Families are sleeping in cars, in the street and in damaged schools seeking safety as the number of people displaced in Lebanon rises and with seven children reported killed, Save the Children said.
About 58,000 people, including an estimated 16,000 children have been displaced in Lebanon in the past three days according to the Ministry of Social Affairs due to Israeli airstrikes and forced displacement orders.
With media reports of an Israeli ground incursion more families are fleeing their homes. [1]
As armed conflict spreads in the wider region, Israeli strikes have reportedly killed 40 people including seven children in Lebanon and a further 246 injured since Saturday.[2] [3]
Save the Children is urgently calling for a cessation of hostilities to protect children from further harm. Save the Children is responding on the ground by distributing essential items such as blankets, mattresses, pillows, baby supplies, hygiene items and water to people that are displaced.
Nora Ingdal, Save the Children’s Country Director for Lebanon, said: “Our team is hearing cases of children across Lebanon sleeping in cars, on cold pavements, and in partially damaged classrooms with cracks in the walls, while parents are sitting on the side of the streets crying, exhausted from little sleep after being unable to get into proper shelters with their children.
“The buildings that they are finding and using as shelters are places no child should have to sleep in. Some of the schools housing families have water dripping through the walls from broken pipes, and there are no beds. These buildings are becoming increasingly crowded are not designed to house families.
“In the south, families attempting to flee are stuck in huge queues of traffic. The situation is pure chaos for those on the move. Journeys that should take an hour are now taking over 15. Parents are telling Save the Children staff how anxious they feel, as they smell smoke and see bombs and drones loom in the sky over them.
“I heard a 10-year-old ask her mother “Why are they attacking us?” Her mother was completely lost for words and unable to give any answer to her child. This isn’t a question any child should have to ask.
“Many of these children have been displaced before and are completely terrified, families are being forced to relive their trauma and have nowhere safe to go. With media reports of an Israeli ground incursion, families are glued to the news for any updates, but nothing is clear at the moment, and the future remains unknown for millions.
Every possible effort must now be taken to prevent further escalation and to safeguard children. There must be an end to the hostilities. All parties involved in the conflict must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law. Children must be protected at all times.”
SOURCES: [1] Lebanon Ministry of Social Affairs [2] Lebanon Ministry of Social Affairs [3] UNICEF Lebanon
Notes:
There are no cooking facilities in the shelters currently and toilet and washing facilities very minimal. Families are being forced to share toilets in schools meant for children in schools. One school Save the Children is responding in is meant for 130 students but there are already over 230 people sleeping there with the number rapidly rising. Rents have almost tripled overnight, with people being forced to stay with friends and relatives. All Save the Children staff in Lebanon have been affected. Some have had to flee with their own families during the night. They have barely slept, yet they still show up for work to help others with many fasting for Ramadan.
The Experiences of Care in Aotearoa report found that Oranga Tamariki has continued to not comply with the National Care Standards Regulations, six years after they have come into effect.
The National Care Standards Regulations set out the minimum standard that tamariki and rangatahi in care should receive.
The fifth Experiences of Care in Aotearoa for the period 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025 was published today by Aroturuki Tamariki | Independent Children’s Monitor.
State care survivor and advocate, Ihorangi Reweti Peters, says this report is yet again highlighting that tamariki and rangatahi in care are not having their needs met, and they are being failed by the very system that is supposed to be caring for them.
“The Independent Children’s Monitor found that 246 tamariki and rangatahi stayed in a hotel or motel during the reporting period. Hotels and motels are not homes; they are meant to be used as a last resort in emergency situations for a short period while a more suitable care option is identified. When tamariki and rangatahi are living in hotels or motels they are cared for by a security guard, a casual staff member, a reliever, or a social worker – these are not people who should be caring for our tamariki and rangatahi. It is also shocking that tamariki and rangatahi with high and complex needs, which includes disabilities are more likely to be placed in motels. Tamariki and rangatahi need to feel safe, they need to have stability – which these motels or hotels do not provide,” Mr Reweti Peters said.
“The report also found that the number of tamariki and rangatahi found to have been abused or neglected while in Oranga Tamariki care has increased from 507 in 2023/24 to 530 in this reporting period. This is one in 10 tamariki and rangatahi in care. Māori tamariki and rangatahi make up 73 percent of those who were found to have been abused in care. Since 2022/23 the number of tamariki and rangatahi found to have been abused has increased. No abuse should ever be inflicted on tamariki and rangatahi in Aotearoa New Zealand, let alone in the very agency that is supposed to be protecting tamariki and rangatahi from harm and abuse.”
Oranga Tamariki needs and must do better to ensure that all tamariki and rangatahi in their care are safe and have stable accommodation.
Mr Reweti Peters said, “Kei te rongo koe? Are you listening? – VOYCE Whakarongo Mai’s State of Care Report and scorecard shows the importance of making sure that our tamariki and rangatahi in Oranga Tamariki care have their basic needs met, which include safety and stability. Kei te rongo koe? Paints another bleak picture – that Oranga Tamariki is still not doing enough to make sure that the minimum standards of care are being met and that tamariki and rangatahi in Oranga Tamariki care have their basic needs met. In 2027 VOYCE – Whakarongo Mai will do another scorecard and hopefully the scores will improve so that our tamariki and rangatahi in Oranga Tamariki care are safe and have their basic needs met and have the minimum standard of care that they deserve.”
“I welcome the report today by the Independent Children’s Monitor. I hope that in the interim Oranga Tamariki will start to comply with the National Care Standards Regulations so Aotearoa can see that there has been improvement. However, Oranga Tamariki is still in no place to care for some of our nation’s most vulnerable tamariki and rangatahi. I again, echo the calls from survivors, academics, and whānau that Oranga Tamariki needs to be dismantled and iwi, hāpu and whānau need to take over the provisions of caring for our tamariki and rangatahi,” said Ihorangi Reweti Peters.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand is enforcing a total fire ban for the St Arnaud zone, which will take effect from 8am on Wednesday 4 March, until further notice.
During a prohibited fire season, no fires are allowed in the open and all fire permits are suspended.
The St Arnaud zone incorporates the urban settlement of St Arnaud and all public conservation land within the zone including Buller Campsite, Jetty Campsite, and the Teetotal Freedom Campsites located to the west of St Arnaud.
Announcing the fire season changes, District Manager Grant Haywood says no further permits will be issued until conditions ease across the area.
“Fires will start and spread very easily and will be more challenging for our firefighters to contain and put out in these conditions,” he says.
“If anyone sees signs of smoke, please call 111 immediately.”
Due to changes in the fire weather conditions, the Lake Rotoiti zone will also enter a restricted fire season from 8am on Wednesday 4 March until further notice.
A restricted fire season means a permit is required to light an open-air fire.
The Lake Rotoiti zone runs from Kikiwa in the north, Rainbow Road to the east, Kawatiri to the west, and incorporates all of the Nelson Lakes National Park.
“Having a restricted fire season gives us greater control of who can burn and when, and we can provide direct fire safety advice to those completing burns,” Grant Haywood says.
All fires in the open air now required an authorised fire permit, these can be obtained by applying online atwww.checkitsalright.nz.
“We are asking the public to take extra care during these conditions.
“Go towww.checkitsalright.nzfor full details of the fire season status and what activities are restricted or banned.”
There has been no real improvement in compliance with the National Care Standards (NCS) Regulations, six years after coming into effect. The regulations are the minimum standard the more than 5,600 tamariki (children) and rangatahi (young people) in care should receive. Oranga Tamariki has custody of nearly 99 percent of those in care.
The latest Experiences of Care in Aotearoa for the period 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025 was published by Aroturuki Tamariki | Independent Children’s Monitor today.
Aroturuki Tamariki Chief Executive Arran Jones says this is the fifth full report on compliance with the regulations. The key reasons for there not being more improvement are that social workers need more help, and tamariki and rangatahi in care are still not sufficiently prioritised for government services.
“The three most common reasons tamariki and rangatahi enter care are parental alcohol and drug use, family violence, and neglect. They need to be well cared for and they need stability,” Mr Jones said.
The report found:
· 28 percent of tamariki and rangatahi in care had a change in caregiver. Half of these changes were unexpected. The most common reason for change was because the caregiver was unable or unwilling to continue providing care
· nearly 250 tamariki and rangatahi in care spent time in motels in the last year, a total of more than 4,000 nights – 1,000 more than the previous year. The median length of stay was four days.
· one third of tamariki and rangatahi were still not being visited by their social worker as often as they should. Tamariki and rangatahi still have an average of 11 social workers during their time in care
· 530 tamariki and rangatahi were found to have been abused in care – a continued increase. Those in secure residences or who had been returned home to live with their parent were more likely to experience abuse
· one in 10 tamariki and rangatahi of compulsory school age were not enrolled in school. Those who were enrolled had a lower rate of regular attendance than those not in care – particularly at secondary school (34% regular attendance)
· tamariki and rangatahi in care have high mental health support needs and accessing services is a struggle. The rate of hospitalisation for self-harm is much higher for those in care
· only 11 percent of eligible rangatahi had a completed life skills assessment and only one third received help from Oranga Tamariki to obtain identity documents (such as a birth certificate) and set up a bank account.
The report again highlights challenges accessing health and education services, and the need for greater prioritisation of tamariki and rangatahi in care.
“Ultimately Oranga Tamariki is responsible for securing health and education services for tamariki and rangatahi in its care. But it is tamariki and rangatahi who are missing out when government agencies waste time debating who should fund them. Improved communication and clearer prioritisation across government will help Oranga Tamariki meet its obligations – and ensure tamariki and rangatahi get the help they need.”
Mr Jones said Oranga Tamariki also has a duty to ensure rangatahi who are in care and getting ready to live independently at the age of 18 have the basics they need.
“There has been a concerted effort to improve the referral rate to transition support services – this is good to see. However, nearly one quarter of rangatahi are still not being offered this help. And they need to be referred earlier – of those offered, only 63 percent of rangatahi were referred at age 16.
“In early 2025 Oranga Tamariki developed a National Care Standards Action Plan. This is the first time it has had a clear plan with specific targets for improving compliance with the regulations. Our next report will reflect any improvement that results from this plan,” Mr Jones said.
Social worker visits are required in accordance with the child’s plan, or at least every eight weeks if there is no frequency specified. This is the requirement set out in the NCS Regulations. The operational data measure Oranga Tamariki uses for its quarterly reporting is if the child has been visited once in the previous eight weeks.
The National Care Standards Regulations came into effect in 2019 and set out the minimum standards required when a child comes into care. These regulations apply to Oranga Tamariki, Open Home Foundation and any other agency with custody and care responsibilities. The lead indicators Oranga Tamariki uses to measure its own performance do not necessarily align with what the NCS regulations require.
Aroturuki Tamariki | Independent Children’s Monitor checks that organisations supporting and working with tamariki, rangatahi and their whānau are meeting their needs, delivering services effectively, and improving outcomes. We monitor compliance with the Oranga Tamariki Act and the associated regulations, including the National Care Standards. We also look at how the wider system (such as early intervention) is supporting tamariki and rangatahi under the Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System Act.
Aroturuki Tamariki works closely with its partners in the oversight system, Mana Mokopuna – Children’s Commissioner and the Ombudsman.
The completed project which stood up well to heavy rain in January.Suppled / NZTA
A critical section of State Highway 35 has been raised by almost a metre as part of an upgrade to make the road more flood resilient.
The New Zealand Transport Agency says the 230 metre section at Rototahe, just south of Tolaga Bay, is typically the first to flood and close during extreme weather events.
The now completed upgrade will help reduce road closures and keep it open during severe weather and emergencies.
Six new culverts have also been installed and two more upgraded, increasing the site’s water-carrying capacity.
Transport Rebuild East Coast alliance was responsible for the work.
Project manager Richard Bayley said the upgrade has already proven its value.
“We were pleased to see that it performed well in the late January rain event, as the road had been lifted to its final height. This work is an example of the resilience being built into the network and will provide communities, freight and first responders with a more reliable route.”
Suppled / NZTA
TREC partnered with local Iwi Te Aitanga-a-Hauiti throughout the project. Kaitiaki lead Anne McGuire said the project reflected the importance of SH35 to local communities.
“SH35 is a lifeline for our communities. This upgrade will make a real difference to those that travel this road to Gisborne regularly,” she said.
Work on the second flood resilience site which is being funded through cost savings – SH2 Hakanui Straight project (formerly Nesbitt’s Dip) – is expected to be completed next month.
The highway has been raised by around 3 metres and culverts have been installed to help manage water and protect the road. Remaining work on the project includes road surfacing and marking, safety barriers and signage.
As of January, almost 90 percent of the overall Tai Rāwhiti recovery programme has been completed.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
New Zealand and Uruguay have reaffirmed their natural partnership as small, open democracies, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.
“Today’s discussions in Montevideo have underlined that New Zealand and Uruguay have much in common, as small, export-oriented countries buffeted by global forces over which we have little control,” Mr Peters says.
“In these uncertain and challenging times, it’s vital that small, like-minded countries such as New Zealand and Uruguay work together to protect and advance our mutual interests.
“We should be promoting democracy, human rights and the international, rules-based system, and deepening our long-standing and mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation. There is broad scope for doing more together, including on trade policy, education, sport, science and culture.”
Mr Peters held official talks today with Uruguay’s President Yamandú Orsi and Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin – after which the two Foreign Ministers released a Joint Statement. Mr Peters is accompanied in Uruguay by a Parliamentary and business delegation.
“Our discussions with the President and Foreign Minister highlighted how much Uruguay welcomes the significant New Zealand business engagement here – and the potential for this to grow further, especially in high value-added sectors, such as forestry and agribusiness technology. Uruguay and New Zealand also have an abiding interest in trading arrangements that boost exports,” Mr Peters says.
“We also talked about major international issues, including developments in Iran, Ukraine, and Venezuela and the geo-strategic environments in both Latin America and the Indo-Pacific.”
Mr Peters will also attend a New Zealand-Uruguay friendship dinner in Montevideo tonight where he and the accompanying business and parliamentary delegation will meet and exchange perspectives with government officials and private sector representatives. He will also acknowledge the contribution of New Zealand Honorary Consul to Uruguay, Ricardo Shaw, for his 13 years of distinguished service.
Mr Peters and the Parliamentary and business delegation leave for Brazil tomorrow, before programmes later in the week in Chile (Santiago and Rapa Nui) and French Polynesia.
The procurement of a new Chatham Islands supply vessel has hit another major milestone with the signing of a ship delivery agreement, paving the way for its construction to begin.
Associate Transport Minister James Meager says the milestone ensures the 77-metre-long vessel’s delivery by the end of 2027, ahead of the current Southern Tiare ship’s retirement.
“The vessel is an economic and community lifeline for the Chatham Islands. The new ship meets locals’ needs and ensures a reliable, long-term service which can be scaled up to grow alongside the Chathams over the next 20 years,” Mr Meager says.
“The ship, which will be bigger than the nearly 40-year-old Southern Tiare, has been designed to cover all freight requirements. This includes the ability to carry livestock, fuel, vehicles, general and bulk freight.
“This increase in capacity and service reliability will strengthen sectors such as fishing, farming and tourism. Importantly, it provides certainty to businesses and the community.”
The contract with 44 South Shipping Limited Partnership, the joint venture of McCallum Bros Ltd and Nova Marine Carriers, follows last year’s preferred supplier decision.
“I want to thank the Chatham Islands community for its patience and cooperation throughout this process. With negotiations concluded, we now have certainty around cost, delivery timeframes, and performance expectations,” Mr Meager says.
“With this agreement, we have secured reliable and affordable shipping services between the Chatham Islands and mainland New Zealand for the coming decades.
“This is a great outcome for the people in our most remote community, and is another example of our commitment to fixing the basics and building the future.”
Notes to Editor:
The Government began a procurement process in March 2025. It selected the joint venture involving McCallum Bros Ltd and Nova Marine Carriers SA (44 South Shipping Limited Partnership) as the preferred supplier in September 2025.
The Crown is funding $24.3 million towards the cost of the new vessel. The ship’s total cost is commercially sensitive.
The new ship’s length was previously reported to be 78 metres. This has now been confirmed to be 77 metres, following the vessel’s design finalisation.
Hunting in Fiordland National Park. Photo: George Ledgard.
Hunting is part of New Zealand’s outdoor heritage. For many people, it’s how they were first introduced to the bush. Early starts, learning to read the land and weather, the thrill of the chase, spending time with friends and family, passing knowledge down through generations, and enjoying the harvest.
Hunting also offers something more. It’s a way to connect with nature, to understand the places we care about, and to play a part in protecting them for the future.
Seeing the forest up close
When you’re hunting, you see animal sign, hear birdsong, and notice where the good feed and habitat is, or isn’t. This is naturing. Many hunters can tell which areas are recovering, and which are under pressure from browsing wild animals like deer and goats. Hunters’ observations often match what monitoring shows: where browsing is high, the forest is less diverse and preferred plants struggle to regenerate; where deer numbers are lower, those same plants recover 1–3. Hunters also see that reflected in the condition of the animals they harvest, animals are in better condition in when numbers are low.
That observation is one reason many hunters value healthy ecosystems and support conservation outcomes. Across the country, hunters already give back in practical ways by trapping predators, maintaining huts, reporting wild animal sightings, and contributing to local conservation projects.
For many, hunting is both recreation and stewardship.
Introduced wild animals such as deer, pigs, tahr, and goats are becoming more widespread and abundant across New Zealand. When numbers are high, they browse heavily on seedlings and understory plants. Over time, this can change forest structure and reduce the ability of native plants to regenerate and replenish the canopy. This then puts pressure on the habitats our native species depend on.
Recreational hunters help reduce numbers across many parts of the country. More than 7 million hectares of public conservation land is available for hunting, and hunter effort plays a part in managing wild animal numbers across this wider landscape.
But there’s an important reality to be clear about. Recreational hunting on its own isn’t enough to reduce animal numbers to levels that protect forest health in many areas. Research and expert commentary in New Zealand indicate relying on recreational hunting alone, without additional targeted control, often isn’t sufficient to reduce animals to low numbers that allow species preferred by introduced wild deer and goats to regenerate in our forests. It’s not a criticism of hunters. It reflects the scale of the ecological challenge.
In our own monitoring, sites with high deer numbers, like Ruahine Forest Park, show clear signs of browsing pressure on key plant species.
Why DOC needs to do intensive, targeted management
Some populations of introduced wild animals, particularly wild deer, are breeding faster than they’re being hunted. Current estimates suggest there are over 1 million wild deer in New Zealand. With a reproductive rate of around 20-30%, that means more than 300,000 new wild deer are added to the population each year. It takes a coordinated effort to keep numbers at levels that protect forest health. In many areas, the annual offtake needed just to stop populations growing is beyond what recreational hunting can achieve on its own. That’s why collective, targeted work is needed in high priority places to make a difference.
Red deer. Photo: John Neilsen.
DOC focuses intensive management on around 1.4 million hectares of high-priority conservation land, where biodiversity values are highest. Including, about 1.2 million hectares where the aim is to reduce browsing pressure from wild goats at priority sites.
Healthy forests aren’t just about trees. They provide food and shelter for birds, insects, and other native species. Every plant and animal plays a role in keeping ecosystems balanced and more resilient to changing conditions, including climate change. When introduced wild animals browse heavily, key plants struggle to survive, and the animals that depend on them are affected. Protecting biodiversity ensures these ecosystems can continue to function, thrive, and be enjoyed by future generations.
In these areas, the level of control needed is beyond what recreational hunting alone can usually achieve. That’s why New Zealand needs to use a mix of tools, selected to suit the location, terrain, and ecological values involved:
Professional ground hunting – trained teams targeting specific populations in specific areas
Aerial control – necessary in remote and rugged areas
Exclusion fencing – to protect sensitive ecological sites
Management hunts – community-led management hunting projects that contribute to the overall effort to manage animals
Commercial Wild Animal Recovery Operations (WARO) – as part of wider management and a contribution to reducing numbers
Recreational hunting – as part of wider management and a contribution to reducing numbers
All of these tools are used together where and when they’re needed. No single approach will work everywhere.
We need to use a mosaic approach, applying different tools in different places in a coordinated manner. In some areas, sustained and intensive work is required over many years to reduce browsing pressure to levels that allow high priority forests to recover. In some locations, management may include fencing to protect sensitive ecological or land-use values by keeping animals out. In other areas, recreational hunting, or commercial recovery can contribute to reducing numbers across the wider landscape.
Animal exclosure plot in Ruahine Forest Park showing the effect of browsing. Photo: DOC.
DOC ranger hunting. Photo: Karl Drury
Working together for healthy forests
The message is straightforward: hunters are part of the solution and so is targeted DOC management. Protecting New Zealand’s landscapes requires a mix of approaches informed by monitoring and science. Many of DOC’s efforts also involve iwi and hapū, hunters, and local communities working together to get better outcomes for biodiversity.
For example, in Molesworth’s ecologically sensitive Turk’s Head area, we teamed up with volunteers from the Marlborough NZ Deerstalkers Association to give wild goat control a real lift. With us providing coordination, some helicopter support and ammunition, the wide-open country became the perfect place for recreational hunters to make a meaningful contribution. In just a few days, volunteers removed more than 1,000 goats, and our DOC team followed soon after also removing over 1000. Working side by side in the right terrain, this combined effort made a noticeable dent in goat numbers and is part of ongoing work aiming to ease pressure on the rare plants and fragile landscapes that make Molesworth so special.
Lake McRae, Turk’s Head, Molesworth. Photo: DOC.
Get outdoors. Go hunting. Make sure you have a permit. Enjoy the places you care about and be part of looking after them, so nature and everything that depends on it can thrive. And if every hunter knocks over just a few extra animals while they’re out, maybe one for the freezer and one for the forest, it can help reduce numbers across the wider landscape.
1. Nugent, G., Forsyth, D. M., Smith-Flueck, J.-A. M. & Latham, A. D. M. Non-Native Deer: Origins, Status, Impacts, and Management. in Deer of the World: Ecology, Conservation and Management (eds Melletti, M. & Focardi, S.) 887–912 (Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham, 2025). doi:10.1007/978-3-031-17756-9_60.
2. Tanentzap, A. J. et al. Landscape‐level vegetation recovery from herbivory: progress after four decades of invasive red deer control. (2009).
3. Nugent, G., Fraser, W. & Sweetapple, P. Top down or bottom up? Comparing the impacts of introduced arboreal possums and ‘terrestrial’ ruminants on native forests in New Zealand. Biological Conservation 99, 65–79 (2001).
4. Allen, K. et al. Long‐term exclusion of invasive ungulates alters tree recruitment and functional traits but not total forest carbon. Ecological Applications 33, e2836 (2023).
5. Latham, A. D. M. & Nugent, G. Introduction, impacts, and management of non-native deer and other hunted ungulates in New Zealand. Journal of Japan Deer Studies 2017, 41–57 (2017).
6. Fraser, W. The Effect of Recreational Hunters on Deer Populations in Pureora Conservation Park. Science for Conservation 38 (1996).
7. Nugent, G. & Choquenot, D. Comparing cost-effectiveness of commercial harvesting, state-funded culling, and recreational deer hunting in New Zealand. Wildlife Society Bulletin 32, 481–492 (2004).
8. Fraser, K. W. Status and Conservation Role of Recreational Hunting on Conservation Land.
9. Forsyth, D. M., Allen, R. B., Marburg, A. E., MacKenzie, D. I. & Douglas, M. J. Population dynamics and resource use of red deer after release from harvesting in New Zealand. New Zealand journal of ecology 277–287 (2010).
Auckland Council has less than two weeks to respond to a letter from the government wanting the council to outline its plan for housing intensification.
But mayor Wayne Brown says the council is already spending millions on the project and the request is too costly.
In February, Minister for Housing and RMA Reform Chris Bishop announced that Cabinet agreed to reduce the city’s minimum housing capacity requirement from 2.08 million to 1.6 million.
In a letter to Brown dated 24 February, Bishop asked for an outline of the approach the mayor intended to take to review the plan, and of what areas or suburbs may be affected by the change.
Brown refused. “We’ve spent $10 million on Plan Change 78, and by Christmas we’d blown another $3 million on Plan Change 120, as well as having 50 staff reading 10,000 submissions… so this is expensive,” he told a planning committee meeting on Tuesday.
“Preparing maps requires investing significant time and money. It’s not as simple as pushing a button. In this organisation you’re lucky to get a lift by pushing a button. We’ll be telling the government what Aucklanders want, not the other way around.
“What’s important is for Auckland to lead the process from here, not producing maps to see if some ministers worried about their jobs might like them.”
A spokesperson from Chris Bishop’s office later clarified to RNZ that the minister had never asked Brown for a map.
Brown was adament that Auckland Council would not invest any more resources.
“I’m reluctant to commission a hell of a lot of expenditure, which may not meet an unknown criteria from an unknown number of Cabinet Ministers. Most of them don’t live in Auckland.
“That’s just stupid. I’m not going to do that. I’m the mayor of Auckland. If they want to be the mayor of Auckland, have a crack at me.”
Bishop asked Brown to respond to the letter by 17 March.
Councillor Shane Henderson agrees with the mayor’s approach saying the council should not provide an outline until feedback from the public had been considered, and accused the government of “political desperation in an election year”.
Councillor Sarah Paterson-Hamlin was concerned Aucklanders would have to be consulted again.
“I’m really conscious that we asked a lot of Aucklanders,” she said.
“We asked them for feedback on a really complicated thing over Christmas and they came to the party, 10,000 submissions is a lot for a process like that. I don’t know how we can go back out in good faith, and how we communicate to those 10,000-plus people that they will be heard.”
However, deputy mayor Desley Simpson did not understand why it would be too difficult.
“Respectfully it does seem pretty obvious, for me, for a layman, surely if you just up-zoned along the major transport corridors and around the stations added the city centre you’d get a number.
“Why can’t you just tell us straight away what those suburbs would look like going up and the suburbs that would look like going down? That seems like, from a layman, quite a logical thing to ask.”
Auckland Council chief of strategy Megan Tyler responded that it would be too time-consuming.
“It’s not simple. If it was a button, I would happily show you the button. You can press the button yourself. There isn’t one.”
Auckland Council will meet again on 10 March, where Bishop’s letter will be on the agenda.
Fresh strikes have hit half a dozen countries across the Middle East in the widening conflict surrounding Iran.
The latest blasts were reported in Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as Israel urged countries to cut ties with Iran.
Israel said its air force had launched a new “large scale” wave of strikes “targeting the Iranian terror regime’s infrastructure in Tehran”, following the latest salvo of missiles fired from Iran, including in Tel Aviv and in several sites in central Israel.
Iran, in turn, appealed to the UN Security Council to step in, while warning of more intense attacks on US forces and Israel as the war raged for the fourth day.
Iranian drones struck the US embassy in Saudi Arabia after previously hitting the mission in Kuwait.
In Lebanon, air strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area where Hezbollah holds sway, while Hezbollah said it had targeted a military facility in Israel in response.
Israel ordered its forces to take control of more positions inside Lebanon to create a buffer zone, and the Lebanese army pulled back some of its forces.
Explosions were also heard in the Bahraini and Qatari capitals of Manama and Doha.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said a key Iranian nuclear site, Natanz, was damaged, but “no radiological consequence” was expected.
The UN refugee agency said the escalation of hostilities has displaced at least 30,000 people in Lebanon, and the Iranian Red Crescent said more than 780 people have been killed nationwide.
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A man who was abused in state care is “angry and saddened” that the number of children and young people being abused in care has continued to increase.
The Independent Children’s Monitor’s latest report said 530 tamaraki and rangatahi were abused in state care during the 2024/25 year, up from 507 during the 2023/24 year.
State abuse survivor Keith Wiffin said that was difficult for him and many other survivors to hear.
“In particular the 3000 courageous survivors who gave testimony to the royal comission on the basis that the appalling rates of abuse that continue would cease and we would see change and improvement.”
But he said the government and faith based institutions had not made enough changes after the Royal Comission on Abuse in Care.
“They have generally ignored the findings and recommendations of the royal comission, and therefore been contemptous of it, and that’s played a role in these continuing appalling rates of abuse.”
Keith Wiffin was abused in state care in the 1970s at Epuni boys home in the Hutt Valley and testified to the Royal Comission.
He said tinkering with the care system would not work, and fundamental change was needed for things to improve.
“That approach is: families, communties, iwi, hapu need to be resourced to look after their own. The best way to stop abuse in care is to see our young don’t go into care in the first place.”
Keith Wiffin said during his time in state care, he had a good social worker but he was completely overworked with a caseload of 80 boys.
Independent Children’s Monitor chief executive, Arran Jones, said social workers being overworked was still a problem today.
“Social workers spend a lot of time trying to find homes for young people that have to be removed from mum and dad … so that places pressure on the social work day job.
“The second thing is trying to access the help these kids need – so time taken negotiating with health and education over who will pay for supports.”
The report found a third of tamariki and rangatahi were not being visited by their social worker as often as they should be.
It also highlighted problems acessing health and education services, and Jones suggested prioritising tamaraki and rangatahi in care for these services over the general population.
“Because what the evidence tells us is tamariki in care have far worse outcomes into their adult lives than other children.”
Oranga Tamariki has been working on a National Care Standards Action Plan since early last year which Jones hoped would make a difference.
“This is the first time in the six years I’ve seen Oranga Tamariki commit to a very clear actionable plan. So this is a positive sign.”
Minister responds
Minister for Children Karen Chhour.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Minister for Children Karen Chhour said turning around generations of failures would not happen overnight, but she believed the most recent data from Oranga Tamariki showed progress was being made towards a stronger safety net for young people in care.
Chhour acknowledged the report identified silos and gaps between government agencies and said she had spoken to ministerial colleagues about working more closely together.
She said she was particularly proud of the progress towards working more closely with communities, strategic partners, and iwi and hapu
Oranga Tamariki responds
Oranga Tamariki chief social worker Nicolette Dickson.RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Oranga Tamariki chief social worker, Nicolette Dickson, said it had seen performance improvements in eight out of the 10 focus areas in the National Care Standards Action Plan, and was confident about seeing sustained improvements through a focus on that work.
Dickson said more tamariki were being supported to remain safely with their whānau, and of those surveyed, 96 percent of children in care said they felt safe, 90 percent felt supported to achieve their goals and 89 percent felt they had somewhere to belong.
She agreed there were a number of areas to improve on, but said the organisation was on the right track to address them.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Fresh strikes have hit half a dozen countries across the Middle East in the widening conflict surrounding Iran.
The latest blasts were reported in Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as Israel urged countries to cut ties with Iran.
Israel said its air force had launched a new “large scale” wave of strikes “targeting the Iranian terror regime’s infrastructure in Tehran”, following the latest salvo of missiles fired from Iran, including in Tel Aviv and in several sites in central Israel.
Iran, in turn, appealed to the UN Security Council to step in, while warning of more intense attacks on US forces and Israel as the war raged for the fourth day.
In Lebanon, air strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area where Hezbollah holds sway, while Hezbollah said it had targeted a military facility in Israel in response.
Israel ordered its forces to take control of more positions inside Lebanon to create a buffer zone, and the Lebanese army pulled back some of its forces.
Explosions were also heard in the Bahraini and Qatari capitals of Manama and Doha.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said a key Iranian nuclear site, Natanz, was damaged, but “no radiological consequence” was expected.
The UN refugee agency said the escalation of hostilities has displaced at least 30,000 people in Lebanon, and the Iranian Red Crescent said more than 780 people have been killed nationwide.
Follow the latest with our live blog at the top of this page.
The elipse at its max, taken from Wai-iti Dark Sky Park in Tasman.Supplied / Brent
Budding astronomers and photographers have ditched sleep overnight to lay eyes on a total lunar eclipse over New Zealand – from what one expert says is the “best seat in the world”.
The only lunar eclipse of 2026, also known as a blood moon, began just before 10pm on Tuesday.
Stardome astronomer Josh Aoraki earlier told RNZ lunar eclipses were not rare per se – the rarity was whether or not it was visible from your location.
“For this one in particular, we really have the best seat in the world, really. It’s really only visible for its entirety over the Pacific. And it’s the only one that we’re going to see this year. I don’t think we have another until 2028, about two years.”
Investor confidence has lifted to 11% according to ASB’s latest Investor Confidence Survey for the fourth quarter to December 31 2025, a slight increase from 10% in Q3. The lower North Island reported the most significant rise, jumping from 3% in Q3 to 10% in Q4, up 7%.
The survey reveals a shift in New Zealanders’ perceptions of where the strongest investment returns lie. For the first time in years, owning your own home or having a property investment are no longer seen as providing the best returns on balance among those surveyed.
Instead, KiwiSaver and managed funds have emerged as the top two performers in the eyes of investors, reflecting growing confidence in diversified and professionally managed investment options.
ASB senior economist Chris Tennent-Brown explains, “While property has long been considered the gold standard for investment, Kiwi are increasingly recognising the value and convenience of managed funds and the long-term benefits of KiwiSaver, favouring the flexibility and potential for growth.
The under 30s have been leading the way in this shift in sentiment for some time, however this quarter’s findings show a change in sentiment among most other age groups.
“The generational divide is apparent with the over 60s holding steady in their belief that your own home is still the best investment, which is unsurprising. Gen Z on the other hand believe the best returns currently lie in investing in shares of publicly listed companies, signalling the rise of the DIY investor as an accessible path to growing your portfolio,” says Chris.
“Despite this shift, New Zealanders continue to be interested in buying homes to live in, as indicated in the increase in confidence in our Housing Confidence survey. It just means perception of property as an investment is evolving.”
The survey underscores the importance of financial education and the evolving needs of investors as they seek robust and reliable options in a dynamic economic environment.
Notes:
ASB has tracked investor confidence in the NZ market since 1997. This analysis is based on 672 online interviews in Q4 2025 with adults aged 18 years and older throughout New Zealand. A sample of this size has a maximum margin of error of 3.8% at the 95% confidence level. Fieldwork occurred between 1st October – 16th December 2025.
Tourism satellite account: Year ended March 2025 – information release
3 March 2026
The tourism satellite account (TSA) provides an overview of tourism’s role in the New Zealand economy, highlighting the changing levels and impact of tourism activity. It presents information on tourism’s contribution to the economy in terms of expenditure and employment.
This release covers provisional figures for the year ended March 2025 and final detailed results for 2024.
Key provisional estimates
For the year ended March 2025 (expressed in nominal terms):
total tourism expenditure was $46.6 billion, up 3.3 percent ($1.5 billion) from 2024
international tourism expenditure was $18.1 billion, up 7.0 percent ($1.2 billion) from 2024
as a percentage of total exports, international tourism expenditure was 17 percent, down 0.2 percentage points from 2024
international student expenditure (studying less than 12 months) was $4 billion, up 4.8 percent ($184 million)
domestic tourism expenditure was $28.5 billion, up 1.0 percent ($0.3 billion or $293 million)
There were 36,944 new homes consented in Aotearoa New Zealand in the year ended January 2026, up 9.3 percent compared with the year ended January 2025, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.
“New home consents increased over the year, with multi-unit homes continuing to play a significant role in the annual rise,” economic indicators spokesperson Michelle Feyen said.
Of the multi-unit homes consented in the year ended January 2026, compared with the year ended January 2025, there were:
16,175 townhouses, flats, and units (up 14 percent)
2,436 apartments (up 26 percent)
1,585 retirement village units (down 7.7 percent).
The number of stand-alone houses consented was 16,748, up 5.0 percent over the year.
Visit our website to read the full news story and information release and to download CSV files:
A plume of smoke rises from the Zayed Port following a reported Iranian strike in Abu Dhabi.AFP / RYAN LIM
A New Zealander living very near a military base in the Middle East which is critical to the US says he feels safe enough for the moment – but his family has an overland evacuation plan just in case.
The US State Department today issued a “depart now” warning to Americans living in more than a dozen locations in the Middle East.
A number of Arab states that host strategic American assets have been targeted by Iran in the wake of the US-Israel lead attack against the Islamic republic.
Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have all been hit.
Just outside the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi is a military base that hosts US troops that has reportedly been a target of retaliatory strikes.
Jordon Buchanan, his wife and two young children moved to Abu Dhabi about 10 months ago to expand his construction recruitment business, and now find themselves in a conflict zone.
Buchanan told Checkpoint that the family was woken up about 2.30am this morning by some loud shockwaves, but the defence system in the area was very good.
“It’s a little bit hairy, being out of your control. But so far, so good, they seem to be intercepting everything, pretty much.”
He said the blasts started on Saturday, but Monday was fairly quiet.
“We heard one sound in the morning, but then nothing, and people were going about their business. The government has basically said ‘continue on as normal’, the public and private sector have been told to stay at home and work for the next three days.”
He said while it currently felt very safe, there is a contingency plan to drive to Oman – about two hours away – if they need to get out of the region.
“There is a big group of New Zealanders and Australians that live in our local community and we’re just going to go in a big convoy together if things start to get more hairy, but for now, no-one I know has actually left the country or tried to escape.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
The family of a young man shot and killed by a hunter on Stewart Island last year say the hunter’s failure to identify his target has left them facing a “lifetime of hell”.
Ashburton builder Paul William John Stevens, 39, has avoided jail time and instead been sentenced to five months’ home detention for shooting Jock Davies, 21, last July.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of careless use of a firearm causing death.
At the Invercargill District Court on Tuesday, Judge Russell Walker ordered Stevens to make $20,000 in reparation payments, split equally between a scholarship in Jock Davies’ name for West Otago students and a New Zealand Deerstalkers Association hunter safety course.
Davies’ mother Sarah Davies told the court she never anticipated her son, who was a cancer survivor, would not return from the week-long much-anticipated hunting trip with his father and brothers.
“I miss Jock every day, I miss the twinkle in his eye, his naughty sense of humour. I miss his laughter, the way he used to light up a room. I miss his resilience, his kindness and I miss him leaving the lights on. Jock was one special human,” she said.
Davies’ oldest brother George Davies told Stevens that he had failed as a firearms licence-holder and the family was facing “lifelong effects” as a result.
He spoke of the trauma of seeing his brother after the shooting.
“The impact of having to carry my dead brother up the hill to rescuers is something I will have to live with forever, it’s something no-one should have to do. It was meant to be a trip of a lifetime which turned into a lifetime of hell,” he said.
Davies’ brother Tom Davies described the eight months since the death as a “living nightmare”.
“I’ve found myself in a dark hole where I didn’t know what was right or wrong anymore. It has been a battle to leave the house some days,” he said.
Paul William John Stevens in court.RNZ / Katie Todd
Jock Davies had been intending to join him in Christchurch at teachers’ college and it left a “huge ache” in his heart and soul to know that would not happen, he said.
“I’m trying my absolute hardest to be there for my family as we navigate a new way of life,” he said.
Davies’ father Peter Davies said his son had touched many lives, with his funeral attended by more than 1000 people.
“As a dad there should have been so many more proud moments, but now there’s only memories,” he said.
Stevens sat quietly, crying, as the victim impact statements were read to the court.
His lawyer Grant Fletcher told the court that Stevens, a father of two, could not possibly regret his actions more.
“He would do anything to make it right but obviously he can’t,” he said.
“He’s offered his most heartfelt, most sincere, most genuine remorse and regret.”
Reading from a summary of facts, Judge Walker said Stevens and Davies were part of the same group of eight people on the week-long trip, hunting in the South Lords River block.
The group split up on the morning of 6 July and Davies was dropped off from a dinghy, while Stevens and another associate went in the opposite direction to hunt.
Stevens told police the terrain was “gnarly and hard-going,” he said.
“You said you were not used to hunting in such thick and challenging bush.”
Stevens heard a shuffling noise 20 metres away and saw a “dark shadowy image”, he said.
“Confident it was a deer and not wanting to miss the opportunity, you chambered a round in your rifle and fired a single telescopically-aimed shot,” he said.
“You aimed for what you believed was the neck area of the deer.”
A rescue helicopter was dispatched at about 11am but when it arrived two hours later Davies was dead, he said.
Judge Walker found Stevens’ actions to show a “medium-to-high level of carelessness”.
Stevens “would and should have been well aware of the dangers of hunting” but did not attempt to sight the deer with his own eyes, he said.
“The terrain was challenging for you to the extent that you discussed turning back. You were clearly aware that others would have been in the area,” he said.
He found Stevens’ remorse to be genuine and said Davies’ death would have a life-long impact.
“I accept the mental health impact that this has had and will continue to have upon you. It is rightly described as profound,” he said.
From a starting point of 18 months’ imprisonment, Walker deducted eight months for mitigating factors and converted the resulting 10 months’ imprisonment into five months’ home detention.
He also ordered the forfeiture of Stevens’ rifle and ammunition.
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Singapore’s credit and charge card payments market is projected to grow by 9.2% to reach SGD116.8 billion ($88.4 billion) in 2026. This growth is being driven by a confluence of factors including widespread card acceptance, a near-100% banked population, and increasing adoption of contactless cards, according to GlobalData, a leading intelligence and productivity platform.
GlobalData’s Payment Cards Analytics reveals that the credit and charge card payment value in Singapore registered an estimated growth rate of 7.6% in 2025, to reach SGD107 billion ($80.9 billion), driven by the rise in consumer spending.
Poornima Chinta, Senior Banking and Payments Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “While debit cards also enjoy strong usage, especially in everyday transactions, credit and charge cards have pulled ahead through superior value-added benefits, instalment options, cashback, and rewards programs. Regulatory backing, high public awareness of payment cards, robust merchant acceptance, and infrastructural enhancements including broader contactless card penetration are all reinforcing their lead.”
Rewards, discounts, and flexible payment schemes play a key role in driving credit and charge card usage in Singapore. Banks such as UOB offer instalment plans for online purchases over three, six, 12 or 24-month periods with 0% interest at partner merchants, while Citibank’s Citi SMRT card delivers up to 5% cashback on purchases in stores and online.
A well-developed POS infrastructure is also supporting the rise of credit and charge cards. Singapore boasts one of the highest number of POS terminals per million inhabitants in the Asia-Pacific region, which stood at 62,551 in 2025, significantly higher compared to some of its peers such as Malaysia (29,093), Hong Kong (27,992), and Thailand (13,017).
Regulatory and policy developments are also enhancing the environment for credit and charge card payments. Initiatives such as the Productivity Solutions Grant support SMEs with subsidized POS installations (up to 50% funding from April 2023), increasing merchant acceptance.
Chinta concludes: “Credit and charge card payments in Singapore are poised for steady growth over the next five years, underpinned by the expanding e-commerce adoption, a well-developed payment infrastructure, attractive rewards and instalment offers, and robust regulatory support. The credit and charge card market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% between 2025 and 2029 to reach SGD144.2 billion ($109.1 billion) in 2029.”
Notes
Quotes provided by Poornima Chinta, Senior Banking and Payments Analyst at GlobalData Information is based on GlobalData’s Payment Cards Analytics
About GlobalData
GlobalData operates an intelligence platform that empowers leaders to act decisively in a world of complexity and change. By uniting proprietary data, human expertise, and purpose-built AI into a single, connected platform, we help organizations see what’s coming, move faster, and lead with confidence. Our solutions are used by over 5,000 organizations across the world’s largest industries, delivering tailored intelligence that supports strategic planning, innovation, risk management, and sustainable growth.
Utilities Disputes, the independent disputes resolution service, is welcoming today’s decision by the Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko on improvements to electricity billing, especially the limiting of back bills.
The change to back bills, which Utilities Disputes has been advocating for, will ensure there is greater consistency amongst electricity retailers, and will bring New Zealand into line with international best practice.
“This is a significant reform and fixes a big gap in consumer protection,” said Utilities Disputes Commissioner Neil Mallon.
“Back bills, sometimes covering years of accumulated charges, can cause enormous financial shock and distress for households and businesses alike. It shouldn’t be up to retailers to decide how far back to go.”
The Electricity Authority will limit retailers going back more than six months. A retailer charges back bills or catch-up bills when there have been faults in meter readings and other issues, which are generally not the fault of the customer. Often bills are large dating back to a year, even longer, before the fault has been detected.
“Today’s decision is welcome as it sets a clear, fair limit and gives consumers and retailers much greater certainty.
“We also submitted for retailers to have standardised billing information so consumers can easily find the info they need and welcome that as part of these changes which will be in place by 30 October 2026”.
Utilities Disputes is the free and independent resolution service for electricity, gas, telecommunications, and water complaints.
In the past year, Utilities Disputes considered 183 deadlocked complaints about back bills, making up 12 percent of all deadlocked energy complaints, those where the retailer and consumer have not been able to agree on a solution. The average value of all back bills complained about was $5,130, with residential back bills averaging $2,290 and commercial back bills averaging $18,280. Twenty percent of complaints involved back bills covering more than 14 months of usage, with the average value in that category reaching $9,760.
Utilities Disputes data shows a significant inconsistency in how retailers have approached back-billing, with some going back 14 months, others much longer, and in one case as far as 72 months. Consumers are often unaware that their bills have been based on estimates, leaving them blindsided when a large catch-up bill arrives. In some cases, retailers have then attempted to direct debit the entire amount in a single transaction.
“We have seen cases where businesses have been hit with back bills of $75,000 or more with the retailer attempting to debit the full amount from a customer’s account in one go without any warning or discussion. That is simply not acceptable. The consumer has little to no control over the errors that cause these bills, so it is right that the law now sets a clear limit on how far back retailers can go,” Neil Mallon said.
The reform will also create a more level playing field across the industry. Some retailers had already voluntarily limited their back-billing timeframes in response to the concerns of Utilities. Putting this into the Electricity Industry Participation Code means all retailers are held to the same standard.
New Zealand has lagged comparable markets on this issue. Victoria limits back-billing to four months, New South Wales to nine months, and the United Kingdom to 12 months.
“Six months is a significant reduction, but it can still mean a substantial bill for some customers. We encourage retailers to work proactively with them well before a back bill is issued, and to offer flexible payment plans where large amounts are involved. The goal here is ensuring customers are treated fairly throughout the process,” Neil Mallon said.
