ve now seen responses from almost every Australian state, trying to address it.”

It triggered the formation of a federal Tobacco National Disruption group formed by the Albanese government, Goldsworthy said, led by the Australian Border Force and including every state’s police force.

Goldsworthy said arson and standover tactics had caused concern in many communities.

“They’ll go there and stand over the people and get them to sell their products, if they don’t sell their products, then they take the action of either assaulting the people who work there, or they firebomb the place to take it out of business.”

Customs arrested two men in Auckland in November 2025 in relation to the possession of 1.5 million cigarettes and approximately NZ$500,000 in cash following an investigation. NZ Customs Service

Steve Symon, who headed a ministerial advisory group on organised crime last year, said New Zealand risked following Australia’s path into a serious criminal black market.

“What’s happening there, will happen in New Zealand in 12-18 months, because our conditions are really similar – in terms of our willingness to pay high prices for illicit substances whether it be methamphetamine or cocaine, but the same thing with cigarettes.”

He said organised criminal groups in Australia setting up shop here was also alarming.

“What we see in Australia – it’s very likely, we’ll see here.”

He said illegal cigarettes were funding the operations of more serious, organised crime, and New Zealand needed to address the problem urgently.

“It’s not just you getting a cheap packet of cigarettes, what you are doing is contributing to people who are incentivised to bring the worst types of crime into our community.”

Size of black market contested

The size of New Zealand’s illicit market was not clear, with studies backed by various groups estimating wildly different sizes.

One study from 2025, commissioned by Imperial Tobacco New Zealand and British American Tobacco New Zealand, claimed the size of the illicit market was at 25 percent, but health expert Chris Bullen said his research from 2023 showed it was likely between 5 and 7 percent of the market.

“It’s an illicit trade, so it’s covert activity, it’s really hard to get a handle on what’s going on.”

The professor of public health at the University of Auckland said there was not clear evidence of a dramatic increase in the black market in New Zealand, and smoking rates were dropping among the population.

He said increasing the price of tobacco products had had a dramatic effect on driving down smoking and on people’s health.

Customs seizures did not necessarily indicate the problem was getting worse, Bullen said, but that officers were getting better at intercepting product at the border.

New Zealand had a different tobacco environment to Australia, where vapes were illegal, and the country was closer to the Asian market, he said.

What he wanted was more investment in research monitoring the black market so trends over time could be measured.

“It’s one of those things like wastewater monitoring for methamphetamine – it’s a reasonable thing to do to try and track what’s going on in the population, rather than just hoping that it will go away.

“I think it is wise for the government to be aware that across the ditch, it is a big problem.”

Customs Minister Casey Costello said Customs’ increased seizures signalled the country was facing a growing black market.

Customs Minister Casey Costello. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

“We are very aware of what has occurred in Australia, where we have seen an explosion in the scale of the black market for tobacco and associated challenges with the organised crime groups driving that explosion.

“We cannot let that happen here”.

She said the government would use all the tools it could to disrupt organised crime groups.

“There are also further regulatory options within our tobacco control regime that can support our efforts to tackle illicit tobacco sales.

“I have asked for further advice from the Ministry of Health about how our regulatory regime can be strengthened to effectively manage the sales of illicit tobacco that has made it into New Zealand.”

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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/2026/03/16/fears-nzs-tobacco-black-market-will-get-as-bad-as-australias/

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Dolphin’s death spurs calls for greater protection

Source: Radio New Zealand

Four dolphins have been killed off Kaikōura’s coast in the past two years, including three by set net entanglement Supplied / Genevieve Robinson

Conservation groups are calling for action to reduce dolphin deaths off Canterbury’s coastline.

A female Hector’s dolphin was killed in a set net off Kaikōura’s coast and discarded last month, according to the Department of Conservation’s (DOC) database.

DOC figures show 14 out of 24 reported dolphin deaths off New Zealand’s coastline over the past two years were in the Canterbury region, including four in Kaikōura.

Seven were due to entanglement in set nets, two from bycatch, three from beachcasting, one by stranding and one was found floating at sea.

A mother and baby dolphin Supplied / Genevieve Robinson

The endangered species has an estimated population of 15,700.

Conservationists want more effective rule enforcement, an extension of set-net bans, and better protections in marine areas and reserves.

Forest & Bird Canterbury / West Coast regional conservation manager Nicky Snoyink said dolphin deaths are avoidable.

”It’s a terrible thing to hear these dolphins are dying out and we do so much better.”

Kaikōura Wildlife Centre Trust manager Sabrina Luecht was also concerned by dolphin deaths.

”Effective marine habitat protection, responsible fishing and accountability are imperative in ensuring these precious taonga persist in our region long-term.”

Greanpeace oceans campaigner Juan Parada said the government should ban trawling in dolphin habitats and commit to cameras on the full fishing fleet.

”Even when not directly caught in the nets, trawling degrades the habitats that animals like Hector dolphins and hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) depend on for food.

”With fewer fish, surviving animals are left hungrier.”

Environment Canterbury (ECan) councillor Genevieve Robinson has been calling on the council to update the 20-year-old Canterbury Regional Coastal Environment Plan.

ECan acting regional planning manager Lisa Jenkins said the role for regional councils under the resource management reform had yet to be clarified.

”Once national direction has been confirmed, options for coastal management will be developed through a public process.”

A dolphin swimming off Kaikōura’s coast. Fiona Wardle Photography

The coastal plan works alongside the Wildlife Act and the Biosecurity Act to protect the region’s biodiversity.

Fisheries New Zealand and DOC are responsible for managing the risks to Hector’s dolphins.

DOC senior science advisor marine Anton van Helden said the department’s role included addressing the threat of toxoplasmosis (a parasitic disease), managing marine mammal sanctuaries, education, research and managing threats to dolphins.

Fisheries NZ fisheries management director Emma Taylor said Canterbury has the largest populations of Hector’s dolphins.

Set net closures are enforced off Pegasus Bay, the Canterbury Bight, Banks Peninsula and Kaikōura.

Other measures include working with commercial fishing boats to improve bycatch mitigation and the use of on-board cameras.

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/16/dolphins-death-spurs-calls-for-greater-protection/

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Parents left stranded as Waiheke Island’s only respite care house for kids with disabilities closes

Source: Radio New Zealand

Melanna House has been closed since September. Supplied

Waiheke Island’s only respite care house for kids with disabilities has closed, leaving parents who booked their children in for school holiday programmes and overnight stays in the lurch.

Spectrum Care said the service at Melanna House was running at a loss and they made the difficult decision to close it last September.

So far no other provider has filled the gap.

Sixteen-year-old Gen has very high, complex needs and requires round-the-clock care. She has been a regular at Melanna House’s school holiday programme for children with disabilities.

Her mum Christabel Tomlinson said its closure six months ago has had a big impact on the family.

“It made me really consider my ability to continue a full time job. I decided that it wasn’t the best move to continue employment and look after my daughter, in fact that would have been impossible.”

She finished her job at the end of last year to take on the full time care of her daughter because finding carers on the island isn’t easy.

By the end of the summer school holidays, Tomlinson had burned out.

“I realised just how burnt out I was looking after her, it’s relentless and you just feel exhausted and tired and I’ve used more than a month to get back to full health and full energy.”

Andrew Sexton’s son James also needs round-the-clock care. He has complex needs.

He said James has been a regularly at Melanna House for almost a decade and the out-of-home care provided them a much-needed break.

“It’s huge it just gives you some space that you desperately need to rest your mind. James he’s a clapper so he claps all the time and he’s got a very loud clap. Just some quiet time makes you feel a lot better.”

Melanna House has provided parents respite since the early 1990s, under various providers.

“It’s quite an essential service to have one house on the island that should be utilised for the community.”

The house is owned by Kainga Ora and its director of supported homes Lucy Ashby said it was one of 1455 homes it leased nationally to housing and support services providers.

She said the Waiheke house was leased at market rent to the service provider, who must also hold an eligible government funding contract to deliver residential care.

“We are continuing discussions with potential providers to assess whether they can take over this service as these homes can only be leased to providers who hold an eligible government funding contract to deliver residential care,” Ashby said.

“If we are unable to identify an eligible provider, we will need to consider next steps, including the potential sale of the property. No decisions have been made at this stage, and we are working through the options.”

She said Kainga Ora remained committed to keeping families updated as this process continued.

Melanna House was Waiheke Island’s only respite care house for kids with disabilities. Supplied

Spectrum Care general manager of communications Justin Walsh said after six years running Melanna House, it was a difficult decision to close, but the high costs of operating and the small number of people accessing the support means they’re running at a loss.

He said four families were regularly using the respite house and it operated for four days a week – its only funding were the payments it would get from families booking in their children, via their individualised funding.

“We made sustained efforts to ensure these services could be delivered in a way that was both high-quality and financially sustainable,” Walsh said.

“Despite these efforts, the combination of a very small number of people accessing support and the high costs associated with delivering safe, quality services on the island meant we were unable to achieve a sustainable model.”

Walsh said Spectrum Care worked closely with Disability Support Services, Kainga Ora, Kaikaranga, local partners, and affected people and whānau; reviewing service models and staffing arrangements; and exploring a range of funding and delivery options.

“Following an extensive review and careful consideration, Spectrum Care made the difficult decision to cease respite support services on Waiheke Island,” he said.

“This decision was not made lightly. We recognise the impact it has on people and whānau, and endeavoured to manage the transition with care, respect and ongoing engagement with those affected.”

Ministry of Social Development general manager of commissioning and funding Catherine Poutasi said Disability Support Services (DSS) contracted Spectrum Care to deliver respite services on Waiheke Island for disabled people.

She said DSS were advised in July last year that Spectrum would close Melanna House at the end of September.

“We understand that Spectrum Care offered service options in Auckland for those impacted by the closure on Waiheke,” she said.

Carers NZ chief executive Laurie Hilsgen said more needs to be done to keep the service going for the island community.

“I think that’s a tragic, unacceptable loss. Not that a service might close because that is a reality, sometimes services do come and go but you have to replace it with something or there has to be another plan.”

She said families caring for disabled children need to have respite care options.

“Those parents, those families, they’re not robots. At the end of the day we all go home from our jobs and we rest. For these people that will be placing extra pressure because they are unable to get a wellbeing break.”

A local trust that provides residential rehabilitation, Waiheke Island Supported Homes Trust, is looking at whether it could run the service.

General manager Andrew Walters said they would need to be assured the right funding is available.

Tomlinson said Melanna House is crucial for Waiheke – and everything should be done to keep it going, including lowering the rent on the state house.

“To keep those services going on the island I think is super important because we will always be an island and cut off from mainland services and we will always have disabled and special needs people in amongst our community here on Waiheke.”

She said they would also like to hear from any philanthropists interested in helping to keep the service going on the island.

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/16/parents-left-stranded-as-waiheke-islands-only-respite-care-house-for-kids-with-disabilities-closes/

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Fish processor Ikana New Zealand fined $20,000 for nine biosecurity offences

Source: Radio New Zealand

The company received 27 shipments of the live green-lipped mussels. NIWA/Rebekah Parsons-King

A Christchurch-based fish processor has been fined $20,000 for illegally handling live mussels from a restricted biosecurity zone.

Ikana New Zealand was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court this month after admitting nine biosecurity offences.

Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigators found the company received 27 shipments – more than 239 tonnes – of live green-lipped mussels from the Upper South Contained Zone near Nelson and Marlborough.

Restrictions have been in place since 2015 to prevent the spread of the shellfish disease Bonamia ostreae, which affects flat oysters.

A biosecurity inspector discovered the green-lipped mussels were being moved illegally in October 2024, MPI said.

MPI director of investigations and compliance support Gary Orr said neither Ikana, as the receiver of the mussels, nor the company supplying them had the necessary permits.

Ikana’s actions were negligent, he said.

“These green-lipped mussel shellfish were for export, and the unlawful movement of this shellfish had potential to cause serious reputational harm to the New Zealand shellfish industry,” he said.

“The vast majority of people who work in the commercial fishing industry are responsible and do the right thing by following all rules and regulations.”

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Prezzy promo a reminder to watch out for ‘loyalty tax’, Consumer NZ says

Source: Radio New Zealand

Supplied / Kiwibank

A recent insurance promotion in which customers were offered Prezzy cards for new business is a reminder to watch out for loyalty tax, Consumer NZ says.

Glenn Marshall, who is an insurance broker but is acting in a personal capacity as a consumer, has complained to IAG about a recent promotion across several of its brands, in which people taking out new insurance cover were offered $200 Prezzy cards.

He said it seemed to create a situation where those who were shifting to a new insurer were able to access bonuses that loyal customers could not.

“My wife and I own our own home, have no mortgage and savings. However, many households and pensioners are already struggling with premium increases. Promotions that reward churn – and effectively penalise loyalty – shift costs on to renewing customers.”

IAG told him in response that it was not a discount on the premium but an incentive for new business and was available to new and existing customers who initiated new business.

Marshall has also complained to the Financial Markets Authority.

A spokesperson told RNZ the authority was aware of the promotional offers.

“These types of promotions do not in themselves create concerns for us. They can support healthy competition by encouraging customers to shop around and choose the provider that best meets their needs.

“If consumers have concerns about any offer or promotion, they are welcome to contact us.”

Consumer NZ insurance spokesperson Rebecca Styles said similar promotions had been used in the past to induce customers to switch providers.

“It does highlight that existing customers are likely missing out on those deals, in what’s called a loyalty tax. We find in our surveying that most people set and forget insurance. We would encourage people to shop around and take advantage of these deals, providing that when they switch, they’re getting a good deal on their premiums and the policy details make sense for their circumstances.”

IAG has been approached for comment.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/16/prezzy-promo-a-reminder-to-watch-out-for-loyalty-tax-consumer-nz-says/

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Gloriavale: Sham payments made to community members, court told

Source: Radio New Zealand

Gloriavale members received payments into their own accounts but those payments could be taken out again by the community’s financial controller. RNZ / Jean Edwards

Gloriavale’s leaders made sham payments to community members to make it appear as though they are rewarded for their efforts, the Employment Court has heard.

A group of nine leavers are seeking to quash Labour Inspectorate findings from 2017 and 2021 that those working in the community were not employees.

The group are seeking judicial review of alleged actions and inactions of labour inspectors who investigated and reported on concerns about work within the Gloriavale Christian Community, particularly two reports that found workers were not employees.

The Employment Court has since found those working for the West Coast community’s businesses are employees and the community’s so-called Overseeing Shepherd is their employer.

The Labour Inspectorate – a unit of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment – found in 2021 it had no jurisdiction over the community as workers were not employees under New Zealand’s law.

However, the leavers’ lawyer Brian Henry told the Employment Court at Christchurch on Monday that conclusion followed a 2021 inspection of the community in which the inspector raised concerns about the conditions in the community.

Henry read the labour inspector’s notes, made at the time of her visit, to the court.

“They chose who we spoke to – possible cherry picking, but we were able to wander about,” the inspector’s notes said.

“Only spoke to people of standing in the community. The leader stayed close to us, suggested that we interviewed him – refused.

“Seem to know how much they get paid. Process of putting money into their accounts only for the financial controller to take it out again is a sham. It is a sham to attempt to show people are being paid.”

Members who were part of the community’s “partnership” received payments into their own bank accounts but those payments could be taken out again by the community’s financial controller.

Henry told the court the inspector had recognised the partnership structure used in the community was a sham.

“These are notes made at the time as she’s leaving Gloriavale,” Henry said.

“We all know the value of notes made at the time. Here she is, she’s recording this has been a controlled situation. But most importantly she has understood from talking to these people that this payment structure, which is part of the partnership, is a sham.

“So how did she go from there to a final report saying no one’s an employee based on the partnerships?”

Henry also detailed to the court the working conditions in the community, including boys as young as 6-years-old working in its businesses, a large dairy operation overseen by 14-year-olds, and girls working in what the community’s leaders described as the largest kitchen in the country.

A letter from the Department of Internal Affairs to the Labour Inspectorate outlined concerns about excessive hours, no holidays, insufficient maternity leave, child labour, minimum wage breaches, and poor record keeping.

“The overwhelming impression of Gloriavale when you get there is that this is an industrial complex,” Henry said.

“It had farms, a rendering plant which is very heavy industry, sphagnum moss processing plants, honey factories, projects including drilling for oil and operating an airline, and the workforce is supported by what Neville Cooper – Hopeful Christian – called the biggest kitchen in New Zealand.

“It is quite overwhelming to look at the industrial size of that kitchen producing food for 600 odd people three times a day, approximately 11,000 meals a week.”

The idea workers at the community could be considered volunteers could be “very readily dispelled”, Henry said.

“The vast majority of workers, by the time of the inspectorate investigations leading up to the 2017-2021 reports, were born into or brought in from infancy in the community.

“Life rules are set out in the manual called What We Believe. It’s not just religious, it is their actual life … rules.

“What We Believe states ‘education is limited to the needs of the community’, i.e. the work they’re assigned by the Overseeing Shepherd and they have no choice of their role – especially females.

“All Gloriavale workers do as instructed by their supervisors, responsible to the Overseeing Shepherd, there is no discretion. Gloriavale is an industrial complex with multimillion dollar businesses.

“What We Believe directs all Gloriavale members must do what they’re able to do or they do not eat. All Gloriavale members must support the leaders.

“The workers all owe the Overseeing Shepherd to abide by the doctrine of unity and submission – absolute control. The shepherd has enforcement processes to enforce What We Believe, which are draconian.

“The shepherd decides who a worker marries and before they’re permitted to marry they have to sign the commitment.”

Members were told they could not leave Gloriavale without jeopardizing their eternal soul, Henry said.

The relationship between the community’s leaders and its workers was one of absolute power and control, he said.

“It’s the antithesis of being a volunteer.

“A volunteer is someone who does work without being paid for it because they want to do it. So they’re certainly doing work without being paid for it – they were getting their keep – but they weren’t doing it because they want to, they were doing it because they had to.”

The hearing is set down for five days.

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Man denies sexually assaulting drunk teen in mid-1990s

Source: Radio New Zealand

Christchurch District Court. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Warning: This story contains details of an alleged sexual assault.

A man accused of taking a teenager 17 years his junior to a bach and then sexually violating him while the young man was intoxicated has pleaded not guilty.

The accused, who has name suppression, is facing one charge of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection between 1994 and 1995.

In her opening address at Christchurch District Court, Crown prosecutor Penny Brown said the complainant, who was 18 or 19 years old, claimed the pair drank and smoked cannabis at the Lake Coleridge bach, with the complainant becoming so intoxicated he thought he might have been drugged.

He said the accused, who was 17 years older than him, helped him to bed and to remove his clothes other than his boxer shorts and a T-shirt.

The complainant said he woke and found himself face down with his hips propped up over cushions, and the accused sexually violating him.

“The defendant said he felt like a child, like a child who was supposed to be seen and not heard,” Brown said, “and while it registered to him that it should not be happening, he could not muster any type of fright or flight response. He just froze and let it happen.”

The complainant did not tell anyone until around 2000 when he revealed what had happened to his ex-wife.

Brown said the complainant did not report it to the police until 2020, by which time she said his life had derailed and he was due to be sentenced for serious offending.

He told the person preparing his pre-sentence report he had been sexually abused.

In 2021, prison staff got in touch with police to say the complainant wanted to speak to someone about the allegations, and a video interview was made.

On Monday afternoon the video interview will be played to the jury. In the video, the man said he knew the accused was gay, but had no issue with that.

On the night of the alleged abuse the accused put on gay pornography, but the younger man asked him to turn it off. The older man said he should watch it for a bit and he might like it.

The complaint left the room, and when he returned the video was off.

He said on the night the accused made all of the drinks in another room, and at the time he just thought the man was being a good host.

“Looking back, why wasn’t the Coke and [stuff] sitting there with us?”

He said he had been drunk and smoked marijuana before, but on this occasion he could not get his body to move properly and his feet were dragging.

The complainant said the next day the accused acted like nothing had happened.

In the defence’s opening address, lawyer Ryan Jones said the accused accepted he took the young man to the bach but said no sexual activity and no sexual abuse occurred.

He said the case was not straightforward, and it should be remembered that the defendant was presumed innocent until proved otherwise.

The trial continues.

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Youths abscond from Oranga Tamariki care facility in Lower Hutt

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ

Oranga Tamariki is investigating after two youths absconded from a Lower Hutt care facility.

Residential services care and protection manager Karen Gillies said police were called when the pair fled the Epuni Care and Protection Facility on Sunday night.

They were found and returned in the early hours of Monday morning, she said.

“We are looking into the incident to determine how it occurred and consider any lessons we can take forward.”

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Mama Hooch rapists Danny and Roberto Jaz’s appeals dismissed

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Mama Hooch trial, Danny Jaz, left, Roberto Jaz appear in the Christchurch District Court charged with sexual violation 07 February 2023. Supplied / POOL

Warning: This story deals with sexual violence.

Lengthy prison sentences for two of Christchurch’s most prolific sex offenders have been upheld by a High Court judge.

Danny and Roberto Jaz were convicted in 2023 of 69 charges, including sexual assault, rape, stupefaction, disabling, sexual violation and indecent assault.

The case garnered international attention after details emerged showing how the brothers had systematically targeted young women at their family businesses over several years.

Many of their 23 victims were staff or patrons of Mama Hooch bar on Colombo Street, or nearby restaurant Venuti.

The brothers were each sentenced to more than 16 years in jail, with non-parole periods of half their sentences.

At sentencing, Judge Paul Mabey told the men the level of their offending was unprecedented in New Zealand.

“You helped yourself to young women with callous disregard for their rights and their dignity, their youth,” Judge Mabey said.

The pair appealed the convictions, claiming Judge Mabey was biased, made errors assessing evidence and breached their fair trial rights by refusing to allow closing submissions.

Danny Jaz also appealed his sentence on the basis he did not receive sufficient credit for pleading guilty.

At appeal, the brothers’ lawyer Ron Mansfield KC told the court his clients did not get a fair hearing, which had led to a significant miscarriage of justice.

All appeals, except for three charges against Roberto Jaz for making an intimate visual recording, failed.

In his decision, which was reserved until Monday, Justice Cameron Mander dismissed the sentence appeal as without merit.

Despite the guilty plea, Danny Jaz showed “no remorse or acceptance of the harm he caused his victims”, he said.

Thirteen of the 14 complainants associated with those charges were still required to attend court and give evidence about “distressing matters” because Jaz continued to deny other related charges of drugging and disabling those same women, he noted.

The Jaz family ran Mama Hooch, pictured, and nearby Venuti on Colombo St. Mama Hooch’s premises has since been taken over by new owners and given a new name. David Walker / Stuff

Justice Mander also dismissed both brothers’ appeal of their conviction, with the exception of three “lesser” charges against Roberto Jaz of making an intimate visual recording, which were quashed.

However, his sentence – 17 years’ imprisonment, with a minimum period of eight years and six months – remained unchanged.

The total starting points for Roberto’s original sentences aggregated to 41 years, and the judge had already significantly reduced that to 17 years, Justice Mander said.

“When viewed overall, I do not consider the final 17-year sentence is required to be adjusted.”

Justice Mander described the trial judge’s decision to skip closing arguments as “unadvised” and demonstrating a “lack of procedural prudence”, noting that the judge appeared to have become distracted by the need to prioritise the start of a second trial.

However, “an appellant must be able to demonstrate that, as a consequence of the error or irregularity, their trial was unfair”, he said.

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