Radio New Zealand – Page 49

The electric guitar Kurt Cobain played in Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ video is expected to sell for more than US$7 million at auction in New York later this month.

The left-handed 1969 Fender Competition Mustang, which Cobain bought just before the release of the genre-defining album Nevermind, is among hundreds of items to be auctioned by Christie’s from the collection of late American billionaire Jim Irsay.

The guitar previously sold at auction in 2022 for $6.7 million ($US4.7 million), making it the most expensive electric guitar ever sold.

Kurt Cobain’s left-handed Fender Mustang is the most expensive lot listed for sale.

Christie’s

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Christie’s has acknowledged that recent investigations suggest the guitar was not used during the actual recording of Nevermind — meaning its place in rock history rests on the video, rather than the album.

“It is likely that Cobain acquired the guitar in August 1991 before the video shoot,” a sales room notice stated.

Cobain’s 1959 Martin D-18E is the most expensive acoustic guitar ever sold, with Australian Rode Microphones founder Peter Freeman buying it for $8.8 million in 2020.

The blue Mustang was used during the recording of Nirvana’s follow-up album In Utero and in a selection of live performances — surviving Cobain’s well-documented habit of smashing guitars.

“Kurt Cobain and his music defined a generation,” said Christie’s global president Alex Rotter.

“His impact continues to inspire and permeate our culture.”

Nirvana — Kris Novaselic (left), Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl — were key players in the grunge music revolution that went mainstream in the early 1990s.

YouTube: Nirvana

What else is for sale?

Irsay’s collection of nearly 400 items spans nearly a century of popular culture.

His guitar collection include’s Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour famous “Black Strat” and the acoustic guitar played by Eric Clapton during his MTV Unplugged appearance in 1992.

A stage-played “Rose-Morris” Rickenbacker guitar belonging to John Lennon, and a custom “Tiger” guitar from Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia are also on offer with million-dollar price tags.

The Beatles are well represented throughout the auction.

The first Ludwig drum kit Ringo Starr used with The Beatles, cymbals and all, is on offer, as is the logo drum head from the band’s historic appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.

“This simple kit was used on all the early Beatles recordings, and it’s on all the extraordinary tours and television shows that The Beatles did in their home country,” The Beatles historian Mark Lewisohn told Christie’s.

“The Beatles became famous on this kit.”

Guitars from Johnny Cash, George Harrison, Prince and Janis Joplin, as well as pianos belonging to Elton John and Lennon will also go under the hammer.

The Beatles logo with the “drop T” was eventually trademarked by the band.

Christie’s

Who is Jim Isray?

Irsay was an American billionaire businessman, best known as the Owner/chairman/CEO of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team.

He took over the club from his father in 1997 and helped turn it into Super Bowl champions in 2006.

He died in his sleep in May 2025.

At the time of his death, Forbes estimated his net wealth at $US4.8 billion.

Jack Kerouac wrote his iconic On The Road on a 36-metre long scroll of taped-together paper.

Christie’s

Is it just instruments?

In short, no.

The original typescript scroll of On The Road by Jack Kerouac will go under the hammer for the first time in 25 years.

Kerouac typed the novel on a 36-metre continuous roll of taped-together paper, without paragraphs or chapter breaks, during a a 20-day writing marathon in New York in 1951.

It is the most expensive literary manuscript ever sold at auction, fetching $US2.4 million in 2001.

Other highlights include the saddle Secretariat wore during the 1973 Triple Crown, an Apple II manual signed by Steve Jobs, Sylvester Stallone’s handwritten script notebook from Rocky, and Hunter S. Thompson’s 1973 Chevrolet Caprice convertible — the “Red Shark” featured in the film adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

The volleyball prop known as “Wilson” from the film Cast Away is also among the lots.

Secretariat’s saddle includes four removable lead weights each inscribed Ron Turcotte, the name of the horse’s jockey.

Christie’s

‘Bargain’ finds

The Irsay auction is extensive, but not everything is priced in the millions.

An illustrated print of Jesse Owens and John Woodruff at the 1936 Berlin Olympics is among lots estimated to sell for less than $300, alongside a guitar slide owned by Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, a brochure on Islam signed by Muhammad Ali, and a signed photograph of golfer Ben Hogan.

A portion of the proceeds of the sales will be donated to philanthropic causes supported by Irsay during his lifetime.

Almost 400 items will be sold across four auctions at Christie’s New York, with some online bidding starting from March 3

Cobain’s guitar is among the Hall of Fame lots, which go under the hammer on 12 March.

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March 11, 2026

Northland rough sleepers face more than 800 day wait for home through Housing First

Source: Radio New Zealand

Rough sleepers in New Plymouth, in Northland rough sleepers are typically waiting for more than 800 days for a home through Housing First. RNZ / Robin Martin

In Northland, rough sleepers typically wait more than 800 days for a home through the Housing First. The nationwide programme helps chronically homeless people into housing. It’s effective, and successive governments of both stripes support it. But a Northland provider says “horrendous” wait times are driven by a lack of funding, and a lack of homes. Lauren Crimp reports.

Casey Tangira, her husband, four kids and niece spent four months living in a car in 2024.

They had been in the same rental in the Northland town of Opua for eight years – but their landlord needed the house back, and they had nowhere else to go.

They parked up at a local rugby clubrooms, and showered at a freedom camping facility nearby.

But winter hit, and it got too cold, so they sought shelter with their in-laws.

Ten people crammed into a two-bedroom converted shed in Northland, sleeping on couches and mattresses on the floor.

“It was hectic, very stressful, just on edge all the time,” Tangira said.

Finally, after just over a year registered with Housing First through Ngāti Hine Health Trust, they were placed into a home near Moerewa, in the trust’s housing development.

“Were just so over the moon, that we could have a house of our own … and we could just be settled.”

The kids were not themselves when they were homeless, Tangira said. In their new home, they have their sparkle back.

“Just seeing my children waking up every morning and smiling and having their own beds… it’s my kids that I worry about the most,” she said.

“We’re just so grateful to Ngāti Hine every day.”

Northland, Bay of Plenty rough sleepers face longest wait

Tangira’s story is not unusual in Northland. In fact, a year-long wait is shorter than what’s typical: 826 days, from being accepted into Housing First, to being housed.

Bay of Plenty has the next longest median wait time of 566 days.

In other regions it’s between 100 and 300 days, aside from Waikato, where it’s 70 days.

The housing ministry allocates Housing First “places” – that is, funding for a person to be housed – to providers like Ngāti Hine Health Trust, who find homes for rough sleepers, often leasing them through the private market.

The ministry said at the end of January there were 3613 households in the programme, of which 2596 had been housed.

That leaves more than 1000 people who have sought help – and been told they could get it – still waiting.

Ngāti Hine Health Trust chief executive Tamati Shepherd-Wipiiti said its allocation of 60 places is full, and up to 100 people are on the wait-list.

Single men, often just released from prison, usually wait the longest, he said.

That’s because “in these constrained times” the Trust is forced to make tough choices, and prioritise.

“You have to draw a line about what you find unacceptable. And for us, that’s families in cars,” Shepherd-Wipiiti said.

“We won’t have families in cars.”

He said the problem was twofold: housing supply, and funding.

In Moerewa and Kawakawa, there aren’t enough homes to lease from the private market, so Ngāti Hine is building some.

In Whangārei, the Trust could house 10 whānau immediately – if it had sufficient Housing First places, Shepherd-Wipiiti said.

He’s asked the housing ministry to consider upping its allocation.

The government funded an extra 300 Housing First places last year for Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.

Tamati Shepherd-Wipiiti wants the government to think smarter about the distribution.

“It was a bit sad to hear that some providers aren’t actually reaching their cap because, if we run this sort of as a national network, we could easily fill that gap for people who are actually struggling to fill their cap,” he said.

However, the shortage isn’t just felt in Northland – Auckland City Missioner Helen Robinson has said her city alone needed 1000 more places.

A South Auckland house which has been allocated under the Housing First programme which places chronically homeless people into permanent housing. RNZ / Eva Corlett

National, Labour won’t commit to more funding

Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka said since September nearly 500 rough sleepers had been housed through Housing First, and the government was spending “hundreds of millions, billions of dollars into supporting people who have been doing it tough in this space”.

He said households and providers must navigate “challenging social circumstances and local housing market conditions” to secure appropriate housing.

RNZ asked whether an 800-day wait time was acceptable.

“I don’t think anyone is happy to see people doing it tough on the street or living in a rough space,” Potaka said.

“No one wants to see Kiwis living under a bush, in a car, in a cowshed.

“And that’s why we’ve been really clear, we want the funds that we have applied to this space to be used efficiently and effectively.”

Labour’s housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said the need for Housing First jumped after the [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/525607/government-was-warned-emergency-housing-crackdown-could-increase-homelessness

government made it tougher to access emergency housing] nearly two years ago.

“When you consider that they’ve saved a billion dollars by keeping people on the street … the amount that they’ve put into Housing First is an absolute fraction of that,” he said.

“It is a drop of water into an empty bucket.”

But he would not commit a potential Labour government to boosting Housing First support.

McAnulty said that call would be made after it considered this year’s budget, so it knows what money it had to work with.

While politicians battle over budgets, Casey Tangira thinks about other vulnerable people in her community, who she noticed when she was living in her car.

“Down the park and behind the library and that there was a lot of other homeless people too,” she said.

“I just want to bring them all home.”

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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/2026/03/11/northland-rough-sleepers-face-more-than-800-day-wait-for-home-through-housing-first/

March 11, 2026

Weather: Strong winds, heavy rain loom as tropical low nears New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Rain forecast for 4pm Wednesday. MetService

A weather alert has been issued as a tropical storm nears the north of the country.

A tropical low is expected to lie north of New Zealand on Wednesday afternoon, bringing southeast gales and heavy rain to the north.

MetService has issued a strong wind watch for the Far North District from 1pm to 11pm on Wednesday. There was a moderate chance the watch could be upgraded to a warning.

Civil Defence Northland is advising people to take extra care on the roads and check they are prepared for any potential power outages caused by strong winds

From Thursday, the forecasting agency said the system is expected to move and reach Auckland.

Meanwhile, another front moves onto Fiordland, bringing strong northwesterlies and heavy rain.

MetService said there is low confidence that warning amounts of rain will accumulate in Northland, northern Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula, but moderate confidence that warning amounts of rain will accumulate in Fiordland.

Come Friday, the remnants of the low and the associated front are expected to move across the northern half of the North Island, while the front over Fiordland moves northeast over the remainder of the South Island.

“There is low confidence that warning amounts of rain will accumulate from Northland through to Taupō, also northern Gisborne/Tairawhiti, and from northwest Tasman to Westland, but moderate confidence that warning amounts of rain will accumulate in Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty and Fiordland,” MetService said.

The rain is expected to ease by Saturday morning.

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March 11, 2026

Athletics comes out of hibernation in New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Sam Tanner and Sam Ruthe, 800m, Potts Classic, Mitre 10 Park, Hastings. Kerry Marshall/Photosport

Sam Ruthe has set the world alight with his speed but he’s far from the only Kiwi track and field athlete making waves right now

When RNZ sports reporter Grant Chapman was a budding athlete in the 1970s he went along to international athletics meets to score autographs from the world champions visiting the country. They were there to compete with the likes of middle distance star Sir John Walker.

But for decades since those heady days of track medals on the world stage, athletics has more or less been in hibernation when it comes to profile.

“Nick Willis probably bridged that gap, won a couple of Olympic medals in the 1500 metres,” says Chapman. “He was a world class performer for us in middle distance running, but there has probably been a gap between say the 90s and now in athletics where it’s kind of slid back – it’s lost a lot of ground.

“I think a lot of other sports have come through in that time. One of them … was basketball which has emerged as a so-called ‘sleeping giant’ and is now probably one of our top five or six sports in the country. I think the sporting landscape in New Zealand has become way more diverse than it was in the 90s.

“The really cool thing about athletics in New Zealand at the moment is, I think Sam Ruthe and his emergence over the last couple of years has really captured the public imagination.

“I think that’s got a lot to do with the fact that New Zealand has a big tradition in middle distance running. You go back to Jack Lovelock, Peter Snell, Murray Halberg, John Walker, Rod Dixon, Dick Quax.”

Sam Ruthe, for anyone living in a box, is the 16-year-old who’s rewritten the history books, now holding every New Zealand under-20 title from the 800m to the 5000m.

A month ago he shattered the record for the mile set by Sir John Walker in 1982, 44 years ago.

He’s stunned the world – but he’s not the only champion we can expect to see hogging the limelight in July at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. (Presuming he’s going – the team hasn’t been named yet.)

Today on The Detail, Chapman talks about the athletics renaissance.

It’s gone from being a sport that only really surfaced at the Olympics or Commonwealth Games, to selling out an Auckland stadium over the weekend in an event branded “Track Stars”, where the national championships were hyped and packaged for TV, and broadcast live.

That follows hard on the heels of a good haul for athletics at the Halberg Awards, where high jumper Hamish Kerr took out the Supreme Award.

Chapman says when he was interviewing Kerr recently he told him about a meet in Christchurch where there were some good athletes, but they weren’t world-class athletes.

“He said they were leaving the venue and all these kids started swarming them for autographs and they were completely like, ‘what’s going on here? Why do you want my autograph?’

“And Hamish is trying to tell them, you are inspiring these kids. And that’s the kind of interaction that has been maybe missing over the years, and the more opportunities you can create for that to happen can only be good for the sport.”

Making sure athletes can see a pathway to the top is important, says Chapman, and now they have role models to look up to. That was more difficult for the likes of high jumper Kerr, in a sport where New Zealand didn’t have a record.

Now an Olympic gold medallist, Kerr had to be convinced that he could create the pathway for others.

“Which he’s done – and hopefully now we will have kids seeing that it’s possible, and following him down that pathway.”

Parents and family are also important, and it helps if athletes have people around them who’ve succeeded in the past – Ruthe is a classic example of a family with a pedigree.

“Again going back to that ‘see it and be it’ saying, I mean he’s lived it – his whole family has lived it,” he says.

But Chapman does have a concern about Ruthe’s trajectory.

“He’s achieved so much at such a young age, and suddenly now there’s this bandwagon that everyone is jumping on. That has got to affect you as a person, as a kid. He seems like a great kid … but I worry about how having this much attention on him will affect him.”

And Chapman says, just quietly, Sam’s younger sister Daisy, who is also performing above her age and showing a lot of promise, could be the best in the family.

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

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

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/11/athletics-comes-out-of-hibernation-in-new-zealand/

March 11, 2026

Government seeks information from police on rescue helicopter deployment after complaints

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government is seeking advice about how rescue helicopters are being deployed. Samuel Rillstone

The government is seeking advice from police about how rescue helicopters are being deployed.

RNZ has reported on Fire and Emergency lines rescue teams who do cliff rescues, who are upset they must go through police to get a chopper and are sometimes being turned down.

“Confirming the minister has sought advice from police and expects to receive that soon,” said Mark Mitchell’s office.

RNZ has also heard of frustrations among lifeguards and helicopter crew themselves about police gatekeeping of choppers.

An agreement in 2022 in rescue circles reiterated police were the lead agency on most search-and-rescue callouts.

Health NZ and St John in the last two years had reminded FENZ that its teams were not allowed to call out an air ambulance chopper off their own bat but must go through police.

FENZ told RNZ recently there had been “some discussion amongst our people” about the impact of the 2022 change to chopper callout procedures.

“We sought to discuss and confirm [with HNZ] our understanding of the details of the change to procedure, namely that requests for contracted air ambulance helicopters to transport Fire and Emergency lines rescue teams to incidents must come from a search and rescue coordination agency which is either Police or the Rescue Coordination Centre,” said national manager of response capability Ken Cooper.

The centre handles major rescues, while police handle most other rescues.

Cooper was part of an email chain among lines rescue personnel and managers alarmed after being turned down by police for a chopper to go to a cliff rescue in January 2025, and who said this type of thing was happening repeatedly.

Police admitted they made a wrong decision at the cliff rescue at Hahei.

“We have now clarified the procedures, and our people clearly understand them,” Cooper told RNZ.

“Fire and Emergency personnel take their responsibility for serving and keeping their communities safe in a timely way very seriously.”

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March 11, 2026

Otago Peninsula officially declared possum free

Source: Radio New Zealand

Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group chairperson Hoani Langsbury is congratulating the community for reaching possum free, saying it would not have been possible without them. Supplied

Otago Peninsula has been officially declared possum-free after years of hard mahi.

The milestone was officially marked on Tuesday with more than 24,000 possums removed from about 10,000 hectares.

For more than 15 years, the community has led the charge to eliminate possums on the Otago Peninsula.

Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group chairperson Hoani Langsbury said they would not have reached possum free without the community and many volunteers.

“Being community driven has enabled us to get onto nearly all of the properties. There’s virtually no one on the Otago Peninsula now that probably even realises that we still had possums up until recently because roadkill is something that the generations coming through now have never seen,” he said.

A possum trapped in the Otago region in 2024. Supplied

They have been waiting to mark this milestone for close to a year, and he was thrilled the community could finally celebrate the years of mahi.

It was far from easy terrain, covering steep cliff faces, farmland, gullies and bush to the backyards, villages and popular tourist trails.

Having new technology meant they could ramp up their efforts, he said.

“We have live capture traps in people’s backyards because they don’t want their pets getting caught up, through to cliff faces where it’s impossible for our volunteers or staff to get down, where drones and helicopters had to be used, Langsbury said.

Tūī, pīwakawaka and bellbird had all returned to the Peninsula and they were spreading the seeds that were now able to survive on trees, he said.

“It’s almost like a human-induced mast event where we have so much seed out there that, as long as we have plenty of birds to distribute it, we will see the peninsula come back naturally, and if we can augment that by the community helping with regenerational rewilding, the future can only be positive for the Otago Peninsula.”

Predator Free Dunedin – a collaboration of more than 20 organisations – took over the final push to eliminate possums in 2024.

It has received funding as part of the government’s goal to eliminate stoats, rats, possums and feral cats by 2050.

Project lead Rhys Millar said the project was existing on the smell of an oily rag in the early days and he did not think elimination was possible on such a limited budget despite the hard mahi.

Rhys Millar. Supplied/Predator Free Dunedin

It was a breakthrough moment when the Predator Free 2050 funding kicked in, he said.

Becoming possum free was a massive accomplishment, Millar said.

But it had been a challenge tracking down the last possums.

“Possums inhabit every little nook and cranny that they can so we would see a south facing, cold damp cliff as being inhospitable and not a place possums would live. They do,” he said.

“They will inhabit backyards and live in a tiny little heap next to a compost bin.”

They have been using a mix of technology to hunt them down including AI traps, thermal drones and even man’s best friend.

“The dog, probably not such modern technology, but having a focused scat dog in the team … has been the biggest detection device, the most useful detection device because it’s in real time.

“Scout can detect the scat and then we can allocate resource to that immediately.”

Detection dog Scout sniffs for scat to find possums. Supplied/Predator Free Dunedin

Department of Conservation strategic projects manager Brent Beaven said it was a great win.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? The community’s been working a long time toward getting a possum free peninsula and that extra investment and focus associated with Predator Free achieved an eradication or an elimination of possums,” he said.

The community had been championing this project for years, Beaven said.

“Predator Free’s one of those goals across the country that can only succeed if communities buy into it and contribute to it so this is everyone’s business.

“We won’t achieve it unless we’ve got communities onboard.”

The country was doing really well towards its Predator Free 2050 goal, he said.

But the mahi was not over now the Otago Peninsula was possum free.

Hoani Langsbury said the Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group had been talking with Ōtākou Runaka and the Otago Peninsula Trust about what was next.

“We’re already starting to talk about what next species look like, which ones we might need to suppress, which ones we may be able to eliminate and we’re not put off by the fact that it’s going to be another intergenerational project like the 17 years it took us to remove the possum,” Langsbury said.

For Predator Free Dunedin, its efforts would be shifting across the harbour to support The Halo Project and implement a pilot programme to eliminate possums, stoats, other mustelids and feral cats around Orokonui Ecosanctuary – about 2000 hectares.

The Halo Project, a delivery partner of Predator Free Dunedin, checks the elimination efforts in the Silver Peaks near Dunedin. Supplied/Predator Free Dunedin

Native birds were flourishing behind the pest proof fence, but once they left the safety of the ecosanctuary, he said they could become easy prey.

They also wanted to hold onto their community’s possum free win with an extensive AI live trapping network in the buffer zone and a request to residents to report any signs of possums.

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March 11, 2026

Air Chathams announces $20 fuel surcharge on fares

Source: Radio New Zealand

An Air Chathams plane. RNZ / Robin Martin

Regional airline Air Chathams has announced it is introducing a $20 fuel surcharge on all flights due to increased aviation fuel prices.

The announcement came a few hours after Air New Zealand raised its fare prices on Tuesday, adding it could be forced to raise them again and review routes.

In its statement, Air Chathams said aviation fuel prices in New Zealand “have risen significantly” due to the war in the Middle East.

The critical Hormuz Strait, a shipping route for up to 20 percent of the world oil is essentially closed due to the conflict in the region.

The price of jet fuel has been fluctuating wildly since the conflict broke out, and has at times gone up more than 120 percent.

Air Chathams’ $20 charge will be added to ticket prices at the time of booking but will not apply to existing fares.

“This surcharge will be reviewed regularly and will be removed once fuel prices return to more normal levels,” the airline said.

Air New Zealand was raising one-way economy fares by $10 on domestic routes, $20 on short-haul international services and $90 on long-haul flights, with further price, network and schedule changes possible if jet fuel costs remain elevated, according to a Reuters report.

The national carrier has suspended the earnings guidance it issued less than two weeks ago because of what it said was unprecedented volatility in jet fuel markets.

The airline expects a meaningful impact on its seccond-half earnings.

Reuters also reported that Qantas was increasing international fares, and was exploring options to redeploy capacity to Europe as airlines seek to evade disruptions in the Middle East.

Singapore Airlines has raised fares to Europe by $140 for a return ticket.

Travel agent Vincent George told Checkpoint the price increase was not only to do with fuel costs, but also supply and demand.

“With the demise of some of the airlines travelling through the Middle East, which were some of the hugest carriers out of New Zealand, Qatar and Emirates, then we’re looking at people travelling on other routes.

“As these routes get taken up and the capacity gets lower not only is the airfare going to increase a little because of aviation fuel, but also because of supply and demand.”

George said travellers hoping to visit the Northern Hemisphere should book their flights as soon as possible to avoid any further price increases.

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March 11, 2026

Indian drag artist on embracing her past, fighting for her future

Source: Radio New Zealand

Sunita Torrance (right), who goes by the stage name Coco Flash, and Daniel Lockett, also known as Erika Flash, hosted roughly 250 Rainbow Storytime events in New Zealand. Supplied

Sunita Torrance grew up in the rural Taranaki town of Stratford feeling largely distant from her Indian heritage.

The 46-year-old was born into one of the oldest Indian families in the country, but her parents didn’t seem to cling to their South Asian heritage.

“My family … were the only Indian family in Taranaki through most of my life up until I was about 20,” Torrance said.

“My mum and I didn’t necessarily embrace our Indian heritage all that much and we were very Western.”

Torrance’s family originally hails from the Indian state of Gujarat, and she spoke Gujarati as a child.

However, Torrance found identity to be confusing growing up in a place where differences stood out.

“I thought I was Māori [when I was a young child] but [I had] a weird name, and [later] found out that I was Indian,” she said.

“It took a little bit of time to figure out my identity a little bit.”

There were few Indian families in Taranaki when she was growing up, she said, and even fewer Indian restaurants.

As a child, she changed her name to Sunny, thinking it would be easier for people to pronounce and remember.

“But, also, I wasn’t really all that proud of being Indian back then,” she said.

“I didn’t understand it then but I’m now proud of my heritage and probably identify a lot more with that side than anything.”

Her first trip to India at 15 did little to spark that pride.

“I was 15 years old, you know, hormonal teenage girl,” she said.

“I had left my boyfriend in New Plymouth – and he was my life – and I was stuck in this awful village with a long trip for a toilet.”

Her relationship with her culture began to shift around the age of 18, when Indian influences appeared more prominently in mainstream pop culture.

“There were touches of Indian culture in mainstream pop culture like the Pussycat Dolls having Indian themes to their music and wearing saris and it was just, like, okay, so being Indian is quite cool [and] that’s when I kind of figured out maybe I should actually get into this,” she said.

Over time, Torrance said she came to see her culture as something to celebrate rather than hide.

She travelled to India again last year with her mother and said she now loved visiting the country.

Torrance said she began performing drag to support one of her best friends, who wanted to try it but did not want to attempt it alone.

She later began performing alongside Daniel Lockett, also known as Erica Flash.

What started as support for a friend grew into something much bigger, with Torrance eventually adopting the stage name Coco Flash.

“[And] it just developed into something bigger and then my allyship and activism in regard to the rainbow community really grew from that as well,” she said.

Torrance went on to host the first Pride festival in Taranaki and helped establish initiatives such as Taranaki Pride, Outfest and Out and Proud Taranaki to support rainbow communities.

Sunita Torrance said her business income dropped from about $150,000 to $30,000 in the past year. Supplied

Encountering threats of violence

Inspired by Drag Queen Story Hour in the United States, a South Taranaki librarian approached Torrance and Lockett about launching a similar children’s event in New Zealand.

This eventually became Rainbow Storytime.

The duo toured the country twice, performing at about 130 libraries and holding roughly 250 sessions before protests by Destiny Church halted shows in 2024.

In April 2024, Torrance and Lockett cancelled a nationwide Rainbow Storytime tour due to threats of violence.

Around the same time, two rainbow pedestrian crossings in Auckland and Hastings were vandalised, and multiple Rainbow Storytime events were cancelled in Hastings and Rotorua.

In February 2025, about 30 adults and children were barricaded into a room at a West Auckland library after a group linked to Destiny Church attempted to disrupt a Pride Festival event in Te Atatū.

Torrance said the fallout had taken a heavy personal toll.

“We were on the rise, we were getting keynote speaker invites and we felt it was super positive and then it’s all come crashing down and I can’t even do any of my shows that have a drag twist to it just because of safety and even the Rocky Horror Picture Show, which I’ve been touring for nine years, I haven’t been able to do that.”

In 2024, Haus of Flash, one of Torrance’s companies, filed defamation proceedings against Brian Tamaki and Destiny Church in the Auckland High Court, seeking just over $2 million in damages over alleged attacks on their Rainbow Storytime events.

Drag artist Sunita Torrance speaks to reporters outside Auckland High Court in June 2024. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Torrance said the case carried wider significance beyond the rainbow community, particularly as other groups faced backlash.

In January, Sikh community leaders called for calm and dialogue after two Nagar Kirtan religious processions were disrupted in Auckland and Tauranga.

Videos later posted by Brian Tamaki showed protesters approaching members of the Sikh community wearing shirts with slogans such as “Kiwis first”, “Keep NZ, NZ” and “True patriot”, alongside a banner reading: “This is New Zealand, not India”.

In February, hundreds of people gathered at separate protests, prompting police cordons and some road closures.

Destiny Church-affiliated Freedom and Rights Coalition protesters assembled at Victoria Park before attempting to cross the Harbour Bridge only to be stopped by a police cordon.

A second protest on the same day, led by Toitū te Aroha, called for solidarity among diverse communities.

“It sickens me, it honestly does,” Torrance said.

“It was already personal with the rainbow community, even though I’m not a part of that community, but now he’s attacking hardworking Indians, people who have really built the foundation of our country along with other cultures.”

Despite the turmoil, Torrance tried to remain hopeful.

“I also think that the Indian community, or all communities really, they just need to show strength in numbers,” she said.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/11/indian-drag-artist-on-embracing-her-past-fighting-for-her-future/

March 11, 2026

Immigration NZ investigated 146 allegations against staff in five years

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ

Immigration New Zealand says 47 staff members have faced disciplinary action in the last five years for breaching its integrity standards.

It has investigated 146 allegations over the same period.

INZ would not go into details, but said integrity matters could range from dishonesty and not declaring conflicts of interest, to inappropriate access of systems and fraud.

Its head, Alison McDonald, said there has been no staff member dismissed recently because of corruption.

Staff disciplined over the 47 allegations, which were substantiated, or partially substantiated, since 2021, were dealt with by dismissals, warnings, training or letter of expectations.

“The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) does not tolerate instances of fraud, corruption, dishonesty or harassment,” she said. “Any such allegations are taken extremely seriously. When we are made aware of any issues we act promptly, and any allegations are investigated.

“MBIE, of which INZ is part, sets clear and reasonable expectations of conduct and behaviour for all employees. All INZ staff are expected to act with the highest level of integrity and make fair decisions without bias.”

Staff and managers complete modules on MBIE’s fraud, corruption and dishonesty policy as part of their induction, and employees have training sessions on integrity, she added.

“Additionally, staff receive regular communication from their managers, which includes reminders about our policy, the process for raising integrity concerns, as well as specific security threats.

“Any member of staff who has concerns about the integrity of the Immigration system is encouraged to raise the issue, either with their manager or through MBIE’s integrity line, so it can be investigated. Any member of the public is also encouraged to use this integrity line.”

They can call 0800 33 77 33, email integrity@mbie.govt.nz or contact Crime Stoppers.

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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/2026/03/11/immigration-nz-investigated-146-allegations-against-staff-in-five-years/

March 11, 2026

Farmers fear double whammy of rising fuel and fertiliser costs from Middle East conflict

Source: Radio New Zealand

Federated Farmers arable chair David Birkett. RNZ / Conan Young

Farmers are getting nervous about the rising cost of fuel and fertiliser with the impact already being felt on farm.

The conflict in the Middle East has pushed up the price of oil which has been reflected in the price at the pump in New Zealand.

While the spot price of urea has jumped since the war began – retail prices in New Zealand had remained stable as the big fertiliser companies assured farmers they had enough product to cover the busy autumn period.

Federated Farmers arable chair David Birkett said for arable farmers it was a double whammy as they used a lot of fertiliser to grow crops and then diesel in their harvesters.

“At the moment we’re busy in the middle of harvest, so we’re using combine harvesters and a large machine that will use about a thousand litres of fuel a day.

“Then there’s trucks and tractors on top of that – so if we see an increase in price of $1 or even 50 cents a litre that’s $2000 to $4000 extra a day.”

Birkett said farmers were already feeling the pinch of rising fuel prices but were eagerly watching to see what would happen to the price and supply of fertiliser.

“The key word at the moment is uncertainty because we don’t know how long this is going to go on for, we know there is enough supply in the country for autumn, I guess for us it depends if the war continues how this will hit us in the spring.”

He said farmers were starting to hear from their fertiliser suppliers but were nervous about two things, the price and supply.

“There have been shortages before and farmers can use different products, they normally are more expensive but we have never got to the point where we’ve run out of fertiliser.

“Farmers should start planning ahead – talk with their fertiliser companies to give them an idea of what demand will be like come spring time.”

Fertiliser company Ballance Agri-Nutrients said it did not know what impact the escalation would have on price.

Chief executive Kelvin Wickham said the company had already seen significant price increases leading into this conflict and given this latest escalation and the market’s reaction it anticipated more.

Ballance Agri-Nutrients chief executive Kelvin Wickham. FONTERRA

“Upcoming shipments are mostly subject to pricing at time of shipment, as a commodity, fertiliser pricing experiences movements similar to the imported oil market.”

He also encouraged farmers to plan ahead: “Thinking ahead and creating a plan early will help us make sure we have what they need, when they need it.

“The uncertainty caused by the situation in the Middle East highlights how critical local resilience is for New Zealand. In an increasingly uncertain global environment, secure access to fertiliser matters for farmers and for the wider economy.”

Wickham said for Ballance’s Kapuni gas to urea plant it continued to be active in the gas market.

“We’re becoming more assured about the likelihood of securing longer-term supply. Our priority remains very much on maintaining locally manufactured nutrients as part of the nutrient supply mix and preserving future options.”

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LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/11/farmers-fear-double-whammy-of-rising-fuel-and-fertiliser-costs-from-middle-east-conflict/

March 11, 2026

KiwiSaver balances wobble: Is this time different?

Source: Radio New Zealand

Markets have been volatile this week as they digest the impact of the war in the Middle East. RNZ

Worried KiwiSaver members are asking: is this time different?

Markets have been volatile this week as they digest the impact of the war in the Middle East.

But some investors have been concerned the warnings of economic disruption could mean more pain to come for their KiwiSaver balances.

One woman who wrote to RNZ said she was 64 and worrying about her KiwiSaver balance falling.

“I am out of work due to illness and have no other income or support from the government … I am really counting on this money. I’m worried not much will be left.”

KiwiSaver managers say – as ever – the volatility is the price that investors pay for the returns they get on the other side, and for most people, sticking with their investment strategy is the best plan of action.

ASB chief investment officer Frank Jasper said the bank was fielding some inquiries.

“People obviously seeing headlines, especially [Monday] seeing some pretty dramatic market moves and asking questions around what’s going on.”

Jasper said, while riding it out was usually the best course of action, a downturn in markets could sometimes highlight a personality mismatch for investors.

“We do all of this risk profiling when we go into KiwiSaver and we get asked about our attitude to risk.

“And then we live through these experiences and they are visceral experiences, that really test your genuine attitude towards risk.

ASB chief investment officer Frank Jasper. Supplied / LinkedIn

“I think for some people, it’s a learning opportunity … And they realise ‘when I actually experience it, I realise that it does affect me a bit more than I thought’ … every time there’s a dramatic market move, despite the fact the long-term evidence suggests the world gets through it and we do recover, there’s a scenario you can paint where things get worse.

“Sometimes people will lean heavily on that ‘things will get worse’ scenario. Sometimes they will be right, but most of the time the world returns to normal and things are okay.”

He said, since 2009, the S&P500 had fallen more than 5 percent 32 times and continued to record all-time highs through that period. “It’s just a feature of the market.”

He said it typically took 47 days for the market to recover from a shock.

‘And then within 12 months, about 68 percent of the time, the market is higher than it was 12 months ago.”

He said persistently negative markets would usually come only when a shock become a macroeconomic crisis.

But Jasper said it was a good opportunity for people to think about whether their fund was a match for their emotional ability to cope with risk, not just their investment time horizon.

“It’s very easy to think you are relaxed if there are drawdowns or relaxed if there are shocks in the markets. It’s only living through these experiences you get to actually genuinely test what your attitude to risk is. For some people, they will experience this and go ‘you know what? I don’t sleep well at night and I’m genuinely uncomfortable about this’.

“For those people, it may be very rational to think about a different risk profile over time. But for others they’ll go ‘I’ve got 20 years left, I know these things happen. I’m okay with it’.

“If you think about any other thing in our life, if the big screen TV was on special we’d be really happy about it. Or if you could dine at your favourite restaurant bit cheaper than normal, you’d be really happy about it. The minute shares go on sale, they fall a bit, we get the chance to buy more shares in good companies that we can own for the next 120 years, we kind of get nervous about it. It’s strange behaviour in the financial markets we don’t see in any other parts of our lives.”

ANZ, the country’s biggest KiwiSaver provider, said it had been contacted by a small number of people who wanted to switch to a more conservative fund.

“In April 2025, during another recent period of market volatility, we also noticed an increase in customers contacting us to switch into more conservative funds. However, the numbers were again low – a couple of hundred – and a fraction of what we saw in March 2020.

“We think this is a reflection of how ANZ Investments, alongside other KiwiSaver providers and industry participants, have made conscious efforts to remind KiwiSaver members to stay the course.”

Milford head of KiwiSaver Murray Harris. Supplied / Milford

At Milford, head of KiwiSaver Murray Harris said it had not received many calls or questions but was telling members that markets moved up and down and this was no different.

He said investors who stuck to their goals would do better than those who tried to time the markets and switch funds to avoid a downturn, because they would often turn out to have moved at the wrong time. That could mean locking in losses and missing out on the recovery.

Morningstar NZ spokesperson Greg Bunkall said the impact on funds would depend on the performance of equity markets from now.

“To date, the KiwiSaver balanced and growth indexes Morningstar uses to track KiwiSaver funds are flat, and that doesn’t include the bounce back [Tuesday] morning.”

So what can you do if you’re worried?

You should be in a KiwiSaver fund that matches your risk profile.

If you have a long time until you need your money, you can afford to take some more risk and should get through this disruption – and others – by not paying too much attention to your KiwiSaver balance.

If you need the money soon, you should already be in a conservative fund that hopefully isn’t moving around too much.

If you’ve realised you’ve got your settings wildly wrong, and you need money now, you’ll probably need to move your investments, even if it means locking in losses.

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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/2026/03/11/kiwisaver-balances-wobble-is-this-time-different/

March 11, 2026

Cyclists frustrated by drivers illegally parking on Auckland’s cycle lanes

Source: Radio New Zealand

Two vehicles parked on the cycle lane on Orly Avenue near Māngere town centre. RNZ / Luka Forman

A South Auckland man who was hit by a car while cycling believes drivers illegally parking on cycle lanes is a safety issue in the area.

He said during busy periods some cycle lanes were clogged up with cars, forcing cyclists onto the road or footpath.

A cycling advocacy group said it was an issue right across Auckland.

Māngere man Selwyn Lilley knows the danger cars pose to cyclists – he was hit by one while coming around a roundabout near Māngere town centre on his bike.

“This car came up from Bader Drive and collected me. So I was lucky… got out of it with just with a couple of cracked ribs and a chipped pelvis. But I spent three weeks on crutches.”

Lilley no longer cycled for fear of being hit again.

There were now several cycleways covering the area around Māngere town centre, but Lilley said drivers parking over the lanes were causing problems for cyclists.

Some days it might be one or two cars, he said, but on busy weekends or when there was an event on nearby, whole streets could be clogged up.

“If you have car after car after car where the road is pretty busy. They don’t take any notification. Then they honk at you and say ‘use the cycle lane that’s what it’s been built for’.

“Most people would turn around and say ‘hey, we’ll use the cycle lane but you cars are in the way’.”

Manukau councillor Alf Filipaina. RNZ / Felix Walton

Manukau councillor Alf Filipaina said part of the problem was that there were not enough carparks for families living in new apartments in the area.

“You’ll see a lot of the cars parking on the verge, because they don’t have sufficient car parks … especially when you’ve got multiple families in there.”

“Hopefully we’ll have an alternative – I know they want to get people out of their cars but when you’ve got the car that’s for all the family members, there’s no option.”

Filipaina wanted a community campaign to encourage people to make use of the cycle lanes in the area.

“Let’s use some of our community people to sort of let them know the benefits. But also realise that sometimes we just can’t get the bikes for the kids for them to use the cycle lanes.”

Co-chair of Bike Auckland Karen Hormann said people parking on bike lanes was a problem right across the city.

“It’s forcing people riding bikes, expecting the protection of a cycleway, to be forced out into the traffic. It’s actually really unsafe.”

Co-chair of Bike Auckland Karen Hormann. Supplied

It was important to keep on top of the issue because getting people onto different modes of transport was the only way to improve congestion in Auckland, she said.

“Auckland is very congested. And drivers are getting frustrated. They’re also parking on footpaths and berms and blocking people’s access. We really need to allow for all of these different mobility modes.”

Auckland Transport (AT) head of transport and parking compliance, Rick Bidgood, said enforcement with consequences was the only real way to deal with the problem. The fine for parking on a cycle lane was $70.

As cycling was relatively new to Auckland compared to European cities, it would take time for people to recognise it as a real form of transport, Bidgood said.

AT head of active modes Tania Loveridge said when the new stretches of cycleway were being built in Mangere, it ran a targeted communications campaign edcuating people about changes to parking.

There had been an average five percent growth per year in cycling across Auckland over the past three years, Loveridge said.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/11/cyclists-frustrated-by-drivers-illegally-parking-on-aucklands-cycle-lanes/

March 11, 2026

Christchurch Hospital staffing ‘like moving the deck chairs around on the Titanic’, worker says

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Christchurch Hospital is working on ways to manage an expected influx of patients sick with winter illnesses like Covid-19 and the flu, as the nurses’ union warns the emergency department is already bursting at the seams and understaffed.

The Nurses Organisation said the hospital hit 108 percent capacity on Monday morning, with ED a pinch point.

Union delegate and Christchurch Hospital healthcare assistant Al Dietschin said the ED was seeing more than 400 patients per day, some of whom had to wait in corridors.

“It’s been chronic for some time the busyness. We haven’t seen numbers drop over summer it’s been kind of relentless. That just puts so much pressure on the workforce and obviously affects patient care,” he said.

“It’s horrendous but unfortunately it seems to be the new normal.

“On the ground what it looks like in ED is an overwhelmed department where patients are waiting in corridors. We get a situation when the wards are all so full you can have a bed lock occur.”

Otago University Professor Michael Baker said New Zealand was in its ninth Covid-19 wave, with hospitalisations and deaths climbing.

Otago University Professor Michael Baker. supplied / Otago University Wellington

Wastewater analysis from PHF Science showed the number of cases was at its highest rate for more than six months and the latest Health New Zealand figures showed there had been 50 hospitalisations and 19 deaths with the virus in the past week.

Covid-19 was filling up hospitals, and everyone needed to “act to reduce impact”, Baker said.

Dietschin there were too few staff at Christchurch Hospital for the number of patients and the situation would only get worse over winter.

“It’s quite scary because staff get sick as well and that just increases the short staffing. It just causes sort of a rationing of care which then contributes to the moral injury and burnout of staff,” he said.

He said staff were being regularly redeployed from one area of the hospital to another to meet the shortage.

“It’s kind of a bit like moving the deck chairs around on the Titanic,” he said.

“We’re short of RNs [registered nurses], we’re short of healthcare assistants, we’re short of doctors, we’re short of midwives and Te Whatu Ora and this government don’t seem to be addressing it. We need a massive increase in funding in public healthcare.”

The union had been in bargaining with health authorities over safe staffing levels for 18 months, Dietschin said.

“The increase in presentations within the ED department, that’s partly a result of primary healthcare that’s failing, where people aren’t being caught early so they become more acutely unwell and present in ED,” he said.

Health New Zealand said Christchurch’s ED was busier than usual at the end of the weekend, but put that down to acute trauma demand rather than staffing shortages. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Health New Zealand Canterbury operations group director Hamish Brown said Christchurch’s ED was busier than usual at the end of the weekend.

“Our team saw an average 423 patients over the weekend (394 on Saturday and 451 on Sunday), which is 22 patients more compared with the previous weekend and 35 more compared to the same time last March,” he said.

“This pressure was primarily related to acute trauma demand affecting the emergency department and wards rather than staffing shortages.

“We had, and continue to have, staff to cover to meet demand, and our teams actively managed the situation to minimise any impact on care. At very busy times there may be some waits for a bed space to become available, however patients are only discharged when they are well enough.”

Brown said anyone who needed urgent or emergency care should come to ED without delay or call 111.

“We encourage those with non-urgent concerns to consider other options for access to acute care, including the free Healthline (0800 611 116) to speak to a registered nurse, or local GPs, healthcare providers and community pharmacies,” he said.

Initiatives had been put in place or were being worked on at the hospital to help manage the anticipated high winter demand for illnesses like Covid-19, flu, and other respiratory conditions, Brown said.

Kidney patients in Christchurch were also being warned dialysis treatment may have to be rationed because of staffing shortages and a lack of space at the hospital.

In a letter to patients and seen by RNZ, the hospital’s kidney department said some patients might be asked to change treatment days, times or locations to manage the pressure.

Dr Curtis Walker from the Board of Kidney Health New Zealand told Morning Report it was a difficult situation.

“It’s incredibly disruptive for patients. I’ve got patients on dialysis who are trying to run a business, who are trying to get kids to school, trying to look after elderly parents and the last thing they need is even more uncertainty in what’s already a pretty challenging treatment,” he said.

“Most patients need three dialysis sessions a week and if they don’t they start to feel unwell or even worse they can get fluid build up or potassium build up and that can have fatal consequences.”

Dr Curtis Walker from the Board of Kidney Health New Zealand. RNZ / Karen Brown

Walker says dialysis demand was placing stress across the country and was projected to get worse.

“There are 12 main dialysis units in New Zealand and all of them are under stress and strain,” he said.

“All of them say they can’t dialyse all their patients according to the patient’s preference, all of them report a lack of physical capacity and funding and over half have said we’ve had to reduce hours or delay dialysis when patients start dialysis.”

Brown said Health New Zealand was considering options for addressing the problems at the Christchurch unit.

“In 2024, an existing inpatient room was repurposed to add four further dialysis chairs. Longer term options include building a new unit, or re-purposing an existing larger space as well as exploring chairs in more remote sites such as Ashburton, so dialysis care can be provided closer to home for those patients,” he said.

“Advertising for a senior medical officer and approximately six FTE nurses is already underway to meet the immediate need for extra sessions for dialysis in Canterbury.”

Heath New Zealand acknowledged kidney disease was a growing challenge nationally and said it was working to strengthen renal care, increase capacity and improve early detection.

Over the past year it had increased dialysis shifts in several high-demand regions and invested in new and upgraded dialysis units, including the new $40 million Waikato Renal Centre.

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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/2026/03/11/christchurch-hospital-staffing-like-moving-the-deck-chairs-around-on-the-titanic-worker-says/

March 11, 2026

‘I’ve had some dark moments’: Former Black Cap Luke Woodcock opens up on cancer diagnosis

Source: Radio New Zealand

Former Black Cap Luke Woodcock knew something was seriously wrong late last year when he had trouble catching a cricket ball.

The cricketer-turned-coach started experiencing symptoms in October. It started with chronic fatigue, then came the random vomiting and loss of appetite.

By December his balance and co-ordination went awry, his vision became blurry, and he had a couple of bad falls.

And while doing some coaching at a college cricket tournament he had trouble simply throwing and catching a ball.

“You’d think that I had never played cricket before,” Woodcock said.

After another trip to the GP, the 43-year-old was referred to a neurologist. Three MRIs later he received the news on 21 January that he had a large cancerous brain tumour.

Three weeks later, the father of two underwent urgent surgery to try to remove the tumour. The associated risks with the surgery were significant, including the prospect of having to learn to walk again but Woodcock came out of it well.

However, surgeons were only able to get 80 percent of the tumour out.

“The last 20 percent, I think it’s on the right side of my spine where the stem cells are leading back up to the brain, just where it was unfortunately they couldn’t operate on that and that was a risk of potentially being paralysed through the face, my talking, stuff around my throat.”

Luke Woodcock played seven white ball games for the Black Caps between 2010 and 2011 and enjoyed a first-class career for Wellington that spanned 17 years. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Despite feeling well post-surgery and exceeding doctors expectations with his rate of recovery, he was later told that the remaining 20 percent was an aggressive grade four tumour.

“Unfortunately it’s terminal and getting told you’ve got 14 to 18 months to live was a bit of a shock… that was obviously pretty tough,” said Woodcock.

“I’ve had some dark moments post then, I’ve been working through that, really enjoy the day time but night time and sleeping was really difficult post hearing that.”

The next phase for Woodcock will be undergoing radiation and chemotherapy, which will not stop the tumour completely but can keep it at bay.

Woodcock and his partner Jacqui Incledon have been trying to navigate the New Zealand health system and explore all the treatment options available, including non-funded drugs. They are also investigating what treatment options might be available overseas, which are extremely expensive.

Incledon said it has taken a lot of time, energy and research.

“It really started in mid October last year – we had a total of 10 different doctors that we saw up until Christmas and four ED [emergency department] visits before we even got to an MRI, which was frustrating,” Incledon said.

“Having to spend a lot of energy with unknowns as to what could possibly be the cause of Luke’s sickness, we’ve had everything from stomach ulcers, to gall stones, to long-Covid, never did we imagine cancer.

“We’re just putting everything at it, making sure that all our energy can go into prolonging things for Luke.”

Facing a three month wait in the public system, the family elected to go private for Woodcock’s surgery.

Luke Woodcock’s partner, Jacqui Incledon, says navigating the public health system has been challenging. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Day to day life now for Woodcock is about making the most of this period when he is feeling good before his next phase of treatment.

“I get up early, I’ve got some rehab exercises, do a bit of meditation and some breathing that I do.

“Jacqui and I just get out for walks… we find a local cafe and try and do some things with my kids and stuff that I enjoy because for basically three or four months I couldn’t do that, I was stuck at home. I couldn’t play my golf, couldn’t play my tennis or just hang out.”

Next week, Woodcock is looking forward to returning to some part-time work at Wellington College.

Woodcock’s brother Leigh recently set up a Givealittle page to help raise funds for his treatment and ease the everyday financial pressures on the family.

Woodcock, who describes himself as a fairly private person, said the support he had received when news of his illness spread had been overwhelming.

“That influx, the Givealittle page… a lot of people have reached out, people I haven’t spoken to for a while. It’s been incredible, I can’t thank everyone enough and just every little bit, some fund-raising things that are happening, it means a lot.”

From Firebirds stalwart to influential coach

Woodcock played seven white ball games for the Black Caps between 2010 and 2011 and enjoyed a first-class career for Wellington that spanned 17 years.

The Wellington Firebirds record holder retired at the end of the 2018-2019 season before going full time into coaching.

Woody, as he is affectionately known, was part of the Wellington Blaze coaching team for several years until joining the sports department at Wellington College in the middle of last year.

Luke Woodcock and Amelia Kerr celebrate the Wellington Blaze’s Super Smash T20 title win at Eden Park in 2024. Kerr says Woodcock played a big role in her development.. Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

Through coaching the Wellington Blaze, Woodcock played a big part in the development of White Ferns players such as current captain Melie Kerr, who was shocked to hear the news.

Kerr, a right-arm leg-spin bowler and top-order batter, said she enjoyed talking tactics with Woodcock, who bowled left-arm spin during his career.

“In the women’s game you’ve seen spin dominate the game, left arm spin dominate the game, so I loved to use and abuse his shoulder and practice facing a lot of left-arm spin in the nets against him,” Kerr said.

Kerr said winning the T20 Super Smash title in her first full year as captain of the Blaze in 2024, was one of her favourite cricket memories.

“It was such a special title to win with that group and captaining it also meant a whole lot more – working closely with the coaches and just trying to help the team as well. There’s a photo that’s been shared of Woody and I with the trophy hugging, and it’s a really special photo to me and you can kind of see from that picture as well how much it meant to him to win that title as well.

“As a coach who I think worked in the men’s game before coming into the women’s game, to offer that passion and see how much he enjoyed seeing the success of others when we won that title, it was a pretty cool moment to have it captured as well.”

White Fern Maddy Green was also coached by Woodcock at the Blaze.

“He was really influential for me, I would often bat with him a lot through the winter and he’d throw me lots of balls and was always really generous with his time – you can just see he lives and breathes cricket.”

Blaze and White Fern veteran Jess Kerr described Woodcock as a bit of a “teddy bear” whose reputation as a hard worker around Cricket Wellington and New Zealand Cricket is “exceptional.”

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/11/ive-had-some-dark-moments-former-black-cap-luke-woodcock-opens-up-on-cancer-diagnosis/

March 11, 2026

Court ruling ‘brought justice to Te Tai Tokerau voters’, Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi says

Source: Radio New Zealand

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. Anneke Smith / RNZ

MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi says Justice Radich “brought justice to Te Tai Tokerau voters” when he ruled her expulsion from Te Pāti Māori “unlawful”.

It comes as a political commentator says the party might be looking to distance itself from the drama of last year, and focus on the election ahead.

The formally reinstated MP took to social media on Tuesday night to celebrate the verdict, saying her intention in bringing the case was not to incite division, but “seek clarity and ensure the processes we hold ourselves to – particularly those grounded in tikanga, are honoured”.

“Finally, today, the truth has risen,” Kapa-Kingi said following the release of the verdict on Tuesday afternoon, which ruled her suspension and subsequent expulsion as “unlawful”.

Radich said the tikanga principles that were infused into the kawa document “were not mentioned or applied” in relation to her suspension.

“Perhaps most fundamentally, the relevant tikanga principles – which must inform the way in which a decision-maker considers the kawa’s rules – were not applied in any way,” Radich said.

“This decision on its own will not heal all the mamae, but it is an important first step,” Kapa-Kingi said online.

Kapa-Kingi also mentioned she looked forward to meeting with those from Te Tai Tokerau to discuss their future strategy for the election in coming weeks.

She finished by acknowledging this week belonged to “my darling nephew Peeni Henare”, whose many years of service “deserve recognition and respect”.

Mike Colson KC – Kapa-Kingi’s lawyer – told RNZ it was nice to see an “unjust situation rectified”.

Mike Colson KC. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

He was particularly interested in the judge’s assessment of the party breaching its own tikanga, acknowledging tikanga was a “fairly hot topic” amongst the legal profession at the moment.

“Many judges are slightly nervous dealing with it, or – one might expect very respectful of it.

“Here we had such a clear explanation of what the tikanga was of the party, and I thought it was quite brave and right of the judge to find that kawa and tikanga had been breached.”

He also acknowledged it might be considered “unusual” for a judge to “direct a party to take an action within Parliament”.

But Colson said the situation was so clear, and there was a lack of clarity last time as to whether that extra step was necessary.

“The judge thought it was proper to do so and to direct them to give a notice to the speaker.”

He said it was an unusual set of circumstances, and did not think it would set a major precedent.

The defendants had argued the case was a contractual matter, and should be dealt with privately, but Colson said the judge was quick to point out the “public character of the proceeding”, and that it was not just Kapa-Kingi’s case, but her electorate who voted her in.

“They, of course, also had a role to play and a voice to be heard, and that really pushed into very much the public arena.”

What will happen now?

On Tuesday Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi told reporters he had attempted to make contact with Kapa-Kingi, but it was not clear what the process was for her reinstatement or how the apparent rift would be addressed.

Associate professor in politics at Victoria University, Lara Greaves, told RNZ she had expected this ruling from the case.

She explained Te Pāti Māori’s constitution “wasn’t particularly clear”, and it was “very hard” to figure out if the party had followed the rules in terms of her expulsion.

Greaves thinks the decision to go to court was Kapa-Kingi’s attempt at staying with the party, “to change it from the inside,”, and this was “politics pushing up against the law”.

“Legally, there’s a judgment, here that Kapa-Kingi is still part of the party, but it’s not clear what will happen next.”

Political scientist & Victoria University of Wellington Associate Professor Dr Lara Greaves RNZ

She said the co-leaders had not spoken about the ruling much, and they had expressed a desire to limit any further drama, so “for a lot of us, it’s just going to be a case of waiting and seeing what happens”.

“Being within a political party where you’ve been expelled is probably not a comfortable place,” Greaves said.

She pointed to potential scenarios of further attempts at expulsion or further issues raised, “there’s still a lot of things that could happen here and happen here”.

Greaves said a lot of people, including herself, had made the assessment there was a “bit too much commentary” taking place last year from the party and others involved.

“So, just being a bit quieter might be a good solution there.

“Te Pāti Māori may have listened to a lot of their critics, listened to a lot of their whānau and communities, and thought – we need to keep this out of the media and keep a bit quiet on it going forward.”

Greaves also pointed to the Māori seats, and Labour and the Greens running strong candidates this election, “there are quite a few potential threats to their electoral success, so it’s kind of important that [Te Pāti Māori] sort it out now and figure out what they’re doing in order to get success in the election”.

“Te Pāti Māori may have made a decision in a way to hope that voters think that these issues are behind them and to move forward constructively.”

She said there would be a lot of scrutiny on the dynamics between Kapa-Kingi and the party leadership in the coming months, as well as a focus on MPs Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke and Oriini Kaipara and how they were fitting into the party.

It was possible, she said, that there would be enough time between the “drama” last year to the election this year that people did forgive and forget, “that would actually be a pretty good comeback”.

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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/2026/03/11/court-ruling-brought-justice-to-te-tai-tokerau-voters-te-pati-maori-mp-mariameno-kapa-kingi-says/

March 11, 2026

Black Caps World Cup octet in, eight more out for South Africa series

Source: Radio New Zealand

South Africa’s captain Aiden Markram (L) and David Miller (R) with New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson at the T20 World Cup. AFP

After nearly three months in the subcontinent, the Black Caps are finally headed home, albeit without the trophy they wanted, and staring down one last challenge before they part ways.

A five-match T20 series against South Africa, starting on Sunday, will cap off the home summer.

The series comes less than a week after the T20 World Cup final loss against India in India. And two months after their first ever one-day series win in India.

The cricket calendar can be relentless and Black Caps coach Rob Walter had that in mind when the team for the South Africa series, which begins in Mt Maunganui, was selected.

Eight players from the World Cup squad – captain Mitch Santner, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Ben Sears and Ish Sodhi – will play at least some part in the series.

“Primarily, we want to find a nice balance now between giving guys off, it was a pretty intense nine weeks to be fair in India and Sri Lanka, and obviously stepping straight into a five-match series in a couple of days’ time,” Walter said.

“So, sort of managing the guys who are going to PSL (Pakistan Super League), going to IPL (Indian Premier League), with guys who didn’t have much game time in the actual World Cup itself and working hard to get that balance right.

“That’s the nature of the beast right now in international cricket and understanding we also have to take care of our players

“Those guys left everything out there from a World Cup point of view.”

Walter said he was in “constant communication” with the playing group to gauge their readiness to continue into another series.

“You still need to be in a mental space to put your best foot forward for your country when you’re competing.

“But we have a fairly decent showing of our World Cup squad in the series, which is great, and there’s a lot of keenness from the players’ point of view to actually play, which is awesome, given that it’s been a pretty hectic little while.”

Ishan Kishan of India celebrates his fifty runs ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Grand Final. www.photosport.nz

Selector Gavin Larsen said they had to be “pragmatic” in selecting the squad.

“We’re lucky to have strong depth across the different skill sets, which has afforded us the opportunity to rest a few players and introduce some others,” Larsen said.

“That provides an excellent opportunity for many to stake their claim for regular inclusion in the T20 team moving forward as we begin a new World Cup cycle.

“It’s been a busy couple of months for those on the road and with the South Africa series ahead, a tour to Bangladesh in April-May during the IPL and PSL windows, alongside a New Zealand A tour to Sri Lanka and followed by winter tours to England and West Indies – keeping our players fit and fresh in the short and the long term is our top priority.”

Those who would be taking a break after the World Cup to manage workloads or family life were: Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert and Matt Henry.

Top order batters Katene Clarke and Nick Kelly are in line to make their T20 debuts during the series, as is Central Districts spinner Jayden Lennox.

Clarke’s maiden Black Caps call-up follows a break-out Super Smash season where the 26-year-old topped the competition run-scoring charts with 431 runs, including an unbeaten century, as his Northern Brave side claimed the T20 domestic title.

Katene Clarke of the Northern Brave. Photosport

“Katene is someone we’ve been keeping an eye on for a while now and so it was great to see him shoot the lights out in the Super Smash and force his way into his first Black Caps squad,” Larsen said.

“He’s an explosive player who possesses plenty of power and a variety of shots. He’s shown destructive ability inside the power play, but also crucially the ability to bat deep in an innings too.”

Lennox’s first inclusion in a Black Caps T20 squad follows his successful ODI debut series against India in January where he claimed 3-84 from his 20 overs against the formidable home batting line-up.

Kelly’s been a consistent performer for the Wellington Firebirds across the formats in recent years and earns his maiden T20 call-up off the back of his ODI debut series against Pakistan at home last April.

Josh Clarkson, Zak Foulkes, Bevon Jacobs and Tim Robinson get their chance to impress after being selected for the full five-game series, with Clarkson back in the side for the first time since playing eight T20Is in 2024.

Tom Latham, who was the top run-scorer for the Canterbury Kings in the Super Smash, makes his return to the national T20 set-up as a wicket-keeper-batsman and will also take over the captaincy reigns from Santner for the final two matches.

With Conway departing after three matches, Central Stags gloveman Dane Cleaver will join the squad for the end of the series, having last played for New Zealand in 2023.

South Africa arrived in New Zealand with three players from their World Cup squad that was knocked out of the tournament by the Black Caps.

None of their players with IPL contracts will travel to Aotearoa.

Walter, a former South Africa coach, knows the Proteas team that does come will still provide a challenge.

“The depth in South Africa has always been strong. Obviously, the SA20 competition has developed a lot of younger players in South Africa, so from that point of view, they have a pretty good team,” Walter said.

“Most of them have played international cricket, or have done very well domestically so it’ll be a good challenge.”

Black Caps T20 squad v South Africa

Mitchell Santner (c) (matches 1-3)
Katene Clarke* (4-5)
Josh Clarkson
Dane Cleaver (wk) (4-5)
Devon Conway (wk) (1-3)
Lockie Ferguson (2-3)
Zak Foulkes
Bevon Jacobs
Kyle Jamieson
Nick Kelly*
Tom Latham (wk) (c – 4-5)
Jayden Lennox* (4-5)
Cole McConchie
Jimmy Neesham
Tim Robinson
Ben Sears
Nathan Smith
Ish Sodhi

*Potential T20I debut

Michael Bracewell (calf), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back) and Blair Tickner (ankle) were not considered for the series due to injury.

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LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/11/black-caps-world-cup-octet-in-eight-more-out-for-south-africa-series/

March 11, 2026

Urgent Waitangi Tribunal inquiry into government’s removal of schools’ Treaty obligations

Source: Radio New Zealand

The tino rangatiratanga haki (flag) outside Parliament on the day of the Treaty Principles Bill introduction. RNZ / Emma Andrews

The Waitangi Tribunal has granted urgency to an inquiry into the government’s decision to scrap school boards’ legal duty to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and reset Te Mātaiaho, the New Zealand Curriculum.

Northland iwi Ngāti Hine and hapū Te Kapotai, alongside the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI), filed the claim in November last year, arguing the changes undermined Māori rangatiratanga, partnership and equity in education.

The claimants say the removal of Treaty obligations from school boards risks causing significant and irreversible harm to Māori learners and their whānau.

In the Waitangi Tribunal’s decision, it said the changes had constitutional significance and met the threshold for urgency.

“Any legislative change altering the nature and manner of the Crown’s Treaty obligations has a constitutional significance. That is especially so in a case where Māori have not been consulted.”

While the Tribunal noted the Crown had acknowledged there was no engagement with Māori on the decision to amend the law, it said removing the statutory obligation for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti had “immediate consequences for the status of the Treaty and for tamariki Māori within the education system”.

The Tribunal also rejected the Crown’s argument that other inquiries or future policy reviews could address the issue, saying those pathways would not provide “timely or targeted scrutiny”.

The Treaty of Waitangi. RNZ / Quin Tauetau

The requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti was introduced in 2020 as part of reforms to the Education and Training Act.

The government later removed the provision in 2025, with Education Minister Erica Stanford saying at the time of the anouncement that Treaty obligations sit with the Crown, not schools.

“School boards should have direction and we are giving very clear direction. You need to ensure equitable outcomes for Māori students, you need to be offering te reo Māori and you need to be culturally competent,” she said at the time.

Since the change, more than 1800 kura – around 70 percent of schools across Aotearoa – had publicly reaffirmed they would continue giving effect to Te Tiriti.

The Tribunal acknowledged the number of schools that had pledged to continue honouring Te Tiriti in its decision. However, it said the absence of a statutory framework could make those commitments inconsistent across the edcation system.

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

NZEI Te Riu Roa president and claimant Ripeka Lessels welcomed the Tribunal’s decision, saying it sent a strong signal about the seriousness of the issue.

“I’m absolutely elated that they have granted urgency. It isn’t something that is done lightly for the Waitangi Tribunal,” she told RNZ.

Lessels said the decision to grant urgency reflected growing public and sector support for Te Tiriti.

“There was a time in our history where we didn’t have it, we didn’t have to give effect to it at all. And so nobody did. Nobody taught it. Nobody made references to it. Schools certainly didn’t see the importance of it until the Education and Training Act put in section 127. So that’s why it’s really, really important that we challenge what this government has unilaterally decided around moving the Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”

She said removing the Treaty obligation signalled where the government’s priorities lay.

“By removing section 127 of the Education and Training Act, they are clearly deprioritising Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, te reo Māori, tikanga and mātauranga Māori from legislation.”

Lessels said the Tribunal inquiry was an opportunity to challenge the government’s decision.

“We have to challenge this removal. We don’t want future generations looking back and thinking this happened and nobody stood up against it.”

Ngāti Hine leader Waihoroi “Wassi” Shortland speaks at Ruapekapeka Pā. RNZ / Peter de Graaf

Speaking to RNZ, Ngāti Hine kaumātua and claimant Te Waihoroi Shortland said removing the obligation felt politically motivated.

“When you have it dismissed out of hand, for no other reason than people feel like they are losing something or they’re giving up something to Māori when they recognise the articles of Te Tiriti in any way, shape or form … it plays out to a largely Pākehā constituent that has no time to consider these things,” he said.

“People forget that two nations made this deal (Te Tiriti o Waitangi). One of them was Māori and one of them was the Crown of England … then one nation turns around and swallows the other one up and says, everything we decide is for your good.

“It’s been that way for 186 years. These kind of actions remind us that we haven’t moved very far in all of that time.”

Asked why Ngāti Hine felt it was important to file a claim, Shortland said his people were following the guidance of their tūpuna, Te Ruku Kawiti.

“In his ōhaki to Ngāti Hine – his last legacy statement to Ngāti Hine – he challenged all Ngāti Hine descendants to hold fast to our faith and to protect the commitments of our tūpuna … at any time that the words of the document that they signed up to are challenged, then Ngāti Hine must stand and oppose,” he told RNZ.

“We often can’t rely on the system of government to do that for us. Even with two sides of the Parliament, it doesn’t matter which one is in. It usually is a case that they both begin in their own interests first, and Māori are way, way in the distance second.”

In a statement to RNZ, Education Minister Erica Stanford said she was unable to comment.

“As the matter is currently before the Tribunal it would not be appropriate for me to comment.”

A date was yet to be set for the hearings.

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March 11, 2026

Strong winds, heavy rain loom as tropical low nears New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Rain forecast for 4pm Wednesday. MetService

A weather alert has been issued as a tropical storm nears the north of the country.

A tropical low is expected to lie north of New Zealand on Wednesday afternoon, bringing southeast gales and heavy rain to the north.

MetService has issued a strong wind watch for the Far North District from 1pm to 11pm on Wednesday. There was a moderate chance the watch could be upgraded to a warning.

Civil Defence Northland is advising people to take extra care on the roads and check they are prepared for any potential power outages caused by strong winds

From Thursday, the forecasting agency said the system is expected to move and reach Auckland.

Meanwhile, another front moves onto Fiordland, bringing strong northwesterlies and heavy rain.

The rain is expected to ease by Saturday morning.

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March 11, 2026

The world is eating our lunch: How our apples, seafood and avocados make millions

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ

Five years after Who’s Eating NZ, this series revisits where our food goes – but this time through the lens of Kiwi breakfast, lunch and dinner staples. We track how much of what we produce is eaten here, and who has a seat at our global table during meal times. Today, it’s lunch time.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon memorably advised parents unhappy with supplied school lunches to “make a Marmite sandwich and put an apple in a bag”.

New Zealand certainly does enjoy an abundance of apples.

We grow so many that almost nine out of 10 are sold overseas, fresh and processed.

The bumper crop is no accident. There has been a concerted push to grow the apple export industry with the development and marketing of new varieties. Royal gala and Braeburn apples have been joined by Jazz, Envy and Rockit.

Back in 2012, the industry set a goal of reaching $1 billion in exports by 2022. At that time, exports were sitting at $340 million. The target was missed in 2022, but exceeded in 2025 when exports of $1.26b were achieved.

New challenges come with that success though. Horticulture company T&G won a court order in China, forcing orchards in China to rip out illegally grown knock-offs of its Envy variety.

China clearly has developed a taste for our apples – it was our biggest apple buyer in 2025, followed by Taiwan, Vietnam and India.

For local apple buyers, prices fluctuate through the year, with the highest prices occurring in January. In 2007, 1kg of apples cost $3.89. In January 2025 a kilogram of apples cost $6.15.

The humble avocado might be one of the most controversial foods around. Along with being blamed for creating a generation of renters, its notoriously slippery stone has meant millions in ACC payouts for ‘avocado hand’ injuries, and telling someone they “have the avocados” can spark a language debate.

As well as being keen consumers, New Zealand makes a solid contribution to the global supply of avocados. More than 4700 hectares of the country is planted in avocados, with most concentrated in the Far North and Bay of Plenty.

About 50 percent of what was grown locally last year remained in the country, the rest heading offshore.

Australia is the biggest buyer, purchasing about a third of our exports in 2025, down from a peak of 90 percent in 2020. Far smaller quantities are bought by South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Export earnings have fallen from a 2020 high of $177m to $102m, as New Zealand competes with other global growers, such as Peru, which had a bumper crop in 2025.

New Zealand Avocado chief executive Brad Siebert said countries such as Mexico, Peru, Columbia and South Africa are producing more avocados, which leads to volatile prices. Demand globally is increasing, but at a slow, sometimes uneven pace.

Domestic prices rise and fall annually, often peaking in May. The highest price per kg of $28.67 was in May 2019.

Seafood might be hard to miss in an office lunchroom, but in the data it disappears. It is incredibly hard to put a figure on how much commercially caught seafood ends up in our lunchboxes compared to what’s exported.

The industry body Seafood NZ said there’s been no need to collect domestic information and this position hasn’t changed since RNZ examined seafood exports in 2020.

It is possible to take some stabs at the number. Previously published figures include 90 percent, 77 percent, and numbers previously on Seafood New Zealand’s website say approximately 450,000 tonnes of seafood is caught each year, with 276,901 tonnes exported.

This comes out at about 63 percent – but working on caught weight versus exported weight is not accurate. Fish is gutted and often filleted before export, so it is impossible to match the caught weight up with export data. Sanford’s 2025 annual report says about 82 percent of its sale value is from exports.

Where our seafood goes has shifted over time. In the 1990s, Japan, Australia and the United States were the biggest buyers of our seafood, but by 2011 China emerged as the top buyer. Its spending peaked in 2022 at $709m but by 2025 dropped to $594m.

Seafood exports earned $2b in 2024 and 2025. The biggest single export earner was live rock lobster – China bought $290m worth of them.

Crayfish might not be on everyone’s lunch menu, but rock lobster has been New Zealand seafood’s biggest export earner since 2017 with around 2500 tonnes exported each year, earning between $266m and $392m. Export volumes hit a record 2700 tonnes in 2025.

The demand has put pressure on crayfish populations. In December it was announced that commercial and recreational fishing for rock lobster will be banned from April 2026 off Northland’s east coast in an effort to halt the species rapid decline in the area.

Despite high-profile controversy about global beverage giants bottling our water, exported New Zealand water actually represents a small proportion compared to what’s sold locally.

An exact figure for local sales is hard to come by, but 2018 information published on the Ministry for the Environment’s website suggests only 17 percent is exported.

Bottling companies pay resource consent fees, but do not pay for the water itself. This can mean they pay less for water than residential rate payers.

In 2020 China was the biggest buyer, but since 2022 the US has taken top position.

Despite abundant water here, Kiwis still pay for water from other countries. In 2025 more than 3 million litres was imported, including 1m litres from Italy and nearly 300,000 litres from Fiji.

Stay tuned for Friday’s story, where we take a look at who we’re sharing our dinner with and dive into beef, sheep, onion and wine exports.

Where the data came from

Apples: New Zealand Apple and Pears and StatsNZ trade data items with a harmonised system description containing “Fruit, edible; apples”.

Avocados: New Zealand Avocado and StatsNZ trade data items with a harmonised system description containing “Fruit, edible; avocados, fresh”.

Seafood: Various sources and StatsNZ trade data for items with a harmonised system code between 301910000 to 308909000.

Water: Ministry for the Environment and StatsNZ trade data items with the following harmonised system descriptions: “Waters; mineral and aerated, including natural or artificial, (not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter nor flavoured), other than in metal containers”, Waters; other than mineral and aerated, (not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter nor flavoured), ice and snow, other than in metal containers” , “Waters; mineral and aerated, including natural or artificial, (not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter nor flavoured), in metal containers”, “Waters; other than mineral and aerated, (not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter nor flavoured), ice and snow, in metal aerosol containers, not containing chlorofluorocarbons” , “Waters; other than mineral and aerated, (not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter nor flavoured), ice and snow, in metal containers, not aerosol”

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March 11, 2026

Counsellors facing growing demand,shrinking workforce, funding pressures – industry body

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Association of Counsellors says there is growing demand for counselling – alongside a shrinking workforce and funding pressures. MICROGEN IMAGES/SCIENCE PHOTO LI

Counsellors say long wait lists and not enough publicly funded services are preventing people seeking the help they need.

The Association of Counsellors said its Counselling Workforce Report 2025 found growing demand for counselling – alongside a shrinking workforce and funding pressures.

President Huhana Pene said the lack of public funding for sessions was putting the handbrake on help.

“New Zealand has a qualified counselling workforce that wants to help,” Pene said, “But system barriers mean many people who need counselling are waiting too long or missing out altogether.”

Pene said there were also concerns about the workforce – with more than half working part-time with low or insecure incomes.

Many planned to reduce their practice, retire or leave the profession within two years.

“Without changes to funding and employment conditions, we risk losing experienced counsellors at a time when demand for support continues to grow,” Pene said.

Schools were under particular pressure, with counsellors reporting a steady flow of students seeking support and increasingly complex needs.

Many said they were forced to prioritise students in crisis, leaving limited time for preventative support.

Pene said practical solutions were available – improving funding stability for non-government organisations, increasing the ratio of counsellors to students in schools to 1:400, and strengthening recognition of the profession would all improve access to counselling.

“Counselling is a vital part of New Zealand’s mental health support, and if we address some of these barriers, counsellors would be better able to help many more people when they need it.”

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Category: Radio New Zealand

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