NZ Engine

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police are at an Auckland prison following the death of a man in custody.

Mt Eden Corrections Facility general manager Dion Paki said the man died on Friday afternoon, despite efforts by staff to save him.

He said the man was not in a double-bunked cell.

“Our thoughts are with the man’s family and those who were close to him during this difficult time.

“Other men and staff are being provided with support, including access to Chaplains and cultural support where requested.”

Paki said all deaths in custody were referred to the Coroner for investigation and determination of cause of death.

He said an investigation by the independent Corrections Inspectorate would also be carried out.

A police spokesperson said officers were attending a sudden death at the prison.

Police have notified next of kin.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

A search dog and drones with thermal capability have been used by police as the search for missing Motueka man Nathan Green continues.

The 52-year-old was last seen on a trail camera on 14 April, before later being seen by a member of the public.

Police search and rescue, and Land Search and Rescue teams, have conducted extensive searches of the area.

Acting Nelson Bays Area Commander, Acting Inspector Adam Ramsay, said despite reviewing available CCTV, using a drone with thermal capability and a search dog, Green has still not been found.

“We continue to work closely with Nathan’s family, who are understandably very concerned for his welfare,” Ramsay said.

“We ask that the community continues to keep an eye out for Nathan, including checking your backyards and sheds/shelters.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Thousands of people gathered in Blenheim for Kia Hūkere te Hoe this week, the biggest kapa haka event ever held in Marlborough.

It was a celebration of a performance art that’s become so popular in Te Tauihu (the top of the South), there wasn’t enough room for all the teams that wanted to perform.

The event was the regional qualifier for next year’s national primary schools competition, Te Mana Kuratahi, and the premier kapa haka event Te Matatini 2027.

It returned to the district for the first time in 13 years, bringing together hundreds of kaihaka, their whānau and supporters from across the Te Tauihu rohe.

It was the first time seven-year-old Te Maire Davis from Victory Primary School had performed kapa haka.

“At the start I felt nervous then when I kept doing the songs, I felt excited.

“After I got off [the stage] I felt proud of me, when all the people were doing haka tautoko I felt kind of proud of myself.”

She said her favourite part, was “doing the haka and doing pukana”.

It was also the first time onstage for six-year-old Jemimah George, also from Victory Primary School in Nelson.

“First when you go on you are a little nervous at the start but then when you hop off you are proud of yourself.”.

Bohally Intermediate student Tiahuia Finch, 11, said there were several things she loved about kapa haka.

“That I can just be myself and do Māori songs, I can sing hardout and I can just be with all my whanau and friends.”

Kaylahni Mackie Taupe, 11, said she was pleased with her group’s performance after nine weeks of practice.

“It’s been hard but also easy, it is all about the discipline really.”

Te Tauihu Kapa Haka Incorporated chair Sonny Alesana said kapa haka had become increasingly popular in recent years. Around 13 primary school teams competed at the event, but there were even more who wanted to.

“Unfortunately we had 11 other teams that we couldn’t fit on the two days so we have to find something for them, which is a goal of ours in the next two or three years, is how we might be able to accommodate the exponential growth of kapa haka in our region.”

He said kapa haka teams from two Te Tauihu schools were travelling to Japan and Hawaii this year to perform.

“Kapa haka is a vehicle for us to drive a whole of different things and [New Zealand] is the only country in the world that has kapa, so why don’t we take it out into the world, to ensure that our kids, our rangatahi, our kapa performers have an opportunity to go overseas, we are working very hard on that.”

He said every whanau that was involved put lots of time and effort into kapa haka.

“There’s a lot of travelling, a lot of cooking, a lot of tears, a lot of sewing of uniforms, so not only are the children up there on the stage but they are representing their whanau, their hapu and their iwi.”

Melissa Linton travelled from Motueka to watch her two tamariki – from Parklands School in Motueka – take part in Kia Hūkere te Hoe.

“This is probably their third competition but it never gets any easier, the nerves beforehand and the tears straightaway. I am just so proud of them.”

She said her boys and other students spent the holidays practising kapa haka every day.

“They just put in so much time and effort and all the matua awhi (parent help) to do the kai and the kākahu (traditional garments) and the makeup and hair on the day it is just a full team effort and these kids are whanau for life now these kids, they spend so much time together and they’ve got each other.”

Nicki Hemi said watching her great nephews perform was emotional.

“Our reo was lost to us as a whanau and our boys are bringing it back to our whanau and it is so important, it is so dear to us and I just am so proud of them up there, so brave and standing tall in their Māoridom in the Te ao Māori world.”

Those selected to compete at Te Mana Kuratahi and Te Matatini will be announced at a prizegiving on Friday afternoon.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Police have arrested two people after over $100,000 of kiwifruit pollen was stolen from a commercial property in Kerikeri.

On 7 April, the robbery at the property on State Highway 10 was reported to Northland police.

While police investigations are ongoing, Detective Bernie Patrick, Northland CIB, said an unrelated report helped police make some arrests.

“On 21 April, officers attended a family harm incident in Waitangi.

“A stolen fuel card and other stolen property were found in a vehicle, whose owner was subsequently arrested,” he said.

Police searched three other properties in Kerikeri and found a “significant quantity” of the pollen, a vintage vehicle and loaded gun.

A stolen trailer, solar batteries, timber, foreign currency and power tools were also recovered by police.

A 35-year-old man was due to appeared in Kaikohe District Court on Friday, charged with receiving stolen property, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition.

A 42-year-old man has been charged with receiving stolen property and is due to appear in Kaikohe District Court on 8 May.

Police have not ruled out further charges.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown referred to an RNZ staff member of Indian descent as “a Muslim terrorist” and commented on his beard as the man escorted him into the building for an interview.

Brown said the comments were a “fumbled attempt at humour”.

RNZ said the man was greeting Brown as he arrived at RNZ’s Auckland offices for an appearance on the Afternoons programme on Monday.

The staff member apologised to Brown for the wait, mentioning security being tight in the building, an RNZ spokesperson said in a statement.

“The Mayor responded with a comment along the lines of ‘security can’t be very tight if we’re being escorted by a Muslim terrorist’,” the RNZ spokesperson said.

“The Mayor also made a comment about the employee’s looks and said something like ‘gosh look at your beard’.”

The man noted he must have looked shocked because the mayor then said he was only joking, the spokesperson said

The staff member, who RNZ News agreed not to name, said he was shocked and hurt by the comments.

“I agree with the Mayor that his comments were inappropriate and disrespectful,” he said in a statement sent by RNZ’s communications team.

“I acknowledge his apology and hope this incident leads to reflection about the choice of language, and the danger of racial and religious stereotyping, especially by those in positions of leadership.”

RNZ’s chief people officer Sarah Neilson said the comment was not acceptable.

“RNZ’s immediate concern is for our colleague who was understandably hurt by the comments,” she said in a statement.

“At our workplace we want people to be treated with respect, including by our guests. The comment made to our employee was unacceptable whether it was made in jest or otherwise.”

The Mayor’s apology

The mayor sent the man an email apology a short time after the incident.

It was requested he send it via an RNZ colleague and the organisation has released it:

“I am writing to apologise for the comment I made to you yesterday. It was inappropriate, and I take full responsibility for it.

“I understand that my words were disrespectful, and I regret the harm they caused. It was a fumbled attempt at humour which I admit I got wrong.

“On a personal note, I have a great deal of respect for the Sikh community in Auckland, and I am sorry that my comment fell short of that.”

The man is not Sikh. The Mayor was mistakenly told by his staff that the man was Sikh.

In response to questions from RNZ today, Brown sent a statement.

“I tend to use humour in all interactions but acknowledge I got this one wrong,” he said.

“When I was made aware of this, I immediately sent an apology to [the man]. I have always made it clear that I have great respect and admiration for our Muslim, Sikh and Indian communities here in Auckland, and I will continue to be a Mayor who represents every Aucklander.”

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

Job site Seek has seen a big jump in the number casual roles listed on its website, as an economist says uncertain economic times are making businesses reluctant to hire full time staff.

In theory, casual contracts offer flexibility for employers and employees, and work is available as and when it suits both parties – but no hours are guaranteed.

But some workers said the benefits were stacked in favour of the employer and the fluctuating hours made it difficult to get by.

Auckland mother of two Chantelle Williams worked on a casual contract in traffic management, starting her night shift at 9pm when there was work available.

When she started the job she said there were plenty of hours to go around – sometimes as many as 70 per week – but now they had dried up.

“At the moment I am struggling to get to 20 hours hours a week. So over time it just puts more pressure on you. Because you’re falling behind in your financial obligations.”

Williams said the flexibility of the work was a good thing – in theory.

But she said in reality, it was well known at her company that saying no to a shift meant not being offered as many in the future, so she was reluctant to ever turn down work.

“I could get calls in the afternoon saying I need you at work right now. So literally you have no time to do anything else other than grab a shower, jump in the car and go to work.”

That made it difficult for Williams to spend as much time with her kids as she would like.

“I don’t want to miss out on anything to do with my kids. But at the end of the day I do have to provide something to them.”

She would prefer to have a full time job, and had been looking for other work, but had not been able to find anything she was qualified for.

Silke Hartung worked as an attendant for live music events and loved coming to work when there was a shift available.

For Hartung, the flexibility was a big plus.

“I still get to Freelance and work at other events which works very well for me. I run a small business where I sell music earplugs which I can have at the door.”

But she said there were downsides to casual work, such as not getting sick leave and there being quiet times of the year.

“Over summer for example, when there just is no work. You kind of have to prepare for that for the entire rest of the year to prepare for maybe not having two months worth of work.”

Data from Seek showed the number of casual job listings had jumped 59 percent since June 2024.

Infometrics chief economist Brad Olsen said in the current economic climate, many businesses were feeling uncertain about hiring permanent staff.

“They are still quite cautious about where the state of the economy is, how fragile some of those green shoots looked – so opting a bit more for the casual rather than a permanent employee to come in. Just giving businesses a bit more options.”

With the job market looking tough, he said people looking for work were likely taking whatever they could get.

Employment lawyer Charlotte Parkhill said casual contracts meant work was on an “as and when required basis”.

However some businesses would sign an employee on to a casual contract without realising they could be considered permanent under law, she said.

“The person involved might work every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday for two years and the employer calls it casual, and that means they’re not truly casual, they’re actually a part time employee… because you’ve got that pattern.”

Employers needed to make sure casual roles they were hiring for were genuinely casual, or they could get themselves into trouble, she said.

Brad Olsen said Infometrics’ analysis showed at the end of 2025 casual employees made up 4.9 percent of the workforce, the highest since 2021.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

After 134 years the classrooms and playing fields of a Manawatū school fell quiet.

Linton Country School closed for good in early 2023 after the roll dwindled to zero.

Now, the Ministry of Education has put the old school grounds up for sale.

Tenders are open until 6 May for the property and its classrooms, hall, out-of-tune piano and well-stocked library.

Harcourts agent Tim Cook is managing the sale and he showed RNZ around.

We start our tour in one of the old classrooms.

“This is probably the original classroom from when it was first built in 1889. It’s been extended and reduced over time,” Cook said.

“There were three classrooms when it shut, but at the peak of it they were even using the headmaster’s house as a classroom, which has long since been removed. It had a lot of history. It was a very popular school in the day.”

The school’s end came after years of battling a falling roll that never topped 20 in its final years. It used to be the only primary school in the area, but the opening of Linton Camp School, at the military base nearby, changed that.

The brightly coloured rooms and corridor haven’t faded, although spiders and birds have made their home where school bags and children’s art once hung.

“At the end of the corridor we’ve got what would have been the staff room – cups of tea, hide from children, plan for your day,” Cook said.

The 1.9 hectare property, less than 10 minutes’ drive from Palmerston North, is worth about $1.3 million.

In 35 years of real estate, this is the first time Cook has sold an old school property, so he’s not sure what to expect when tenders close.

With potentially three road access points and views to Kāpiti Island, it could make a housing development.

“It’s zoned rural and we believe there’s no problem with that. However, we’re advising everyone to talk to the local council just to make sure they can do what they intend to do.”

The old school library comes with a collection of books on the shelves in their correct dewey decimal positions.

“There’s some neat stuff here and the whole property comes with everything that is in it, when the new owners get here, so they may get a library complete with books,” Cook said.

Another classroom still has drawings on the blackboard and a mural of the school on the wall.

The school hall previously doubled as a community centre.

“This is my favourite space. It would be just amazing to do a boutique concert in here. The wooden floor – it’s probably got a spring in it for dancing.

“It was set up with the different lines on the floor for indoor games.”

Old jubilee photos and a Lions Club shield hang on the walls, and just before the school closed new kitchen equipment was installed. It remains unused, covered in its plastic wrapping.

The hall also houses a “very out of tune” piano, although Cook managed to play a few bars of Chopsticks.

He said he’s previously sold a community hall, which had been converted into a home. The stage became a kitchen and the buyers built a mezzanine floor.

After the school’s closure vandals broke in and stole the heat pumps, but Cook said the property appeared to be in good nick, although he wasn’t sure about the playground.

“It’s getting a bit tried. It could do with some love.

“There’s a standalone classroom, which is fairly modern, because you can see if has a concrete floor. It also has a fireplace in it and another toilet block.

“I ran out of fingers actually trying to count how many toilets are here.”

Plenty of toilets, and an outdoor swimming pool, hardcourt, field, and disused paddock.

Cook said there was interest from across New Zealand in the property.

“It’s a wait and see. The vendors are committed to the sale. It’s time to move it on and they’ve said they’ll consider all offers, all tenders.”

Ministry of Education chief executive for school property Jerome Sheppard said officials would assess the offered after tenders closed.

“While there’s no fixed legal timeframe, in practice a preferred offer is usually agreed within a day or two.

“After that, the sale is signed off by Land Information New Zealand on behalf of the Crown, which usually takes around a couple of weeks.”

After the school closed, no other public use was identified for the land, nor were there any Treaty of Waitangi claims on it.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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

Source: Radio New Zealand

One commerce teacher backs a possible investment programme for students and says demand for investment education is growing.

ACT leader David Seymour has floated the idea of giving every year 11 student $500 to invest.

It would be supervised as part of a programme to raise financial literacy and encourage Kiwis to diversify their investments.

Students would get more freedom to manage their windfall as they move through a year long investment cause.

The $30 million annually to fund the scheme would come out of the government’s annual Kiwi Saver subsidy.

One option could see student’s allowed to cash out any gains above $500 or credit them to a student loan account.

Commerce teacher at Cashmere High School, Matt Benassi, said the idea resonated with his students.

“I asked my students about it this afternoon… they wanted to know more about it.

“We are getting more and more demand regarding wanting to know more about investment.”

When asked whether the programme would work and who should teach it, Benassi leaned towards getting in experts.

“I think if the programme was set up so that experts could come in and discuss this then there’s some possibly to deliver that, and I think there are some experts in the educational field that would tackle that really really well.

“Would most teachers be able to? I would really like to hear from the experts.

“I know I get experts into my class to discuss it and the students do have lots of questions around it to gain more knowledge…”

He said using a simulation would not have the same impact of real money.

“The fact that it isn’t fake money, this isn’t a simulation, these aren’t just pretend numbers on a board, this is actual money…”, he said.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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