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Country’s lightest electric double-decker bus to hit Christchurch’s roads next week

Source: Radio New Zealand

Chair Deon Swiggs, Councillor Joe Davies and corporate and public transport director Giles Southwell in front of the new bus. Supplied / Environment Canterbury

The lightest fully electric double decker bus to hit the road in New Zealand will officially join Metro’s fleet in Christchurch next week.

Developed by global automotive innovator Geely and bus operator Kinetic, the bus is the first electric double decker bus not to require a weight permit.

Canterbury Regional Council chair Deon Swiggs said in an urban environment not needing a weight permit meant less wear and tear on the road surface.

“A number of councils are worried about heavy vehicles on inner city streets or urban streets. It’s a very real concern.

“Now we’re getting the technology to make sure that we don’t go into heavy vehicles on streets where people are living, but we can also now have double-decker buses, which increases the amount of people we can get into those public transport vehicles and still have them underweight.”

Swiggs said not having to go through the permit process meant they were also able to get the bus on the road quicker.

The bus was built with aerospace-grade aluminium technology, similar to that used in the Airbus A380, giving it a stronger and lighter frame than traditional steel construction – reducing road wear, tyre and brake use, and energy consumption.

More than 30 engineers were involved in the project

“It took almost two years to perfect this bus – this is the fourth version Geely made. The intense development and testing of this vehicle demonstrates how cutting edge it is,” said Swiggs.

Inside the top deck of Canterbury’s innovative new bus. Supplied / Environment Canterbury

Earlier prototypes did not meet New Zealand’s road weight requirements to operate without a permit.

The bus could take up to 95 customers including 14 standing downstairs and had a customer loading screen on the ground level to indicate how many seats were left upstairs.

Cameras located on the upper level would also allow the driver to see who was deboarding, so they could wait the appropriate amount of time for customers to hop off once the bus had come to a stop.

The bus was intended to start on the Route 7 Halswell-Queenspark service and would be tested on several of Metro’s busier routes.

The double-decker was the first electric version in Metro’s fleet, and its second double-decker.

It brought Metro’s total number of electric vehicles to 71, with the company aiming to have a fully electric fleet by 2035.

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

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What’s the link between talcum powder and cancer?

Source: Radio New Zealand

More than 1300 Victorians have joined a class action against Johnson & Johnson alleging its talcum powder products left them with ovarian cancer, mesothelioma (cancer affecting the lungs) and other cancers affecting the reproductive organs.

This follows lawsuits in the United Kingdom and the United States, including a prominent case in California. In December 2025, Johnson & Johnson was forced to pay two women US$40 million after a jury found its baby powder was dangerous and that it had failed to warn consumers.

Talc is a naturally occurring mineral mined in many parts of the world. People can come into contact with it during mining and processing, industrial applications, and more commonly, through its use in cosmetics and body powders.

People use talc on their genitals to absorb moisture, reduce friction, disguise odours, or to reduce skin rashes and chafing. Talc increases the opaqueness of face powders and cosmetics, leaving skin feeling smooth and soft.

So how is it linked to cancer? And what does the scientific evidence say?

Contamination with asbestos

Since the 1970s, questions have emerged about whether talc could be contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos is a cancer-causing agent that can affect the lungs when inhaled.

Talc and asbestos are minerals often found close to each other in the Earth, so there is potential for talc to be contaminated with asbestos during the mining process.

Since the 1970s, manufacturers have attempted to produce pure talcum powder free from asbestos. However, it’s unclear how routinely samples are tested and the extent of contamination over the past 50 years.

In 2023, Johnson & Johnson stopped selling talc in its products worldwide, including in Australia, switching instead to a cornflour base. Other manufacturers still sell talcum powder and it’s still used in cosmetics, as well as industrially.

What does the science say about the cancer link?

Two cancers have a possible link with talc use:

Some human studies have found products containing talc are linked with higher rates of ovarian cancer. Other studies have found no link.

Studies that examined the use of talc on the genital area found no evidence to suggest a link between talc and uterine or cervical cancer.

But there are several challenges to overcome when studying the link between talcum powder and cancer. It can be difficult to recall details about talc use (brand, amount, and so on) many years later. Some people who developed cancer will have died before being identified and studied, so won’t be included.

However, when researchers investigated how often participants used talc powder and compared those who used it frequently with those who didn’t, they found an increased risk of ovarian cancer among frequent users.

So what does it all mean?

When there are differing results from multiple studies, those results can be summarised together to answer the research question. So what does all the currently available evidence say about the relationship between talc usage and ovarian cancer?

This summary study concludes there appears to be a weak risk of some types of ovarian cancer, meaning it’s linked to a small increase in risk, but the reasons why remain unclear.

The evidence suggests talc does not increase the risk of other gynaecological cancers, such as uterine and cervical.

Talc contaminated with asbestos is clearly linked to an increased risk of lung cancer. However, cosmetic use of talc doesn’t seem to increase the risk of lung cancer because users don’t breathe it in.

In 2024 the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its advice to say that talc is “probably carcinogenic” which means it probably causes cancer in humans. This is the second-highest risk level for cancer, which includes the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup) and red meat.

If you use talcum powder and are concerned about an increased risk of cancer, it’s recommended you stop using it or limit how much you use. As with all decisions in life, consider the balance between potential harms and benefits, especially if you’ve used talc for a long time and want to minimise your risk of getting cancer.

Tam Ha is an Associate Professor of Cancer Epidemiology, University of Wollongong.

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

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Worries war could affect relationship between Pakistani, Afghan New Zealanders

Source: Radio New Zealand

Asif Saeed Khan is the president of Pakistan Association of New Zealand. RNZ / Blessen Tom

The Pakistan Association of New Zealand is fearing that the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan will affect the relationship between Pakistani and Afghan New Zealanders.

Pakistan bombed cities in Afghanistan, including the capital Kabul, on Friday.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared an “all-out confrontation” with the Taliban.

“Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he said.

The Pakistan Association of New Zealand president Dr Asif Saeed Khan told RNZ that it was very unfortunate, and very much unexpected.

“They are very close to each other in terms of culture, religion, and all that.”

Khan said Pakistan and Afghanistan shared a border of more than 2500 kilometres, with people of Pashtun ethnicity living in both countries.

Pakistanis had supported Afghans for nearly 50 years, since the Cold War, Khan added.

“The war is a kind of a confusion in this regard.”

Taliban security personnel stand guard near the Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Nangarhar province after Pakistan bombed major cities in Afghanistan. Aimal Zahir

However, the relationship between the Taliban-led Afghanistan and Pakistan has been volatile.

The latest violence erupted after Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory last weekend triggered Afghan retaliatory attacks along the border, escalating long-simmering tensions over Pakistan’s claim that Afghanistan shelters Pakistani Taliban militants, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Afghanistan denies this.

Pakistanis believed there was no other option but to stop the conflict, Khan said, especially as it was during the month of Ramadan.

Ramadan, in Islam, is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar – from 17 February to 19 March in 2026.

“The month of Ramadan is usually the month of peace… so it is a violation of that tradition… we are fighting, and we are creating havoc on each other,” Khan said.

He also feared that it would also cause conflict between Pakistani and Afghan New Zealanders if it did not stop.

“There is a kind of situation which is very dangerous in this land, that this will definitely impact their relationship as well.

“The Pakistanis living in New Zealand, and the Afghanis living in New Zealand, they are definitely creating a kind of a bad feeling and a mistrust kind of thing, because obviously, all those things which happen overseas, they have got an overlapping effect.”

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

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Death following crash, Bunnythorpe

Source: New Zealand Police

One person involved in a three-vehicle crash in Bunnythorpe last week has now died.

Emergency services were called to Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road about 7.50am on 25 February.

Two people were transported to hospital in critical condition.

Sadly, on 27 February, one of those two people sadly died in hospital.

Police extend their condolences to their loved ones at this difficult time.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Serious crash, SH1, Taihape

Source: New Zealand Police

Emergency services are at the scene of a serious single-vehicle crash on SH1, Taihape, to the north of Spooners Hill. 

Initial indications suggest there have been injuries. 

The road is closed, with diversions in place, and motorists should avoid the area if possible.

ENDS 

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Local addicts, Yellowstone expands and Louis Theroux mans up: March’s best TV

Source: Radio New Zealand

Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere

In his disarmingly polite way, the acclaimed documentarian enters the toxic hellhole of the manosphere to expose the people pushing this misogynistic movement to men and teenage boys around the world.

Talking to GQ, Theroux likened making this doco to facing “the final boss,” which, given the subjects found in his filmography, shows just how problematic the men he encounters here are.

Discovering that “racism, antisemitism, misogyny, homophobia, porn, human trafficking — they’re all folded in”, this promises to be an unsettling, horrifically eye-opening watch.

Louis Theroux in Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere.

Pip/Netflix

Watch: Netflix

When: From 11 March

Crackhead

This local dark dramedy is based on the experiences that creator, writer, and star Holly Shervey encountered when she checked into a psychiatric care clinic in 2010. The series follows Frankie, a 20-something who is sentenced to rehab after accidentally burning down her sister’s house while high and drunk.

With its kinetic direction and raw, lived-in script, Crackhead expertly balances harrowing emotion with pitch-black humour. It’s a potent dose of television that leaves you constantly wanting more.

Watch: Three & ThreeNow

When: Mid-March.

Holly Shervey in Crackhead.

Matt Klitscher

Marshals / The Madison

The ‘Sheridanverse’ expands this month with two new entries from Yellowstone’s uber-TV producer, Taylor Sheridan. The first is Marshals, a direct Yellowstone spin-off following the fan favourite character Kayce Dutton as he joins an elite unit of US Marshals and struggles with work-life balance and the high psychological costs of his job.

The second sounds more interesting. It sees screen greats Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell packing up their family and leaving New York for the sweeping vistas of Montana after a life-shattering tragedy. Described as “powerful, emotional” viewing, its leads could lasso new viewers into Yellowstone’s sphere.

Watch: Neon

When: Marshals, Monday 2 March, The Madison, Sunday 15 March.

Michelle Pfeiffer in The Madison.

Neon

Ghost Elephants

We all know you can’t eat ghost chips, but can you find ghost elephants? That’s the question the acclaimed filmmaker and poetic miserablist Werner Herzog hopes to answer as he tags along with a conservation biologist into the highlands of Angola.

The pair is searching for legend, a new species of African elephants that’s been spoken of for generations but never actually sighted by humans.

Watch: Disney+

When: Sunday 8 March

Werner Herzog documentary Ghost Elephants.

Supplied

Scarpetta

Nicole Kidman stars as forensic pathologist D. Kay Scarpetta in this big-budget adaptation of Patricia Cornwell’s bestselling crime novels.

The show sees Scarpetta using modern forensic tools and her psychological training to investigate a serial killer terrorising her old hometown.

Things take a personal twist when she begins to suspect the killer may feature prominently in her past, allowing the show to divide into dual timelines as it keeps viewers on the edge of their seats and guessing whodunnit.

Watch: Prime Video

When: Wednesday, 11 March

Nicole Kidman as Kay Scarpetta.

Amazon MGM Studios

Hyundai Country Calendar

A big happy birthday to this iconic celebration of rural life that now cements itself as one of the longest-running shows on the telly.

The show debuted in 1966, seven years before colour TV’s arrived in Aotearoa, and has been running strong since. Its tales of kiwi life and documentation of the heartland have never lost relevance in its six decades of storytelling.

The 60th celebration features all-new episodes and will also highlight some classics from the archives.

Now, when’s A Dog’s Show coming back?

Watch: TVNZ 1

When: Friday, 6 March

John Clarke as Fred Dagg on Country Calendar in 1974

NZ On Screen / Screenshot

Extra viewing

Rooster

Steve Carell’s crime novelist visits his daughter at an elite college and finds himself embroiled in a plot straight out of one of his books.

Watch: Neon

When: Monday, 9 March

Steve Carell in Rooster.

Supplied

Track Stars

Aoteroa’s top athletes, celebrities and household names come together in this special event to compete in a series of track and field events.

The sportsfolk will be competing for New Zealand titles, while everyone else competes for bragging rights and our entertainment.

Watch: TVNZ 1

When: Saturday, 7 March

Young Sherlock

The big mystery of this coming-of-age thriller series focusing on a 19-year-old Sherlock Holmes is whether director Guy Ritchie has given the popular consulting detective a geezer makeover.

Watch: Prime Video

When: Wednesday, 4 March

Dónal Finn as James Moriarty and Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Sherlock Holmes in Young Sherlock.

Prime

Karl Puschmann is an arts and entertainment journalist, and also runs Screen Crack, a popular Substack dedicated to deep-diving into film and television. screencrack.substack.com.

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

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‘By the end of the year, they’re making their own clothes’

Source: Radio New Zealand

Heather Black has always sewed, starting age 12 on an old-style treadle sewing machine.

It was a skill she taught herself out of necessity, she told RNZ’s Nine to Noon.

“We didn’t have a lot of access to clothes. I was tired of wearing hand-me-downs, and so I just started making my own clothes out of sheets, blankets, curtains, whatever I could find.” she says.

Heather Black, on left, with two of her students.

Adult & Community Education

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

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Tenant wins $5000 payout after Kāinga Ora fails to act over machete threats

Source: Radio New Zealand

The police had been called for three separate incidents at the property. 123RF

A woman’s 14-year-old grandson was nearly mowed down by her neighbour’s car, while her son was threatened with a machete.

Now an elderly Tongan woman has gone to the Tenancy Tribunal, after Kāinga Ora refused to terminate her tenancy, despite the woman living in “constant fear” of the family next door.

The woman, who has name suppression, had lived at the Kāinga Ora property since 2019.

A female tenant lives at another Kāinga Ora property next door with her male partner and their children.

According to a recently released decision, the woman claimed that, during the tenancy, abuse was constantly shouted out at her over the fence, her daughter and son had been challenged to fights, rubbish had been thrown over the fence, and loud music had been played for long periods into the night on a boombox being carried up and down the road.

She’d also been sworn at in her driveway, had rocks thrown at her and her family, and was harassed when she called the police.

The police had been called for three separate incidents – one on 4 February, 2024, when the male neighbour was reported as being hostile and shouting threats, while standing at the tenant’s front gate.

A second incident occurred on 2 March, 2024, when the male neighbour was reported as standing outside the tenant’s front gate, making threats, while holding a machete.

The most volatile experience came when they had threatened to kill her son with a machete on 10 June last year.

The son said the male neighbour was working in the garden with a shovel and a machete, and started to abuse him and his son, and threatened to kill them.

The man was charged with threatening to kill, but was convicted of a lesser charge in relation to the weapon.

The woman’s daughter also provided a written statement to the authority and gave evidence at the hearing about an incident in which her 14-year-old son was walking home from school, when the male tenant was returning home in a car.

She said the male tenant chased her son in the car, driving onto the grass verge, and that her son was only able to escape by hiding behind a boat situated on a grass verge. The police were called, but attended the next day.

‘Lives in constant fear’

The woman said she “lives in constant fear” of the neighbouring tenants and will often stay inside her home, because she is too afraid to venture outside. On occasion, she had stayed with her daughter, because she couldn’t cope with being at home.

She had health issues that impacted her mobility and sight, and recently had a stroke.

She and her son had reported the behaviour to Kāinga Ora numerous times during the tenancy, but their response had always been to tell her and her family to keep to themselves, and not engage with the neighbours.

She said she initially wanted the neighbour to move, so she could live in peace, but now that she had health issues, she wanted to leave the tenancy.

Kāinga Ora did not dispute that the tenant had reported ongoing issues with this tenancy, and was well aware of the tenant’s complaints of shouting, abuse and loud music.

It confirmed that the organisation had been notified of the three police incidents, but said the issue was complex, because on some occasions, there was aggression on both sides, including a physical altercation between the male neighbour and the tenant’s son, which resulted in an antisocial notice being issued to both.

Kāinga Ora said it had considered whether it could terminate the neighbour’s tenancy under section 55A of the Residential Tenancies Act (termination for assault), following the machete incident, but ultimately determined it could not do so, because the neighbouring tenant herself was not home and the male at the address was not a listed tenant, and had threatened this tenant’s son and not the tenant herself.

The organisation was also unable to apply to terminate the tenancy for antisocial behaviour, as there had not been three incidents within a 90-day period.

Tribunal adjudicator Melissa Allan said the tenant had been “left in a very difficult situation”.

“She has not felt free to move about her property, often remains inside, and has been subjected to unreasonable levels of noise, rubbish being thrown, screaming and yelling, and threats being made to her family members.

“The landlord should have filed an application to terminate the neighbouring tenancy. It is not necessary for criminal charges to be proven or even laid.

“The landlord only needed to prove, to the civil standard, that the tenant has been interfering with the reasonable pace, comfort and privacy of the tenant, and that the breach is of such a nature and of such an extent that it would be inequitable to refuse to make an order terminating the tenancy.”

By failing to take steps, the landlord had breached its obligations, she said.

Kāinga Ora was ordered to pay the tenant $5000 in compensation for breach of landlord’s obligations and was looking to transfer the tenant to a tenancy that is more suited to her current health needs.

* This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald.

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

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Police continue to investigate after Papakura shooting leaves man in moderate condition

Source: Radio New Zealand

A police car seen behind a cordon as officers attend an incident. RNZ

Police are following “strong lines of enquiry”, after an Auckland shooting on Saturday left a man with moderate injuries.

Officers were conducting patrols in the Clevedon Road area in the suburb of Papakura on Saturday morning, when they heard what was believed to be gunshots at about 11.20am.

A short time later, a man was transported to hospital in a moderate condition with a gunshot injury.

A police spokesperson said they were following “strong lines of inquiry” into what had occurred.

“Initial indications are that the victim and the offenders are known to each other, and there is no risk to the wider community.”

Officers, including the Armed Offenders Squad, had been conducting enquiries at a Grove Road address on Saturday afternoon, but no arrests were made.

Cordons that had been in place in Grove Road were stood down.

The spokesperson said Clevedon Road and Grove Road residents could expect to see a continued police presence on Saturday evening, as officers continued enquiries.

They asked that anyone with information that might assist their investigation contact them via 105.

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

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Kiwi golfer Daniel Hillier storms into NZ Open lead at Millbrook

Source: Radio New Zealand

Daniel Hillier plays a shot during the third round of the 105th New Zealand Open. Photosport

A stunning late surge has vaulted Kiwi Daniel Hillier to the top of the NZ Open leaderboard at Millbrook Resort, near Queenstown.

The Wellingtonian was four strokes off leader and fellow Kiwi Kerry Mountcastle, when he lined up to play the 14th hole.

He birdied that, followed up with another birdie, parred the 16th, eagled the 17th and birdied the last to finish with a seven-under-par 64 to be 18-under with a round to play.

Hillier has been a force on the European tour this year and is the highest-ranked player in the field this week. He was runner-up at the NZ Open in 2024.

Masterton golfer Mountcastle also hit a 64 and is tied for second with Australian Curtis Luck, who hit 63. They are a stroke behind Hillier.

Another Aussie, Lucas Herbert, went around in 62 and sits fourth, a further stroke back.

Hillier had played steady golf before his late surge.

“That was a crazy last few holes,” he said. “I didn’t have my best early on.

“It was one of those days and I had to stay patient. I knew there were a couple of par-fives I could take advantage of later in the piece.

“Thankfully, I could do that and it was pretty cool to get one at the last as well, in front of that massive crowd.”

Hillier, who has had two top-five finishes on the DP World Tour already this year, is obviously keen to continue his good vein of form in the final round.

“Looking ahead to tomorrow, I would love a replay of that and some more,” he said. “Obviously, I have a job to do.

“I will rest up tonight and have a good sleep, and come out firing.”

Mountcastle could have had the outright lead had he birdied the final hole, but he dropped a stroke, after his tee shot landed in the water.

New Zealander Kerry Mountcastle is tied for second after three rounds. Photosport

The 30-year-old rated his round, which included nine birdies, as “nine out of 10”.

“Everything was kind of firing,” he said. “I’m sort of not really thinking about what’s happening in the tournament.

“It’s just I’m out here trying to hit shot after shot and it’s kind of the first time when I’ve been up the top, where I’ve been this comfortable.

“Normally I’m always thinking about, “Oh, I need to do this or what’s going on about that?”

The overnight leader after the second round, New Zealand amateur teenager Yuki Miya hit a 70 for a share of fifth place at 13-under.

One of the world’s top players on the PGA Championship tour, Kiwi Steven Alker has a share of ninth place at 12-under. He and compatriot Sam Jones both scored 66 in the third round.

“Today was moving day and I wanted to be a little more aggressive, but tomorrow, I am going to need to be really aggressive to catch the guys in front,” Alker said.

“I am having a blast with ‘Goldie’ [former All Black Jeff Wilson] on the bag, and it’s been a lot of fun and great to be back in New Zealand playing again. That is the coolest part.”

South Korea’s Chan Choi matched the championship course record with a 10-under-par 61. After making the cut on the number, he is now in a share of eighth at 12-under.

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