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Source: Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/04/03/kids-unplugged-struck-a-nerve-at-our-dinner-table/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A crash has closed a section of State Highway One in mid-Canterbury.

New Zealand Transport Agency said the crash happened near the intersection with Chertsey Kyle Road, between Ashburton and Rakaia.

The highway is closed between the intersections with Elizabeth Avenue and Somerton Road.

UPDATE 11:20AM
SH1 is now CLOSED between Elizabeth Ave, Rakaia and Somerton Rd.
Southbound traffic at Rakaia turn right onto Elizabeth Ave, then left onto Railway Tce, continue on Thompsons Track, then left onto Somerton Rd and back onto SH1. Reverse for northbound traffic. ^JP https://t.co/WskMzNbJYT pic.twitter.com/nGOKISBIwS

— NZ Transport Agency – Canterbury & West Coast (@nztacwc) April 2, 2026

Traffic is being diverted.

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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/2026/04/03/crash-closes-section-of-sh1-near-ashburton/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police closed off two roads in Petone as part of their response to reports of a person with a possible firearm being seen in a street.

Three people have now been taken into custody, a police spokesperson said.

Emergency services were called at around 7.20am to the Lower Hutt suburb, and armed police were quickly deployed as a precaution.

Roads from East Street to Waione Street were closed in the area and the public were asked to stay away during the incident but they are open now with cordons and diversions removed.

Officers are continuing to investigate the matter.

Police are thanking the public for their patience if their Easter holiday weekend was slightly disrupted while emergency services worked at the scene.

They say they can reassure the community that there appears to be no further concerns, and officers will remain present around the area.

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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/2026/04/03/three-arrested-after-armed-police-attend-incident-in-petone/

Source: Radio New Zealand

The primary teachers’ union says there have been gains in the deal its members accepted following drawn out bargaining, despite the salary settings being the same as an earlier offer.

Educational Institute Te Riu Roa primary teacher members agreed to a 2.5 percent pay rise with a further 2.1 percent in January next year.

Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said the pay increase was the same as was offered in December and the delay had cost primary teachers about $550 each.

NZEI Te Riu Roa primary teacher leader and bargaining team member Barb Curran said if the ministry had made the new offer earlier, a settlement could have been reached sooner.

She said there were gains in the final deal, including an increase to the camp allowance, funds for training and parity with secondary school teachers over allowances for extra duties.

“We will finally at the very end of the term of this have our management units be worth the same as a secondary unit. That’s been a point of contention for some time and an anomaly that no-one could satisfactorily explain.”

The value of a unit would increase from $4500 to $5250 by October 2028.

Around 60 percent of teachers qualified for extra duty payments, Curran said.

“We’re also pleased we’ve got some opportunity for our relievers to do some professional learning and development – you could argue that should be business as usual, that the government would be providing professional learning for all teachers, but our relievers have been missing out, so we’re pleased for them.”

The union had hoped to negotiate a payment to acknowledge the extra work involved in implementing the new curriculum but was unsuccesful, she said.

“We had hoped for some sort of recognition of that work. Primary principals received a lump sum to recognise that work towards the curriculum changes, and we were hoping primary teachers who were actually in the classroom doing the work would be offered something to recognise that.”

Curran said it was frustrating the pay offer was below inflation, especially when there were huge increases in costs around fuel that were seeping into other areas.

“But our members have made the decision, so we’ll move on. We have other things we need to work towards in the education sector.”

It had been a long, difficult bargaining period, including scathing public critiques of teachers by senior government ministers and an unprecedented offer to non-union members ahead of settlement, Curran said.

The union requested Employment Relations Authority intervention over the stalled pay talks earlier this year after rejecting a mediated offer it described as mostly unchanged from the rejected December offer.

Following facilitated bargaining, a proposed settlement was put to NZEI members late last month.

Under the terms of the settlement, teachers on the top two steps of the salary scale would receive a cumulative pay increase of 4.7 percent by January next year.

This meant teachers at the top of the pay scale would see their base salary increase to $107,886 per annum.

Teachers moving up the pay scale would continue to receive annual increases along with a cumulative 4.6 percent pay increase by January next year.

Secondary teachers accepted a similiar deal in December and primary school principals accepted an offer in February.

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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/2026/04/03/primary-teachers-union-nzei-says-still-gains-in-new-deal-despite-same-salary-settings/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have arrested a person in Auckland after they rammed a police car and attempted to flee.

Inspector Keki Wilson said shortly before 10am on Good Friday police noticed a vehicle near Victor Street and Great North Road in St Lukes because of the way the car was being driven.

Wilson said police signalled for the vehicle to stop but “the driver failed to do so and fled, ramming a police vehicle, then continuing to flee”.

No one was injured and the vehicle only sustained minor damage, Wilson said.

The police Eagle helicopter assisted in tracking the vehicle to a location near St Lukes’ mall.

The passenger got out of the vehicle and was taken into custody, however the driver of the vehicle fled on foot.

A police dog unit followed the man, while the Eagle helicopter monitored from above, Wilson said.

A 33-year-old man was arrested in the St Lukes Mall carpark.

Inspector Wilson said inquiries were ongoing.

Meanwhile, police are encouraging members of the public to report any unsafe driving they see on roads this Easter holiday weekend.

“We encourage all road users to be safe on our roads,” Wilson said.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/04/03/police-car-rammed-as-two-flee-police-pursuit-in-auckland/

Source: Radio New Zealand

A man who fatally crashed into a speeding motorcyclist had three drinks at the pub after a “busy day selling items” before he got behind the wheel.

Ronald Kelvin David Hills’ “momentary lapse of judgment” saw him turn in front of the father of three, Richard Chase, who was travelling on his motorbike at up to 90km/h on a 50km/h Hamilton street.

Chase’s death has devastated his family, who have now told Judge Gordon Matenga just how traumatic the past 11 months have been for them.

Hills, who now lives in Auckland with his son, was meanwhile fighting to stay out of prison.

‘Life isn’t the same’

Six of Chase’s close relatives had their victim impact statements read to the Hamilton District Court, including that of his 13-year-old daughter.

She said losing her dad was the “hardest thing I have ever had to go through”.

“My dad was always there for me,” she said at Hills’ sentencing on Thursday.

“He came to my sports games, supported my schooling, and never missed birthdays.

“He was the kind of dad who showed up no matter what.

“Life does not feel the same anymore. Sometimes, I still expect to see him or hear his voice.

“I will always carry him in my heart, but it’s not the same as having him here.”

Slurring his words

The court heard that around 4.30pm on May 7 last year, Hills was driving his Subaru west on Norton Rd, in Hamilton, after leaving the pub.

At the same time, Chase was speeding east on his Yamaha and pulling a “wheelstand”, or a wheelie.

He’d just dropped back down to two wheels before he reached the intersection with Maeroa Rd.

Hills, 63, had by then pulled into the turning bay to turn right into Maeroa Rd.

Traffic was heavy, and as he turned, Hills incorrectly judged the gap and turned directly into the path of Chase, who was travelling at between 80km/h and 90km/h.

Chase was thrown from his bike.

Members of the public and a nearby police unit performed CPR and a defibrillation attempt, but he never regained consciousness and died at the scene.

Hills, meanwhile, had turned into the Gull service station and spoke to police who could smell alcohol on his breath, and noted he was slurring his words.

He returned an excess breath alcohol level of 577mcg. The legal breath alcohol limit for driving is 250mcg.

A serious crash unit investigation found contributing factors of the crash were Hills’ alcohol level, Chase’s headlight being pointed in the air while doing the wheelstand, and his speed.

Determining culpability

Defence lawyer Glen Prentice asked the judge to look at the circumstances of the crash “as a whole” when determining his client’s culpability.

Effectively, he asked the judge to weigh up his client’s “poor decision making” with Chase’s speeding and wheelstand.

“It’s my submission that we will never know what role the defendant’s alcohol actually had in this crash.

“Could this crash have occurred but for his alcohol?

“Speed was a factor in this crash,” and due to that, it was unknown “how easily he would have been able to be seen”, he submitted.

Prentice said on the day of the crash, Hills had a “busy day selling items” before going to the pub where he had “about three drinks”.

Hills’ two previous drink driving convictions, from 1991 and 1992, were irrelevant, he said, as they happened more than 30 years ago.

He was remorseful and also had $10,000 to pay in emotional harm reparation.

They’re in court to ‘eyeball you’

Judge Matenga told Hills that Chase’s whānau and friends were in court today to “eyeball you”.

“That is part of the process.

“They have expressed their anger and frustration at you, but also their deeply felt loss.”

The judge accepted that Hills’ breath alcohol level was moderate, and not an aggravating feature of the crash.

Hills was also waiting in a turning bay to turn right.

“All of these actions are expected of any driver. I do not see these as being aggravated driving at all.”

However, the evidence did show that he failed to keep a proper lookout and give way, which involved a “momentary lapse of judgment”.

“At a time when that judgment was affected by the amount of alcohol you had consumed.”

The fact that Chase had just completed a wheelstand, moving his light up, and speeding were also factors.

“Drivers would not be expecting vehicles travelling much quicker than [50km/h],” the judge said.

As for Hills’ previous convictions, he agreed they were not relevant.

However, Hills had received several speeding tickets in the past, which was an indication of his poor judgment, the judge said.

Judge Matenga took a starting point of two years and nine months’ imprisonment, before allowing 30 percent in discounts, reducing the sentence to 23 months.

He commuted that to 11 months and two weeks’ home detention.

Hills was also disqualified from driving for 30 months and ordered to pay the $10,000 reparation immediately.

This story was first published by the New Zealand Herald.

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

LiveNews: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/04/03/ronald-hills-had-three-drinks-before-he-fatally-crashed-into-a-speeding-motorcyclist-in-hamilton/

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police are asking the public to keep away from the East Street area in Petone as officers respond to an incident.

Armed officers were among those who were attending, a police spokesperson said on Friday.

The area is cordoned off, with road closures in place from East Street to Waione Street.

Diversion for traffic will be down Kirkcaldy Street onto Marine Parade.

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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/2026/04/03/armed-police-at-scene-of-incident-in-petone/