Category: Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

A community leader in Auckland says he is tired of telling governments how to combat youth offending.

Fewer 10- to 17-year-olds went through the youth justice system in the year to June 2025 compared to the previous year, a new Ministry of Justice report has shown.

The Youth Justice Indicators report, published on Friday, said in the year to June 2025 the rate of police action against children decreased by 22 percent, and against young people by 9 percent.

The report defines those aged 10 to 13 years old as children, and 14- to 17-year-olds as young people.

However, Pacific young people experienced an increase in police action. Pacific young people were also more likely to experience a more serious response from the justice system than other groups, the report showed.

For example, 29 percent of Pacific young people proceeded against by police appeared in court, compared with 26 percent for the total population and 38 percent of the Pacific young people who appeared in the Youth Court were remanded into custody, compared with 32 percent for the total population.

Buttabean founder Dave Letele said that was not surprising to people like him who work with youth.

“Research like this is great because it tells the truth, and it’s not telling us anything we don’t know.

“But it’s frustrating because every time these reports are released, we keep having the same conversation.”

There was obviously a correlation between the high number of Pacific youth facing material hardship and going through the youth justice system, he said.

Data released by Stats NZ this week for the year to June 2025 showed one in seven children was living in hardship.

Letele said for Pacific children, it was one in three.

“Until all governments understand that they must invest in grassroots community-led programmes, and invest in them sustainably, so they’re not having to worry about funding all the time, nothing is going to change.

“I keep saying that, they just need to listen.”

Minister for Child Poverty Reduction Louise Upston earlier this week said reducing children’s material hardship was a priority in the government’s child and youth strategy.

“Our government is taking action to reduce child poverty by fixing the basics and building the future.”

She said the just-released statistics showed no statistically significant changes in the three primary child poverty measures compared to 2023/24.

“Our government has made a number of changes to improve the lives of Kiwi families, we’ve increased the in-work tax credit, lifted the threshold for Working for Families, provided working families with tax relief, reduced inflation and introduced FamilyBoost to make childcare more affordable.

“Unemployment is the last thing to come right after a recession and that is why our government is focused on growing the economy, reducing the number of people on the jobseeker benefit and reducing the number of children in benefit dependent households.”

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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/2026/02/28/auckland-community-leader-tired-of-telling-governments-how-to-combat-youth-offending/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Lindis Pass / State Highway 8 has reopened after a single-vehicle crash resulted in a closure and left one seriously injured on Saturday morning.

The closure was from Broken Hutt Road and Old Faithful Road after the single-car crash.

Police said one person had sustained serious injuries and was seen by ambulance services.

The Serious Crash Unit was notified.

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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/2026/02/28/lindis-pass-reopened-after-crash-leaves-one-seriously-hurt/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A person has been seriously injured in the Auckland suburb of Glen Eden.

Police were called to Great North Road around 10am after a report of an incident involving people known to each other.

They did not share any details about the nature of the incident, but said enquiries were ongoing.

Another person has been taken into custody.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/28/person-seriously-injured-another-arrested-in-aucklands-glen-eden/

Source: Radio New Zealand

The health minister says a doctor using an artificial intelligence scribe tool is able to see, on average, one additional patient per shift.

Simeon Brown has announced every emergency department in the country now has access to the tool, which records consultations and generates draft clinical notes, referral letters and follow-up summaries.

He claimed 80 percent of surveyed staff at Auckland’s Middlemore Emergency Department said it improved productivity or efficiency.

While 84 percent said it had a positive impact on their overall experience and wellbeing during a shift.

“This places New Zealand among the fastest health systems in the world to move from pilot to nationwide frontline AI use in emergency departments, helping clinicians spend more time with patients and less time on paperwork,” Brown said.

“AI will never replace clinical skill or judgement, but it will play an increasingly important role in supporting frontline healthcare staff and helping patients access care faster and more efficiently, now and into the future.

“We will continue investing in digital technology that puts patients at the centre of the healthcare system, improving access to care, and delivering better health outcomes for New Zealanders.”

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/28/ai-scribe-tool-being-used-in-emergency-departments/

Source: Radio New Zealand

One person died following a single-vehicle crash in Northland Saturday morning.

Emergency services were called to Mahuta Gap in Te Kopuru about 7.15am.

Police said one person was found dead at the scene.

The Serious Crash Unit has examined the crash site.

The death will be referred to the coroner.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/28/one-dead-after-northland-single-vehicle-crash/

Source: Radio New Zealand

From watching homelands burn on social media to being stuck between cultures, there is one migrant community facing some of the worst mental health.

Middle Eastern, Latin American and African (MELAA) young people are an ethnic minority reporting unique challenges.

Having to navigate trauma, mixed identities and many other potential obstacles, some young people are also saying there is a gap in culturally sensitive mental health support.

In December 2024 the Ministry of Ethnic Communities released its ethnic evidence summary. As part of its findings, it stated that while most ethnic communities faced mental health challenges, MELAA people were reporting lower overall wellbeing with more than one third of the youth having seriously considered attempting suicide.

As heartbreaking as the statistic was, it had not come as a shock to some in the community.

Carrying the trauma

Fatima Sanussi is a refugee and the founder of ‘Do You Still Dream?’, a creative platform for migrants and refugees.

She said she was not surprised that MELAA youth were reporting such low mental health.

“During this time where you can see what’s happening in Palestine, you can see what’s happening in Congo, you see what’s happening in Sudan, we have communities here that are impacted … that carry these narratives.”

Originally from Sudan and Ethiopia, Sanussi was a year and a half when she resettled to South Auckland with her family.

She said a significant portion of the MELAA community were in Aotearoa due to forced displacement, and they did not always receive enough support.

Many of the youth Sanussi had grown up with in Otahuhu had left a brutal conflict.

“That type of trauma was not addressed, the trauma that they carried from the conflict.”

Her own mental health had suffered because of the war in Sudan, especially with the exposure on social media.

“I watched my homeland be destroyed, a tremendous amount of death, displacement as well as the loss of my own and the worry of my family being in a war zone.”

At 28, Sanussi was still navigating her own mental health journey, recalling the first time she went to therapy following the passing of her father.

“It was hard to speak to the therapist, I remember I was about 14 or 15 and I felt like she couldn’t understand me,” Sanussi said.

She felt there was no cultural awareness in the process with little understanding for her struggles as a young ethnic person and the experience discouraged her from seeking help until recently.

It was only last year, more than a decade later, that Sanussi decided to give it another go after feeling the impact of the war in Sudan.

Stuck in the ‘in-between’

Eman Ghandour, an AUT career advisor and founder of Khawat, a network for ethnic women, said the poor mental health for MELAA youth was due to many layered factors.

Originally from Jordan, Ghandour said she had struggled with depression for many years and one of the main reasons was a flickering sense of belonging.

She identified as a 1.5 generation migrant, a term for migrants who moved from their country of origin during their childhoods.

Lost between the culture they were born with and the culture they were trying to adopt, she said young migrants could struggle with their identity.

“I always say to my parents you’ve never doubted that you were Arab right, you’ve never doubted that you’re a Muslim… but for us we’ve always tapped in and out of that.

“One of the biggest barriers for mental health is actually that in-between feeling.”

Although most migrants can experience this feeling, MELAA youth are considered a minority within a minority, making up only 3 percent of the population.

The ethnic summaries report had also stated that MELAA people could face employment barriers “on a similar scale as Māori and Pacific peoples”, although the types of barriers were not necessarily the same.

Ghandour pressed the point that mental health was holistic and was linked to things like employment and education for young people.

As a career consultant, Ghandour said there was a high expectation for second generation immigrants to achieve employment and get into industries with the same ease as non-migrants.

However, this was often not the case, even with the many migrants who graduated with top grades.

“They don’t have an in, they don’t understand the recruitment process they don’t see themselves like they belong to a certain workplace so there’s massive barriers of even getting through the door.”

What do the stats say and what’s next?

The ethnic summaries report was the first of its kind in identifying how ethnic communities were doing across a range of sectors including mental health.

It had also highlighted that being a female, having a sexual or gender minority status were also some of the factors associated with higher suicidal and self-harming behaviour amongst MELAA youth.

Ministry of Ethnic Communities deputy chief executive Pratima Namasivayam said the statistics for MELAA youth mental health were concerning and the group was now one of the ministry’s priorities.

“It was the first time when we brought together Ethnic Evidence, we went, ‘Oh my God look at this particular finding for MELAA youth’.”

While young migrants contributed strongly to their communities’, factors like racism in schools, biases in workplaces, non-recognition of overseas qualification and trauma were still contributing to low mental health.

The report stated that for Asian and MELAA young people in particular, racial discrimination at school and low family support were “risk factors for self-harm”, however, high cultural self-esteem was a “protective factor”.

In 2023, the ministry worked with the Education Review Office to release a report which showed racism and ethnicity-based bullying in schools remain prevalent.

Namasivayam said nearly one in five MELAA learners had reported feeling that they did not belong and one in three reported loneliness, this was just one of the factors explaining the poor mental health statistics.

“We’re now doing a deep dive into it because we want to really understand what’s happening.”

Namasivayam said MELAA youth were now a top priority when it came to improving mental health for ethnic communities.

She said some positive movements had resulted from the findings of the report such as the Auckland, Kuwaiti community hosting a wellbeing event for young women.

Having spoken to the Ministry of Health, a search into MELAA youth mental health was now part of the New Zealand Suicide Prevention Action Plan.

However, there was still work to be done and Namasivayam said the ministry was now focused on communicating with existing youth groups and service providers to further its knowledge of an underrepresented group.

“We’re thinking that what would be really good is we go and talk to existing youth groups, to talk about mental health, rather than doing a wide general community consultation.”

Ghandour said there was a need for a more holistic approach, that looked at improving physical and mental health while empowering communities and giving them shared spaces.

“If you have a really good sense of identity and understanding your whakapapa, who you are, your migration story … you have a better career outcome, you have better confidence”

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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/2026/02/28/the-migrant-communities-reporting-some-of-the-worst-mental-health/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A man has been arrested after a serious assault in Auckland’s CBD on Friday night that left two people with serious injuries.

Detective Senior Sergeant Ash Matthews said emergency crews were called to Lorne Street about 10.20pm.

Mathews said two people were hurt and that one was critically injured but is now stable. The other suffered serious injuries.

Police also recovered a knife at the scene and a 65-year-old man was arrested by responding staff.

The man was due to appear in Auckland District Court on Saturday on two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Cordons remained in place as investigations continued.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/28/man-arrested-after-central-auckland-assault-leaves-two-seriously-hurt/

Source: Radio New Zealand

At Rewa Rewa Station’s woolshed in Tīnui shearers are at work, but it’s not as noisy as usual.

Over the clatter of sheep hooves on the floorboards, you can make out the snip-snip-snip of blade shears instead of the much louder whirr of machine shearing tools.

Holding the shears – which look like giant scissors – are 15 blade shearers from several countries – here to learn a few tips from world champion blade shearer Allan Oldfield, in preparation for the Golden Shears competition in Masterton next week.

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Blade shearing is slower than machine shearing but leaves a thicker layer of wool on the sheep, beneficial if they’re caught in spring storms, Oldfield said.

“Blade shears leave about half an inch, so 10 or 12 millimetres of wool on the sheep, and that just gives them some protection against the elements, whereas even the cover combs on machines, which are meant to leave more wool on, they only leave five or six millimetres of wool.”

It’s done over a short season but is a skill in demand, with only about 20 commercial blade shearers in New Zealand, he said.

“It takes a lot of time to learn to blade shear well. For three months of work a year, a lot of people aren’t willing to put that effort in.”

Blade shearing is valued for cultural as well as practical reasons, according to the multi-national group in the woolshed.

Maureen Cadet from France has used her blades on flocks on remote islands where there is no electricity, and on milking sheep in the Pyrenees.

“It’s actually a pretty nice day, because everybody is gathering. We are, like, 20 or more shearers, blade shearing on that small flock for the day, and having a party at night.”

Wearing moccasins, tough jeans and a black singlet, she looks like shearers the world over, honing her blades on a sharpening tool in the corner of the woolshed.

In another part of the shed, shearers from The Netherlands and the Basque Country sort through a fleece, exchanging knowledge in a mixture of Spanish, Dutch and English.

Erik Bijlsma, from The Netherlands, likes the idea of practising an old craft.

“We’ve got those flocks that are grazing fields of heather, that are brought into the village, and then they make a sort of a festivity out of it to shear the sheep, and that’s all done in the traditional way.

“It’s much easier on the ears than machine shearing.”

Being a social bunch, blade shearers enjoy the relative quiet of their craft, Oldfield’s father Phil said.

With half a century of shearing and wool handling under his belt, he was also in the woolshed imparting his knowledge.

Not having to shout above the machines, talk on the woolshed floor veers from politics to religion to relationships he said.

Also, according to Oldfield senior, blade shearing is way easier on the body.

“When you machine-shear a sheep, you pretty much turn it 360 degrees every time you shear them. And you’re shearing 200 or 300 or 400 a day.

“With the blade shearing, you walk around the sheep, and you might shear one or 200 sheep a day, so a lot less weight being carted around.”

Loren Opstedahl from South Dakota is in the United States’ two-person blade shearing team. He has competed at the Golden Shears twice before in machine-shearing.

His blades and his body were getting a good workout at the blade shearing school – good practice given he rarely took up the blades back home.

“If I practice, I’m shearing alongside my team. So they’re shearing with machines, and I’m over there shearing with the blades, slower, making less money, killing time.

“I just have to force myself to do the practice there, because it’s more nostalgic in the US.”

New Zealand traditionally does well in the blade shearing, Allan Oldfield said, with South Africa the toughest ones to beat.

He was expecting good competition at the Golden Shears.

“The big thing for competition shearing, and that we’re working on here, is getting a really clean finish on the sheep.

“Blade shearing is probably 65 percent quality of the job, 35 percent speed.”

Learn more:

• Find out more about the Golden Shears here

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/28/country-life-international-blade-shearers-on-edge-for-the-golden-shears/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A case in which an Australian house buyer lost more than A$100,000 because he was two days’ late with his deposit payment could happen in New Zealand, too, a banking expert says.

The Queensland Supreme Court ruled this week that Stephen Gary Evans had to forfeit his entire $98,500 deposit – plus interest.

He had tried to buy a property at Shailer Park, near Brisbane, in 2024 for A$985,000 from Yea Lan Jan.

Justice Michael Copley noted in his judgement, issued on Friday, that the contract to buy the house was subject to a building and pest inspection, and finance.

The parties agreed that the contract was formed on 23 January, 2024.

The contract required the deposit to be paid into the real estate agency trust account when both parties had signed.

But because of bank transfer limits, the full amount was not paid until two days later.

Evans was told by his bank that he had to visit a branch in person if he wanted to increase the limit on the amount he could transfer, which was set at A$50,000 a day.

There was not enough time to do so on the day the contract was signed so he rang the real estate agent that evening.

He received a text the next morning telling him he “may need to deposit today” and was able to transfer A$45,000. He sent a text saying the rest would be sent the day after.

The real estate agent replied, appearing to confirm that plan.

A building and pest inspection happened that day.

The next day, he transferred another A$50,000 and arranged for his brother to transfer the remainder of the deposit.

“In the meantime, at 1:17 pm that day the defendant’s solicitors sent an email to the plaintiff’s solicitors inviting comment about why [Jan] could not terminate the contract in view of the deposit not having being paid in accordance with the contract,” Copley noted.

“On 28 January 2024 the realtor informed the plaintiff via a text message that the defendant did not want to sell the house to him and was going to cancel the contract. On 29 January 2024 the defendant’s solicitors informed the plaintiff’s solicitors that the defendant terminated the contract because the plaintiff failed to pay the deposit by the due date in accordance with the contract.”

Evans told the court that he thought the real estate agent had the authority to represent the seller in all aspects of the sale.

“Based on the text message of 10:58 am on 24 January 2024 and the absence of any further message to the contrary, he believed the defendant had agreed to him paying the deposit on 24 and 25 January 2024. Had he not received this message from the realtor he would have attended his bank on 24 January 2024 and arranged to pay the deposit in full that day,” Copley’s judgement said.

Jan gave evidence that she never authorised the agent or requested that she agree to the extension of time for the deposit.

Copley said that the real estate agent did not have authority to agree to arrangement for the payment of the deposit that did not align with the contract.

Jan counterclaimed for the deposit plus interest from 29 January, 2024 and was successful.

“The counterclaim is based on the plaintiff having breached clause 2.2(1) of the contract by not paying the deposit by 23 January 2024. This was not a matter which was in dispute. Next, if the plaintiff failed to comply with an essential term of the contract, the defendant could terminate the contract under clause 9.1. This was not disputed … Then the defendant relied on clause 9.4(2) of the contract which provided that if the defendant terminated the contract under clause 9.1, the defendant may ‘forfeit the Deposit and any interest earned’.”

Copley ordered that the deposit be forfeited to Jan plus interest.

Banking expert Claire Matthews of Massey University said the same situation could happen here, but it was unlikely – and was likely to be an anomaly in Australia too.

“It seems the purchaser could have a case against the agent for not advising the seller.”

She said, as in Australian coverage of the case, it was “morally wrong even if legally correct”.

“I think the vendor has been unreasonable, and I wonder about their motives. However, the purchaser did have the option of visiting a branch to enable the full deposit to be made, and it’s not clear why that didn’t happen.

“It also appears the purchaser may not have had legal advice, and I’d strongly encourage both parties in a real estate transaction to get legal advice.”

Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden said banks’ payment limits varied.

“If a customer knows they will need to make a large or unusual transaction, it’s a good idea to contact their bank in advance. This allows the bank to work with the customer to put appropriate arrangements in place, so the payment can be made safely and on time.”

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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/2026/02/28/australian-buyer-loses-100k-deposit-due-to-banking-rules-could-the-same-happen-here/

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Lindis Pass/State Highway 8 has been closed and one person is seriously injured after a single-car crash.

The closure is from Broken Hutt Road and Old Faithful Road

Police said one person sustained serious injuries and was seen by ambulance services.

The Serious Crash Unit has been notified and the road is likely to be closed for a significant part of the day.

Police said motorists should consider delaying travel.

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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/2026/02/28/lindis-pass-closed-one-seriously-hurt-after-crash/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A visit to Duntroon’s original Victorian-era blacksmith shop is a visit back in time. Nicol’s Blacksmith Shop has been around for 125 years and, while these days it is a tourist attraction, it is still a hub for the Duntroon community of 100 or so residents.

Rather than making horseshoes, today it makes metal knick knacks, pokers for outdoor fires and key rings for children’s school bags.

The ramshackle wooden structure includes the original earthen floor. There is no need for a wooden floor because that could catch fire.

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Chairperson of the Nicol’s Blacksmith Historic Trust, Jan Keeling, said the shop had been lovingly restored and rescued.

She said the community had a dozen or so volunteers who kept the tourism industry going in the town and made sure the local businesses survived.

The pay off was locals were able to have a coffee and scone all year round.

She said there was much pride among locals at managing to keep the blacksmiths, built in 1900 featuring hand-pumped bellows, in working order.

“Prior to this building, a lot of the farms had their own forge, and the blacksmith would travel around working, shoeing horses or repairing or sharpening implements.”

Keeling remembers when Duntroon was well off the beaten track, but that all changed about a dozen years ago.

Cyclists started arriving as the Alps To Ocean Cycle Trail added Duntroon to its list of stops.

She said the cycle trail had been a game-changer and amazing for the community.

“We have volunteers working here, creating things to sell in our little shop because the shop still runs on the smell of coal dust.”

The Duntroon Heritage Trail was created to honour the 150th anniversary of Duntroon last year.

Keeling said the smithy’s recent history was as important as its original history, with four local farmers getting together to buy it in the 1960s when they realised the building might be demolished.

With its forge, anvil and bellows, everything was in place and ready to go, but it sat there until 2005 when newcomer Mike Gray saw the potential and formed a trust.

It found a well-known restoration builder, Dave Barkman, who offered to come and live in Duntroon for a year. He literally pulled it to bits and rebuilt it like a jigsaw puzzle.

Judy Waterstone was the present-day chief blacksmith at Nicol’s shop with 25 years experience.

As “bellows boy” Colin Martin pointed out, the blacksmiths was predominantly run by women.

“This is quite a unique blacksmith shop. When you look around, we’ve got two lady blacksmiths with Mary an apprentice, and I’m just a bellows boy,” he said.

“And there’s a reason for that old saying about too many irons in the fire,” Waterstone added.

“Many a time I’ll try and do two pieces at once, and it’s fine as long as you keep that momentum up, but the moment you don’t, one burns, and is ruined because there’s too many irons.”

Leaving the huff and puff of the blacksmith shop, I headed over the back fence to meet Steve Smith, who, at 74 is a Master Saddler, one of only six in New Zealand.

The former freezing worker loves Clydesdale horses and decided, after having trouble finding suitable riding tack, he would try and make the harnesses and saddles himself.

So he travelled to Salisbury in the United Kingdom and learned from the best saddlers in the business.

Just like a Savile Row suit-maker, Smith made each saddle to measure and it all started with a wooden tree or frame.

It was covered with heavy, bovine skirting leather, sheepskin padding and more softer leathers for the seat, skirts, and fenders or flaps.

Rather than using a sewing machine, Smith hand sews the leather onto the tree, finally stamping or carving designs into the leather and adding silver trim and stencilling his name on the flap.

Each saddle was worth around $3000 and took 50 hours to create.

Smith would like to retire.

“I’d love to be able to teach somebody, but nobody seems to be interested. For a young fellow or woman who had a bit of skill with their hands and motivation, it would be a pretty good sort of career.”

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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/2026/02/28/country-life-duntroon-a-small-town-with-a-big-sense-of-history/

Source: Radio New Zealand

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Source: Radio New Zealand

We’re all getting older – but we’re not all happy to admit it. The longevity trend has taken off, with some people paying six figures for protocols that promise to make them live longer.

The numbers on old age are only going in one direction, fuelling a global longevity industry worth billions of dollars as people search for more and more extreme ways to live longer.

“We are now realising that there are as many people over 85 as there are under 14,” says Dr Ngaire Kerse, GP and University of Auckland’s Joyce Cook Chair in Ageing Well.

“In the over-65 age group, it’s heading for one in five. So, older people are more prevalent and they’re more obvious and we have a very ageist society. Of course we want to avoid those negative stereotypes of ageing and we want to be the healthy, positive older person.”

But at the extreme end of obsession, people are paying tens of thousands of dollars or more for intense intervention from experts like Dr Peter Attia, a star of longevity medicine who has a best-selling book, a podcast with millions of followers and charges patients six figures.

Now there’s a backlash against Attia because of the content of his damning email exchanges with Jeffery Epstein. Attia has denied any criminal wrongdoing but apologised for the content of his “embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible emails”.

It’s not just Attia and the Epstein link. There’s been a growing wave of distrust in the messaging of many longevity influencers lately, including the likes of Bryan Johnson, the billionaire biohacker who wants to live forever.

He is reported to have chosen three people from 1500 who applied for his Immortals programme. The three are paying $1 million for access to the “longevity protocols” that he’s been following for the past five years.

Johnson’s pursuit of eternal life has included a plasma exchange between his teenage son, himself and his 70-year-old father.

But even Elon Musk, who declared at Davos that there will be a cure for old age, says there is a limit on our lives.

Kerse agrees and has the statistics to back that up.

“I don’t actually want to be 150. I almost have seen enough now,” she jokes.

“It’s challenging to me to think that people would want to live forever, you know, [to] 200 years. And there’s several novels written about what that might be like, challenging whether it’s a good thing or not.”

She says there’s a biological end point at 110 years, when “our cells run out of puff”.

“The maintenance and repair mechanisms don’t work any more and so they get clogged up with stuff and you get diseases that are associated with ageing.

“We’re pushing up against being healthy for as long as you can. It’s ideal to live a fulfilled and healthy and contributing life and then drop dead. Wouldn’t that be lovely.”

Kerse is more concerned with finding ways to make lives better for all old people. She has co-led a world-leading longitudinal study, called Life and Living in Advanced Age, which started in 2010 with groups of Māori and non-Māori born between 1920 and 1930.

Hundreds of people in the cohort were interviewed about their lives every year for five years and again at 10 years.

“Now we’re at 15, 16 years follow-up, most of them are gone of course, because they’d be over 100.”

Kerse sets out the study’s findings and the factors behind participants’ long, healthy lives in today’s podcast.

The Detail also talks to 89-year-old Garth Barfoot of the real estate dynasty about his passion for running and what keeps him healthy, happy and alert.

In 2024 he was the oldest runner to finish the New York Marathon and still takes part in events with his grandchildren.

Listen to the podcast to find out what he believes is the main reason for living long and well.

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

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/28/live-long-and-prosper-then-live-longer/

Source: Radio New Zealand

No more fruit flies have been spotted in Papatoetoe after a single male was found in a surveillance trap in the South Auckland suburb on Wednesday.

The new find comes as Biosecurity just wrapped up a six-week operation in Mount Roskill after a single male was found there.

Biosecurity Commissioner Mike Inglis said they had laid 114 additional traps in Papatoetoe since the latest fruit fly discovery, but there had not been further signs of the pest.

“At this stage, it’s just one single male fruit fly in that trap, so these additional traps are very important.

“These traps are very effective for the Oriental fruit fly; they attract the males extremely well.

“We have evidence of that from when we’ve dealt with this before, including about this time last year in Papatoetoe and the North Shore.”

He said biosecurity staff would be collecting fruit from residents for inspection this weekend.

“We’ve already collected some fruit. We’ll also be visiting high-risk businesses and talking to shopkeepers, and our team will be at local night markets providing flyers and information.

“We know from previous years that by getting in early, engaging the community, and putting controls in place, we’ll make sure it doesn’t impact the community too much and that this pest isn’t established.”

Legal controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables affecting roughly 10,000 properties would remain in place while Biosecurity investigated whether any more fruit flies could be hidden.

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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/2026/02/28/no-further-fruit-flies-spotted-in-papatoetoe-in-auckland/

Source: Radio New Zealand

The chair of Lyall Bay Surf Lifesaving club says despite the partial lifting of a rahui on Wellington’s South Coast information on offshore conditions remains unavailable.

Mayor Andrew Little took a dip in the water on Wednesday to prove residents could swim again at southern beaches after a major sewage leak at the Moa Point Wastewater Plant earlier this month pumped thousands of litres of raw sewage into the sea, closing the beaches for weeks.

He did however caveat that people should follow advice on the Land, Air, Water Aotearoa website before they dive in.

Club chair Matt Flannery said he was delighted that lifesaving teams could resume training in the bay but said ocean swimmers, kayakers and divers were still in the dark.

“The LAWA website, unfortunately, doesn’t include tests beyond the shoreline. That’s probably okay when you’re looking at shoreline discharges from stormwater drains and contaminations but it’s inappropriate when your dealing with an ocean outfall that has the potential to be coming back into the bay,” Flannery said.

“We’ve had to already make some decisions as to the limits that we feel acceptable in the bay but we would truly benefit from the experts stepping up here and giving guidance.”

Flannery said the club’s teams had been training at swim spots within the harbour ahead of the upcoming national championships next month.

He said prior to the spill nearly 70 lifesavers a day were training in the waters off Lyall Bay.

“We’ve shuffled our training around to be using locations such as Scorching Bay, Worser Bay and Evans Bay [and] we’re delighted to have access back on the beach – that’s the most important thing – but we’d just like a bit more information to reflect actually what’s going on in the bay.

“I think it’s a little bit unfair in the sense that they put the risk back on the other users, declare the beach open, without actually giving all the information that’s necessary to make an informed decision,” Flannery said.

Flannery said he raised the point at a local meeting with councillors, experts and Wellington Water staff last week.

Greater Wellington director knowledge and insights David Hipkins said the advice on the LAWA website only reflected public health advice for near shore activities.

“All samples have been taken close to the shore and not near the end of the long outfall pipe. This is why the advice from public health officials is that activities further from the shore are ‘to be conducted at people’s own risk’.”

He said the regional council was talking to the Department of Conservation and other research agencies about any additional monitoring that may be required further out to sea.

The LAWA website also advises people not to collect any kai moana from the area previously under the rahui.

“Testing of kai moana is not being undertaken by Greater Wellington and we are referring the public to advice from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the agency responsible for the safety of food gathered from the wild,” Hipkins said.

“MPI recommends not gathering shellfish from densely populated urban areas, areas near pipes or culverts, areas near to where wastewater or stormwater is being discharged, and to wait a few days after heavy rain before gathering shellfish.”

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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/2026/02/28/plea-for-information-on-offshore-water-quality-on-wellingtons-south-coast-after-sewage-spill/

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Highlanders have suffered another heartbreaking loss, after the Reds bounced back in style.

The Reds defeated the Highlanders by 17 points at Suncorp Stadium after leading by 12 at the break. It was a statement performance in front of a lively Brisbane crowd, the home side running in five tries to two and playing with far more clarity than they showed in Round 1.

The first half set the tone. Fraser McReight opened the scoring in the 18th minute after a stunning passage that started with Harry Wilson flicking a miracle ball through his legs to ignite the break, before a clever series of kicks ended with the flanker diving over beside the posts. Matt Faessler added another off a well-timed peel from a driving maul, and although the Highlanders hit back through Adam Lennox after spotting space around the ruck, the Reds struck again before the break. Slick hands left put Tim Ryan over in the corner, giving Queensland a deserved lead at half-time. It was high tempo, physical stuff, with the Reds well on top and the visitors guilty of too many costly errors.

The Highlanders showed some fight early in the second half. Lucas Casey powered through three tackles to score under the sticks in the 52nd minute and cut the margin, briefly shifting momentum. But just as quickly, the Reds responded. McReight pilfered possession at the breakdown, territory followed, and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto crashed over from close range to extend the lead. Moments later, a grubber forced panic at the back and Vaiuta Latu was on hand to dive on the loose ball for another Reds five-pointer.

From there, Queensland comfortably controlled the contest. The forwards went at it relentlessly, the backs continued to find space out wide, and the bench added real punch, with Filipo Daugunu especially lively. The Highlanders had patches of pressure but they lacked polish, their attack clunky at times and undermined by unforced errors. Jamie Joseph will be disappointed and know there were plenty of opportunities left out there.

Ryan brought real spark on the edge, Salakaia-Loto laid a strong platform, and McReight was a menace all night at the breakdown. For the Highlanders, Timoci Tavatavanawai impressed with his physicality and TK Howden worked tirelessly, but they lacked support at key moments.

This win lifts the Reds to 1-1 and restores confidence ahead of a trip to Canberra to face the Brumbies, while the Highlanders slip to 1-2 and return home to Dunedin to host the Force in Round 4, searching for a response.

See how the game unfolded in our blog:

Highlanders: 1. Ethan de Groot. 2. Jack Taylor. 3. Rohan Wingham. 4. Will Stodart. 5. Mitch Dunshea. 6. Te Kamaka Howden. 7. Sean Withy (cc) 8. Lucas Casey. 9. Adam Lennox. 10. Cameron Millar. 11. Jona Nareki. 12. Timoci Tavatavanawai (cc) 13. Jonah Lowe. 14. Caleb Tangitau. 15. Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens.

Impact: 16. Soane Vikena. 17. Daniel Lienert-Brown. 18. Sosefo Kautai. 19. Oliver Haig. 20. Veveni Lasaqa. 21. Folau Fakatava. 22. Reesjan Pasitoa. 23. Tanielu Tele’a.

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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/2026/02/28/reds-v-highlanders-at-suncorp-stadium-super-rugby-pacific/