Category: MIL-OSI

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Homicide investigation launched, Napier

Source: New Zealand Police

Please attribute to Detective Sergeant Ryan Kemsley of Hawke’s Bay Crime Squad:

A homicide investigation has been launched after a man assaulted outside a Napier nightclub last week has died.

Police can name the victim as Andy Winitana, 46, of Hastings.

He died in hospital on Tuesday 3 February, after he had sustained injuries during an assault around 1am on Sunday on West Quay in Ahuriri outside a premises.

We extend our sympathies to his family, who we will continue to support.

A 21-year-old man has appeared before Napier District Court on a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and has been remanded in custody.

Further charges are now being considered. He is next due to appear in Napier District Court on 25 February.

Police would like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed the incident on the wharf area on West Quay between 12.30-1.30am on Sunday 1 February.

We would also like to hear from anyone who might have footage available.

Please contact us online at 105.police.govt.nz, or call 105, and use the reference number 260201/1791.

Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/04/homicide-investigation-launched-napier/

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Home insurance premiums fall despite ongoing weather risks

Source: Radio New Zealand

Home insurance premiums fell in the last year, even in areas prone to weather-related risks. RNZ

Home insurance premiums fell across all regions of the country in the last year, even in areas prone to weather-related risks, new Treasury data shows.

The availability of insurance from multiple underwriters also improved in most hazard-prone areas, despite major insurer AA Insurance halting new policies in selected postcodes.

However, areas in high flood risk zones are still attracting thousands of dollars a year in extra premiums, in some cases.

Actuarial consultancy Finity has monitored insurance premiums on behalf of Treasury since late 2022, for a dataset of properties chosen to match New Zealand’s natural hazards profile.

The addresses are real but other information, such as property age, sum insured and construction materials, has been randomised so that the ‘houses’ in the dataset are not real people’s homes.

Since October 2023, the monitoring has expanded to include 1710 properties in suburbs around the country that are known to be flood-affected, either by river or surface flooding.

Smaller subsets are used to monitor pricing and availability for other hazard risks, such as landslides.

The most recent report, based on October 2025 data but released on Tuesday, showed that premiums had fallen since October 2024 – the first drop in pricing since monitoring began.

That was true for every region in the country.

Nationally, the average cheapest premium available fell from $1999 a year to $1886.

In its report, Finity said that multiple insurers had implemented decreases, driving the average price down.

“New business prices peaked around mid to late 2024 and have been falling since, driven by favourable reinsurance conditions and a benign period of natural perils losses.”

The monitoring occured prior to the recent massive storm and flooding in the upper North Island.

Experts have previously warned that insurance will become prohibitively expensive or impossible to get at all for some properties, as the risk from climate change-driven weather events continues to rise.

RNZ revealed last week that AA Insurance has temporarily stopped offering new home insurance policies in Westport because of the town’s flood risk.

The Finity data was collected prior to that decision – which AA Insurance informed Buller District Council of in late December.

However, there was “clear evidence that many insurers are using flood risk as a driver for their online underwriting criteria”, the Finity report said.

“Availability is limited in some high risk flood areas, specifically Avondale, Edgecumbe, Woolston and Westport,” the Finity report said.

“For example, the majority of low and high flood risk quotes in Westport only received quotes from two underwriters, with only one [property] quoted by three or more underwriters.”

As flood risk increased, availability dropped, the report said.

“High flood risk locations received approximately twice the number of rejections as locations with no flood risk.”

For insurers who did provide online quotes, the additional flood premiums were now higher.

The average quote for some of these properties was more than $1000 extra, up to a maximum quote in one case of $9250.

The report noted AA Insurance’s approach to new policies in “specific postcodes with very high seismic risk”, where a temporary halt had been placed on new policies.

RNZ reported on Tuesday that north Canterbury township Woodend was among those postcodes, along with Rolleston and Lincoln.

The pause, which began last September, also appeared to apply to Blenheim and the neighbouring settlements of Renwick and Seddon.

“Any impact from this restriction on the data shown will be outweighed by the wider increases in online availability in high seismic areas,” the Finity report said.

Overall, 95 percent of homes in the seismic dataset could get an online quote from at least two of the four underwriters included in the Finity monitoring (IAG, Tower, AA Insurance and Vero) – a small jump from 93 percent the year before.

That was mostly due to improved availability in Canterbury, central Wellington and the Hutt Valley.

Since the fatal Mount Maunganui landslide last month, landslide risk in New Zealand had earned heightened public attention.

The Treasury data did not show any evidence that insurers were charging additional premiums for properties with a high landslide risk – in fact, these properties attracted slightly lower premiums than the national average.

However, it noted that insurers were paying attention to landslide risk, with Tower expanding its property-level risk-based pricing last year to include landslide hazard.

Tower chief executive Paul Johnston said that had allowed the company to classify 93 percent of its customers as ‘low risk’ or ‘very low risk’, with an average reduction of $70 in premiums for those properties.

A ‘couple of percent’ had been classified as ‘very high risk’, with increases to their premiums.

A third of those increases were over $100 but Johnston would not say what the largest premium increase was.

For properties facing very large increases, “we’re calling them individually and talking to them about that and what we can do”, he said.

An Insurance Council spokesperson said it was “important New Zealand takes a long-term view on the risks from natural hazards as we face the prospect of more frequent and severe events due to climate related events”.

“We support a government-led approach to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate and an agreed set of natural hazard and climate risk data so we are all on the same page.

“This in turn will help reduce risk, protect communities and keep insurance accessible in the future.”

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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/2026/02/04/home-insurance-premiums-fall-despite-ongoing-weather-risks/

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Mechanical failure sees Wellington Water discharge untreated sewage at Moa Point

Source: Radio New Zealand

Wellington Water’s Moa Point treatment plant (file photo). Wellington Water

After a night of heavy rain, Wellington Water has started discharging raw sewage off the city’s south coast, and issued two other wastewater discharge notices.

Wellington Water said a mechanical failure at 3am on Wednesday caused it to start an unconsented discharge of untreated wastewater from its Moa Point treatment plant.

It said the sewage would emerge at the short outfall into the ocean at Tarakena Bay and may cause the water to appear cloudy or murky.

The water agency said it had discharged screened wastewater into Karori Stream at 10.45pm on Tuesday. That would also flow into the sea on the south coast.

About half an hour before that, fully treated sewage was released at 10.18pm into Waiwhetū Stream in Lower Hutt, which flows into the sea near Petone beach.

Water monitoring body Land, Air, Water Aotearoa advises people to stay out of the sea for two or three days after heavy rain.

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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/2026/02/04/mechanical-failure-sees-wellington-water-discharge-untreated-sewage-at-moa-point/

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Authors miss out on annual Public Lending Right payment after DIA bungle

Source: Radio New Zealand

The National Library became aware of an issue with payments for 2025 in late December. Google Maps

New Zealand authors have missed out on an annual payment that some describe as a key part of their income.

The Public Lending Right (PLR) scheme makes a payment to authors each year, when they have sufficient books in New Zealand libraries.

The payments are made in December from a government fund of $2.4 million. In 2025 there were 1541 registered and the per-book rate was $5.19.

But this year, a number of authors did not receive the payments they were told they were due.

Authors have to confirm their eligibility for payment every year, whether or not they have new books in libraries.

The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) said the National Library became aware of an issue with the payments for 2025, in late December.

“Due to an administration error, 318 authors received an email in error in July confirming they were registered for the scheme when, according to our records, they were not  registered.   

“These authors did not  receive  a payment when 1248 eligible authors received their PLR payment in mid-December. A portion of these authors would have been eligible for payment had they registered.

“We have been in contact with all authors to apologise for any upset or inconvenience this has caused and advise we are considering options to put things right. Authors financially impacted by the error will receive further contact regarding next steps once decisions have been finalised.”

It said it was also reviewing its administration of the scheme and usability to stop the error happening again.

“We have had useful feedback from authors about how the registration process could be improved. A key recommendation  from authors is an automated response in real-time to let them know that their registration has been received would resolve many concerns.”

One author, Linda Jane Keegan, said she was sure she had registered but when she queried the lack of payment, she was told she had not. She said she had been counting on the money.

“The PLR payment is a huge chunk of income for me, and I was expecting it to cover some expenses. Not receiving it when I was expecting to caused significant financial stress in what is an already high-cost time of year.

“I am also worried that even after putting time and mental energy into contacting the DIA to resolve the issue, that a payment won’t be possible because the fund, as a limited pool, has already been divided and paid out.”

Anna Mackenzie. Supplied / Madeline Ross

NZ Society of Authors spokesperson Anna Mackenzie said it was a concern that the error had happened.

“That this arose at all also highlights how overdue we are for an overhaul of the PLR legislation, which was written in a pre-digital world and in a particularly prescriptive manner.”

She said she had been told about half of the authors who were incorrectly told they had registered would have been eligible for a payment.

Mackenzie said New Zealand was behind other countries when it came to compensating authors for their work. There current rules did not allow for payments for electronic copies or for copies in school libraries.

“It’s a very inappropriate-in-today’s-world piece of legislation. It can only be changed at the behest of the minister and many ministers have been spoken to over the last 15 years and often they’ll say that, yes, they understand and they see it’s a priority, but we are yet to get that to the point where we’re even looking at a review.

“However, the current minister has indicated that she does think this is an issue that should be addressed, so we are once again hopeful that this will get back on to the table and be looked at properly.”

The society said the requirement that 50 books of a particular title are stocked in libraries was also unfair.

*Disclosure: Susan Edmunds is one of the registered authors who receives this payment and received it successfully in 2025.

Sign up for Money with Susan Edmunds, a weekly newsletter covering all the things that affect how we make, spend and invest money.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/04/authors-miss-out-on-annual-public-lending-right-payment-after-dia-bungle/

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The Kiwi costume designer getting global attention

Source: Radio New Zealand

When Kiwi costume designer Kate Hawley signed on for Frankenstein, her third collaboration with director Guillermo del Toro, she knew it would be special, she says.

“I can really look back on it and be very thankful for the project, it was a wonderful project to be on, it was a very, very special collaboration.”

It’s a project that has garnered Hawley a slew of industry plaudits and recognition in recent months.

FRANKENSTEIN. Mia Goth as Elizabeth in Frankenstein. Cr. Ken Woroner/Netflix © 2025.

Ken Woroner/Netflix

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/04/the-kiwi-costume-designer-getting-global-attention/

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Not an artefact, but an ancestor: why a German university is returning a Māori taonga

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael La Corte, Research Associate, Curation and Communication, University of Tübingen

Restitution debates – the question of whether a cultural object should be returned from a museum or other collection to a person or community – often begin with a deceptively simple question: who owns an object?

In colonial contexts, this question rarely has a clear answer. Histories of acquisition are often incomplete, disputed and overwhelmingly recorded from European perspectives. Legal documentation, where it exists at all, usually reflects unequal power relations rather than mutual consent. As a result, many restitution claims cannot be resolved through law alone.

This raises a fundamental question: should the spiritual, social and ancestral significance of an object for its community of origin outweigh unresolved legal arguments about possession?

The case of the Hinematioro pou, which is now being returned from the University of Tübingen to the Māori community Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti on the east coast of New Zealand’s north island, illustrates a restitution process grounded in cultural values. It shows what happens when decisions are guided primarily by spiritual meaning and relational responsibility, rather than by legal uncertainty surrounding colonial acquisition.

A pou is a carved wooden pillar that acts as a marker for tribal boundaries, stories or ancestors. The Hinematioro pou is an early carved panel depicting a standing ancestral figure.

For the Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti, the pou is neither a historical artefact nor a work of art in the western sense. It is the material presence of an ancestor, Hinematioro, who was an ariki (high-ranking leader). The pou is part of a living social order, not a testimony to a distant past.

Within Māori cultural logic, such an object is a taonga: a treasure that carries not only material, but also spiritual, social and genealogical value. Taonga possess mana and mauri – agency and life force – and require ritual relationships as well as responsibility.

This meaning became clear when the pou returned in 2019, for the first time in over 250 years, to Ūawa (Tolaga Bay). It was met with a formal pōwhiri (welcome ceremony) with singing, speeches, tears and embraces – as if a long-absent relative had come home.

Witnessing this special moment made us and many others who were part of the event understand that the question of the pou’s future location is not a museological one for the community, but an existential one. It is not about possession, but about relationship.

How the taonga came to Germany

It is not possible to conclusively reconstruct how the taonga came to Europe. What is certain is that, in October 1769, it was taken from Ūawa to Europe aboard the HMS Endeavour during James Cook’s first Pacific voyage.

The panel is widely regarded as one of the earliest surviving carved pou associated with Māori chiefly genealogies to have entered European collections. This occurred within a colonial context of profound power asymmetries.

The Watering Place in Tolaga Bay, Ōpoutama, Cooks Cove sketch by James Cook 1769.
British Museum, London

It is also not possible to establish how the pou was transferred. A range of possibilities exists, including gifting, coerced handover, exchange or theft. European sources provide no clear evidence, and perspectives from the source community are not sufficiently recognised in Europe. Therefore, a lack of documented violence cannot be taken as evidence of a voluntary transfer.

The object’s later path to Tübingen can only be partially traced. It may have circulated through several 19th-century scientific and collecting networks connected to the Cook expedition.

What is certain is that, in 1937, the pou entered the Ethnological Collection of the University of Tübingen through Emma von Luschan (1864–1941, wife to the anthropologist, explorer, archaeologist and ethnographer, Felix von Luschan) when their collection was curated by the anthropologist and ethnologist Augustin Krämer.

A turning point came in the 1990s, when the panel was identified using a drawing from the Cook expedition held at the British Library. What proved decisive, however, was the establishment of direct relationships with the Hauiti Iwi (tribe or people).

In the following years, close cooperation developed between the University of Tübingen and the Hauiti Iwi. In 2019 the pou was loaned back to the Māori. A jointly curated exhibition Te Pou o Hinematioro (2025–26) at Hohentübingen Castle back in Germany followed – an expressions of a partnership in which trust could grow. The restitution of the pou is therefore not the outcome of conflict, but the result of a long-term relationship that deepened during the exhibition process.

From a legal perspective, the university was not obliged to return the object. Under German civil law, the pou is considered university property, and no binding restitution framework exists for colonial contexts.

Nevertheless, political approaches to colonial collection material in Germany have shifted in recent years. Recent national guidelines encourage transparency, provenance research, dialogue with source communities and restitution as a possible outcome. This reflects a shift away from narrow legal ownership toward acknowledging colonial power imbalances in collection histories.

Decisions about restitution are primarily political and institutional in nature. These decisions raise questions of responsibility: what obligations do present-day collections have towards the circumstances in which their holdings were acquired, and what role do institutions wish to play in global debates on heritage, memory and justice? Universities, with their extensive collections and deep involvement in colonial knowledge production, are particularly affected by these issues.

Where legal histories are inconclusive – as they often are in colonial contexts – restitution cannot be decided by ownership alone. For source communities to be genuine partners, their social, spiritual and ancestral relationships with heritage must be recognised. Otherwise, restitution debates risk perpetuating the very hierarchies it aims to dismantle.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Not an artefact, but an ancestor: why a German university is returning a Māori taonga – https://theconversation.com/not-an-artefact-but-an-ancestor-why-a-german-university-is-returning-a-maori-taonga-274071

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/04/not-an-artefact-but-an-ancestor-why-a-german-university-is-returning-a-maori-taonga-274071/

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Winter Olympic veteran Zoi Sadowski-Synnott – it’s a ‘privilege’

Source: Radio New Zealand

Snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott of New Zealand. JAMIE SQUIRE / AFP

Wānaka snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott is about to compete in her third Olympics at the age of just 24.

Sadowski-Synnott is a member of the 17-strong New Zealand team set to compete at the Winter Olympics in Italy, which starts on Friday.

She competed in her first Big Air World Cup in 2016 at the age of 15 and made her mark in 2017 with a World Championship silver medal in slopestyle.

A year later, she competed at the Pyeongchang Olympics, claiming a bronze medal in the big air.

In Beijing 2022, she made history as the first Kiwi to ever win a Winter Olympic gold medal when she won the snowboard slopestyle title. She followed that up just days later with a silver medal in the Big Air.

“It is such a privilege to be coming into these ones having won gold in 2022,” Sadowski-Synnott told RNZ.

“But the way I look at it is that it has been four years and I’m in a sport that the progression over a year changes so much.”

New Zealand snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott at the 2026 Aspen X-Games. JAMIE SQUIRE / AFP

Following her 2022 Olympic Games success, she was named Halberg Supreme winner and went on to impress around the world before an ankle injury kept her off the slopes in 2024.

“The last four years have been a rollercoaster with the highs and lows, [the injury] re-lit the fire in my heart to keep working hard.

“I’m hoping I can carry the momentum of last year so that when we get to the Olympics, I can show off and try my best.”

Since the injury, Sadowski-Synnott worked her way back to the top, winning the 2025 slopestyle world title (her third) and last month winning silver at the Aspen X-Games.

“I’m not going to put too much pressure on it, but I’m really proud and grateful for the level I’m at and just really excited to show all the work and progress that I have made over the past four years. I just want to do my best and if that gets me… it gets me and so yeah just hope for the best.”

With three Olympic Games under her belt, she has been able to share some of her wisdom with her compatriots. The average age of her teammates is just 20.

“I’ve told my younger team-mates who are going to their first Olympics to just have fun and really enjoy the experience because it is really special. Just focus on what matters most, which is putting down the best performance you can because you’ve worked really hard to get here.”

Sadowski-Synnott will get her Olympic campaign underway on Monday 9 February, with qualifying in the women’s snowboard Big Air.

Zoi Sadowski Synnott at Cardrona. Iain McGregor / PHOTOSPORT

Snowboarding and free ski disciplines

BIG AIR

Involves a single jump of a ramp with competitors producing acrobatic moves which are judged on difficulty, execution, amplitude and landing. A qualification competition is used to find the finalists, who then have three jumps with the two highest scoring jumps combined to determine the rankings.

SLOPESTYLE

Athletes move through an obstacle course as they make their way down the slope. It includes rails, boxes and jumps with judging on progression, amplitude, variety, execution and difficulty. There are three runs in the finals with the highest scores determining the rankings.

HALFPIPE

Athletes ride the walls back and forth as they make their way down the course launching into the air to perform tricks. they are judged on progression, amplitude, variety, execution and difficulty.

There are two runs in qualification and three in the final with the single best run determining the rankings.

Terminology:

Rotation: The number of degrees a rider turns in the air (e.g. 1080, 1440, 1800).

Frontside/Backside: The direction of the spin.

Cork: A spin that flips off the vertical axis. A “triple cork” means the rider flips upside down three times while spinning.

Grab: Holding a specific part of the snowboard while in the air (e.g., Bloody Dracula, Chicken Salad, Indy, Mute, Stalefish).

Switch: Riding in the opposite direction of one’s natural stance.

Stomp: Landing a jump cleanly without sliding out or putting hands down.

Jib/Rail: Metal rails or boxes in the top section of a slopestyle course designed for sliding.

Pretzel: Spinning in one direction onto a rail and landing by spinning in the opposite direction off the rail.

New Zealand Olympians (L to R) Alice Robinson, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, Luca Harrington, Fin Melville Ives, Cam Melville Ives, Ben Barclay and Ruby Star Andrews pictured during the New Zealand Team first selection announcement for 2026 Winter Olympic Games. James Allan / PHOTOSPORT

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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/2026/02/04/winter-olympic-veteran-zoi-sadowski-synnott-its-a-privilege/

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Diving NZ’s Olympic hopes boosted by world-class facility

Source: Radio New Zealand

Steve and Monique Gladding coach a stable of competitive divers. Supplied

The husband and wife Olympic duo running a new world-class diving facility in Christchurch believe it’s a game-changer for the sport in New Zealand.

Since the opening of the long-awaited Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre in December, Christchurch now boasts New Zealand’s largest indoor aquatic and sport facility.

It also gave Canterbury a purpose-built diving space for the first time in years. Following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, competitive diving in the region effectively disappeared due to the destruction of the city’s main diving facilities, specifically the QEII Park pool.

In partnership with Christchurch City Council, Sport Canterbury, and Sport New Zealand, Steve and Monique Gladding relocated to the city because of the potential of the Parakiore facility.

Steve Gladding coached at multiple Olympic Games with Great Britain, and the pair moved to Aotearoa in 2015 when Steve was appointed performance director for Diving New Zealand.

Together with wife Monique, an Olympic diver, they bring a wealth of global experience and believe Christchurch is now positioned to become a national hub for the sport.

The timing of the facility plays a major part in Diving New Zealand’s ‘DNA 2032’ programme, which focuses on long-term athlete development. The national body is targeting Brisbane 2032 as an Olympics where it can make a real impact.

“The amount of money that is currently going into Australian diving speaks to that as well, so the fact that we do have this facility now, it will definitely play into that and help assist the vision,” Monique said.

New Zealand has only had seven diving Olympians since the sport made its Olympic debut in 1904 but with world-class coaching, now coupled with a world-class facility, it’s hoped the country can develop more.

Anton Down-Jenkins, who competed at Tokyo 2020, was New Zealand’s last Olympic diver.

Monique Gladding during the London 2012 Olympic Games. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

Born in South Africa, Monique competed in gymnastics before an injury curtailed that path and she started diving comparatively late. Around that time Steve moved to the United Kingdom, and unsurprisingly the pair met through the sport.

Monique was able to compete for Britain through her father’s ancestry.

She just missed out on qualifying for the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and a horrific accident 18 months out from the 2012 London Olympics threatened to derail her last shot.

During a competition in Russia, her head struck the concrete diving board, instantly knocking her unconscious before she plummeted 10 metres into the pool below.

“They had to rescue me from the bottom but all I can remember was when I came out, was thinking ‘okay how do I come back from this? What do I need to do to still make this dream come true?’.

“I’d been pushing after the Olympics, that was my third cycle, and everything had been going so well, I was kind of at the top of my game at that point. It was an awful time but probably made me stronger and I really had to think smart about those last few months before the games of what I could do to really make it count, because I could only train a limited amount so I had to be really smart in my approach,” Monique said.

Perseverance paid off when Monique qualified for the London Olympics where Steve was her coach. She retired soon after and got into coaching herself.

The Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre in Christchurch boasts New Zealand’s premier diving space. Supplied

They initially moved to South Africa thinking they would settle there but when that didn’t quite work out, started looking at other options. That’s when Diving New Zealand pursued Steve.

“I had never been to New Zealand, Steve had been there doing a little bit of development work once before. It just sparked our interest and we thought maybe there’s an amazing opportunity to [do] development diving in a country that’s not so big at the moment and that was 12 years ago.”

Monique said there was still so much untapped potential in Aotearoa to develop elite divers.

“When we first got here we were in Auckland and there was really nothing about. Last year we got our first top seven in the world so we had two lads that went out to the World Championships and they got a top eight, which put us on the map. We’ve got some incredible juniors coming through and we’re only just getting started.”

Monique said a lack of a top world-class facility has held the sport back.

“We’ve been able to do what we can do with what we had but now we have this I think it’s just going to take it to the next level. I think it’s really going to open up some doors for people who are interested in other sports like parkour or tumbling or gymnastics, people who like to express themselves through artistic channels. Diving is another sport that they could be good at and I really think there is so much potential and we’ve already done so much and there’s still so much to do.”

Diving New Zealand actively recruits talent, focusing on students with a love for water and gymnastics through one of its school programmes.

The couple and their two children moved from Auckland to Christchurch last October to get the facility organised in the countdown to opening. Monique is the co-performance director of Canterbury Diving, along with Steve, who is still Diving New Zealand’s performance director.

The Canterbury region now has access to a state of the art dive pool at the Parakiore Recreation and Sport Centre. Supplied

Some of the features of the state-of-the-art space include harnesses above the platforms.

“It’s a system that allows athletes to learn harder dives with assistance, which is such a huge thing – that learning curve is much quicker. We also have very wide platforms, the only ones in the country, which means we can do syncro and hold international events, because we have the minimum requirements.”

Monique said it would put athletes on a level playing field with their international counterparts.

“We’ve also got the dry land facility, which is an essential requirement now if you’re wanting to go on a high performance pathway.

“We have the new fulcrums on the springboards, which are now a requirement at all the world events. We never had them in the country before this so it means divers can practice and train on the actual boards that they compete at internationally.”

The couple are looking forward to holding national camps at Parakiore this year and perhaps some of those divers will be at the Olympics in eight years.

Outside of high-performance development, Monique said Parakiore would be a home for community participation.

“For those who just love water and want to learn how to dive, and flip and be safe in the water, we want to see people build their deep-water confidence, given the role water plays in the Kiwi lifestyle.”

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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/2026/02/04/diving-nzs-olympic-hopes-boosted-by-world-class-facility/

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Iwi chairs prepare to challenge government, ahead of Prime Minister’s Waitangi visit

Source: Radio New Zealand

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon opted to stay away from Waitangi in 2025. RNZ / Calvin Samuel

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will arrive at Waitangi on Wednesday, ahead of meetings with iwi leaders, after opting to stay away in 2025.

While he will not stick around for Friday’s commemorations, Luxon will meet with the Iwi Chairs Forum on Wednesday and take part in Thursday’s pōwhiri.

When announcing the Prime Minister’s intention to return to Waitangi, a spokesperson said Luxon was “looking forward” to the visit, and would be “taking the opportunity to keep engaging with iwi about the response to last week’s weather events and the work the government is doing to grow the economy and help every New Zealander get ahead.”

Despite many politicians having already arrived at Waitangi, they will be formally welcomed onto Te Whare Rūnanga on Thursday morning.

On Tuesday, Labour leader Chris Hipkins joined the Greens on a Treaty Grounds walkabout with Māori Wardens, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters held a bilateral meeting with his German counterpart on the Purerua Peninsula, and associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka visited the flood-affected community of Ngaiotonga.

“They’ve gone through some pretty severe weather, trauma, and severe conditions. It’s damaged a lot of infrastructure, roads, farms, whānau, houses [and] communities, and we’ve taken action,” Potaka said.

The government has sent campervans to parts of Northland as emergency accommodation assistance, which Potaka expected would be needed for a “couple” of months, at most.

The government’s response to the severe weather was something Potaka expected would come up in meetings with the forum, along with the “basics” like the economy, law and order, and education.

However, the chair of the Forum’s Pou Tahua (economic arm), Jamie Tuuta, said the last term had been a challenging one.

Tuuta said iwi leaders had been focused on the government for years, but had now reached a stage where iwi were at the precipice of working together to “actually transform the realities” for Māori.

Pou Tangata chair Rahui Papa said the key message to the government would be what strategies would they employ to bolster Māori aspirations, instead of legislation which “unpicks” te Tiriti o Waitangi.

“We want to hear from them, what is their program of mahi? We also want to say to them, ‘here’s some of our points in a manifesto and you have to live up to this if you’re going to be a government for all.’”

On Tuesday, iwi leaders unanimously gave their backing to a court case by Ngāti Manuhiri, which seeks to challenge amendments to the Marine and Coastal Areas Act (MACA).

Speaking at a rare press conference alongside Labour, Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said the opposition was in Waitangi to “reaffirm” a shared message that te Tiriti required “leadership to step up and take the guidance” of communities.

National Minister Tama Potaka insisted the issues that iwi chairs raised were “very engaging”. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Potaka, who is also Minister for Māori Crown Relations, insisted the issues that iwi chairs raised were “very engaging,” regardless of who was in government.

“A lot of the kōrero is actually engaged and directed by the chairs themselves, and we want to hear what their concerns are, and we can respond to them accordingly,” he said.

“A lot of them have those concerns around emergency management, but also around the Treaty settlement process, making sure we implement Treaty settlements, and we close out those historical settlements that are outstanding.”

Potaka acknowledged there were serious economic and social “deltas” between many Māori communities and the rest of New Zealand. He said the government would be working “very robustly” in a manner befitting te Tiriti o Waitangi, while also ascribing to National’s values of equal opportunity and citizenship.

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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/2026/02/04/iwi-chairs-prepare-to-challenge-government-ahead-of-prime-ministers-waitangi-visit/

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New charter school aims to boost attendance in Wairoa

Source: Radio New Zealand

Associate Education Minister David Seymour. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Associate Education Minister David Seymour says a new charter school will provide more options for families in Wairoa, which is suffering high truancy rates.

Te Whare Kounga will open with a roll of 65 secondary students in term three this year, rising to 165 students from the start of 2027, for Years 7 to 13.

The school, located at a former primary school on Carroll Street, builds on the transition programme Te Papatipu Matihiko, which for the past two years has aimed to help children get back to school with a new enthusiasm for learning.

Te Papatipu Matihiko board member Chris Cormack said the school would still teach all the core subjects, but would use a different learning model based on Māori philosophy.

“They’ll start each day with kind of a swim or something to do with water – and that’s almost symbolic as well. An actual thing of, like, ‘we’re leaving all the stuff that’s happened at home, happened on the way to school, whatever,’ and we’re kind of starting fresh for the day.

“Then working with them to kind of create individual learning plans following the curriculum broadly, but … a more integrated learning approach, and having them move kind of at their pace.

“A big thing in Wairoa’s slash in the river and flooding and those kind of things, so maybe that’s what they’re interested in, so you craft the year’s curriculum around that – so we might study the river, we can do biology and chemistry and then we might use sensors and have a programme that records that into a computer.”

He said it was about building learning around things that got the akonga excited and wanting to come to class.

“Building up their confidence, helping them navigate group situations, manage conflict, de-escalate – those kinds of things, to get them to a place where you can challenge them a bit more. You don’t want to, like, challenge them on their first day because they’re going to shut down.”

Cormack said Te Papatipu Matihiko had found students would return to school after the transitional programme ended, but drop out again, so they had decided instead to build a longer-term solution.

“When they went back to school, they weren’t necessarily succeeding there because it was such a different learning environment than the one they’d kind of got used to and they didn’t have the support,” he said.

“It was a good program, people got very excited, not everyone dropped out – people went on to learning, which was far better than the alternative before. But we realised that we could do more, essentially, with a longer period of time.”

An ERO report shows the nearby Wairoa College had a statutory manager installed in December 2024 to help with low attendance and improve learning outcomes.

Despite that, attendance rates remained well below the target, with less than half of students attending regularly.

Cormack said those kinds of difficulties were what Te Whare Kounga aimed to address.

“You’ve got to teach to kind of the middle when you’re a big school, you can’t necessarily accommodate everyone. And that’s no fault of the state schools or the teachers there, who are wonderful people and trying their best, but when you’ve got big classrooms, there’s only so much you can do.

“It’s just an option for those who currently are kind of falling through the cracks.”

He said state secondary schools were already very different to employment, university, or polytechnics, and it was hoped the more holistic learning approach would better prepare students than a strictly subject-based education.

Seymour said Te Papatipu Matihiko was an established programme with a good track record, “which has earned the trust of some people who, frankly, don’t trust the state or its schools anymore”.

“These are students who, in many cases, have been checked out of state education. We don’t want to get into a blame game about why that is, we just want to get them re-engaged in education.”

Pushing back on questions about whether it would make sense to instead bolster Wairoa College, he said it was receiving the same resources as other state schools, or “I suspect, slightly more”.

“The question is, if putting resources into something isn’t working and you’ve got an alternative, then why shouldn’t the students be able to take their entitlement to funding as a New Zealand citizen to a school that works for them?” Seymour said.

“The thing about education is that you really only get one shot. That’s not to say people can’t sometimes go back, but for the most part, you get one shot and that’s why it’s vital. If these students aren’t engaged and there’s an entity with a track record of engaging them in the community, then maybe we should fund them to get the job done – that’s what charter schools allow.”

He said some people would see charter schools and state schools as competing, but in Christchurch, four state school principals had worked together to sponsor a charter school “because they recognise that there are some students that they are not actively serving”.

Describing the demand as “overwhelming”, Seymour said nine applications for a charter school were rejected for every approval, putting that down to limited funding.

He said he expected new attendance services and his STAR mandatory attendance action plans were initiatives being rolled out this year, “that I believe will make a difference at Wairoa College and indeed every other school that’s faced a challenge around school attendance”.

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Warning to travellers as dengue fever cases rise in Pacific again

Source: Radio New Zealand

The government advises travellers to countries where mosquito-borne illnesses are able to spread to use insect repellent, wear protective clothing, and stay in lodgings where there are mosquito screens on windows and doors. James Gathany/Center for Disease Control

Travellers are warned to be on the alert for dengue fever, with cases on the rise in the Pacific.

The Cook Islands have been particularly affected, with more than 500 cases reported since the outbreak began in May last year.

Other countries reporting increased dengue activity include Samoa, Tuvalu, Nauru, Kiribati and American Samoa.

The government advises travellers to countries where mosquito-borne illnesses are able to spread to use insect repellent, wear protective clothing, and stay in lodgings where there are mosquito screens on windows and doors.

People who become unwell during or within three weeks of returning from their trip are advised to seek immediate medical advice.

More cases in New Zealand

Dr Matt Reid, Public Health Medicine Specialist for the National Public Health Service, said there had also been an increase in cases in New Zealand as a result of the outbreaks.

Eighty-six people in total have contracted the disease, with 75 of them associated with travel to the Cook Islands.

“These cases have been continuing to grow week on week,’ he said.

“People travelling to these areas where dengue is widespread should take precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and follow local public health advice,” Reid said.

“People over 60-years-old and children aged 10 and under are also at greater risk of severe illness from dengue.”

New Zealand does not have mosquitoes able to transmit dengue, nor is there a vaccine available domestically.

Clinician says one in four people infected with dengue will get sick

Clinical Director of Etu Pasifika, Dr Maryann Heather, has recently treated a patient with dengue fever.

“The main thing is to have a high index of suspicion, especially since there are ongoing outbreaks in the islands,” she said.

Dr Heather said dengue could present as a vague viral illness, often accompanied by symptoms like headaches and pain behind the eyes, abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting, muscle and joint pain, skin rash, general lethargy, tiredness, and high fever.

“Symptoms can last up to two to seven days and can be mild or severe. One in four people infected with dengue will get sick.”

She said dengue was caused by mosquitoes, specifically those that bite during the day, which transmit the virus to others.

“While dengue can be confirmed through blood tests (dengue serology), it is mostly clinical and awareness of dengue fever outbreak in Pacific countries,” she said.

She said there was no specific treatment for dengue, but supportive care was important, including rehydration and taking paracetamol for fever, aches, and pains, along with taking time to recover.

“If you aren’t improving or concerned, you should seek medical attention, especially if you think you have dengue fever after returning from the islands.”

She said dengue was most common during the wet season in the islands, when there was a lot of rain.

“Prevention focuses on reducing mosquito exposure by eliminating stagnant water around the house, wearing light-coloured clothing, and using insect repellent.”

“It’s crucial to educate and warn people travelling back to the islands so they are aware that dengue fever is present, especially since it is seasonal.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that in 2025, in response to requests from four Pacific Island countries, New Zealand’s International Development Cooperation assisted in the response to dengue outbreaks and prevention and preparedness efforts for dengue. This included providing funding and deploying professionals.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/04/warning-to-travellers-as-dengue-fever-cases-rise-in-pacific-again/

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Community meeting over Christchurch’s putrid odours gets heated

Source: Radio New Zealand

Local musician and community advocate, Rebecca Robin, said the meeting with council staff in Bromley on Tuesday night got heated. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

A Christchurch woman says she walked out in anger more than once from a community meeting about a putrid-smelling sewage plant.

Offensive odours have plagued the city’s eastern suburbs after a fire destroyed the Bromley Wastewater Plant in 2021.

But the latest stench has locals complaining of nausea and headaches – and residents have been driven indoors.

Christchurch City Council said the recent heavy rain had affected the health of the oxidation pond, and it was using all available tools to improve water quality.

The council has been approached for comment.

Local musician and community advocate, Rebecca Robin, said the meeting with council staff in Bromley on Tuesday night got heated.

She said residents felt their suffering had been dismissed, and she wanted to see the stench treated as a public health issue and for there to be on-the-ground support.

“People are angry, they’re worried about the health effects, they’re not getting any immediate relief,” Robin said.

“I’m hoping this meeting has made them want to do more of a health response for people, rather than telling them to call their GPs or nurse practitioners. They need to be out here knocking on doors and checking on people.”

Robin said while some people could escape the smell, others couldn’t, and there was a financial cost to the odour for those who could no longer hang out washing.

“People [are] going, ‘Hey, we need to go to the laundromat,’ and … I think the point they’re missing is that the laundromat costs money.

“All of those things, they add up.”

Linwood Ward councillor, Yani Johanson, who represents the Bromley suburb, was pushing for a register to record residents’ stench-related health issues, and also for free medical visits.

“Fundamentally, cost is a barrier. Why should this community, who are suffering, have to pay to go and see a doctor, when through no fault of their own, they’re getting sick?”

He said the stink was not new, but the social and well-being response had been missing for years.

Johanson believed the commitment to establish a team focussed on supporting people was a step in the right direction.

A council information sheet given to meeting attendees included comment from National Public Health Service medical officer of health Dr Annabel Begg.

She said exposure to hydrogen sulphide odour from the plant could cause nausea, headaches, eye and throat irritation, skin irritation, sleep disturbance, and worsening asthma symptoms at relatively low concentrations.

“If people exposed to the odour don’t experience physical health effects, continued exposure to unpleasant or nasty, noxious odours can still have an adverse effect on people’s mental wellbeing,” she said.

Begg said long-term health effects were highly unlikely, but said those experiencing health issues should seek advice from their healthcare provider.

The information sheet included the details for free services – Health Improvement Practitioners, Pae Ora ki Waitaha Support, and Healthline.

The council said the recent stench was likely the result of a combination of high-levels of rain and changing wastewater loads arriving to the ponds.

It said the temporary plant had a narrow margin for error and while the ponds were showing signs of improvement, the recovery depended on algae growth.

The council said it was reviewing the data to see if factors other than weather and “high load” were factors in the stench, and was using every tool available to improve the health of the oxidation ponds, including using jetboats to increase dissolved oxygen.

It said replacing the fire-damaged trickling filters with an activated sludge reactor would fix the odour issues. The programme was expected to take three years, with commissioning targeted for 2028.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/04/community-meeting-over-christchurchs-putrid-odours-gets-heated/

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Papatoetoe candidates highlight magnitude of new election

Source: Radio New Zealand

RNZ / Eveline Harvey

The upcoming election for the Papatoetoe subdivision of the Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board is shaping up to be a crowded and closely watched contest.

Eight new candidates have joined 12 individuals that campaigned for a seat in last year’s void election, with one person declining to stand again after nominations closed on 28 January.

Voting opens on 9 March and closes at noon on 9 April, with ballot papers posted to all eligible voters.

The election follows a District Court ruling in December to void the 2025 Papatoetoe subdivision result after irregularities were found on some ballot papers, giving voters another chance to choose their local representatives.

In October, police confirmed they were making enquiries after receiving complaints about alleged electoral fraud in the area.

Police were unable to provide any update on the investigation last week.

However, the four winning candidates from last year’s ballot have filed a petition seeking a High Court judicial review of the District Court ruling.

A court hearing has been scheduled for 17 February.

(From left) Sandeep Saini, Kunal Bhalla, Paramjeet Singh and Kushma Nair Supplied

Among those standing in the upcoming ballot is the Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team, which swept all four seats in last year’s election.

Paramajeet Singh topped last year’s poll with 4338 votes, followed by Sandeep Saini on 4318, Kushma Nair on 4001 and Kunal Bhalla with 3832.

All four are contesting the new election.

“We are confident and encouraged,” Bhalla told RNZ.

“The level of community support we are seeing has been strong and very visible, with many local leaders, residents and small business owners stepping forward publicly,” he said.

Bhalla said the new election was significant because it gave Papatoetoe residents the opportunity to confirm their democratic choice.

“We believe voters deserve the opportunity to confirm their mandate freely and fairly, without confusion or distortion,” he said.

He said the new election was also about continuity, with the team keen to continue its work without disruption.

Bhalla said he had full confidence in the legal process and that the team was engaging respectfully with the judicial review.

“The judicial review is about ensuring clarity, fairness and due process,” he said.

“We categorically deny any wrongdoing and believe the issues raised will be properly tested and resolved through the courts.”

Bhalla said the team’s strong showing in last year’s ballot had been driven by grassroots engagement, inclusion and unity.

“We were visible, accessible and encouraged participation from across the community, particularly people who had not previously felt represented or engaged in local elections,” he said.

He said he was expecting a higher voter turnout this time.

“We are seeing strong conversations on the ground and increased awareness, which we believe will lead to a solid turnout,” he said.

(From left) Raj Pardeep Singh, Vi Hausia, Avinash Kaur Dhaliwal and Ashraf Choudhary Facebook / 2025 Labour Otara-Papatoetoe Local Board Candidates

Labour-affiliated candidates are also returning to the contest, led by former Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board deputy chair Lehopoaome Vi Hausia, who lodged the District Court petition challenging the 2025 election results.

“It’s really encouraging to see a mix of returning candidates and new people stepping forward,” Vi Hausia said.

“Papatoetoe deserves the best, and a strong, fair contest of ideas helps ensure we have high-quality local board members representing our community.”

He said the Labour-aligned team included former local board member and ex-Labour MP Ashraf Choudhary, as well as Avinash Kaur Dhaliwal and Raj Pardeep Singh.

In last year’s election, Vi Hausia placed fifth with 2493 votes, followed by Choudhary with 2100 votes, Dhaliwal with 1864 votes and Raj Pardeep Singh received 1645.

Vi Hausia said the court’s findings of irregularities, including fraudulent voting, meant the previous result did not fully reflect the true outcome.

“This [new] election is important for Papatoetoe, and for local democracy in New Zealand,” he said.

“I know it’s frustrating for our community to be in this situation in the first place, but the cost of losing trust in our democratic system would be far worse.”

He said what mattered most was that Papatoetoe voters could make a free and fair choice about who represented them.

“What happened at the last election is an unfortunate chapter in our local history,” he said.

Peter Dons is returning as a candidate in the 2026 Papatoetoe election, contesting on the Independently Papatoetoe ticket. Supplied

Independent group Independently Papatoetoe is also mounting a comeback, led by former local board member Albert Lim and returning candidate Peter Dons.

Dons shared a similar view to Vi Hausia.

“This new election is very important not only for Papatoetoe but for the whole country, and I don’t think due recognition has been given to what actually happened there,” Dons said.

The team included new candidates Chris Webb and Alison Weakley.

“We’re very confident because we are very well known in the community, and we have strong new candidates,” he said.

In the previous election, Lim received 1896 votes, while Dons secured 1483.

“I believe our votes will go up and the Action Team’s votes will drop dramatically,” Dons said.

Dons said his team was planning to run a strong campaign with a different outcome this time around.

“We’ve got a very interesting situation, and as far as our team is concerned, we’ll be watching everything very closely,” he said.

“We’ll be doing our very best to have a good and robust campaign, and we’ll see what happens.”

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/04/papatoetoe-candidates-highlight-magnitude-of-new-election/

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Proposed closure of Westbridge Residential School following safety, performance concerns

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Education Ministry has opened consultation on closing Westbridge Residential School. Supplied / Westbridge Residential School

The Education Ministry has proposed shutting down a struggling boarding school for children with extreme behaviour problems due to fears for their safety and education.

This week it opened consultation on closing Westbridge Residential School, one of just three residential schools for students with disabilities.

Accompanying documents showed the Auckland school had been under close scrutiny for at least two years and had a roll of just six students in the middle of last year.

“Despite ongoing interventions and governance support, significant concerns remain regarding the ongoing health and safety of students and the quality of education that is provided at the school,” the consultation paper said.

The school’s future has been in doubt for several years due in part to low enrolments and to criticism of residential schools generally.

The Education Review Office (ERO) warned of a high number of physical assaults and property damage in a 2023 report and again in 2024, with a follow-up report in 2025 saying those problems had continued though at a reduced level due to the school having fewer students.

A briefing for Education Minister Erica Stanford said ERO recommended at the end of 2024 that enrolments stop until the school could confirm it met the needs of its students, prompting the acting Secretary for Education to personally take over responsibility for approving enrolments.

The ministry appointed a limited statutory manger to the school in March last year, escalating to a commissioner in June that year.

The briefing said Westbridge had previously enrolled children aged 8-12 years, but that changed to include 13-15-year-olds.

“These older students have more complex and challenging social, and/or learning needs (including drugs and alcohol use), and also require the school to provide access to NCEA pathways,” it said.

The report said students typically enrolled at the school for a few months and over the past five years its roll averaged 9-10 students.

The school had shared a board of trustees with another residential special school, Halswell in Christchurch, but the board found it difficult to manage two separate sites and last year asked to be split into two separate boards.

The briefing said previous Westbridge students had lodged historic abuse claims which the school’s commissioner was dealing with.

The briefing said ERO last year found improvements at the school following earlier criticism.

It said that included training for staff, ensuring students’ access to psychological and specialist services continued after they arrived at the school, and monitoring students’ social and behavioural goals.

But it also concluded that student health and safety remained a problem.

“Assaults and property damage continue. Some incidents, such as continued physical aggression towards teaching staff are not always documented or recorded by staff,” it said.

“Despite some improvements, the curriculum at Westbridge is not currently fit for purpose for secondary students.”

The briefing said the ministry was confident students currently at the school were not at the same level of risk as at the end of 2024.

It said incidents involving students would remain a challenge and it questioned whether Westbridge was providing effectively for students.

Consultation would close on 15 March and Westbridge could be shut down by July or August this year.

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LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/04/proposed-closure-of-westbridge-residential-school-following-safety-performance-concerns/

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Major insurer declines new home insurance policies for Blenheim

Source: Radio New Zealand

An aerial view of Blenheim, New Zealand. 123RF

Blenheim residents say AA Insurance has stopped offering new home insurance policies in their town, following similar decisions in Westport and parts of greater Christchurch.

The insurer would not confirm that Blenheim, and the neighbouring settlements of Renwick and Seddon, were subject to its temporary halt.

However, several residents contacted RNZ to say a blanket exclusion for new policies appeared to be in place.

AA Insurance’s online portal declined to provide quotes for a dozen addresses that RNZ tried across the three locations.

A message onscreen said the company was unable to offer insurance because of “the suburb or town where your home is located”.

RNZ revealed last week that the company had halted new home, business and landlord insurance policies in the West Coast town of Westport, due to the high flood risk the town faces.

The insurer had also stopped offering new policies in north Canterbury township Woodend, along with Rolleston and Lincoln, RNZ reported on Tuesday.

There, AA Insurance said that it had reached its maximum exposure limit to seismic risk.

The company would not confirm if new policies in Blenheim were being declined for the same reason, or for flood risk like Westport.

Parts the wider Blenheim area flooded last winter after the wettest June on record since 1942, and some residents in Renwick were evacuated.

AA Insurance head of underwriting Dee Naidu said managing risk exposure was common practice in the insurance industry and the list of areas with temporary restrictions was not static.

“We are always monitoring where we are growing and the accumulation and exposure to risk from that growth. We have no plans to introduce any new temporary restrictions beyond those that have been previously reported on.”

None of the restrictions affected existing customers, Naidu said.

Blenheim woman Shelley Tapp moved to the town at the end of last year and was surprised when AA Insurance turned down cover for a house she was trying to buy.

The agent she spoke with on the phone was unable to provide any detail, she said.

“I asked him why, and he said, ‘I can’t tell you why, it’s just too high risk.’”

Tapp and her husband inspected council records and previous insurance claims and could see no problem with the property.

“That particular property has never had earthquake damage, it doesn’t have any claims for flooding.”

Tapp said she asked the real estate agent, who told her that AA Insurance was declining new cover for the 7201 postcode, which encompassed Blenheim.

The couple ended up buying a different house, insuring it with AMI instead of AA Insurance.

“I thought there’s no point me going back to AA because they told me no.”

The company needed to be transparent with people about why it was declining cover in certain areas, Tapp said.

“I think other insurance companies do it as well. It creates uncertainty around the property – you think, is it something wroing with the property itself?”

AA Insurance’s online portal declined to provide a policy quote for multiple Blenheim addresses. Screenshot (AA Insurance)

Other residents who got in touch with RNZ reported a similar experience.

“We enquired about insuring a new build in Blenheim yesterday and discovered that AA have blacklisted Blenheim,” one said.

Another said he had his request for home and contents cover in Blenheim declined “because they said they were not taking on any more risk here”.

A third person, who had been insured with AA Insurance for a decade in his previous house, said he and his wife were unable to get a new policy when they moved within Blenheim in May last year.

“They would not insure the new house at all. The advisor was apologetic and mentioned they wouldn’t be covering Blenheim due to the risk.”

In a written statement, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said it was up to individual businesses to decide how they managed their exposure to risk.

Treasury’s annual insurance monitoring surveys “indicate that there is reasonable availability of online insurance quotes in areas of higher seismic risk”, she said.

The Natural Hazards Commission declined to comment, referring questions to the Insurance Council.

An Insurance Council spokesperson said insurance remained generally available across New Zealand.

“The insurance industry has consistently said it’s important New Zealand takes a long-term view on the risks from natural hazards as we face the prospect of more frequent and severe events due to climate-related events.”

The council supported “a government-led approach to mitigate and adapt to changing climate and an agreed set of natural hazard and climate risk data so we are all on the same page”.

The current Natural Hazards Commission levy, and the cap the commission paid out for natural hazards claims, were sufficient to maintain insurer confidence, the spokesperson said.

“The real solution lies in proactively reducing underlying risk, including avoiding development in high-risk areas, investing in resilient infrastructure, improving building standards, and sharing consistent natural hazard data.

“These steps would reduce losses and signal to global reinsurers that New Zealand is managing its risk exposure, helping to stabilise costs.”

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Auckland leads rise in new homes consented – Building consents issued: December 2025 – Stats NZ news story and information release

LiveNews: https://enz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/03/auckland-leads-rise-in-new-homes-consented-building-consents-issued-december-2025-stats-nz-news-story-and-information-release/

Posted on

Boy injures another student in knife incident at Tauranga school

Source: Radio New Zealand

Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School. Screenshot / Google Maps

A boy has suffered a minor injury after another student struck him with a pocketknife at school on Tuesday morning.

The incident happened at Ōtūmoetai Intermediate School, with its principal detailing the event in a social media post addressed to parents and caregivers.

Henk Popping said a pocketknife was pulled out by one of the boys during an altercation, and struck the other student’s forearm.

“This caused a minor injury and both boys’ caregivers have met with myself, school leaders and police constables who were notified as a follow-up.

“Both boys have been removed from the school for the remainder of the week which will be followed up with a re-integration process assisted by the Ministry of Education and our Police Community Constables.”

The school has also taken steps to support students and staff who have been affected by the incident, Popping said.

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‘Journalism is not a crime’ – US journalists arrested for covering ICE church protest

AMY GOODMAN: We begin today’s show looking at the arrests of two American journalists for covering a protest at the Cities Church [in the Minnesota Twin City of] St Paul, where a top ICE official serves as pastor.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort from the Twin Cities were released last Friday after initial court hearings.

A federal grand jury in Minnesota indicted Lemon and Fort for violating two laws, an 1871 law originally designed to combat the Ku Klux Klan and the FACE Act, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which was written to protect abortion clinics.

The indictment names a total of nine people, including the two journalists. US Attorney General Pam Bondi took personal credit for the arrests of Fort and Lemon and two others on Friday, posting on X that the arrests occurred at her direction.

Don Lemon, who was arrested late Thursday night by the FBI in Los Angeles, had been reporting on the church protest in St Paul in January as an independent journalist.

His attorney, Abbe Lowell, described the arrest as an “unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration.”

On Friday afternoon, Don Lemon vowed to continue reporting after appearing court in Los Angeles.

AMY GOODMAN: Don Lemon attended the Grammys on Sunday night.

Also arrested Friday was Georgia Fort, an independent journalist from the Twin Cities. She posted a video to Facebook just as federal agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration were about to arrest her and take her to the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis.

AMY GOODMAN: For more, we’re joined now from Minneapolis by that longtime independent journalist Georgia Fort, whose reporting has been recognised with three Midwest Emmys.

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‘Journalism Is Not A Crime’                Video: Democracy Now!

GEORGIA FORT: Good morning, Amy.My home was surrounded by about two dozen federal agents, including agents from DEA and HSI. I asked to see the warrant. My mother was here. My mother asked to see the warrant. They did show us an arrest warrant, which was then sent to my attorney, who verified its legitimacy.

Since it was an arrest warrant, we decided that it would be safest for me to exit through the garage, so that we could lock the door to our home behind me.

And so, I surrendered. I walked out of my garage with my hands up. And I asked the agents who were there to arrest me if they knew that I was a member of the press. They said they did know that I was a member of the press. I informed them that this was a violation of my constitutional right, of the First Amendment.

And they told me, you know, “We’re just here to do our job.” And I said, “I was just doing my job, and now I’m being arrested for it.” And so, by about 6:30 a.m., they had me in cuffs in the back of the vehicle. We were headed to Whipple.

What I later learned, after I was released, is that these agents stayed outside of my home for more than two hours. And when my 17-year-old daughter felt, you know, threatened, felt scared that these agents weren’t leaving, she decided that it would be safer for her to drive to a relative’s home.

And so she loaded up her sisters, who are 7 and 8, and they went to leave, somewhere where they could go and feel safe. And these agents stopped my children on their way trying to leave because they were scared that these agents were not leaving even after two hours of me being apprehended.

My husband also. He was trailing them. He drove out at the same time that they drove out. They stopped him, questioning him, asking them if they were taking my belongings away, when they were simply trying to leave, because no one could understand, if I was arrested at 6.30 in the morning, why were all of these agents still just sitting outside of my home at 8:30, 9 am.

AMY GOODMAN: And so, how long were you held? And if you could respond to the charges that were brought against you — ironically, violating an 1871 law originally designed to take on the Ku Klux Klan and the FACE Act, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which is supposed to protect abortion clinics and people going into them for healthcare?

GEORGIA FORT: Well, Amy, to answer your first question, I was detained at Whipple for several hours. Then I was transferred to the US Marshals prison, which is connected to the federal courthouse.

So, I was at Whipple for maybe two or three hours and then transferred to this other facility. I had to be booked into both of them. They collected my DNA. They collected my fingerprints at both of those facilities.

And then, by 1.30, I was able to go before a judge, who did approve my release under normal conditions until this case continues to play out in court. And so, I ended up being released by the afternoon, I think about maybe by about 3.00 the same day.

Now, in terms of the charges that I am facing, I think it’s really absurd to weaponise a law that was meant to protect Black people, and weaponise it against Black people, specifically members of the press. We are at a critical time in this country when you have members of the press, award-winning journalists, who are simply showing up in their capacity to cover the news, being arrested for doing their jobs.

I think I’m not — I wouldn’t be the first person to say this, but we’re having a constitutional crisis. If our First Amendment rights, if our constitutional rights cannot be withheld in this moment, then what does it say about the merit of our Constitution?

And that was the question that I asked right after I was released. Do we have a Constitution? If there are no consequences for the violation of our Constitution, what strength does it really have? What does it say about the state and the health of our democracy?

AMY GOODMAN: Two judges said that you, the journalists, and specifically dealing with Don Lemon, should not be arrested. And yet, ultimately, Pam Bondi took this to a grand jury.

GEORGIA FORT: It goes back to the merit of our Constitution. Who has power in this moment? And I think what we’re seeing here in Minnesota is the people are continuing to stand. They are continuing to demand that our Constitution be upheld.

I believe that journalism is not a crime. And it’s not just my belief; it’s my constitutional right as an American. And so, I’m hopeful that I have a extremely great legal team, and so we’ll continue to go through this.

But, you know, I’d ask the question — I think you played the clip earlier: What message does this send to journalists across the country who are simply doing their jobs documenting what is happening? But the reality is, when you’re out documenting what’s happening, you are creating a record that can either incriminate or exonerate someone, and so what we do has so much power, especially in these times.

And so, I believe that is why journalism is under attack, media is under attack.

This would not be the first time in the last 12 months where we have seen a tremendous force come against people who are speaking truth to power on their platforms. Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off air. The nation was outraged about it. There was a segment that was supposed to air on 60 Minutes that was pulled. This isn’t the first time, I mean, and we can even historically go back. There have . . .

AMY GOODMAN: Though that, too, ultimately, was played, after enormous outcry, only recently.

GEORGIA FORT: Absolutely, absolutely. And I was going to say, you know, we could even go back further and look at the recent exodus of Black women in mainstream media: Joy Reid, Tiffany Cross, Melissa Harris-Perry, April Ryan.

So, there has been — this is not new in terms of the attack on media and journalism, the attack on Black women who are documenting what’s happening.

And so, I will say I am extremely grateful that the National Association of Black Journalists issued a statement on behalf of myself and Don Lemon, which was signed by dozens of other journalism agencies and institutions.

I am the vice-president of my local chapter. We saw the International Women’s Alliance of Media issue a statement. We saw our local media outlets here, Star Tribune, NPR, Minnesota Reformer, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder and Sahan Journal, so many media and journalism institutions standing up and speaking out against this attack on the free press and the violation of our constitutional right.

AMY GOODMAN: Well, Georgia, I want to thank you so much for being with us, and we will continue to follow your case. Independent journalist Georgia Fort, speaking to us from Minneapolis. She and former CNN host Don Lemon were arrested last week for covering a protest inside a St Paul church where a top ICE official serves as a pastor.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/03/journalism-is-not-a-crime-us-journalists-arrested-for-covering-ice-church-protest/

Posted on

School buys van to transport chronically absent students to curb lagging attendance

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

With most schools back in action, student attendance rates are once again in the spotlight. One Auckland school is even buying its own van to help transport chronically absent students to and from school.

Provisional figures from the Ministry of Education show the number of students turning up to school regularly has improved. In term 4 of last year, 57.3 percent of students attended school more than 90 percent of the time. This was up from 56.4 percent in term 4 the previous year.

The government has set a goal to have that regular student attendance rate at 80 percent by the end of 2030. But a breakdown of the data show despite the upward overall trend, Māori and Pacific student attendance continued to lag significantly.

In term 4 of 2025, just 39.5 percent of Pasifika students and 43 percent of Māori students attended school regularly. The rates were 41 percent and 42.5 percent, respectively, for term 4 of the previous year.

Bert Iosia is the principal of Auckland’s Kelston Intermediate School. He has a school roll of about 420 students, most of whom are Pasifika and Māori.

For the past few years, the school’s regular attendance rate has sat around 52 percent.

While that “wasn’t great” Iosia told Checkpoint,, the school had managed to have “some success” with students who were “at the chronic end of being absent from school”.

More plans were in place to ramp up that work and engagement, he said, including the purchase of a van dedicated to transporting students identified as “serious concern” because they’d missed 15 days or more of school.

“Where we know the background story and we understand what’s on top of the whānau – it becomes challenging for them to get kids there – this van could be a little bit of a lifeline to pick the kids up and get them through.”

The school van was due to be up-and-running by the end of the month.

Iosia, who is also the president of the NZ Pasifika Principals’ Association, said it was difficult to pinpoint the exact causes of lower attendance rates among Pacific and Māori.

“There’s lots of issues that go on for our whānau that are almost difficult for non-Māori and Pasifika to sort of understand.

“Within our communities, there are just families that are just doing it hard.

“They may need some of the little ones to sort of help out with baby, new bubba – that’s sort of popped up as well.”

Anxiety for students also contributed to absenteeism, he said.

“Intermediate is quite an interesting space because it’s a two-year period. So transitioning into intermediate can be quite challenging for some of our anxious kids.”

Anxiety was also a problem for students leaving and moving onto high school, Iosia said.

“The movement to high school can be quite daunting. So especially come the end of the year … you can see some of that absence that sort of sits around our children of serious concern.”

Iosia said increasing attendance rates required ongoing engagement and connection with students and families.

He said the school year had started well. The school had also set an ambitious goal of getting 70 percent of students attending regularly – or more than 90 percent of the time – by the end of the year.

“My board, and my attendance team, and staff – we’re pretty committed to that.”

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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/2026/02/03/school-buys-van-to-transport-chronically-absent-students-to-curb-lagging-attendance/

Posted on

Flood-hit communities ‘overwhelmed’ by response

Source: Radio New Zealand

Manaaki Matakaoa team in Te Araroa unloading helicopter delivery. Left to right: Michaella Houkamau, Sheena Luke, Cecelia Kamizona, Ara Ariki Houkamau. Supplied

Over $170,000 of desperately needed money has been raised for whanau in parts of the flood ravaged East Cape of the North Island.

But chair of Manaaki Matakāoa, Tina Ngata said residents were in for a “long slog” when the initial response died down and the community was left to ready themselves for the next bout of heavy weather.

Community ‘overwhelmed’ by response

Ngata said the Matakāoa community had been “overwhelmed” by the generous response to the devastating flooding and landslips.

She said – in the week following the storms – nearly $75,000 had been put towards the community’s immediate needs.

“Supporting people to get home, medical evacuations, people who are separated from their animals, families who are separated from each other, food drops, power resources, tank refills – people have had their water lines disrupted. There’s a lot of immediate investment needed,” Ngata said.

Ngata said nearly every one of the 350 households in the stretch from Pōtikirua through to Kiwinui Hill had been affected in some way by the storms.

She said the funding was important but – at the early stage of the recovery – the “people on the ground” putting in long hours cleaning, organising and volunteering their help were hugely appreciated by the community.

Steven Woods from Motu Helicopters loading up essential supplies from Opotiki to be delivered to Te Araroa. Supplied

“There are so many people who are showing up voluntarily with shovels, with wheel barrows and those for us are absolute heroes. Even when the army has shown up – it’s given some of our people a great rest – but I’m still seeing a lot of our people working past one o’clock in the morning.

“We’re really thankful for all of New Zealand for every single donation – so that we can support these families – but also support the people who are supporting our families. We really want them to be recognised, the people on the ground.”

‘Blown away’ by community support

Further south in Tolaga Bay – a community that was no stranger to the impact of extreme weather – locals raised just over $56,000 in a single market day to put towards the Manaaki Matakāoa relief fund.

Tolaga Bay teacher Shanan Gray said donated goods and items were auctioned and raffled off while local artists and entertainers chipped in to help create an exciting and enjoyable day.

“When we got to the final figure we were blown away. It just shows how much love, commitment and dedication that our community has [for] the rest of the communities up and down the coast,” Gray said.

Denise Kamizona loading up essential supplies and resources from Raukokore to be sent over to Matakaoa. Supplied

Defence Force personnel and helicopters assist

A spokesperson for the Defence Force said over 140 personnel had been deployed about the Hicks Bay and Te Araroa areas to help with the clean up under the direction of the local Emergency Operations Centre.

“Personnel in Te Araroa and Hicks Bay have been working on a range of tasks including clearing culverts, improving drainage, removing debris and silt from properties, and felling hazardous trees.

“Air transport has been provided by Royal New Zealand Air Force NH-90 helicopters transferring water, fuel, stores such as rubbish bags, chainsaws and health equipment, as well as transporting personnel into Hicks Bay and Te Araroa. Reconnaissance has also been conducted of roads to determine access.”

Difficult discussions ahead

But Tina Ngata said – once the army, Civil Defence teams, politicians and media had left – the community was in for a “long slog” as they navigated the complex problems exposed by the storms.

Kai parcels being made up and delivered to all Horoera residents. Supplied

“We know that this is not going to be the last time. We have new slips in places that have traditionally never slipped so we need a lot of geo-tech expertise around where are the safe places to put homes and more long term infrastructural support – support around roading – and economic support for our whanau as well,” Ngata said.

Ngata said there were many “difficult discussions” ahead as climate change rearranged past assumptions about areas previously considered safe by generations of whanau.

“Funding or no funding we’re going to do what we need to do – as a community – but it’s going to be a long slog and it’s going to be very expensive. Because it’s not just about that first cash injection. The impacts and the problems are very complex,” Ngata said.

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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/2026/02/03/flood-hit-communities-overwhelmed-by-response/