Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A Christchurch couple who found more than $200,000 in the ceiling will be allowed to $40,000 of it.

The couple, whose names are suppressed, found the mystery money sealed in plastic bricks tucked in insulation at their property in 2021.

They reported the $232,440 to the police who said the money should be forfeited because it was the proceeds of crime, probably from drug dealing.

A hearing took place this month in the Christchurch High Court.

In a judgment released on Wednesday, Justice Robert Osborne decided the couple could keep $40,000 of the cash, with the rest given to the Crown.

Both parties had reached a proposed settlement in the hearing, suggesting the couple be paid that amount from the cash.

In agreeing to the settlement, Justice Osborne said he had to consider a number of factors, including the strength of the police and couples’ arguments, and the aims of the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act, which is designed to deter crime, eliminate criminals’ profit-making, and reduce their ability to expand their activities.

He said the case was “highly unusual”, in that the people who found the cash were “wholly innocent citizens” who discovered it and handed it to the police.

There were “strong public policy” reasons for agreeing to the settlement.

Others might be discouraged from reporting similar findings if they weren’t able to keep any of the money, he said.

“If this court were to strip from innocent finders of cash such as these interested parties any prospect of some cash recognition for handing the cash to the authorities, dishonesty could be unintentionally promoted.”

The police had accepted the couple had done the right thing by telling them about the cash, that they were caused stress by finding it and by the risk the true owner might return for it, and that they incurred the cost of alterations to their home after discovering it in the ceiling.

Justice Osborne said his decision wasn’t a finding that people should always be paid 20 percent of found cash when they stumble on it.

He said his responsibility was to determine the settlement had been reached fairly, and was consistent with the purposes of the Criminal Proceeds Recovery Act.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A retailer in Rotorua faces a fine of up to $500,000 or a maximum term of two year’s in jail for selling nitrous oxide, also known as nangs, for recreational use.

“Our beat team had engaged with the retailer several times, yet he refused to heed our warnings,” District Commander Superintendent Will Loughrin said.

“So now he will face the consequences, which is a criminal charge of selling or supplying a non-approved psychoactive product which carries a fine of up to $500,000 or a maximum term of two year’s imprisonment.”

More than 300 canisters have been taken out of circulation, he said.

Assistant Commissioner Tusha Penny said the man showed “complete disregard for the law and has persisted in selling this substance for recreational use”.

He was charged under the Psychoactive Substances Act and is the first prosecution of a retailer in the district.

The man will appear in the Rotorua District Court on Thursday.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The Christchurch City Council has voted against a controversial proposal to investigate banning protests in some parts of the city.

The notice of motion, brought by councillor Aaron Keown, was narrowly lost – eight votes to seven – at a council meeting on Wednesday.

Keown and councillor David Cartwright proposed having staff investigate and advise the council on using an existing bylaw to declare protesting off limits in some public places.

The notice of motion referenced “sensitive sites”, such as the Bridge of Remembrance, the earthquake memorial, places of worship and cemeteries.

Keown told his colleagues the motion was not about stopping people from protesting, but protecting places he felt should be off limits.

Keown said he was happy for staff to explore other sites that could become designated protest zones.

Protests were held in Cathedral Square for many years but the square was now “a little bit derelict” and that had led to the centre of town shifting closer to the Bridge of Remembrance, Keown said.

Cartwright, who seconded the motion, said protests had left the community feeling vulnerable.

Although the definition of sensitive sites was yet to be decided, Cartwright said it would not affect some traditional protest sites.

“If nurses wanted to continue to protest outside the hospital or school children outside the council chambers here around climate emergencies or the wharfies having a picket line in Lyttelton, it does not stop them,” he said.

Mayor Phil Mauger and deputy mayor Victoria Henstock were among those who supported the motion.

Councillor Pauline Cotter said she could not believe some of her colleagues were even considering supporting the motion, which she branded a breach of human rights.

Councillor Andrei Moore noted the proposal itself could spark protests.

Earlier in the meeting, veteran protester John Minto addressed councillors and urged Keown to withdraw the motion.

He told the council the proposal would breach the Bill of Rights Act.

The Bridge of Remembrance commemorated New Zealand soldiers including those who fought to liberate Palestine from the Ottoman Turks in World War One and was the most appropriate site in the city for protests supporting Palestine, Minto said.

Councillors Melanie Coker, Cotter, Celeste Donovan, Tyrone Fields, Tyla Harrison-Hunt, Nathaniel Herz Jardine, Yani Johanson and Andrei Moore voted against the motion, while Mauger, Henstock, Kelly Barber, Cartwright, Keown, Sam MacDonald and Mark Peters voted for it.

Tim Scandrett abstained and Jake McLellan was absent.

Amnesty International criticised the proposal on Tuesday with director of advocacy and movement building Lisa Woods saying it was deeply concerning.

The right to protest was fundamental and while some limitations could be put in place, they were limited and should always be a last resort, Woods said.

“Protest is by its nature disruptive – that’s the point. It might cause some disruption to society’s daily functioning but only serious disruption can justify restrictions,” she told RNZ.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland animal control officers say they need laws with more teeth, with the current dangerous dogs’ legislation resulting in dogs being locked up for years.

Last year, the council received almost 17,000 reports of roaming dogs and more than 1300 reports of dog attacks on people.

Currently, 60 owners are facing prosecution for dog attacks.

It’s prompted calls for a revamp of the three-decade-old Dog Control Act and more power for animal control officers.

Checkpoint followed animal control officers Shay Smith and Lisha Byrne around for a day as they kept an eye on the streets of south Auckland.

Their shift started at 7:30am, with their first drive-by near a local primary school in Ōtara.

More often than not, they see dogs they’ve had to impound before, out roaming the streets again.

But first, they spotted a dog at a property that isn’t supposed to have dogs.

The owner was disqualified because their dogs, which hadn’t been de-sexed, were found roaming the streets.

This time, the team found and seized two adult dogs and seven puppies.

Animal Control officer Shay Smith spoke to the property owner as the dogs were left in her care.

“I will leave paperwork with your daughter, she does have seven days to make contact with the shelter, but unfortunately, just because of the situation, we do have to take them.”

The dogs also hadn’t been de-sexed and were freely wandering around the property, which did not have a fence.

As Checkpoint stood outside the house, children walked past on their way to school.

Although the dogs didn’t seem aggressive, Smith said they couldn’t take any risks as other dogs in the area had attacked people.

“A good reason why we patrol the area so frequently is because a lot of these dogs will follow kids around the schools and some of them act aggressively,” Smith said.

“[They’ll] bark at the kids as well, so it is quite important.”

The council’s dog shelters in Manukau, Silverdale and Henderson are currently near capacity, so finding a spot took time.

But the officers eventually found spots for the nine dogs at the Manukau shelter.

“Once we’ve impounded them, the shelter then takes over, so the dog owner can reach out within seven days.”

“If they’re unknown dogs, they’ll get posted on the shelter impounds Facebook page.”

If no owner comes forward to claim the dogs, they have to pass a temperament test, to see if the dogs can be rehomed safely.

“If they’re not able to be rehomed safely, then unfortunately they do get humanely euthanised, because we can’t be rehoming aggressive dogs.”

Auckland Council regional shelter manager Nikki Cripps said there are currently 250 dogs being held across their three shelters.

Some have attacked a person or another animal.

Across the three shelters, 60 dogs are being held while their owners face prosecution.

“Some dogs are in here because they’ve attacked another dog or another animal, whether that is stock or a cat.”

“Other dogs are in here because they’ve attacked a person. With a person, that can range from a child up to an elderly adult.

“We also have dogs in here that have attacked police officers, who were trying to perform their duties.”

After an attack, the council can decide whether a dog can return to its home.

If it’s deemed a safety risk, the dog is kept behind bars while evidence is reviewed to determine whether a prosecution is justified.

“All of this can take anywhere from days, up to years, with our longest-term dog being in here for four years.”

This is because owners can lodge potentially lengthy appeals, even after a court has decided a dog must be put down.

One dog currently at the Silverdale shelter has been held for two-and-a-half years for this reason.

Cripps said the shelters aren’t a healthy environment for dogs.

“For these dogs, we are very limited in terms of what we can do for our health and safety reasons.

“So, they’re not socialised with other dogs, they’re unable to have visits from their owner for health and safety reasons.

“They can deteriorate; they are in an institutionalised environment.”

Cripps wants the council to have more power to enforce dog control laws.

“We need stronger laws in place to help us mitigate these issues before it gets to this point. At the moment, we can’t enforce de-sexing, we can’t enforce fencing.”

“There’s lots of factors we could potentially put in place to prevent it from getting to a point where a dog is in here for an attack.”

‘What we need is more proactive tools’

Auckland Council’s general manager for licensing and compliance Robert Irvine told Checkpoint because the Dog Control Act is over 30 years old, it is outdated.

“What we need is more proactive tools. The problems out there are significant, and we need those tools under the legislation to really help us get on top of this quite severe problem.”

He said the council can only euthanise a dog if it isn’t collected during the seven-day hold period.

But for a dog that is aggressive and has bitten someone, the council can’t make the decision to put it down, they must wait for a court order.

“Where there’s an attack on a person or it’s even killed a family pet, we have no powers to destroy that dog.

“Our power, it’s either a $200 fine, or we have to take the person through a quite a lengthy and costly prosecution process through the district court.”

Auckland Council want to be able to issue stronger penalties against owners, he said.

“What a lot of victims look for is effectively the reparation around ensuring that the dog is either euthanized or there’s adequate compensation.”

“I do definitely think the whole process needs to be improved. The fact that it takes almost a year, or in some cases even four years, at the end of the period, something needs to change.”

During 2025, there was close to 3000 dog attacks on people and animals, but only 141 prosecutions or appeals.

Irvine said the council wants to speed up the time the court process takes and to be able to issue stronger fines.

“Our fine that we can issue someone for when there’s an attack is $200. I think prosecution should always be held for the highest, but it definitely needs to be more than 200, something in the vicinity of $1000 or $2000.”

To keep a dog in the pound, Irvine said it costs the owners $35 a day and $13,000 a year.

“We definitely bill the owners. The challenge is a lot of the cases, particularly when finally, the courts order a destruction, they may not pay. So, for us, we straight away refer that to the Ministry of Justice and Baycorp.”

To disqualify a person for owning dogs, the person must have committed three offences within 24 months, and the offences cannot all be connected to the same incident.

Irvine said the council wants to see tougher rules.

“We disqualified just under 60 dog owners over the last year and, really based off the severe problems we’re facing, it should be a lot more.”

Last month, Minister Simon Watts told Checkpoint the Department of Internal Affairs is working with the local government sector to improve dog control enforcement guidelines.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Petrol prices could start rising by the end of the week as the Middle East conflict goes on, one industry head says.

Waitomo Group chief executive Simon Parham told Checkpoint it would not be surprising to see the price of unleaded fuel hit $3 per litre in some places.

The price of brent crude already rose about 16 percent in the past week, after Iran essentially closed a key shipping route for oil.

The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow strip of water between Oman and Iran is a vital shipping lane for about 20 percent of the world’s oil.

Tens of millions of barrels travel through the strait each day, as well as liquified natural gas, but Iran is threatening to attack any ships trying to pass through the strait.

Are you preparing for possible petrol price hikes? Email iwitness@rnz.co.nz

There is concern the strait could become a chokepoint; forcing petrol and commodity prices up around the globe.

Parham told Checkpoint the market should be bracing for a price increase between the end of this week and early next week.

“The market had priced in risk associated with the US-Iran nuclear negotiations, but it hadn’t priced in the conflict. So I think that’s what we’re really seeing now, is the price of that conflict and the uncertainty about the duration.”

While it is too soon to tell exactly how much those increases will be, Parham was sure it would be an upwards trend.

While there was potential for fuel prices to hit $3 per litre, Parham stressed that the cost of petrol and diesel is always relative.

“There’s always a cheaper fuel option out there so look for the deal. Don’t just fall into your normal routine.

“I think now’s the time to start doing that. Do it now, do it over the next couple of weeks, as we see the prices increase.”

New Zealand receives a large portion of its refined oil from Singapore, meaning supply is not currently an issue.

Parham said while countries that rely on the Hormuz Strait may look to Singapore to supplement their supply, stockpiles in China and other places meant that there was unlikely to be any issues with getting enough oil.

“We’ve got about 20-odd days supply and that’s part of our minimum stock holding and that’s in country. There’s probably half of that, potentially 10 days, on the water, and there’s a lot of product also sitting at the refineries up in Singapore, Japan and Korea … so it’s not a product issue.”

Parham said that people should be aware of the widespread reliance on fuel across the country, meaning the cost increase may not only be seen at the petrol pump.

“Petrol and diesel, it leaves it’s sort of fingerprint across a lot of the New Zealand economy, whether it’s primary industries such as farming, agriculture, forestry, you move into civil and construction, you know, those roading pipelines or those earthworks to transport, you know, moving product to market.”

He said people will not be immune to price increases across any part of the economy.

“Ultimately we all feel it at home as well in our household budgets … it will slowly eat away and, you know, get into that disposal income that we have.”

US President Donald Trump has indicated the American-Israeli operation could last four or five weeks.

Parham said that in order to keep prices from skyrocketing, there was hope that period would be shorter, but they are currently just taking things as they come.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Some Mackenzie District workers are resorting to sleeping in cars, campervans or commuting because there are not enough affordable, long-term rentals.

The local mayor has described Tekapo and Twizel as bursting at the seams with visitors, saying it was a welcome economic boost, but it was coming at a cost.

Hundreds of homes were earmarked for short-term stays and prices remained high, leaving some struggling to find a roof over their heads.

Tour guide Elsie said Tekapo was a must-see for all of her groups.

But finding a bed or rental for the many guides who passed through was a challenge.

She described the accommodation as expensive, and in high demand and short supply during peak visitor season, and sometimes guides could not find a place to stay.

“In Tekapo, there is a camping area, but they only can sleep in the car and then … next day, they need to work nine to ten hours and then drive probably roughly two to five hours. So, it’s quite hard job for them if they couldn’t sleep very well,” she said.

She had also resorted to sleeping in a car a few times, but was now linking up with other guides in the hope they might have more luck finding a rental.

LJ Hooker Twizel salesperson Karan MacDiarmid said rentals were in short supply in her town and their property management team had a waiting list.

They were encouraging homeowners to consider their options, she said.

“There’s a lot that are in the Airbnb market, the short-term market, and to support this town, we still need to look after people who want to live here and work here …so we need long-term rentals,” she said.

A lot of families wanted a holiday home in Twizel, and investors were also eyeing up properties, MacDiarmid said.

“They know there’s a shortage of long-term accommodation. They see it through the social media, Facebook. People just desperate, wanting it,” she said.

It was great to see investors wanting to buy for long-term rentals and help keep the town working, she said.

She wanted to find a balance – developing their town to better cope with the tourist numbers as well as growing the number of locals and workers living there too.

Mackenzies Bar & Grill restaurant manager Karmi Dabbay said business was booming, but finding somewhere for staff to live was a challenge.

They have staff accommodation, but she said there was not enough of it and sometimes they had asked workers if they had a campervan when they ran out of rooms.

“It’s really hard at the same time to manage the tourists and the people who will work for the business itself,” she said.

“I know that we’re getting a lot of money from here, but at the same time, we have to prioritise those people who want to work and have a good accommodation because at the end of the day, people want to have their own room. A safe space for them, time for them to relax after an exhausting day.”

Last year, a council survey found the majority of residents believed tourism was good for the region, but nearly all of them had been negatively affected by tourism in the area.

Mackenzie District mayor Scott Aronsen said tourism was a massive economic driver for the region, but it was also putting huge pressure on infrastructure and housing.

He did not want to kick short-term rentals to the curb, but said they needed to encourage more homeowners and investors to consider switching to long-term rentals.

He acknowledged that it was a difficult ask, saying some turned over up to $90,000 a year as a short stay when it might earn significantly less as a long-term rental.

He knew some people were travelling more than half an hour from Twizel and Fairlie to work in Tekapo.

“From what I can ascertain from the freedom camping ambassadors that move through – effectively they’re rangers – there are definitely people that are sleeping in cars,” Aronsen said.

Last busy season, he said roughly $145,000 in abatement notices were handed to freedom campers not following the rules.

But close to $50,000 of that had to be written off because they did not pay the fine.

The Tekapo wastewater treatment plant was also under the pump. He said it was designed for about 3000 people per day.

“Currently, it’s working way over its capacity of its limits – approximately 10,000 people per day – so our sewage system in Tekapo has been pushed to the absolute limits,” he said.

An estimated $40-$50 million was needed for an upgrade.

They also faced a “bureaucratic monster” when it came to trying to free up land for more housing, he said.

Land was also in short supply and some of it was already earmarked for industrial use under an old council spatial plan, which was both difficult and time-consuming to change, Aronsen said.

The Mackenzie District Council was exploring more user-pay toilets as an option to help cover the $800,000 a year bill ratepayers faced to clean public bathrooms.

The government has been pushing for more tourism growth, but Scott Aronsen said that was not sustainable without more support.

“If you want more growth, then we need more facilities and we need our share of that IVL (international visitor levy) money because at the moment tourism is costing our ratepayers,” he said.

There was work underway to figure out the holistic cost tourism was having on the district’s ratepayers, which was expected to be finished later this month.

Other popular destinations, including Queenstown, have also raised similar concerns that their small ratepayer base was insufficient to cover the rising costs associated with growing visitor numbers.

The Tourism and Hospitality Minister has previously signalled that [. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/582869/significant-changes-on-the-horizon-for-tourism-industry

significant changes] could be on the horizon for the industry and figuring out a sustainable funding model was one of the issues expected to be addressed.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Two waterfront property owners have been fined more than $6000 for carrying out illegal earthworks on a Northland beach.

Reports of a digger moving sand and soil at Church Bay, in Tūtūkākā Harbour, northeast of Whangārei, on 10 February sparked a flurry of complaints from local residents and hapū.

The Northland Regional Council sent inspectors to the bay and ordered a halt to the earthworks, which it said were being carried out without authority on the beach and a reserve administered by the district council.

Regional council regulatory services group manager Colin Dall said one of two property owners involved had since been issued with an abatement notice and three infringement notices, or fines, totalling $4000.

A second property owner had been issued with two fines totalling $2500.

Dall said the abatement notice forbade any further unauthorised disturbance of the beach.

The fines were the standard amount set in the Resource Management Act.

Dall said prompt notification and inspection had stopped the property owners from carrying out further work, which would have resulted in more breaches of the RMA.

He said nature had since taken its course with the scraped area of beach more or less back to its pre-disturbance state.

Dall said the Whangārei District Council was also considering enforcement action relating to earthworks on the beachfront reserve.

At the time, one of the property owners told local media he had acted to prevent further erosion after January’s torrential rainfall, and believed the situation was urgent.

He described the earthworks as “hauling loose sand back up the beach”.

A spokeswoman for local hapū said she was “horrified” by the scale of the damage, which she described as covering an area as large as a rugby field.

The Northern Advocate reported that some locals lay down in front of the digger to stop it.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

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Source: Radio New Zealand

A community leader has urged the Christchurch City Council to avoid any chance of sewage washing up on the city’s beaches.

His comments came after Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger announced the council was considering pumping 30 percent of the city’s sewage – partially treated – into the ocean to mitigate the putrid odour plaguing the city’s eastern suburbs.

The city council was last week [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/588155/abatement-notice-issued-over-stench-from-canterbury-sewage-treatment-plant

h it with an abatement notice] after Canterbury Regional Council received more than 4500 complaints about the stench coming from the Bromley wastewater treatment plant in the past month.

Local community board chairman Paul McMahon told councillors on Wednesday he supported investigating anything that would reduce the load on the damaged treatment plant, but he did not want to see other environments ruined as a result.

“It can’t end with solids being washed up on the beach, nor in environmental damage, and it cannot create another problem downstream,” McMahon said.

The eastern suburbs have been plagued by the foul odour since a huge fire damaged the plant in 2021. Other parts of the city have been hit as the smell became markedly worse and more widespread this year.

The council had said the spike in odour was due to high rainfall.

Residents pushed back on that claim, saying in the past the council had said heavy rain helped improve pond health and reduce the odour.

McMahon raised concerns about the stench becoming worse.

“We’re also concerned that the rapid drop in temperatures we’ve seen recently with a lot of rain is going to lead to another spike, so I hope we’re prepared for that eventuality,” he said.

The regional council has expressed surprise at the plan floated by Mauger to partially screen then pump around 30 per cent of the city’s sewage out to sea.

A city council spokesperson and the mayor said the proposal has been discussed with the regional council.

On Tuesday, community board deputy chairwoman Jackie Simons told RNZ she had only heard of the proposal the day prior.

“It’s not good enough. I should have known that this was in the winds weeks ago,” Simons said.

“It’s uncomfortable for everyone and the fact that I don’t get information ahead of time – it’s frustrating.”

Asked during Wednesday’s meeting whether he expected to get a briefing on the mayor’s proposal, McMahon said that should be a normal part of the process.

Councillor Yani Johanson asked council head of Three Waters Gavin Hutchinson when elected members could expect to get a briefing on the proposal the mayor had put forward.

Hutchinson said no date had been set.

He confirmed any outfall would be in place until the new activated sludge plant was up and running, which was expected to be in mid to late 2028.

Odour testing would be uploaded directly to the council website from next week, allowing the public to check new results and search for historical data, Hutchinson said.

The council had not purchased additional odour monitors for installation in the community but had obtained some for the ponds that would give more warning of increased odour, he said.

In a response to questions from RNZ regarding the definition of partially treated, the council said partial treatment meant sewage went through much of the treatment process – including screening and the temporary activated sludge process – but, instead of being sent to the ponds to reduce bacteria, the effluent would be chlorinated and mixed with treated effluent before being pumped into the ocean.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

The University of Otago will offer two new qualifications in Queenstown as part of a long-term plan to build a campus in the resort town.

The university will begin teaching an undergraduate degree in entrepreneurship and a postgraduate qualification in digital technology.

Vice-Chancellor Grant Robertson said the university was starting small and expected about 50 to 60 students to enrol.

The university hoped to build accommodation for about 500 students by 2030 and offer executive education programmes – short, industry-focussed courses, Robertson said.

“I’m excited by the fact that we’re on track to have students there next year,” he said.

“This is the second fastest growing region in New Zealand. It’s an international destination. It’s in the Otago province and we do see it as a place where over the next couple of decades we’ll be able to grow our presence.

“Dunedin will always be the home of the University of Otago but Queenstown is a growth area and, if we do fast forward 20 or so years, you can certainly see the potential there for a large scale campus.”

The university was in the process of finalising temporary premises in Queenstown for the first courses, Robertson said.

A property at Jack’s Point – donated by the Jardine family to the university’s Foundation Trust – would host academic retreats, conferences and engagement events from next year.

The university said it expected to eventually support between 1000 and 3000 students in Queenstown. However, Robertson said that was a very long-term goal.

“We’re conscious that we need to build this up in a sustainable way. We’re initially funding the establishment but, like all programmes at our university, what we offer in Queenstown will need to fund itself and so it will need to grow over time.”

The university would focus on international students and the courses offered in Queenstown would be designed with technology companies, Robertson said.

In a statement, the university said Palo Alto Networks would be co-developing and delivering programmes related to cybersecurity.

“We’re designing curriculum with industry and other academic institutions rather than trying to drop an existing programme in,” Robertson said.

“One of our mantras was we weren’t going to replicate what we do in Dunedin. Our long-term plan for Queenstown is to be adding value. We’ll still be delivering our courses in Dunedin but we wanted to do something different. Technology Queenstown (a not-for-profit agency) wanted to be a partner and we believe we’re both fulfilling a need but also creating some demand because of the location and because of the kinds of courses.”

The university appointed Professor Richard Barker as a full-time Queenstown establishment director last year.

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