Category: Radio New Zealand

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Interislander sailing cancelled after technical fault found

Source: Radio New Zealand

File photo. Supplied / Regan Ingley

A single return sailing had to be cancelled on the Interislander’s Kaiārahi ferry after an intermittent technical fault was discovered just hours before a scheduled maintenance layby.

Interislander operations general manager Taru Sawhney said Kaiārahi was berthing in Wellington around 2.30am on Saturday morning when the fault was discovered. It did berth safely.

The ferry was on a scheduled maintenance layby between Saturday afternoon and Monday afternoon.

Sawhney said Kaiārahi’s scheduled 3.30am Saturday sailing and return from Picton had to be cancelled while the fault was investigated.

“We did a lot of work carrying out further investigations, repairs and testing over the weekend layby.”

Sawhney said the ferry had to undergo final sea trials and approvals on Monday before it could resume service.

As this was a process that took time and as a precaution, Interislander cancelled Kaiārahi’s next scheduled service from Wellington at 3.30pm on Monday and 9.30pm return from Picton.

“We apologise for this disruption but safety has to be the priority. All freight and passenger bookings on the sailings will be cancelled. Passengers will be moved to alternative sailings where possible or offered a full refund.

“We expect Kaiārahi will return to service, leaving Wellington at 3.30am on Tuesday.”

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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/2026/03/09/interislander-sailing-cancelled-after-technical-fault-found/

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NZ skier Alice Robinson in two-way battle for super-G title

Source: Radio New Zealand

Alice Robinson competes in the Women’s Super G event. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

New Zealand skier Alice Robinson has to finish at least second in the final race of the season to have any chance of claiming the overall super-G title, after placing fourth in the penultimate round in Val di Fassa.

Robinson closed the gap on series leader Sofia Goggia but it will be a big ask to usurp the Italian at the finals in Norway on the 22nd March.

Goggia, who finished ninth in Italy on Monday morning, leads Robinson by 63 points in the race to the World Cup super-G title.

Robinson, now the only other woman who can win the super-G title, was joint fourth. Italian Elena Curtoni won her home event.

German skier Emma Aicher failed to score, leaving her 145 points behind Goggia and out of super-G title contention.

Robinson, who finished eighth at last month’s Milano Cortina Olympics, said she will throw everything at the final event.

“It was not as hard as I was expecting [today], so I could have maybe pushed a little bit harder. We’ve got one more race so I am happy to give that everything but it’s a little bit frustrating,” Robinson said.

Meanwhile, US Alpine ski great Mikaela Shiffrin boosted her overall World Cup lead with a rare super-G appearance as closest rival Aicher did not finish.

Shiffrin, who is hoping to end the season with a sixth overall Crystal Globe, finished 23rd but the eight points stretched her lead over Aicher to 125 with six races remaining across all disciplines.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/09/nz-skier-alice-robinson-in-two-way-battle-for-super-g-title/

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Drivers flock to pumps as concern grows over fuel prices

Source: Radio New Zealand

Marika Khabazi

Petrol stations across the country are seeing a surge of drivers filling up as tensions in the Middle East push the global oil prices higher.

Over the weekend, RNZ spoke to drivers queuing at a petrol station to get in before the price goes up.

“The later I leave it, the more the petrol prices are going up. This is more expensive than yesterday,” one woman said.

“Probably the price will go up again tomorrow, I think, so even I’m only half full, it’s good to get some petrol in there,” a man said.

Waitomo Group chief executive Simon Parham told Morning Report the demand at the company’s petrol stations went up 15 to 20 percent over the past week as people tried to get in before prices increased.

“Over the last week, we’ve seen the Singapore Platts price go up by about $60 a barrel.

“I’ve been doing this for 25 years and that’s probably one of the biggest spikes I’ve seen.”

Parham said prices will move more in the next week.

On supply, there was 20 days stock in the country and cargo was arriving by ship every other day, he said.

“I think we’re in a reasonably good place. It’s a good reminder that over 80 percent of the supply doesn’t go through the Strait of Hormuz.”

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Police ramp up recruitment efforts in Auckland as drain to Australia slows

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have ramped up recruitment efforts in Auckland with hopes to bring more Kiwis into the force, and tempt those currently working in Australia to return home.

They partnered with ‘Round the Bays’ in Auckland on Sunday, announcing that more recruit wings were coming to the city.

New Zealand Police’s Deputy Commissioner Jill Rogers told Morning Report the 2.4km police requirement was marked at the event, and 120 people signed up to start the process.

“It’s all different variances about how fast they have to go, but what generally happens is they accrue a group of points, and that tells us whether or not they’re ready to come into our pipeline to get processed as a potential applicant,” she said.”

Last year, police signed a long-term lease with Massey University in Auckland to begin training courses next month.

Rogers said it was very popular, with their second wing in week five of their 20-week training.

“We know that there’s a group of people here who, for a whole range of reasons, can’t go to our campus in Porirua,” she said.

“So excited to announce that we’ve got our third wing starting on the 29th of June and yesterday, if anything’s to go by, it’s proven to be really popular again.”

She said the majority of police training could be done at the Massey campus, but firearms and driving training was still held in Porirua.

Rogers said the policing in New Zealand was still an attractive career as it was a stable employer.

“We offer really great possibilities for people to come into our organisation and so we got 120 people who signed up yesterday, and that’s sort of the people that we’re looking for, motivated, fit and enthusiastic, ready to come into the organisation,” she said.

She said the police drain to Australia had had definitely slowed.

“We think that since we started tracking the numbers a couple of years ago, it’s definitely slowed.

“And yes, last year we rejoined 100 officers, which is the most we have ever returned to New Zealand Police and a number of those were people that had tried out policing across the ditch.”

Rogers said while they couldn’t match Australia’s pay, their conditions did.

“Our pay will always be different to what the jurisdictions across the ditch are offering,” she said.

“But the style of policing and some of the resources that we offer to our people are different and that’s what’s making people want to come back.”

The pay is not everything, Rogers said.

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Landmark case could force rewrite of emissions strategy

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Government’s second Emissions Reduction Plan – ERP2 – will be the focal point for a trial being held at Wellington High Court. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

Two environmental groups are taking the government to court over the country’s second Emissions Reduction Plan and its ‘risky’ reliance on trees. The verdict will not just interpret the law but will test the country’s climate ambition.

Climate policy is being increasingly dragged into courtrooms around the world.

That’s exactly where the fight over the NZ government’s emissions blueprint is headed – and the stakes could not be higher for the country’s climate future.

At the centre of the landmark legal clash, set to play out in the Wellington High Court in less than a fortnight, is the country’s second Emissions Reduction Plan – ERP2 – a document meant to map how we cut pollution and hit net-zero targets.

It was unveiled by Climate Change Minister Simon Watts just over a year ago, with him stating at the time that “our plan shows that we can meet climate targets while still supporting a thriving economy”.

On paper, the plan is the rulebook for a cleaner future. In court, it is set to be called something else entirely: risky.

Newsroom political journalist Marc Daalder will cover the three-day hearing, where lawyers for Climate Action NZ and the Environmental Law Initiative will take on the minister.

“The climate doesn’t normally get lawyers, but this month it’s going to have its day in court as the government’s climate plans are challenged by environmental groups who say they don’t go far enough,” Daadler tells The Detail.

“It’s potentially a landmark case in climate litigation because it challenges the government’s actions in so many different areas, particularly around their reliance on trees to offset emissions instead of actually reducing emissions.”

He says the litigants will argue that the plan leans too heavily on forestry removals – planting pine trees to absorb carbon – instead of tackling emissions at their source.

The translation is simple – the country is relying on nature to mop up pollution rather than stopping the pollution in the first place.

“John Key said we should be a fast follower, not a leader on climate. It doesn’t seem like we are a follower at all if our goal is how many trees can we plant,” says Daalder, who says the government hasn’t commented on the case due to it being before the courts.

Supporters of forestry offsets will argue that trees are a legitimate tool to fight climate change – fast-growing plantations can absorb vast amounts of carbon.

But opponents, Daalder says, will claim that forests can burn, be cut or knocked down, or be planted for production.

He believes the case will attract an international audience.

“I think people will be watching it. It is always difficult to tell where a judge might land, and also how long these things can take to play out … but people will be watching it. It can definitely have an impact.

“I wouldn’t say this will be the one thing that will change everything, but it’s one other tool in the arsenal of people who are concerned about climate and want to see more action.”

If the court finds the plan doesn’t meet legal requirements, it could potentially force ministers to rewrite policy, or recalculate targets, or perhaps cut emissions across different sectors.

Daalder says climate cases are becoming more common worldwide, with lawyers, scientists, and advocacy groups turning to courts to hold governments accountable for climate promises.

Last July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its groundbreaking Advisory Opinion, in which it, for the first time, it specified the obligations of states under international law in respect of climate change.

“We are seeing a little bit more of this action in New Zealand. Litigation is a tool for advancing climate outcomes, and environmental outcomes are growing overseas.

“You will hear about cases in the United States, in the Netherlands, where, for example, the Shell oil company has been found in court to have insufficient plans to reduce its own emissions. And various governments are being sued around the world, as well.”

Lawyers involved in the New Zealand case told The Detail it is “the first case internationally to challenge a government for relying on tree planting to meet climate obligations at the expense of actual emissions reductions”.

They will have their day in court from March 16th, and then a judge will decide whether our country’s climate balance is real – or simply looks good on paper.

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

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/09/landmark-case-could-force-rewrite-of-emissions-strategy/

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Kiwi Paul Coll wins third NZ Squash Open title

Source: Radio New Zealand

Paul Coll in action at the New Zealand Open in Christchurch. photosport

Squash star Paul Coll defended his New Zealand Open title in Christchurch on Sunday, with a dominant 11-7, 11-2, 11-5 victory over Egyptian teenager Mohamad Zakaria in the final.

It’s the Kiwi’s third successive New Zealand Open triumph.

Zakaria rallied from a 4-2 deficit to lead 8-7 in the opening game, but that’s where the points ended for the two-time junior world champion.

Coll lifted his intensity and dictated terms with superior court positioning, stringing together four consecutive points to take the game 11-8.

The West Coaster held that momentum in the second game and looked to capitalise on tired legs after Zakaria’s marathon semi-final triumph less than 24 hours prior.

The world number two looked to take the ball early and seemed more comfortable in the longer rallies knowing fatigue was becoming a factor. Coll won the first eight points after the resumption, before clinching the second game 11-2 to take a commanding 2-0 lead.

There was no stopping Coll from there with the finish line in sight in front of friends and family who made the trip from the West Coast. He maintained his level, putting the hammer down to win the third game 11-5 inside seven minutes.

A “stoked” Coll said claiming the title at the Isaac Theatre Royal stage meant a lot to him.

“I’m very happy to win the NZ Squash Open for the third time. I was feeling a bit nervous, he [Zakaria] had a monster match yesterday. I knew he was going to feel tired, but I was trying to put that out of my mind and play my squash,” Coll said.

With the win Coll extended his unbeaten record to 8-0 on the Isaac Theatre Royal stage and moved to a 27-1 overall record for PSA matches held in New Zealand.

“Last year all the players left here saying how good it was and it was such a good showcase for New Zealand. I’m sure it’ll be great in Palmerston North in 2027, I’ll definitely be back to try and make it four [in a row],” Coll said.

Earlier, the Christchurch crowd was treated to a sibling rivalry in the NZ Women’s Open decider as top seed Tinne Gilles held her nerve to beat younger sister Nele 11-6, 5-11, 12-10, 11-9 in 78 minutes.

It’s the Belgian’s first New Zealand Open title, and just her second win in 11 attempts on the PSA Tour against Nele.

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

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/09/kiwi-paul-coll-wins-third-nz-squash-open-title/

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Person dies, two injured in Taupō crash

Source: Radio New Zealand

One person died and two people received minor injuries in the crash. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

One person has died after a serious crash near Taupō.

Police were called to State Highway 5 near Rangitaiki School Road about 2.10am on Monday

One person was found dead at the scene and two others received minor injuries.

There was only one vehicle involved in the crash.

The road was closed while the Serious Crash Unit conducted a scene examination.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/09/person-dies-two-injured-in-taupo-crash/

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Ninth wave of Covid-19 suggests wane in immunity, expert says everyone must ‘act to reduce impact’

Source: Radio New Zealand

123rf.com – RNZ / Composite Image – RNZ

A public health expert says New Zealand is in its ninth wave of Covid-19.

The latest Health New Zealand figures show 50 hospitalisations and 19 deaths with the virus in the past week.

With booster uptake falling and little tracking of long Covid, experts are warning the real impact of the virus may still be underestimated.

University of Otago professor of public health Michael Baker told Morning Report that waves of Covid-19 had been a pattern seen since the Omicron variant started spreading widely in 2022.

In the past four years, there had been roughly two waves per year.

Baker said the waves weren’t seasonal – being equally distributed between winter and summer.

University of Otago professor of public health Michael Baker. Luke Pilkinton-Ching

But this wave wasn’t following the pattern of a new subvariant emerging, which suggested a wane in immunity.

Baker said people were not getting booster shots and for many, it had been quite some time since they were last infected and antibodies were dropping.

It was enough to give the virus “the edge”.

Baker said the virus was still New Zealand’s most impactful infectious disease – equating to about 1000 deaths a year – compared to influenza which accounted for about 500.

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

Baker said there was no data to show if people were still testing but many had become more complacent.

Tests were no longer paid for by the government making them unaffordable for some people.

“I think that’s a problem,” Baker said.

Apart from getting boosters – which were available every six months for people over 30 – Baker said self-isolation was the next best way to stop the spread.

He said if people had respiratory symptoms, they should stay home and get a test if they can afford it.

Covid-19 was being tracked through wastewater and hospitalisations – which were currently showing a “big wave”.

As well as topping up antibodies, Baker said getting regular boosters reduced the risk of Long Covid.

The “disabling illness” was not being monitored at all In New Zealand which Baker said was a “gap” in tracking the virus.

He suggested periodic surveys would be enough to track how many people are living with it.

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Raisina: The Taiwan Strait Issue

Source: Radio New Zealand

By Graeme Acton, Asia Media Centre

This week’s 11th Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi decided to take the Taiwan Strait issue seriously. GREG BAKER/AFP

If China decides to attack Taiwan, what exactly does the rest of the world do? Graeme Acton is at the 2026 Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.

It’s the kind of question that diplomatic forums sometimes avoid. However, this week’s 11th Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi decided to take the Taiwan Strait issue seriously, first session, second day.

A panel of five experts took the stage, and warned that the scope of simultaneous conflicts across the globe is widening in ways that stress-test the architecture of deterrence and diplomacy – with much of that stress seemingly by design.

Washington’s policy of strategic ambiguity – deliberately leaving unclear whether it would militarily defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack – has long provided a kind of managed uncertainty that has kept Beijing cautious.

But the “might is right” ethos of American power under the current administration, combined with its scepticism toward long-standing commitments and international norms, has eroded the credibility that US ambiguity once traded upon.

Simultaneously, Beijing has grown more, not less, vehement in its insistence on what it calls “reunification”.

Experts at Raisina 2026 argued that the ongoing conflict in Iran is no longer a regional affair but one that is “bleeding together” with security concerns across the Indo-Pacific. Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director of ORF America, pointed to the expanding reach of Iranian missile and drone capabilities – including strikes on a British military base in Cyprus – as evidence of this widening arc of instability.

Indian commentators are obviously also concerned about the sinking of an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka just a few days ago. The ship had just been on exercises with the Indian navy, and PM Modi has been roundly criticised in Indian media for his silence to date on the issue.

The risk, Raisina panellists argued, is that Beijing sees American engagement in Iran Asia as a window of opportunity. Bonnie Glick of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies pushed back on that assessment, maintaining that Washington remains perfectly capable of dealing with multiple crises simultaneously and that its messaging on Taiwan stays firm. “I think China views bottom line American intervention in Iran right now as a moment for consideration of Taiwan,” she told the audience, but she also felt China has this moment to consider the consequences of dealing with a US administration quite happy to let loose the dogs of war under circumstances it regards as appropriate.

Helena Legarda of the Mercator Institute for Chinese Studies offered a more cautious European perspective. While acknowledging that Beijing might exploit other conflicts for “rhetorical ammunition,” she noted that this does not necessarily legitimise direct military action against Taiwan – partly because Beijing still wishes to present itself as a responsible global power.

But her assessment of Europe’s practical capacity to respond to a Taiwan crisis was sobering. If the war in Ukraine is still ongoing and Europe is managing that conflict largely alone, she said, it would be unlikely that EU member states could assemble the right military assets quickly enough for a standoff in the South China Sea.

Ms Legarda cut to the chase on what makes the Taiwan question so difficult: the world’s potential democratic responders are already stretched. Japan has adopted the firmest posture among US treaty allies, bolstered by a new defence pact with the Philippines.

But what Australia, New Zealand or South Korea would actually do in the event of a crisis -not rhetorically, but operationally – remains cloudy. All three nations have trade and economic ties with China that hugely complicate the situation.

From Taipei itself, I-Chung Lai of the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation offered his reading of China’s military readiness: China simply does not yet possess the capability to carry out a successful invasion of Taiwan.

Crossing the Taiwan Strait is one of the most complex military operations imaginable. You need to move tens of thousands of troops, armoured vehicles, and supplies across 150-200 km of open water, under fire, and then storm heavily defended beaches. But as Dhruva Jaishankar pointed out , China has been involved in extensive military exercises in the South China Sea, as much a signal to Taiwan as a process of military preparedness.

Some analysts suggest the Chinese Army (the PLA) just doesn’t have the resources necessary at present. Add to this the fact that Taiwan has just signed off on the largest defence budget in its history – roughly $US40 billion to be spent from 2026 to 2033 – focused on asymmetric warfare capabilities including munitions designed to cripple amphibious landing forces at long range

I-Chung Lai also mentioned the concept of “Pax Silica.”, the peace maintained by the understanding that global chip makers would be devastated if Taiwan’s giant semiconductor factories went down. The disruption to supply chains – from cars to laptops to AI infrastructure would be massive on all sides of the conflict. In 2025 the US moved to set up a network of “trusted chip suppliers” – India joined that group last month.

But despite the chip issue, Beijing’s signals around Taiwan remain clear, and the recent invasion of Ukraine shows that sometimes nations will act against their economic interests while chasing their strategic objectives.

What Raisina 2026 made clear is that the comfortable old framework – American strategic ambiguity underpinning a reasonably stable cross-strait status quo – is fraying. The burden of deterrence is being redistributed across a coalition whose cohesion, resolve, and actual capacity vary enormously.

For New Zealand’s part, the three AUKUS founding members (US, UK, Australia) have themselves said they are “not yet in a position to consider expanding to additional partners” – meaning New Zealand hasn’t been formally offered a military “Pillar Two” membership.

But New Zealand’s recent Defence Capability Plan, released nearly a year ago, proposes investments in long-range drones, satellite surveillance, data integration, and counter-drone technologies that closely mirror the priorities seen in AUKUS.

New Zealand also maintains its own ambiguity on the Taiwan question -arguably edging closer to the alliance without triggering Beijing’s red lines –or the New Zealand public’s nuclear-free sensitivities and marked hesitancy about fighting other people’s wars.

The question is not simply whether anyone will come to Taiwan’s defence. It is whether the network of interests, alliances, economic interdependencies, and democratic solidarity that constitutes the current world order can commit and act quickly enough, and firmly enough, to make Beijing reconsider an assault on the island.

-Asia Media Centre

– 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/raisina-the-taiwan-strait-issue/

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Hutt roadworks traffic chaos: Short term pain for long term gain – mayor

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

An obstacle course of road cones throughout Hutt City may be frustrating residents, but the agencies responsible for them say its short term pain for long term gain.

Across Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington and the Transport Agency there are multiple projects underway in Lower Hutt to future-proof service infrastructure, improve flood protection, develop the CBD and improve transport connection.

Much of the work is part of Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi, formerly RiverLink.

The works have caused major delays and gridlocked traffic, with commuters as far as Upper Hutt and the Wairapapa feeling the impact.

The rolling road closures to get the work done has reignited residents frustration time and time again.

Last week new roadworks on Queens Drive and High Street shut down a crucial intersection in the Hutt CBD for the next nine months.

Nearby businesses told RNZ foot traffic is down, costing them money, and that works were too slow and too frequent in number.

Front of house for Shine Cafe Jade Wirepa said they were losing customers who did not want to go all the way around the closures, a process he said could take 15 minutes compared to two minutes prior to the road closures.

His own commute had gone from 15 minutes to between 45 minutes and a hour.

He wanted to see the agencies speed up the works.

“They should be having around the clock workers working through the night if it’s that important,”

Gentle Dental practice manager Rose Riley said the roadworks were hard to dodge.

“You try to avoid it and go another way, and then there’s some more somewhere else, yeah, which is quite annoying.”

She said driving to nearby Petone was also a nightmare.

“I tried that once in my lunch break and that was a terrible idea.”

Bedrocks Bar duty manager Venus Kitiona also felt the length of the planned roadworks was too long, although the time of her commute meant she got to avoid the peak traffic.

‘We want to be out of there as soon as we can as well’

Greater Wellington Public Transport Committee chair Ros Connolly said while there are options that could be explored to make the project go quicker – such as working around the clock – for Greater Wellington and Hutt City Council, they have to deliver the project through rates.

“We hear a lot of issues around people saying their rates increases are too high, so we’re trying to focus on delivering these projects at an efficient and affordable rate,” she said.

“So things like night works and speeding up the works does have implications for the overall cost budget.”

Matt Hunt, NZTA Waka Kotahi’s project director for the State Highway to Melling Transport Improvements Project, said there was continued consideration around whether work could go more quickly.

“We want to be out of there as soon as we can as well,” he said.

He said for the transport agency one of the biggest constraints is noise.

“We use a lot of big machinery, and it’s very noisy, and so being cognizant of the consent conditions around noise and how can we work overnight and within those noise parameters is something that we’re looking at.”

He said there will be night works in some places.

Hunt said agencies were also coordinating and monitoring works to mitigate impact as much as possible.

Lower Hutt Mayor Ken Laben said workers on the project are doing the best they can.

“The reality is there’s going to be congestion, there’s going to be long waits, there’s going to be long queues, and there’s going to be frustration.”

But he said its short term pain for long term gain.

“It’s inconvenient, it’s disruptive, and it’s annoying. But unfortunately, that’s the reality of our life over the next few years while we begin the process to keep the city safe and secure over the course of the next 30 or 50 years.”

The RiverLink project is expected to continue until 2031.

People advised to take public transport

For people heading into Wellington, the agencies had suggested taking the train as an alternative if they wanted to avoid the clogged roads.

Metlink trains are the responsibility of Greater Wellington.

“If you’re a commuter who is swapping to the trains because you’re experiencing those peak time traffic effects, at the moment you’ll be getting a really good service from the train, reliable and timely,” said Connolly.

However she said there were still some buses replacing trains during weekends or of-peak periods.

Connolly said this was due to a legacy of deferred maintenance on the tracks that meant infrastructure needed to be brought up to standard.

“So we’re going to have buses replacing trains as part of our public transport reality for the foreseeable future. “

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/03/09/hutt-roadworks-traffic-chaos-short-term-pain-for-long-term-gain-mayor/

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Concern over suitable athletics venue for 2034 NZ Commonwealth Games hosting bid

Source: Radio New Zealand

XIV Commonwealth games opening ceremony, Mount Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand, 24 January 1990. Photosport

Despite its dominance of last month’s Halberg Awards, athletics looms as a possible weak link in a bid to host the 2034 Commonwealth Games.

Track and field holds pride of place in past New Zealand success at the Games, producing 136 medals, including 37 gold – both more than any other sport – since they were first held at Hamilton, Ontario, in 1930.

High jumper Hamish Kerr has helped spark a resurgence in the sport over recent years, capturing Halberg Supreme honours for his 2025 world championship victory, which followed previous success at Commonwealth Games, world indoor championships and the Paris Olympics.

It currently boasts world class performers in a wide variety of events, but Athletics NZ chief executive Cam Mitchell fears the lack of a suitable venue makes his sport an “Achilles heel”, as New Zealand prepares its case to stage the Commonwealth Games in eight years.

“One of the big challenges we have is facilities,” Mitchell told RNZ. “None of our facilities are optimal.”

New Zealand has hosted the Games three times at Auckland 1950, Christchurch 1974 and Auckland 1990. None of the athletics venues at those events are still used for that purpose.

Eden Park has since become the nation’s premier rugby site, QE2 Stadium was destroyed by the 2011 earthquake, while Mt Smart Stadium has become home for NZ Warriors and Auckland FC, with athletics relegated to what was previously the warm-up track.

“That’s a challenge around facilities that we’re working with government on,” Mitchell said. “If New Zealand wants to host the Commonwealth Games and be serious about that bid, athletics is our Achilles heel, because there’s no facility.

“We need to build a national home for athletics.”

Over the weekend, the national championships were staged at Auckland’s Trusts Stadium, which also hosted games during the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

It already has a giant grandstand down the homestraight, which was packed for Saturday’s ‘Track Stars’ showcase, but would need further work to meet Commonwealth Games spectator standards.

“It definitely resonates,” Kerr told RNZ last week. “If you look at the tracks around New Zealand, we’ve got some real world-class tracks – the surfaces, the way they’re designed and the way they’re built – but they haven’t been built with spectators in mind or high-level competitions.

“I think it will be interesting to see how Trusts Stadium works on the weekend for the nationals, because it has a good embankment and a decent-sized stand.

“As an athletics fan, the thing I’ve been a little bit disappointed with is, when there has been talk about new stadiums within the country, often they’re made to dimensions that wouldn’t accommodate a track.

“Christchurch’s new stadium is a perfect example of that.”

In recent years, the Commonwealth Games have barely survived the increased costs of staging them.

Trusts Stadium looms as a potential Commonwealth Games athletics venue. Shane Wenzlick/Photosport

Durban, South Africa, was originally awarded the 2022 Games, but struggled for finance and was eventually replaced by Birmingham, England, which moved its hosting agreement up four years to accommodate.

Bids from Kuala Lumpur, Cardiff, Calgary, Edmonton and Adelaide for 2026 were all withdrawn, also due to financial concerns.

In April 2022, the Australian state of Victoria agreed to host this year’s edition on a new regional model, with venues spread across its catchment at Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, rather than centred on Melbourne.

Fifteen months later, the state government terminated its host agreement. Gold Coast, London, Malaysia, Singapore and the Ghanaian capital of Accra considered stepping in, but ultimately, all declined.

As a last resort, Glasgow agreed to a reduced programme using venues from the 2014 Games.

The 2030 Games have already been awarded to Ahmedabad, India, while New Zealand has indicated interest in 2034, probably adopting the regional model.

“Commonwealth Sport will put out their timelines, which we expect will be 2027, for feasibilities, presentations and proposals to go through to them,” NZ Olympic Committee chief executive Nicki Nicol told RNZ.

“We’ve done some pre-feasibilities. and will wait to do the next round of feasibility over the next 12 months or so. It’s a bit of awaiting game still, but we’re really conscious that athletics is caught in the programme.

“We do know that Sport NZ have an infrastructure review, so everyone’s aware that we want world-class facilities to keep producing amazing athletes.

“2034 is still a while away, but there are certainly options in New Zealand to retrofit existing facilities, so we can hold the Commonwealth Games and have athletics as part of that programme.”

Nicol agreed that Trusts Stadium was probably a frontrunner.

“I’m not a geo-tech engineer, but we do expect that would be a minimum standard that we could operate a Games at,” she said.

“We could use temporary seating, because at the end of the day, we have to make sure we’ve got surfaces and conditions for the athletes to perform at that elite level.

“We look forward to working with government over the coming months.”

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What it’s like living with cancer, rather than dying from cancer

Source: Radio New Zealand

Paula Miles has “advanced notice” that her days are numbered.

“I’ve been shoulder tapped and said, ‘hey, you know, look out, this is coming sooner rather than later’.”

Miles was originally diagnosed with breast cancer 14 years ago, aged 56. She had some years cancer free before it returned in her ribs, spine, pelvis, femur and around her skull.

Paula Miles.

Supplied

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Is pet insurance worth it?

Source: Radio New Zealand

It could be easier for people to work out whether it was worth buying insurance if vets were more transparent about their fees, says an insurance expert. File photo. ekarin/123RF

Niki Bezzant says that when her cat was dying of cancer, she was relieved to have taken out pet insurance to help with the vet costs.

“I was able to claim for a lot of her very expensive treatment in the last months of her life.”

But she said she was caught out by a feature of the policy that she had not fully understood.

“The excess on the premium in my case was $1000. This is per condition, per policy period. I assumed this meant – per condition – i.e. the jaw cancer that took Lily – per the period I held the policy, which seems fair enough.

“But no, this actually means per condition, per policy year. As it happened, my policy renewed in January, in the middle of Lily’s illness, and with that, another $1000 excess kicked in. So I ended up $2000 down.”

She said she had complained and been offered a small refund as a goodwill gesture.

All up, she said the vet bills totalled $6649 and she was reimbursed $3501.

“That’s not nothing, I paid about $1300 of premiums over the policy life. I suppose it was worth it to know that I didn’t have to weigh up treating my beloved puss with whether I could afford it or not – I knew I’d be reimbursed for most of it. Vet bills are super expensive and I know I’d have really struggled to cover that $6000 if I had not had the insurance. But there are fishhooks.”

She said on balance she thought it was worth having the insurance, which had been in place for a year. “But you could go either way.”

Consumer NZ insurance expert Rebecca Styles said the clause that caught Bezzant out was used across pet and health insurance.

“Insurance contracts are annual, so in the case of pet insurance, an insurer can alter the condition of cover when renewing it and can even decide not to renew it. We think these aspects should be clearly explained before people buy the product and be clearly communicated in the policy documents.”

She said whether it was worth taking out pet insurance was something owners would need to weigh up for themselves.

“When I looked into the prices a few years ago, the cheapest monthly premium for a six-month-old cat was $27.45 and the most expensive $78. For a 6-month-old puppy, monthly premiums ranged from $55 to $106.

“On top of those premiums, if you make a claim, you’ll need to pay an excess – which could be around 20 percent or a fixed amount of $100 to $200 – and in some cases a co-payment as well between 10 percent and 30 percent.”

She said it was also important to look at exclusions.

“Pet insurance won’t cover everything. It’s not often that routine check-ups and vaccinations are included. And some breeds aren’t covered because of known health conditions.”

She said a study in 2019 found most dog owners spent less than $500 a year at the vet and for cat owners, $200.

“Even allowing for inflation, what you pay in premiums may be more than that.”

Canstar said the average cost across all policies was $821 a year, but this could vary a lot depending on the animal insured. It found just over half of respondents had claimed on their insurance.

Southern Cross paid out $15,000 for a dog with immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia in 2025, and $11,000 for a ragdoll cat with pneumonia.

Styles said there were more brands entering the pet insurance market, such as Mighty Ape.

“However, I do think self-insuring – popping some money away regularly to have access to if the worst happens is a good option.”

She said it could be easier for people to work out whether it was worth buying insurance if vets were more transparent about their fees.

“I know when I take my cat or dog it’s hard to guess how much it will cost.”

Moneyhub founder Christopher Walsh said vet costs could quickly add up because treatment and medication was not funded in the same way as for human healthcare.

He said self-insuring was an option for some pet owners but there was also a large range of different pet insurance policies available.

“There are so many options out there… if you want to consider an accident-only pet insurance because you are worried about a dog or cat being run over, rather than the long-term costs that dogs and cats can pick up, it comes down to pricing and getting quotes for what you can afford.”

He said people who chose to self-insure needed to make sure they really were putting aside enough money to cover eventual vet bills.

Research by Leena Awawdeh, now at Charles Sturt University, said pet insurance offered several advantages, including making people more willing to pay for vet care and a reduced likelihood of pre-surgical euthanasia.

“Insured pet guardians tend to spend more on veterinary services, potentially improving access to care. However, pet insurance has limitations, particularly for owners with limited financial resources who struggle to afford premiums or veterinary costs.

“The uptake of pet insurance remains relatively low, with only a minority of pet owners utilising it. Factors influencing insurance adoption include education about treatment costs and disease risks. While pet insurance can reduce the costs associated with veterinary clinics, its uptake has been slow.”

Southern Cross said it insured about 65,000 pets and last year paid out 78,000 claims worth $30.2 million.

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Aussie farmer who swam his way out of depression

Source: Radio New Zealand

Stressed, overworked and cloudy-headed, New South Wales farmer Brendan Cullen was feeling “pretty crook” back in 2015. When he started talking out loud to himself, he realised something wasn’t right.

Cullen found the courage to walk into the local hospital and ask for help that day. Eventually – with the help of antidepressants and swimming – he clambered out of long-term depression.

In his memoir The Desert Swimmer, he writes about training for and swimming the English Channel – something only 20 percent of people who attempt it actually achieve – despite living on a farm 600 kilometres from the coast.

Last year, Brendan Cullen swam the 32.5 km Catalina Channel in 13 hours and 3 minutes.

YouTube screenshot

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Black Caps suffer heavy defeat as defending champions India win T20 World Cup

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

Defending champions India have thumped the Black Caps by 96 runs in this morning’s T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad.

Batting first, the co-hosts posted a big total of 255 for 5 and despite a half-century from opener Tim Seifert, New Zealand couldn’t keep up with the required run rate, eventually all out for 159.

Captain Mitchell Santner scored 43 runs at the back of the innings but it was never going to be enough.

Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets for India who become the first team in history to win back to back men’s T20 World Cup titles. It’s also India’s biggest win in a T20 World Cup match.

Jimmy Neesham was the best of the Black Caps bowlers with three wickets.

India batter Sanju Samson top scored with 89 runs with fellow opener Abhishek Sharma and No.3 Ishan Kishan both scoring half centuries.

The Black Caps beat South Africa to reach the final, with India beating England in the second semi-final.

As it happened:

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Second oil spill in Akaroa Harbour in two months sparks concern for wildlife

Source: Radio New Zealand

The spill in Akaroa Harbour. Facebook/Environment Canterbury

A wildlife expert has serious concerns for dolphins and seabirds after a navy ship spilled hundreds of litres of oil into Akaroa Harbour yesterday.

About 200-300 litres of lubricating oil leaked from the HMNZS Te Kaha on Sunday morning, due to a defect to an oil cooler on the ship’s starboard engine.

The defence force said the ship had been in Akaroa Harbour doing a training exercise, and the source of the leak had been found and was no longer leaking.

Otago University professor of zoology Liz Slooten said seabirds could have their feathers covered in oil, causing them to lose their insulation, sink, drown or be unable to catch fish.

She said the risk for marine mammals was breathing in polluted fumes, getting oil in their eyes, or eating contaminated fish.

“There’s a whole bunch of health effects that will follow on from these animals taking in oil, or diesel or other petrochemicals, so it’s a really serious problem.”

She said bottlenose dolphins had been seen to lose teeth after swimming in contaminated waters in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, when a massive 4.9 million barrels of oil spilled into the sea.

Slooten said it was concerning this was the second spill in the Harbour in the past two months, with more than 2000 litres of marine diesel fuel spilling from the Black Cat Cruises boat on 31 January.

“So now we’ve had two oil spills in a marine mammal sanctuary, and these dolphins are already seriously under threat – mostly from fishing impacts.”

Slooten said more needed to be done to stop spills happening, and when they did, there needed to be an “immediate professional response”, rather than the current inadequate one.

Most of the oil cleaned up – council

But Canterbury Regional Council coast and harbours manager Guy Harris said teams had successfully cleaned up most of the oil today through absorbent booms.

“We think we probably got about 200 litres – so depending on how much went in there, we’ve either got nearly all of it, or two-thirds of it at the worst.”

“Definitely by the end of today [Sunday] we were doing sweeps and getting nothing at all on the booms.”

It was not a large spill, he said, but the oil was quite “toxic” and “thick” for wildlife. Its thickness made it easier for teams to pick up.

Harris said there had been no reports of oiled wildlife on Sunday, but Ecan would keep observing this week and next.

“Our response systems are great, we’re trained by MPRS, the Marine Protection Response Service – we’re experienced, we get to as many spills as we can.”

The deputy harbourmaster will be out on the water early this morning assessing conditions and deciding on the plan for today.

Wainui Beach had been closed to swimming yesterday by the council, and the council would be assessing whether that was needed today, Harris said.

A defence force spokesperson said the ship’s company has been working with the harbour master since 8 in the morning on Sunday to contain and clean up the slick.

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Decade mistakenly in a cash fund: ‘Why didn’t the bank contact me?’

Source: Radio New Zealand

The bank’s cash fund returned 2.8 percent a year over the past 10 years, compared to 4.2 percent for its conservative fund. File photo. 123RF

A woman who did not realise that her KiwiSaver was mistakenly in a cash fund for more than a decade is taking her complaint to the Banking Ombudsman.

Amanda Pringle said she was contacted by her bank, Westpac, in 2014, after she received $17,000 in back payments she was owed in child support.

She went to an appointment with her bank and was signed up to KiwiSaver for the first time.

It was only this year when a friend suggested she look at switching her KiwiSaver that she found she was in a cash fund, with a total balance of about $50,000, despite increasing her contributions to 6 percent of her income.

Morningstar data shows Westpac’s cash fund has returned 2.8 percent a year over the past 10 years, compared to 4.2 percent for its conservative fund, which Pringle thought she was in.

If she had not made a choice and had joined KiwiSaver the next time she changed jobs, she would have been placed in a default fund.

Westpac’s default fund has returned 10.9 percent a year over three years.

Pringle said the staff member who enrolled her in KiwiSaver did not explain how different funds might perform. “I trusted that she had my best interests at heart – I also had minimal life insurance and she upped that, and sort of talked about you know, you’ve got two children it’s important to do that.

“I didn’t really understand the terminology that well because I do struggle to process things along those lines, with a car accident I had when I was 16.

“I haven’t had anyone helping me to understand the terminology financially and I thought they would have my best interests at heart.”

She said even if she was given information noting she was in a cash fund, she would not have known what that meant. “I just thought our verbal discussion was enough to know that she had my best interests at heart and I was signing there because I felt like she was basically trying to help me out.”

When she was able to, she increased her contribution rom 3 percent of her pay to 6 percent, thinking it was the right thing for her retirement. “I was doing what I could and I did receive letters but to be honest I wouldn’t have understood how it worked.”

When she understood what happened, she said, she was “absolutely gutted”.

“I’ve just started online banking in the last few years when I got a new phone and so I didn’t really know, [a friend] said to go in and have a look and see because he thought that it was strange that I had worked so long and not made a lot of interest on it and he said oh my god you’re in a cash fund. I wouldn’t have known what it meant but I felt really annoyed because they had rung me out of the blue to come in and see them.. they’ve done me no favours whatsoever, it’s cost me big money.”

She said if she had been left to default in, she would have been much better off. “I just felt really, really upset.”

Westpac said it would not uphold her complaint.

It said it had looked at how KiwiSaver accounts were set up for Pringle in 2014.

It said when staff helped customers join KiwiSaver their role was to explain how it worked and provide the relevant information and paperwork. “They are there to help customers understand their options however they cannot choose a KiwiSaver fund or tell a customer which fund to select as this is formal financial advice.”

The bank said a recommendation could only be given if a customer chose to receive formal financial advice.

“Where formal financial advice is not being provided the choice of KiwiSaver fund is made by the customer and recorded on the application form. Customers can also review and change their KiwiSaver fund at any time after their account has been set up.

“Regular KiwiSaver statements were sent to you over the years which clearly showed that your savings were invested in the cash fund. The statements also include contact details and explained that you could get in touch with us if you had any questions or needed help reviewing the information.”

It said it had not identified a bank error in how the account was set up or managed.

Pringle said she felt that even if the bank had acted according to its rules, someone should have contacted her about the decision and explained the potential impact.

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The world at our breakfast table: Three Kiwi staples that almost all end up offshore

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. First, let’s tuck into some brekkie.

For many Kiwis, it’s an essential start to the day, but if you think of our dairy produce as a single flat white, New Zealanders get one small swig and the rest is drunk overseas.

There are 4.7 million dairy cows grazing 1.7m hectares of dairying farmland, yet only 235,000 are effectively producing milk to moisten our Weet-Bix at home. According to

DairyNZ estimates we produce enough milk for 90 million people to have 2.5 servings of dairy each day.

This is a boon for our export earnings – and it’s growing. A whopping 95 percent of the dairy we produce is exported, earning billions in the process. Dairy exports were worth roughly $24 billion in 2025, a 54 percent increase from the $16b it earned five years earlier.

China has grown to become our biggest buyer of dairy exports. From a mere $13.5m in 1990, it climbed to $8b last year – about a third of the total.

It’s a long way ahead of the next biggest buyer, Indonesia, which spent $1.2bn buying our dairy last year. It’s a promising market for growth – a new school milk programme in the country is slated for 83m children. Saudi Arabia was the third biggest buyer, purchasing $1.1bn of our dairy.

The flipside to the lucrative export trade is that the prices we pay at home for dairy are tied to prices exporters can get offshore. When international butter rose last year, Kiwis saw the price on local supermarket shelves reach sky-high levels.

In June, shoppers were paying $8.60 for the cheapest 500g block, according to Stats NZ. That same month, Consumer NZ shared a photo of a 500g tub of semi-soft butter priced at $18.29, prompting a flood of frustrated comments. “We make the butter here (WHY IS IT SO EXPENSIVE),” one person wrote. “Apparently NZ doesn’t make butter,” another said, adding they were being sarcastic.

Butter brought in $800m of export earnings, up from $332m in 2020, a 143 percent increase. The United States was the biggest buyer of butter in 2025. Walmart, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and Costco all sell New Zealand butter, marketing it as grass-fed and richly coloured.

A smear of honey on toast is a sweet treat for many Kiwis, but behind the sticky spread is an industry that has seen booms, busts and stockpiles.

A mānuka honey goldrush spurred on by jars selling for thousands of dollars offshore saw a proliferation of beehives. Some beekeepers say it led to too many bees and too much honey.

Unlike other products, honey can be stored indefinitely. Apiculture New Zealand said between 2018 and 2022 we produced twice as much honey as we were exporting, and a stockpile was created.

When RNZ looked at food exports in 2020, less than 40 percent of honey made its way offshore. Now that figure has climbed to 72 percent, leaving 28 percent for local tables.

Now the number of registered beehives has plummeted from 900,000 to 500,000 and the stockpile is being consumed.

Our export market has shifted. In 2020 China was our biggest buyer, spending $95m, however since 2021 top spot has swung to the US. By 2025, China’s spending dropped to $58m, putting them behind the UK and in third place.

Bad weather has affected 2026 honey harvests.

Fancy a few spoonfuls of zingy kiwifruit for brekkie? While locals enjoy a taste, 95 percent of the fruit is whisked off around the world.

Despite their moniker, kiwifruit aren’t native to New Zealand. They’re originally from China, with seeds arriving in New Zealand in 1904.

For decades they were known as Chinese gooseberries until exporters Turners & Growers renamed them as kiwifruit in 1959, a move Time magazine called “a stroke of marketing genius” and described as effectively hijacking the fruit. The stroke of marketing genius and tightly controlled export rules controlled by legislation has paid off.

New Zealand is the world’s biggest kiwifruit exporter and leads the way with new varieties, which are fiercely protected. In 2025, a Chinese grower was ordered by local courts to rip out 260 hectares of yellow SunGold kiwifruit grown without a license and pay Zespri compensation of $1.8m.

Looking at export numbers it’s clear why Zespri fought so hard to stop its intellectual property being hijacked. In the 2024/2025 financial year, gold kiwifruit was the top seller. According to Zespri’s annual report, 121.8 million trays of SunGold kiwifruit were sold compared to 58.4m trays of green kiwifruit. The new RubyRed variety sold 1.5m trays to 13 different markets.

In the past five years export earnings from kiwifruit have increased 66 percent to $4.5bn, with green, gold and red varieties all contributing. Since 1991, we’ve earned around $37bn from the furry fruit. During this time, the top buyer of kiwifruit shuffled between Europe and China. Japan, South Korea and the US were also large buyers.

At home, prices are seasonal, peaking in the summer and falling during winter. In July last year, StatsNZ reported a 1kg bag cost $3.72.

Stay tuned for Wednesday’s story, where we take a look at who we’re sharing our lunch with and dive into avocado, seafood, apple and water exports.

Where the data came from:

Dairy: Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand and StatsNZ trade data items with a harmonised system description containing “Dairy produce”

Honey: Apiculture NZ and StatsNZ trade data items with a harmonised system description containing “Honey”.

Kiwifruit: Zespri and StatsNZ trade data items with a harmonised system description containing “Fruit, edible; kiwifruit”

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Queenstown Lakes District facing double the housing insecurity over one year

Source: Radio New Zealand

Happiness House manager Léna Boss suspected the cost of living was reaching a crunch point. SUPPLIED

The proportion of Queenstown Lakes residents facing housing insecurity has doubled in the past year, a new survey shows.

The Queenstown Lakes District Council annual quality of life survey found 10 percent of Queenstown Lakes residents had to spend at least one night with friends or family, or in a car, caravan, tent, poor or overcrowded accommodation, or on the street during the past 12 months.

The situation was even more acute for those aged 18-24 with 17 percent having to rely on friends or family for temporary accommodation, ten percent having to sleep in their car, five percent sleeping in the street and five percent sleeping in a tent.

One person told the council they spent three months on the street with their cat and were declined 65 rentals.

Restaurant worker Mateo De Leon was among those who had struggled with housing in the tourist resort.

He thought he had a place to stay in Queenstown this summer, until his flat split up and the landlord pulled the rental from the market.

His backup plan – a van he moved into with his friend – broke down and the situation became even more desperate.

“Ninety percent of the hostels were fully booked out and the ones that weren’t charged like $300 per night. It was absurd. So it was definitely not an option,” De Leon said.

“We decided, the first night, to try to sleep at the restaurant we were working at but that didn’t really work out. So we ended up not sleeping that night.”

De Leon eventually went to Facebook to find urgent accommodation and ended up sleeping in a stranger’s van.

He had since left Queenstown, partly because of the high cost of living.

The previous quality of life survey found only five percent of respondents reported experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness.

Mayor John Glover said it was worrying to see housing insecurity in an otherwise “busy, thriving, prosperous district”.

“It tells me that there are some people who are doing it really hard. The levels have been varying from year to year, but I think we need to be really watchful for any emerging trends,” he said.

He suspected cost of living was a factor but he cautioned against reading too much into the numbers.

The last time 10 percent of the district reported experiencing housing insecurity or homelessness was in 2023, when there were widespread stories of accommodation shortages that prompted some workers to stage a lakeside protest.

“I’m not sensing the same chronic, absolute urgent shortage of accommodation that we had a couple of years ago when, you heard horrific stories of people having to literally, rush somewhere seconds after a listing was [put up],” Glover said.

Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness project director Victoria Crockford said she was not surprised by the reported increase in housing insecurity.

Many people were struggling to find a place to call home, Crockford said.

“I think it’s probably a symptom of an increase in cost of living pressures but also symptomatic of the fact that whilst we have an absolutely stellar record on getting houses consented in this district – and the council has done a very effective job at that – what our record is less golden on is the ability to provide the types of affordable housing that are needed across all segments of the population living here,” she said.

The private rental market was not successfully providing homes for workers and families across many income brackets, she said.

“I genuinely believe that the big gap that we’ve got is that we have failed to plan for workers’ accommodation – good quality workers’ accommodation targeted at the people who come here initially for the short term but often end up staying and actually propel our core industries and keep this town humming.”

Glover said housing affordability was a persistent challenge for the district and the council was hoping to grow the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust’s affordable rental and home ownership schemes.

“Clearly if you’re in a hospitality job, on or at or just above minimum wage, there’s some significant challenges to working out an existence here,” he said.

Crockford said women in Queenstown historically experienced higher rates of housing insecurity than men.

Homelessness and housing insecurity was often not visible on the streets, she said.

“I think that in some ways, because it is hidden, it is even more dangerous. And by dangerous, I mean it’s dangerous because we don’t think it exists and therefore we don’t have any sort of formal response to it,” Crockford said.

Happiness House manager Léna Boss said she had noticed a lot of solo parents seeking food support at the Queenstown community support centre recently.

She suspected the cost of living was reaching a crunch point.

People were often surprised to learn Queenstown had no emergency accommodation, Boss said.

Workers needed to know the true cost of living in the district before moving to the area, she said.

“It’s very hard to be able to afford a place in Queenstown, even if you’re a family. Rents are outrageous … we’re talking about a two-bedroom for $900,” she said.

“Queenstown looks so pretty on the map. It’s touristic, it’s vibrant, there’s this community that looks so amazing and all these things happening. And there’s a lot of work. But the problem is do people do their research before they come to actually find out is there not only work but can they live here? Can they afford to live here? And this is a very big challenge.”

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PM Christopher Luxon facing a ‘last straw scenario’ – commentators

Source: Radio New Zealand

“The trend is not good” for the Prime Minister, says Liam Hehir. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Last week was “disastrous” and a “last straw scenario” for the prime minister, says a former National Party chief press secretary, while another political commentator says National MPs will be considering whether now is the right time for a leadership tilt.

Janet Wilson was chief press secretary for both Todd Muller and Judith Collins and says a recent poll that put National in the 20s was not a “nail in the coffin” for Christopher Luxon.

But she says it encapsulates people’s view of him and the state of play for the National Party as a whole.

Liam Hehir says Luxon’s performance last week when it came to foreign policy did not matter as much as the poll, which reflects a broader trend for him, and “the trend is not good”.

Hehir says first term prime ministers normally get a free run in their first re-election bid, and Luxon is in a “very unusual position for a first term Prime Minister, coming under immense pressure”.

Luxon batted away questions last week about stepping down as party leader following the latest Taxpayers’ Union Curia poll that had National on 28.4 – down nearly 3 points from its poll last month.

Labour was up slightly on 34.4, while the Greens, ACT, and Te Pāti Maori were all up on 10.5, 7.5, and 3.2 respectively.

Luxon told Newstalk ZB on Friday evening none of his Cabinet colleagues had told him to reconsider his future, saying “all of them” back him.

He said he was “absolutely not” considering standing down and said he had the skills to lead the National Party and the country.

Luxon will make his regular media appearances on Monday morning, including on RNZ’s Morning Report, ahead of another week at Parliament that will see the National Party caucus get together on Tuesday for the first time since Friday’s horror poll.

Wilson told RNZ she thought Luxon had lost his messaging and status, “and I think he’s lost his imprimatur at this moment to be a leader”.

She said there were three likely scenarios that could play out this week, the first being what seemed to be occurring now – that Luxon had “dug in,” he would maintain business-as-usual and say he wasn’t going anywhere.

The second scenario was that his senior leadership team had asked him to consider his future, but he says he’s not going anywhere, “it’s a bit like scenario one: status quo is maintained.”

The third scenario, she said, was if Luxon told the senior leadership he wasn’t going anywhere, but the senior leadership team then decided it’s time for change.

She concluded the most likely probability was scenario one, “he is going to dig in and say, it’s only one poll – journalists, the commentariat, have gone mad.”

Hehir told RNZ every single MP in the National Party saw themselves as a potential leader.

“Whenever anyone’s under pressure, whenever the actual leader is under pressure, they will be wondering to themselves whether or not it’s the right time.

“You’d have to be crazy not to assume that in the wake of a series of pretty bad polls, that the ambitious people in the party aren’t considering their options.”

Wilson explained the effect on a caucus when polling was low was “severe,” that it was “horrific, actually”.

“What happens is MPs start doing the numbers, and they start looking at the likelihood of what their chances are for the upcoming election, and whether, in fact, their skin is going to be saved in the midst of the mayhem of what’s going on,” Wilson said.

She got a sense that was occurring right now.

“I think the more that the leader says, ‘there’s nothing to see here, it’s all fine’, the more it exacerbates the problem for those in the back bench.”

Wilson pointed out it was to Luxon’s advantage that a lot of his caucus were newer MPs, “the strategic art of politics is yet to occur to most of them”, though not all of them, she said.

She also referred to the previous political term, where National went through a succession of leaders, and the memory of that time had “frozen” the senior leadership.

“They’ve all been there before, so why would they want to go back to that necessarily?

“They’re aware of the risks. They’re not necessarily thinking about the rewards.”

If there was going to be a leadership challenge, Wilson said it would need to be “quick” and “clean”, and Luxon would need to “sit back.”

Hehir was skeptical about changing a leader in election year.

“It’s a bad idea to change leaders unless you’re absolutely certain that the new leader is going to keep all the votes you currently got and add additional votes.

“It’s the only way that it’s worth the instability, the permutations of a leadership change.”

The complications and difficulties being considered would be the pairing of a new leader and deputy leader, said Hehir.

With the National Party, he said, whenever the leadership is being considered, “you’re not just looking at the ideological factions, but you’re also going to look at the personalities involved.”

“If there was to be a leadership change, it would probably be a disaster unless everything lined up. And I’m just not sure that it does.

“The history of leadership changes in the National Party when they haven’t been managed, has not been good. Very rarely has it resulted in an election win or a changing of a course correction in terms of the overall trajectory.”

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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/2026/03/09/pm-christopher-luxon-facing-a-last-straw-scenario-commentators/