Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A broad coalition dedicated to assessing and responding to risks arising from climate change and economic insecurity wants more action from the government in the face of what could be “massive economic disruption” caused by global fuel shortages.

New Zealand has been too slow to understand the nature of the crisis, Wise Response Society chair Nathan Surendran said, as the group called for more transparency from the government and the activation of the National Fuel Security Plan.

New Zealanders queued for petrol over the weekend as crude oil prices topped US$115 a barrel, the highest level since 2022.

Waitomo Group chief executive Simon Parham said demand at the company’s petrol stations went up 15 to 20 percent over the past week.

He said there was 20 days’ stock in the country and cargo was arriving by ship every other day.

Air Chathams chief executive Duane Emeny said the rising cost of oil was costing the small airline around $140,000 extra a month in fuel.

Emeny told Checkpoint the airline may have to cut flights should the price of jet fuel remain so high, and he wanted the government to look at ways to soften the blow on airlines.

Freight companies warned escalating costs would be passed on to “every product that arrives on shelves” as some operators halted operations and others added war and fuel surcharges.

Surendran said it was clear the conflict would go on far longer than United States President Donald Trump indicated, but even if it ended swiftly, structural damage to refineries and oil facilities across six countries meant delays would last months, not weeks.

“New Zealand imports every drop of refined fuel we use, and the countries we buy it from are running out of the crude oil they need to make it. Eighty-one percent of our refined fuel comes from South Korea and Singapore – both countries have companies declaring force majeure, which means they legally cannot deliver what we’re contracted to buy, so the pipeline of fuel coming into New Zealand is breaking down.”

Beyond the two to three weeks of fuel in tanks in the country and the floating reserve of ships en route, supply was uncertain as refineries New Zealand bought from cut production and countries restricted exports to protect their own supply, he said.

This meant the preferential buy options on international oil markets New Zealand relied on may not be able to be redeemed.

“New Zealand is at the end of some very long supply chains and is more vulnerable than most to supply shocks of this kind.”

Other countries across the region, including Thailand, Myanmar and India, had already taken concrete action, including rationing and implementing oil contingency plans, while in Australia some distributors were rationing deliveries to retailers.

In the absence of a formal rationing framework, price rationing kicked in.

“The worst form of rationing is the one that happens by default – price spikes, panic buying, emptying out petrol stations and the people who can least afford it go without.”

New Zealand faced massive economic upheaval if it did not proactively manage the crisis, given the country’s export and import sectors relied on the timely supply of fuel, as did the productive sector including freight, agriculture, construction and fisheries.

The last time the government bought in measures to restrict fuel use was in the 1970s in response to disruption caused by the Arab-Israeli war and the Iranian revolution.

This time, the one-fifth of global fuel supply that would travel through the Strait of Hormuz had been affected, and that proportion could grow.

“The 1970s fuel crises were a few percentage point drops in fuel supply and that nearly tanked economies globally. This is several times larger in terms of the impact, and there’s no obvious endpoint to the conflict.”

The situation or one similar was predictable given resource depletion and the limits to growth, and should be considered as part of a future where fuel supply was more expensive, less secure, and less reliable.

The country faced some difficult conversations, but Surendran said New Zealand’s number 8 wire mentality would help in coming to grips with the challenge.

“We can adapt, we will adapt. The sooner we get moving on that adaptation, the better.”

On Monday, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of a new economic security ministerial oversight group – chaired by the Finance Minister – to focus on fuel and supply chains.

Christopher Luxon said New Zealand was well-placed to ride the wave of the latest shock.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/10/advocacy-group-calls-for-national-fuel-security-plan-to-be-activated-in-face-of-global-shortages/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Financial watchdogs want the rules about Buy Now Pay Later schemes strengthened, saying the last tweak didn’t work.

It’s been described as both a lifeline, and a trap.

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) has been in New Zealand for about eight years. It’s still a relatively new product, but one million Kiwis use one of the four companies providing it.

However a new report from Consumer NZ and FinCap, with research done by Victoria University, has raised concerns about the damage BNPLs are doing to some borrowers.

The report says a regulatory tweak in the rules in 2024 did nothing to help prevent harm, and financial mentors report people are trying to break into their KiwiSaver schemes to pay their debt.

The report recommends tightening the rules further to get better protection for consumers.

Today on The Detail, we talk to Michael Saadat, the International Head of Policy at Block, Afterpay’s Australian parent company, who says it’s not necessary for the New Zealand government to bring in any additional regulation.

“We think the evidence and the data should really drive any consideration of whether new regulation is required, and the data clearly shows that additional regulation, when it exists for other credit products, hasn’t delivered better consumer outcomes.”

He says such extra regulation brings additional costs which ultimately have to be passed on to consumers, “but also, we don’t want a situation where for example it’s harder for Kiwis to get access to a product like Afterpay, and that means that they have to go and find alternatives which are much more expensive, much less safe … and we just don’t think that’s a great outcome.

“We think the current regulatory settings have struck the right balance.”

Saadat says the New Zealand regulations are a clear example of how you can balance consumer protections with the need to promote innovation and foster safer consumer products.

He says our credit data collection agency, Centrix, which Afterpay must provide reports to, says New Zealanders who use BNPL products are in a healthy position.

“Traditional credit products like personal loans, credit cards and mortgages actually remain the primary drivers of hardship for New Zealanders.”

Centrix data says that 97 percent of the New Zealand BNPL transactions over Black Friday and Cyber Monday were paid off before or on the dates payments were due.

“Which again tells you that consumers are using the product in the way it was meant to be used. They’re using it wisely, it’s helping them budget for their purchases, and they’re not getting into trouble.

“It really is becoming a really mainstream product that consumers are using to help manage their spending,” Saadat says.

Asked why the bad press and the call for more regulation, he says that “financial mentors are experiencing consumers at the coal face who are in financial difficulty”.

“They would see consumers who’ve gotten themselves into trouble with all sorts of different products that they might have taken up. That is something that informs their approach to these issues, but fundamentally when we’re thinking about what policy settings should be in place, we do need to look across all consumers and understand what the overall consumer experience is.”

The Consumer NZ/FinCap report has three recommendations for Buy Now Pay Later lending.

It wants affordability assessment requirements introduced; a rule that lenders can’t charge unreasonable late fees; and it wants other lending like phone handset deals and in-store payment schemes that have late fees included in credit law protections.

Report author Victoria Stace, a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington whose research is in areas of consumer credit and financial protection, says because BNPL didn’t have an interest component, it was outside of credit rules until 2024, when it was brought within the CCCFA rules – although in a limited way.

“If it’s used well, and you pay off your instalments without defaulting, it can work out better [than credit cards] because it’s an interest-free arrangement,” she says.

However, financial mentors are saying that of the clients they’re seeing with money troubles, more people have BNPL debt as a proportion of their overall debt than before the 2024 regulatory fixes.

Stace also suspects that BNPL credit is being used to pay off other debt.

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

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/10/the-price-of-instant-gratification/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A new report from Westpac NZ is calling for more, and faster, collaboration between the public and private health sectors.

The Future Role of Private Healthcare in New Zealand report found the public health system was under growing pressure, with an ageing population and wider social challenges pushing demand ever further beyond capacity.

The end result was longer waiting times and widening health inequalities, particularly for Māori and Pasifika, said Westpac NZ industry economist Paul Clark.

He said the private sector was already delivering a range of services, including elective procedures.

“The opportunities for greater collaboration between the private sector and public health don’t stop there. We see scope for greater private involvement in areas such as infrastructure development in underserved communities, the upgrading of IT systems and the adoption of digital technologies,” said Clark.

The report recommended using public-private partnerships to improve efficiency, lower costs and expand timely access to diagnostics, rehabilitation, and elective care through more predictable service arrangements.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/10/more-scope-for-private-sector-to-ease-public-healthcare-woes-report-says/

Source: Radio New Zealand

The death of an elderly man at a dementia unit following an altercation with another patient was a “tragic outcome that was preceded by a sudden eruption of anger without a known cause or warning”, a coroner says.

Police decided not to charge the patient with manslaughter. The family of the man did not want the patient charged and said the “best outcome is to ensure this doesn’t happen again to other families”.

Coroner Ruth Thomas’ report into the death of Robin Walter Beets in November 2023 was released to RNZ.

The report said the 84-year-old was living in the Stokeswood Care Home dementia unit in Lower Hutt.

Nurses and caregivers said Beets was a “gentleman” and a “lovely guy”.

In August 2023 Beets was assessed as needing Dementia Level 3 secure residential care and placed in the dementia unit operated by BUPA Care Service.

The unit co-ordinator said Beets required full assistance with daily living, orientation and direction.

“She said he liked to keep himself busy, he had previously worked as an engineer and would try to fix things like the stereo at the dementia unit even when it was working fine. He would sometimes move furniture around, which would frustrate other residents who became triggered by the noise of the moving,” the coroner said.

Coroner Thomas’ report discusses another patient who was staying at the facility. Staff recorded the patient could become “triggered by loud noises at times”.

“The staff had a care plan in place to manage [the patient’s] behaviour with de-escalation techniques and medication as needed. The staff found this was effective as he was easy to calm down and re-direct.”

A medical note for the patient said his “unsettled and aggressive behaviour” on some afternoons was due to sundowning.

“Sundowning is a deterioration in cognitive function and occurs in the late afternoon or evening. [The patient’s] medication regime was adjusted, and this was helpful in reducing his agitation. Staff were aware of this behaviour and would redirect and distract [the patient].”

On the evening of 9 November, 2023, Beets was seated at a table with two other residents near a bookshelf. The other patient was sitting at a different table with other residents.

A nurse said she was walking along a corridor when she heard the emergency alarm went off, so she ran back to the dementia lounge.

She saw Beets lying on his back near the bookshelf and the other patient was “on his knees with Mr Beets”.

The patient was shouting at Beets and was pointing at him with his hand “like the gesture you use to tell a person off”.

A caregiver said she was looking at some medication alongside a colleague and could hear some residents talking as well as the sound of chairs moving behind her and the patient shouting.

“In her peripheral vision she saw [the patient] near Mr Beets’ table. They were both standing, facing each other and [the patient] was holding Mr Beets’ collar. Mr Beets stepped backwards away from [the patient] and fell onto the floor.”

She described seeing the patient kneeling next to Beets with his arm raised and his fist clenched.

“Mr Beets was screaming in pain and [the patient] was yelling.”

The caregiver ran over and told the patient to stop and helped him to stand up. Another staffer got the patient away from the area.

The caregiver then noticed the dining chair Beets had been sitting on was on the floor, and thought he may have tripped over it.

The other caregiver who was also looking at the medication reported seeing both men standing face to face by the bookshelf.

The patient was holding Beets’ shirt collar. She described the patient as holding his right arm up with a closed fist.

“She then saw Mr Beets take two to three steps backwards, trip over a dining chair that was behind him, and fall to the ground.” She also saw the patient fall to the ground.

Beets was eventually transferred to Hutt Hospital where he underwent hip surgery the following day. There were no complications from the surgery, however his health declined in the days afterwards and he developed aspiration pneumonia. Beets died on 20 November.

A falls investigation report, carried out by BUPA, recommended new registered nurses receive further education to increase their knowledge of the fall prevention management in the dementia unit. The shared learning lessons part of the review said the unit had a staff meeting about early detection and intervention of residents in an altercation and ensuring clear documentation of an event and management.

Police sought an expert opinion from a consultant psychiatrist as part of its investigation. The psychiatrist said the patient would be “entirely unable to understand the charge, nature, purpose or consequences of court proceedings, unable to instruct defence counsel, unable to enter a plea and unable to participate in a hearing”.

It was his opinion that the patient would be unfit to stand trial. Police decided not to charge the man with manslaughter. As part of the investigation, police spoke with Beets’ family who said they did not want anyone charged adding “the best outcome is to ensure this doesn’t happen again to other families, in Stokeswood, or any care facility.”

Coroner Thomas said Beets’ family had questioned the circumstances surrounding his fall to understand whether anything could have been done to prevent it.

A Coroners Court Clinical Advisor reviewed the evidence and said the incident was “very unfortunate but unpredictable and not preventable”.

“Although incidents like this can be assumed at some level to probably have some sort of trigger in the person’s mind, it is often impossible, even in retrospect, to identify what it was. I am of the view, based on the provided information, that the staff provided very good care for [the patient], and did everything in their power to prevent the assault.”

Coroner Thomas said her assessment of the evidence in the inquiry revealed a “tragic outcome that was preceded by a sudden eruption of anger without a known cause or warning”.

“The staff had been actively managing [the patient’s] behaviour in the unit, but tragically on this occasion with no warning of a change in [the patient’s] behaviour, and both staff momentarily facing away from where the incident started, there was not enough time for staff to pre-emptively intervene and redirect [the patient] before he had grabbed Mr Beets by his collar. This incident took the staff by surprise, was unpredictable and I do not find the staff could have done more to prevent this altercation and therefore the tragic consequences that followed.”

In a statement to RNZ, Beets’ family said he was a “much-loved” husband, father, Grandad and Poppa who was “very practical, mechanically capable and a friend to many in Petone”.

“He was a very caring man, had a great laugh and was always willing to help others.”

Beets was diagnosed with dementia formally in early 2021, and as he deteriorated the family made the decision to go into full-time care in August 2024.

“Dementia is a terrible disease for both the individual and their family. As is expressed in the report, we have never wanted the other party who also suffered from this disease to be charged or punished for this incident.

“What was important for us as a family was to see if there were lessons to be learnt which may prevent another family suffering a loss in the same way. We appreciate the thorough work done by both the Police and the Coroner, especially that the specific questions we asked were addressed within her report. We also note the internal review that the Care Facility undertook which resulted in additional training and support being put in place.”

A BUPA spokesperson said acknowledged the coroner’s findings and the conclusion that this incident was “unpredictable and surprising”.

“Our thoughts remain with Mr Beets’ family, and we recognise the distress this event caused them. Moments like this are profoundly sad for everyone involved, and we continue to extend our sincere sympathy to the family.”

Aged Care Association chief executive Tracey Martin said in a statement to RNZ the case highlighted a “broader and growing reality”.

“Aged residential care is supporting residents with increasingly complex behavioural and clinical needs, particularly within dementia care settings.

“Dementia units are caring for people with significant behavioural and psychological symptoms, often in environments that were not originally designed for the intensity of today’s care requirements. As the acuity of residents rises, so too does the need for workforce support, training, clinical backup, and appropriate funding settings.”

She said while the coroner had not made recommendations, the case reinforced the importance of “continued investment in dementia capability, staff training, and system settings that recognise the complexity of modern aged care”.

Detective Inspector John van den Heuvel said as New Zealand’s median age continued to rise, the number of people living with dementia was also expected to grow.

“While fatal incidents within dementia units remain rare, resident‑on‑resident assaults do occur from time to time that require Police investigation. This can be a difficult and sad situation to deal with for everyone involved.”

People living with dementia often experienced significant cognitive impairment, meaning they may not fully comprehend their actions or form the intent required to be held criminally responsible, he said.

“As a result, the evidential test for prosecution is frequently not met, and pursuing criminal charges is unlikely to be in the public interest. Police assess these matters carefully and in close consultation with medical specialists, care providers, and legal advisors. In cases involving a death the coroner is also consulted.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/10/robin-beets-was-killed-at-a-dementia-unit-but-his-family-dont-want-the-other-patient-charged/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Crown prosecutors have been accused of being “underhanded and dishonest” by ignoring crucial evidence around the brutal killing of a Canterbury man, a High Court jury has heard.

Michael Scott Rodger, 46, is accused of murdering Richard Leman, 41, whose body was found in the boot of his own car parked at an abandoned house in Tyler Street in Rangiora in April 2023.

Leman’s torso was found in the car but his head, legs and arms are still missing.

Rodger denies shooting or killing the father-of-three.

Closing arguments were heard in the High Court at Christchurch on Monday in front of Justice Jonathan Eaton.

The jury heard from Crown prosecutor Barnaby Hawes for more than two hours, where he explained the case against Rodger was “overwhelming”.

In response, Rodger’s defence lawyer Ethan Huda said there were legitimate questions around the circumstances of Leman’s death.

He explained the Crown had failed to mention, in its closing arguments, evidence from a pathologist who found Leman could have been stabbed before being shot.

“There’s a reasonable doubt about what happened at the crime scene. There’s a reasonable doubt as to what happened around the time of death,” Huda said.

“I suggest…that when you get to [the pathologist’s] evidence during your deliberation, the Crown’s case evaporates into the thin air like candy floss. It’s good to look at, it’s even good to taste from a certain angle, but it’s fluff.

“It’s disrespectful to 12 members of the jury to think you can hide evidence from them. A pathetic attempt at proving its case.”

The Crown argues Rodger shot Leman twice, first in the leg, then a fatal shot to his chest.

Earlier in the trial, pathologist Dr Leslie Anderson said Leman was also stabbed in the back.

The defence said key Crown witnesses Morgan Grant and Sara Plimmer, who were with Leman the night he died, did not reference a stabbing during their respective testimonies.

The defence also outlined a text message exchange between Grant and another person, three days after Leman’s murder, which referenced the involvement of not one, but multiple “fugitives”.

In his closing arguments for the Crown, Hawes told jurors “objective evidence” proved there was only one possible killer.

“I suggest the way to approach the case is to start with what is fixed and independent, the pathology, the CCTV and telecommunications records, and all the forensic work and the linkages back to Mr Rodger,” he said.

“Any other possible explanation you’re looking at bring it back to this core, objective evidence. When you do that, I suggest the evidence clearly converges on one person and one person only and that is Mr. Rodger.”

Hawes said the accused’s claim that another unidentified person was the killer remained implausible.

“Mr. Roger would have you believe he’s unlucky.

“It’s not simply bad luck, that he was at the scene. It certainly was for Richard Leman. It’s not bad luck that both eyewitnesses name him as the perpetrator.

“I suggest he’s not unlucky, I suggest he’s guilty.”

The Crown said no-one gave Leman first-aid or called emergency services and Leman died within minutes.

The jury heard that Rodger threatened to kill Grant and Plimmer, took Leman’s drugs and cash and dragged his body into another room.

Justice Eaton was due to sum up the case on Tuesday before the jury retires for deliberations.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/09/leman-murder-trial-closing-arguments-heard-in-high-court/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Kaikōura dairy farmer has been fined $35,000 for failing to register hundreds of cattle or track their movements on and off his farms.

Trevor Ronald Bolton, 59, was sentenced at the Kaikōura District Court on March 6, after pleading guilty to three charges under the National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) Act.

Under the act, the movement of all cattle or deer must be declared to Operational Solutions for Primary Industries within 48 hours.

Animals must also be fitted with a NAIT tag and registered in the system by the time the animal is 180 days old or before it is moved off a farm. 

A Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigation found Bolton had not registered 269 animals, failed to declare 571 animals that were moved off-farm and failed to declare the movement of 83 animals onto his two large dairy farms.

He was fined $11,666 for each of the failures.

MPI district manager of animal welfare and NAIT compliance upper south Paul Soper said the system was critical in tracing animals to manage disease or biosecurity incursions.

“This farmer’s failures under the NAIT Act related to almost 1000 animals. As we have learned from our experience with Mycoplasma bovis it only takes one animal to cause a problem,” he said.

Soper said MPI took non-compliance with the animal tracing rules seriously.

“Put simply, when people in charge of animals disregard or fail to live up to their NAIT obligations they put the whole agricultural sector at risk,” he said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/09/kaikoura-farmer-fined-35k-for-failing-to-register-hundreds-of-cattle/