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New polling shows a quarter of New Zealanders have little or no trust in police

Source: Radio New Zealand

A quarter of New Zealanders say they have little or no trust in the police, new polling shows.

A quarter of New Zealanders say they have little or no trust in the police, new polling shows, but most people’s positions were not rattled by the recent Jevon McSkimming scandals.

Police conduct has recently been in the spotlight following an IPCA report that found serious misconduct at the highest levels.

Former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming also pleaded guilty late last year to three representative charges of possessing objectionable publications, namely child sexual exploitation and bestiality material.

The latest RNZ-Reid Research poll, conducted from 15-22 January, asked New Zealanders how much trust they had in the police to do the right thing, and whether recent scandals involving McSkimming changed their level of trust.

A quarter of New Zealanders have little or no trust; 70 percent have at least a fair amount

About a fifth of respondents – 20.7 percent – said they had a lot of trust in police, while more than half – 50.5 percent – said they had a fair amount of trust.

Just over 20 percent said they had “not much” trust and a further 5.7 percent said they had no trust at all. Three percent said they did not know.

Trust was lowest among the most left-leaning voters: 48.2 percent of Te Pāti Māori supporters said they had little or no trust, along with 44.1 percent of Green supporters.

Among Labour voters, 28.2 percent either said they had either no trust or “not much”.

Looking at the coalition supporters, a sizeable 36 percent of New Zealand First voters said they had little or no trust in the police.

That compared to just 12.4 percent of National supporters and 18 percent of ACT supporters.

How did the McSkimming scandals impact that trust?

Voters were also asked whether the recent scandals involving McSkimming changed their level of trust in the police.

More than half of respondents – 51.3 percent – said the scandals had not knocked their trust.

That compared to 36.1 percent of voters who said they had.

Ten-point-four percent said they did not know, while 2.2 percent said their trust had increased following the scandals.

“Not everyone in society is going to support or like the police” – Police Minister

Police Minister Mark Mitchell said he was really happy to hear the McSkimming scandals had not shifted the dial significantly when it came to people’s trust levels.

“I said from day one, and I think the public actually came to this place themselves as they recognised the behavior was contained within a very small group of individuals and was not reflective of the overall values of our New Zealand police force.”

Former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. RNZ / Mark Papalii

Asked about a quarter of New Zealanders having little or no trust in police, Mitchell said the police had to continually look for improvement, but not everybody was going to support or like the police as “often they may be offending”.

Te Pāti Māori co-leaders were unsurprised their voters had the lowest trust levels, and said various reports also reflected low trust levels in the police, especially for Māori communities.

“We are over monitored, we are over arrested, we are put in prison five times more than non-Māori for the same crime,” co-leader Rawiri Waititi said.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said people’s trust had also been diminished by shootings in Taranaki and the lack of “real independent reviews” after the fact.

She said politicians from all parties needed to show leadership and propose transformational change in the justice space.

Greens’ co-leader Marama Davidson said the McSkimming scandals highlighted a problem which stretched beyond “just one person and one police officer”.

“There has long been an acknowledgement of systemic rot across departments, including police, especially when it comes to survivors of violence and abuse.”

But Labour’s Chris Hipkins said he did not believe the case reflected the police as a whole.

“The police leadership let down not just the New Zealand public, but actually all of the serving police officers who had the credibility of the New Zealand Police tested through that.”

Police under scrutiny

In November last year, a scathing report by the police watchdog found serious misconduct at the highest levels of police – including former Commissioner Andrew Coster – over how Police responded to accusations of sexual offending by former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming.

McSkimming resigned as the country’s second most powerful cop in May amid separate investigations by the Independent Police Conduct Authority and Police.

In response to the report, top government ministers said the public needed to have trust in the police.

The new Commissioner Richard Chambers said trust and confidence were an “absolute priority” given the events.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers (L) and Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Mark Papalii / RNZ

Chambers told RNZ he was pleased there had not been a significant shift in the support for police and the work they did following the scandals.

“I always had confidence in my people. They just get on with the job.

“Kiwis appreciate that the events of late last year, was an isolated and small group of people.”

Chambers had set a goal of reaching 80 percent trust in the police, and had brought in audits to help identify any behaviour that fell short not only of his expectations but that of the public.

“We do have a tough job, and unfortunately, from time to time, people do let us down.”

Asked whether more work needed to be done in regards to trust in the police by Māori, Chambers said there was “a lot of work to do across all communities”.

“There’s always going to be some communities that have have less trust and confidence, or more trust and confidence in policing. That isn’t new.

“None of that comes as a surprise – it just motivates me and my team more to work really hard.”

This poll of 1000 people was conducted by Reid Research, using quota sampling and weighting to ensure representative cross section by age, gender and geography. The poll was conducted through online interviews between 15-22 January 2026 and has a maximum margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

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Wellington Phoenix A-League women’s player Ella McMillan passionate on and off the field

Source: Radio New Zealand

Ella McMillan playing for the Wellington Phoenix Reserves. Masanori Udagawa / www.photosport.nz

Wellington Phoenix A-League women’s player Ella McMillan is passionate about helping the next generation step into the space she is in at the moment.

The 20-year-old is juggling two fledgling careers – as a professional footballer, and a second-year sports scientist.

McMillan moved to the capital at the start of 2022 when she was just 16 to join the Wellington Phoenix Academy.

The young centre-back was a mainstay of the women’s reserves side for the 2023 and 2024 seasons before the academy graduate signed a two-year scholarship contract with the Wellington Phoenix in August 2024.

McMillan grew up in Hamilton so leaving home so young was a huge step. When Ella’s younger sister Libby joined the academy a year later McMillan’s parents moved to Wellington in 2023 to support her and her sibling.

“It was a big decision but really grateful that I did make the move and when I moved down to join the academy, I also started my studies as well,” McMillan said.

McMillan had been interested in sports science for some time, so jumped at the chance to sign up for a Bachelor of Sport, Exercise and Health degree at Auckland University of Technology, majoring in sport and exercise science.

The Wellington Phoenix have a partnership with Auckland University of Technology (AUT) through the School of Sport and Recreation, which provides courses for many academy footballers in Wellington.

McMillan said the academy’s head of performance at the time, Steve Coleman, and technical director Paul Temple were integral in helping her get into the course.

“I ended up actually dropping out of school a year early to join the programme … I was always really interested in going down the sports pathway and being able to continue working in sport alongside playing. I’m really passionate about that kind of stuff so really grateful they let me into the course.”

As part of her course, she completed a 350-hour placement at the Phoenix academy, working alongside head of female sport science Issy Coombes.

McMillan finished the three-year degree at the end of 2024 and was appointed the academy’s youth female sport scientist at the start of 2025.

“It was a great opportunity. I’m really grateful the club was able to take me on, especially knowing they would have to be flexible with my training schedule. I’ve learnt so much over the past year and I just really enjoy working with the players on a day-to-day basis.”

McMillan said opportunities in women’s football had improved significantly over the past decade.

“There is a pathway … when I was younger there was no Phoenix women’s team, now I’m playing and working for the academy.”

McMillan said she liked to take a holistic approach as a sports scientist.

“…On helping the players be the best athletes they can but also the best people, so working with them in the gym, on the pitch, finding what areas of their game, their strengths and weaknesses and how we can look to improve that from a physical perspective. Looking at the mechanics, the technique, and especially with the younger players, that movement base and ensuring that we can reduce the risk of injuries from a young age.”

New Zealand U20 Ella McMillan during an International Friendly – New Zealand Women’s U20 v Australia at Jerry Collins Stadium, Wellington. 11 July 2024. Marty Melville / www.photosport.nz

The Wellington Phoenix women have been hit with three season-ending ACL injuries so injury prevention is top of mind.

“It’s absolutely gutting for those three girls … I just feel for them, it’s a sucky situation to be in. I want to try and do everything in my control to hopefully reduce the risk of players being out for long periods of time. There’s more and more research coming out around that kind of stuff so we’ll just continue to keep learning more.”

At just 20, McMillan is barely older than the athletes she’s working with at the academy, but she sees that as a strength.

“I’m able to relate to them and connect to them better so I don’t think my age has really come into play a huge amount, especially not in this environment. I hope I can use that as a strength, rather than people viewing it as a negative thing.”

McMillan represented New Zealand at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India in 2022 and was a key member of the Junior Football Ferns side at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia.

She made two appearances off the bench in her first season as a professional in the 2024-25 summer and admits her first year in the A-league was tough.

“I didn’t get a huge amount of minutes but I learnt so much from a training perspective but also how to handle myself off the pitch and how to continue to be a professional and do everything I can to help the team even if that doesn’t require me on the pitch.”

Opportunities have again been limited in her second season but patience is key for McMillan.

She also wants to utilise her knowledge around strength and conditioning to improve her physical capabilities.

“That was always a bit of a weakness of mine so using my knowledge in that aspect to try and better myself from a physical performance stand point.”

In the off-season the Phoenix recruited the highly credentialed Bev Priestman, who guided Canada to gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“She’s outstanding, her communication is top of the line and her knowledge is really good so I feel like I’m able to learn so much off her to be able to progress as a player and to continue to develop.”

McMillan flats with a couple of team-mates and her sister Libby, who still plays for the Reserves team, lives with her parents in Wellington.

McMillan said the Phoenix women, who sit second on the A-league ladder, were buoyant about their prospects.

“We’ve come into this season with a fresh mindset and we’ve got to see ourselves as title contenders. We’re all really confident in the team and the way we’re playing, I’m really excited for what the rest of the season has install for us, results are starting to click now so really exciting times ahead.”

The Phoenix Women head across the Tasman this weekend, to meet the Newcastle Jets on Sunday.

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Record number of ambulance calls in 2025

Source: Radio New Zealand

Frontline crews attended 551,399 incidents, up 17 percent since 2020. RNZ / Marika Khabazi

The number of people calling an ambulance reached a record high in 2025, with St John attending more than half a million incidents.

New national ambulance data shows there were 706,194 emergency 111 calls for an ambulance last year, an increase of nearly 30 percent compared to five years ago.

Frontline crews attended 551,399 incidents, up 17 percent since 2020.

St John Deputy Chief Executive Dan Ohs said the increase reflected wider system pressures, an ageing population and rising acuity.

He said people falling over was one of the largest drivers of ambulance demand, increasing eight percent from 2020 to 52,559 incidents, and disproportionately affected older New Zealanders.

“Falls are not just accidents, they are a major and growing health issue.

“Many falls are preventable, and when they do occur, early intervention can reduce long-term injury, loss of independence and pressure on hospitals.”

St John said other preventable incidents increased massively, with drowning and diving incidents up 32 percent from 2020 to 582, animal bites and attacks rising almost 19 percent from 2020 to 1,212.

St John Deputy Chief Executive Dan Ohs. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

The number of cardiac and respiratory arrest incidents St John attended also rose five percent from 2020 to 5,750.

“Improving cardiac arrest survival is one of our most urgent priorities,” Ohs said.

“Our data reinforces the importance of early intervention, community CPR training, public access defibrillators and seamless coordination from first call to hospital care.”

In 2025, patients assessed as having serious but not immediately life-threatening conditions accounted for 43 percent of all incidents, and life-threatening cases made up a further 35 percent.

About 10 percent involved patients whose conditions did not appear serious, and 7.4 percent of incidents were resolved through clinical advice over the phone.

Māori patients accounted for 21 percent of all ambulance responses, an increase of 14 percent from 2020.

“This is a good thing from our perspective,” Ohs said.

“We know tāngata Māori can feel hesitant to access healthcare, and it’s great to see they are accessing our services when they need them.”

He said St John was strengthening engagement with iwi Māori, improving culturally appropriate models of care and using data to better target services where inequities are greatest.

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Work on $260 million Wairarapa rail upgrade delayed by over a year

Source: Radio New Zealand

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Work on a Wairarapa rail upgrade worth more than a quarter of a billion dollars has been delayed by over a year.

Work on the $260 million upgrade plan began in 2021 and included level crossing and signal upgrades for the region’s rail for new frequent hybrid electric trains to run from 2029.

The work was expected to be completed late last year, but KiwiRail has confirmed to RNZ it now would not be finished until early 2027.

The rail company’s chief metro and capital programme officer, David Gordon, said changing technology and difficult ground conditions had driven the problems.

Gordon said community consultation also played a role in the delays.

“KiwiRail has also undertaken significant engagement with councils and communities, which resulted in more crossings staying open than originally intended.”

Originally 23 crossings were being upgraded and seven would close, while now the project would see 26 upgraded and four shut, he said.

An artist’s render of the new hybrid electric trains. Metlink

Any cost increases would be managed within budget, Gordon said.

He was confident the work would be done before the new trains arrived.

Greater Wellington Regional Council chairperson Daran Ponter told RNZ he would be asking KiwiRail to explain the delay.

“Let’s remember that KiwiRail is an engineering company – communications is not always their strong suit.

“It would have been good to have known about this earlier but I’m not particularly concerned.”

Ponter said the new trains were four years away so there was still plenty of time, but it was still important the council asked about the delay.

“We want to make sure that when the new hybrid trains are commissioned into service that they’ve got a free run through the Wairarapa.”

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Insurer temporarily halts new policies in Westport due to flood risk

Source: Radio New Zealand

A 2021 flood in Westport left more than 100 homes uninhabitable RNZ / Anan Zaki

A major insurance company has temporarily stopped offering new home insurance policies in Westport because of the town’s flood risk.

A climate change policy expert says AA Insurance’s decision will be the first of many, and is urging insurers to be transparent when they withdraw from an area.

Another researcher specialising in insurance retreat says the company is sending a clear message that it wants investment in flood defences – but warned that could result in a doubling down in Westport, rather than a move out of harm’s way.

AA Insurance, which has approximately half a million New Zealand customers, wrote to Buller District Mayor Chris Russell at the very end of 2025 to tell him the company would halt new business, home and landlord insurance policies for properties in the 7825 postcode, which covers Westport, Carters Beach and Cape Foulwind.

The company said existing policies would stay in place, and it had put a transfer policy in place for anyone looking to buy or sell a house that was currently insured with AA Insurance.

In a statement summarising the letter, published on Buller District Council’s website, Chris Russell said most people would not be directly affected by the company’s decision.

“Whilst not ideal, this does not mark any sort of insurance retreat from Westport.”

Westport has been repeatedly flooded over time, escalating in recent years. A 2021 flood left more than 100 homes uninhabitable.

A tree in the flooded Buller River on 18 August, 2022. RNZ / Niva Chittock

Last March, Buller District Council endorsed a plan that could eventually see the town gradually relocated to higher ground away from the Buller River, by opening up lower-risk land for development.

West Coast Regional Council chief executive Darryl Lew said the first stages of the the ‘Resilient Westport’ project involved building 17 kilometres of stopbanks.

Most of that work was in the planning and design stages, but two sections had been built already.

“That is protecting upwards of 30 houses that had never received protection before. And in the next few months, we’re hopefully going to be progressing more construction of a floodbank, which will result in 50 houses being protected.”

The councils planned to update insurers – who will visit the town at the end of February – as different stages of the flood protection scheme were completed.

“West Coast Regional Council will be advocating on behalf of the Westport community by specifically and intentionally writing to the Insurance Council of New Zealand and all insurance companies, and providing them this updated information,” Lew said.

The councils hoped that would make Westport “much more attractive” to insurers.

Insurer may be exerting influence over flood investment – expert

In a written statement to RNZ, AA Insurance head of underwriting Dee Naidu said if Westport’s flood exposure dropped below its maximum exposure limit in future, the company intended to reopen its books to new customers.

“This decision reflects the elevated natural hazard risk of flooding in the area, and that our exposure has reached a level where a pause on new policies is the most responsible step to ensure we can be there for our existing customers when they need us most.”

Belinda Storey, who heads up the consultancy Climate Sigma, said Australian insurance giant Suncorp, which was the ultimate owner of AA Insurance, had made similar decisions in Australian towns.

It represented a “shift” in approach in New Zealand, where insurers had been reluctant to publicise areas they were no longer insuring.

Belinda Storey says insurance companies have taken a similar approach in some parts of Australia. Supplied / Climate Sigma

Storey was surprised that the halt was only temporary, and seemed to be aimed at new builds rather than existing homes that would likely have insurance in place already.

That suggested the insurer was pushing for an investment in flood defences from either local or central government, she said.

“This is something that Suncorp have definitely done in Australia, where they have withdrawn insurance from a particular town on the condition that massive investment in flood defences is undertaken.”

However, investing in new flood defences, rather than considering other options like managed relocation, could actually increase the danger in Westport, she said.

A stopbank was “effectively a long, skinny dam”, she said.

“Trying to hold back the Buller River, that delivers 27 million cubic metres per hour in full flood, I don’t think we’re considering this potential risk to life of this potential signal we’re getting from the insurers.

“If you build defences, people build new houses. We shouldn’t be building any new houses in Westport, full-stop.”

However, transparency around when and where insurers were withdrawing cover was crucial.

“I’m glad that they’re going public,” she said.

“But I would encourage the Reserve Bank to insist that that information is shared with [it]… It should be shared with the regulator, so that the regulator has a clear understanding of all the locations in New Zealand that this is being withdrawn, not just one area where the insurer is wanting to send a public signal.”

Westport has grappled with flooding since the town was built. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Darryl Lew said work on the stopbanks pre-dated AA Insurance’s decision, and was not the only part of the overall project.

“We know that it doesn’t matter how high we build the flood banks – there could always be a flood that’s bigger than that comes along and inundates the town.”

The councils had just completed a project to improve Westport’s emergency management plan, he said.

“We’ve also commissioned, with Earth Sciences New Zealand, a much more enhanced flood forecasting capability so that we’ve got plenty of flood warning in the town.”

Climate policy expert urges greater transparency

Victoria University emeritus professor Jonathan Boston, who was part of a previous government expert working group on climate adaptation, said AA Insurance’s decision was just the first of many to come.

“There will be more and more situations in which insurers, understandably, say the risks are too great to provide insurance, even with very large excesses, and will pull out.”

He also supported forcing transparency from insurers about areas they were retreating from – either by no longer issuing policies, or raising premiums to a point where they were unaffordable.

“I think there’s a very good case for transparency, because, among other things, it will provide the kind of information we need to understand the seriousness of the challenges we face,” he said.

That might not be popular with insurers or homeowners, he said.

“But that concern should not result in an approach in which we basically turn a blind eye to these problems and refuse to address them.

“On the contrary, it makes it all the more important that we have absolutely transparent processes and really robust policy settings to enable us to respond proactively, effectively and equitably.”

Climate policy expert Jonathan Boston supplied

Not every community threatened by flooding and sea level rise had the same protection options as Westport, Boston said.

“With climate change … there are going to be more and more communities, and more and more postcodes, where it will not be possible to provide protection, and where the only reasonable and effective risk-reduction strategy will be relocation.”

Questions remain over resilience funding

Last year, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced the government’s national adaptation framework, which set out four areas of work.

That included developing new national hazard datasets, and a requirement for councils to develop adaptation plans for priority areas.

Watts told RNZ on Wednesday that requirement would be passed into law before the election in November, through an amendment to the Climate Change Response Act.

Two of the framework’s ‘pillars’ are investment in risk reduction and cost-sharing pre- and post-natural hazard events.

There is some money available for resilience, through the $1.2 billion regional infrastructure fund, but only $200 million of that has been ring-fenced for flood protection, for reinforcing existing stopbanks.

The framework requires councils to “weigh up the costs and benefits of adaptation options” but there is no firm guidance on whether costs will lie with central government, local government, or individual homeowners.

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Watts, who spoke to RNZ before RNZ was aware of AA Insurance’s decision, said adaptation involved “a significant fiscal cost … that will need to be shared across society over time”.

Asked again what the funding mechanism would be, he said local councils would need to come up with a plan that weighed all the adaptation options, “and then work with the other stakeholders, which includes central government, in terms of how we transition to that point”.

There was already significant money from the transport fund going into making roading infrastructure more resilient, he said.

Boston said there were still major unanswered questions.

The framework, as announced, does not address the question of who’s going to pay for what, when, and how.

“It doesn’t have clear principles of equity, and it doesn’t kind of provide councils with the confidence and resources that they will need in order to begin to take proactive steps to move people out of harm’s way as harms increase over time.”

Buller District Council growth and development manager Paul Zaanen said it had proven more difficult in general to get insurance in Westport since the 2021 flood.

RNZ attempted to get insurance quotes for a Westport address via several insurance company websites.

Tower did not offer cover for the address, while other major insurers’ websites said a phone call was needed to gather more information before a quote could be provided.

A Tower spokesperson said it took an address-level approach to providing cover.

“We continue to insure, and offer insurance, to lower risk properties within high-risk areas throughout the country, including Westport.”

Insurance Council chief executive Kris Faafoi said it was up to individual insurers to decide what cover they were prepared to offer, in Westport and elsewhere.

He had visited the West Coast in August last year “to give them support in their efforts to reduce risk there”.

“We do want them to make sure that that flood protection and risk reduction is there to protect the community.”

The council was keen to see high-risk areas around the country identified in a consistent manner.

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Employment indicators: December 2025 – Stats NZ information release

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Pacific women scholars call for ‘radical shift’ in global health systems

By Khalia Strong of PMN News

A new paper by women scholars warns colonial power structures are still shaping health systems across the Pacific region.

They are calling for a radical shift in global health leadership and decision-making.

The call comes from a new paper published this month in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, led by researchers from Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland, alongside Pacific collaborators.

The paper argues that while global health is framed around fairness and inclusion, Pacific knowledge and leadership are often marginalised in practice.

Dr Sainimere Boladuadua, lead author from the University of Auckland’s Department of Paediatrics: Child and Youth Health, said these power imbalances directly impacted on communities.

“Global Health must stop undervaluing Pacific expertise,” Dr Boladuadua said in a statement.

“When overseas consultants are paid more than local experts, and research extracts knowledge without building local capacity, colonial patterns are reinforced.”

Global health . . . perspectives from the next generation in the Pacific region. Image: Re-imagining Global Health

Colonisation inequities
The researchers have traced current inequities to the history of colonisation in the Pacific, driven by commercial, religious, and military interests.

While many Pacific nations have since achieved political independence, the paper argues that colonial structures persist through unequal trade relationships, labour migration schemes, and externally controlled funding.

Dr Boladuadua said these systems limited Pacific control over health research, policy priorities, and resources, even as communities face growing burdens from non-communicable diseases and climate change.

“Global Health, at its core, is about health equity for all,” she said. “That means prioritising the most pressing problems faced by communities with the least resources.”

Dr Sainimere Boladuadua (centre) at the Fulbright awards ceremony with the US Consul-General Sarah Nelson and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Honorary Chair of Fulbright NZ, Winston Peters. Image: Ōtago University

A plan for change
 The paper outlines four action areas to transform global health in the Pacific: strengthening sovereignty through Pacific-led decision-making; integrating Indigenous and Western knowledge systems; building genuine and reciprocal partnerships; and ensuring fair pay, recognition, and leadership opportunities for Pacific professionals.

The authors argue Pacific Island countries must be supported to set their own priorities, including control over funding, research management, data sovereignty, and workforce training.

The researchers also highlight language as a source of power. They say English is often treated as the default in global health, but its use “should not come at the expense of Indigenous Pacific languages and knowledge systems”.

The research places Pacific women at the centre of decolonisation efforts, noting that while colonisation was deeply patriarchal, Indigenous women historically held major leadership roles in island societies.

“Contrary to the control of white women during colonisation, Indigenous women held powerful positions in Island societies,” the research states.

Growing Pacific leadership
Dr Boladuadua said change was already underway, pointing to the establishment of the Fiji Institute of Pacific Health Research and the launch of the Pacific Academy of Sciences in Sāmoa as signs of growing Pacific leadership.

At the academy’s opening ceremony, then-prime minister Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa said the launch marked an important milestone for regional collaboration and would “give voice to science in and from the Pacific Islands”.

The authors argue Pacific-led approaches offer a blueprint not only for the region, but for building fairer and more resilient global health systems worldwide.

Republished from Pacific Media Network News with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/28/pacific-women-scholars-call-for-radical-shift-in-global-health-systems/

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NZ-born rugby test prop Uini Atonio suffers heart attack, forced into retirement

Source: Radio New Zealand

Uini Atonio celebrates after scoring against Wales. ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo, ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Timaru-born French test prop Uini Atonio has suffered a heart attack, according to a statement released by his club La Rochelle. Atonio in a stable condition in intensive care after being admitted to hospital following the event.

After initially retiring from test rugby after the 2023 World Cup, the 35-year-old tighthead was selected for the French squad for the upcoming Six Nations tournament. However La Rochelle have said the event will mean the end of Atonio’s playing career.

“Uini Atonio was admitted yesterday to the La Rochelle Hospital Centre following a suspected heart problem,” read La Rochelle’s statement.

“Medical examinations confirmed a cardiac event. His condition is now stable, and he remains in intensive care under observation. Following his hospitalisation, Uini will have to undergo a long period of recovery. It is now established that he will not be able to continue his playing career.

“Uini holds a special place in the history and in the heart of our club. This news deeply saddens us. The entire club wishes to express its unwavering and total support to him and his family during this difficult time.”

After growing up in Timaru, Atonio’s family moved to Auckland and he attended Wesley College. At 21 he moved to France and joined La Rochelle after being spotted at in the Hong Kong 10s tournament and has played a remarkable 319 games for the two-time European champions.

In 2014 he became eligible to play for France. At 149kgs and standing 1.96m, Atonio is among the largest players to ever take the field in a test match, having represented his adopted nation 65 times including the French Grand Slam-winning side of 2022.

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PSNA seeks urgent police talks after ‘rock through window’ attack on Palestine supporters

Asia Pacific Report

The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) has asked for an urgent meeting with Police Commissioner Richard Chambers and is calling for “cohesive action” over escalating attacks by Israel supporters against Palestinians and human rights activists.

The network said in a statement a rock had been hurled through the window of New Plymouth activists Kate and Grant Cole last week.

Co-chair Maher Nazzal said attacks from Zionist supporters had become “more frequent and dangerous” over the past year.

“In the case of the Coles, the rock through their window was just the latest in a series of targeted attacks on them and their property,” he said in the statement.

“They have twice endured spray-painted Israeli flags on their fence. Their car tyres were slashed on four different occasions. They had vile lies about them delivered in letterboxes around their neighbourhood.

“This time, it was a rock flung through their window with the message ‘Snap Action — REQ’ attached.”

Nazzal said local police had failed to take these attacks seriously. They had suggested to the Coles that they should “spend a lot of money on security systems”.

He said attacks on activists were increasing even before US President Donald Trump’s “failed ceasefire agreement” for Gaza was signed last October 10.

Pro-Israel lobby ‘has failed’
“The pro-Israel lobby is upset their side has failed to keep the genocide in Gaza completely out of public view,” Nazzal said.

“They have lost the debate. Poll responses show New Zealanders register two to one that New Zealand should sanction Israel for genocide and recognise a Palestinian state.

“Israelis and Israel’s supporters are taking their shock and frustration out on Palestine solidarity activists.

“In the past couple of weeks alone, two women activists were stalked after a protest in Auckland.

“There was spray painting and vandalism of PSNA co-chair John Minto’s home, an assault on a supporter by an ex-IDF soldier in Auckland and attacks on our supporters in Napier.”

Nazzal said that while the police had been vigorous in investigating and prosecuting anyone they believed to have been acting for Palestinian rights — such as the broken window at Foreign Minister Winston Peters’ home and an assault on an Israeli soldier holidaying here — they were slow to follow up on attacks on Palestine supporters.

He said the police were keen to “pull out all stops” for the Israeli Embassy to defend Israeli soldiers “fresh from a genocide in Gaza — but can’t find the time to take attacks on Palestinians and Palestinian supporters seriously.”

The police have yet to comment on PSNA’s claims.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/28/psna-seeks-urgent-police-talks-after-rock-through-window-attack-on-palestine-supporters/

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Police back recommendations for overhaul of 111 emergency call system

Source: Radio New Zealand

NZ Police say they are in the process of establishing a cross agency working group to develop options for addressing the issues raised in the report. 123rf

Police say they back new recommendations for overhauling 111 emergency calling and are working on how to do it.

A report by an Australasian group police is part of, details many shortcomings in the old, fragmented system that it says are hindering the response to routine emergencies and large disasters.

Police said they were not aware of any issues with 111 during the landslide and flood events last week.

“The core technology used by Police Emergency Communications and Dispatch to answer and respond to emergency calls for service functioned throughout, with no significant outages or issues to any of its systems including Inter-CAD,” acting director of Emergency Communications and Dispatch Inspector Mike Higgie said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

However, the latest report by the National Emergency Communications Working Group of Australia and New Zealand has echoed several earlier reports on how the system that has been upgraded here-and-there over the years, often failed to share information and enable operations in a quick, accurate and seamless way.

Police are part of the working group and said they were considering all recommendations in the report.

It called for them to set up two working groups, on tech and on rules and standards.

“NZ Police is in the process of establishing a cross agency working group to develop options for addressing the issues raised in the NECWG white paper,” Higgie said.

RNZ reported its findings and recommendations on Wednesday, for police to take the lead on technological and legislative-regulatory change, and for a strategy to overcome an uncertain future for 111.

Minister Mark Mitchell’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

A push within the emergency agencies for over four years to overhaul 111 has not been funded by government, with police, Fire and Emergency and ambulance operators instead making incremental tech improvements here and there.

Police are also part of the Emergency Communications Service and Inter-operability set up in late 2023.

Its aims included to “improve how emergency services communicate and operate with each other” and build strong partnerships, Higgie said.

The forum’s aim did not include making changes to the 111 service owned and operated by Spark. Spark was not a member of it, he said.

The working group’s 111 report detailed various ways the current system failed to coordinate what was being done between the responders like police, and the telco companies that run some of the tech.

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PGG to end Napier’s historic wool auctions marking end of an era

Source: Radio New Zealand

Buyers bidding at auction at the Napier Wool Exchange in the 1960s. SUPPLIED/PGG Wrightson Heritage Collection

Major wool broker PGG Wrightson will no longer hold wool auctions in Napier, after more than 140 years.

The Hawke’s Bay city has hosted the firm’s wool auctions since the late 1800s, as a hub for the North Island supply.

In the shadow of historic booms for wool – once considered the backbone of the New Zealand economy – the major broker will consolidate its auctions to a single national auction system in Christchurch, from May.

PGG head of wool Rachel Shearer said the difficult decision was about improving the resilience and sustainability of the wool sector.

“The amount of shearable sheep in the world and in New Zealand is at a record low, which also means the volumes of wool that are coming forward to be traded are also at a record low.”

Shearer said the company’s previous owner, Williams and Kettle, held its first Napier auction in 1880.

“It’s a long heritage which we’re very proud of, but the industry is changing significantly, and we recognise that we need to change with it.”

She said the team of 20 in Napier would not be subject to job losses, but they were disappointed.

“We are ready for the challenge and wanting to do what’s best for our loyal sheep farmers and so understanding the bigger picture of the industry changing and us needing to change is the overarching thought.

“But understandably, some people are disappointed to see the end of an era up in Napier.”

PGG Wrightson acting general manager of wool Rachel Shearer. PGG Wrightson

Further wool industry consolidation

High shearing costs, low profitability and challenging market conditions were driving a decline in the number of sheep in New Zealand.

StatsNZ figures showed there were 6 million fewer sheep in the decade to June last year, falling 21 percent to 23.6m sheep.

Last year, there were a number of structural changes within the sector too.

In September, the new Wool Alliance was established between groups Campaign for Wool NZ, Wool Impact, Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand and Beef and Lamb.

It aimed to collaborate and develop a long-term strategy for the viability of the sector.

A new Wool Alliance aims to deliver better outcomes for strong wool used in carpets and upholstery. Supplied/ Wool Alliance

Then in October, major carpet manufacturer Bremworth announced it entered into a new ownership [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/574771/bremworth-seals-deal-with-world-s-biggest-flooring-company-mohawk-industries

agreement with Floorscape], a wholly owned subsidiary of Mohawk Industries, the world’s largest flooring company.

The deal with the United States-based company – that already owned brands Godfrey Hirst and Feltex – would consolidate carpet manufacturing into a single owner, but it was still subject to regulatory approvals.

In the months prior, under new leadership, the listed company abandoned its commitment from 2020 to using only woollen fibres over synthetic fibres.

Christchurch to host PGG auctions from May

Rachel Shearer said Christchurch was selected as it could attract the greatest number of buyers, including international buyers with access to the airport.

“We want to get growers’ wool in front of the most possible buyers to look at the wool and to get as many buyers as we can in the room to compete for the wool.

“We believe it’s in the best interests of our growers.”

She said its North Island wool would continue to be scoured and stored in Napier, but samples would be shipped down to Ōtautahi for the sales.

PGG’s new system will begin in May.

PGG says they believe the move to Christchurch is in the best interests of the growers. Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life

Wools of NZ to follow suit

Another broker, farmer-owned co-operative Wools of New Zealand also held auctions in Napier and Christchurch on behalf of its growers.

It annnounced this week it will also move to a single national auction system, as PGG was set to do.

Chief executive John McWhirter said structural change was necessary for the sector to remain viable.

“Our growers also expect us to be proactive and to help lead changes that support a strong and sustainable future for New Zealand wool,” he said.

It will discuss the changes with wool growers in the coming weeks.

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As it happened: Imagery of Mount Maunganui prior to landslide sought by police

Source: Radio New Zealand

The wall of flowers at the cordon has spilled on to the ground. Lauren Crimp / RNZ

Police are asking anyone with video footage and images of the slip at Mt Maunganui to upload it via an online portal.

They are particularly interested in anyone who has footage or images of the campsite and Mount Maunganui between Wednesday night right through to the time the slip happened and the immediate time after the slip.

The request came as one of the victims of the deadly landslide was formally identified as Max Furse-Kee.

At an identification hearing at Tauranga District Court on Wednesday, deputy chief coroner Brigitte Windley formally identified the teen.

Senior Constable Robert Stokes told the court his body was found on Monday, and forensic dental examination has determined his identity.

Max Furse-Kee would have turned 16 today.

Follow how the events of Wednesday unfolded in our blog

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Luxon says Peters is wrong about India Free Trade Agreement

Source: Radio New Zealand

Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters. RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The Prime Minister says Winston Peters is “wrong” about what the India Free Trade Agreement might mean for immigration, with the foreign minister raising concerns about comments by Indian politicians celebrating the deal.

Christopher Luxon was asked about concerns by Peters that the deal would lead to an influx of people arriving in New Zealand, putting pressure on the labour market.

Luxon said he and Peters had different views on the deal.

“He opposed the China FTA. He was wrong then, he’s wrong on this one too,” Luxon said.

The New Zealand First leader criticised the deal when it was announced, withholding his party’s support for it, and saying it was a “bad deal” for New Zealand.

The party had concerns around a range of issues, including that National had “offered far greater access” for India to New Zealand’s labour market than Australia or the United Kingdom had to secure their FTAs, and called it “deeply unwise”.

“By creating a new employment visa specifically for Indian citizens, it is likely to generate far greater interest in Indian migration to New Zealand – at a time when we have a very tight labour market,” Peters said in a press release at the time.

Speaking to Herald Now on Wednesday morning, Peters said “the truth wasn’t being told to the public”.

“Go and dissect what it means. It means we could have tens of thousands of people getting here of right and building up employment opportunities in this country for themselves and taking those opportunities away from New Zealanders.”

Trade Minister Todd McClay. NZME

Luxon rejected that on Wednesday afternoon and Trade Minister Todd McClay said there was nothing in the agreement that said “tens of thousands of people from any country have a right to come to New Zealand, none at all.”

“It gives no right to any Indians to come to New Zealand if they don’t meet their recurrent requirements, the only commitment is 1670 skilled workers we need in the economy.”

McClay said the conditions for that entry to New Zealand would be set by cabinet, not the trade agreement.

Peters was asked again about his comments, and told the Prime Minister said he was incorrect.

“Modi does not say I’m incorrect, he says I’m totally correct.”

He referred reporters to comments by politicians in India, including that the FTA was being celebrated as “unprecedented”, Peters said.

“Go and see what Modi says and see whether Winston Peters is accurately what the Indians are claiming – that they have got an unprecedented deal.”

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Man charged in connection to Palmerston North shooting

Source: Radio New Zealand

The man is due to appear in the Palmerston North District Court on Thursday. RNZ / Nate McKinnon

A man has been charged in connection to a shooting Palmerston North after police found him in a stolen car they had spiked.

They had been looking for the man since a shooting on January 12 at Marriner Reserve.

The police said they spiked a car on Railway Road that had been reported stolen on Wednesday and the man was driving it.

They said he ran away but found and arrested him a few hours later.

“[Thursday’s] arrest was a great result for our community,” Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Thompson said.

“It was clear from [Thursday’s] events that this man was very motivated to remain at large, and that he was not going to stop until he was arrested.

“However, police staff’s persistence and patience paid off, and we are now able to hold him to account,” Sergeant Thompson said.

The 33-year-old has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm with firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, failing to stop for police, dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

He is due to appear in the Palmerston North District Court on Thursday.

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View from The Hill: Nationals rebel stirs the pot but Littleproud is dug in

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

A little-known Nationals MP, Queenslander Colin Boyce, who declared on Wednesday he will move for a spill of the party’s leadership, has tossed a grenade but David Littleproud appears firmly dug in.

Littleproud’s breaking of the Coalition has had a profound impact on conservative politics, further destabilising the Liberals and their leader Sussan Ley. It has divided his own party.

But as of late Wednesday no other challengers were in sight, and there did not seem to be support for a spill.

Boyce announced his move – to be made the Nationals’ Monday meeting – on Sky News, saying he wanted to give colleagues “an option”.

“The reality is, if they follow the course they’re on now, they are going over the political cliff,” he said.

“The National Party is committing political suicide by removing itself from the Coalition.”

Boyce – close to Barnaby Joyce, now ensconced in One Nation – flagged he would run for leader, but he won’t get the chance if he can’t get support for the spill motion.

Littleproud said in a statement,

I stand by my record as Leader of The Nationals and what our Party Room has achieved.

The Nationals held all of its House of Representatives seats at the last election.

The Nationals also fought to keep important policies, including the Regional Australia Future Fund, tougher action on supermarkets with divestiture powers, Universal Service Obligation reform to ensure better mobile phone coverage in regional areas, and dumping net zero while keeping all energy options on the table, including nuclear.

More recently, The Nationals opposed Labor’s hate speech laws, due to the unknown slippery slope of stopping freedom of speech.

Littleproud is protected by two factors: his leadership style, and the lack of an alternative who is both willing and viable.

Littleproud has gone to great lengths to protect his back by tying his colleagues into every decision. A main way he’s done this is by taking every single thing to his party room. Last week the Nationals had numerous meetings, with every incremental development going back to them.

Matt Canavan, the strongest and hardest-line voice in the party who ran against Littleproud after the election, is backing the leader.

In last week’s battle over the anti-hate legislation, Canavan got his way when the Nationals voted against the bill in the Senate. He has no reason to want Littleproud out.

Canavan said on Wednesday: “I’m proud of the team and what it did last week.” He saw “no reason to change leader”, although he could not understand why the Coalition needed to split – why the two parties could not have had different views and move on.

Former leader Michael McCormack voted for that legislation in the House of Representatives, so that would cruel any chance of a return for him.

He told the Canberra Times, “the leadership’s not on offer. The leadership is the gift of the party room, and the party room is very supportive of David.”

Senator Bridget McKenzie said, “this spill motion has come out of the blue. I don’t believe the party room has changed since last week’s events.”

Given how disruptive a force Littleproud is, there would be logic for the Nationals to install current deputy Kevin Hogan, which could facilitate getting the Coalition back together.

Late in last week’s crisis, Hogan had talks with a senior Liberal about a peace plan. It involved:

  1. the senators who had breached shadow cabinet solidarity resigning

  2. their resignations not being accepted

  3. a formal acknowledgement this was an exception and in future shadow cabinet decisions, solidarity would prevail, and

  4. having future blunt conversations between the leaderships of the two parties to iron out problems.

Needless to say, no peace was made.

Hogan ruled out any tilt at the leadership. “David has my overwhelming support and he has the overwhelming support of the [Nationals] room”, he said.

Meanwhile Ley wrote on Tuesday to Littleproud, suggesting a meeting.

She explained in a message to her Liberal shadow ministry colleagues, sent on Wednesday, “I wrote to David Littleproud proposing that we meet along with other senior party officials, without any preconditions and as a priority, ahead of Parliament’s return.

“I reminded him that as the leaders of the Liberal and National parties, we are the stewards of two great movements that exist to serve the Australian people and that maintaining a strong and functioning relationship between our two parties is in the national interest — whether in formal Coalition or not.

“David’s team have just advised mine that his focus is the spill motion he now faces and he is therefore unavailable to meet until after that spill is considered.”

That sounds like a fobb-off rather than a genuine excuse.

Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. View from The Hill: Nationals rebel stirs the pot but Littleproud is dug in – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-nationals-rebel-stirs-the-pot-but-littleproud-is-dug-in-272441

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/28/view-from-the-hill-nationals-rebel-stirs-the-pot-but-littleproud-is-dug-in-272441/

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Auckland FC turn up heat in training to beat Australian temperatures

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland FC players Nando Pijnaker and Hiroki Sakai feeling the effects of A-League football. photosport

Heat preparedness actions that might have seemed unnecessary a couple of weeks ago could save Auckland FC as soon as this weekend.

Even before the temperatures in Australia were rising to record levels, at their training base in Albany Auckland FC players were training in jackets, reminiscent of raincoats, while the sun shone to ready themselves for hot temperatures during A-League games across the Tasman.

The “heat exposure” jackets and three times a week sauna sessions are part of what the players are doing this season to bridge the gap between home and away conditions.

When the players were spotted in training wearing the jackets earlier this month they understood why they were doing it but with temperatures forecast to be in the early 20 degrees Celsius for that weekend’s games a couple of players were also slightly scoffing at why it was necessary that week.

At the time coach Steve Corica explained the jackets were “to acclimatise to the heat in Australia” and acknowledged it was part of a broader plan that looked beyond just the next game.

On Saturday Auckland are away to Perth Glory where the team believes temperatures could be in the early thirties when they kick off at 6.45pm local time.

This week the preparations for warmer weather have continued and on the eve of leaving for the 13 hour trip to Perth (via a stop-off in Melbourne) defender Louis Verstraete explained that Wednesday was a sauna day – one of at least three they would have in a week.

“We do 30 minutes sauna exposure so we try to get as much heat exposure as possible… we started doing it last year and this is a big help for us.

“We re-create a little bit of the same conditions as in Australia.”

For everything done before game day, Nando Pijnaker said the players also had to pay attention to what they did when the first whistle blew.

“We speak a lot about managing the game because sometimes when the temperature is so hot you can’t be running hard for 90 minutes, there’s got to be times where we play a little bit at a lower intensity but we still want to go out there and we still want to score goals we still want to perform really well and that’s the plan.”

Some weeks multiple A-League games can be impacted extreme heat conditions.

Teams take a drinks break in extreme heat during the A-League Men Round 5 match between Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Sunday, 24 November, 2024. AAP / www.photosport.nz

Playing in hot temperatures is not new and in 2017 then Wellington Phoenix captain Andrew Durante questioned the league organisers after the Phoenix had played in 39C.

The A-League has a current heat policy that allows for cooling breaks, better known as drinks breaks, that can last up to three minutes and allow players to leave the field of play to seek shade during the break, take on fluid and other heat management strategies in order to mitigate exposure to heat like wet towels or ice vests.

Breaks are implemented if the ambient temperature is measured at 31C or higher and/or when the Wet Bulb Globe temperature is measured at 26C or higher prior to kick-off, according to the APL who run the A-League.

The number and length of cooling breaks is decided by the match commissioner with team doctors and match officials before the start of the game.

The APL said the heat policy was recognised “as a conservative policy by international standards”.

A ‘Summer Period’ from early December to the end of March is recognised by the league with no kick-offs until 5pm to avoid teams playing through the hottest part of the day in the cities prone to extreme heat across these months.

This season after an off-season analysis on weather patterns across Australia and New Zealand, the ‘Summer Period’ is slightly shorter in Newcastle and Victoria running from Round 7 to 18, where temperatures historically do not exhibit extreme temperatures for as long, the APL said pre-season.

Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix and home games do not fall into this ‘Summer Period’ due to the cooler climate.

“Last season we were quite lucky I don’t know if we had any [cooling] breaks, there were some difficult games regardless Brisbane away was really tough, Western Sydney away was really tough they were close to 30 degrees so I have an idea of what to expect. It’s difficult for us but it’s difficult for the opposition as well,” Pijnaker said.

Corica said he was happy with the A-League heat policy.

“If it’s really hot over there we might have drinks breaks which will help us a little bit more than them I think because they will be used to the heat over there and we haven’t had that kind of heat here at the moment.”

Getting captain Hiroki Sakai back

Hiroki Sakai of Auckland FC goes off with an injury. Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz

Auckland’s club captain Hiroki Sakai has missed several matches as he recovers from a hamstring injury but will take part in Saturday’s game.

Sakai, 35, has travelled to Perth a day earlier than the rest of the squad to give the defender the best chance of getting on the field

Unlike his team mates Sakai had a direct flight to Western Australia.

“So far he has done two sessions fully with the team and he’s got through really well so he’s happy with where he is,” Corica said.

“We’ve got a lighter session in Perth on Friday providing he gets through that I’ll have a conversation with him and then we’ll make some decisions from there. I thought Jake Girdwood-Reich was excellent last week as well so if [Sakai] was to come in it would be a bit tough on him but these are the decisions I have to make.

“[Sakai] is an older player, experienced player and knows his body pretty well so we’ve given him that extra day to travel straight after training [on Wednesday].”

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Mount Maunganui landslide victim formally identified as Max Furse-Kee

Source: Radio New Zealand

Max Furse-Kee would have turned 16 today. Supplied

One of the victims of the deadly Mount Maunganui landslide has been formally identified as Max Furse-Kee, on what would have been his 16th birthday.

Six people died in the Mauao slip last Thursday.

At an identification hearing at Tauranga District Court on Wednesday evening, deputy chief coroner Brigitte Windley formally identified Max Furse-Kee after hearing evidence provided by Senior Constable Robert Stokes.

Stokes told the court his body was found on Monday, and detailed the forensic dental examination which determined his identity.

Furse-Kee’s body will now be released to his family.

“Sadly, today he would have turned 16,” she said.

Windley told the court the evidence provided to her was the culmination of specialist work by police, forensic pathologists, forensic odontologists, and other experts.

She acknowledged the dedication and skill of those working at the scene.

Windley noted that in disasters, victims can be misidentified – and it has happened overseas – but she is confident that the evidence provided was sufficient and reliable to establish Furse-Kee’s identity.

She expressed condolences to Furse-Kee’s whānau and friends for their loss in “unimaginable circumstances”.

The victims of the landslide have been named as Lisa Anne Maclennan, 50, Måns Loke Bernhardsson, 20, Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, 71, Susan Doreen Knowles, 71, Sharon Maccanico, 15, and Max Furse-Kee, 15.

Only Furse-Kee has been formally identified.

His mother, Hannah Furse, released a statement paying tribute to her son on Sunday.

“My love for Max is impossible to explain, no words are big enough to describe this love or loss,” she said.

“What I can say is from the moment I first looked at his beautiful blue eyes almost 16 years ago he had my whole heart, he was my sunshine.”

Her son was an “incredible, kind, and beautiful human being”, she said.

She said her son was “incredibly close” to his family and life without him was “impossible to imagine”.

The recovery operation at the site of the slip is ongoing.

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US firm trialling Huntington’s disease treatment says it shows promising early results

Source: Radio New Zealand

Huntington’s disease causes progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain. 123RF

A treatment for Huntington’s disease being trialled in New Zealand and Australia is showing promising early results, the US biotech company behind the drug says.

Skyhawk Therapeutics began trialling the novel drug, SKY-0515, on New Zealand and Australian patients a year ago and plans to expand globally.

Local disease advocates have described the treatment as a real hope.

Huntington’s disease is a rare degenerative brain disorder with no cure at present, affecting about one in 10,000 people.

Each child of a parent with the disease has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the faulty gene and, if they do, will develop the disease – with symptoms typically emerging between the ages of 35 and 45.

Skyhawk Therapeutics said patients taking its daily pill saw a significant drop in mutant huntingtin protein (mHTT) in their blood, which causes symptoms to worsen.

The drug improved their scores on health tests compared to the typical physical decline observed in untreated patients over the same period.

Huntington’s Disease Association Auckland chief executive Jo Dysart said she was lost for words after reading the trial results.

“For our Huntington’s population in New Zealand, it’s amazing, groundbreaking. This is real hope,” she said.

“Our families are very cautious about hope… and we don’t like to use the word cure – I’m not saying this will be a cure by any means – but the fact that we’ve got a tablet that gets over the barrier to the brain in human beings in New Zealand is amazing.”

Dr Greg Finucan, a neuropsychiatrist and chief medical adviser for the Huntington’s Association, said the drug was akin to a stop sign in RNA that prevented the body from reproducing mHTT.

Last year, researchers at University College London’s Huntington’s Disease Centre published results showing an experimental gene therapy slowed disease progression.

That was a positive result but the latest drug from Skyhawk was unbelievable, Finucan said.

“I don’t think we were expecting anything quite as good as this,” he said.

“The [gene therapy trial] showed that a very invasive treatment, involving injections into the brain, slowed down progression to about 25 percent of what it would have been. These preliminary results, from this trial, make it look as though there’s no progression at all, which is quite amazing for a medication.

“It’s just so much more practical to have people at home taking medication than going into a hospital at a huge expense. We calculated the cost of those injections and you could build a new hospital for what it took for that other treatment.”

Finucan said it was important the phase-two trial – now underway – proved there were no serious adverse effects.

“It’s looking very good, but we just need to get the numbers,” he said.

Dysart said families affected by Huntington’s would be keen to know – if the drug was successful – that it would be affordable.

The Huntington’s Disease Association supported 1500 people affected by the disease in Auckland and the North Shore, including people living with Huntington’s, those at risk, and those who were gene-positive, she said.

Skyhawk Therapeutics was working toward testing 520 people at over 52 total sites around the world throughout phase-two and -three of the trial.

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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/2026/01/28/us-firm-trialling-huntingtons-disease-treatment-says-it-shows-promising-early-results/

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Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jonno Duniam on the ‘frenzy’ over hate speech laws and the Coalition split

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Last week, the Coalition fell apart for the second time since the last federal election – which was just eight months ago.

Both the Liberals and Nationals are in crisis. Sussan Ley’s leadership of the Opposition now appears to be terminal. And Nationals MP Colin Boyce today declared he would call for a spill of that party’s leadership next week.

Only weeks ago, it was the Albanese government with its back against the wall, after extensive criticism of its handling of the aftermath of the December 14 Bondi massacre.

But after Parliament returned early to pass restrictions on guns and take further measures against hate speech and organisations promoting hate, it ended up splitting the Liberals and their former Coalition partners, the Nationals.

Liberal Senator Jonathon (Jonno) Duniam, the shadow minister for home affairs, was one of the key players in last week’s events. He joins us today to discuss whether the Liberals will end up facing off against the Nationals at the next election, a surge in public support for One Nation and more.

On vocal concerns that new hate speech laws would limit freedom of speech, Duniam says the bill now has adequate safeguards – and blames “social media influencers” who had “whipped up a frenzy” of misinformation.

One thing that’s become apparent to me over the course of the last three weeks is that there are a huge number of social media influencers who seem more interested in boosting their algorithm and boosting their subscribers or viewer numbers than they are in facilitating passage of true information. And that is something that is very concerning to me.

When you’ve got people suggesting that political parties like One Nation might end up as a hate group, which is just patently false […] it’s just nuts. But yet there are people out there spreading this stuff through their 30-second videos, and of course it has whipped up this frenzy.

On the Coalition split, Duniam says he would like it to be re-formed, but at the moment it’s “impossible”.

I think it is probably a good thing for the Liberals and the Nationals to have time apart. I think that the Nationals have a range of issues they need to work through internally. Some of those were on display for all to see in the last sitting week, as they couldn’t agree amongst themselves on their position on legislation and various elements of those bills.

And let’s not forget, it’s the second time in 12 months that the Nationals have precipitated a separation of this nature […] When the Nationals are willing to be a part of such a coherent opposition then I think that it would be great to have them back. But at this point in time I don’t think they are.

Duniam said Boyce’s new push to spill the Nationals leadership “could indeed change things” – but “we don’t need to rush back into Coalition”, even if that meant Liberals and Nationals running against each other at the next election.

Indeed, that is a possibility. And I’m not going to predict anything here, but on the current course we’re on, that’s what’s going to happen.

On the rise of One Nation in recent polls, Duniam acknowledges there’s more the Liberals could do to win back voters.

I think there’s a job for us in centre-right parties to certainly call out [minor] parties that have been all care and no responsibility […] They can say whatever they like and vote however they do in Parliament, with no regard for some of the bigger problems that come along for parties of government.

We need to be clearer in our communication, we need to be clearer in making sure people understand what it is we stand for. And I take responsibility for this as well. I don’t think we’ve done a very good job with that – not just in the last nine or whatever months it’s been since the election, but the last term, too. That’s why we’re in opposition. That’s why we got smashed at the last election.

On bridging the ideological gulf between the Liberal Party’s moderates and conservatives, Duniam says that divide is not as great as people make out.

I think we have been able to do that quite a lot and it’s lost in the froth and bubble of everything that’s going on at the moment. I mean, let’s look at the last six months. Sussan Ley was able to settle a net zero position where the moderates, as they’re called, while they might have had concerns and issues with particular elements of what we were doing, they came along. They didn’t leave the party.

[…] I don’t think there is quite the gulf. What we do need to do is clearly tell people what we stand for, and why, and how much better off they will be as a result of that. I think we can happily work – conservative and moderate – in our party. Because at the end of the day we’re all Liberals and we all want the best for our country.

[…] And at this point in time, we’re spending a bit too much time talking about ourselves and not the people of Australia. So the sooner that settles down, the better.

Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jonno Duniam on the ‘frenzy’ over hate speech laws and the Coalition split – https://theconversation.com/politics-with-michelle-grattan-jonno-duniam-on-the-frenzy-over-hate-speech-laws-and-the-coalition-split-274516

Evening Report: https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/28/politics-with-michelle-grattan-jonno-duniam-on-the-frenzy-over-hate-speech-laws-and-the-coalition-split-274516/

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Police seek motorist following assault

Source: New Zealand Police

Whangārei CIB is seeking a motorist who gave a lift to the victim of an assault in Onerahi early this morning.

That motorist is not being sought over the offending, but their information could help progress enquiries.

“Sometime between 4am and 4.45am, the assault victim has been picked up in the Onerahi area by a member of the public,” Detective Sergeant Pieter Serfontein says.

“Our enquiries are still in the very early stages, but we know that the motorist drove the victim to a property in Raumanga before carrying on.

“The victim had a number of facial injuries at the time, and I’m confident this person will remember this trip.”

Police were notified of the assault by ambulance staff after they were called to the Raumanga property.

“What we don’t know is where the victim was picked up in Onerahi and at what specific time,” Detective Sergeant Serfontein says.

“I’m asking this person to come forward as information they may hold could help us.”

The victim, who is a man, has received treatment at Whangārei Hospital today and is in a stable condition.

“Detectives will speak further with the victim, but we would also like to hear from anyone in the Onerahi area that might have witnessed any fighting in the area early this morning,” Detective Sergeant Serfontein says.

Please update Police online now or call 105 using the reference number 260128/8749.

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

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/01/28/police-seek-motorist-following-assault/