Fire and Emergency New Zealand received calls for 17 incidents between 12pm and 1pm today, Friday 20 February, the twelfth time the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) has taken strike action.
Of these, 13 incidents were in areas impacted by the strike.
Two incidents were reports of fires at residential properties, one of which was a pot smoking on a stove and the other was a fire in a property’s roof space.
Two incidents were reports of car fires, which did not result in a fire and two incidents were reports of rubbish bin fires.
One incident was a motor vehicle crash with no rescue required. Five were fire alarms which did not result in a fire.
There was also a significant fire at Northcote College on Auckland’s North Shore.
Assistant National Commander Ron Devlin says Fire and Emergency was first notified of the fire through a fire alarm at 12.17pm.
“As part of our contingency planning to manage reduced capability during strike action, we do not dispatch crews to automatic fire alarm activations unless there are multiple activations or confirming 111 calls.
“Following a second fire alarm notification crews were dispatched at 12.19pm.
“While heading to the scene we also received a 111 call from a member of the public.
“A commander was first to arrive at the scene at 12.29pm followed by a volunteer brigade from Silverdale at 12.34pm.
“They were later joined by additional volunteer brigades and career crews arrived following the conclusion of today’s strike action.
“Students and staff were evacuated and thankfully there are no reports of any injuries. Approximately 20 crews remain at the scene and the fire is now under control.”
Ron Devlin says Fire and Emergency continues to urge the NZPFU to call off planned strikes while the process of facilitation is underway.
“I want to thank our 11,800 volunteers across the country, especially those who were called to attend events in areas impacted by the strike.
“I would also like to thank our Operational Commanders and Communication Centre Managers, who managed the response.”
1,374 listings recorded a price drop in Q4 2025, the lowest number in two years
Only 3% of all listings were reduced, the lowest portion in two years
$41,309,345 million was the total value of price reductions, the lowest total price drop in a quarter
Stable OCR could be first sign of a property market recovery in 2026.
Latest data from realestate.co.nz shows that more than $40 million was trimmed from property asking prices across New Zealand in the last quarter of 2025.
In a shift that may signal improving market conditions, the total amount that dropped out of the market was $14 million less than the $55 million slashed in Q4 of 2024 *
In Q4 2025, fewer properties reduced the price of their listing. And of the listings that did drop their price, they did so by slightly less than any other quarter.
*This data reflects the difference between a property’s original asking price when listed on realestate.co.nz and its price at the point of sale or withdrawal. While it doesn’t show the final sale price, it provides a strong signal of how much sellers are adjusting to meet buyer demand.
Is the property market in recovery?
Vanessa Williams, spokesperson for realestate.co.nz, says the latest figures could be an early indicator that the market is beginning to swing in a different direction.
“While $40 million coming out of the market is still significant, fewer vendors reduced the price of their property last quarter than we’ve seen over the two years prior, an indication that the overall amount trimmed from the market in Q4 is a result not of smaller reductions but by fewer properties needing to reduce their price.”
Williams says: “This indicates that sellers may be starting to price more realistically from the outset, and buyer confidence could be slowly returning. It’s not a full recovery yet, but it could be one of the first signs that conditions are beginning to stabilise.”
How much are sellers cutting property asking prices by?
Nationally, vendors who reduced their asking prices in Q4 2025 took an average of $30,065 off each listing.
Regionally, Marlborough recorded the largest average drop, with sellers trimming $50,500 from their original asking prices. Gisborne followed at $49,333, while Northland, Wellington, and Coromandel rounded out the top five with average reductions of $38,479, $37,607, and $35,645, respectively.
Overall, fewer vendors dropped their prices in the final quarter of 2025, with the lowest percentage of price drops occurring in 11 of the 19 regions.
Signs of stabilisation heading into 2026?
The data suggests the intense repricing seen throughout 2025 may be easing.
“The significant amounts we saw slashed from the market in the earlier quarters of 2025 certainly hasn’t continued, which is a sign confidence is slowly returning to the market,” says Williams. “The stability of the OCR in this week’s announcement should also be an encouraging sign that the market may not be too far away from hitting its stride in 2026.”
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Average asking price (AAP) is neither a valuation nor the sale price. It is an indication of current market sentiment. Statistically, asking prices tend to correlate closely with the sales prices recorded in future months when those properties are sold. As it looks at different data, average asking prices may differ from recorded sales data released simultaneously.
Price drop reflects the difference between a property’s original asking price when listed on realestate.co.nz and its price at the point of sale or withdrawal. While it doesn’t show the final sale price, it provides a strong signal of how much sellers are adjusting to meet buyer demand.
Life Flight chief executive Mark Johnston and Health Minister Simeon Brown officially open the new aeromedical airbase for the upper north island at Hamilton airport.Libby Kirkby-McLeod
Life Flight’s new aeromedical airbase for the upper North Island has been officially opened by Health Minister Simeon Brown, after quietly operating from a hangar at Hamilton airport since 2024.
The charity began fifty years ago after the founder, Peter Button, witnessed the sinking of the Wahine ferry and felt that a helicopter would have saved lives. It was best known for the Westpac Rescue Helicopters.
The Hamilton hanger is the upper North Island base for two of Life Flight’s air ambulance planes which provide bed-to-bed hospital transfers for critically ill and injured patients.
Life Flight’s board chair, Richard Stone, said that the airbase showed how different sectors could work together to build resilience into the health system.
“This hub is a clear example of what can be achieved when government, the community and corporate partners work together to strengthen health care for all New Zealanders,” he said.
Life Flight’s air ambulance planes which provide bed-to-bed hospital transfers for critically ill and injured patients at the new base in HamiltonLibby Kirkby-McLeod
Health Minister Simeon Brown echoed the focus on partnership.
“Fixed wing and rotary services are critically important to our health care service in New Zealand; transferring patients, providing emergency health care, and making sure everyone, no matter where they are in the country have that access to the tertiary hospitals that are needed,” he said.
Life Flight chief executive Mark Johnston said the planes flew patients around the country to where they can get the best treatment.
“From premature babies to stroke victims, Life Flight is often the only way for them to get to that care in time. Our Waikato airbase is going to provide us with faster access to this urgent care for those patients. It’s going to help us to deliver better outcomes, particularly for rural patients, and provide care to them that’s closer to home,” he said.
Johnston said it was the difference between reaching care in minutes, rather than hours.
Chief pilot for Life Flight Luke Rohloff.Libby Kirkby-McLeod
Chief pilot for Life Flight Luke Rohloff was at the event and said the New Zealand health care system was a hub and spoke service, which relied on a good transportation system for patients to get to services.
The aircraft are fitted out with intensive care equipment to enable transfer of even the most vulnerable patients.
“If you are talking about a baby needing neonatal care, sometimes we’ll see them as early as 25 weeks, and they are very small, and then maybe six months later you might be bringing them home and they’ve grown up and they are outside of the incubator, and that’s really neat,” he said.
Waipa mayor, Mike Pettit, was at the opening and said the service was fundamentally important to Waikato and surrounding regions.
‘It’s super important to keep the regions connected,” he said.
The mayor also had a personal connection to the service as his cousin, Paul Pettit, was one of Life Flight’s pilots.
Mike Pettit said every time he saw the air ambulance he would stop, look up, and tell people he was with that was his cousin up there.
“I know it’s not always Paul!” he said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Dozens of sound systems seized by noise control officers in New Plymouth are about to go on sale at a charity op shop after their owners failed to pay the administration fee to have them returned.
Once the bane of sleeping neighbours, 18 sets of sound equipment – including stereos, Bluetooth sets, speakers and an amplifier – were confiscated between late 2023 and early last year after council received repeated noise complaints about the owners.
Council community health and animal services lead, Kimberley Laurence, said another nine sets of equipment seized later last year were set to join them at the charity sale unless their owners reclaimed them and paid a $130 administration fee.
“Confiscating noisy equipment is a last resort, but if someone is repeatedly deemed to be making excessive noise and won’t let their neighbours get a decent night’s sleep, then we have no choice,” said Laurence.
“We received 1399 complaints about residential noise last year and the vast majority of people making the noise were quick to turn it down after a noise control officer visited.”
The government changed the Resource Management Act last year to make it easier for councils to seize noise equipment from partiers.
Laurence said previously equipment could only be taken if someone was repeatedly deemed to be causing excessive noise within three days, but the new rules in August extended that period to eight days.
“So, if we get complaints about one property over two consecutive weekends, and the noise is deemed to be excessive, then we’ll have to pull the plug and take the sound systems away, so it pays to be considerate and get along with your neighbours.”
At a glance:
People should ask their noisy neighbours to turn it down before making a noise complaint, but if that was not possible, call the New Plymouth complaints line was open 24/7 on 06-759 6060.
Excessive noise was defined as noise that unreasonably interfered with the peace, comfort, and convenience of others.
NPDC donated confiscated items to charity op shops if they were unclaimed within six months.
Different rules apply to vehicle and construction noise – find out more on npdc.govt.nz/noise.
On Strangers Again, the debut album by Wellington singer Hemi Hemingway (Waitaha, Ngāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Mutunga), he wore his love of ‘50s and ‘60s song structure on his sleeve. The sounds were modern, the vibe less so.
His followup Wings of Desire involved expansion behind the scenes, working with a producer and embracing collaboration in general. The result is a clear levelling-up, both sonically and song-wise.
Most apparently, influences from the 1980s have joined the mix, Hemingway drawing on post-punk and New Romantic styles to great effect. This new aesthetic goes well with the yearning that fuelled his past work, and he leans into it here with abandon.
The words “dramatic” and “indulgent” have come up in PR and interviews with Hemingway, and while they could have negative connotations, Wings of Desire’s biggest strength is exactly these aspects. He’s been open that the songs stemmed from a breakup, and knowing that tempers any desire to label this music ironic.
Certainly there are moments like in the title track, when a saxophone mirrors the vocal line, followed by two succinct handclaps, that feel like a sly wink at certain types of 1980s music. But it’s all performed with such depth of feeling, and is so exhilarating, that these thoughts quickly pass. After all, sincerity sits side by side with pastiche in a lot of modern music.
There’s a hint of Springsteen-ish chest-beating on ‘Wings of Desire’, and a bit of Bowie in the next track ‘This City’s Tryna Break My Heart’. ‘Long Distance Lover’ sounds like the work of a Nile Rogers fan, and has some of the sleaze of modern-day Jonathan Bree. Guitar parts throughout the album evoke King Crimson’s Robert Fripp.
Whether any of this is intentional is not for me to say, but it does add up to a rich aural blend. Still, the most exciting moments are when Hemingway opens his mouth, moving between a smooth baritone, occasional falsetto, and selective moments of upper-register anguish.
One of those comes on ‘Promises’, when he wails “It’s all over now”. Lyrically on the nose and better for it, the line has been replaying in my head in between listens. He’s joined on the song by Georgia Gets By, their voices merging gorgeously.
On another duet called ‘Oh, My Albertine’, Vera Ellen trades verses with Hemingway before they unite in a devastating-yet-rousing chorus. Other highlights include the slinky ‘(To Be) Without You’ (my personal favourite), and closing tune ‘No Future No Future No Future’, which ends things with an explosion of catharsis.
It adds up to one of the most emotive local releases in recent memory, a record threaded with humour and tasteful arrangement that really soars when it lets the feelings fly freely.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
A concept image showing the view over the development site from Devon Street.Supplied / New Plymouth District Council
Demolition of central New Plymouth’s Metro Plaza building will begin next month, starting a three-stage project to bring daylight back to a section of the Huatoki Stream after almost a century under cover.
The project is part of a $10 million City Centre Strategy, which includes ongoing work to create the West End Crossing shared space in Queen Street and replace Devon Street’s ageing alder trees with native plants.
The council bought the Metro Plaza in 2019 to make way for a greener, more vibrant city centre by opening up the awa as part of a private/public partnership.
The Metro Plaza has covered the Huatoki since 1929.
The new development will include a public walkway and footbridge across the Huatoki, connecting Devon and Brougham streets, alongside new developments by KD Holdings (KDH) on both sides of the awa.
Council general manager delivery and enablement, Helena Williams, said the city centre was entering a busy period of revitalisation, with the Huatoki, West End and greening projects underway alongside the completion of the TSB Showplace upgrade and the start of exterior maintenance at Puke Ariki Library.
“These projects will help keep our city centre thriving, supporting businesses and drawing more people into the city centre. We’re working with contractors to keep noise and disruption to a minimum and we apologise to businesses and other people in the city centre for any issues this work will cause and thank them for their patience and understanding,” said Williams.
“The Huatoki project is a first as we’re partnering with KDH, which owns the property on either side of the Huatoki, and Ngāti te Whiti hapū, in our first-ever public-private partnership.
“Together, we’re supporting the heart of our city as it adapts to changes in the way people live, work and shop, while delivering savings for our ratepayers.”
KDH owner Kevin Doody said the $1.1m demolition of the Metro Plaza was scheduled to be finished in the first half of 2026 and construction of the new development was scheduled to be complete later next year.
“We’ll aim to keep disruption to a minimum as we create this new green space and commercial area. Working with our partners, we’ll be able to streamline construction and complete the work safely and efficiently,” said Doody.
Ngāti Te Whiti Hapū spokesperson, Julie Healey, said opening up the Huatoki reflected Ngāti Te Whiti Hapū values as supported in the City Centre Strategy.
“The awa has great historical and cultural significance for Ngāti Te Whiti and we look forward to bringing its presence back into the city for the community to enjoy.”
At a glance:
NPDC bought the Metro Plaza in 2019 and it has been unoccupied since late last year (2025).
The demolition and construction would be carried out by KDH along with the demolition of KDH-owned buildings on Devon and Brougham streets.
The Ngāmotu New Plymouth City Centre Strategy was adopted by the mayor and councillors in December 2021.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Gloria Masters founded Handing the Shame Back, a campaign and charitable initiative aimed at combating sexual abuse against children.GLORIA MASTERS / SUPPLIED
Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking of young girls shines light on a ‘silent epidemic’, says survivor
She wants mandatory reporting by teachers if they suspect a child has been abused
Research suggests one in three girls and one in five boys are sexually abused
A woman who was sex trafficked by her family from infancy wants to see the government make it mandatory for teachers to reports signs of abuse to police or child welfare officers.
Gloria Masters founded Handing the Shame Back, a campaign and charitable initiativeaimed at combating sexual abuse against children and a US philanthropist has paid for her book, Keeping Kids Safe, to be supplied to every New Zealand school.
“If we did have a mandate for teachers to speak, I think we would find the floodgates would open,” she said. “I think there is so much concern out there. I know schools and teachers that I have addressed on this issue, usually, most of the teachers in that presentation will indicate that they have concerns about one or two children in their class.”
With international research suggesting one in three girls experienced sexual abuse before the age of 16 and one in five boys, she said it was time to start talking about a difficult topic.
“The powers-that-be do not necessarily accept the prolific nature of child sexual abuse in our country, which then leads to others who may wish to act on it feeling hamstrung or unable to. This is such a quiet, hidden subject, I call it the silent epidemic, it’s very unlikely that a teacher would raise their head above the parapet and say, I think this child’s being abused, it’s very hard for them to do so.
“It needs to be reported because we can’t keep expecting children to protect themselves. Teachers are often the first people that notice anything. Until it’s mandated, it’s a little bit difficult for them, because they’re under no obligation to do so. I think at the end of the day, most good people wish to stop this, but first of all, they have to be given permission to discuss it, and therein lies the issue.”
The education minister’s office had not responded to requests for comment.
Helping children speak up
People stayed quiet because of the cognitive dissonance or discomfort of believing such things happened at all, and they also tended to accept an adult’s word over a child’s – especially if it was someone well-thought of in their community, Masters said.
“The problem with silence is that it only serves one group, and they are the predators. All it does is ensure that more children get harmed because society doesn’t want to accept it, which means voices are not being heard.”
She was advocating for children to be taught a global hand sign, adopted by schools in America, to alert adults discreetly that they need help.
The global hand sign to alert adults discreetly a child needs help.SUPPLIED
Her book gave tips on how parents could protect their children, and how adults could spot telltale signs of abuse, such as a sudden and significant shift in their behaviour or self-soothing behaviours like thumb-sucking.
“It may be a child that was normally quite sunny and outgoing becoming withdrawn, they may show unexplained clinginess,” she said. “They may stop wanting to join in things where clothes need to be changed like PE or swimming.”
Other symptoms children might display included anxiety when someone arrived, having unexplained money or gifts, having aggressive or sexualised behaviour, or changed eating habits.
Epstein case shines light on trafficking
The scale of offending was clear from the number of cases in the news, Masters said, and abuse came in many guises, including online sexual content, grooming and child sex trafficking.
While Epstein may have highlighted elite and cross-border trafficking, much of it remained offending within one country.
“It’s surprising to the world somewhat that this horror ensued with people at the top of the tree,” Masters said.
“The concern I hold is there can also be a lot of copycat stuff, and we know there are cults out there who are actively engaged in this type of behaviour as well.
“I was born and bred in New Zealand. I was raised in a family where I was sex trafficked and abused from infancy, and this was to go on for 16 years within New Zealand. There were many groups involved, and my family who were the main perpetrators and traders of me were the ones who made a significant amount of money.”
It was time for action and advocacy on behalf of children, she said.
“At the end of the day, I’m just one person. Come on New Zealand – if this was motor vehicle accidents, including children being seriously maimed or even killed at these rates, there would be a billion, a multi-billion dollar campaign overnight to save our kids.
“We need community behind it. We need leaders in every sphere speaking out, in terms of law change and what needs to happen for this to be almost impossible to continue to occur. We need education and we need information and awareness.”
Police were alerted to the incident at about 6.30pm, where a vehicle had hit a parked car and flipped near the intersection of Frederick Street and Belfast Street.RNZ
One person has died following a crash in the Auckland suburb Hillsborough last night.
Police were alerted to the incident at about 6.30pm Saturday, where a vehicle had hit a parked car and flipped near the intersection of Frederick Street and Belfast Street.
Despite emergency services’ efforts, one person died at the scene, police said.
Diversions are in place while the Serious Crash Unit conducts a scene examination.
Enquiries into the crash are ongoing, police said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
The magnitude 6.3 quake on 22 February left 185 people dead, while thousands of homes were demolished because of damage to the buildings or land.RNZ / SIMON ROGERS
A public memorial service will be held in Christchurch today to mark the 15th anniversary of the 2011 February earthquake.
The magnitude 6.3 quake on 22 February left 185 people dead, while thousands of homes were demolished because of damage to the buildings or land.
The service will be held at the Canterbury National Earthquake Memorial at the corner of Cambridge Terrace and Montreal Street in central Christchurch.
A minute’s silence will be held at 12.51pm, the time the earthquake hit, then the names of the 185 people who died will be read aloud while the HMNZS Canterbury bell tolls.
Christchurch City Council spokesman Duncan Sandeman said deputy mayor Victoria Henstock would lay a wreath at the memorial wall on behalf of the people of Christchurch, while members of the public were invited to lay floral tributes after the ceremony.
“We welcome all members of the community who wish to attend to join and reflect on the impact the destructive earthquakes had on our district and remember those lives that were lost,” he said.
Fifteen years on, much of the land cleared of houses, known as the red zone, is now parkland.
An 11km cycle and walking path called the City to Sea Pathway winds through some of the red zone land from New Brighton to the central city.
Christchurch Cathedral in 2025, 14 years after the Canterbury earthquakes partially destroyed it.Frank Film
The Anglican Christ Church Cathedral, for many years the symbol of Christchurch, was badly damaged in the February earthquake and is still fenced off in Cathedral Square.
Work was done to stabilise and strengthen the building but worked stopped in August 2024 because of a budget shortfall of around $85 million.
The Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited’s (CCRL) current plan is to re-open the cathedral in stages, with the first stage including the tower, nave and western wall which features the rose window.
The plan would allow seating for about 700 people.
The cathedral has occasionally opened for events and tours, with visitors donning hard hats and high-vis vests to venture inside.
Under the new staged-plan the CCRL hopes the cathedral can completely reopen by 2030.
CTV building collapse ‘a preventable disaster’
For those who lost loved ones in the collapse of the Canterbury Television (CTV) building during the earthquake, this anniversary is also a reminder of what they say was “a preventable disaster and of a justice system that has yet to reflect that truth”.
A total 115 people were killed when the six-storey building collapsed – a building that was later found to have significant deficiencies to its design.
However, in 2017 police confirmed they would not prosecute those believed to be responsible, despite uncovering negligence.
CTV Families Group spokesperson Maan Alkaisi, whose wife was killed in the collapse, said the ongoing lack of legal accountability revealed deep flaws within the justice system.
Professor Maan Alkaisi – Spokesperson, CTV Families GroupSupplied
“For the CTV families, the absence of prosecutions is not a legal endpoint. It is a continuing wound that raises hard questions about whose lives are protected by the law, and how far institutions are willing, or able, to go to match public expectations of justice.”
He said he would be inviting Attourney-General Judith Collins to meet with him in Christchurch to explain why police reversed their original intent to prosecute those who had been found negligent.
“This request is not an attempt to politicise the issue. It is an attempt to restore confidence in a system that appears to have failed 115 New Zealanders and their families.”
The CTV collapse was not unavoidable, but rather a preventable disaster, he said.
“Fifteen years on, our resolve has not diminished. What has changed is the narrative. It has evolved from ‘Still No Justice, Still No Accountability, Still No Closure’, to a new, determined stance: ‘The Story Does Not Finish Here’.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
One person has died following a crash in Hillsborough last night.
Police were called around 6.30pm, to the crash where a vehicle has hit a parked car and flipped near the intersection of Frederick Street and Belfast Street.
Sadly, despite emergency services efforts, one person died at the scene.
Diversions are in place while the Serious Crash Unit conduct a scene examination.
Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.
Fin Melville Ives, after crashing out in qualification for the Freeski Halfpipe competition at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic games.KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
The medical assessments are in and it’s been confirmed that New Zealand Freeskier Fin Melville Ives broke his collarbone in crashing out during the qualification rounds of the Halfpipe competition at the Winter Olympics.
Melville Ives, the current world champion and one of New Zealand’s best medal hopes, was stretchered off after the heavy fall during his second run after being knocked unconscious.
He’s now recovering and remains in good spirits, jesting his injuries are “nothing but a scratch”.
“It was really a game of two halves,” he said afterwards, with his sense of humour intact.
Melville Ives, 19, has also thanked the medical staff that have helped him so far, and his coach Murray Buchan.
Another Kiwi halfpipe freeskier Ben Harrington, who finished ninth, dedicated his second run to Melville Ives, saying to cameras on the slopes, “Hey Finski, this one’s for you, brother, love you, let’s go skiing.”
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“The event is so momentous that historians may, one day, view it as a landmark in the decline of the British Empire.”
That was dramatic framing by CBS News of The Beatles’s break-up in April 1970.
It was illustrative of the intense hyperbole that followed this band, who went from Liverpool teenagers to the biggest musical act in history in under a decade.
This video is hosted on Youtube.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 February 2026 – Organized by the Japanese Repatriates and Japan-China Friendship Association, a delegation of 90 Japanese “war orphans,” along with their descendants and family members, visited Harbin in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province on September 11, 2025, for a cultural performance. The event served as an opportunity for participants to convey heartfelt gratitude to their Chinese foster parents who raised them, while also promoting messages of peace and historical reflection through their artistic expressions.
The association is dedicated to fostering mutual understanding and friendship between Japan and China. Its mission includes supporting the social welfare of Japanese “war orphans” left behind in China—individuals who endured significant hardship during the post-war turmoil and are still facing various challenges today. The organization also seeks to preserve and transmit the memories of these experiences to younger generations and to deepen bilateral exchanges.
Following Japan’s surrender in 1945, more than 4,000 Japanese children were left behind in China and raised by Chinese families. Now advanced in age, the group has decided to undertake what they call their final “gratitude tour,” which coincides with the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Since 2009, these orphans have been traveling to China every few years to acknowledge the kindness of their Chinese foster parents and other benefactors who supported them.
Sumie Ikeda, 81, head of the association of friendship of repatriates from China, is herself one of the Japanese orphans left behind in China. In an exclusive interview with CNS, she spoke in the fluent northeastern Chinese dialect of her childhood, reminiscing about her upbringing in Heilongjiang. “How could I be Japanese?” she reflected, her early identity obscured by the war’s aftermath. Separated from her biological family as an infant, she was raised in Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province. “My foster mother was truly an exceptional Chinese woman,” Ikeda said, noting that memories of her foster mother’s strength continue to sustain her.
A pivotal moment occurred when she was eight and local Chinese authorities identified her Japanese heritage. The words of her foster mother, who insisted “This child is mine,” left an indelible mark on Ikeda. As an adult, her search for biological roots in 1980s Japan ended in hardship and betrayal, leaving her destitute and suicidal until rescued by the Chinese consulate.
“My first life was given by my birth parents; my second by my adoptive parents,” she recounted. “In the most difficult times, it was always the Chinese people who reached out to us.”
Ikeda’s story reflects a broader historical experience. Official Japanese records recognize 2,818 such “war orphans.” Their lives, Ikeda stresses, are a living indictment of the catastrophes caused by war.
Yet, despite their hardships, their enduring sentiment is one of profound gratitude towards China. “Though Japanese by birth, we would not have survived without Chinese people,” Ikeda said.
Their collective narrative delivers a dual message of profound gratitude and solemn warning. It pays tribute to the extraordinary compassion of ordinary Chinese people—a love that chose nurture over vengeance. “We must never let war happen again. Situations like ours must never be repeated,” Ikeda urged.
“We are a group with the dual identity of both perpetrators and victims,” she reflected, a statement that embodies the complex legacy of history, humanity, and a plea for lasting peace.
Hashtag: #ChinaNewsService
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Two Extinction Rebellion activists joined the speakers today at an Auckland protest over Israel’s genocide and ecocide in Gaza and occupied Palestine, condemning the “apocalyptic” assault on both people and their living environment.
Caril Cowan, a de facto coordinator of Extinction Rebellion Tāmaki Makaurau, spoke of the climate crisis this month in Aotearoa New Zealand to provide an insight into the Gaza emergency.
“One of our climate scientists, says this is normal – get used to it. We are going to have killing storms over, and over, and over …
“As we are saying, ‘We are all Palestine’, I just think of the people of South America, I think of the people of Africa, I think of Europe, where people are dying now because of the climate.
“They are dying of heat exhaustion, they are dying from floods, they are dying from landslides, like we have been having, not just a few. It’s happening. It is here now.”
After the rally, the protesters marched around the corner from Te Komititanga Square to the US Consulate in Auckland for a “Blood on your hands “ protest over the US role in funding and enabling Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.
Cowan was among those protesters who symbolically raised blood on their hands over the “shameful” US role under President Donald Trump and previous presidents.
Extension Rebellion speaker Caril Cowan . . . “people are dying now because of the climate crisis.” Image: APR
US pays part UN dues This week in Washington, a UN spokesperson said the United States had paid about US$160 million (NZ$268 million) of the more than US$4 billion it owes to the UN, just as Trump hosted the first meeting of his so-called “Board of Peace” initiative over Gaza that critics say could undermine the United Nations.
The US is the biggest contributor to the UN budget, but under the Trump administration it has refused to make mandatory payments to regular and peacekeeping budgets, and slashed voluntary funding to UN agencies with their own budgets.
Washington has also withdrawn from dozens of UN agencies.
Another speaker at today’s rally, Adam Jordan, from both Extinction Rebellion and the Palestinian movement, talked about the “connection” between the Gaza genocide and anthropogenic climate breakdown.
“As is so often the case with colonialism, and the capitalist system more generally, ecological destruction has always been inherent to the Zionist, settler-colonial project,” Jordan said.
Extension Rebellion’s Adam Jordan . . . the destruction in Gaza has reached such “apocalyptic proportions that the damage is visible from space”. Image: APR
“From contaminated soil and groundwater to decimated farmland and burning down centuries old olive groves that had been lovingly tended by countless generations of Palestinians.
“Rather than ‘making the desert bloom’ as they often claim, the colonisers are engaged in a process of ‘desertification’ — transforming once fertile and active farmland into an area devoid of both vegetation and biodiversity.”
Damage visible from space Jordan said that destruction of both people and the land itself in Gaza had reached such “apocalyptic proportions that the damage is visible from space”.
“The people who have not yet been killed by the bunker buster bombs, the forced starvation, disease, sniper fire and autonomous killer drones live in a wasteland of undrinkable water, unexploded munitions, overflowing landfills, contaminated soil and toxic debris, with orchards and fields reduced to dust in which life itself is being rendered impossible for the long term,” he said.
[embedded content] Gaza pollution environmental threats Video: Al Jazeera
“Ecocide here fuses with genocide in a manner never seen before.”
But where was the real connection between Palestine and the climate crisis?
“Despite all the rhetoric from governments and corporations about how they’re taking climate change seriously, the 2020s have so far seen an accelerated expansion of fossil fuel production, just when it had to be reined in and inverted into a sustained dismantling — for the world to avoid a warming of more than 2°C, and ideally no more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial baseline.
“Currently we’re at 1.6°C above that baseline, and this is already proving to be absolutely catastrophic. In fact it’s proving again and again to be deadly,” Jordan said.
“The destruction of Gaza is of course executed by tanks and fighter jets, sending their projectiles that turn everything into rubble — but only after the explosive force of fossil fuel combustion has put them on the right path.
“All these military vehicles run on oil. As do the supply flights from the US, UK and Germany.’
A young protester with a Palestinian flag at the Auckland rally today. Image: APR
Emissions burden One study had estimated that from October 2023 to January 2025 the emission burden of the Gaza genocide by Israel and the West to be 32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
“That’s more than the annual emissions of many countries,” Jordan said.
“It has generated more than 36 million metric tonnes of debris from buildings being either severely damaged or completely destroyed. It would take as long as four decades to remove and process all of this debris.”
Jordan said what was happening in Gaza was not just a transnational effort, but “a stain on the so called ‘international law’ that cannot be washed clean”.
“For over two years now we have watched as the corrupt corporate media has dehumanised the victims and attempted to humanise those committing this genocide,” he said.
“We have watched as academic institutions, politicians and governments all over the world have denied or justified the unspeakable horrors taking place in Gaza, just as they deny the severity and the consequences of the climate crisis and justify the continuation of business as usual, no matter how destructive it is to our environmental life support systems.
“But this is just business, this is just how the capitalist system works. Both people and the environment are seen as expendable, here only for the purposes of wealth extraction by the ultra wealthy ruling class — or as I prefer to call them, ‘The Epstein class’.”
New flotilla plans Among other speakers, Rana Hamida spoke about the new Global Sumud Flotilla plans to break the military siege of Gaza in April.
The flotilla has announced plans to send more than 100 boats carrying up 1000 activists, including medics and war crimes investigators, to the besieged enclave.
Hamida appealed for more volunteers from New Zealand to join the fleet.
Not just climate change – but a “system change” call for action. Image: APR
Blues face Western Force in Super Rugby Pacific.Liam Swiggs / RNZ
First-five Stephen Perofeta converted all six of his team’s tries and scored one himself, as the Blues overhauled Western Force 42-32 at Perth.
After a controversial loss to the Chiefs in their opener last week, the Auckland-based side took advantage of a big wind at their backs in the second half to overcome a 17-14 deficit, outscoring their rivals 21-3 during the 20 minutes after the break.
Prop Josh Fusitua and Perofeta touched down in the first 40 minutes, but a try to flanker Carlo Tizzano gave the home side a surprise lead at halfway.
After the restart, fullback Zarn Sullivan, flanker Torian Barnes and wing Cole Forbes rattled on three tries that gave their team the momentum and a 15-point lead, that provided a buffer to withstand a late Force rally.
The global human rights landscape has witnessed a significant diplomatic milestone.
Indonesia, for the first time since the body’s establishment in 2006, has officially taken the presidency of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Indonesia’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro, is currently guiding the procedural and diplomatic course of the world’s foremost human rights forum for the coming year.
Indonesian Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai . . . seeking to ensure the revised law is “more progressive and advanced”. Image: Antara
This appointment, backed by consensus within the Asia-Pacific regional group and subsequently endorsed by the full council, is far more than a routine procedural rotation.
It is a mirror reflecting diplomatic success, yet also a fragile piñata — ready to spill forth either in praise or sharp criticism depending on the blows dealt by reality and unfolding dynamics.
This moment is not the end of a journey, but the opening of a new chapter rife with interpretation — a complex test of Indonesia’s credibility, capacity, and consistency on the stage of global issues.
The test begins not only in the halls of Geneva but simultaneously in the halls of power in Jakarta, where the government is pushing for the ratification of a revised Human Rights Law by this year.
This legislative endeavour has now become inextricably linked to the credibility of its international leadership.
Foundations and mandate To understand the seriousness of this position, one must look to its foundational pillars.
The UN Charter, as the supreme constitution of global governance, clearly places the promotion and respect for human rights as a central pillar for maintaining international peace and security.
This charter provides an undeniable moral and political mandate. Indonesia’s presidency, within this framework, is an operational instrument to realise the charter’s noble aims — a collective trust bestowed by the community of nations.
The Human Rights Council itself is a product of the post-Cold War collective consciousness and the failures of its predecessor, the Commission on Human Rights. Established by General Assembly Resolution 60/251, it was designed as a more legitimate intergovernmental body with a mandate to strengthen the promotion and protection of human rights globally.
It is a space of often-tense dialogue, a tireless advocacy arena for civil society, and a stage where mechanisms like the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and Special Procedures strive to illuminate dark corners of violations.
Within this complexity, the council president is not merely a passive moderator but a pacesetter, agenda-shaper, balance-keeper, and often a mediator in intricate political deadlocks. This position holds the key that can either unlock discussions on neglected issues or bury them in procedure.
The normative compass for the council is the International Bill of Human Rights — comprising the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
These standards are the shared measure, the common language, and the basis for demands.
Indonesia’s leadership will be judged on its ability to advance the language and spirit of these covenants, not only within the halls of Geneva but also through their resonance and enactment at the national level. It is here that the ongoing revision of Indonesia’s own Human Rights Law (Law Number 30 of 1999) transforms from a domestic legislative process into a litmus test for its international posture.
Two sides of the coin Globally, this presidency represents the pinnacle of Indonesia’s soft power diplomacy. It affirms the image of a consequential developing nation deemed capable of leading even the most sensitive conversations.
It is an invaluable platform to voice Global South perspectives, emphasise the interdependence of civil-political and socio-economic rights, and champion dialogue over confrontation.
Indonesia has the opportunity to act as a bridge-builder, spanning the divides between West and East, North and South, in an increasingly polarised human rights discourse.
Yet, behind the stage lights, the shadows are long and critical. Organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have consistently warned that leadership on the council must align with tangible commitment.
They are watching closely: Will Indonesia use its influence to push for access by special mandate-holders to global conflict zones, or will it cloak inaction in the rhetoric of state sovereignty?
Will its voice be loud in highlighting violations in one region while falling silent on another due to geopolitical and geostrategic considerations?
Herein lies the ultimate credibility test. The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) criticises Indonesia’s presidency, arguing it could swiftly become “hollow prestige” if seen merely as a product of regional rotation, not a recognition of substantive capability.
The ULMWP asserts that Indonesia is unfit for the role, pointing to allegations of a 60-year conflict in Papua, historical casualties, and comparing the situation to past international controversies.
They challenge Indonesia’s moral standing, citing unresolved historical allegations, internal displacement, and the long-standing refusal to grant access to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
This opposition underscores the profound domestic scrutiny the presidency faces: every action on the global stage will be measured against conditions in Papua, where critics describe ongoing tensions and demand immediate access for journalists and a UN visit.
The most profound implications may, in fact, unfold domestically. This presidency is a mirror forcibly held up to the nation itself. It creates unique political and moral pressure to address longstanding homework.
Issues such as freedom of expression, protection of minorities and vulnerable groups, law enforcement in cases of alleged violations, and the state of labour and environmental rights will come under a brighter international spotlight. Image: Laurens Ikinia/APR
Issues such as freedom of expression, protection of minorities and vulnerable groups, law enforcement in cases of alleged violations, and the state of labour and environmental rights will come under a brighter international spotlight.
In this context, the government’s move to revise the Human Rights Law is a direct response to this pressure.
Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai, in a meeting with Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR) on February 2, 2026, emphasised that the drafting process involves prominent national human rights figures — including Professor Jimly Asshiddiqie, Makarim Wibisono, Haris Azhar, Rocky Gerung, Ifdhal Kasim, and Roichatul Aswidah — to ensure the revised law is “more progressive and advanced”.
The government is targeting ratification in 2026, aiming to synchronise domestic legal progress with its international leadership year.
The government thus faces a stark choice: leverage this historic moment as a catalyst for deeper legal and institutional human rights reforms, open wider dialogue with civil society, and demonstrate tangible progress anchored in a stronger law; or, wield the position merely as a diplomatic shield to deflect criticism, content with symbolism over substance, even if that symbolism includes a newly passed but weakly implemented law.
The latter would be a damaging boomerang, deepening a crisis of trust both in the eyes of its own citizens and the global community.
Indonesian civil society, conversely, holds a golden opportunity. They now have a wider door to elevate domestic issues to the global forum, using their own nation’s presidential position as an accountability tool. The involvement of activists in the law revision process is a start, but the presidency must be seen not as the sole property of the government, but as a national asset to be filled with diverse and critical voices, both sweet and bitter, to ensure the promised progress is real.
Navigating the terrain A clear-eyed SWOT analysis is indispensable for Indonesia to strategically navigate its historic presidency of the UN Human Rights Council. This framework illuminates the internal and external factors that will define its tenure, balancing inherent advantages against palpable risks, all while the domestic reform clock ticks.
Strengths: Indonesia enters this role with a formidable diplomatic toolkit. Its long-standing tradition of “free and active” foreign policy has cultivated a wide non-aligned network and substantial credibility as an independent voice in the Global South.
As the world’s third-largest democracy, it offers a practical case study in balancing governance, diversity, and development. Furthermore, its soft power assets — embodied in the national motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) and its narrative of moderate Islam — provide unique cultural and religious leverage to mediate polarised debates on sensitive issues like religious freedom.
Operationally, the presidency itself confers significant agenda-setting power, allowing Indonesia to prioritise thematic issues such as the right to development, climate justice, and interfaith tolerance, while influencing the appointment of key human rights investigators.
The concurrent push for a progressive Human Rights Law revision can be framed as a strength, showcasing a commitment to aligning domestic norms with international aspirations.
Weaknesses: Indonesia’s most significant vulnerability remains the perceived gap between its international advocacy and its domestic human rights landscape. Longstanding, contentious issues — including restrictions on civil liberties, protections for minorities, and unresolved past alleged violations — provide immediate fodder for critics and undermine its moral authority.
This credibility deficit is a strategic weakness that adversaries will exploit. The revision of the Human Rights Law, if perceived as a rushed or cosmetic exercise to coincide with the presidency, could exacerbate this weakness rather than alleviate it.
Additionally, the technical and political capacity of its permanent mission in Geneva will be under immense strain, tested by the need to master complex procedural rules while managing intensely politicised negotiations among competing global blocs in real-time.
Opportunities: This presidency is an unparalleled platform for strategic nation-branding, casting Indonesia as a consensus-driven, responsible global leader. Domestically, it creates a powerful political catalyst to accelerate and deepen stalled legislative reforms.
The targeted 2026 ratification of the Human Rights Law is the prime opportunity; it must be used to revitalise national human rights institutions like the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and pass long-delayed bills like the Domestic Workers Protection Bill.
Internationally, it offers the chance to operationalise its bridge-builder identity, mediating in protracted conflicts or humanitarian crises where dialogue has stalled, thereby translating diplomatic principle into tangible impact.
Successfully shepherding a meaningful domestic reform would give Indonesia undeniable moral currency in these international efforts.
Threats: The external environment is fraught with challenges. The council is often an arena for great power politicisation, where human rights issues are weaponised for geopolitical ends. Indonesia risks being ensnared in these zero-sum games, which could drain diplomatic capital and compromise its neutral stance.
Simultaneously, it faces relentless scrutiny from a vigilant transnational civil society and global media, ensuring that any perceived stagnation or regression at home — such as a watered-down Human Rights Law or continued restrictions in Papua — will trigger amplified criticism internationally.
The paramount threat, however, is the boomerang effect: that the heightened visibility of the presidency exponentially raises expectations, and the subsequent failure to demonstrate concrete progress — both in Geneva through effective leadership and in Jakarta through substantive reform—could severely damage Indonesia’s hard-won diplomatic reputation, leaving it weaker than before it assumed the chair.
Thus, Indonesia’s tenure will be a constant balancing act: leveraging its strengths to seize opportunities, while meticulously managing its weaknesses to mitigate existential threats.
The presidency is not merely a position of honour, but a high-stakes test of strategic foresight and authentic commitment, where domestic legislative action is now part of the international exam.
From symbol to substance: The path forward Indonesia’s election as the 2026 President of the UNHRC is an acknowledgment of its role and potential on the global stage. However, this acknowledgment comes as a loan of trust with very high interest: increased accountability and consistency.
The government’s own timeline, aiming to ratify a revised Human Rights Law within this same year, has voluntarily raised the stakes, tying its legacy directly to tangible domestic output.
This year of leadership is not a celebratory party, but a laboratory for authentic leadership. Its success will not be measured by the smoothness of procedural sessions or the number of meetings chaired.
It will be measured by the extent to which Indonesia can articulate and champion a vision of inclusive and just human rights globally, and — just as crucially — by the degree to which this office leaves a positive legacy for the advancement of human rights at home.
The revised Human Rights Law is poised to be the most visible component of that domestic legacy. Minister Pigai’s confidence in its progressiveness, bolstered by the involvement of respected figures, must translate into a law that meaningfully addresses past shortcomings and empowers institutions.
Indonesia stands at a crossroads. One path leads to transformative leadership, using this position to strengthen global norms while cleansing the domestic mirror through courageous reform and open engagement. The other leads to transactional leadership, leveraging prestige and a new but potentially inert law to impress without touching the core of the issues.
Indonesia’s choice will determine whether history records 2026 as the year Indonesia truly led the world on human rights by exemplifying the change it advocates, or merely performed a protocol duty on a stage where the lights are slowly fading on its credibility.
A historic mandate and its dual imperative This strategic position is a historic achievement, cementing the country’s role while presenting a real-time test of its global credibility. As a body of 47 member states, the UNHRC holds vital authority in investigating violations, conducting periodic reviews, and shaping international human rights norms. The Council President controls the agenda, guides dialogue, and, most importantly, builds consensus from diverse interests.
Indonesia is no newcomer, currently serving its sixth membership term and often as a Vice-President. Securing the top seat opens the chance to shift from “player” to “game-setter,” potentially shaping a more inclusive global human rights discourse.
This achievement is built on active diplomacy: vigorous economic and peace diplomacy (including Indonesia’s peacemaker initiatives), strengthened regional diplomacy emphasising ASEAN centrality and Global South solidarity, and a consistent multilateral commitment as a strong UN system supporter.
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has affirmed its commitment to lead the council objectively, inclusively, and in a balanced manner. Potential agenda paths include advocating for contextualising human rights principles to be more sensitive to the historical, developmental, and socio-cultural contexts of developing nations; expanding the discourse to seriously discuss issues like corruption, environmental degradation, and electoral governance in the Council; and testing its bridge-builder capacity in acute conflicts, such as the Palestinian issue, by leading constructive diplomatic initiatives.
Ultimately, history will record not just the prestigious title of “UNHRC President,” but the substance and impact of the leadership. This position is a mirror: Is Indonesia ready to lead with consistency and firm moral principle, or will it become trapped in the contradiction between rhetoric in Geneva and reality at home?
The parallel process to revise the Human Rights Law is now part of that reflection. Its quality, its process, and its final enactment will be scrutinised as evidence of Indonesia’s sincerity.
True leadership will be measured by the courage to build bridges amid global divisions and the ability to connect words with concrete action and accountability domestically. The year 2026 will determine whether this moment is remembered as a renaissance of moral diplomacy, backed by genuine legal evolution at home, or merely a display window of symbolism where even new laws ring hollow.
The final word rests not on the title itself, but on the government’s collective actions in both the international arena and the national legislature. Success in this dual mission would add a brilliant and coherent achievement to the international record of the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
The choice — and the test — is in Indonesia’s hands.
Laurens Ikinia is a Papuan lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Pacific Studies, Indonesian Christian University, Jakarta. He is also an honorary member of the Asia Pacific Media Network (APMN) in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Auckland FC are closing in on the top of the A-League after dismantling the Wellington Phoenix 5-0, a dominant win that puts them just one point behind league leaders Newcastle.
Wellington’s hopes of securing their first-ever win over their northern rivals were dashed early due to a bizarre goal keeping error in the 24th minute.
A dejected Phoenix captain Alex Rufer addressed home fans immediately after the heavy defeat.
“We need to look at this and be accountable – it’s not good enough,” he told Sky Sport.
The talking point came when Wellington goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi was caught out of position under a long clearance from Auckland defender Jake Girdwood-Reich.
Unable to stop the ball, Oluwayemi brushed it into his own net in a costly howler as he attempted to head the ball away.
Auckland carried the momentum as Jesse Randall scored his ninth goal of the season, adding a second just before the break.
Guillermo May also found the net in the 41st minute.
Later Randall was involved again, setting up Lachlan Brook for a goal.
Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano benched Oluwayemi at halftime, replacing him with Alby Kelly-Heald as the Phoenix trailed 4-nil.
Auckland coach Steve Corica said the three points were vital in closing the gap on Newcastle.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand