Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

Cordons remained in place as investigations continued.

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He was expecting good competition at the Golden Shears.

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

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

Learn more:

• Find out more about the Golden Shears here

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

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A building and pest inspection happened that day.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden said banks’ payment limits varied.

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/28/australian-buyer-loses-100k-deposit-due-to-banking-rules-could-the-same-happen-here/

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

The closure is from Broken Hutt Road and Old Faithful Road

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

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

Police said motorists should consider delaying travel.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/28/lindis-pass-closed-one-seriously-hurt-after-crash/

Source: Radio New Zealand

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Smith would like to retire.

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

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/02/28/country-life-duntroon-a-small-town-with-a-big-sense-of-history/