Anyone who engages in serious dialogue with a Large Language Model (LLM) may get the impression they are interacting with an intelligence. But many experts in the field argue the impression is just that. In philosopher Daniel Dennett’s words, such systems display “competence without comprehension”.
The hype about Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) from big corporations and their celebrity spokespersons has prompted a backlash, in which scepticism turns to cynicism, often tinged with paranoia about how “stochastic parrots” may start to control our lives.
“Intelligence” itself has become an overheated topic, one that calls for less assertiveness, more cool thinking, and refreshed attempts at a starting point.
Review: What is Intelligence: Lessons from AI about Evolution, Computing, and Minds – Blaise Agüera y Arcus (MIT Press)
What Is Intelligence? by Google luminary Blaise Agüera y Arcus is the first book in a new series from MIT in collaboration with Antikythera, a think tank focused on “planetary-scale computation as a philosophical, technological, and geopolitical force”. A foreword from series editor Benjamin Bratton makes the bold claim that “computation is a technology to think with” and that the building blocks of our reality are themselves computational.
Research on intelligence has a chequered history, tainted by eugenics, statistical manipulation and a banal obsession with metrics. Agüera y Arcas counters this by opening up the topic as wide as it can go. A physics graduate with a background in computational neuroscience, he is something of a polymath. He draws explanatory frameworks from microbiology, philosophy, linguistics, cybernetics, neuroscience and industrial history.
His book presents almost as a sequence of foundation lectures in these areas. Its release has been accompanied by dozens of online talks and interviews, in which Agüera y Arcas presents the case that we are up for a seismic shift in how we think about intelligence – biological and artificial.
“Few mainstream authors claim that AI is ‘real’ intelligence,” he writes. “I do.”
Could the nerds be right?
The fundamental case against the “I” in AI is that intelligence is organic, derived from sensory interaction with a physical environment. Agüera y Arcas turns the tables with the premise that computation is the substrate for intelligence in all life forms.
The claim builds on an apparently crude proposition: prediction is the fundamental principle behind intelligence and “may be the whole story”.
What he means by prediction here is something much more radical than what we see with autocorrect. He explains it in biological terms as a process of pattern development. Single cells like bacteria predict sequences of events that may influence their capacity for survival. The synaptic learning rules in single neurons give rise to local sequence prediction.
Agüera y Arcas recounts how his journey into the enigmatic terrain of AI reached a turning point with his counterintuitive recognition that “the nerds were right”: in computation, bigger really was better and might actually be the key to moving from Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) – the kind that can play chess – to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which can participate in a philosophical discussion.
Setting aside his contempt for the apparently simplistic dedication to scaling up, Agüera y Arcas returned to the biology lab for a reassessment of what was observable in living systems. If every form of life is an aggregation of cooperative parts, he reasoned, the evolution of cells into organs and organisms may be a matter of predictive modelling.
A central tenet of What is Intelligence? is that every form of life is an aggregation of cooperative parts. Links proliferate through patterns that enable increasingly complex functions. When Agüera y Arcas says the brain is computational, it’s not a metaphor: it is not that brains are like computers, they are computers.
Correlations between biological and mechanical forms of intelligence are his deep and abiding interest. What is Intelligence? follows What is Life?, a shorter book in which Agüera y Arcas lays the groundwork for this larger, more ambitious publication.
These are the originators of modern thinking about artificial intelligence, and the quest for origins runs through all Agüera y Arcas’ lines of enquiry.
It is worth noting that Antikythera, the publishing series launched with this book, is named after an ancient device found in a shipwreck off the coast of Greece, which has been called the original analog computer.
Computation was discovered as much as it was invented, Bratton says in his foreword. This might apply to the Antikythera. If it is indeed the first computer, it was literally discovered at the bottom of an ocean.
But it corroborates Bratton’s statement in another sense. As a device for tracking astronomical phenomena, the Antikythera testifies to computation as an aspect of how the universe works.
Getting specific about origins
Agüera y Arcas wants to get more specific about origins. How does pattern emerge from randomness? How does code emerge from an unorganised soup of molecules?
In approaching these questions, he takes his cue from Turing and von Neumann, whose experiments anticipated the discovery of the molecular structure of DNA in 1953. The 1936 Turing machine established a minimalist prototype for computational function with the simple components of a coded tape and a read/write head. Von Neumann brought in a focus on embodied computation, where the components of the machine or body are part of what is written.
This is where Agüera y Arcas situates his work. His breakthrough came from adopting a programming language, devised in 1993, called “Brainfuck”. With just eight command symbols, Brainfuck set the parameters for a controlled experiment, in which Agüera y Arcas and his team used 64 byte tapes coded with “junk” drawn from a soup of code and data.
In the experiment, two tapes are selected at random, joined end to end, and run to test for interaction patterns. Then it’s rinse and repeat. The tapes are returned to the soup, and two more are run.
At first, nothing much shows up amidst the randomness. But after a million or so repeats (not massive in computing terms) the magic starts to happen. Loops appear. Patterns emerge. At around the five million mark, the non-functional code or “Turing gas” transforms itself into a “computorium” of replicating code.
In lectures, Agüera y Arcas shows a screenshot of this on his laptop: a vertical line down the centre of the field of data marks the “phase transition”. The image is reproduced on the cover of his book, as an emblem of the paradigm shift he is tracking.
If the transition to replicating code is indeed an expression of what is happening in the development of life forms, the theory of natural selection may lose its claim to primacy as the explanatory model for evolution. Richard Dawkins enthusiasts, hang on to your hats.
Agüera y Arcas does not engage in a polemical critique of Dawkins, but his book brings Margulis, an early adversary of Dawkins, into the centre of the arena. The pair faced off in a public debate in Oxford in 2009, where Dawkins’ popularised concept of the “selfish gene” came under pressure from Margulis’ theory of symbiogenesis, literally genesis through combination or fusion.
The Dawkins account is based on a Darwinian view of natural selection through competitive advantage; Margulis was drawing on research into the formation of microorganisms through combinations of mitochondria and chloroplasts, once independent life forms.
It was survival of the fittest versus a vision of biological complexity generated through endosymbiosis, a relationship in which one organism lives inside another, potentially resulting in a new life form – or, as Agüera y Arcas sees it, an impetus towards “fit” understood as pattern completion, rather than “fitness” understood as advantage.
Microbiologist Lynn Margulis was an early adversary of Richard Dawkins’ theory of the ‘selfish gene’.Wikimedia Commons, CC BY
Prediction and function
Agüera y Arcas’ central concepts are prediction and function, which work together to explain intelligence as the development of functional complexity through predictive pattern completion.
He is erasing a familiar conceptual boundary here: intelligence does not prompt function, it is function.
Intelligence, he argues, is a property of systems rather than beings, and function is its primary indicator. A rock does not function, but a kidney does. This is demonstrated simply by cutting them in half. The rock becomes two rocks, but the kidney is no longer a kidney.
So does a kidney have intelligence? Or an amoeba? Or a leaf? These questions are opened up, along with the question of whether Large Language Models have intelligence, which may a better way to frame it than asking whether they are intelligent.
Agüera y Arcas is not alone in taking an affirmative position. Influential biologist Michael Levin runs a research laboratory at Tufts University, where he and his team study the functional correlations between natural organisms and synthetic or chimeric life forms in search of “intelligence behaviour in unfamiliar guises”.
Their declared goal is to develop modes of communication with truly diverse intelligences, including cells, tissues, organs, synthetic living constructs, robots and software-based AIs.
Such an approach steers a course between the stochastic parrots view and biologist Rupert Sheldrake’s theory of “morphic resonance,” which proposes that organic form is a manifestation of memory, resonating through generations as genetic heritage. Agüera y Arcas avoids both Sheldrake’s intuitive and telepathic orientations, and the hard-headed constraints of mechanistic determinism.
The thesis presented in What is Intelligence? is unfamiliar rather than intrinsically difficult. Much of the explanation is easy enough for the general reader to follow, though Agüera y Arcas has a tendency to veer into more the technical and abstract terrain of programming, as if addressing an insider audience. The extensive glossary does not include standard programming terms, such as logic gates, gradients, weights and backpropagation.
At over 600 pages, What is Intelligence? is a marathon read and it is encumbered by tangential excursions. I’m not sure why Agüera y Arcas needs to go into the history of industrialisation, or anthropological studies of the Pirahā people of the Amazon. This is a book for dipping into rather than swallowing whole.
But its ideas are important. They may well be part of a major transformation in our thinking about where human intelligence sits in the rapidly evolving environment of AI.
These issues might appear to be separate, but they both highlight a masculinity problem within Australian policing.
It may be time for an Australian version of the United Kingdom’s 2023 Baroness Casey Review, which exposed worrying behaviour and cultural issues inside the UK’s Metropolitan Police Service.
Violence and a lack of support
In Sydney, the policing of protesters against the visit of Herzog led to serious questions about the use of force.
Protesters were pepper sprayed and forcibly penned in by police, leaving a 69-year-old woman with four broken vertebrae.
Meanwhile in Queensland, a tribunal revealed this month that the Queensland Police Service (QPS) had refused to discipline an officer accused of serious domestic violence against his heavily pregnant partner, citing “no tangible benefit” to doing so.
This comes at a time when domestic and family violence incidents reported to police in Queensland increased by more than 220% between 2012 and 2024, with many victims left waiting hours or days for help.
Each of these events is of significant concern in its own right.
But put together, they present a far more troubling picture and raise the question of whether Australian policing has a problem with gender.
Not simply in how it responds to violence against women but in how an increasingly masculine institutional culture shapes what policing looks like, what it prioritises and ultimately who is protected.
Worrying cultures
Following the 2020 murder of Hannah Clarke and her three children by her former partner, and the 2021 Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce’s “Hear Her Voice” report, the Queensland government established a Commission of Inquiry into policing responses to domestic and family violence.
Its report found a culture of “sexism, misogyny and racism” across the service, with “negative attitudes towards women” that “inhibits the policing of domestic and family violence”.
In NSW, a 2023 Law Enforcement Conduct Commission review of police responses to domestic and family violence found such incidents account for 40% of all police work. That is around 500 incidents every day.
Yet, the review found basic failures in recording, training and victim support. It also found 60 officers were involved in domestic and family violence incidents. Some were investigated more than once.
In more than three quarters of cases, those officers were investigated by colleagues from their own command. In most, there was no record of whether their firearms had been removed.
In Victoria, 683 Victoria Police staff were investigated for alleged sex crimes and family violence offences between 2019 and 2024 – the majority of whom were uniformed officers. Chief Commissioner Shane Patton called the figure “alarming”.
This follows the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission’s 2015 Independent Review which found an “entrenched culture of everyday sexism” and a “high tolerance for sexual harassment” across the force.
These reports all identify cultures of misogyny, sexism and basic operational failures in responding to violence against women.
But what none of them quite names is what sits behind all of it: men, and a deeply entrenched culture of masculinity.
As Amanda Keddie – a Deakin University professor who has researched gender equality in police forces – argues, the hierarchical and masculinised cultures within policing have been “taken for granted and unquestioned”.
They remain unnamed in report after report, even as they shape every failing those reports describe.
Commissioned after the 2021 abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Metropolitan Police officer, Casey found a rampant “boys’ club culture” that privileged white male officers while sidelining women, Black and gay colleagues.
At the same time, services for violence against women and girls were hollowed out, with rape kits stored in broken freezers held shut with bungee cords.
gender inequality will not be addressed without transforming the hierarchical and masculinised cultures of policing organisations.
The Casey Review offers a blueprint: specialist units for violence against women, independent oversight of police-perpetrated abuse and mandatory standards on vetting and misconduct.
In Australia, this means working to systemically change police cultures that were built by, and for, a narrow demographic which does not reflect the diversity of the communities they are meant to serve.
It means resourcing specialist domestic violence commands rather than dismantling them, holding officers who perpetrate violence to account, and recruiting and promoting in ways that genuinely reshape who polices and how.
ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on February 20, 2026.
Friday essay: ‘red flags’ and ‘performative reading’ – what do our reading choices say about us? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Julian Novitz, Senior Lecturer, Writing, Department of Media and Communication, Swinburne University of Technology What do our reading choices say about us? When teaching creative writing and literature classes, I always ask my students about their favourite genres and current reading in the first week. It is
SA Newspoll shows Liberal wipeout likely; Victorian Morgan poll puts One Nation first on primaries Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A South Australian Newspoll has given the Liberals just 14% of the primary vote, four weeks before the state election. And in a Victoria Morgan poll, One
Humanoid home robots are on the market – but do we really want them? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Eduardo B. Sandoval, Scientia Researcher, Social Robotics, UNSW Sydney Last year, Norwegian-US tech company 1X announced a strange new product: “the world’s first consumer-ready humanoid robot designed to transform life at home”. Standing 168 centimetres tall and weighing in at 30 kilograms, the US$20,000 Neo bot promises
Is couples counselling right for me and will the therapist take sides? An expert explains Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Priscilla Dunk-West, Professor of Social Work, Victoria University Should we do couples counselling? Are we happy? Are we both pulling in the same direction? How can we get our spark back? These kinds of questions are normal in a society that places such importance on coupledom, despite
Not just sport and car crashes: debunking 5 myths about traumatic brain injury in NZ Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Jones, Associate Professor of Pediatric Neuropsychology, Auckland University of Technology Touching the lives of an average 110 people each day in Aotearoa, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is much more common than any of us would like it to be. Yet it is often misunderstood, underestimated and
Diversity programs have become a tick-the-box exercise. They need to become more political, not less Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Celina McEwen, Senior Researcher in Sociology of Work, University of Technology Sydney Diversity programs are a favourite target of right-wing populists who claim they represent a radical left agenda that is politicising workplaces. Our research shows something quite different. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) isn’t failing because
SpaceX rocket left behind a plume of chemical pollution as it burnt up in the atmosphere Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robyn Schofield, Professor and Associate Dean (Environment and Sustainability in Faculty of Science), The University of Melbourne Space junk returning to the Earth is introducing metal pollution to the pristine upper atmosphere as it burns up on re-entry, a new study has found. Published today in the
Almost half of antibiotic prescribing for surgery is inappropriate, new report shows Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Allen Cheng, Professor of Infectious Diseases, Monash University Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing around the time of surgery and long-term prescribing in aged care are among a mixed bag of findings of a recent report into antibiotic use and resistance in Australia. The report shows while fewer antibiotics are
Dramatic changes in upper atmosphere are responsible for recent droughts and bushfires: new research Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Over the past decade, southern Australia has suffered numerous extreme weather and climate events, such as record-breaking heatwaves, bushfires, two major droughts and even flash flooding. While Australia has always had these disasters,
More women are professors, but gender gaps continue to plague NZ universities Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kim Hebert-Losier, Associate Professor in Sports Biomechanics, University of Waikato Universities play a crucial role in achieving gender equality, but persistent disparities in leadership, pay and research opportunities continue to shape women’s careers in academia. Globally, only 36% of senior academics are women. In Aotearoa New Zealand,
Why has Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor been arrested, and what legal protections do the royal family have? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Francesca Jackson, PhD candidate, Lancaster Law School, Lancaster University Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest comes after the US government released files that appeared to indicate he had shared official information with financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey
The greatest risk of AI in higher education isn’t cheating – it’s the erosion of learning itself Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nir Eisikovits, Professor of Philosophy and Director, Applied Ethics Center, UMass Boston Public debate about artificial intelligence in higher education has largely orbited a familiar worry: cheating. Will students use chatbots to write essays? Can instructors tell? Should universities ban the tech? Embrace it? These concerns are
Why Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgment’ endures Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Virginia Raguin, Distinguished Professor of Humanities Emerita, College of the Holy Cross Michelangelo’s fresco of “The Last Judgment,” covering the wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, is being restored. The work, which started on Feb. 1, 2026, is expected to continue for
Why the ‘Streets of Minneapolis’ have echoed with public support – unlike the campus of Kent State in 1970 Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gregory P. Magarian, Thomas and Karole Green Professor of Law, Washington University in St. Louis The president announces an aggressive, controversial policy. Large groups of protesters take to the streets. Government agents open fire and kill protesters. All of these events, familiar from Minneapolis in 2026, also
Streetlights in Lagos can boost safety and grow the economy. Why not everyone benefits Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adewumi Badiora, Senior Lecturer, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Olabisi Onabanjo University Nigeria is urbanising at a remarkable speed. Some of the world’s fastest growing cities are in the west African country. With the current rate of urbanisation, Kano, Ibadan, Abuja and Port Harcourt will surpass
Former Fiji prime minister and ex-police commissioner on bail in inciting mutiny case By Margot Staunton, RNZ Pacific senior journalist Fiji’s former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and ex-police commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho are out on bail after appearing in court, charged with inciting mutiny. The pair appeared for a first call before the Suva Magistrates Court yesterday and were granted bail under strict conditions. Magistrate Yogesh Prasad also issued
‘Antisemitism training’ at universities. Labor’s march to authoritarianism From curbing protests to controlling what can be said in Australia, state and Federal Labor governments are becoming authoritarian. Next in line is the thought police entering campus. Nick Riemer reports for Michael West Media. ANALYSIS: By Nick Riemer In December, the NSW Labor government gave itself the power to ban street marches for an
Grattan on Friday: Can Angus Taylor get beyond slogans to craft a sound immigration policy? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra This week we pressed the rewind button on the Pauline tape, back to Hanson maxing out with inflammatory statements about Muslims, attracting a blaze of publicity and widespread outrage. Or, given One Nation’s surging polls, have we pushed the fast
Why one of Australia’s most successful TV production companies is being shut down Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phoebe Hart, Associate Professor, Film Screen & Animation, Queensland University of Technology Members of the Australian screen industry have been shocked to learn one of the nation’s most successful and prolific production companies, Matchbox Pictures – and its subsidiary Tony Ayres Productions – will shut their doors
With more restrictive laws across the country, how can we protect the right to protest? Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Maria O’Sullivan, Associate Professor of Law, Member of Deakin Cyber and the Centre for Law as Protection, Deakin University, Deakin University In the wake of the Bondi terror attack, multiple state governments have passed laws to restrict mass protests. Most notably, the New South Wales government introduced
The stunning arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor by UK police on suspicion of misconduct in public office must have chilled many powerful American men to the bone. They may now wonder: could something like this now happen in the US?
The former prince’s arrest is related to his association with dead sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and allegations he shared confidential material. Andrew has consistently denied wrongdoing and has been released under investigation.
To see UK police making arrests over allegations relating to Epstein contrasts strongly with the US where, so far, little has happened to further investigate those linked to the disgraced financier.
So, will we now see stronger Epstein-related investigative efforts and possibly even arrests in the US? And why haven’t we seen anything like that, so far?
Will this actually prompt stronger action in the US now?
It’s possible. The whole situation is fairly unpredictable, and there has been mounting pressure on people named in the Epstein files to resign or step aside, particularly in higher education.
In Congress, US lawmakers are pushing hard for accountability.
It’s important to remember the collapse of the rule of law in the US is far from inevitable.
The Epstein story still has a long way to play out yet, if only because of the weight of the documentary evidence that needs to be sorted through.
It’s also possible the arrest and potential prosecution of Mountbatten-Windsor (and others outside the UK) may end up revealing more from the Epstein story than has come out of the Department of Justice (DOJ) releases, which have been selective.
If the Mountbatten-Windsor case goes to trial – which is still far from certain – and as the scandal reverberates across Europe, that may end up circumventing efforts we have seen so far from the DOJ to slow-walk the release of Epstein-related documents and information.
Why haven’t big arrests like this happened in the US so far?
The most obvious reason is the stranglehold the Trump administration has on the DOJ.
To have the attorney-general – instead of being accountable and answering legitimate questions about the Epstein files – waxing lyrical about US President Donald Trump being the greatest president in American history tells you a lot about the political capture of that department.
Another extremely unsubtle sign of that capture is the large banner featuring Trump’s face that has just been slung across the Justice Department building.
Members of the National Guard walk past a banner with President Donald Trump hanging on the Department of Justice.AP Photo/Allison Robbert
All this tells you the DOJ is not an independent government department anymore. It has been captured and weaponised by the Trump administration.
It’s the same story at the FBI; instead of taking strong action over revelations appearing the Epstein files, the agency appears to be focused on investigating Trump’s claims about 2020 election “fraud” in Georgia.
That shouldn’t exactly be a surprise, given FBI Director Kash Patel wrote a series of children’s books depicting Trump as an unjustly wronged “king”.
The unfortunate truth is there’s no satisfactory answer as to why no significant arrests have been made in the US in relation to the Epstein files.
It’s partly the Trump administration’s capture of these agencies and departments.
But it’s also that the Epstein scandal implicates so many of the powerful in the US. These are enormous networks that span political divides, including some of the richest people in the world. And, of course, they’re very good at protecting themselves.
It’s also a marker of Trump’s capture of his political base. Viewed from the outside, it defies logic. You’d think a movement that coalesced around conspiracy theories there was a powerful cabal of paedophiles at work in the US would be loudly calling for arrests after the Epstein revelations.
The fact they’re not shows how ingrained their loyalty is, and the depth of the personality cult that has developed around Trump.
This base is far from a majority of the American people, but it is one that has – for now at least – largely captured the major levers of power in the US.
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So following Andrew’s arrest, will anything happen in the US? It’s possible, but don’t hold your breath.
The other major news is it now looks increasingly likely Trump is about to start a war in Iran.
It’s common for people to say he does things like that to distract from the Epstein story.
But I see his efforts in Iran (and Venezuela, and elsewhere) as part of a concerted effort to radically reshape American society and the United States’ role in the world. It’s about the reassertion of American power – which Trump understands to mean his own power.
The president unilaterally declaring a war on Iran without the ascent of Congress would defy the law. This is all part of a broader pattern of the Trump administration’s attacks on rule of law and the institutions charged with implementing it.
Overall, Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest throws into stark relief the state of the US compared to other democracies like the UK.
What’s happened in the UK shows the collapse of the rule of law is not inevitable. Institutions can hold, even if they they are slow and deeply flawed.
Perhaps we will one day see institutions in the US working as they are supposed to, too.
PERTH, Australia, Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX:PDN, TSX:PDN, OTCQX:PALAF) (Paladin or the Company) announces it has received Ministerial approval for the Company’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under The Environmental Assessment Act (Saskatchewan) for the development of its Patterson Lake South (PLS) Project, located in the Athabasca Basin, Canada.
The Saskatchewan Minister of Environment has formally approved the Company’s EIS for the shallow, high grade PLS Project. The approval follows technical acceptance of the document in June 2025 and an extensive public review period from July to September this year.
The Environmental Assessment approval is an important regulatory milestone for the PLS Project and a prerequisite for permits and licences issued by provincial and federal authorities leading to construction and operation.
Paladin continues to work closely with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to progress the PLS Project within its licensing process at the federal level. Paladin is advancing the technical detail needed to support the application for a construction licence submitted to the CNSC.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said: “We welcome the continuing focus by Paladin in progressing the development of the PLS Project in a sustainable and safe way to benefit the people and communities of Saskatchewan. Our province continues to be a leader in all aspects of uranium production and the Environmental Approval will assist this project to move forward and further enhance our world-class energy sector.”
“The Patterson Lake South (PLS) Project supports the province’s Growth Plan and Saskatchewan’s role as an energy supplier. I am pleased to see this project moving forward with strong environmental safeguards” Minister of Environment Darlene Rowden said. “The environmental and sustainability aspects of the PLS Project have been subject to our robust Environmental Assessment process including scrutiny of our review panel of subject matter experts and having undergone considerable public and indigenous consultation. I commend Paladin on its approach to the approval process and congratulate their team on achieving this important milestone in their development.”
Paladin Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Paul Hemburrow said: “Paladin is delighted that the Minister, the Saskatchewan Government and its environmental regulatory agency have formally recognised that our approach to delivering a sustainable and safe development at the PLS Project is both environmentally and socially appropriate and achievable. The PLS Project is an economically and strategically important development within Canada and we will continue to progress the construction licencing process with the CNSC.”
This announcement has been authorised for release by the Board of Directors of Paladin Energy Ltd.
Columbia Asia Hospital Tebrau is dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of the Johor community with compassion, professionalism, and clinical excellence. Equipped with advanced medical technology—including a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Mammography services, a 128-slice CT Scan, and a 1.5 Tesla MRI—the hospital delivers comprehensive diagnostic and treatment capabilities to support timely and accurate clinical decision-making.
The hospital offers a broad range of medical specialties, including Cardiology, Nephrology, Internal Medicine, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT), General Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology (O&G), Respiratory Medicine, Orthopaedics, and Dermatology. A fully operational 24/7 Emergency Room, supported by on-call Emergency Physicians, ensures that patients receive immediate and appropriate care at any time of the day.
At the core of Columbia Asia Hospital Tebrau’s philosophy is a strong commitment to personalized, patient-centred care—ensuring that every individual feels heard, supported, and well cared for throughout their healthcare journey.
Looking ahead over the next five years, Columbia Asia Hospital Tebrau will align its strategic direction with Rancangan Malaysia Ke-13 (RMK-13), with a focused emphasis on addressing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). In particular, the hospital will strengthen its efforts in obesity management through integrated, multidisciplinary care models encompassing prevention, early intervention, medical management, surgical intervention and long-term follow-up. This reflects a proactive approach to tackling one of the most pressing public health challenges affecting the Johor community.
In parallel, the hospital has advanced its surgical capabilities through the adoption of robotic-assisted surgery. This investment is aimed at enhancing surgical precision, improving clinical outcomes, reducing recovery times, and elevating overall patient experience, in line with global best practices.
To meet the growing healthcare demands of Johor, Columbia Asia Hospital Tebrau is also planning for future expansion, including the addition of more inpatient beds. This expansion will enable the hospital to better serve the increasing needs of the community while maintaining high standards of safety, quality, and accessibility in care delivery.
Through strategic alignment, technological advancement, and capacity expansion, Columbia Asia Hospital Tebrau remains committed to supporting the long-term health and well-being of the Johorean population.
PERTH, Australia, Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX:PDN, TSX:PDN, OTCQX:PALAF) (Paladin or the Company) announces it has received Ministerial approval for the Company’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under The Environmental Assessment Act (Saskatchewan) for the development of its Patterson Lake South (PLS) Project, located in the Athabasca Basin, Canada.
The Saskatchewan Minister of Environment has formally approved the Company’s EIS for the shallow, high grade PLS Project. The approval follows technical acceptance of the document in June 2025 and an extensive public review period from July to September this year.
The Environmental Assessment approval is an important regulatory milestone for the PLS Project and a prerequisite for permits and licences issued by provincial and federal authorities leading to construction and operation.
Paladin continues to work closely with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to progress the PLS Project within its licensing process at the federal level. Paladin is advancing the technical detail needed to support the application for a construction licence submitted to the CNSC.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said: “We welcome the continuing focus by Paladin in progressing the development of the PLS Project in a sustainable and safe way to benefit the people and communities of Saskatchewan. Our province continues to be a leader in all aspects of uranium production and the Environmental Approval will assist this project to move forward and further enhance our world-class energy sector.”
“The Patterson Lake South (PLS) Project supports the province’s Growth Plan and Saskatchewan’s role as an energy supplier. I am pleased to see this project moving forward with strong environmental safeguards” Minister of Environment Darlene Rowden said. “The environmental and sustainability aspects of the PLS Project have been subject to our robust Environmental Assessment process including scrutiny of our review panel of subject matter experts and having undergone considerable public and indigenous consultation. I commend Paladin on its approach to the approval process and congratulate their team on achieving this important milestone in their development.”
Paladin Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Paul Hemburrow said: “Paladin is delighted that the Minister, the Saskatchewan Government and its environmental regulatory agency have formally recognised that our approach to delivering a sustainable and safe development at the PLS Project is both environmentally and socially appropriate and achievable. The PLS Project is an economically and strategically important development within Canada and we will continue to progress the construction licencing process with the CNSC.”
This announcement has been authorised for release by the Board of Directors of Paladin Energy Ltd.
The announcement comes after a six week intensive fruit fly trapping operation, and the inspection of more than 230kg of fruit.
Biosecurity New Zealand commissioner north Mike Inglis thanked the local community for their support during the operation, and said all restrictions could now be lifted.
“It wouldn’t have been possible to get to this point without the support of the local community. Every person who has kept an eye out for fruit flies, complied with movement controls, and safely disposed of their fruit waste, has played an important role in protecting our horticultural sector.
“We are satisfied that with no further detections, the Controlled Area Notice restrictions can be lifted, and response operations closed.”
The biosecurity wheelie bins in the area will also be removed.
While the operation has ended in Mount Roskill, Biosecurity New Zealand’s routine nationwide surveillance continues, with a system of nearly 8000 fruit fly traps spread across the country. More than 4600 of these are in the Auckland area.
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A builder who bought Wellington’s most embarrassing historical desk says he would be happy to gift it back to the city if it goes into a museum.
A furniture historian said it was “outrageous” the desk, that four mayors had used, was got rid of by the city council in the first place.
But the city council disputed it had any historical value.
It does, however, have a lot of stories to tell: The large rimu desk made perhaps 120 years ago had graced the mayoral chambers through four incumbents from the 1980s, then the Happy Valley tip’s secondhand shop in 2025, and now sits beside a boat on Breaker Bay Road exposed to Wellington’s sewage-laced wind.
“I’d happily give [it] back to the council if they were to keep it forever in posterity,” Raymond Morgan told RNZ on Friday, as he popped out to take photos of the desk sitting by a neighbour’s runabout.
He bought it for $200 last year then found over 200 documents in it, dated between 1988 and 2004, in a locked side cupboard – “obvious and poking out”, he said.
They turned out to be what the city council called “sensitive and confidential historic documents”; it quickly sent out a public alert in September, apologising over how it had disposed of furniture from the old Town Hall via the tip shop.
It got the documents back, and this week also got back a damning report from an inquiry into the farce that it had ordered up from consultants Grant Thornton.
Morgan said he is going to use the desktop as part of his whiskey cabinet.Raymond Morgan
But Morgan said he had not been contacted at any stage, even for the inquiry.
“I think if they come to me and make an offer, I mean, I wouldn’t charge the city for it… they never contacted me,” he said.
The desk was of national significance, made about 120 years ago for the council and, unusually, with its full history known, said art historian Dr William Cottrell.
“Clearly it was just somebody just taking truckloads down there [to the tip shop],” said Cottrell.
“This is an outrageous example of where somebody’s just taken it upon themselves in ignorance and lost this furniture, which is furniture that belongs to the citizens of Wellington.”
But the city council rejected that.
“We disagree with the claim it has any great significance – otherwise it would likely already be in a museum,” a spokesperson said on Friday, adding they would see if anyone had any use for the desk.
It would likely be brought up at a committee meeting next week.
The council disputed that it was obvious the documents were in the side cupboard – though Morgan said someone had been in touch who had seen them at the tip shop, sticking out, and tried to pull them out.
The Grant Thornton report said three lots of checks by council staff on the desk had failed to find them. They should have been destroyed, it said.
Earlier this week, before the idea of gifting it back was raised with him, Morgan said he had other plans for it.
“I”m going to use the desktop as part of my whiskey cabinet.”
As it was, the desk was proving a “showpiece” for people walking past. “People that live in Wellington who do the Eastern Walkway stop and admire it and they recognise straight away what it is.”
It seemed to him the desk had been renovated in some way a few decades ago.
But it was still a “damn good idea” to save and display it, Morgan said.
“Because there’s a story to it and it raised a few eyebrows and I think it’s always interesting to have an interesting story around Wellington city… [It was] not necessarily an embarrassment. I think it adds to the flavour of it.”
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Damage from the storm to electricity networks was extensive.Wellington City Council
Residents across the Wellington region are getting increasingly frustrated with power providers and the lines company, with one 92-year-old forced to cart buckets of water to flush the toilet.
Wellington Electricity confirmed about 700 homes in Wellington were still without power on Friday morning, while Powerco said electricity was yet to be restored to 178 homes in Wairarapa and about 1500 across the Manawatū-Whanganui regions.
Both companies said the damage to the networks had been extensive and acknowledged the frustration and ongoing disruption to those who were yet to be reconnected.
Wellington Electricity said it would donate $10 to KidsCan Charitable Trust for every customer whose power would not be restored on Friday, and that it had pulled in additional resources and cancelled all planned work to do so.
Nonagenarian forced to carry buckets of water
In Wairarapa, 92-year-old Patrick Craddock said it took until just after midday Thursday to reconnect his and his partner Peggy’s rural property.
He said they relied on electricity to power their home’s water pumps, and were forced to carry buckets of water nearly 50m to fill the cistern of their toilet.
He said a nearby neighbour – also going without power – was ill, and he hoped their supplier would have prioritised people who were elderly, sick or disabled.
“It seems to be a bit crazy that the people who are in need most have to contact Powerco and say ‘please help us’. It would be useful to have a little list so that people who are sick and disabled could fill in a little form and send it to Powerco so that something happens, because when these accidents happen it’s bloody hard to deal with it.”
RNZ put that to Powerco. It said the storm had initially affected more that 25,000 properties on its network and the severity of the damage was requiring “complete rebuilds of sections of the electricity network before power can be restored”.
“Medically dependent customers can register their needs with their electricity retailer (the company they pay their power bill to).
“Being registered does not guarantee an uninterrupted power supply, especially during faults or severe weather, so customers are encouraged to have an emergency response plan and backup options in place.”
Trees down on Mount Victoria.Wellington City Council
Confusion over who to call
The onsite house manager for a central Wellington boarding house told RNZ he was shocked that a loose power connection – which sent sparks flying onto the street below – went unaddressed for days.
Robert Frazer said Fire and Emergency cordoned off the area on The Terrace but as of Thursday evening, the boarding house’s 15 tenants were still in the dark.
He said Wellington Electricity and his power provider had been contacted “multiple times”.
“You contact Wellington Electricity and they say, ‘We’re not the people you should contact, you have to contact Genesis,’ our power provider.
“So then I contact Genesis… and they say, ‘We’re not the people who actually fix it so you need to contact Wellington Electricity,’ and so it just keeps going around like that.
“No one’s prepared to say, ‘Right we’re the ones that are responsible, we’re coming out now.’”
Frazer said in a city with high winds, it was disappointing that there were not contingencies in place.
“Do you expect us as customers to put [up] with – whenever there’s strong wind in Wellington – to be without power for days”?
“If this was a really cold day in the winter time – we’ve got no heating right now – that is really substandard.”
His power was eventually restored on Friday morning.
One of the hostel’s residents, Gareth Mackay, said the first few days were manageable but it was getting harder to deal with the longer it dragged on.
“No fridges, no cooking, we can’t even shower because the hot water’s connected to power as well. It’s not good.
“I don’t think we’re doing very well honestly. It’s ridiculous.”
Power remains out for hundreds of Wellingtonians.Wellington City Council
Genesis Energy was contacted for comment. A spokesperson for Wellington Electricity said customers must first contact their electricity retailer, who would then log a job.
“It’s essential that customers call their retailer in an outage. We cannot identify individual property outages unless a call is logged, and if one isn’t, we’ll assume the customer is part of a wider area outage.
“If someone spots anything they believe is an electricity hazard they should call our emergency line on 0800 248 148. If anyone’s in danger or there’s a fire or serious risk to property, they should call 111 immediately.”
Solo mother of two Nicola Hill was still offline after she woke to find no power in her Island Bay home on Tuesday morning.
“We just don’t know when it’s going to come back on, but we’ve been told that someone has to be at the house to allow access to help to fix the problem.
“That just means that I’ve had to be at home without access to power for the last three days. Still no one’s turned up, and you don’t have any timeframes for when things are going to be resolved,” Hill said.
Hill said the only response to her daily attempts to contact Powershop – her supplier – and Wellington Electricity had been a text asking customers to contact Powershop if their power had come back.
She said she was frustrated, but conscious of others about the country suffering worse damage.
“I think ours are just inconveniences but it does make me worry about our infrastructure and about how we’re going to cope with some of the climate-related storms that we’re going to expect.
“When we can’t have functioning sewerage and power restored very easily after these sort of – likely to be common – events.”
She felt power companies needed to be more proactive to bring in extra staff and contractors as well as establishing more reliable communications when responding to adverse weather events.
“The system at the communication end isn’t working. You get different people and they’ve got different levels of expertise. The first person didn’t know what the second person knew.
“First of all I was told it was going to be four to six hours, the next person said, ‘It’s not going to be that, it’s going to be more like 18 hours.’ Just a whole lot of really changing messages.”
A spokesperson for Powershop said they were sorry to hear that some customers were still without electricity, “although people can be affected by power cuts like this regardless of which retailer they are with”.
“Responsibility for the restoration of power sits with Wellington Electricity (just as it does with other lines companies around NZ),” they said.
Sunday night’s winds were the strongest to hit the capital since 2013.Wellington City Council
Wellington Electricity said Sunday night’s winds were the strongest to hit the capital since 2013 and that it was dealing with more power cuts than expected.
It said since then power had been restored to about 21,000 homes. More than 60 faults affecting large areas had been fixed, as well as 1000 single-property failures.
A spokesperson said the “vast majority” of area outages were fixed within two days, but they’d been left with a “long tail of single-property” power cuts.
“We’re also not always able to immediately identify these faults, as some may be initially hidden by larger area outages. Some of these jobs have also been complex, requiring follow visits which has affected our original timeline.”
Downed trees prompt free green waste disposal
Wellington City Council said a major clean-up was underway following the southerly storm that ripped through the capital.
Parks and open spaces manager Bradley Schroder said the impact of the vicious winds was everywhere, with trees down all over the city, and would likely take months to clear.
The council said crews with chainsaws had been busy dealing with broken branches hanging from trees on roadsides and in the Botanic Gardens and cemeteries.
Schroder expected the 900 jobs lodged with the council to rise.
Wellington residents could dispose of green waste at the Southern Landfill for free until 5pm on Thursday 26 February. The South Wairarapa and Carterton District councils would also provide free green waste disposal this weekend.
Residents in Masterton would also be offered free disposal, but have been asked to hold onto their green waste until the disposal site – which is dealing with power issues – can accept it.
Wellington Phoenix captain Alex Rufer and Auckland FC’s Lachlan Brook scored for their sides the last time they met in the A-League in December.Photosport
Wellington Phoenix vs Auckland FC
Kick-off: 5pm Saturday February 21
Sky Stadium, Wellington
Live blog updates on RNZ
A one-sided rivalry is still a rivalry.
That is the opinion of the Auckland FC players and coach ahead of the sixth New Zealand A-League derby between the Wellington Phoenix and Auckland.
Auckland have won all five previous derby matches, including the two games this season.
Across all derbies there is an average of 3.8 goals a game and only one clean sheet in the first game played back in November 2024.
Injuries and unavailability have hit both teams and prevented two of the competition’s leading goal-scorers going head-to-head on Saturday.
One of the Phoenix’s key signings Sarpreet Singh will not play in his first derby after his return to the A-League club was cut short after picking up a long-term injury in his first game back in seven years.
Despite Singh’s absence there are still All Whites in both sides hoping to get on the plane to the Football World Cup in June and to use the match-ups against their national team team mates to impress All Whites coach Darren Bazeley.
Form
Auckland are sitting in second on the A-League ladder coming off a 1-all draw to Sydney FC on Tuesday night.
The Black Knights are trying to move on from a start to the calendar year which included three losses, two draws and a win in January.
The Phoenix are 10th following a 2-all draw with Central Coast Mariners in the last round.
Last month Wellington had two wins, two draws and a loss.
By the numbers
Across the season the Phoenix have lost more times than they have won at home this season – three wins, four losses.
Whereas Auckland have won more times on the road than they have lost – four wins, two losses.
In derby games, the Phoenix have scored four goals compared to Auckland’s 15.
This season Phoenix have had 11 different goal-scorers, while Auckland have had six different players find the back of the net.
The Phoenix are ranked the most accurate team in the league when it comes to shooting, with 91 of 160 shots on target. Auckland sit in fourth in this statistic with 97 of 210 shots on target.
Auckland can be vulnerable at set pieces with five goals conceded including three from corners. Wellington have conceded three goals from set pieces.
Squads
Sam Cosgrove will miss the derby.photosport
Auckland FC will be without striker Sam Cosgrove who picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, which requires him to miss a match.
Marlee Francois has bone bruising following Tuesday’s game and is in doubt to play.
Auckland FC squad: Michael Woud, Hiroki Sakai, Jake Girdwood-Reich, Nando Pijnaker, Louis Verstraete, Cam Howieson, Felipe Gallegos, Sam Cosgrove, Guillermo May, Marlee Francois, Jimmy Hilton, Francis De Vries, Callan Elliot, Jesse Randall, Jake Brimmer, Dan Hall, Logan Rogerson, Jonty Bidois, Lachlan Brook, Bailey Ferguson
Sarpreet Singh will miss the derby after getting injured in his first appearance for the Phoenix in seven years.www.photosport.nz
All Whites attacking midfielder Singh will be sidelined for up eight weeks after getting a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury in his left knee in the last round. Fullback Tim Payne has also been ruled out of the derby with a hamstring injury.
Wellington Phoenix squad: Joshua Oluwayemi, Alby Kelly-Heald, Eamonn McCarron, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Isaac Hughes, Matthew Sheridan, Bill Tuiloma, Manjrekar James, Jayden Smith, Dan Edwards, Tim Payne, Tze-Xuan Loke, Alex Rufer, Paulo Retre, Anaru Cassidy, Fin Roa Conchie, Kazuki Nagasawa, Carlo Armiento, Sarpreet Singh, Sander Kartum, Luke Brooke-Smith, Ramy Najjarine, Nathan Walker, Nikola Mileusnic, Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues, Ifeanyi Eze, Corban Piper, Luke Supyk
What they said
Nando Pijnaker.Photosport
All Whites defender Nando Pijnaker said Auckland’s dominance put a bit of a burden the players.
“I’ve never really been a part of something like this where we’ve won so many times in a row so it’s interesting. Every game that goes by that we win I guess puts a little bit more pressure on you because you want to keep winning and you want to make this the normality which I don’t think it is, but we’re really confident.”
Auckland FC coach Steve Corica said despite winning five out of five it was still a rivalry with the Phoenix.
“We don’t want to get carried away with that, we want to continue winning obviously we want to make it six from six in the first two years but we know it’s going to be a tough game. I think they’re playing some good football we’re going to have to be on our game definitely need to perform well, we need three points as badly as they do.”
Bill Tuiloma and Paulo Retre of Wellington Phoenix.www.photosport.nz
Wellington Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano said he felt good heading into the derby despite the record.
“I must have smashed a couple of mirrors somewhere because the amount of bad luck we’ve had over the last couple of seasons, especially in the derbies, we haven’t had things go for us but I feel like we’re due for one.”
Another All Whites defender Bill Tuiloma will play in his first New Zealand derby after joining the Phoenix at the start of the year and said there was a “determination” to get the first win over Auckland.
“I’m just fired up and I’m excited… you could see it that I’m playing against my home team from where I’m from but I’m very excited, the whole team’s pumped for it.”
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A prolific burglar allegedly targeting a west Auckland retirement village is facing numerous charges in court.
The arrest comes as Police investigate other burglaries at villages across the Auckland region.
Detective Senior Sergeant Ryan Bunting, Waitematā West Area Investigations Manager, says five charges have been laid so far.
“We have been investigating a spree of offending on one day in late January, where five residents were allegedly targeted in their residences,” he says.
“Three residents have been the victims of burglaries with expensive jewellery and cash allegedly stolen.”
Police estimate the offending to be valued at nearly $8,000.
The 60-year-old has been charged with three counts of burglary and two counts of being unlawfully in a building.
She will appear in the Waitākere District Court today.
Detective Senior Sergeant Bunting says following Thursday’s arrest, enquiries are ongoing into recent burglaries reported at other Auckland retirement villages.
Further charges cannot be ruled out, he says.
“It’s unfortunate when vulnerable members of the community are targeted in this matter, and we will oppose the woman’s bail at her court appearance.”
Remain vigilant:
Recent burglaries are a reminder for residents at retirement villages to be cautious.
“It’s important that residents be mindful of people who might be out of place in these villages, and keep an eye out for your neighbours,” Detective Senior Sergeant Bunting says.
“Never let someone inside your unit unless you know who they are or have confirmed their identity with management.
“I’m encouraging families to check in on their loved ones and reiterate this advice.”
Always keep your valuables hidden and secure wherever possible.
Southern District Police urge people in rural areas of Clutha and Gore to keep an eye out after reports of multiple burglaries.
A number of burglaries in the heart of Southland are under investigation. Offenders have targeted fuel and equipment on farming properties in the Clutha and Gore districts.
Sergeant Tim Coudret, from Southern District Police, urges people to help Police by reporting suspicious behaviour.
“If you see something, say something.
“Look around you and let us know if you notice something, or someone, out of the ordinary.”
Suspicious or illegal activity should be reported by calling 111 immediately if it’s happening now, or via 105 if it’s afterwards.
“We’ve had an increase in reports of burglaries lately.
“Update your inventory of farm equipment, including model and serial numbers.
“Lock up, even if you’re still on the property, and call 111 if you see something happening.”
Sergeant Coudret says there are crime prevention actions you can take to secure your home and buildings.
He recommends that you keep an eye out, reduce the risk of theft, keep in touch with neighbours and report anything that you find suspicious.
“If it looks dodgy it probably is dodgy, no matter how minor, we want to know.”
Attribute to Western Bay of Plenty Area Investigations Manager, Detective Senior Sergeant Natalie Flowerdew-Brown:
Police have arrested and charged a man today in relation to the death of Dax Holland, after his body was found at Wharepai Domain on Saturday 14 February.
The 24-year-old has been charged with murder and is due to appear in Tauranga District Court tomorrow [21 February].
Police still want to hear from anyone who may have seen any unusual or suspicious behaviour around the Wharepai Domain before to 2pm on Saturday 14 February.
If you have information that may assist with our investigation, please contact Police online at 105.police.govt.nz, clicking “Update report”, or by calling 105. Please use the reference number 260214/8937.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers, on 0800 555 111.
Firefighters are tackling a blaze at Auckland’s Northcote College.
Fire and Emergency NZ said they were called to the school about 12.15pm on Friday.
A crew from Silverdale is in attendance and more crews are on their way to the scene.
Fire at Northcote College on Auckland’s North Shore.Finn Blackwell
Smoke can be seen from the Harbour Bridge.
On social media, a school spokesperson said: “There is an active fire at Northcote College in the sports pavilion. The fire service is here.
“All students have been evacuated to the other end of the school and are safe.
Facebook / Northcote College
“We are waiting for further direction from the fire service and will update you as we can.”
The Silverdale Volunteer Fire Brigade, which was nearly half an hour away from the college, attended even though the closest fire station, Birkenhead, is four minutes away.
The fire started during the one hour strike by the Professional Firefighters Union.
FENZ said during that hour, it was relying on volunteer brigades.
Fire at Northcote College on Auckland’s North Shore.Finn Blackwell
A building in Pakuranga was completely destroyed by fire and a person was seriously hurt.
Smoke from a fire at Northcote College, as seen from the city.RNZ / Victoria Young
At the time, Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown said he was “angry” on behalf of those impacted by the fire due to it happening during the strike.
“Union action that delays a response to an emergency is quite frankly reckless and the union needs to put a stop to these reckless strikes which endanger lives, homes, and businesses.”
New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union secretary Wattie Watson said contingencies were meant to be put in place during the strike.
On social media, North Shore councillor Richard Hills said it was “so sad” to see another fire at the school.
“It will be hugely upsetting to students, staff and school whānau, especially as they’re just getting back to normal, after the previous fire, and recent opening of new and upgraded buildings post construction.
“The fire service are there and thankfully all students have been evacuated to the other end of the school and are safe. The fire is very much still active.”
Hills said it was likely to cause traffic delays in surrounding areas and urged people to stay away if they didn’t need to be there.
Friday has seen largely dry skies around the North Island with the odd shower, mainly in the west.
However, there was a low risk of thunderstorms as a series of weak fronts moved northwards over the South Island today.
MetService said there was a low risk of thunderstorms for the West Coast this morning. While on the east coast of the South Island, there were low to moderate risks of thunderstorms on Friday afternoon.
But come Saturday, the weather is looking fine and mostly dry.
“All the major centres are in for a good looking Saturday,” MetService head of weather news Heather Keats said.
Maximum temperatures on Saturday and Sunday are forecast to be in the low to mid-20s for most of the country.
“Sunday is also looking pretty decent. Again, there will be a few showers, most of those for the West Coast and deep south, but they’re short-lived,” Keats said.
On Sunday, high pressure builds over the country after a front weakens as it moves northwards across central and Northern New Zealand. Meanwhile, a trough brushes the south of the South Island, Met Service said.
MetService said there was a low confidence of severe west to southwest gales about coastal Southland, Clutha and Dunedin during Sunday morning and afternoon.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
A South Australian Newspoll has given the Liberals just 14% of the primary vote, four weeks before the state election.
And in a Victoria Morgan poll, One Nation has topped both Labor and the Coalition on primary votes, with 26.5%, compared to 25.5% for Labor and 21.5% for the Coalition. Labor leads both One Nation and the Coalition after preferences in the poll.
A separate Victoria Resolve poll has One Nation at only 11%.
South Australian election polls
The SA state election is on March 21. A Newspoll, conducted February 11–17 from a sample of 1,057 people, gave Labor 44% of the primary vote, One Nation 24%, the Liberals just 14%, the Greens 12% and all others 6%.
With One Nation second on primary votes, no Labor vs Liberal two-party estimate was provided.
After the previous SA Fox & Hedgehog poll that had primary votes of 40% Labor, 20% One Nation and 19% Liberals, I said there was some chance of the Liberals winning zero of 47 lower house seats.
If the Newspoll figures are correct, it’s likely the Liberals will be wiped out of the SA lower house at the election, with One Nation winning the very few conservative seats.
Labor Premier Peter Malinauskas had a +40 net approval rating, with 67% of respondents satisfied with his job performance and 27% dissatisfied. Liberal leader Ashton Hurn was at +4 net approval (39% satisfied, 35% dissatisfied). Malinauskas led Hurn as better premier by 67–19%.
A SA YouGov poll for The Advertiser, conducted February 6–17 from a sample of 1,217 people, gave Labor 37% of the primary vote, One Nation 22%, the Liberals 20%, the Greens 13% and all others 8%.
On respondent preferences, Labor led One Nation by 60–40% and the Liberals by 59–41%.
Malinauskas’ net approval was +36 (64% satisfied, 28% dissatisfied). Hurn’s net approval was +7 (40% satisfied, 33% dissatisfied). Malinauskas led Hurn as better premier by 64–20%.
And 52% of respondents thought the Malinauskas government deserved to be re-elected, compared to 24% who didn’t.
Victorian Morgan poll: One Nation first on primary votes
The Victorian election is in late November. A Morgan SMS poll, conducted February 13–16 from a sample of 2,462 people, gave One Nation 26.5% of the primary vote, Labor 25.5%, the Coalition 21.5%, the Greens 13.5% and all others 13%.
On a “three-party preferred”, which distributes respondent preferences from Greens and Others between Labor, One Nation and the Coalition, Labor had 44.5%, One Nation 29.5% and the Coalition 26%. Labor led the Coalition by 52–48 and One Nation by 52.5–47.5 in two-party head to head matchups.
Even though One Nation is first on primary votes in this poll, Labor leads both right-wing parties after preferences. If the election reflected the overall votes and preferences in this poll, Labor would probably be returned to government. But there’s still over nine months until the election.
SMS polls may be prone to attracting too many motivated voters. Other methods of polling are not so prone to this. Many people just don’t care about politics.
An early February DemosAU poll had the Coalition leading Labor by 53–47 from primary votes of 29% Coalition, 23% Labor, 21% One Nation and 15% Greens. However, the Resolve poll below gave One Nation just 11%, although this poll was taken in two waves (January and February).
Labor Premier Jacinta Allan’s net approval in the Morgan poll was -37, with 67.5% disapproving and 30.5% approving. Liberal leader Jess Wilson’s net approval was +10.5. Wilson led Allan as preferred premier by 51–42.5.
Victorian Resolve poll far worse for One Nation
A Victorian state Resolve poll for The Age, conducted with the federal January and February Resolve polls from a sample of 1,100, gave the Coalition 30% of the primary vote (down nine since the December Resolve poll), Labor 28% (steady), the Greens 12% (steady), One Nation 11% (not asked for previously), independents 7% (down two) and others 11% (steady).
No two-party estimate was reported, but The Poll Bludger estimated a 51–49 Labor lead over the Coalition. This poll is much worse for One Nation than the Morgan or DemosAU polls,
Despite relatively good voting intentions for Labor, Allan’s net likeability slumped 20 points to -37, only four points higher than Donald Trump’s net likeability in Australia. Wilson’s net likeability was steady at +14. Wilson led Allan as preferred premier by 39–20 (41–24 previously).
All three recent Victorian polls agree that Allan’s ratings are dismal. As voters focus on state issues in the lead-up to the election, Allan’s unpopularity is likely to drag Labor’s vote down.
Queensland Resolve poll: One Nation up and Labor down
A Queensland state Resolve poll for The Brisbane Times, conducted with the federal January and February Resolve polls from a sample of 868, gave the Liberal National Party (LNP) 34% of the primary vote (up one since December), Labor 26% (down four), One Nation 16% (up seven), the Greens 10% (down one), independents 9% (up one) and others 5% (down five).
After the LNP won the October 2024 election, Labor had been competitive in this poll from August until December 2025. However, the LNP has regained a big lead, with analyst Kevin Bonham estimating a 54.6–45.4 LNP lead over Labor after preferences.
LNP Premier David Crisafulli’s net likeability surged five points to a new high of +21, while Labor leader Steven Miles was down eight points to -3. Crisafulli led Miles as preferred premier by 44–23 (35–34 previously).
Small-sample post-spill federal Morgan poll
A national Morgan poll, conducted February 13–16 (in the days following the federal Liberal leadership spill) from a sample of just 526, gave Labor 32% of the primary vote (up 1.5 since the February 9–13 pre-spill Morgan poll), the Coalition 23.5% (up 3.5), One Nation 21.5% (down 3.5), the Greens 12.5% (down 0.5) and all Others 10.5% (down one).
Labor led the Coalition by 55–45 on respondent preferences, a 3.5-point gain for the Coalition from an unusually strong flow to Labor in the pre-spill poll. By 2025 election flows, Labor would have led by about 54.5–45.5, a 0.5-point gain for the Coalition.
Asked about ways to fund the tax cuts, by 66–8 respondents agreed with reducing spending, by 58–12 increasing taxation on banks, by 57–13 increasing taxation on mining companies, by 46–17 reducing negative gearing tax concessions, by 40–17 reducing capital gains tax concessions and by 36–24 reducing superannuation tax concessions. The one unpopular proposal was increasing the GST (54–18 disagreed).
Asked to pick up to three areas for spending cuts, 53% said foreign aid should be targeted, followed by 29% for renewable energy projects and 21% unemployment benefits. Foreign aid makes up just 0.5% of the total budget, renewable energy 0.6% and unemployment benefits 2.2%.
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