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Contractors want the government to hurry up with new road rules for agricultural machinery

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

Rural contractors say new road rules for agricultural machinery are nowhere to be seen, and in the meantime contractors are still being stung with fines.

To operate tractors or heavy machinery like harvesters on roads, drivers must get a permit. But the rules are “outdated” and not keeping up with new technology, critics say.

Rural Contractors NZ chief executive Andrew Olsen said often new machinery and tractors being imported were already overweight and oversized.

“They arrive and contractors already can’t drive them on roads – that’s before they’ve even added tools or equipment to the back.”

Last year the government said it would address the issue.

The Ministry of Transport said it was working on a range of reforms to land transport rules for heavy vehicles – but the timing for new rules for agricultural vehicles was not clear.

“The review of weight limits is a longer-term piece of work to review the vehicle dimension and mass (VDAM) rule,” Olsen said.

“This rule sets out the maximum permitted weight, width and length for vehicles operated on New Zealand’s roads – including heavy agricultural vehicles. We recognise that the VDAM rule has not kept pace with developments in the industry, such as performance improvements in modern vehicles.”

Because this work required significant research and analysis, the timing of any changes had not yet been confirmed, a ministry spokesperson said.

Olsen said that was frustrating, and feared changes could be years away.

“We believe this should be a priority – it’s about managing those oversized vehicles on the road and determining not that they are safe, but that they are roadworthy and able to meet the standard without needing to necessarily add a whole lot of complexity around obtaining a piece of paper to do so.

“This is a productivity issue. It’s very complicated to get an overweight permit – there’s a few ways to do it, but none of them are simple.”

Olsen respected it would not be a straightforward or quick process to develop new rules, but he just wanted them to get underway.

“We don’t have a lot of time because these machines are on the road now, and we need to find a common sense and pragmatic solution to this sooner rather than later. “

He said since the government signalled change, fines issued had reduced – but he was not sure if that was because regulators were being more lenient or if contractors were working harder to get permits.

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

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Charging $9 toll wouldn’t cover cost of new Auckland harbour crossing, advocate says

Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland Harbour Bridge. 123rf

Imposing tolls on the existing Harbour Bridge won’t raise enough revenue to cover long-term costs of a new crossing, the editor of an advocacy website says.

The Infrastructure Commission has suggested a toll as high as $9 to help pay for a second crossing.

Greater Auckland editor Matt Lowrie told Morning Report that the estimated revenue from the toll is between $7 and $9 billion, while the projected costs of the crossing could exceed $20b.

When the bridge was first opened in 1959, motorists had to pay 2 shillings and 6 pence, a figure the Commission said equalled around $9 in 2025.

Tolls were removed in 1984.

Lowrie said while a second crossing is needed to provide more capacity, other payment options could be considered.

He also agreed that tolling both crossings was necessary because just tolling the new one meant people would simply continue using the existing bridge.

That would see a “multi-billion dollar piece of infrastructure … sit unused”.

Lowrie suggested a lower toll be implemented to see the impact of it.

He said the addition of the Northern Busway in 2008 had delayed the need to spend billions of dollars on a harbour crossing as the uptake from commuters had taken the pressure off the existing bridge.

Whether a toll was introduced or not, Lowrie said Aucklanders would end up paying the bulk of the cost through a road tax or fuel taxes being raised.

But the majority would come from Crown investment – and that had to be weighed up amongst the need for improvements to hospitals and schools, he said.

On Tuesday, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the new crossing would be the biggest infrastructure project New Zealand has ever done.

While the new crossing would be tolled, a question remained over whether the existing bridge would be tolled as well.

“We are working our way through that. That’s a very big decision for the country to make,” he said.

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

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Five youth charged following aggravated robbery, Napier

Source: New Zealand Police

Five youth are before the court following an aggravated robbery in Westshore, Napier.

On Monday 16 February, Police were notified of an aggravated robbery at a commercial premises on Charles Street about 4.40pm.

Three people allegedly entered the premises and stole a number of items before fleeing in a vehicle containing two others. All took steps to conceal their identities.

No injuries were reported however the owner of the premises is understandably shaken.

The vehicle was later located abandoned on Alexander Avenue, and has been seized for a forensic examination.

Following enquiries into the incident, including information provided by members of the public, Police identified five alleged offenders.

Yesterday evening, Police executed a search warrant at a Napier address where four alleged offenders were taken into custody.

During the search warrant, Police also located evidence relating to the aggravated robbery. including clothing worn by the alleged offenders.

The fifth alleged offender was located and taken into custody a short time later.

Acting Hawke’s Bay Area Investigations Manager, Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Karli Whiu says he is pleased with this result.

“I would like to thank all staff involved for their great collective work in bringing this to a quick resolution.

“Much like the community, Police have no tolerance for this type of offending, and we will continue to work hard to hold offenders to account,” Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Whiu says.

The youth are due to appear in Napier Youth Court today, jointly charged with aggravated robbery and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.

Further charges have not been ruled out.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

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Fletcher Building posts smaller half-year loss, expects another tough year

Source: Radio New Zealand

Chief executive Andrew Reding expected market conditions to remain challenging in the near term. Supplied / Fletcher Building

Fletcher Building has posted a smaller half-year loss as the company continues to clean up its long-list of legacy issues, while business remains challenging.

Key numbers for the six months ended December compared with a year ago:

  • Net loss $11m vs $134m loss
  • Revenue $3.37b vs $3.58b
  • Revenue from continuing operations $2.87b vs $2.85b
  • Profit from continuing operations $45m vs $88m loss
  • Significant items $7m vs $177m
  • No dividend

Chief executive Andrew Reding said Fletcher was making progress in difficult trading conditions.

“The first half of [financial year 2026] was another demanding period for the building industry, with subdued markets across New Zealand and Australia,” he said.

“Conditions differed between a particularly weak first quarter and a more stable second quarter,” Reding said. “In that environment, our core manufacturing businesses held up well, supported by disciplined cost control and better operational execution.”

Fletcher’s interim result last year was affected by $177 million in one-off items related to its legacy projects, compared to $7m in one-offs in the latest period.

Revenue from continuing operations was flat on the prior year, with lower New Zealand volumes and ongoing competitive pressure, which was offset by stable performances in its core manufacturing businesses.

Last month, Fletcher announced the sale of its construction division, as the company worked to simplify the business after years of pressure from delayed projects and cost overruns.

“The sale of Construction is a major step in reshaping Fletcher Building into a simpler, more focused building products manufacturing and distribution group,” Reding said.

“Combined with the cost and capital discipline we have put in place, it positions the Group well to benefit as market conditions recover.”

Reding expected market conditions to remain challenging in the near term.

“In New Zealand, residential and civil demand is likely to remain relatively subdued through [financial year 2026], with a more meaningful recovery not anticipated until calendar year 2027,” he said.

“In Australia, early signs of stabilisation are emerging in parts of the portfolio, although conditions remain uneven.”

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

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Top Up’ to deliver faster access to support

Source: New Zealand Government

Seven grassroots mental health initiatives supporting small and hard-to-reach communities have received funding to deliver faster access to support, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announced today.

“These seven projects deliver practical support, from supporting parents and educating on mental health, to empowering women, grassroots sport initiatives, and accessible movement programmes,” Mr Doocey says.

“We’re focused on fixing the basics and building the future by supporting community organisations to step in early and provide support before people reach a point of crisis.

“Each community has different needs, and this fund reflects that. The organisations receiving funding include those supporting Māori, Pasifika, rainbow, rural and disability communities, the groups we know have the highest unmet need.”

The seven funded projects are:

  • Support for young families: Tupu Oranga Ngātahi –  Growing Wellness Together in Auckland helps young parents and families build everyday wellbeing habits through gardening, shared meals, and learning together.
  • Building resilience in Hauraki: Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora brings young people and families together to turn simple actions like walking, creating, and conversation into meaningful wellbeing “top ups.”
  • Accessible movement videos: Moving with Mauri delivers a national video series, starting with gentle movement and progressing to more confident physical activity.
  • Empowering women: TOI WāHine in the Bay of Plenty supports women to build practical everyday wellbeing practices.
  • Supporting pregnant mothers: WELLfed Pēpē Māmā Programme in Porirua promotes wellbeing through shared cooking, learning, and connection, reducing isolation and building peer support.
  • Strengthening identity and connection: Te Ara o te Hue – Wānanga for Wellbeing on the West Coast runs community-led workshops combining local culture, art, nature, and traditional practices.
  • Supporting Pacific young people through sport: Fa‘atauanau – Wellbeing in Grassroots Sport in West Auckland integrates wellbeing into schools and local sports clubs, creating safe spaces for conversation and connection.

The grants are delivered through the Mental Health Foundation’s government-funded Top Up community grants scheme and complement the Top Up campaign, launched in August last year, which promotes the Five Ways to Wellbeing—Connect, Give, Take Notice, Keep Learning, and Be Active. These five evidence-based actions have been shown to support better mental health. The campaign has already reached millions through TV, radio, and digital channels.

“The aim of the campaign is simple, if you’ve had a challenging day on the farm or stress from work is building up, we want New Zealanders to automatically think which of the Five Ways to Wellbeing you can use to top up,” Mr Doocey says.

“I want to acknowledge the Mental Health Foundation for the work they are doing on the ground and ensuring the resources are going where it’s most needed.

“Support like this helps us deliver faster access to support, more frontline workers, and a better crisis response.”

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Man charged with breaching Mt Maunganui landslip cordon

Source: Radio New Zealand

The Mt Maunganui cordon, pictured earlier this month. Nick Monro

A man has been arrested after allegedly breaching the cordon around Mt Maunganui.

The cordon has been in place since the deadly landslide that killed six people at a campground in January.

Tauranga City Council said it aimed to lift part of the temporary road cordon around the Mt Maunganui landslide around lunchtime on Thursday.

Police were alerted at about 2.30am this morning after a 20-year-old man allegedly entered the landslide zone, which they say has been cordoned off for public safety.

He was arrested, and has been charged with breaching the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act, as well as careless driving.

Western Bay of Plenty Area Commander, Inspector Clifford Paxton, said the cordon is well sign-posted, and there’s no excuse for the breach.

“Police remind the public that the landslide site is a restricted area as it remains unstable and poses significant public safety concerns,” he said.

The man is expected to appear in Tauranga District Court next Tuesday.

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

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How to avoid moisture-loving parasites in livestock, following storms

Source: Radio New Zealand

123RF

Livestock farmers are being urged to keep their animals well fed and circulated to avoid the spread of moisture-loving parasites.

Downpours and gusts that lashed the country in recent weeks have left farmers grappling with paddocks turned to lakes, keeping stock fed and dry, and navigating cut-off tracks, roads and bridges.

Heavy rainfall and warm conditions created an optimal habitat for parasites like worms and their larvae to spread in pasture.

Wormwise manager Ginny Dodunski said the worm larvae animals ate when they were grazing lived in droplets of water.

“[The larvae] are pretty good at clinging onto the grass blades, so unless you’ve actually had land move down a hill or you heaps of water flowing through your property, they’re still going to be there.”

Dodunski said sheep and cattle were subject to different worm species, but all would thrive in pasture during wet and warm conditions.

“The conditions that we’ve got at the moment definitely favour larvae survival,” she said.

“So we’ve got to get around that with really good feeding and then thinking about how we can use our different stock classes on our farms to clean up behind each other.”

She said stock rotation and grazing management were key to preventing further spread.

“One of the worst things we could do now with our lambs and calves is have them just going round and round and round their same little area on the farm, because they will pick up lots of larvae and because they’re young, they will put out a lot more worms themselves, so they create these hotspots for themselves.”

Dodunksi said farmers could capitalise on good lamb prices and focus more on fattening up the ewes, to buffer any pasture production knocks that might come with pests and diseases this summer.

“Get rid of your lambs, get the weight back on the ewes, and get yourself set up for next year, because some of these other pests and diseases might knock some pasture production around later on. So having ewes in good condition now is going to be a bit of a buffer for some of that as well.”

She said fortunately most sheep were already shorn by now which helped prevent flystrike in summer months.

She also urged farmers to monitor for any sudden deaths and consider spore and faecal counts.

Furthermore, Beef and Lamb said farmers were reporting a proliferation of these pests and diseases, as well as facial eczema and porina.

Earth Sciences New Zealand maps showed wet soils were especially pronounced on the East Coast, Bay of Plenty and pockets of South Waikato, Manawatū and Kaikōura as of Monday.

Historic soil moisture levels and current as of Monday. Supplied / NIWA

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

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Luca Harrington finishes sixth in Winter Olympics big air final

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand’s Luca Harrington during the Freeski Big Air final at the 2026 Winter OLympics. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

New Zealand’s Luca Harrington has finished sixth in the men’s big air final at the Milan Winter Olympics, missing out on a medal.

Harrington, the reigning big air World Champion, had a great first run to sit fourth after the first round, but failed to land his second run and had a sloppy landing in his third attempt to slip down the leaderboard.

The Wānaka freeskier won bronze in last week’s men’s slopestyle.

New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott’s will try to defend her women’s slopestyle title tomorrow morning after today’s final was postponed due to heavy snow.

More to come…

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

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Weather live: Major highway set to reopen after floods in Christchurch and Banks Peninsula

Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow our live blog at the top of this page for updates.

Banks Peninsula remains cut off by road after widespread damage from flooding and slips.

Canterbury’s civil defence controller Duncan Sandeman says the focus on Wednesday will be opening roads and restoring communications.

The peninsula was pelted by ten times the monthly average rainfall in the last 48 hours. Part of State Highway 75, the main road from Christchurch to Akaroa, was closed overnight.

Follow our live blog at the top of this page for updates.

Roads damaged after floods in Akaroa. Nathan McKinnon

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

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Arrest made following landslide cordon breach, Mount Manganui

Source: New Zealand Police

Attribute to Western Bay of Plenty Area Commander, Inspector Clifford Paxton: 

Bay of Plenty Police have arrested and charged a man following a breach at the Mount Maunganui landslide site cordon early this morning.

At around 2.30am, Police were notified that a man had allegedly entered the Mount Maunganui landslide zone which is cordoned off for the public’s safety.

Police coordinated a response with Māori Wardens, who are watching over the site, and a 20-year-old man was arrested.

He is due in Tauranga District Court on Tuesday 24 February, charged with breaching the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act and careless driving.

Police remind the public that the landslide site is a restricted area as it remains unstable and poses significant public safety concerns.

The area is cordoned off with clear signage – there is no excuse to breach this.

Any suspicious behaviour around cordoned, or restricted, areas should be reported to Police immediately by calling 111, if it is happening now, or through 105 if it is after the fact.

You can also provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre